Director Todd Phillips doubles down on Arthur Fleck’s madness in Joker: Folie à Deux. This sequel, an inevitability after the billion dollar box office success of the audacious 2019 original, is bleaker still.
Joaquin Phoenix is mesmeric as Fleck, with a screen presence that’s wretched and twisted. Lady Gaga, playing pyromaniac Harleen Quinzel, provides gritty support, but has surprisingly little screen time.
As before, Phillips makes bold choices. He turns to Fleischer and Tex Avery for an opening recap, before picking up directly after the first outing. If the first film channelled Scorsese’s King of Comedy, then Joker 2 homages One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and The Shawshank Redemption.
The use of musical numbers is a challenge. You’ll more likely grimace than tap your toes when Phoenix and Gaga burst into song…
Fleck is incarcerated in Gotham City’s Arkham Asylum, awaiting trial on multiple counts of murder. District attorney Harvey Dent is angling for the death penalty, but is Arthur fit enough to stand trial?
The use of musical numbers is a challenge. This isn’t a musical in any traditional sense (no more so than Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water); you’ll more likely grimace than tap your toes when Phoenix and Gaga burst into song. The sequences play to Fleck’s delusions. He’s no Sinatra.
The second half of the movie shifts to the courtroom, and it’s only here that Fleck once again adopts his Joker persona. It’s a fleeting, but riveting appearance.
Tech credits are top notch. The cinematography of Lawrence Sher is remarkable. Sher shot the movie with IMAX theatres in mind, taking full advantage of the aspect ratio this premium screen format allows. Hildur Guðnadóttir’s score is fittingly haunting, and the accompanying sound design completely immersive.
Definitely not a bag of laughs, Joker: Folie à Deux is dark, divisive and disturbing – but you’d be mad to miss it.
Joker: Folie à Deux is directed by Todd Phillips, and stars Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener and Steve Coogan. 15, 138 minutes.
Daytime TV brought big riffs, catchy choruses and a healthy disregard for mortality to an intimate London basement show this week. There’s nothing like contemplating your own death in a Soho record shop on a warm summer evening. Daytime TV, the fast-rising alternative rock quartet, managed to make it sound like a great night out.…
Armour Home Electronics has appointed music entrepreneur and cultural connector Sav Remzi as its new Culture Ambassador, as part of a move to place its audio brands front and centre within contemporary music culture. The British company behind Goldring, QED and Q Acoustics says it wants to build closer relationships with artists, venues and creative…
Bang & Olufsen has announced a two-year partnership with multi-platinum musician, producer, and Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony winning artist John Legend. Legend joins the brand as Global Brand Ambassador, bringing together one of the world’s most influential artists and a company with more than a century of craftsmanship, design, and acoustic precision to its…
The Luxe Review 
Director Todd Phillips doubles down on Arthur Fleck’s madness in Joker: Folie à Deux. This sequel, an inevitability after the billion dollar box office success of the audacious 2019 original, is bleaker still.
Joaquin Phoenix is mesmeric as Fleck, with a screen presence that’s wretched and twisted. Lady Gaga, playing pyromaniac Harleen Quinzel, provides gritty support, but has surprisingly little screen time.
As before, Phillips makes bold choices. He turns to Fleischer and Tex Avery for an opening recap, before picking up directly after the first outing. If the first film channelled Scorsese’s King of Comedy, then Joker 2 homages One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and The Shawshank Redemption.
Fleck is incarcerated in Gotham City’s Arkham Asylum, awaiting trial on multiple counts of murder. District attorney Harvey Dent is angling for the death penalty, but is Arthur fit enough to stand trial?
The use of musical numbers is a challenge. This isn’t a musical in any traditional sense (no more so than Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water); you’ll more likely grimace than tap your toes when Phoenix and Gaga burst into song. The sequences play to Fleck’s delusions. He’s no Sinatra.
The second half of the movie shifts to the courtroom, and it’s only here that Fleck once again adopts his Joker persona. It’s a fleeting, but riveting appearance.
Tech credits are top notch. The cinematography of Lawrence Sher is remarkable. Sher shot the movie with IMAX theatres in mind, taking full advantage of the aspect ratio this premium screen format allows. Hildur Guðnadóttir’s score is fittingly haunting, and the accompanying sound design completely immersive.
Definitely not a bag of laughs, Joker: Folie à Deux is dark, divisive and disturbing – but you’d be mad to miss it.
Joker: Folie à Deux is directed by Todd Phillips, and stars Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener and Steve Coogan. 15, 138 minutes.
Alt-rockers Daytime TV rise and shine at Soho record shop basement surprise gig
Daytime TV brought big riffs, catchy choruses and a healthy disregard for mortality to an intimate London basement show this week. There’s nothing like contemplating your own death in a Soho record shop on a warm summer evening. Daytime TV, the fast-rising alternative rock quartet, managed to make it sound like a great night out.…
Why Sav Remzi’s new role at Armour Home could signal a cultural shift for British Hi-Fi
Armour Home Electronics has appointed music entrepreneur and cultural connector Sav Remzi as its new Culture Ambassador, as part of a move to place its audio brands front and centre within contemporary music culture. The British company behind Goldring, QED and Q Acoustics says it wants to build closer relationships with artists, venues and creative…
Bang & Olufsen lands EGOT-winner John Legend as Global Brand Ambassador
Bang & Olufsen has announced a two-year partnership with multi-platinum musician, producer, and Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony winning artist John Legend. Legend joins the brand as Global Brand Ambassador, bringing together one of the world’s most influential artists and a company with more than a century of craftsmanship, design, and acoustic precision to its…
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