A sister killed her baby ’cause she couldn’t afford to feed it And yet we’re sending people to the moon In September, my cousin tried reefer for the very first time Now he’s doing horse, it’s June, unh
Lyrics from Sign of the Times
Possibly one of my favourite covers of any song I’ve heard. This is how covers should be done.
I remember hearing this for the first time in my first web development job. I was working for a small local company, whose office was the upstairs level of a converted barn.
Usually the radio — permanently fixed on Radio One — soon became tiresome for me as the same songs seemed to be played at the same time every damn day.
But one magical day I happened to hear the Live Lounge wear I heard Matt Belamy’s signature guitar sound riffing to a tune I recognised but could not name.
When I finally worked it out it hit me like a freight train.
So it turns out that The Last of Us Grounded mode is actually pretty tough. Loving it! It’s put the scares and danger back into a game I’ve gotten used to completing.
–is it just me, or is it getting crazier out there?
Arthur Fleck speaking with his Social Worker
Joker is a phenomenal film, released in 2019, that explores a possible origin story for Batman’s famous arch-nemesis.
I can’t believe that I was sat right where I am now as I write this, considering not going to see Joker for my second time at the cinema. This film is absolutely stunning for so many reasons — some of wish I will try and put over to you here.
Please note however, that this isn’t a typical “comic book film” — it’s so much more than that.
I should also say that there are some spoilers ahead.
A Stunning Performance
Joaquin Phoenix is probably my favourite representative of the character of Joker that I’ve seen on screen. He isn’t playing a huge comic book, larger-than-life character. Instead he is playing a grounded human being, living in almost-poverty, dealing with a whole manner of uphill battles.
At front and centre of his performance was the mental health issues that Arthur Fleck (later to become Joker) is dealing with throughout the film and his life. Joaquin’s portrayal of Fleck with these issues was incredible – I couldn’t help but imagine the amount of energy that this role must have taken day to day to get to what we see on screen. Nothing seems to be held back – even the look of his malnourished body from his weight loss for the role stands as a testament to his dedication here.
What I found the most profound though, was the way that Joaquin managed to blend comedy and tragedy into the same performance, so naturally. I remember a key scene where his boss at the clown hire company calls him to see him, essentially blaming him for getting beat up by a gang of kids. Fleck forces himself to ‘put on a happy face’, which for a second is passable as such. But as the camera moves in closer, I could see and feel the anguish and anger building up in him. That one moment made him worthy of his 2020 oscar win for best actor, in my opinion.
The Music is perfect
I discovered a new instrument when hearing the soundtrack to Joker: the Halldorophone. The instrument is similar to a cello, I think. It is so haunting, so intense and so desolate-sounding, that it perfectly represented the mental isolation that Fleck experiences on the busy streets of Gotham City. The film’s composer, Hildur Guðnadóttir, has created a sound that managed to cut down to Fleck’s core and expose it to the audience.
When I think about the score, I go straight to a bathroom scene where Fleck slow dances by himself having just killed the three suits on the subway. The way that the instrument filled the cinema as Fleck seemed to be slipping into something a lot more comfortable, mentally speaking, created a single moment in cinema that I will never forget.
Arthur begins to fit into his emerging persona
Along with Hildur Guðnadóttir’s incredible score, are the use of some classic songs at key moments in Fleck’s transformation. Frank Sinatra’s “That’s life” seemed to perfectly capture an acceptance that life can beat you down at times. But it’s done with it’s calm, almost relaxing, accompaniment that it fit so well into the Joker’s embracing and enjoyment of using his experiences to fuel what he is to become.
I said, that’s life (that’s life), and as funny as it may seem Some people get their kicks Stompin’ on a dream But I don’t let it, let it get me down ‘Cause this fine old world it keeps spinnin’ around
That’s Life – Frank Sinatra
I loved the use of Rock ‘N’ Roll (Part 2) too. After living with Arthur and experiencing his hardships first hand up to this point, this song was almost like a release of some of the tension. In fact that seemed to be exactly what Arthur was experiencing too as he danced along to it down them well-trodden steps in one of the film’s most iconic scenes. But even from that up-beat foot-tapping song, Hildur’s excellent score blends back in and takes over to remind us that despite this ‘happy face’, at his core is still that desolate and broken man.
An unlikely hero
Joker is probably one of the most unlikely heroes of all of the villains I’ve come across in films. Up until now that is. But of course, that is completely dependant on your perspective. In all of the Batman films, Thomas Wayne was this beacon of hope for the city who, after his death, became a catalyst for his son Bruce to pursue his own destiny as the Batman. But when you come at the story from the side of the “villain” (quotes intended), it makes things not quite so black and white.
Arthur Fleck comes from the impoverished side of gotham, where the people are pretty much forgotten about and frowned upon by the rich society. There is a moment when Thomas Wayne appears on television, to the excitement of Fleck’s mother, to be interviewed about the three killings on the subway.
From what we saw on that train car, we know that those three men were complete scumbags – harassing an innocent woman and then beating on Arthur. Yes, Arthur’s reaction was extreme. But after a life of being beaten on by his peers and society around him, and with the only means of self-defence to hand, is it really that surprising that he reacted how he did?
But then to have Thomas Wayne, the poster child for success and wealth in the city, give the following statement, it puts him in a completely opposing light to how I’d seen him previously: “And until that jealousy ends, those of us who’ve made a good life for ourselves will always look at those who haven’t as nothing but clowns.”.
Arthur getting ready for the Murray Franklin show
And until that jealousy ends, those of us who’ve made a good life for ourselves will always look at those who haven’t as nothing but clowns.
Thomas Wayne, interviewed on TV
I think it was inevitable that there was going to be some civil unrest on the city streets. But it just so happened that Arthur was at the right place at the right time to kick start the revolution and lead it into a new era for Gotham.
Births and Deaths
There was a moment at the end that caused my mouth to drop with excitement and awe. It was just at the height of all of the rioting, as Fleck (almost fully Joker) is being broken out of the police car following his television appearance. We see Thomas and Martha Wayne leaving the theatre with their son Bruce in tow. I thought – hang on, this seems familiar.
As they run down a side alley to escape the escalating violence they are approached by one of the extreme protesters in a clown mask. This immediately sent me back to being about ten years old again seeing Tim Burton’s batman – “You ever dance with the Devil in the pale moonlight?”. The attacker in Joker didn’t say this, as it wasn’t the same character as in Batman (In Batman it is a criminal called Jack Napier who becomes the Joker). But it was no less powerful for me to see this scene play out at this film’s climax.
But the most powerful moment for me was the awakening of Joker on the bonnet of the police car — after having been broken out, and the deaths of both of Bruce Wayne’s parents. Although the metaphor is pretty obvious I just wanted to note it down: It is the perfect representation of the births of both Joker and Batman happening at the same point in time.
Joker is raised up and revered as the leader of a crusade for the beaten and down-trodden in society. At the same time the seeds of what Bruce is to become are planted at the very moment that his parents are taken away from him.
Arthur does his best to keep his anger insideArthur Fleck walks home after his therapy sessionArthur on the subwayArthur on the Murray Franklin showArthur has a heated discussion with Murray Franklin
In Conclusion
I have only seen a couple of different versions of the Joker, from the New 52 DC comics to the classic Jack Nicholson perforce in Tim Burton’s Batman. And from Heath Ledger’s iconic performance back to Batman: The Animated Series. But I have to say that so far, I think that Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal has easily become my favourite — of the ones I’ve seen on screen, anyway.
His version is so grounded in reality, so much so that this didn’t even feel like a typical ‘Comic Book Film’ for one second as I watched it. This is a psychological thriller through and through – and a damn excellent one too.
Joker does have it’s funny moments, but they are sometimes hard to spot — depending on your sense of humour. But if you are inclined towards darker comedy, there are some pretty funny moments in here.
What have you done to it?! What have you done to its eyes?!
Rosemary Woodhouse
A Horror Classic
Rosemary’s Baby is one of those classic horror films that I have known about for years, yet never got round to watching it. But I decided it was time to sit down and finally watch it — and I was so glad I did.
I can’t offer any in-depth analysis or deeply philosophical film essays on this, or any other films I watch to be honest. What I will do though, is give my thoughts and feelings about it.
From it’s opening shot across Manhattan, this film felt very much like a Hitchcock film to me. Which was an instant hit for me. However, this isn’t a Hitchcock film – it was in fact made by Roman Polanski. In fact, it was the first film of Polanski’s that I have seen, that I remember.
Overlooking the apartment building in the opening from Rosemary’s Baby — reminded me of shots from Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo.
Sustained terror and paranoia
I absolutely loved the feeling of sustained terror throughout most of the piece. It has been referred to as a “horror film that contains no horror”, although I would argue that the scenes depicted in Rosemary’s “nightmare” on baby night got pretty bloody scary. The images in that nightmare brought up the thought of witches in my mind. And there’s something about witches in older cinema that just creeps me out — even the film version of Roald Dahl’s “The Witches” still haunts me to this day.
But for most of the film, the kind of horror that it uses is that of paranoia. The paranoia that builds up in Rosemary as the baby gets closer and closer to it’s due date, and the paranoia I felt towards the excellent cast that surround the actress playing Rosemary, Mia Farrow.
Even in their very first scenes, I could tell that certain characters were dodgy. But I’m not sure whether that is because I am watching it 52 years after it’s release – with, no doubt, many known films I had seen having being inspired by it.
Ruth Gordon and Sidney Blackmer were great as Minnie and Roman Castevet. They have a certain friendliness and over-familiarity that I couldn’t help get the heeby jeebies from.
Rosemary receives a giftRosemary in the phone boxMinnie Castevet is at the doorRosemary wakes after “baby night” with cutsRosemary Roman and Hutch
A false sense of security
Something else occurred to me whilst writing this post too. I don’t remember there being any dark, particularly scary moments, except for the nightmare I mentioned above. The film takes place mostly in the day time with well-lit rooms and colourful surroundings — I absolutely loved the colours and the choice of camera used here.
The people that are around Rosemary seem to be always brightly coloured too. It’s almost like the film is trying to put you at ease with it’s colourful, welcoming surroundings whilst the possibility of a dark, sinister underbelly becomes more and more likely as it moves forwards.
On looking back, it really did feel that the film was easing me into a false sense of security.
As so many people have said before me, this really is a horror classic. It stands the test of time for me as both a psychological horror and at times a dark comedy — especially with those scenes involving those over-familiar neighbours of theirs.
I’d urge you, if you haven’t already, to give this film a watch. Don’t leave it as long as I have. It has scenes that I’m still thinking about now — days after I actually saw it. And I don’t doubt that I’ll be thinking about them again in the future.
Then came another rush of sea-fog, greater than any hitherto — a mass of dank mist, which seemed to close on all things like a grey pall, and left available to men only the organ of hearing, for the roar of the tempest, and the crash of thunder, and the booming of the mighty billows came through the damp oblivion even louder than before.
This collection is currently not finished – still picking out my favourite quotes. 🙂 — 14th January 2020
It was the critic Alexander who put me on my guard against unnecessary fault-finding. People should not be sharply corrected for bad grammar, provincialisms, or mispronunciation; it is better to suggest the proper expression by tactfully introducing it oneself in, say, one’s reply to a question or one’s acquiescence in their sentiments, or into a friendly discussion of the topic itself (not of the diction), or by some other suitable form of reminder.
Meditations, Book 1 — Paragraph 10
Wrong, wrong thou art doing to thyself, O my soul; and all too soon thou shalt have no more time to do thyself right. Man has but one life; already thine is nearing its close, yet still hast thou no eye to thine own honour, but art stalking thy happiness on the souls of other men.
Meditations. Book 2 — Paragraph 6
Never value the advantages derived from anything involving breach of faith, loss of self-respect, hatred, suspicion, or execration of others, insincerity, or the desire for something which has to be veiled and curtained.
Meditations, Book 3 — Paragraph 7
If the inward power that rules us be true to Nature, it will always adjust itself readily to the possibilities and opportunities offered by circumstance. It asks for no predeterminate material; in the pursuance of its aims it is willing to compromise; hindrances to its progress are merely converted into matter for its own use. It is like a bonfire mastering a heap of rubbish, which would have quenched a feeble glow; but its fiery blaze quickly assimilates the load, consumes it, and flames the higher for it.
1917 is the incredible film from Sam Mendes about two friends tasked with delivering an important message to save a battalion..
Presented in one single take, or two depending on whether you count some unconscious hours as a cut, this film is a modern testament to stellar film-making.
The Plot
1917 centres around two friends stationed near the front line in world war one France. They are given the near-impossible task of taking an urgent order through no-man’s-land to the Front where a batallion of 1,600 men are about to run into a German-laid trap. Of course that is unless these two friends can get there to warn them in time.
The story takes us, every single step of the way, through some of the most brutal, and at times beautiful, war-time landscapes. Along the way they meet other people who happen across their path, some friendly; some hostile, but neither stop them on their forward momentum to deliver their message of utmost importance.
My Thoughts
I’d heard from a few different people that this film was really good and demanded being experienced in a cinema. In all honesty I maybe wouldn’t have gone to see this, at least not on its weekend of release, however, my lady wanted to watch it so we went this weekend.
It was absolutely incredible.
The first thing that I couldn’t help but notice was the impressive single camera shot opening (no visible editing cuts), which I only realised about five minutes in.
But that opening shot was more than just an opening shot – it became apparent to me that this was going to be a film that would be experienced in a single, unflinching scene!
(I used to read up on films before seeing them when I was going through my media-student phase. But I much prefer it now, where I know next to zero about films before I go in – save for perhaps what is in the trailers.)
Yes there would have been cuts throughout the film* – no film is going to be physically filmed in one single take, at least none have been to my knowledge. However, using some clever techniques, many of which no-doubt inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s 1948 film Rope, director Sam Mendes has managed to pull off the same one-take effect but on a much grander scale.
Beautifully shot
The cinematography in this film was stunning to say the least – thanks to the film’s cinematographer Roger Deakins. From the close-ups of decaying corpses of both human and animal alike – half buried in the rubble and mud of battles past – to the wide-shot bold imagery taken against very grand battle-torn vistas.
This film managed to bring to the screen all manner of brutal war imagery. Some I could have perhaps imagined, but also definitely some I could never have imagined.
And the lighting! The lighting effects in some of these scenes just made my jaw drop, at least in my mind. One particular time was the beginning of the night-time sequence with the flares going up overhead. It looked both gorgeous and like something straight out of hell at the same time – not that the two have to be mutually exclusive.
There were certain shots I still remember now very vividly, which I thought I would share here. I will create a gallery below when I can get a hold of the shots I want to share – probably when the film is released on DVD/Blu-Ray.
An Emotional Story
The story of 1917 is a simple one at heart – deliver this message over there before this time. However, woven into that story is an incredibly strong beating heart that I couldn’t help but be affected by.
The way that we remain in these people’s immediate vicinity, and experience everything they do, couldn’t help but draw me into their lives. And the stories they tell about their homes and their backstory, helped to fill them out more as flesh and blood people – making their hardships even tougher to endure with them at times.
Other Notes
Main characters aside, I have to say that Andrew Scott was a stand-out performance for me. He is always enjoyable to watch on screen after I first saw him as Moriarty on TV’s Sherlock. And his role as the laid-back, battle-hardened Lieutenant Leslie was enjoyable too. Albeit if only for the 5 – 10 minutes that you actually see him.
Thomas Newman’s score was incredible as always, and easy identified with certain sounds I felt reminiscent of from his earlier work on Shawshank Redemption and American Beauty.
I couldn’t help but think of this film in terms of a computer game, with it’s varying ‘Levels’ and mini ‘Boss Fights’. I don’t mean this as a way to make the film’s techniques sound like a gimmick – after all games are true contenders in effective narrative storytelling nowadays, even more so than many films that are released. Just look at The Last Of Us, to name just one.
*I could be completely wrong about this, so apologies if I am – I am making some assumptions in this post.
On New Year’s Day I saw my first film of the year — Star Wars : The Rise of Skywalker. In all honesty I was expecting to not like it all that much, mostly due to reviews and comments I’d heard from people I know.
But you know what? I really enjoyed it. It was a fun and visually stunning two-and-a-bit-hour romp across the galaxy. A true good versus evil tale that left me feeling like I’d had a good time at the cinema. And that is precisely what I was hoping for.
If I’m honest I was hoping for more fight scenes with Rei and Ben as allies, like in the previous film The Last Jedi.
The one thing that really did take me out of it though is the kiss between Rei and Ben right at the end. I didn’t feel that it was needed at all, and just felt weird to me. Is there really a need for the climactic kiss in every film?
But on the whole I really enjoyed it. I’ll probably watch it again whilst it’s on at the cinema.
As an aside, I don’t get why there is always a group of people who lose their shit when something in the Star Wars universe doesn’t go how they thought or wished it would. People who presumably consider themselves “true” fans or “die-hard” fans. To those haters I’d just like to say either get over your sense of entitlement or just watch a different film.
