Joker had its screening at the Toronto International Film Festival, and it seems another audience has been blown away by the film.
Following excellent reviews from its screening at the Venice Film Festival, and the subsequent winning of the Golden Lion award, Joker has now hit TIFF. The screening took place on Monday night, and it seems that it was another massive win for Joaquin Phoenix and Todd Phillips.
JOKER: Not your daddy’s #Joker movie. Riveting & engrossing, unnerving & disturbing, intense & very violent. A cross between Taxi Driver, King of Comedy & Network. #JoaquinPhoenix is haunting, very different from Jack & Heath. Need to stew on this one. #TIFF19 pic.twitter.com/L1ySwUgzDO
— Scott Mantz (@MovieMantz) September 10, 2019
#Joker is DARK. Really violent, and Joaquin Phoenix’s performance is astounding. Crowd gasped and said “oh my god” several times. Need some time to think about this psychological thriller. #TIFF19
— Beatrice Verhoeven (@bverhoev) September 10, 2019
Joaquin Phoenix gives a twisted & darkly stunning performance. Rife with social commentary on mental health, violence, social classes & more. It builds upon the discomfort of the audience to really bring home the message behind it. #JokerMovie #Joker #TIFF19 pic.twitter.com/RIlDCcGnHZ
— Ashley Menzel @ #SXSW2022 (@AshleyGMenzel) September 10, 2019
Saw #Joker. It is DARK. Think Network as a comic book movie. Freakily relevant to right now. Nicely twisty though familiar too. Joaquin makes the thing – we’re gonna have MANY convos about this flick. #TIFF19 pic.twitter.com/pcgx1J1UyD
— Brian Truitt (@briantruitt) September 10, 2019
Ecstatic cheers for #JokerMovie . Amazing performance from Joaquin Phoenix. Extremely violent. Frances Conroy excellent
— Showbiz 411 (@showbiz411) September 10, 2019
#Joker is an extremely ultra violent tale but it’s also a concerning commentary on mental illness, class, feeling ostracized from society. It’s really chilling to watch. #TIFF19 pic.twitter.com/pX6z0DdlI9
— Jason Guerrasio (@JasonGuerrasio) September 10, 2019
JOKER is phenomenal. Joaquin Phoenix’s performance is next level. No other performance this year will be able to top this one. There is so much to digest with this film too including its exploration of humanity & mental illness. A Flawless Masterpiece. #JokerMovie #Joker pic.twitter.com/uNIQ11aShV
— Scott Menzel (@ScottDMenzel) September 10, 2019
JOKER doesn’t reinvent the comic book movie, but it’s certainly the scariest one — a taut psychological thriller w/a few horror movie twists. Joaquin Phoenix, though, yikes: Looks like he stepped out of THE CABINET OF DR CALIGARI, or maybe he’s still trapped there. Astounding.
— erickohn (@erickohn) September 10, 2019
JOKER: The perfect origin story for a lunatic with no origin. Todd Phillips gives DC it’s first true masterpiece. The Clown Prince has never been more deranged, more dangerous, and more real. A brutal work that will have audiences raving. #Joker #JokerMovie #TIFF19 pic.twitter.com/laz2oiy5iw
— CinemaBlend (@CinemaBlend) September 10, 2019
#JOKER feels like the first anarchist blockbuster…? Need a sleep to wrestle with it. Joaquin Phoenix has demons and we’re lucky for it. The guy’s astonishing. #TIFF19
— Nigel Smith (@nigelmfs) September 10, 2019
#Joker: Wow. Joaquin Phoenix and Todd Phillips summon dark mojo for a descent into madness, for the origin story to beat all origin stories. Forget comic books — this is disturbingly too close to modern alienation to be dismissed as mere fantasy. #TIFF19 pic.twitter.com/LfmcDfAwE7
— Peter Howell (@peterhowellfilm) September 10, 2019
JOKER: Guys…it’s good. A simplistic script is saved by Phoenix’s great performance, Phillips’ impressive direction, Hildur Guðnadóttir’s moody score, and Lawrence Sher’a gorgeous cinematography. This isn’t just a dark drama, it’s a full-blown horror movie. #TIFF19
— Chris Evangelista (@cevangelista413) September 10, 2019
https://twitter.com/CinemaSnopes/status/1171272362836267008
Not everyone, however, was quite as in love.
As for #JokerMovie itself—the 1970s movies homages (Taxi Driver, Network) had the opposite effect for me, they seemed a rip off more than a reference. Phoenix is phenomenal and some parts really work and are insane others feel superficial. A mixed bag for me #TIFF2019
— J Don Birnam (@jdonbirnam) September 10, 2019
It does sound like if you aren’t super familiar with 1970s cinema, you may miss out on some of the influences. Luckily you still have a few weeks to do a deep dive on the relevant films.
Joker will hit theaters on Oct. 4.
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