“Joker” is one of the best origin stories I have ever seen for a comic book character, it digs deep into his mind and presents us with an appalling array of images that allows us to not only better understand the character but also brings up interesting similarities with his nemesis, the Batman.
For all it’s loud nonsense and convoluted plot points, in the end “Ismart Shankar” is a solid, fun, and entertaining film. I got exactly what I wanted from it, and in an age where so many films try (and inevitably fail) to infuse their story with some half-handed social message, it’s refreshing to see a film that knows exactly what it is and doesn’t try to trick you into thinking it all means something. But be warned this is not a film for everyone, this is a completely local mass movie from start to finish and if you don’t like those kind of films you certainly won’t enjoy this.
“Midsommar”, the highly anticipated second film from director Ari Aster proves once again the filmmaker’s acute sense of place and extreme attention to detail. This is a film bathed in unspoken symbols and vivid legends; and through drawings, paintings and carvings these images pervade a large part of the film, foretelling much of what it is to come and adding a sense of environment that is at once sacred, beautiful and horrifying.
