LOS ANGELES -- Joaquin Phoenix won his first Oscar on Sunday for his terrifying performance as an isolated loner who becomes one of the world's best known comic book villains in "Joker," and invoked his late brother River Phoenix in one of the most emotional acceptance speeches of the night.
Phoenix, 45, won the best actor Oscar after three previous nominations, crowning an awards season that has seen him sweep every major prize for his role in the standalone origin story of Batman's archenemy.
"I've been a scoundrel in my life, I've been selfish, I've been cruel at times, I've been hard to work with. I'm grateful so many of you in this room have given me a second chance," Phoenix said in accepting his award.
"When he was 17, my brother wrote this lyric, he said: Run to the rescue with love and peace will follow," he said in concluding his speech tearfully to a standing ovation.
River Phoenix died of a drug overdose at a Hollywood night club in 1993 at age 23.
The actor, known for playing brooding or emotionally troubled characters, dropped more than 50 pounds (22 kg) to play Arthur Fleck, an emaciated mentally ill clown who finds fame through a random act of violence in 1980s era New York City.
His Oscar win made Phoenix the second person to get an Academy Award for playing the Joker character. Heath Ledger won a posthumous best supporting actor Oscar in 2009 for playing the Joker in "The Dark Knight."
Dark and unsettling, Phoenix's Joker is far removed from the comic book characters traditionally seen on screen. Matthew Belloni, editorial director of the Hollywood Reporter, described it last year as "among the most chilling characters I have ever seen in film."
Publicity averse and intense, Phoenix has a reputation for completely inhabiting characters that have ranged from country singer Johnny Cash in "Walk the Line," to Jesus Christ in "Mary Magdalene" and an impressionable drifter who enters a cult in "The Master."
In 2010, he almost succeeded in fooling the world that he had given up acting to try to become a rapper in the fake documentary "I'm Still Here."
A strict vegan and advocate for the environment, Phoenix was born to missionary parents who traveled through Central and South America before settling in Los Angeles, where he became a child actor.
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LOS ANGELES - Terrifying clown or ageing mobsters? Nostalgia for Tinseltown or the muddy trenches of a century-old war?
Hollywood hands out its highest honors on Sunday at an Oscars ceremony that could see a number of historic firsts and an all-white actor winner podium that has revived the #OscarsSoWhite debate.
Brad Pitt, Elton John, Charlize Theron, Leonardo DiCaprio, Scarlett Johansson and Martin Scorsese are among the A-List nominees, alongside the little-known cast of Korean-language drama "Parasite," which threatens to steal the thunder from Hollywood's biggest names.
All eyes are on the coveted best picture prize, which awards watchers believe is a three-way race between independent social satire "Parasite," British director Sam Mendes' immersive World War One movie "1917" from Universal Pictures, and Quentin Tarantino's love letter to show business, "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," from Sony Pictures.
"The smart bet is definitely '1917,' but I do not rule out the possibility of something else winning, whether that be 'Parasite' or 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,' or 'Jojo Rabbit'," Scott Feinberg, awards columnist for The Hollywood Reporter, said ahead of the show.
"Parasite," from best director nominee Bong Joon Ho, looks certain to win the newly named best international film category and is seeking to enter the history books as the first film in a foreign language to win a best picture Oscar.
Dark comic book movie "Joker" from Warner Bros, which has a leading 11 nominations, Netflix divorce drama "Marriage Story" and the streaming service's mob epic "The Irishman," race-car drama "Ford v Ferrari" from 20th Century Studios, and novel adaptation "Little Women" from Sony Pictures, round out the competition for the top prize.
The winners are chosen by the 8,000 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and the show has no host for a second year.
Netflix boosted its Hollywood credentials by getting a leading 24 nominations this year, including for drama "The Two Popes," animated movie "Klaus," and documentary "American Factory." Yet the coveted best picture Oscar may elude it yet again on Sunday, awards watchers say.
A poor year for diversity, with Cynthia Erivo the only actor of color in the race and an all-male director field, has revived the #OscarsSoWhite debate of four years ago.
Erivo, who played slavery-era freedom fighter Harriet Tubman in "Harriet," is likely to lose out in the best actor race to Renee Zellweger, who has swept up awards this season for her performance as an ageing Judy Garland in "Judy."
"She gave an amazing performance," said Variety chief film critic Owen Gleiberman. "My jaw was just on the floor."
Pitt has stormed back as a leading Hollywood man after a period out of the public eye during his bitter divorce from Angelina Jolie, and is seen as a shoo-in for the supporting actor Oscar for his laid-back stuntman role in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood."
Joaquin Phoenix is the favorite to win his first Oscar for a disturbing performance as a loner clown who turns to violence in "Joker," while Scarlett Johansson is nominated for her roles in both "Jojo Rabbit" and "Marriage Story." No actor has won two Oscars on the same night
The Academy Awards will be televised live from Hollywood on ABC television, starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT (0100 GMT on Monday) (Reporting by Jill Serjeant; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
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LOS ANGELES, (Variety.com) - Joaquin Phoenix is king of the North American box office once again as “Joker” scores an easy victory in its second weekend with $55 million at 4,374 sites.
“Joker” dominated a trio of new entries with animated comedy “The Addams Family” leading the rest of pack with $30.3 million at 4,007 venues, topping forecasts. Will Smith’s “Gemini Man” wound up under expectations with $20.5 million at 3,642 locations. Adam DeVine’s artificial intelligence comedy “Jexi” generated little interest with $3.1 million at 2,332 screens.
“Joker” showed plenty of traction, declining only 43% from its impressive opening of $96.2 million, the fifth-largest domestic launch of 2019 despite worries about the negative impact of the film’s darker themes. Moviegoers have stayed strongly engaged with a 10-day total of more than $192 million.
The psychological thriller has already become hugely profitable for Warner Bros., which partnered with Village Roadshow and Bron on the $55 million project. And with a solid international performance of $351 million, “Joker” has hit $543 million at the worldwide box office in less than two weeks.
“The Addams Family,” handled through MGM’s United Artists Releasing, had been projected to earn $21 million to $27 million. The PG film, which has been marketed toward family audiences, follows Morticia, Gomez, Wednesday, Pugsley and Uncle Fester as they bring their love of the macabre to 21st century life in New Jersey.
Pre-release forecasts had placed “Gemini Man” between $24 million and $29 million, but competition from “Joker” plus downbeat reviews — the film currently sits at 26% on Rotten Tomatoes — yielded a disappointing result, given the $138 million price tag for Paramount, Skydance Media, Fosun and Alibaba. The film follows Will Smith who battles a younger clone of himself, which director Ang Lee achieved through hyperrealistic visuals.
“Jexi” opened at the lower end of modest expectations. Adam DeVine stars as a man addicted to his phone, whose life changes thanks to a digital life coach named Jexi. The movie is the last theatrical release by CBS Films before it’s absorbed into CBS Corporation’s Entertainment Group.
The top two films continue the recent trend of solid overall performances in North America, according to Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst with Comscore.
“‘Joker’ continues to enthrall audiences, spark conversation and generate interest as reflected by a very modest drop of 43% in its second weekend,” he said. “‘The Addams Family’ found favor with family audiences that were excited by the Halloween season friendly and nostalgia generating animated film.”
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The first trailer for "Joker," the upcoming Todd Phillips-directed movie starring Joaquin Phoenix as DC Comics' iconic clown villain, was released on Wednesday.
The disturbing clip documents the descent of Arthur Fleck (Phoenix) from a failed comedian to the deranged criminal who eventually becomes Batman's archenemy — all set, aptly enough, to a chilling rendition of the classic song "Smile."
The film is set to debut this October.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
