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The Real Joke Is Joker Gaining 11 Oscar Nominations

  • By Nabil Kamal
  • Jan 20
  • 2
Written by Harris Kassim

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This year’s Oscar nominations were just released several days ago and oh boy, the internet is just as dangerous of a warzone as 1917 was. Many folks, especially on Twitter are pissed off at the decision of The Academy this year to willingly give Todd Phillips’ Joker, a whopping total of 11 nominations. It’s surreal to think that finally, a comic book film finally got its recognition by The Academy, but does the film really deserve all of the 11 nominations?

Here’s what I’ll start with; Joker is definitely not a bad film and it’s actually a well made comic book film. I’d say it’s on par with Batman Begins and Logan to say the least. The film gave a very accurate portrayal of a mentally ill person who tries his best to fit in with the society but fails to. While its subject matter is heavy and provocative, the film received mixed reactions from critics & audience when during its release week. In my opinion, Joker was a decent adaptation film that shows the bleaker sides of the infamous Batman villain that we rarely see in the form of a live-action film.

2019 has been one of the best years for cinema. There’s a lot of good films that were released last year that are god-tier compared to the previous year. We have the old-timers like Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorcese making their comeback films packed with their auteur signatures, and yet people still praise them! Then, we have this slight uprising of Asian takeover in Hollywood with films like Parasite and The Farewell. Even after all of that, there is just so much more great films in the likes of Midsommar, The Lighthouse, Uncut Gems; The list just goes on and on.

Pictured: Greta Gerwig

According to an article by The New York Times, the issue became more controversial when there’s not a single female director was nominated for Best Director, leaving off numerous critically acclaimed filmmakers who had created major box office hits, such as Greta Gerwig (“Little Women”), Lulu Wang (“The Farewell”) and Lorene Scafaria (“Hustlers”). Several film buffs on Twitter are condemning on why Todd Phillips got nominated for directing Joker, instead of the female directors that I have just mentioned. It’s a crime that The Academy didn’t recognize more talents in the industry, especially the underrated female filmmakers who alarmingly got overshadowed by the Hollywood working men.

 

As sublime as Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal of the deranged lunatic was, there is nothing new or exciting about it as Heath Ledger’s rendition is still superior, in my opinion. The film feels like a rehashed version of Martin Scorcese’s The King of Comedy from 1982 with a slight modern revision. It’s explainable that Scorcese also plays a part in the making of Joker as one of the executive producers, but my point is that the film isn’t as original as Jordan Peele’s Us or that Eddie Murphy’s Dolemite film, just to mention a few. Oscars has always attempt to diversify its nominees, but this year’s nods are just as controversial as the previous years. Seems like The Academy is going through harsh times trying to leave its traditional biases towards white and male demographics .

 

Hollywood, if you’re reading this, it’s never too late. A journalist from The Washington Post, Alyssa Rosernberg expressed a similar resentment as mine when she wrote in her article:

“It would be nice if the Academy voters and the people who make the movies they judge were as interested in the inner lives of women, people of color and people who aren’t American or British as they are in white men.”

Female filmmakers are on the rise right now and the public, including The Academy itself need to give more consideration to them. Greta Gerwig, Lulu Wang, Olivia Wilde; These are just some of the best working directors that didn’t get enough respect throughout this award season and I urge you to go see their films wherever they’re available and yes, their films are just as or if not, better than the 11 time Oscar nominated film, Joker.

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