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Joker: Folie à Deux can’t find the right note (Movie Review)

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Joker: Folie à Deux can’t find the right note (Movie Review)

When director Todd Phillips released his movie Joker in 2019, there was actual concern that the film might be so powerful it would inspire real-world violence. Threats were made, screenings were canceled and there were undercover police officers in movie theaters.

Nothing ended up happening, of course — it’s a movie, not a mind control device — but at the time, you could kinda-sorta see why people were panicking. The U.S. was on edge after the Charlottesville riots a couple years prior, and Joker did indeed tap into a sort of generalized angst favored by angry young men through the ages: the government sucks, families suck, life sucks and we should burn it all down. I think Joker’s biggest problem as a movie is that it can’t reconcile its attempts at significance with how silly and thin that philosophy is — I mean, this is technically a Batman spinoff, is it really going to present us with a credible theory of humanity? But I give it credit for effectively channeling that kind of disaffected, adolescent rage. Joaquin Phoenix gives a luminous performance under assured direction from Phillips. Applause all around, moral panic or not.

I don’t think anyone will be concerned that Joker: Folie à Deux might move us to madness. Phoenix returns as failed comedian turned public menace Arthur Fleck, aka the Joker, and he’s as committed as ever, compulsively laughing in a way that looks painful and baring his flesh-stretched-over-bones body. Lady Gaga comes aboard as Lee Quinzel, better known to Batman fans as Harley Quinn, and turns in a solid performance. And Phillips still knows how to compose a frame and pace a scene. The problem is none of it seems to add up to much this time.

The movie doesn’t lack for ideas, but too many feel half-formed. Take the love story. Arthur is in prison following the events of the first film, where he meets Lee in a music therapy class. She’s an admirer of the Joker and may be just as crazy as he is. They quickly fall in love. At one point the movie raises the possibility that Lee has ulterior motives, which is interesting, but that angle is quickly dropped, as if the movie can’t quite decide what to do with the character.

In the end, Lee isn’t sketched with as much detail as Arthur himself, who goes on a bit of perplexing journey. The first Joker movie traces his arc from pathetic malcontent to symbol of chaos. Folie à Deux takes him back to the start; he’s again sheepish and unsure of himself, beaten down by prison life out of the spotlight. He has to work back up to his Joker persona again.

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When it finally emerges, we get probably the best scene of the movie, where Arthur belittles a witness as he represents himself during his own murder trial. This scene radiates the same kind of “I didn’t ask to be born, dad” energy the first movie channeled so well. But Folie à Deux is far more skeptical of this outlook. It’s interesting that the movie is asking us to look at that ethos in a new way, but it also means it’s cutting itself off from the wellspring of its energy. Folie à Deux has less of the dark resentful joy that made the first Joker pop, and more resigned dreariness.

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Here’s another big element we haven’t addressed yet: Folie à Deux is a musical, specifically a jukebox musical featuring mainly big band hits from the 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s. The idea is that Arthur and Lee are so full of emotion that they must break out into song when words fail, which is standard operating procedure for musicals.

It works about half the time. Some of the musical sequences, most of which are set in Arthur’s fantasy world, are among the best scenes in the film. I really enjoyed the soulful rendition of “Gonna Build a Mountain,” featuring Lady Gaga wailing on piano and belting full force while Joaquin Phoenix dances up a storm. I also liked the Sonny-&-Cher variety show fantasy where the two of them sing “To Love Somebody.”

Other moments fall flatter, like Arthur’s first growly rendition of “For Once In My Life.” Audiences have been skeptical of musicals for decades; it takes a lot to win them over, and giving the first big number to Phoenix, who is far outclassed by Lady Gaga in the singing department, isn’t the best move. Gaga herself is only allowed to really let rip in the pure fantasy sequences; in the “real world,” she purposefully constricts her voice so she can sound more like an ordinary person. I get why they want to do this for realism purposes, but also: why are you hiring Lady Gaga, one of the greatest pop stars of her generation, if you’re not going to let her give it all she has?

So we have some songs that are played for realism and some that are played as fantasy; overall, the fantastical bits are far more successful, although I did like Phoenix’s desperate singing phone call towards the end of the movie.

Joker: Folie à Deux spends a lot more time than you might expect rehashing the events of the first movie; the plot, which revolves around Arthur’s trial, kind of prevents it from forming an identity of its own. And then, right at the end, as if Phillips and company remembered this is a Batman spinoff during the last day on set, there’s a big action moment with practically nothing in the way of buildup.

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So we have all these elements thrown into a blender: reassessing Arthur’s raison d’être from the first movie, a love story, a musical, an 11th hour action movie, and there’s a bit of a slice-of-life prison drama in there too. I feel like Folie à Deux should have picked something and committed. Much of the movie is striking to look at, but it never really finds a way through itself.

Movie Grade: C

dark. Next. Joker: Folie à Deux director promises this is his last DC movie (which he said last time). Joker: Folie à Deux director promises this is his last DC movie (which he said last time)

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Movie Reviews

Paddington in Peru Bites Off More Than It Can Chew

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Paddington in Peru Bites Off More Than It Can Chew

From the beginning, the Paddington movies have linked their fictional bear, the creation of children’s book author Michael Bond, to themes of migration and sanctuary. This didn’t come out of nowhere. While Paddington Bear is emblematic of Britishness, from his love of marmalade to his duffel coat to his unfailing politeness, he came from South America — more specifically, “darkest Peru,” an origin story that smacks of a colonial era where whole swaths of the world could be consigned to gloom on a map based on their impenetrability to foreign explorers. For the cynical, and I’m usually one of your number, the turning of this beloved icon into a symbol of a welcoming, multicultural U.K. could be read as a way of lightly outrage-proofing a property that’s half a century old and unavoidably musty in patches. And yet, miraculously, what could have been clunky and self-congratulatory was delicate and moving, helped along by the gentleness with which Ben Whishaw voices the computer-animated ursine. Paddington’s arrival on that train platform as a refugee, and his adoption by the Brown family, is placed in a tradition of the country taking care of those in need going back to World War II and the Kindertransport. The Wes Anderson–inflected London of that 2014 first film was a retort to sentiments that would, two years later, lead to the Brexit referendum, but it was also stubbornly aspirational — a fairy-tale version of the city as it could be, open arms and all.

In Paddington in Peru, Paddington has officially become a Brit, having received his passport in the mail. This frees him up to take a trip home, a prospect as low-key worrisome as the fact that the film, the third in the series, is also the first to not be written or directed by Paul King. The whimsical but wry perspective on Britishness that made the first two Paddingtons so watchable threatens to be intolerable when turned outward, like someone going from in-jokes to insult comedy. Paddington in Peru reckons with this possibility by putting very few Peruvians onscreen, even when the movie ventures into the Amazon, spurred by the mysterious disappearance of Paddington’s beloved Aunt Lucy from the Home for Retired Bears. Instead, it keeps its focus on the Browns, now headed up by Emily Mortimer, who replaces Sally Hawkins as matriarch Mary, as they accompany Paddington on a vacation-cum-rescue-expedition involving the legend of El Dorado, a bunch of nuns, and Hunter Cabot (Antonio Banderas), a riverboat captain who turns out to be descendant from a long line of rapacious Spanish gold-seekers. Hunter’s obsession, which manifests in comical visions of his taunting conquistador ancestor, isn’t an especially sharp critique of the colonial legacy the whole swashbuckling adventure owes a debt to. But Paddington in Peru doesn’t feel like it’s aiming for a point so much as it’s just trying to steer clear of potential disaster.

And, even if it’s the weakest of the Paddington movies, it succeeds. The innate sweetness of the series carries it past figurative and literal rapids and into shenanigans involving bear carvings, a bear temple in the mountains, and a secret bear community. (Hunter, exasperated, complains at one point about how “beary” the whole situation is.) While Banderas is entertaining playing multiple roles as Hunter and his many ghostly ancestors, Olivia Colman gives the movie’s standout performance as the Reverend Mother of the bear retirement home from which Aunt Lucy vanished. Colman keeps her face frozen in an expression of maniacal cheerfulness, the hilarious effect of which really can’t be overstated. When the Reverend Mother bursts into song at news of Paddington’s imminent arrival, singing to the camera while nuns dance behind her, it’s like The Sound of Music as enacted by a serial killer, up to and including Colman throwing her guitar into the air in defiance of gravity, like Prince at the Super Bowl. These films have featured terrific comic performances from the likes of Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant, but Colman brings an unhinged energy to her part that elevates the whole enterprise. (“It’s just a secret room behind an organ,” she chipperly informs Mrs. Bird, played by Julie Walters, insisting to the Browns’ housekeeper there’s nothing at all suspicious about the mysterious hidden space she discovers in the retirement home.)

Obscured by the wilderness and religious-order exploits are Paddington’s own emotions about being back in the place of his birth after adapting to life an ocean away. Mr. Gruber (Jim Broadbent), the antiques store owner, warns the bear that “becoming a citizen of a country, while a wonderful thing, can lead to mixed feelings.” But if Paddington does feel conflicted over where he belongs, or over having lost touch with his family’s beary roots, it’s never explored. The wonderful surprise of the Paddington films is that they’ve been able to deftly touch on some difficult themes by way of adorable children’s stories, all without overplaying their hand. Paddington in Peru suggests that some things are beyond the franchise, no matter how winning its good-hearted animal hero may be, and one of them is considering what it might be like to not whole-heartedly love life in the U.K. after the U.K. has proven itself willing to love you.

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Chhaava starts with glowing reviews all over | Latest Telugu cinema news | Movie reviews | OTT Updates, OTT

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Chhaava starts with glowing reviews all over | Latest Telugu cinema news | Movie reviews | OTT Updates, OTT

Vicky Kaushal is at the top of his game with back-to-back hits under his belt. He is now back with his new film, Chhaava, directed by Laxman Utekar.

The film has been released and has started off with positive word of mouth. Those who watched it in Mumbai are praising it highly, especially Vicky Kaushal’s

performance.

With strong word of mouth and impressive advance bookings, the film is expected to open solidly at the box office. Rashmika Mandanna plays the female lead, and her performance is also being widely appreciated.

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Once again, she has delivered a hit with Chhaava. Now that the film is out for the public, it remains to be seen how the general audience will receive it.

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Captain America: Brave New World (2025) – Movie Review

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Captain America: Brave New World (2025) – Movie Review

Captain America: Brave New World, 2025.

Directed by Julius Onah.
Starring Anthony Mackie, Harrison Ford, Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Carl Lumbly, Tim Blake Nelson, Giancarlo Esposito, Xosha Roquemore, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, William Mark McCullough, Takehiro Hira, Harsh Nayyar, Alan Boell, John Cihangir, Eric Mbanda, Josh Robin, Sharon Tazewell, and Pete Burris.

SYNOPSIS:

Sam Wilson, the new Captain America, finds himself in the middle of an international incident and must discover the motive behind a nefarious global plan.

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Early on in the utterly pointless overload of characters, story, and action that make up the forgettable Captain America: Brave New World, United States President Thaddeus Ross (now played by Harrison Ford, taking over the role from the deceased William Hurt back when the character was a military officer) pulls the new Captain America, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) aside, attempting to work through some political differences before issuing a wish to have him rebuild a new Avengers.

Given what we know is coming (Robert Downey Jr. revealed to be returning to the franchise, this time to play Victor von Doom) and that numerous other heroes and villains have been teased across ending credits stingers, it’s not a bad idea to make a film that’s primary function is to get that ball rolling. It would also be an opportunity to dive further into Sam Wilson’s character, figuring out what kind of leader he wants to be and what he would look for throughout a recruitment process. Such a thing would also give Marvel Cinematic Universe overlord Kevin Feige a chance to move forward and begin building toward something, anything that might bring back the major event feel of these blockbuster extravaganzas.

As the mention of Thaddeus Ross has already implied, Captain America: Brave New World is a sequel to The Incredible Hulk. It’s also a follow-up to the Disney+ series Falcon and the Winter Soldier with some expected references to Captain America: Winter Soldier and Avengers: Endgame. As soon as characters start talking it’s also evident that even Kevin Feige knows a significant portion of the viewer base probably hasn’t seen everything, meaning that the screenplay (from the obscenely crowded team of director Julius Onah, Rob Edwards, Malcolm Spellman, Dalan Musson, and Peter Glanz) is littered with noticeably awkward exposition bringing up past events and summarizing who they are, what they have been through, what they are currently feeling, and what’s next.

Not only is this an unwieldy jumble, but the film also doesn’t have much to do with putting together a new team. Instead, this MCU installment is centered on the truth behind an assassination attempt on the life of Thaddeus Ross, with the tortured and experimented-on original super soldier Isaiah Bradley (a returning Carl Lumbly) as the vengeful prime suspect. Due to Sam Wilson’s connection with Isaiah, Thaddeus Ross removes this new Captain America from the investigation. Naturally, he doesn’t abide, as he and his Falcon protégé Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) are convinced someone is pulling the strings.

They uncover something sinister in the process that I won’t spoil. Meanwhile, Thaddeus Ross continues working ahead on a Celestial Island treaty (look at that, I forgot one; technically, this is also a sequel to Eternals) where adamantium has been found. There is an additional layer of global intrigue with Giancarlo Esposito’s mercenary Sidewinder initially trying to steal and sell a fraction of it to a mysterious buyer. However, that opening segment feels as if it was initially part of something else, only for the script rewrites to come along and force it to connect to the adamantium. There is a lot of noticeable patchwork here that the filmmakers seemingly hope is ignored and buried underneath the copious amounts of weightless action.

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These numerous battles seem to be putting Sam Wilson under a test, causing him to wonder if he should have taken the super soldier serum to make the superhero job easier on himself or if he is right in carving out his vision of Captain America. This somewhat ties into Thaddeus Ross’ character of hoping that his daughter Betty Ross (Liv Tyler in The Incredible Hulk) will notice that he has apparently tried to become a better person and that she will forget him. Aside from wanting to walk back his stance of initially being against augmented superheroes, there is nothing to gauge what kind of person or president he currently is. The rest of his arc is mired in a mystery that’s not so mysterious because, even though I am prohibited from spoiling anything significant in this review, the numerous damn trailers have already told you where this goes in the last 20 minutes.

It’s aggravating waiting and waiting for THAT to happen finally. Still, it also speaks to a larger problem here: Marvel is desperate to regain that box office glory to the point of outright spoiling key plot points in the marketing. There are still a few minor surprises, although nothing remotely exciting. Even the action, while abundant, feels driven by nothing and tossed in as a distraction from the outrageously convoluted plotting. The sole exception is CGI-fueled destruction at the end that, while still looking a bit unfinished if visually impressive, is mildly entertaining for the characters in the fight and its setting.

For those who thought Captain America: Brave New World would serve as a movie of the moment observing a problematic president when the actual United States currently has one, hoping that the fictional one might receive some comeuppance, that is not the case. The grand message here is eye-rolling, especially given what the real America is going through. What’s most frustrating is that for a “brave new world, “this is the same new mediocrity. Shield yourselves from this one.

Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★

Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com

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