Corner Checking: The Game

Joker is hated by mainstream reviewers for showing unapologetically, albeit in dramatized style, the harsh reality of systematic abuse and apathy the mentally ill and impoverished face every day. It takes the radical position of depicting people similar to the fictional Thomas Wayne as not the solution, but rather the problem. The poor to people like Thomas Wayne are clowns, not even worthy of contempt. If only they'd work as hard as he, then maybe they'd share his wealth and success! Or so he'd like to believe. His son Bruce will presumably grow up to become Batman, a rich spoiled vigilante that gets his kicks by beating up opportunistic criminals in an urban environment of decay and destitution. Like his father, Bruce is merely part of the problem at best is a symptom of a society facing total moral collapse. Arthur from the moment of conception is abandoned and left to be abused by a narcissistic "caretaker" and her bad boy boyfriend. He grows up horrifically broken and fantasizes receiving fatherly love from a talk show host. This is the kind of man that is starved of love and has known only the vicious callousness of his anomic society. It's hard to say if Arthur would have grown or developed normally to begin with, but the fact of the matter is: he is given no chance or hope. His only path is to become insane. All other doors have been shut... Instead of helping Arthur, his society cuts his meager therapy and leaves him without his many prescriptions. Arthur is subject to physical abuse without any recourse. And the man he came to fantasize as a fatherly figure, ridicules and mocks Arthur for the sake of empty entertainment. The end result is not surprising.

It's understandable that some may be put off by the cruel and sadistic violence orchestrated by the Basterds... And one thing this film does not do well is make this violence seem more justifiable in the fictional context... Instead our band of American vengeful sadists conduct seemingly indiscriminate violence against German forces. Even for those who are well-aware of the atrocities committed by the German authorities at this time (not all of whom were "Nazis")... Much of the violence does not feel momentarily justified... And thus lacks any emotional impact... With notable exceptions. Instead, far more attention is spent to dialogue, which in some cases carries tension, but in others is merely mundane filler. It would be far more palpable if there could be character build-up to the enemies they mutilate... I just can't help to think that many of the people are just victims of circumstance. That being said, the tactics of the Basterds works to instil fear in the heart of the war machine of Nazi Germany... As atrocious as their actions are on an individual level... One must not lose sight of the greater picture... It's just a shame that such a thing could not be demonstrated on screen. Instead Inglourious Basterds is a series of ultraviolent scenes and drama sequences, pieced together like a comic book, and with barely any emotional impact, but maybe that's just because I'm mentally ill, and without that careful build-up, violence doesn't have much affect on me apart from showcasing shock horror special effects or absurdity-both of which do have entertainment value... To a degree. Regardless of my criticisms, the film is brilliantly acted by the entire cast, and has a rich multilingual screenplay... Interesting or not, credit is due for the stern attentions to detail.

Pulp Fiction is full of absurd violence, endless "tough guy" trash-talking, trigger-happy psychopathic idiots, and a plot about nothing... Those deviating from the mainstream consensus may wonder how this film even reaches the top 100. Its humour is dry and uninspired—with about the only amusing line being about tomatoes. The film is devoid of any soul or humanity and is a good example of style over substance. Who am I supposed to sympathize with? The drug dealers? The gangbangers? No investment, no tension, no nothing—nobody on the screen apart from the background civilians matters one bit. Add in the director's awkward and forcefully out of place cameo... The film's drawn-out length... What does make it watchable is the intense performances by some of the cast and high production values.

I first saw this movie when I was little (much younger than 13) and was somewhat mentally scarred by it for a while... My mother instantly regretted having me see the movie, even though we watched it together... She had forgotten how terrifying it is, I forgive her. As an adult, watching this again, I am reminded and terrifyingly surprised just how scary it is. In the beginning, the movie begins as a somewhat satirical overlook of cookie-cutter "McMansion" American suburban life. The father of the story's family is depicted as a stereotypical simple-minded middle-aged and middle-upper class American male, pregnant with the trademark "beer belly." As the events unfold however, Steven Spielberg's writing, along with the rest of the production, shine through... With horrifying special effects, sound design, and nightmarish imagery make this film unforgettable and captivatingly sublime. The cast performs well and suits their characters near perfectly. The end result is a masterclass surrealist horror that is by far one of the best, if not the best, ghost movies ever made.