September 17, 2019
In Venice, the world’s oldest film festival closed with its top prize, the Golden Lion award, going to Joker. The Wrap says the Golden Lion has been a “pretty good indicator of Oscar potential over the last couple of years.”
Joker actor Joaquin Phoenix prepared for the role by reading a book on political assassinations and watching videos of people suffering from pathological laughter. He received a standing ovation at the Toronto Film Festival.
Slash Film calls Joker a “violent, nihilistic horror film” and the “the truly subversive comic book movie we’ve been waiting for. Now that it’s here, we might start to regret the monster we’ve conjured up.” The film opens in the U.S. on October 4.
Meanwhile, Vulture notes that the horror genre has produced a “steady parade of outstanding studio films” and proclaims, “We’re in the boom times!” One recent example is It: Chapter 2, which had the second-largest horror opening of all time.
Socionomists have identified a relationship between film offerings and social mood. The underlying current of edgier films seems to be waiting in the wings to overtake more upbeat movies when mood shifts to negative.
Learn more about this relationship by reading, “Film Fur and Fright — A Mixed Bag for a Mixed Mood”.
If you look closely, you can see patterns in social mood that help you predict social trends. Learn more with the Socionomics Premier Membership.
The Socionomist enables you to see trend-shaping waves of social mood, as reflected by the stock market — and capitalize on them. The June issue looks at phases of social mood and features a “Research Roundup,” which highlights five academic studies that shine a light on important aspects of socionomic theory. Mood Riffs topics include “quiet luxury,” loneliness, the Writers Guild strike and efforts by countries to trade in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. Read the June issue when you become a Socionomics Premier Member.
