JOKER (2019). The boys (12 & 10) had been wanting to see this after they flipped out for Heath Ledger's take on the character. I have zero emotional investment in the Batman mythos, so I take this film as just a movie. It was a top 5 film for me last year. Totally holds up. 
I don't care that it's just transposing TAXI DRIVER & KING OF COMEDY into the DC universe. I actually think that's an inspired creative decision akin to Leone transposing YOJIMBO into the West in FISTFUL OF DOLLARS or Kurosawa transposing RED HARVEST into the world of YOJIMBO.
What I care about: JOKER carefully -- almost classically -- builds up Arthur Fleck piece by piece and crisis by crisis until we understand and sympathize with the human underneath the mythic mask. Story wise, it's more disciplined than anything Nolan did. Better visuals, too.
I think Joaquin Phoenix outpaces his performance in THE MASTER. I think the limitations of a genre origin story provide the necessary counter-force to his cringe-emo acting style, which other recent films have over-indulged. Here, he provides texture but doesn't dictate pace.
The score is phenomenal. It's not a perfect film. There are shortcuts, especially in terms of indulging in fantasy with Zazie Beetz's character (a criticism of the storytelling, not of Beetz, who is fantastic).
The further the film gets away from the politics of its reception in 2019, the more accessible I think it'll feel. Ten years from now, I think Arthur Fleck's political identity as a white man will be less tangible to new viewers than the overwhelming power of his alienation.
My 12 year old's verdict: "It's like a scarf where each part is carefully knit together to perfectly fit around your neck."
Also: "I love how every time Joker laughs you can hear the cry underneath it."
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