You'll Only Listen Twice

Welcome to the final episode of “Joker’s Trick,” fellow listeners. On this very special season finale: Jake realizes he can teach his students the importance of music through the power of funk. Troy continues his backpacking journey around Europe not only to find his long lost son, but to find himself. Jan discovers the cure for cancer in the Amazon, only to forget it. Finally, good-ol Producer Paul confronts his abuela about the generational trauma that fuels their emotionally abusive relationship. Oh, and they rank all of the Joker movies too.

We’re in the endgame, fellow listeners. Jake, Troy, Jan, and good ol’ Producer Paul are diving headfirst into the newest Joker flick, Joker: Folie à Deux. Unlike the first one, Todd Phillips’ latest cinematic prank is a critical and commercial bomb! 33% on Rotten Tomatoes! Ticket sales freefalling! And worst of all, an abject rejection from Joker fans everywhere. Nobody came here to see more Arthur Fleck, they just want more Joker! The Joker is meeeeee! Or is Arthur me? Who is Joker? Is the Joker also Arthur? But the Joker doesn’t exist. Anyway, is the film really worth all of the hate, or did Todd Phillips stumble into making his masterpiece?  Tune in to find out what our Jokery heroes think of this new release. Their reactions may shock you more than the ending to Joker: Folie à Deux! WARNING: Spoilers ahead! Eh who cares, you’ve either seen it or don’t care.

This week is a little different, fellow listeners. Jake, Troy, Jan, and good ol’ Producer Paul are taking a look at the first unofficial Joker movie. A film so outrageous that a certain movie studio tried to have it erased from existence. A film that dares to redefine that Batman mythos as an absurdist queer coming-of-age film where Batman and Lorne Michaels are the most evil people on the planet. That’s right, the boys are sitting down to check out Vera Drew’s The People’s Joker.

Riddle me this, fellow listeners: why are Jake, Troy, Jan, and good ol’ Producer Paul talking about 2022’s The Batman, even though it’s a Riddler movie? Well, I guess the “Saltburn” guy shows up as a herpes-afflicted Joker at the end, so this technically counts. And boy, do our heroes have a lot to say about this modern classic (according to zoomers). Unlike Christopher Nolan, who set The Dark Knight Trilogy in a darker, heightened reality, Matt Reeves boldly reinvents the Batman mythos, by setting it in a darker, heightened reality…inspired by “Se7en.” And he really cranks up that darkness. You can barely see what’s happening! Strap into your Bat-squirrel suit folks, this going to be a crazy episode. The takes are coming in hot!

What do you get when you cross four mentally ill podcasters with a society that abandons them and treats them like trash? I’ll tell you what you get. You get a f-ing 2 hour episode about Todd Phillips' 2019 film, Joker. That’s right, fellow listeners. Jake, Troy, Jan, and good ol’ Producer Paul are talking about the cinematic con job - I mean, the masterpiece - that won the hearts and minds of the Venice Film Festival, The Academy, sweaty man children, and incels. Joaquin Phoenix gives an Oscar-winning performance as Arthur Fleck, a down and out “comedian” whose misfortunes turn him into the clown prince of crime we all know and love (?). This time, the Joker is plotting his greatest trick yet: crawling into a refrigerator. Is there anything to this film? Is it about the socio-economic forces that impact the mentally ill? Is it a call for compassion for those less fortunate? Is it a cynical cash grab using the iconography of Joker and early Martin Scorsese films to trick audiences into thinking they’re watching art because comedy is canceled? The boys are here to find out!

Oh thank god, a good movie… but it’s for babies and man-children. NOT AGAIN! This week, fellow listeners, Jake, Troy, Jan, and good ol’ Producer Paul are taking a look at the critically acclaimed follow-up/spin off of The Lego Movie, The Lego Batman Movie. The film deconstructs the Batman mythos brick by brick (kill me), re-introduces the Bat-Family, and, most-importantly, recontextualizes the relationship between Batman and Joker. Alan Moore, eat your heart out. Plus, this Joker is not only king of Batman’s Rogue’s Gallery, but he’s also the king of all villains (owned or licensed by Warner Bros. Pictures). But is this Joker Jokery enough? The boys hash it out to find out.

May the lord have mercy on our souls. Jake, Troy, Jan, and good ol’ Producer Paul are entering the ninth circle of Joker movie hell to talk about some kind of Suicide Squad. That’s right, we’re taking about a certain damaged idea man Jonkler, played by that Academy Award winning menace, Jared Leto. Just how bad is Leto’s performance? It’s at least as bad as this movie. How bad is this movie? Well it didn’t kill the boys, but it hurt them, really, REALLY, BAD. 

We’re about to have one bad day, fellow listeners. Seriously. This isn’t just a witty reference, this week’s movie is that bad.  Jake, Troy, Jan, and good ol’ Producer Paul’ are taking a look at the (technically) theatrically released animated adaptation of Batman: The Killing Joke. You might ask: “How is it that bad?” It is based on one of the greatest graphic novels of all time. It features the voice talents of Mark Hamilll and Kevin Conroy, the greatest actors to play The Joker and Batman respectively. What can possibly go wrong? Well, our heroes discover it’s not just one thing. When it comes to discussing everything wrong with this film, they prefer it to be multiple choice. WHY AREN’T YOU LAUGHING????!

Why so serious, fellow listeners? This week, Jake, Troy, Jan, and good ol’ Producer Paul are discussing the greatest Joker in cinematic history. Cesar Romero had his mustache, Jack Nicholson danced to Prince, Mark Hamill became a kaiju, but Heath Ledger was the first one to hold up a mirror to the world and show us that we live… in a society. That’s right, we’re talking about, The Dark Knight. the masterpiece of the world’s most literally minded filmmaker, Christopher Nolan. What else can our heroes add to to discourse surrounding this beloved film? Well, they found a way to ramble about it for about 2 hours and 40 minutes, so there must be some insight there. Or it could just be about Batman gooning. Tune in to find out!

Apathy. Greed. Corruption. Power. Hope. Joker? This week, fellow listeners, Jake, Troy, Jan, and good ol’ Producer Paul are joined by special guest star, Landon McDonald, on a wild, twisted trip into the future, or rather beyond. That’s right, we’re breaking our one rule and looking the non-theatrical, direct-to-video Joker film, Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker. Mark Hamill is back as everyone’s favorite evil clown, and he’s here to do some weird James Bond crap to the new twink Batman, Terry McGinnis. But wait there’s more, we finally learn about the final confrontation between the original Batman and Joker. The Joker is either shot by a mind controlled Robin or electrocuted to death. If he  has to die - why not make it multiple choice? How did the Joker cheat death? Is this the Joker’s greatest trick? Why does the scarecrow guy sound like Christopher Walken and John Travolta?