Dana and Tom with new guest, Jaylan Salah Salman (Film Critic for In Session Film, Geek Vibes Nation, and Keith Loves Movies) discuss Joker (2019): written and directed by Todd Phillips with Scott Silver, music by Hildur Guðnadóttir, starring Joaquin Phoenix, Zazie Beetz, and Robert De Niro.
Plot Summary: Gotham a city drenched in neon lights and shadows, where the line between reality and delusion blurs. Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), a failed comedian and part-time clown, navigates this urban labyrinth as his mind unravels further each day. His existence is a series of humiliations and rejections, a slow burn of despair that ignites into a violent, chaotic inferno.
In this dreary setting, the narrative delves deep into Arthur’s psyche, exploring his transformation from a marginalized outcast into the infamous Joker. The film is a character study of a man pushed to the brink with a meditation on isolation, mental illness, and the corrosive effects of a society that abandons its most vulnerable. Arthur’s journey is not just a descent into madness, but a twisted quest for identity and purpose in a world that has stripped him of both. This is a tale of existential dread and the search for meaning in a world that offers none, a dark and haunting reflection of the human condition.
Guest:
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction and Welcome to Jaylan Salah
01:52 Getting to Know - Jaylan Salah
05:53 Cast and Recognition for Joker
09:05 Relationship(s) with Joker
18:10 What is Joker About?
27:04 Plot Summary for Joker
28:32 Did You Know?
31:01 First Break
31:46 What's Happening w/ Jaylan Salah
32:43 Ask Dana Anything
41:11 Best Performance(s)
49:04 Best/Favorite/Indelible Scene(s)
57:32 Second Break
58:23 In Memoriam
59:43 Best/Funniest Lines
01:01:22 The Stanley Rubric - Legacy
01:06:36 The Stanley Rubric - Impact/Significance
01:10:42 The Stanley Rubric - Novelty
01:17:10 The Stanley Rubric - Classicness
01:22:07 The Stanley Rubric - Rewatchability
01:26:01 The Stanley Rubric - Audience Score and Final Total
01:28:52 Remaining Questions for Joker
01:36:36 Thank You to Our Guest and Final Thoughts
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