“Joker,” the suspenseful drama from Warner Bros. based on comic books, earned the biggest prize at the Venice International Film Festival last week.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Joker” earned the Golden Lion prize at the 76th Venice fest. Taking second place Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize was “An Officer and a Spy,” directed by Roman Polanski.
Polanski, who was convicted of statutory rape in 1978 before fleeing to Europe and expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, did not attend.
THR reports Roy Andersson’s “About Endlessness” earned him the Directing Silver Lion award. Luca Marinelli, starring in “Martin Eden” and Ariane Ascaride of “Gloria Mundi” earned Volpi Cups, which are the fest’s de facto Best Actor and Best Actress prizes.
The film “No. 7 Cherry Lane,” from Hong Kong director Yonfan, earned the screenplay award, according to THR. Another movie, “The Mafia is No Longer What it Used to be,” took home a special jury prize, too.
With 49 reviews tallied, “Joker” now holds an 86 percent rating from Rotten Tomatoes.
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At the weekend box office, the horror sequel “It: Chapter Two” dominated ticket sales, earning $91 million. While the sequel fell short of the $123.4 million earned by the first installment, it was still a fantastic showing for an R-rated horror flick.
The full top five was:
1. It: Chapter Two – $91,062,152
2. Angel has Fallen – $5,990,157
3. Good Boys – $5,479,460
4. The Lion King – $4,324,341
5. Hobbs and Shaw – $3,807,905
For the upcoming weekend, new releases include the heist movie “Hustlers” and the drama picture “Goldfinch.”
On the small screen, meanwhile, releases are:
- Aladdin, my rating: 2.75 out of 5, Large Association of Movie Blogs rating: 3 out of 5, Rotten Tomatoes rating: 57%.
- John Wick: Chapter 3, my rating: 3.85 out of 5, Large Association of Movie Blogs rating: 4.24 out of 5, Rotten Tomatoes rating: 90%.
- The Dead Don’t Die, Rotten Tomatoes rating: 54%.
