John Waters Calls ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ Critics “Stupid” As He Praises Lady Gaga: “Cinematic Astonishment”

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Critics be damned, John Waters is not afraid to drop a cinematic hot take. The legendary cult filmmaker and ‘King of Filth’ defended critically-panned DC sequel Joker: Folie à Deux as a “well directed” followup and praised Lady Gaga‘s performance while ranking his favorite films of the year. “Finally, a love story I can relate to,” wrote Waters in his Vulture Top 10 list. “So insane, so well thought out, so well directed, so much smoking!

It’s Jailhouse Rock meets Busby Berkeley with a 9/11 That’s Entertainment! ending that will make you shake your head in cinematic astonishment.

Stupid critics. Gaga so good. Joker so right. Die, dumbbells, die!” Joker: Folie á Deux was ultimately a critical and commercial flop, grossing $206 million worldwide on an estimated $190 million budget, and receiving a 32% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Quentin Tarantino previously defended the sequel as well. The Todd Phillips-helmed musical landed at number six on Waters’ list, which was topped by Rose Glass‘ Love Lies Bleeding. “This hilarious, bloody film noir is the best movie of the year, one that Russ Meyer might have made if he had been a lesbian intellectual addicted to steroids,” he wrote. “Even the pig-men are cute.