Review - Joker

Just a little PSA to begin with; sorry it's been a long time since I last did one of these posts. I know all the die hard fans will be devastated by that. Sorry again.

Anywhich, let's talk about Joker...

Firstly (obviously)... wow. What an incredible film. The latest incarnation of the infamous DC villain is beyond terrifying. Joaquin Phoenix introduces a new darkness to the character with an air of true violent psychosis in its purest and most realistic form possible, complimenting a pure-gold screenplay by director Todd Phillips (The Hangover, Starsky & Hutch) and scriptwriting genius Scott Silver (8 Mile, The Fighter).

I think we can all agree that Joaquin Phoenix, the man of the hour, deserves to ride out of the Dolby Theatre on the shoulders of golden Academy Award trophy the size of Andre The Giant's ghost on Oscars night. The film also features a fantastic supporting cast including Zazie Beetz (Atlanta, Deadpool 2), Frances Conroy (American Horror Story, HIMYM), Shea Whigham (The Wolf of Wall Street, Death Note), Brett Cullen (Ghost Rider, Person of Interest) and, of course, the fantastic Robert DeNiro needs no introduction.

Todd Phillips' direction in Joker is a true revelation. The mind behind a host of frat-boy comedies has spun around on a dime to create something completely new and unlike anything we've previously seen, surpassing even the genius of directors accustomed to making dark, gritty plot-twisters. In the coming years, the likes of Nolan and Fincher may have some stiff competition.

The film will, no doubt, begin a new trend in ultra-dark stand-alone villain stories breaking the saturation of high-budget orgies of tasteless comic book hero team-ups. Joker has set a new standard of writing and direction in the genre we haven't seen since the Dark Knight trilogy and a new standard of acting we haven't seen since... well... ever! Everything about this movie screams "Oscar nominee" right down to make up and hairstyling, sound design and set construction. Personally, this blogger can see it breaking a few records.

Let's talk stats. Joker grossed $96.2m in its opening weekend, making it the highest October opener in history, beating Ruben Fleischer's Venom by a cool fifteen-mil, and the second highest fall opening weekend ever behind 2017's It which grossed an astronomical $123.4m following its release. So far, the movie has grossed $193.6m in domestic box office takings representing just over 35% of the incredible $548.3m it has taken down worldwide in under two weeks. Against a production budget of just $55m, Joker has been a financial powerhouse at the box office... happy producers = more great movies like this one!

Warner Bros. hit Joker is a fantastic, gritty, psychological thriller worthy of inclusion into anyone's list of greats. IMDb voters have already rated the film at 8.8 throwing it into a neck-and-neck race to the number 10 spot, competing against David Fincher's dark classic Fight Club. The film, although emotionally draining and at some points, hard to watch, collides violence, psychosis and dark comedy into a Gotham story unlike any other which will almost certainly be hailed as a great achievement in film history.

New Single From The Escapades "Cut Me Loose" - Pre-Save It Now!

Geordie four-piece outfit The Escapades’ new release is a feverishly upbeat return to that traditional britpop sound with which nostalgic fans of Pulp and Supergrass will definitely be more than a little familiar… Their third and latest single Cut Me Loose has all the elements of a great feelgood track both old and new, definitely fit for a peak-of-the-night dance… and it’s certainly more than just the sum of its parts!

Following on from last year’s singles Kleptomaniac and Stay (available on Spotify), the new track features some crunchy power chord guitar work, slamming drums and hard-hitting vocals by lead singer Kieran Taylor. The band’s energy in this new track is matched only by their glitter and eyeliner-clad live performances and their outlandish Indie-Punk image. Cut Me Loose is certainly the sound that the Newcastle-based band were born to produce.

The Escapades are performing a headline show at Kaleidoscope HQ, Ouseburn on July 31^st with support from Courtyards and Hollow Legs. Get your tickets here!

The fantastic new single Cut Me Loose will be available to download and stream on September 5^th, 2019.

Click here to pre-save it on Spotify!

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade – 30 Year Anniversary

Many argue that the third instalment of Stephen Spielberg’s Indiana Jones saga is the best of the bunch, better even than Raiders of the Lost Ark (apologies if you find it sacrilegious). The classic movie was released on the 24^th of May 1989, celebrating its anniversary just yesterday.

The Last Crusade co-stars Julian Glover, Alison Doody and Denholm Elliot alongside Harrison Ford as well as Sean Connery playing the role of the whip-wielding archaeologist’s father and the late River Phoenix who portrays a young Indi during the opening flashback. The pair narrowly escape imprisonment by the Nazis in search of the holy grail.

The movie produced by Lucasfilm and distributed by Paramount features a fresh score by multiple Academy Award winning composer John Williams with a story by the great George Lucas and a screenplay by Lost Boys and Lethal Weapon 2 writer Jeffrey Boam. It pulled down a whopping $474m worldwide at the box office (just shy of $1bn adjusted for inflation) against a production budget of $48m.

The dynamic, dramatic and, at times, hilarious adventure takes our hero through Nazi occupied Germany, a booby trapped biblical obstacle course and even a tank chase on his way to the final resting place of the holy grail, the cup that caught the blood of Jesus Christ, bringing immortality to all who drink from it, saving the life of his father.

The movie received four Academy Award nominations, winning in the categories of Best Effects and Best Sound Effects Editing, narrowly beaten in the Best Sound and Original Score categories by Glory and The Little Mermaid respectively. Sean Connery received nominations for a Golden Globe and a BAFTA Award for his performance.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade remains one of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas’ greatest creations bringing a tense, yet heart-warming story to life with a fantastic cast in a timeless visual adventure.

Peaky Blinders Season 5 – What We Know So Far

The BBC’s historical crime drama Peaky Blinders is returning later this year for a fifth season. Filming for the new set of six episodes, helmed this year by Ripper Street director Anthony Byrne, was completed in January 2019.

The multi-award-winning series starring Irish actor Cillian Murphy closed its fourth season in December of 2017 meaning that the release of some new material is somewhat overdue. The fourth season saw the infamous Shelby clan faced against a deadly Sicilian mafioso named Luca Changretta (Adrian Brody), losing one of their own in the struggle, Tommy and Arthur’s younger brother John (Joe Cole).

The fifth season will see the return of Tommy Shelby as a bona fide elected MP for his home borough of Birmingham South. Actor Paul Anderson has let slip that his character, family elder Arthur Shelby also gains parliamentary connections during the new season. The series is set to take a look at a more emotional side of the stone-walled crime boss Tommy Shelby, exploring his declining mental health as his past continues to catch up with him.

All surviving cast regulars will be returning to the show as well as a few new faces. Hunger Games actor Sam Claflin will portray historic fascist politician Oswald Mosley with Anya Taylor-Joy (Split, Glass) and Brian Gleeson (Assassin’s Creed, Phantom Thread) appearing in unconfirmed roles.

Unfortunately, not much information is available as yet other than a few social media leaks. We are still awaiting the release of a trailer and the announcement of an official release date. More info coming soon!