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Wherever an opinion falls on Joker, there’s something to talk about. Phillips’ background in comedy stops Joker from being just droll doom and gloom. Usually, I walk out of Phillips’ movies not feeling much or having much food for thought, but for the first time, he’s made a movie genuinely stirring. It’s a riveting and rattling performance that elevates Joker to another level. Most comic book movies are pure comfort food. Based on the content and execution of Joker, that’s understandable. The villain got the director he deserved, and Phillips, whose movies are largely about nothing, found a comic book character he deserved in Arthur Fleck – a man who believes in nothing. The character’s slow descent into madness feels bone-chillingly authentic and while Phoenix is all the film really needs to sell itself, Todd Phillips (who directed/co-wrote the … Todd Phillips: ‘The world is waking up to the fact that the system is rigged’ The War Dogs director talks truth, Trump and why laughter will always be the best medicine. The director never would’ve been right for a superhero movie about one of “the good guys,” because his movies are hardly ever about good guys. After Joker, I left both impressed by how much and how little Joker felt like a Todd Phillips movie. Todd Phillips Tells Us Why Directing is Manipulation - YouTube It was produced by Santa Monica-based RPA and directed by Todd Phillips. Some critics find the very nature of his comedies off-putting, but what people dislike about them is almost too perfect for Gotham. Impressively, the director’s commercial aesthetic never somehow depicts Arthur’s actions in a positive light. Joker recently premiered at 2019 Venice Film Festival, where the cast and director fielded questions about the upcoming movie. Web design by Pro Blog Design. Joker director Todd Phillips, celebrated for his comedy classic Hangover films, says “woke culture” killed comedy and made people overly afraid of offending others, especially on social media. Todd Phillips, Producer: Joker. He’s cold and displays an appetite for pain, and those qualities are turned up to 11 in Joker. Yes, that’s the point, she’s not real and is a warped fantasy woman in Arthur’s mind, but it’s not a particularly substantial role in a movie packed with juicy roles. American film director Todd Phillips is best known for his writing and directing in The Hangover Trilogy (2009, 2011, and 2013) and Due Date (2010). Style With a Dash of Substance . All names, trademarks and images are copyright their respective owners. Todd Phillips is hardly the first name most audiences would associate with the current run of dark, gritty comic book movies. Todd Phillips made the comments in an extensive Vanity Fair cover profile of actor Joaquin Phoenix that was published Tuesday. Warning: Spoilers are discussed in this interview. A movie about Joker shouldn’t be pleasant, anyway. Maybe Juliette Lewis in Old School, but for the most part, women never get much fun, presence, or the substance in Phillips’ movies. There’s usually something distancing about Phillips’ films, but in the case of Joker, that distance creates a feeling of remove that makes the heinousness not hit too close to home, at least for myself. 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There’s something about that attitude that’s right at home for Gotham and Arthur’s journey. This time, however, his slickness serves his story well and carries more weight than usual, with his commercial aesthetic creating a wall between the real world and this fictional world out of a comic book. Subscribe now to be updated on the latest videos: http://bit.ly/1K3VAC9For full Off Camera episodes, visit http://offcamera.comGet Social With Us:On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theoffcamerashow?ref=hlOn Twitter: https://twitter.com/OffCameraShowOn Instagram: https://instagram.com/offcamerashow/On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/theoffcamerashowFollow Sam Jones on Twitter: https://twitter.com/samjones When he becomes Joker and dances down those steps like he’s in a Busby Berkley musical, it looks glorious because it feels glorious to Arthur, not because Phillips is glamorizing his evil or going for eye candy. Affiliate links used when available. They’re wholesome and agreeable experiences, but do they all have to be? The brutality of Gotham City, the pain inflicted and caused by Arthur – it’s all right up Phillips’ wheelhouse of suffering. One as quotable as his dudes? According to Deadline, Phillips was asked about the film's tone. Director Todd Phillips is pushing back on recent criticism that his upcoming film “Joker,” starring Joaquin Phoenix, might promote real-world violence. Cancel culture is crushing movie comedies.. It’s why an established director like Phillips switched gears so dramatically for “Joker.” Joker is so much more about movies – did you notice it’s sort of like Taxi Driver and King of Comedy? His comedy isn’t for everybody, but then again, no movie can be for everybody. This is a small excerpt from a much longer conversation that you can watch right here: http://offcamera.com/issues/todd-phillips/watch/#.V_bwJNxUM5kGet the Todd Phillips issue of the magazine HERE: http://shop.offcamera.com/collections/all-1/products/off-camera-069-todd-phillipsWant more Off Camera? Director Todd Phillips spoke about Joaquin Phoenix acting style, stating, "You would come over to him and give him one line of direction, and it would literally change everything in a great way." Todd Phillips makes ugly movies. The movie always shows you exactly what Fleck is feeling. Frances Conroy brings some real humanity to the movie, but Zazie Beetz‘s part underwhelms and isn’t much more than a plot point. The movie made a boatload of money, won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival, and has been embraced by audiences and most critics, but the people who dislike the movie do so with fire and brimstone. When Arthur proclaims “everyone is awful these days,” the overall air of awfulness in Joker is authentic coming from Phillips. Brett Ratner-Wikipedia. Beetz is great and magnetic, per usual, but she’s playing nothing more than a creepy fantasy. Joker is not a passive experience either, good or bad, and like most comic book movies, it’s about the visceral experience and maybe not a whole lot else, and that’s fine. Posted on Monday, October 7th, 2019 by Jack Giroux. Todd Phillips launched his directing career with 2000 comedy Road Trip, which was an American Pie-style teen comedy. Phillips still received a story credit on the film, which Larry Charles ended up directing.) While Gotham does look like it’s dying by the day, it also looks like a fantastic Hollywood movie at the same time. /Featured Stories Sidebar, Comic Book/Superhero, Drama, Features, joaquin phoenix, Joker, Todd-Phillips, ‘Legends of Tomorrow’ is a Reminder That Superhero Stories Can Actually Make Us Feel Good, ‘Record of Lodoss War’ is an Epic Anime Version of a Dungeons & Dragons Campaign, Water Cooler: Mitchells vs. If there’s one area where one of Phillips’ trademarks isn’t as enjoyable in Joker, it’s the women. Setting just the right tone for a film like Joker is no laughing matter. When setting out to make Joker, Lawrence Sher and director Todd Phillips decided to go for an intimate, 70's style of movie that's character-driven, rather than the large scale, elaborate looks typical of today's comic book superhero/villain films. Todd Phillips was born on December 20, 1970 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA as Todd Bunzl. In many ways, it should feel terrible. The environment is gritty and familiar and very New York City, but the fact that a commercial director like Phillips, not somebody all about realism, keeps real life out of mind. 9 of 9 found this interesting Interesting? He is a producer and director, known for Joker (2019), Due Date (2010) and Old School (2003). It helps explain why Phillips opened up to Vanity Fair about more than the making of his newest film, “Joker.” He gave a State the Union-style address for comedy, and it reveals some hard truths the media would rather ignore.. Before Joker was released, I got to sit down with the film's director and co-writer Todd Phillips … A movie that gets everyone talking, on some level, is a success. Logo Concept by: Illumination Ink. He’s got a good eye, even if it’s not always supported with the most substance. He was an executive producer on the 2016 film War Dogs, featuring director Todd Phillips and starring Jonah Hill, about two friends who become international arms dealers. A movie about Joker probably should look and sound like an abrasive Todd Phillips’ movie. "We wanted Arthur to feel a little bit wolf-like, feral, this hungry kind of character," Phillips says. T odd Phillips has worked in Hollywood long enough to know exactly how the game works and how to play it. First, a little background. Director Todd Phillips explains that lying and manipulation come with the territory of directing.If you liked this video, there's a lot more where it came from. – than reality. Plus, Joker is all about a sole character, not the world at large, anyway. Exactly like Arthur, Phillips knows how to make an audience uncomfortable. In the end, Sophie Dumond’s (Beetz) storyline only serves the purpose of raising one question in Joker, similar to a question at the end of Taxi Driver: Is this all real or not? View Todd Phillips booking agent, manager, publicist contact info. Criticize the creative choices and the movie’s flaws for days on end, but here’s a question, and it is just a question: If some beloved auteur director’s name was on Joker, would some reactions sing a different tune? He is a movie director,producer and writer. Why is the new Joker film set in 1981? The Hangover movies get progressively crueler, and War Dogs and Due Date aren’t much different. There’s one role, in particular, that just isn’t up to snuff as the rest of the cast. Joker director Todd Phillips understands where Martin Scorsese was coming from with his meticulously debated Marvel comments from earlier this … In a recent conversation with IGN, Phoenix and director Todd Phillips weighed in on the controversy surrounding the flick. Most audiences agreed this past weekend. He’s never shied away from offensive material, and his penchant for pushing buttons isn’t always out of line in Joker. The Hangover movies grow bigger, louder, and cruel, almost to the point of punishing the audience. Director Todd Phillips has now explained whether the film has any political overtones. Previously nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, Todd Phillips is no doubt a gem in the world of cinema. Todd Phillips management contact details (name, email, phone number). Whether its mean-spiritedness is successful is another question, but the director’s knack for cruelty does, at the very least, bring something fresh to the genre. This article contains spoilers for Joker. Phoenix lost 52 pounds for the role. Joaquin Phoenix had some leeway to improvise and play with the character. Booking price. If Arthur imagines an entire relationship in his head, then what’s to stop him from imagining himself on his favorite talk show and becoming a symbol for Gotham from the confines of Arkham Asylum? Everyone’s reaction is valid, but I do wonder if someone other than Phillips – a director not exactly cool to say you like – directed Joker, if any reactions would sound… different. Todd Phillips has struck a deal with Warner Bros for Joker. A director who started out writing and directing documentaries in the 90’s, Todd Phillips turned his attention to funnier films in 2000 with his comedy, Road Trip . http://offcamera.comThe Off Camera Show is the YouTube channel for Off Camera with Sam Jones. Martin Scorsese considered for four years whether to direct “Joker” but decided he didn’t have the time or, ultimately, the inclination. With Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), Phillips couldn’t have found a comic book character more attuned to his divisively morbid sensibilities. Phillips makes comedies that look and sound better than 90% of its genre. 15 Todd Phillips Quotes for Writers and Filmmakers While some of the best directors find themselves permanently in one niche, Todd Phillips seems to thrive by bouncing around. Phillips makes comedies that look and sound better than 90% of its genre. Besides, Todd is a renowned producer, screenwriter, and actor. He’s a director who provokes strong reactions, and he’s getting a lot of them for Joker. As good as he makes it all look, it doesn’t sugarcoat the ugly content. Maybe it’s all joke and a troll move from Phillips, which is on-brand for the filmmaker and his supervillain. Yes, they’re comedies, but they typically have a noticeable lack of empathy and humanity. He directs movies about men mostly for men, which could be said of Joker, and it has been, a lot, in case you hadn’t heard. How seriously should anything we see in the last half of the movie? Joker director Todd Phillips, who shot to fame directing classic R-rated comedies like Old School and The Hangover, says today's "woke culture" is no laughing matter when it … He’s got a good eye, even if it’s not always supported with the most substance. He’s never made a character study before, but so much of it is his biting sense of humor and unpleasantness completely unchained. The Machines, Disneyland Reopening, Brigadoon, Without Remorse, The Map of Tiny Perfect Things, In the Heights, Galaxy’s Edge, Mystery Men, I Saw the Devil, The Quarantine Stream: ‘Pet Stars’ is Exactly What You Need Right Now, The Quarantine Stream: ‘Binging With Babish’ Brings Big and Small-Screen Foods to Your Computer Screen, How ‘Star Wars’ Looked to ‘Frankenstein’ to Create the Tragedy of Anakin Skywalker, Copyright © 2005-2019 /Film. Even though there aren’t any solid plans to make a “Joker” sequel, director Todd Phillips would like to see a Batman movie from “Joker’s” Gotham City. His instincts, and sometimes flaws in the past, are often strengths with his latest movie. Todd Phillips was born on 20th December, 1970 in Brooklyn, New York, United States. It's a fair question. Director Todd Phillips (left) and Joaquin Phoenix pose at the premiere of Joker at the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto, Canada, September 9, 2019. With its rich colors, big soundtrack choices, and larger-than-life yet grounded performances, divorcing the comic book movie from reality isn’t difficult. One of Phillips… There’s a moment where Arthur walks into a glass door after talking to cops that’s almost straight out of a Hangover movie. Can you think of one great female character in one of his movies? “Joker” director Todd Phillips compared criticism of gun violence in his new film to far-right extremism in an interview published Wednesday afternoon. 'Joker' director Todd Phillips says critics assailing his depiction of violence miss that he was aiming for a realistic, anti-cartoon style. Film director Todd Phillips, who made his fortune on movies where white guys call each other faggots, has turned his back on comedy, and it’s your fault.. Joker director Todd Phillips claims that he left comedy behind because he didn't want to deal with "woke culture.". They give us exactly what we want, which there’s nothing wrong with, but there’s very little uncomfortable or challenging about them. Privacy Policy / Cookie Policy. Just like actors, a director’s name alone can bring baggage to a movie, based on their past work, quotes, or whatever else. Phillips, maybe because of his contrarian nature, thinks not. He followed up with Old School, which became a word of mouth hit and helped turn Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn into movie stars. 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