The latest movie releases include Joker: Folie a Deux, Salem's Lot, It's What's Inside, and The Outrun. Weighing in are Alison Willmore, film critic for New York Magazine and Vulture; and William Bibbiani, film critic for the Wrap and co-host of the Critically Acclaimed Network.
Joker: Folie a Deux
“Folie a Deux” is French for double madness, and it’s a psychological term for two people who share the same delusions. In this sequel to the 2019 hit Joker, Joaquin Phoenix reprises his role as the titular character, and Lady Gaga plays Harley Quinn, his paramour.
Wilmore: “There is something about taking these very familiar characters and giving them a more psychologically grounded treatment that can seem like you're seeing older things through new eyes. And maybe it can feel like it's … more sophisticated. There's a bit of a verve to the way Todd Phillips directed that first one, at least, that even if I didn't love it, I can understand that energy.
This second movie I just find punishing … which is amazing because it is a musical. It has Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn, all of these things that seem like they should be sources of vitality and outsized energy. And instead, this movie just really is a slog.
And I think it is … reacting to the fandom. It is a movie that is … Joaquin Phoenix's version of The Joker, of Arthur Fleck, being put on trial for the murders he committed in the first movie, including the one he did on-air, and becoming this media sensation almost accidentally. … He is not this sociopathic renegade. He's much sadder, and so, so much of this movie is this weirdly joyless courtroom drama cut with musical numbers that are almost very deliberately not fun, which is such a waste of Lady Gaga.
… I am very curious about how this movie is going to go over with the wider public, but I personally found it really disappointing.”
Bibbiani: “I like it for all the reasons everyone else hates it. … It's a movie that seems angry that it has to exist. They made … the first Joker movie, and it was pretty self-contained. It did what it had to do, but then it unexpectedly made a billion dollars, and they're like, ‘Oh, well, now Warner Bros. will make us exploit this. All right … let's do a sequel about how everyone who liked that first movie was wrong, and how Arthur Fleck should not be put on a pedestal, and how it wasn't entertaining.’ It was supposed to be a depressing psychological study that got way out of hand, so they pull all of the production value way down. So much of this movie just takes place in a couple of rooms. It's a musical but … the songs are punishing, Joaquin Phoenix isn't Sinatra. …
It's all about the courtroom. It isn't just litigating what he did in the first movie, it's litigating the first movie itself. So I think if you loved the first movie, you might hate Joker: Folie. … But if you didn't love the first Joker and you weren't thinking about seeing this movie, maybe you should.”
Salem's Lot
Based on Stephen King’s novel, an author returns to his childhood home to find inspiration for his next book, then finds out that the locals are turning into vampires. The writer and director here is Gary Dauberman, who co-wrote the recent It adaptations, plus other horror franchises like The Nun and Annabelle. So he’s done clowns, nuns, dolls, and now vampires.
Bibbiani: “Whereas I think a lot of Stephen King fans are probably expecting us to spend a lot of time getting to know everyone in this small town, Gary Dauberman, who wrote and directed it, is like, ‘Nope, we do not have time for that.’ You're seeing the vampire in the first 10 minutes, and by 30-40 minutes in, monsters are attacking. Crosses are glowing like lightsabers. And when a vampire sees a cross, it gets shot across the room, like out of a cannon. This is not a subtle film. It is, however, a very fun film. If you're looking for depth and complexity, look elsewhere. But if you're looking to have a good time with an old-fashioned vampire flick, I think this movie is its own thing, and I think it does a good job.”
Wilmore: “I just found that Gary Dauberman isn’t very effective at directing the creepy scenes, the ones where people are doing things where you want to yell, ‘Why are you doing that?! … Don't go outside into the dark, creepy yard when your missing brother is calling your name.’ … I just thought he had a lot of trouble injecting a sense of urgency into those moments where you're waiting for something very bad to happen.”
It's What's Inside
This dark horror comedy is about a group of friends gathering in a remote mansion for a wedding celebration, and they play a technological mind-altering game that one of them brings. This features a cast of young actors, as usual for this kind of movie, and is the directorial debut of Greg Jardin.
Wilmore: “This is a movie that Netflix bought at Sundance this year for $17 million, which is a lot of money for Sundance, they instantly snapped it up. … I think this is a perfect movie to go on Netflix because it is directed … with a lot of verve, which I appreciated. It's got a lot of energy. … But this felt like a really deliberate and … cynical attempt to make a movie about Gen Z kids. … It has this attractive cast of a lot of young people who all say that they're great old friends, but are all harboring secrets, and some resentments, and crushes, and all of that. And I think it does that well for a while, and then … it … ran out of steam for me.”
Bibbiani: “I think it has a fun concept. I think it has a lot of clever things to do with that concept. And I think that's a trick to a lot of great sci-fi movies — is come up with a premise or a technology, and then do every single thing you possibly can with it. … They did step aside on a lot of the gender identity elements that could have been part of this. … But … this is a really satisfying watch. I think it's pretty intense. And if you like movies with a mean streak, I think you're gonna enjoy it.”
The Outrun
Saoirse Ronan plays a London woman who returns home to the remote islands off the coast of Scotland, and is trying to deal with alcohol addiction, among other things.
Bibbiani: “This is a character study more than anything else. And if you're gonna make a character study, you need to make sure that your lead actor is capable of arresting the screen, and a whole lot of nuance and humor and tragedy all at the same time. And you cannot get a better actor for that than Saoirse Ronan. Saoirse Ronan has been one of the best actors we've had for a while, and I don't know how she keeps getting better. I was surprised by, ultimately, how inspired I felt by it, considering it is about a very depressing subject in a lot of ways. It's a fantastic movie, and I would tell anyone to go see it.”
Wilmore: “I think that Saoirse is incredible. … This is a movie that rests entirely on this performance. So much of it is internal. So much of it is her alone. She is literally just spending time struggling to find herself, reconnecting with her parents, but also just spending a lot of time helping out in the wilderness, and walking in the wilderness, and then eventually going to an even more remote part of the Orkney islands to basically stay in a cabin by herself, and the wind is her main company.
… It uses flashbacks a lot, to this character's life in London, to this relationship she has and how it falls apart due to her alcoholism. It's really beautifully directed, and it features some gorgeous scenery, as well as some miserable scenery. I wish it were a little freer, I think, in its structure. I do think this is a great performance, though.”