Oh, I don't like Todd Phillips. I don't like Tarantino either, but I do love his movies. Well, most of them. The issue is he has been asked what the movie is about, and he runs from it. Because answering it would be an issue imo. One of the reasons I went to go see it, was because I was curious to watch a review of the film from someone on YT, but I didn't want it to influence my take on the film. Because while I did not like the idea of this movie, I did love the first trailer a lot. Still do. Also how those that made it talk about it, is important with how hard they have been trying to push Joker as art. They want to say it has a message, but won't tell us what that message is. So it's harmless entertainment, but it isn't, because it's art.
I do agree that people take stuff out of context all the time, but this is different imo. Becuase I think they are taking it in context, or at least context WB is fine with them taking it in, because it made them so much money. I think it matters what the movie itself tells you. And I think both Black Panther and Joker have very different messages. Killmonger is a black militant response to systemic racism, the American war machine, and the othering of people not considered "black enough" in the black community. The other is a really angry middle age white gentleman, who thinks the system is completely against, and the movie says it is. Both very wrong imo, but Black Panther tells you why Killmonger is doing what he is doing, while at the same time telling you there is no justification for his actions. Not even that pure gutteral response you get for what happened to him, can possibly justify his actions. Especially with T'Challa's right there to make it clear. Joker doesn't do that with Arthur. If anything, it justifies his actions imo. And to me that is important. One movie is telling you the baddie is wrong even with his theoretical justification, the other is glorifying the very image of terrorism in North America today.
Are you asking why people in general do it, or me? Because I hate that stuff and talk about it. I know, because I have read the responses to it. I would point out that Wolf did get backlash, that I thought was rather unjustified. I still remember seeing it in theaters and the entire theater reacting to Leo punching Robbie. It is legitimately the biggest gasp I can remember in a theater, and it put into perspective for everyone just who Jordan was. The movie does that over its whole run time, but I also don't think a lot of people got it outside of that one big visceral moment.
As to Joker. Well we are kind of living in a very specific place and time, and I can understand why it is resonating how it is for a lot of people. With the unmasking of white nationalism and the incel community in general. Some stuff has happened over the last decade that might just make it all really gross for some people. Like me! That being said, I also think it is just a really bad movie. A really pretty one though.
