Tag: Robert De Niro

  • ‘Joker’ is no laughing matter

    ‘Joker’ is no laughing matter

    Robert De Niro and Joaquin Phoenix in Joker

    “When the heroes go off stage, the clowns come on.” – Heinrich Heine

    Just like how comic books eventually developed lines for their more popular villains, the movies have caught up to do the same. We’ve had films for characters who started as adversaries but quickly became and are better known as heroes like The Punisher and Deadpool, but now we’ve moved onto the unrepentant monsters. First Venom, and here Joker.

    Set in Gotham City during the 1980s (for some reason), this film is (as it’s been touted in the press) a King of Comedy knockoff that mixes in attributes from the works of Paul Schrader. However, it does not measure up to those, nor even to the likes of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer or Roman.

    Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is a middle-aged professional clown and aspiring comic who has a condition that causes him to burst out laughing at random moments. Caring for his invalid mother (Frances Conroy), he spends his nights with her watching a talk show hosted by Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro) and wishing he could one day be a guest. But things take an unfortunate turn when he loses his job and government-assistance programs which, combined with fed up with constant harassment from random fellow citizens, precipitates a violent lashing out.

    If you follow Batman anything, you’ve immediately sussed out the problem: this isn’t the Joker. The man depicted here has as much to do with Bob Kane’s creation as the character Matthew Modine played in Full Metal Jacket. A basic point of the Joker is that he’s supposed to be a mysterious figure with no fixed origin. The closest one was of course The Killing Joke, but even there it was made clear that the flashbacks were coming from an unreliable narrator. What’s here is more or less a total invention of the screenwriters and really should have been made independently of this IP.

    It’s that connection to the material that ruins the proceedings. Thomas Wayne (Brett Cullen) and even Alfred (Douglas Hodge) are characterized horribly, presented as cruel jerks of the highest order. And then there’s the ending, which has a truly terrible retcon (one that hopefully will not stick) to a major story event that did not even need to be depicted here in the first place.

    While the consideration for the treatment of mental illness is admirable, it can get muddied. He spirals downwards as the film goes on, but it’s not clear how much of that is due to stopping medication and how much would have happened anyway. Plus the direct allusions to John Wayne Gacy and Bernard Goetz are there more as memberberries than to make any significant statement.

    If there is a strong point in the movie’s favor, it’s the acting. Phoenix certainly rises to the occasion. He’s no Mark Hamill, but it’s hard to compare when they are playing what might as well be entirely different people. De Niro is quite funny whenever he makes his intermittent appearances. The production design is effective as well, getting across the proper mood and atmosphere.

    Up next will be Mr. J’s sidekick Harley Quinn striking out on her own to lead Birds of Prey. Let’s hope those behind it actually know the material that they’re working with.

  • TailSlate’s Top Ten Directorial Debuts (by actors)

    TailSlate’s Top Ten Directorial Debuts (by actors)

    TailSlate has been a fan of Greta Gerwig for a very long time, both as an actress and a writer.  Now her directorial debut film, Lady Bird is in theaters.  So TailSlate decided to take a look at what we consider our top ten directorial debut films from people who were actors before sitting in that big chair behind the cameras.  Here they are, in no particular order.

    Amy Ryan and Casey Affleck in ‘Gone Baby Gone’

    In 2007, Ben Affleck went behind the camera to direct the film adaptation of Gone Baby Gone.  His films immediately prior to his directorial debut had been hit and miss, but he nailed this one.  Starring Amy Ryan, Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Ed Harris and John Ashton, this noir thriller scored with critics and at the box office.  Ms Ryan was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress.

    Jessica Walter and Clint Eastwood in ‘Play Misty For Me’

    Clint Eastwood had a big year in 1971.  He starred in the first Dirty Harry movie, in The Beguiled and in his directorial debut, Play Misty For Me.  The story of a radio DJ working at a station in Carmel who meets one of his listeners.  “Evelyn” (Jessica Walter in her first big movie role) is obsessed with “Dave Garver” (Eastwood) and what starts off as a nice relationship goes very wrong.

    Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer in ‘This is Spinal Tap’

    1984 found Rob Reiner in his post-“All in the Family” period and he took on the task of directing This is Spinal Tap.  With a script he co-wrote with his fellow stars, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer, this was one of the best early entries in the mockumentary genre.  Christopher Guest would go on to do more of these mockumentaries, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show and A Mighty Wind.  This is Spinal Tap was modeled on serious documentaries about rock and roll and is a lot of fun to watch.

    Mary Tyler Moore and Timothy Hutton in ‘Ordinary People’

    When your first effort in the director’s chair wins Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director and wins two other Oscars, it belongs on this list.  We’re referring to 1980’s Ordinary People, directed by Robert Redford.  Having an incredible cast that included Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch, M. Emmett Walsh and Timothy Hutton definitely helped.  Based on a novel by Judith Guest, this movie tells the story of a family that is shattered by the death of one son and the attempted suicide of the other son.

    Clem Caserta and Chazz Palminteri in ‘A Bronx Tale’

    Robert De Niro had two acting Oscars on his mantle at home when he took on the task of adapting Chazz Palminteri’s one-man play A Bronx Tale to the big screen.  As Sly Stallone had done with his script for Rocky, Palminteri refused to sell the rights to his play unless he was guaranteed the role of “Sonny” and to be the screenwriter on the project.  De Niro met both of those conditions and they made a handshake deal.  A Bronx Tale was nominated to be on the American Film Institute’s Top Ten U.S. Gangster Films list.

    Dennis Hopper, Toni Basil and Peter Fonda in ‘Easy Rider’

    1969’s Easy Rider was Dennis Hopper’s first outing behind the camera.  Jack Nicholson, Peter Fonda and Hopper starred in this counterculture picture about bikers heading from California to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, the proceeds from a drug deal hidden in one of the motorcycles.  In a 2009 interview, Peter Fonda confirmed the rumors that he had smoked real marijuana in scenes filmed for the movie.

    Kevin Costner and Graham Greene in ‘Dances With Wolves’

    Kevin Costner is another actor whose first turn behind the camera resulted in a movie that was awarded the Best Picture Oscar.  Dances With Wolves is the story of a Union soldier who is sent to the westernmost outpost at his own request, after being decorated for bravery in the Civil War.  He finds the post deserted and decides to restore it himself.  He befriends some of the Lakota Indians who live nearby.  Based on the novel of the same name by Michael Blake, Dances With Wolves won seven Academy Awards.

    Danny DeVito and Billy Crystal in ‘Throw Momma From the Train’

    Playing the ruthless dispatcher on the television series “Taxi” made Danny DeVito a star and led to feature film work.  Then in 1987 he went behind the camera to direct himself, Billy Crystal, Rob Reiner and Anne Ramsey in Throw Momma From the Train.  A black comedy about two men who strike a deal where they will each kill the woman that is driving the other crazy, it did well at the box office.

    Stanley Tucci, Marc Antony and Tony Shalhoub in ‘Big Night’

    Two actors combined to direct the next entry on this list, 1996’s Big Night.  Campbell Scott and Stanley Tucci collaborated on this tale of two brothers trying to make a go of a restaurant on the Jersey Shore in the 1950s.  Their uncle wants them to return to Rome to work with him in his restaurant, but they prefer to remain in America.  They plan an event around the promised appearance of singer Louis Prima in their restaurant, which they expect to make them a success.  Big Night is rated 96% fresh on Rottentomatoes.

    Nick Stahl and Mel Gibson in ‘The Man Without a Face’

    When most people think of Mel Gibson as a movie director, the films that come to mind are Braveheart,. Passion of the Christ and his most recent effort, Hacksaw Ridge.  But his first time out as a director was 1993’s The Man Without a Face.  Gibson stars in the title role, portraying a former teacher who was horribly disfigured in an automobile accident.  Now a recluse, he meets a young man who needs someone to tutor him in preparation for an entrance exam to a military academy.  This is yet another directorial debut involving the adaptation of a novel to the big screen.  There are some differences between the novel and the final version of the film.

    Caddyshack, directed by Harold Ramis and My Favorite Year, helmed by Richard Benjamin, earned Honorable Mention but didn’t quite crack our Top Ten.  Will Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird wind up on this list at the next update?  Only time will tell.

  • ‘Joy’ is another fine film from David O. Russell

    ‘Joy’ is another fine film from David O. Russell

    Jennifer Lawrence and Robert De Niro in 'Joy'
    Jennifer Lawrence and Robert De Niro in ‘Joy’

    When you enter a movie theater to see a film from David O. Russell, expectations are automatically high.  After all, he’s given us The Fighter, Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle over the past five years.  Three films nominated for Best Picture Oscars, three nominations for Best Director for Mr. Russell.  His latest effort, Joy, lives up to those expectations.  On some levels.  Sadly, on most levels, it does not.

    Joy begins with a label claiming it was “Inspired by the true stories of amazing women.  One in particular.”  While it is clear from the outset that this dedication refers to Joy Mangano.  Portrayed by Jennifer Lawrence, her story of starting with nothing and becoming the holder of over 100 patents is amazing.  But how much of this is her real story and how much did Mr. Russell create on his laptop?  Bear in mind that during the film’s 124 minutes, the last name of the title character is not to be heard or seen.

    Robert De Niro and Isabella Rossellini in 'Joy'
    Robert De Niro and Isabella Rossellini in ‘Joy’

    At the outset we are introduced to the very complicated life of Joy, who lives in a house with her mother “Terry” (Virginia Madsen), her maternal grandmother “Mimi” (Diane Ladd) and her two children “Christie” and “Tommy” (portrayed by different young actors at various ages).  The husband she divorced two years earier “Tony” (Edgar Ramirez) lives in the basement.  As if things were not complicated enough, her father “Rudy” (Robert De Niro) is dropped off at her doorstep by his now ex-girlfriend and will be moving in.  Not long afterward, using a dating service, “Rudy” meets “Trudy” (Isabella Rossellini) and will play an important role in Joy’s journey.

    We see a flashback to Joy’s youth when she was a “maker of things” and as narrated by her grandmother, told the story of how she was meant to bring fortune to the family.  Then, inspired by an interesting accident, she comes up with the concept of a self-wringing mop.  It isn’t easy, but she ultimately finds a way to manufacture it and winds up in the office of “Neal Walker” (Bradley Cooper).  Turns out he is the man in charge of choosing products for the QVC network.  While things don’t go swimmingly at first, Joy’s mop is a success, which leads to a new set of challenges.

    Melissa Rivers plays her mother Joan Rivers in 'Joy'
    Melissa Rivers plays her mother Joan Rivers in ‘Joy’

    The journey of Joy is somewhat stilted and this is what doesn’t work well in the film.  The result is uneven pacing and an ebb and flow of tension that is a bit too wide.  What does work is the acting of Jennifer Lawrence.  The lens of the camera loves this woman and she returns the affection full force.  Given the highs and lows of that stilted journey, it affords her the opportunity to explore and display a wide range of feelings and emotions.  Bradley Cooper’s role, a probable composite of several QVC executives is limited, but he excels equally in each of his few moments on screen.  We’ve seen plenty of interaction between those two and their work opposite Robert De Niro and that also works here.  What also works is the background soap opera that Joy’s mother is seriously addicted to.  It uses real soap stars and they shine.  However, when all is said and done, there are more moments that disappoint rather than those that are wonderful.