Here are a bunch of little bites to satisfy your hunger for movie culture:
Character History of the Day
Joker debuts in theaters this weekend, offering fans the latest incarnation of the iconic titular villain, who has been around in many forms over the past 80 years through various movies and comic book appearances. Learn more about the Joker’s background in this pop culture history lesson from The Take:
Character in Close-Up
Now you know the history of the Joker, but why has he become such a significant staple of both comic books and movies, such as Joker? For that answer, Insider’s The Art of Film goes deeper into the legacy of Batman’s greatest nemesis and explores why he’s not just a prevalent villain but also the perfect villain:
Actor in the Spotlight
Joaquin Phoenix is garnering most of the attention for his portrayal of the Joker, but don’t sleep on the performance by Frances Conroy, who plays the title character’s mother in Joker. Whether she looks familiar to you and you aren’t sure why or you just want to see more of her work, IMDb’s No Small Parts showcases her career leading up this latest role:
Fan Art of the Day
DC’s latest movie is not adapted from any specific comic, though it does take inspiration from various books here and there. So what would a Joker comic look like? Never mind if there’s an actual DC tie-in publication, this fan-made retro comic book cover imagines the movie is based on the first issue of a Joker series:
@_DCWorld @jokermovie love this fan art not sure who made it would of made an amazing poster for the movie pic.twitter.com/EOb67uHHjF
— dethmetaldave (@pearljamdave) September 11, 2019
Character Portrayal Comparison of the Day
There have been a lot of versions of the Joker on the big screen, but only one has garnered its actor an Oscar (posthumously) and been established as the fan favorite for more than a decade. So, everyone is wondering how Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal in Joker compares to Heath Ledger’s in The Dark Knight. This video essay from Karsten Runquist examines the differences between them:
Movie Comparison of the Day
Joker director Todd Phillips has likened the violence in his new movie to that of the John Wick series. But John Wick more closely resembles another DC movie featuring the Joker. Here’s Couch T. with 24 reasons why the first installment of the John Wick franchise is like a remake of Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight:
Cosplay of the Day
What’s the Joker without Batman? Well, Joker might feature a young Bruce Wayne, but we’re not likely to ever see this version of Batman’s archenemy go up against the Caped Crusader. So, while we wait for The Batman to come out in the future, here’s a cosplayer who gives us both villain and hero at the same time:
VFX Breakdown of the Day
Now it’s time to take a break from Joker and look at Marvel’s only current theatrical release: Spider-Man: Far From Home. Insider digs into the movie’s illusion battle sequence between Spidey and Mysterio with help from Framestore visual effects supervisor Alexis Wajsbrot and explores why it took nine months to create:
DIY Fan Build of the Day
What if you could create your own illusion battle in much less time? Maybe it won’t be as elaborate and seamless and fantastical as the one in Spider-Man: Far From Home, but the latest DIY tutorial from JLaservideo shows us how to mimic Mysterio’s powers as seen in the Marvel movie in real life:
Video Essay of the Day
Animated movies are becoming more and more like live-action movies every year, thanks to the way fake cameras are employed within the computers that are rendering the visuals. Let this Nerdwriter video essay, which focuses on some of the shots from Toy Story 4 that are done particularly cinematically, explain how:
