Anna Daniels
Indeed, Phoenix just might be the man to beat at this year’s Oscars ceremony. As for the film that contains Phoenix’s electrifying performance, it could be relegated to that aforementioned “honor to be nominated” category, with more prestigious works like The Irishman or 1917 taking home the coveted Best Picture award.
The good news is that Joker seems poised to earn itself a Best Picture nomination this year. If it does, Joker will become just the second movie with comic book origins to ever earn a Best Picture nod, after last year’s Marvel Cinematic Universe triumph Black Panther.
Of course, part of what’s made Joker such a special cinematic experience is that it isn’t really beholden to its source material. Many would even tab Phillips’ and Phoenix’s Joker as a wholly original take on the character that owes little to the material that inspired it — one that has more in common with the grittier works of Scorsese than anything glimpsed in the pages or reels of DC fiction over the years. Whether you loved Joker or not, there’s little room to argue against the film’s creative merits, or even its cultural impact. As such, it’s more than earned its place in the Oscar night melee. And we’d honestly relish the sight of jaws hitting the Kodak Theater floor if Joker took home Best Picture.
Written by: Looper
