All Things Considered for October 5, 2019 Hear the All Things Considered program for October 5, 2019

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Why so serious?: In Joker, failing stand-up comedian Arthur Fleck, played by Joaquin Phoenix, is done being the butt of the joke. Niko Tavernise/Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. hide caption

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Niko Tavernise/Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Joker' Is Wild ... ly Dull

Todd Phillips' film features a bravura central performance and a style that, while dutifully imitative, engenders a claustrophobic sense of dread. But it's all in service of precisely nothing.

Why so serious?: In Joker, failing stand-up comedian Arthur Fleck, played by Joaquin Phoenix, is done being the butt of the joke. Niko Tavernise/Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. hide caption

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Niko Tavernise/Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

'Joker' Is Wild ... ly Dull

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Rachel Maddow's new book, Blowout, examines how the Russian economy's reliance on oil and natural gas contributed to Vladimir Putin's decision to interfere in the 2016 U.S. election. NBC/Getty Images hide caption

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NBC/Getty Images

Rachel Maddow On How Russia's 'Resource Curse' Drove Putin To Election Interference

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