"Joker"

The darkest and saddest movie I've ever seen ... yet utterly profound, telling a hard story, with so many mistakes, missteps, along the way ... the failure of a society, the failures of people ... the cruelty of so many ... Joaquin Phoenix delivers an incredible performance ... along with music and cinematography, and a stellar cast. 

Certainly, one to see, but expect to come home drained and disturbed.

We Own the Night

Wow!

Intense ... what else can I say?

Incredible story, powerful acting, stirring music, experimental sound (look for the car chase scene in the rain, the sound of the windshield wipers), filming that captures the chaos, without overwhelming the eyes ... a story of family lost, family found ... one of the most gripping films I've seen in a long time.

A father, two sons ... one a cop, the other a club manager ... one on the side of law, the other flirting with crime ... and then it all changes ...

Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg, Robert Duvall, Eva Mendez - superb, passionate ... an incredible sense of family, really struggling, finding their way through tough times.

Moments of violence ... yet never gross. Rough language. R rated, of course.

I'm surprised I haven't heard more about it ... but maybe it's me not paying attention.

A film worth seeing.