Bill Bright

Upon leaving the theater, I overheard two eighteen-ish youths exclaim, "Just saw Joker. It wasn't as good as the last one." Personally, I was impressed with the artistry, the lighting and imagery, and of course Joaquin's performance as the middle-aged remnant of deceit and damaged childhood. Political relevance and nostalgic theater came strongly into play. How much whiz-bang jokesterism and cinematic conditioning an eighteen-year-old must have had to assimilate to think this wasn't possibly one of the best he'd seen.