THE IRISHMAN
In the 1950s, truck driver Frank Sheeran gets involved with Russell Bufalino and his Pennsylvania crime family. As Sheeran climbs the ranks to become a top hit man, he also goes to work for Jimmy Hoffa -- a powerful Teamster tied to organized crime.
Release date: 8 November 2019
A very British drug lord tries to sell off his highly profitable empire to a dynasty of Oklahoma billionaires.
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Director: Guy Ritchie
1 January 2020 (United Kingdom)
Following the events of The Last Jedi, the remaining members of the Resistance face off with the First Order once again, all while reckoning with their troubled pasts. Now holding the knowledge and power of the previous generations, the final battle begins.
Release date: 19 Dec 2019 (United Kingdom) · 20 Dec 2019 (United States)
Director: J.J. Abrams
Astronaut Lucy Cola returns to Earth after a transcendent experience during a mission to space and begins to lose touch with reality in a world that now seems too small.
Director: Noah Hawley
6 December 2019 (United Kingdom)
Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci star in Martin Scorsese’s THE IRISHMAN, an epic saga of organized crime in post-war America told through the eyes of World War II veteran Frank Sheeran, a hustler and hitman who worked alongside some of the most notorious figures of the 20th Century. Spanning decades, the film chronicles one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in American history, the disappearance of legendary union boss Jimmy Hoffa, and offers a monumental journey through the hidden corridors of organized crime: its inner workings, rivalries and connections to mainstream politics.
Director: Martin Scorsese
27 November - Netflix
The Lighthouse chronicles the gritty adventures of two lighthouse keepers as they are faced with loneliness, friendship and their worst fears, as their isolation and tension begin to tell.
Release date: 31 January 2020 (United Kingdom)
Two British soldiers embark on a dangerous mission to save 1,600 men from certain doom during World War I.
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Release date: 10 January 2020 (United Kingdom)
Sonic tries to navigate the complexities of life on Earth with his newfound best friend -- a human named Tom Wachowski. They must soon join forces to prevent the evil Dr. Robotnik from capturing Sonic and using his powers for world domination.
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Release date: 14 February 2020 (United Kingdom)
REVIEW - JOKER
Synopsis - Forever alone in a crowd, failed comedian Arthur Fleck seeks connection as he walks the streets of Gotham City. Arthur wears two masks -- the one he paints for his day job as a clown, and the guise he projects in a futile attempt to feel like he's part of the world around him. Isolated, bullied and disregarded by society, Fleck begins a slow descent into madness as he transforms into the criminal mastermind known as The Joker.
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix
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It's hard not to compare this incarnation of Joker with all the others.
And I'm going back as far as Cesar Romero's portrayal on the 1960's Batman Tv series.
As far as I'm concerned they've all been great in the Joker role.
Romero, Nicholson, Ledger, Leto and Hamill. Yes, I said Hamill.
However, Phoenix does something so unique and astonishing with this role, the others who have gone before are frankly, (I'm gonna catch heat for this) second best.
Hear me out for a second!
In all of Joker's incarnations we've seen on screen, we have never seen an origin story and character evolve in the way it's been portrayed in this film.
Arthur Fleck's evolution from a troubled man with self-esteem issues to the maniacal clown prince of crime is a sight to behold.
Phoenix is just phenomenal in this film. Todd Phillips has allowed him to breath new life into this character whilst drawing inspiration from movies such as Taxi Driver, The King of Comedy and Jonathan Demme's Silence Of The Lambs.
This is a slow burn, but it's deliberately done this way to witness Arthur's gradual transformation and to understand the full extent of his pain and insanity.
The supporting cast from Zazie Beets, Robert De Niro to Frances Conroy as Fleck's mother are all good respectively. All three play characters who contribute significantly to Fleck's mental state.
Phillips' departure from crass comedy (Hangover trilogy) to this dark psychological thriller is a welcome one and has defied doubters (including me) by showing us he has evolved as a filmmaker.
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Overall Joker is a metaphorical, maniacal gamechanger of a comic book movie. It's Joaquin Phoenix's show and we've all paid the price of admission to watch it.
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