“Joker”
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Zazie Beetz, Robert De Niro Zazie Beetz, Marc Maron, Shea Whigham, Bret Cullen, Frances Conroy
Synopsis: A failed stand-up comedian turns to a life of crime and chaos.
What You Need to Know: Let’s flashback to six years ago. You are now in 2013: the year that Todd Phillips released “The Hangover Part III.” Would you believe that this guy, the creative force responsible for man-child classics like “Road Trip,” “Old School,” and “Due Date,” would ever direct a film that could win the Golden Lion at the 76th Venice International Film Festival? Probably not. But, that is exactly what happened. Then again, maybe this evolution in Phillips’ career is not so surprising upon recollection. Since the filmmaker’s debut in 1998 with his documentary “Frat House,” the New York native has spent the past two decades making films focused on examining masculinity—this fascinating thread unites nearly all of Phillips’ work—and even the under-appreciated “War Dogs” was a commendable step in the dramatic direction that foreshadowed Phillips’ capability to handle serious subject matter. Nevertheless, with “Joker,” Phillips created the ultra-rare comic book adaptation that, similar to its franchise predecessor “The Dark Knight,” threatens to reconfigure the expectations of an entire genre forever. Considering that Marvel plans on puking out sanitized, shared-universe cash grabs until the end of time, a demented character study is exactly what the world needs right now. Check out our Venice Review to read more about the “dangerous” film that “should scare the sh*t out of you.”
Release Date: October 4 – JC
Honorable Mention
Of course, that’s just our brief selection. NYFF has a whole section of documentaries—new films by Michael Apted (“63 Up“), actor-turned-filmmaker Tim Robbins (“45 Seconds of Laughter“), Nanni Moretti (“Santiago, Italia“)—special events— Francis Ford Coppola‘s new “Cotton Club” cut—talks with filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese, Pedro Almodovar, Bong Joon Ho and more—a terrific section of revivals and a cinematography retrospective, NYFF has more than enough to interest cinephiles of all stripes and the festival runs September 27-October 13.