THE NOT-SO FUNNY PAPERS by Barney Rosenzweig

I was two years old when Batman was introduced via DC comics, nine months after Superman made his debut. A year later the dark knight’s hometown of Gotham came on the scene and the threesome: Superman, Batman, and that unwholesome community of Gotham, transformed the comic book industry.

By the time I was a young adult, I had pretty much given up on Superman, Wonder Woman, and the DC oeuvre, with the notable exception of Batman. There was something about that dystopian universe that always continued to fascinate me.

I never read or saw a single Aquaman, or a Flash, Green Lantern, Cyborg, or a Green Arrow.

The super hit movies featuring Captain America and/or The Avengers I have given short shrift, and I have written about the Deadpool series while stifling a yawn. For clarity, these few are from the Marvel universe, not DC; a distinction without much of a difference… at least to the average layman.

As a kid, another favorite… right up there alongside Batman but for vastly different reasons… was Captain Marvel. He, too, is 85 years old but only joined the DC universe a half century ago. Because of complicated legal clearances, the good Captain (now Shazam except in the newer female versions) and his alter ego, Billy Batson, never really got to compete on a level playing field with Superman or Batman, but of late he/she/they have bounced back a bit in the world of motion pictures.

Despite the historical references, I am forced to admit that my comic book credentials are limited… every bit as much in the idiom of film as they were back in the day before my mom innocently tossed out an incredibly valuable collection of DC comics on the afternoon I left for college.

Back to Gotham’s vigilant vigilante: as nearly everyone knows, Batman has a plethora of fascinating/over-the-top bad guys with whom he is honor bound to interact. Some have become stars of their own films… origin stories, if you will, which give us the humble beginnings of these various villains before the coming of age of the caped crusader. Many, if not all, are old enough to have been around on that evening of trauma when a pre-pubescent Bruce Wayne witnessed the gunning down of his parents in a dark Gotham alley.

I have already praised The Penguin, the dramatic series on MAX that stars Colin Farrell in the title role. Now, once again, comes Joaquin Phoenix, reprising his 2019 Oscar winning role in The Joker in the motion picture, The Joker: Folie a Deux.

Both Joker films have been somewhat controversial. The first received mixed reviews despite grossing over a billion dollars worldwide and bringing the film 11 Academy nominations and its leading man the award for Best Actor.

Five years later, I could not remember whether I had even seen the first film or not. I had, of course, but apparently, was not that knocked out since it failed to leave much of an entry in my memory bank.

Fans of the first film have dug in with vituperative remarks about the sequel, even though this latest version has been put together by the same creative team as the first with the impressive addition of Lady Gaga. To the dismay of DC, the fan reaction has been reflected in lackluster business at the box office.

Personally, I don’t care what anyone says… it’s a very interesting movie. The two stars give their all, and the direction and production design are spot on perfect.

I wrote “interesting” rather than “good” because I readily acknowledge this film is not for everyone. But folks, it is really interesting. A leading character with a split personality in a film also freakishly bi-polar, split between a grim/dark look at an anti-utopian Gotham… and a musical! And they bring it off. The writer, the director, the actors… bravo.

I took the time to look again at the now oft revered 2019 “original.” I didn’t like it as much as the new one. I gotta tell ya, I missed the musical numbers. I missed Lady Gaga. I hope you don’t. Both films can be seen on MAX.

Then there is Didi… the polar opposite of The Joker films. A small movie about an even smaller leading man—barely a teenager— trying to find his way by text and skateboard in a modern-day California suburb. It is charming, poignant, very nicely put together, and I have nothing more to say on the subject except to recommend that you try it on Peacock or Amazon Prime.

Finally, rounding out this troika, is the season’s surprise movie. It seems there is one every year and often it is an off-beat film such as this that tends to knock the Academy members off their chairs and gets their votes. The film that fills that space this season is Emilia Perez (hello, this just in, thirteen nominations from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences). It can be viewed on Netflix and may or may not get enough of those wide-eyed votes to which I referred, but I would not bet against it.

Once again, some mixed reviews, but I found this a very worthwhile way to spend a couple of hours with some happy cinematic surprises, an interesting couple of characters, and some fabulous performances.

Three movies… one where the leading man wears makeup, another where the only thing he has to make up is his homework assignment, and a third about a one-time leader of a drug cartel gone trans.