Venice Film Festival chief Alberto Barbera is banging the drums HARD for Todd Phillips’ “Joker: Folie a Deux.” Is it all hyperbole? Who knows.
It’s a continuation of the story but the film is completely different from the first film. If you’re expecting the same in terms of violence or other things, you’ll be surprised. When I saw the film in LA at the beginning of February there were four or five of us in the screening room, including writer Scott Silver, and we were astonished, our mouths were open at the end of the screening. It is a darker film […] It’s a dystopian musical, or a musical of sorts. I think it’s one of the most daring, brave, and creative films in recent American cinema. And I think it really confirms Todd Phillips as one of the most creative directors working at the moment.
Todd Phillips? One of “the most creative directors working at the moment”? The guy who directed “Due Date,” “School for Scoundrels,” “Road Trip,” “Old School,” “Starsky & Hutch,” and 3 ‘Hangover’ movies? I mean, it’s possible, I really liked “Joker,” but this is a wild comment on the part of Barbera.
Later in the piece, Barbera talks about Luca Guadagnino’s “Queer,” mentioning that Daniel Craig gives “the best performance of his life.” This mirrors the intel I received back in May which stated that Craig has delivered “the performance of his career.”
Barbera also adds a very interesting tidbit near the end where he confirms that Guadagnino, Almodovar and ‘Joker 2’ will only be screening during the second week of the festival which all but confirms that all three films will not be going to Telluride.
Still no distributor for "Bucking Fastard," "Alpha Gang," "The Last Photograph," "Closing Night," and "The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd." The issue seems to be quality more than a lack of willingness to buy.