Poisonous grins and shared madness The most important cinema highlights in October
The Joker (Joaquin Phoenix, left) is back – as is the continuation of a TikTok hype.
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Cinema fans will be the victims of this madness several times in October. This is ensured by two comic film adaptations and the sequel to a TikTok hype.
Manic laughter meets manic grin – and even an alien symbiote bares its teeth again in October: Right at the beginning of the new cinema month, the two Oscar winners Joaquin Phoenix (49) and Lady Gaga (38) fall for it together in “Joker: Folie à Deux”. Craziness. A first film harbinger of the coming Halloween festival also lands in cinemas with the sequel to the surprise hit “Smile”. Another week later, Tom Hardy (47) finally asks to “The Last Dance” as DC anti-hero Venom.
“Joker: Folie à Deux”, 3. Oktober
Arthur Fleck (Phoenix) is awaiting trial in the Arkham psychiatric institution after his bloody actions as the Joker, which plunged all of Gotham into chaos. While he is in conflict with his dual identity, Arthur not only meets his true love in the person of Harleen Quinzel, who transforms into his like-minded companion Harley Quinn. The former stand-up comedian Fleck also finds the music that has always been dormant inside him.
Assessment:
The incredibly dark pace of Todd Phillips (53) “Joker” thrilled fans and critics alike in 2019. A multi-layered psychogram was dedicated to Batman’s most famous adversary, which took an interesting, ambivalent perspective and also gave a moral rating to the otherwise noble Wayne family. Many fans were probably all the more surprised when “Joker: Folie à Deux” was announced as a kind of musical. Quite a risk: Depending on how much space the singing takes up in the film, this could be a dealbreaker for some fans of the predecessor. But then they miss another outstanding acting performance from Joaquin Phoenix. And: Stanley Kubrick’s “Clockwork Orange” in 1972 showed how diabolical a cheerfully lilted “I’m Singing In The Rain” can be.
“Smile 2: Do you see it too?”, October 17th
Shortly before the start of her next world tour, the internationally celebrated pop star Skye Riley (Naomi Scott, 31) is confronted with increasingly inexplicable events. Overwhelmed by the horrific incidents and the pressures of fame, Skye must confront her dark past. Ready to push herself to the limit, she tries to regain control of her life before it completely falls apart.
Assessment:
The horror film “Smile”, released in 2022, became a surprising success at the box office and made back its relatively low budget in many ways. The consistently solid horror gained momentum, especially thanks to reaction videos on social networks like TikTok. Of course, “Smile” didn’t reinvent the horror wheel, and this will apply even more to its successor. Hopefully the makers have learned from series like “Saw” or “Paranormal Activity” – these were ultimately ridden to a bloody death in record time.
“Venom 3: The Last Dance”, 24. Oktober
Investigative journalist Eddie Brock (Hardy) is back – and with him his alien symbiote Venom, with whom he shares his body against his will. In “The Last Dance”, however, he and the rest of the world’s population have to deal with even more visitors from space: “My home has tracked us down,” Venom tells his host. The result: From now on, the unlikely duo has to defend themselves from enemies from two worlds.
Assessment:
After the successful start of the “Venom” series in 2018, part two around three years later was significantly weaker. Now, after three more years, “The Last Dance” is the finale of the trilogy. The trailers already showed that Hardy still hasn’t lost the fun in his conflicted role. In the two predecessors, it was sometimes the actor who knew how to steal the show from his computer-generated alter ego.
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