Joker’s Mild: Todd Phillips’ ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ Becomes a Box-Office Punchline

 

No, I didn’t see Joker: Folie à Deux this past weekend … and apparently, neither did a lot of people. As reported by Variety, the $200 million musical sequel to 2019’s billion-dollar Joker pulled in a paltry $40 million domestically in its opening weekend. So, why we did all steer clear this time around?

Well, it’s complicated. Indeed, many fans of the first film were less-than-enthused by the singing-and-dancing slant of the sequel, and not even the star power of Lady Gaga as the Harley Quinn to Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker (a.k.a. Arthur Fleck) could pull her legions of Little Monsters into Todd Phillips’ dark, dirty and depressing Gotham a second time. Apathetic-to-antagonistic early buzz and a general “does this movie need to exist?” sentiment among moviegoers resulted in a collective shrug that delivered yet another DC Comics loss for Warner Bros. Discovery.

But let’s be real – are these actually DC Comics movies? Aside from the grease paint, a character called “Harley Quinn,” references to the Wayne family and Arkham and, of course, the aforementioned Gotham setting, do these movies really have much of anything to do with the source material? I’d argue that the connection is tenuous at best even in the original film, serving to give Phillips the chance to craft his ultimate tribute to Martin Scorcese classics like Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy under the guise of an IP-driven blockbuster. Heck, Phillips reportedly had zero contact with DC Studios during production of the sequel, which is wild considering that The Joker is the arch-nemesis of their most lucrative character.  

And that’s the thing. Consider that Deadpool & Wolverine grossed more than $1.3 billion this summer – a film that wore its pulpy roots on its spandex sleeve. Based on its intentional divide from the source material – even moreso than that of the first film – Joker: Folie à Deux is a throwback to a time when filmmakers were embarassed to make comic book movies. And that’s not the kind of nostalgia that sells.

But things are looking up, up and away for DC Studios, whose James Gunn-helmed Superman kicks off a whole new live-action era for Marvel’s Distinguished Competition. Until then, it seems like DC’s most notorious criminal has been defeated … but not by Batman.

Review: ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ Not Quite Worth the Squeeze

 

There are many reasons why Tim Burton’s classic 1988 comedy Beetlejuice remains required Halloween viewing to this very day. It’s creepy, it’s imaginative, and it boasts an all-star cast – namely the always hilarious Michael Keaton as the titular Ghost with the Most. Fans have often speculated as to how a sequel might play out – heck, Kevin Smith was nearly attached to a Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian sequel in the 1990s – but plans never really panned out until this week, when Beetlejuice Beetlejuice arrived in theaters.

Keaton returns alongside Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara as Lydia and Delia Deetz, and newcomers to the cast include Jenna Ortega as Lydia’s supernaturally skeptic daughter Astrid, Justin Theroux as Lydia’s “love” interest Rory, Monica Bellucci as Betelgeuse/Beetlejuice’s soul-sucking (literally) ex wife Delores, and Willem Dafoe as actor-turned-undead-detective Wolf Jackson. With Burton back at the helm and a cast as stacked as this one, what could possibly go wrong? Well, a few things, unfortunately.

There’s much to enjoy about Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Keaton is an absolute delight as the pinstriped prankster we know and love, bringing endearing-yet-repulsive charm to a character who hasn’t grown all that much in 36 years (nor would we want him to). Much like in the original, Keaton’s Betelgeuse is used sparingly and strategically, typically in scenes involving impressive and often disgusting practical effects (including one that is already a disturbing full-sized NECA collectible, but I won’t spoil that here). As ever, he – now aided in his bio-exorcism business by hordes of tiny-headed “Shrinker” monsters – is motivated by an intense desire to rejoin the land of the living. When the death of Charles Deetz draws Lydia, Delia, Astrid and Rory back Winter River and the “Ghost House” from the first film, Betelgeuse sees his chance to reconnect with Lydia and pick things up where they left off nearly four decades ago. But when Astrid’s own romantic entanglement puts her in danger of being stuck in the Afterlife forever, Lydia finds out that she needs Betelgeuse just as much as he needs her. She calls on him for help and, naturally, it’s SHOWTIME! Again!

Keaton reprising this iconic role alongside Ryder and O’Hara, plus the smattering of Tim Burton style and a gaggle of gross-out effects make the film worth seeing for spectacle alone, sure. However, it’s clear that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is juggling one too many storylines by the time it reaches its underwhelming finale that feels like a checklist of studio notes – including a lip-sync musical number that doesn’t come close to the classic Harry Belafonte “Banana Boat (Day-O)” scene from the first film. The underutilized Bellucci and Dafoe often feel like they’re in different movies entirely, and when everyone is smashed together in the climax, it’s hard to escape the feeling that this movie doesn’t quite live (or die) up to its own ambitions. Plus, there are several extended jokes throughout, including a repeated “Soul Train” gag, that never quite land and tend to play out a lot longer than they need to.

As the latest in an increasingly long line of legacy sequels, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice succeeds as an excuse to resurrect a classic character and let him run amok alongside some familiar faces for an hour and 44 minutes. But if you’re expecting anything close to as good as the original, you’ll be as disappointed as a Shrinker going hat shopping. If you’re a fan of the original and a fan of Tim Burton’s early work, check it out in a matinee or, more preferably, when you can watch it on streaming from your own “Ghost House.”

‘Star Wars Outlaws’ First Impressions

 

It’s a weird time to be a Star Wars fan. On one hand, we’ve got Sigourney Weaver joining the cast of The Mandalorian & Grogu. On the other, The Acolyte getting canceled after just one season amid a hurtful culture war. And then there’s Star Wars Outlaws, the game publisher Ubisoft touts as the first true open-world Star Wars game.

Following the success of EA’s Star Wars Jedi series – first Fallen Order and then the even better Jedi Survivor – Outlaws brings with it no small amount of anticipation. But then came the unflattering gameplay clips on social media, the apparent bugginess on launch day and the general sense that this game wasn’t quite ready for release.

But are the underworld adventures of Kay Vess and her adorably marketable pal Nix truly as disorienting as a jaunt through Black Spire Outpost after one too many Fuzzy Tauntauns at Oga’s, or is this an unpolished kyber crystal of an experience in that galaxy far, far away? Well, it’s somewhere in the middle.

On Tuesday I purchased the Gold Edition for PS5, which carries with it a hefty price tag of $109.99. The extra credits allowed me to jump into the game three days early and granted me access to all kinds of Season Pass goodies. On the plus side, the basic traversal and cover-shooting gameplay is simple to learn and satisfying overall, and the ability to use Nix to distract cameras, attack enemies and even pick pockets creates a lot of fun possibilities as you explore the incredibly immersive environments. The game also provides the sense that a new “big score” is always right around the corner, and I found myself actively looking for NPCs to interact with just to see what might happen. It’s also just a lot of fun playing a Han Solo-esue scoundrel – and not a Jedi – while rubbing elbows with infamous Star Wars factions like Crimson Dawn, the Pyke Syndicate and the Hutt Cartel. This is a much different experience than the Star Wars Jedi series, and that’s a great thing.

Less great, however, are the forced stealth missions, which make the game feel like it was plucked from 2005 – especially when getting caught by an enemy forces you to replay entire sections of gameplay without checkpoints. It’s during these sections that the jankiness of Outlaws starts to rear its ugly head, like a Krayt Dragon about to chomp a Jawa. Some enemies far away will notice you immediately, others will wait until you’ve landed a punch before they’re alerted to your presence. This might be a skill issue (I never really liked mandatory stealth sections, especially not in recent games like Sony’s Spider-Man franchise), but I couldn’t help but feel like I was stuck in a less-than-premium experience whenever these sprung up. And they spring up a lot.

I’ve also experienced two game-stopping glitches that forced me to restart, one instance in which I fell through a planet’s surface, and some bizarre character animations that reminded me of Mass Effect: Andromeda in the worst way possible. I understand a lot of these issues are being patched post-release – apparently requiring those of us with early access to delete our saved games – but it’s disappointing that a game with so much momentum behind it released in a borderline-unfinished state. But, hey, buggy games like No Man’s Sky and Cyberpunk 2077 were vastly improved with post-release patches, and I have full confidence that my primary gripes with the game will be addressed in due time.

All that said, there’s a lot of promise in Star Wars Outlaws, and at its core is a fun, sprawling adventure in the seediest parts of George Lucas’ iconic universe. But when your character clips through a Twi’lek cantina patron during a very important cutscene, just keep the words of your favorite scoundrel in mind, “She may not look like much, but she’s got it where it counts, kid.”