The choices on the movie marquee this weekend included Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker, a film about Donald Trump, a “Saturday Night Live” origin story and even Pharrell Williams as a Lego.

“Joker: Folie à Deux” is the No. 1 movie at the box office but is not destined for a happy ending.

“Joker” is a hard act to follow.

Pedro Almodóvar’s “The Room Next Door” won the Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion award Saturday.

Five years after “Joker” won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival, director Todd Phillips can’t help but be a little nervous about returning with its sequel.

The seasonal differences of the movie calendar have eroded a little bit with time.

After $1 billion at the box office, 11 Oscar nominations and two major wins, including for Joaquin Phoenix, it’s easy to forget the handwringing over “Joker.”.

The 81st edition of the Venice Film Festival has begun, with major Hollywood films and stars arriving in Italy.

Some of Hollywood’s biggest stars are getting ready to descend on the Venice Film Festival this week, from George Clooney and Angelina Jolie to Lady Gaga, Brad Pitt, Nicole Kidman and Joaquin Phoenix.

Five years after “Joker” won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival, filmmaker Todd Phillips is returning with the sequel.

Warner Bros.

In Ari Aster’s new film “Beau is Afraid,” Joaquin Phoenix plays an anxious man in a rotten world who goes on a wildly weird journey, both Homeric and Oedipal, to his mother’s home.

For director and actor Olivia Wilde, the dream of the Venice International Film Festival was woven into the fabric of her new film, “Don’t Worry Darling.”.

Ivan Reitman had his army of well-known, frequent collaborators but the filmmaker and producer’s influence extended beyond that too, as evidenced by the tributes that poured in at the news of his sudden passing at age 75.

FILE - In this Friday, Aug. 31, 2018 file photo, actress Cate Blanchett poses for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film 'A Star Is Born' at the 75th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy. The lineup for the Venice Film Festival will be announced on Tuesday, July 28, 2020, and will be the first major film event since the coronavirus pandemic lockdown. Barbera noted that almost half of the competition film selections this year are directed by women. The decision to hold the 77th edition of the Venice Film Festival is experienced like a sign of confidence in dnd concrete support of the world of film and the audiovisual industry, Barbera said. Cannes and Telluride were cancelled and others like Venice and the Toronto International Film Festival have had to get creative and scale back where possible in order to proceed.

NEW YORK - Extra layers of security, intense on-screen action and a frightening incident inside a New York theater combined to create an unsettling experience for some moviegoers who went to see "Joker" on its opening weekend. Other patrons yelled at the man, who spit on them as they left early, said Nathanael Hood, who was in the theater. The Warner Bros. film, directed by Todd Phillips, presents the backstory of the man who becomes Batman's classic foe. "About halfway through when Joker started killing people and monologuing about how society is evil he started clapping really loudly and incessantly for a good minute. The man started clapping and cheering again "really loudly" during a climatic gunfight, he said, and got "belligerent" when people told him to quit.

There is a constituency eager to blame Hollywood for contributing to societal ills that includes plenty of dishonest brokers. (At the risk of stating the obvious, this R-rated film is not for children, although a parade of related Halloween costumes seems sadly inevitable.) Ultimately, "Joker" is about the making of a monster, told in a manner that seeks to evoke empathy without rooting for him -- a fine line, underscoring a level of ambition beyond what's usually associated with comic-book-adjacent fare. Phoenix's live-wire work alone makes "Joker" an intriguing film, if one that has been conspicuously overpraised amid the irrational exuberance of film festivals. "Joker" premieres Oct. 4 in the US and is rated R. The film is being released by Warner Bros., like CNN, a unit of WarnerMedia.

Warner Bros. Pictures via CNNVENICE, Italy (CNN) - Let's put a smile on that face: A "Batman" prequel scored big Saturday at the 2019 Venice International Film Festival. Todd Phillips' "Joker" took home the festival's big prize, the Golden Lion for Best Film. The movie, which stars Joaquin Phoenix and is slated to hit theaters on October 4, explores the origins of the Joker, Batman's archenemy. Phillips also thanked Phoenix, who joined him on stage. The 76th Venice Film Festival, the world's oldest film festival, was held August 28 through September 7.