No Crossover — An Auteur Distillation of Joker for Dark Times

Damon Arvid © 2019 All italicized quotes are Joaquin Phoenix in conversation with Peter Travers.

I. Beyond Ironic

In 2019, it is beyond ironic that the last gasp for method, setting-focused ensemble work on a cape-and-CG dominated cinematic stage is within the superhero tentpole. “Beyond” because irony barely has a pulse when the insidious meme has mulched thesis and antithesis into ADHD-riddled snark.*