SCOOB!: The Reboot

SCOOB! is brand-new on 4K UHD Combo Pack, Blu-ray and DVD. 

Yes, it is new. 

SCOOB! should have been in theatres back in May, but there are COVID-19 concerns, and then, a lot of theatre closures happened. So, there's really been no 'big' theatre releases since March.

The majority of 2020 films have been postponed because of COVID-19 - but people have fingers crossed for stuff in August. 

Warner Brothers decided to jump ahead to home viewing for SCOOB!. It was initially for Premium on Demand or digital ownership, depending on what people wanted to pay. 

SCOOB! got the home release on July 21.

SCOOBY-DOO

SCOOB! Managed some theatres overseas and made about $4.4 million. No theatres ran it in North America. Although some reports say, the film did about $50 million in On-Demand numbers, I'm not sure how accurate it is.

Rotten Tomatoes came in with just 49%, which makes it 'rotten.' But as always, like any movie, the numbers can be debatable.

SCOOB! is a CGI animated reboot of sorts and also the story of Scooby's origins. It's how a homeless puppy met a lonely boy name Shaggy and how the two became friends with Fred, Velma and Daphne and then having Mystery Inc.   

The voice cast is Will Forte (Shaggy), Mark Wahlberg (Blue Falcon), Jason Isaacs (Dick Dastardly), Gina Rodriguez (Velma), Zac Efron (Fred), Amanda Seyfried (Daphne), Kiersey Clemons (Dee Dee Sykes), Ken Jeong (Dynomutt), Tracy Morgan (Captain Caveman), Simon Cowell (himself,) and Frank Welker (Scooby! Only major voice carried over from previous productions.)

Tony Cervone directed it. The screenplay by Adam Sztykiel and Jack C. Donaldson, Derek Elliott and Matt Lieberman. Story by Lieberman and Eyall Podell and Jonathon E. Stewart, based on characters created by Hanna-Barbera Productions.

  

TAKE 

Would I buy this film? No. At most, a rainy day selection.

I can't say I ever was a huge Scooby-Doo fan, but I was familiar with the characters.

(The Supernatural episode, Scoobynatural where Sam and Dean Winchester go into the world of Scooby-Doo is awesome.)

SCOOB! seems to be trying to something like the Marvel universe. Numerous characters from other stories, all share the screen.

But I was not familiar with Blue Falcon, Dinomutt or Captain Caveman. (Or I just didn't remember them.) 

I didn't mind the CGI over the old-school animation, the impressive voice cast was good, and it certainly tries to stay updated and current. There's Simon Cowell (Will many young kids even know who he is? Are you googling him right now?) Shaggy and Scooby trying to sing 'Shallow' from a Star is Born. There are references to Netflix or playing a Backstreet Boys song in the background. 

I know most of the characters like Blue Falcon, Dinomutt and Captain Caveman cross paths within the tv cartoon world, but Scooby and gang are dealing with flying ships and robots and then Scooby's secret past…it all seemed, I don't know… weird? It just didn't seem like it mesh well. 

I know, weird? It's a story with a talking dog. I suppose I was expecting some kind of small-town spooky, and supernatural mystery that I was more familiar with. (Which the movie actually covers a haunted house for like three minutes.) I think I would have liked more of that even if the movie is just 94 minutes.

So, I've seen it once. I think that's enough for me. Who knows? Maybe hardcore fans will love it. Maybe younger kids being introduced to Scooby and gang for the first time may work for them.

SPECIAL FEATURES OVERVIEW

Bloopers (3 minutes, 58 seconds)

- You get to see more of the actors in the studio for some silliness. Is it hilarious? I didn't think so. It seemed like everyone had fun.

Deleted Scenes (19 minutes, 48 seconds) 

- All the scenes are not completed. And I skipped through some of them. But adds a different perspective if you sit through them, I suppose. 

How To Draw Scooby-Doo (10 minutes, 46 seconds.)

- The process of drawing Scooby-Doo run by director Tony Cervone. Interesting, but only watch if you want to see the process and might try to draw. 

New Friends, Newer Villains (6 minutes, 21 seconds.)

- This takes a closer look at the other characters who cross paths with the Mystery Inc. Crew. 

Puppies (1 minute, 5 seconds.)

- Yes, puppies.

Warner Brothers Home Entertainment 

The Way Back: Alcoholism and Basketball Battles

You can find some drama and a little bit of basketball.

The Way Back came out on Blu-ray and DVD on May 19. It is also on Digital. On April 14, the film was even made available on Video on Demand services at home.

THE WAY BACK

The release of The Way Back was not a typical one. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the movie only lasted about 14 days in theatres before everything shut down. The film managed just $14 million worldwide.

On the flip side, the Rotten Tomatoes score went to 84% on the Tomatometer. It is enough for a ‘Certified Fresh.’

Academy Award Winner Ben Affleck stars along with Al Madrigal, Michaela Watkins, Janina Gavankar, Glynn Turman, Brandon Wilson, Will Ropp, Charles Lott Jr and Melvin Gregg.

Gavin O’Connor directed - who also directed Affleck in The Accountant. Brad Ingelsby wrote the movie.

The Way Back is rated R for language throughout, including sexual references.

TAKE

Would I buy this film? I’d make it a rainy day selection.

Are there more exciting movies? Sure.

Are there better basketball movies? Probably.

But I’d say the reason to watch The Way Back is Ben Affleck. There are maybe two or three little scenes that don’t include him, but otherwise, he carries the movie.  

Jack Cunningham is an alcoholic. (Affleck has admitted that he has been one in real life. I’d say points for him for even taking the role.) Cunningham drinks at work, on the drive home and drinks in the shower. He even empties an entire fridge filled with beer, debating about a phone call.

Cunningham was a basketball phenom in high school, but those days are long gone. One day comes, and he is asked to coach the struggling basketball team at the very school he played. He eventually accepts the position.

Those are pretty much the two main story points. It doesn’t get too complicated. You follow Cunningham’s journey and his time with the players and his struggles over 108 minutes.

There’s even a reason he drinks so much. But it’s about an hour before the pieces fall into place.

The basketball scenes will probably feel familiar from any other sports movie that you have seen. The team is on a huge losing streak, so can they eventually get just that one win?     

(But the basketball stuff also did not end the way I thought it would. There is no big championship game highlighted.)

And maybe. Just maybe. Cunningham can find The Way Back.    

SPECIAL FEATURES OVERVIEW

The DVD contains only Every Loss is Another Fight: The Road to Redemption. Overall, relatively short features compared to other Blu-ray and DVD sets.

Every Loss is Another Fight: The Road to Redemption (5 minutes, 22 seconds)

- Ben Affleck called the movie, ‘personally satisfying’ for him. The talk of being an alcoholic and the demons involved. The road to recovery and redemption may not always be perfect.

The Way Back: This Sporting Life (5 minutes, 25 seconds.)

- The talk of the positiveness of sports movies and what the entails, really.

Weaknesses may be considered strengths, how the players see a coach, etc.

Warner Brothers Home Entertainment 

Just Mercy: First-rate Cast

Just Mercy is another story about real people.

Just Mercy was released on April 14. Viewers can try Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital. The Digital format appeared early on March 17.

MERCY

Just Mercy is ‘Certified Fresh’ on Rotten Tomatoes with 83%. It made about $50 million worldwide.

(It was even one of President Barack Obama’s favourite movies of 2019.)

The film is the true story of a young lawyer named Bryan Stevenson. The book, “Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption” published in 2014 by Spiegel and Grau, the book has spent more than 196 weeks on the New York Times Best Sellers List - AND is still on the list.

The Harvard graduate decided to move to Alabama to help those who were wrongly condemned or were not afforded proper representation. He has the big support of one local, at least, Eva Lindsay. The creation of the Equal Justice Initiative is born and is something that still exists today.

One of the first cases happened to be Walter McMillian, who in 1987 was sentenced to die for the murder of an 18-year-old girl, despite evidence proving he did not do it.

But people aren’t pleased with the fact that Stevenson is looking into this case.

Destin Daniel Cretton directs the film. The cast included Michael B. Jordan as Stevenson, Oscar winners Jamie Foxx and Brie Larson as McMillian and Lindsay. There is also Rob Morgan, Tim Blake Nelson, Rafe Spall, O’Shea Jackson Jr. and Karen Kendrick.

Just Mercy is rated PG-13 for thematic content, including racial epithets.

TAKE

Would I buy this film? Yes.

The cast is first-rate in this. While Michael B. Jordan holds his own in the Creed movies with Rocky Balboa- he is excellent here as the lead. I can’t say I’ve seen a lot of Jamie Foxx’s films, but this feels like one of the best roles of his in years.

Brie Larson has a scaled-back role after movies like Room and Captain Marvel, but she’s a strong here, playing tough as a woman not ready to back down from the fight for what she thinks is right.

The film may have been snubbed at the Oscars but won big at the NAACP Image Awards. (National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People.) Best Actor Michael B. Jordan, Best Supporting Actor Jamie Foxx, Best Motion Picture and Best Ensemble Cast.

Having already said that it is a true story, it may play out as predictable. And maybe it feels a little long at 137 minutes - it is a drama, it’s a lot of talking and no action scenes.

But the acting is strong, and I thought there were some very impactful and emotional moments stand out along the way.

While Stevenson struggled with putting a stay of execution for a fellow prisoner, eventually, we follow that prisoner to the execution chair. It’s kind of uncomfortable to watch, but tense all the same.   

It shows that even in the 1980s and early 90s, the colour of someone’s skin can still play into people’s perspective/perception. And, sometimes, the justice system doesn’t always work the way we think it should.

I think it’s a movie that will make some impression on the viewer. It’s the cast that makes a story work so well, even if it may feel like you have seen it before somewhere.

SPECIAL FEATURES OVERVIEW

Making Mercy (4 minutes, 6 seconds.)

- The behind-the-scenes reel and the fact there were so many diverse cast and crew working on the production.

This Moment Deserves (6 minutes, 7 seconds.)

- A look at Stevenson and the work he does. Some of the prisoners featured in the movie are ones that Stevenson got released.

The Equal Justice Initiative - (8 minutes, 10 seconds.)

- Brian Stevenson talks about the Initiative he started and why. And that it has expanded into other areas than just people on death row.

Deleted Scenes (14 minutes, 31 seconds.)

- Extras like Brian debating in school, working a case with a teenager that he was reluctant to do Etc. 

Warner Brothers Homes Entertainment

Richard Jewell: Hero or Suspect?

Richard Jewell is the seventh-movie-in-a-row for director Clint Eastwood about real people.

Richard Jewell was released on March 17. Viewers can try Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital. The Digital format appeared early on March 3.

JEWELL

Clint Eastwood is 89-years-old. For such a long career, there is bound to be some good, bad and the alright.

While his previous work, The Mule, made about a cool $186 million worldwide, Richard Jewell stopped around $44 million.

Critics appeared to be a lot more favourable towards the movie with a 76% on Rotten Tomatoes. The American Film Institute called it one of the Top 10 movies of 2019. The National Board of Review Awards agreed and also awarded Kathy Bates for Best Supporting Actress, and Paul Walter Hauser won Best Breakthrough Performance.

The Academy Awards and Golden Globes nominated Bates for Best Supporting Actress, as well.    

Richard Jewell is based on the true story of the 1996 Olympic Games bombing in Atlanta. The film stars Sam Rockwell as Watson Bryant and Kathy Bates as Richard's mom, Bobi. The movie also stars Jon Hamm, Olivia Wilde and Paul Walter Hauser as Richard.

The screenplay was by Oscar nominee Billy Ray. The basis of the story came from the Vanity Fair article, 'American Nightmare: The Ballad of Richard Jewell.' Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill may be the surprising names getting producing credits.           

Richard Jewell is rated R for language, some sexual references and brief bloody images.

TAKE

Would I buy this film? Yes.

Of Eastwood's last few movies, this is easily so much better than The 15:17 to Paris.

The strong acting from the cast. Richard's compelling story of being wrongfully accused that I was not familiar with at all.

It is a dramatized movie, so of course, people will argue it is not 100% accurate. There was much controversy of Olivia Wilde's journalist Kathy Scruggs (also a real person, but she passed away in 2001.) With the implications, Kathy would do a certain kind of 'trade' to get close to the story. (The debates still show up today on the first page of Google results.)

The film is about 132 minutes. The first 20 minutes are a bit slow as they set up the characters. And also show Richard's unusual and quirky behaviour as a security guard on a college campus, which gets him fired, but will grab a different kind of attention later on.

When things move on to the Olympics and Richard's discovery of a mysterious backpack with a bomb in Centennial Park - is where the momentum picks up speed. While people died, and many were injured, everyone agrees Richard saved many more lives that night with his actions.

But with such a worldwide event, people want answers very quickly. So, hearing a little bit of information, the FBI and the media make a quick assumption and jump to the conclusion, well, Richard must have been involved. He becomes the number one suspect.

Paul Walter Hauser is impressive as Richard. His behaviour may be a little off-putting at first, but I kind of warm-up to the character throughout the movie. Sam Rockwell and Kathy Bates were also stand-outs with their roles.

(In the special features, Richard's actual mother, couldn't believe how much Paul looked like her son.)

Nevertheless, I think at 89-years-old, Clint Eastwood still proves he has what it takes to run a movie production.               

SPECIAL FEATURES OVERVIEW

The Making of Richard Jewell (6 minutes, 58 seconds.)

- Clint Eastwood talks about why he wanted to do the story. The production strived for much accuracy as they could. They filmed at the real Centennial Park in Atlanta. The outside views of where Bobi and Richard Jewell live - was where they did live in real-life. The actors talk about being part of the production.

The Real Story of Richard Jewell (6 minutes, 39 seconds.)

- The true Bobi Jewell and Winston Bryant talk about their thoughts of Richard and the movie. The cast talks about the pressures of playing real people.

Warner Brothers Home Entertainment

Stephen King's Doctor Sleep: Shining Continued

Danny Torrance still has The Shining.

Doctor Sleep was released on February 4. Viewers can try Blu-ray, DVD and Digital. The Digital format appeared early on January 21.

SLEEP

It’s been nearly 40 years since The Shining came out in 1980. Director Stanley Kubrick’s film saw Jack (Jack Nicholson), Wendy (Shelley Duvall) and Danny Torrance (Danny Lloyd) move into the Overlook Hotel. The isolating winter does not go well for the family.

Stephen King wrote The Shining in 1977. A simple Internet search discovers that King hated the Kubrick movie, although many critics would call it one of the best horror films ever made.

Doctor Sleep, published in 2013. A rare sequel for King on one of his early stories. To make the movie came to a challenge, though. How to adapt his book, but also connect to a movie the author hated?

Director and writer Mike Flanagan took up the challenge. Ewan McGregor stepped into the role of the grown-up Danny. Rebecca Ferguson is not-so-nice as Rose the Hat. Kyliegh Curran is Abra in her feature film debut. The ensemble cast includes Carl Lumbly, Zahn McClarnon, Emily Alyn Lind, Bruce Greenwood, Jocelin Donahue, Alex Essoe and Cliff Curtis.

(Jacob Tremblay, star of Room and Wonder, shows up in a small role. Which likely will become one of the unforgettable sequences in the movie.)

Doctor Sleep fared out decent with most critics. It has a 77% on Rotten Tomatoes. This makes it ‘Certified Fresh.’ But the box office was likely a bit disappointing with over $72 million worldwide.

Doctor Sleep is rated R for disturbing and violent content, some bloody images, language, nudity and drug use.

TAKE

Would I buy this film? Yes…I am a Stephen King reader. So, maybe a bit of bias.

Most of the time, the debate for the book to movie screen usually tends to be ‘Well, the book was better.’

But I found the movie to be one of the better King adaptations. There are some changes and the biggest goes to Stanley Kubrick’s version of the Overlook Hotel. Something that got highlighted in plenty of promotional materials.

In The Shining novel, The Overlook burned to the ground. But in The Shining movie, The Overlook got left standing. (It’s been 40 years, so hopefully not a big spoiler for either.)

The Doctor Sleep novel definitely has nothing connecting to Kubrick’s movie.

The return to the Overlook Hotel doesn’t happen right away. Doctor Sleep is a 152-minute story, after all. (Or there’s a Director’s Cut lasting 180 minutes.) But there’s plenty of imagery to pop from the 1980 film when the callbacks happen.

Before all that, there are about three stories that eventually collide.

Ewan McGregor is quite good as Danny. Now, grown-up but still very much haunted by the Overlook experience. He resorts to a lot of alcohol. When he reaches rock bottom with a drugged-out girl and her kid, he decides to make a change and be better with his life.

He is soon found by a young girl named Abra, who is also very powerful. She realizes that Danny has a similar ‘shine’ to her. I never would have guessed it was Curran's first movie.

Abra’s power is noticed by Rose The Hat. Rebecca Ferguson could go from very sweet and chilling, quite easily in the role. Rose and her True Knot followers hunt for ‘steam’ from people who have a shine. The steam helps them live long and stay young.

While IT Chapter 2 - another King adaptation - was the big horror movie of 2019. I think I liked Doctor Sleep better, even if it’s just as strange and weird.

Now, will it top Kubrick's The Shining? Probably not for most people. But that's a whole other conversation. Doctor Sleep is for the most part, quite a different movie - and story - from The Shining. 

Do you have to see The Shining first? It helps, but not really. 

SPECIAL FEATURES OVERVIEW

From Shining to Sleep (4 minutes, 56 seconds.)

- Director and writer Mike Flanagan and King discuss Kubrick’s movie. Why Flanagan likes The Shining and why King did not. And the changes are done for Doctor Sleep. (King does give a thumbs up to this film.)

The Making of Doctor Sleep: A New Vision (13 minutes, 57 seconds)

- The behind-the-scenes reel - director and writer Mike Flanagan sees The Shining and Doctor Sleep as two different novels. The clothes that worn and some of the make-up used etc.

Return to the Overlook (14 minutes, 59 seconds)

- Probably the most interesting feature if you were a fan of The Shining. The Kubrick Estate approved the recreation of the large Overlook sets with loaning the actual designs to use. The fact the interior and exterior don’t match. Some talk of details, right down to the same model typewriter to the Big Wheel that Danny rides. 

WARNER BROTHERS HOME ENTERTAINMENT

The Good Liar: Hitchcock Vibes

It's Gandalf and the Queen.

The Good Liar was released on February 4. Viewers can try Blu-ray, DVD and Digital. The Digital format appeared early on January 21.

LIAR

The Good Liar is the first time where Ian McKellen and Helen Mirren have appeared on screen together. (They did do a play.)

Not a lie.

The Good Liar, based on the 2015 novel of the same name by Nicholas Searle. The book appears to have been better received in the U.K. than North America as it was a 'Sunday Times Bestseller.'

The Good Liar wasn't quite appealing for moviegoers. The film received 64% on Rotten Tomatoes. It's enough for the 'Fresh' rating. The box office numbers settled around $33 million worldwide.

Bill Condon directed the movie from a screenplay by Jeffrey Hatcher. The main cast also includes Russell Tovey and Jim Carter.

TAKE

Would I buy this film? Yes…but wouldn't rush for it. 

The Good Liar isn't the best movie you will see this year. But I liked it much better than the previous film, Motherless Brooklyn. (Sorry, Edward Norton!)

The Good Liar gave me a bit of an Alfred Hitchcock vibe throughout. The kind of movie that he could get made in the 1950s or 60s. And perhaps a little mix of The Sting, which starred Robert Redford and Paul Newman.

(This is a lot darker story than those movies would be. Rated R for strong violence, language and very brief nudity.)

We learn quite quickly that Roy Courtnay - played by McKellen - is a schemer and a con man. He comes across widowed Betty McLeish (Helen Mirren) online, and they meet. Courtnay eventually discovers McLeish has quite a bit of money. He becomes determined to find a way to take it all from her.

Despite the protests and suspicions of Betty's only grandson, Stephen - played by Tovey - Betty's feelings for Courtnay grow. She soon decides to let Courtnay stay at her house.

With a title like The Good Liar, I think it's safe to say there are twists and turns. But to say much more than that would ruin the story.

Some viewers may be able to guess what comes, some may like how it unfolds, and some will not like any of it. I'm more on the 'like' side, obviously. Some turns caught me by surprise.

McKellen and Mirren carry this movie as one, or the other, or both are in basically in the majority of the 109 minutes - with credits. While it's not the most fast-paced movie, say like, Lord of the Rings, but the two of them acting against each other kept my interest. And there are some suspense thrills and tension that builds over the movie. I would see another film with the two of them.

Also, McKellen is 80 and Mirren is 74! Which is pretty cool.       

SPECIAL FEATURES OVERVIEW

The DVD only has the deleted scenes.

A Perfect Match: Inside the Good Liar (13 minutes, 1 second.)

-The behind-the-scenes reel. It's a talk about the novel - it's Nicholas Searle's first. The casting of Ian McKellan and Helen Mirren and their thoughts of the movie. The complications of filming in London, but the beauty of it as well.

Over 12 minutes of deleted scenes (12 minutes, 41 seconds.)

- A few are more alternate scenes, which involved Roy asking Stuart to pick up a package at Roy's home. Then what happens afterwards when Stuart returns.

- There's a slightly amusing sequence of Roy and Betty meeting others for terrible dates before they meet each other.

- A few scenes also make sense for cutting as they reveal too much, too soon.

Warner Brothers Home Entertainment

Motherless Brooklyn: A Mystery

It's the 1950s. There's a murder to solve.

Motherless Brooklyn was released on January 28. Viewers can try Blu-ray, DVD and Digital. The Digital format appeared early on January 14.

BROOKLYN

Motherless Brooklyn gets inspiration by the Jonathan Lethem 1999 novel of the same name. I have not read the book - but apparently in a twist - Edward Norton wanted to take those same characters from 1999 time into a different period and plot and to put the story in the 1950s.

The project was such a passion for Norton for quite some time, and he acquired the rights to the book back in 2001.

Moviegoers were not exactly so passionate. The film has a 62% on Rotten Tomatoes, which makes it enough for the 'Fresh' rating. But the box office was slightly over $18 million worldwide.

(It was also given an R-rating. It's not a movie for all ages.)

The film did manage to surprise with scoring one Golden Globe nomination. Daniel Pemberton made it with Best Original Score. While no nomination, there is an original song written and performed by Thom Yorke of Radiohead.

Oscar-nominated Edward Norton directed-wrote-produced-and starred in Motherless Brooklyn. The cast includes Bruce Willis, Guga Mbatha-Raw, Bobby Cannavale, Cherry Jones, Michael Kenneth Williams, Leslie Mann, Ethan Suplee, Dallas Roberts, Josh Pais, Robert Ray Wisdom, Oscar nominee Alec Baldwin and Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe.

Norton is Lionel Essrog, a private detective. Although not mentioned in the movie, Lionel has a combination of Tourette Syndrome and OCD. (At least that's how Norton describes it in the Special Features.)

TAKE

Would I buy this film? I would make it a snowy day selection.

Motherless Brooklyn is not a movie I would set out to see in theatre.

While the cast for the film is impressive, if you want to see this film because of Bruce Willis, you could be disappointed. He plays Frank Minna, mentor and friend to Lionel. Frank's murder happens within the first 10 minutes. This sets the rest of the mystery story in motion as the first 10 minutes has a lot of information and is a bit hard to follow. It comes into play later.

And no, it's not really a spoiler, if you've seen the trailer or read a synopsis. The movie promotion gives it away rather early.

With the many hats that Edward Norton wore, it's hard not to appreciate how much work and effort he put into the project. The character on the acting side is unlike anyone I've ever seen him play before.

But. If anything at 144 minutes - with credits - the film feels quite long. It might have been better to cut out about 20 minutes or even more. The mystery of what happened to Frank Minna is what kept my intrigue for the movie.

And yes, the movie touches on political corruption and racism which could very well be applied for today. It's when the story shifts away from the murder mystery, it slows down the pace a lot.

For example - a dance scene in a jazz club in Harlem, many can see it as artistic and beautiful, but to me, it just felt like it goes on much longer than it needed to be.

The cast and the mystery may make it watchable for others. If you don't have the patience, though, it may not be as enjoyable.

   

SPECIAL FEATURES OVERVIEW

Making of: Edward Norton's Methodical Process (9 minutes, 38 seconds.)

- Norton talks about his thought process, how he found the book and making the switch to the 1950s. With some comparisons to the old film noir style movies. The cast talks about being involved in the movie.  What was it like to work with an actor-director-writer like Norton.

Deleted Scenes (5 minutes, 19 seconds)

- As usual, they are the kind of scenes that you would never notice missing in the actual film. People may have a curiosity factor.

Commentary with Director Edward Norton.

Warner Brothers Entertainment 

Joker: Lots of Buzz

Smile.

Joker was released on January 7. Viewers can buy the Blu-ray, DVD and Digital. The Digital format appeared early on December 17.

JOKER

Joker has been on an impressive run. It made over a billion dollars at the worldwide box office and is one of the top movies of 2019. It also smashed expectations to become the biggest R-rated movie ever at the box office.

Joker’s run continues by doing surprisingly well during this awards season. Joaquin Phoenix won a Golden Globe and a Critics Choice award for Best Actor. Hildur Guðnadóttir won each for Original Score and Best Score.

Most notably, Joker picked up a cool 11 nominations for the upcoming Oscars. These include Best Picture and Best Actor for Joaquin Phoenix.

The past wins make Phoenix a good contender for an Academy Award. If it does happen, it would be a huge ‘acting win’ for comic-book movies since Heath Ledger won posthumously for Best Supporting Actor. (Which would be even more intriguing as Ledger was the Joker in 2008’s The Dark Knight.)

On the flip side, like plenty of movies - despite all the awards love and huge box office - a lot of people do not like Joker. The Rotten Tomatoes has a “Fresh’ rating of just 69%. Some critics called it awful, stupid, and dumb.

This new origin story of the Joker also brought controversy.

It’s 1981 in Gotham City. The city is fractured. The mentally-ill and troubled comedian, Arthur Fleck, has been taking care of his mother, Penny (Frances Conroy), while she is dreaming of Thomas Wayne to save them.

One shining light is the show Live! with Murray Franklin (Played by Robert De Niro.) Arthur imagines making an appearance.  

Arthur’s bleak world eventually reaches a breaking point, and he descends into more madness and murder. Some felt the story came across too much like real-world news that it might inspire real-life violence when the film was initially released. And some viewers were so put off by the story that they walked out of the theatre.

TAKE

Would I buy this film? Yes.

Todd Phillips directed the movie and co-wrote the screenplay with Scott Silver, based on characters from DC. The movie was produced by Phillips, Emma Tilliger Koskoff and Bradley Cooper. Yes, that Bradley Cooper.

The cast includes Phoenix, De Niro, Conroy, Zazie Beetz, Brett Cullen, Gleen Fleshler, Bill Camp, Shea Whigham, Marc Maron, Douglas Hodge, Josh Pais and Leigh Gill.

Batman was my superhero pick when I was a kid. He still is. I have The Dark Knight movies. I’ve probably even seen the George Clooney version a couple of times. I’m curious what Robert Pattinson will do with the role.

So, if there is anybody expecting something like a Batman movie, though, you will likely be disappointed in Joker. There are no big action sequences, and things are much smaller scale.

And yes, there is no dispute. The movie is dark and disturbing. When the violence comes it feels more shocking because it comes across more real. But somehow, the film is so well-done and looks so different from other comic-book movies that I found it hard not to like.

Phoenix is practically in every scene of the 122 minutes, and although I can’t debate the other acting nominees, I get the impression Phoenix is well-deserved of the awards. He’s sweet and awkward and caring to unsettling and murderous. I think I was tense, just watching him in certain scenes. Arthur Fleck’s laugh is uncontrollable at inappropriate times because of a medical condition - which is a real mental illness and not made up for the movie.  

While De Niro is in a much smaller role - and I have not watched The Irishman - this is probably the best acting I’ve seen from him in a long time.

If you are a Batman or comic-book fan, it is probably best to set your expectations accordingly. Director Todd Phillips even called the story an alternate universe in the special features.

But if anything, I say it’s Joaquin’s Phoenix’s performance is what makes the movie.   

SPECIAL FEATURES OVERVIEW

Joker: Vision and Fury (22 minutes, 25 seconds.)

- The most interesting of the special features because it is the most extensive. As Director Todd Phillips called the movie an alternate universe, he also calls the story as a character study. How does a person become a certain way? Gotham was inspired by New York in the 80s. There is also talk of Joaquin was the first person in mind for the role and how Arthur Fleck is an original character, with no history in the comics.

Becoming Joker (1 minute, 25 seconds.)

- Joaquin was going through various looks as Arthur and Joker. There is no talking whatsoever.

Please Welcome…Joker! (2 minutes, 44 seconds.)

- There was no such thing as a repeated take for Phoenix. They showed his entrance to the Murray Franklin Show. Every single take, he did something different.

Joker: A Chronicle of Chaos. (3 minutes, 4 seconds)

- A series of photographs from the movie.

Warner Brothers Home Entertainment