Joker, 2019
A mash-up of Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy slathered in clown make-up, this reimagining of Batman’s archenemy the Joker lacked Batman, but invited plenty of controversy for its nihilism and seeming celebration of violence. However, you can’t argue its success, having earned over a billion dollars. Perhaps thankfully, Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite became the first foreign language film to ever win Best Picture instead—but it did get Best Actor and Best Original Score nods for Joaquin Phoenix and Hildur Guðnadóttir.
