Tag: Steve Coogan

383 – Joker: Folie à Deux

Continuing our Oscar hangover tradition, we’re cracking the seal on the previous Oscar season’s lineup and have we got a doozy of a Class of 2024 title for you! After Joker walked away from the 2019 season with a Golden Lion and an Oscar for Joaquin Phoenix, souring opinions kicked into high gear when follow-up Joker: Folie à Deux was announced. Yes, the sequel would not only be a musical but it would star Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn, and the results were an immediate critical and box office bomb.

This episode, we talk about director Todd Phillips’ middle-finger approach to this sequel and why the original film works against making his case for genre divergence here. We also discuss Phoenix facing the heat for backing out on Todd Haynes, the film’s non-canonical take on the characters, and its off-putting musical stylings.

Topics also include the 2024 Venice Film Festival, The Bride!, and Connor Storrie’s small role in the finale.

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381 – Happy Endings

After the edgy sexual comedy The Opposite of Sex made Don Roos a hot indie name and the drowsy romance of Bouncedampened the vibe, Roos returned in 2005 with ensemble dramedy Happy Endings. With a cast of Lisa Kudrow, Steve Coogan, and Laura Dern, the film looks at the secrets and sexual boundaries of a group of Los Angelenos. But it was the wayward and musical performance by Maggie Gyllenhaal that earned the biggest raves and an Independent Spirit Award nomination.

This episode, we talk about Gyllenhaal’s road to her first nomination for Crazy Heart and she joins our Six Timers Club. We also talk about Kudrow’s upcoming return in The Comeback, Tom Arnold’s critically praised performance, and the film being released in the same summer as LA ensemble Best Picture winner, Crash.

Topics also include Dern in the TEN Timers Club, aughts-y onscreen homophobia, and The Bride!.

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