Joker: Folie à Deux

This movie routinely confounds expectations. Usually, that’s a recipe for something interesting, and in this case I think that mostly works out here—although it is plain why some viewers might not have been particularly enchanted with this result. The execution of this flick's fantasy conceit is uneven; some of the songs are almost apologetic intrusions into a standard narrative, while others come onto the screen as full-blown set pieces à la traditional musicals. That conveys the sense that the filmmakers really didn’t know what to do with their ideas, or at the very least that they weren’t convinced of their own concept. You have to wonder, then, how such a concept was likely to go over with viewers. At least the performances are good; both Phoenix and Gaga acquit themselves well in their roles, although one suspects that the overall experience might have been better if his character had been more the dynamic Joker and less the relatively passive Arthur Fleck. In the end, this is a different, and a mostly welcome, odd spin on the comic book genre—not awful by any means, engaging throughout (I was never bored through the running time), and at least somewhat creative and ambitious, though perhaps not really all that necessary in the final analysis. If you’re going to take the stage, you should open with a strong joke, then finish with something equally good. This movie mini franchise got the first half of that right, but offers a closer that’s good for a chuckle, not a roaring mic drop.

Incredibles 2

Kind of a weird mishmash of several films that explored the “virtues/vices of superheroes” theme—the Dark Knight movies and Watchmen immediately spring to mind—except in a kids’ version. (Some of the MCU movies cover the question as well, but they’re really already for kids.) Unlike those antecedents, this one plays it mostly for chuckles, and draws its conclusions in a largely facile fashion—nothing dark and brooding here. Ultimately, the product is enjoyable and fun, if lightweight and not particularly impactful. Incredible? Not really. Watchable? Certainly.

Get Out

Yeah, OK, but … There seems to be a tactical error here, specifically in how contrived the story's situation comes across as. The point--if in fact there is one--could have been made in a much sharper way had the setting been more realistic. As it is, this "set piece" version of interracial relations is too easy to dismiss because of that lack of grounding in reality. The movie still earns solid marks for the skill of the presentation; it's well put together, the acting is fine, nobody particularly throws up on himself here. But that contrived nature, plus some philosophical missteps that seem to undermine the narrative's credibility, just left me wondering. There's been a lot of love for this movie, and it's not bad, but I'm willing to express the, uh, minority opinion that this flick could have been a lot more--and better--than it actually is.

Death to Smoochy

A printed chart of this movie's laugh meter would show a lot of spikes along the scroll; when the laughs come--and they do, frequently--they are high register indeed. Overall, it's a well-done black comedy, for the most part maintaining an acerbic tone that most movie comedies never even try to attain. Unfortunately, this one does pull its punches towards the end. Nevertheless, it's still a curmudgeonly hoot most of the way through. And its commentary on the commodification of children in this society and its attendant hatefulness--though couched in a heavily comedic and satirical presentation--is dead on.

Out of Sight

Pretty good. Features Jennifer Lopez, in her a little less sleazy incarnation as straightforward actress, along with George Clooney doing his usual thing. Not spectacular, but it holds your interest.