Cancel Culture Didn’t Ruin Comedy. Todd Phillips Just Isn’t Funny Anymore.

How is the 'Hangover' and 'Joker' director living in “cancel culture” if everyone’s still here? [Image] [Image]( Todd Phillips Thinks Cancel Culture Ruined Comedy. Maybe He’s Just Not Funny Anymore. Film director Todd Phillips, who made his fortune on movies where white guys call each other f****ts, has turned his back on comedy, and it’s your fault. In a new Vanity Fair cover profile of Joaquin Phoenix, Phillips explains why he left comedy to direct his new dark comic book drama Joker: “Go try to be funny nowadays with this woke culture.” And then, having said those words out loud in a room where other people could hear him, I swear to God he kept talking: “There were articles written about why comedies don’t work anymore—I’ll tell you why, because all the f*cking funny guys are like, ‘F*ck this shit, because I don’t want to offend you.’ It’s hard to argue with 30 million people on Twitter. You just can’t do it, right?” Complaints about “woke culture” are coming fast right now, and they’re generally lodged by people who are furious you’re not laughing at their jokes. The world’s Todd Phillipses can’t do what they used to do, or else they’d be cancelled, because, as they argue, we’re living in “cancel culture." Never mind that we haven’t defined what cancellation actually looks like, we haven’t lost anybody to it either. How are we living in “cancel culture” if everyone’s still here? [Read the Full Story]( [Image] [Image]( These Photos of Trump's Meltdown With the Finnish President Are, Collectively, a Work of Art The President of the United States had an extended meltdown throughout his summit with the President of Finland, Sauli Niinistö, on Wednesday. He ranted and raved in the Oval Office. He yelled and menaced reporters at a press conference. At seemingly no point did he complete a sentence—fragments only. It was another in a long line of national embarrassments for our fine country, but it was also a bona fide event for photography. The watching press pool captured our fearless leader in all his wild gesticulations and frenzied mouth movements, and even caught a couple glimpses of poor Mr. Niinistö revealing how he really felt. Behold, some of the very best photos of this world-historical encounter. [Read the Full Story](  [Image]( Joker Is a Bleak, Miserable Origin Story. A Batman Sequel Might Make It Worth Watching. Controversy and media coverage aside, Joker is a fairly miserable origin story with a bleak, nihilistic outlook on society as a whole. It's about an hour of Joaquin Phoenix—a mentally ill, poverty stricken man—getting beaten down and abused by society, followed by an hour of him using that to justify himself doing absolutely horrible shit. It has very little to say, and its vague message is part of the reason the film has been so polarizing. In the end, Joker has succeeded in sparking chaos and riots in Gotham—a class war of sorts built upon nothing, for no reason. It is a deeply unpleasant movie. You'll walk away depressed, wondering if there's any good left in the world. [Read the Full Story]( [Image]( George Clooney's Monochromatic Look Is a Style Lesson in Keeping It Simple Over the last couple of weeks, George Clooney has made one thing very clear: he is now the official Svengali of low key grown up style. Whether it’s casual dad fits, suits, or the addition of a wildly impressive beard, the man who famously introduced nipples to Batman has been on a bit a sartorial tear. And Tuesday night he added yet another notch to his list of style accomplishments with a picture perfect monochromatic tailored ensemble. [Read the Full Story](  [Image]( The Best Movies of 2019 (So Far) With the arrival of October, 2019 shifts into full awards-season gear, when prestige projects from world-class auteurs and acclaimed debuts from promising newcomers become the theatrical (and streaming-service) norm. This month is highlighted by three superlative releases from directors Bong Joon-ho, James Gray, and Robert Eggers, the last of whom has bestowed audiences with a nightmare of unimpeachable insanity. There are still more potentially great films set to premiere in the coming months, including the imminent Nov. 1 arrival of Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman (spoiler alert: it’s great). But to date, these are our choices for the best movies of the year. [Read the Full Story]( [Image]( This Is the Full Story Behind That Explosive Confession In Steven Avery’s Case Ah, the 1970's. Not unknown for its partying—and that's not limited to your everyday American. No, the decade's biggest celebrities were no stranger to an eventful night out. Sure, a party in the '70s might not entail what it does today—but that might actually be a good thing? Here, we're looking back on (and raising a glass to) a time when it was done right, partying vicariously through the celebs of the '70s. [Read the Full Story](  Follow Us       [Unsubscribe](  [Privacy Notice](  esquire.com ©2019 Hearst Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Hearst Email Privacy, 300 W 57th St., Fl. 19 (sta 1-1), New York, NY 10019   Â