Friday, September 17, 2010

Tragic or pathetic is really a line Joaquin Phoenix takes based on I'm Still Here critiques

Joaquin Phoenix is a formerly Oscar nominated actor, and a good one at that. In 2008, he declared his drama profession was done and he was going to try and make it in a fresh field. Then he made a controversial appearance on the David Letterman show. He declared he was leaving acting to become a rapper. A film about him and his new career was made, titled “I’m Still Here”. The critiques are beginning to come out, as the film has just hit theaters.

Some type of rap doc

The buzz about the release of the film is it’s an update on Joaquin Phoenix. The infamous Joaquin Phoenix Letterman appearance was, for numerous, the last reference point individuals had for him. He seemed to be coming unglued at that point. A lot of the “I’m Still Here” reviews discuss the state of the man at length. Roger Ebert, in the Chicago Sun Times, makes the point the bulk of the film is about Phoenix having gone totally sideways, and that is apparently the draw. Ebert does not employ a lot to say about anything else within the movie. Ebert also maintained that the unhinged Phoenix is the film’s selling point.

It is Phoenix first and puppet show last

All music documentaries are compared, officially and unofficially, to “This is Spinal Tap,” a “documentary” about a fictional band by Rob Reiner. However, there’s no comparing “I’m Still Here” review to “This is Spinal Tap” on Rotten Tomatoes. “Spinal Tap”: 96 percent Fresh. The reviews for “I’m Still Here” are not as good. It has a rating just over 50 percent. The drug fueled, ridiculous antics of Joaquin Phoenix and lousy production by Casey Affleck are the common threads in many of the reviews for “I’m Still Here”. Joaquin Phoenix’s sister, Summer, happens to be married to Casey Affleck, who is Ben Affleck’s younger brother.

That’s a rap folks

The crux of the film is Joaquin Phoenix has become unhinged, decadent and his rap career isn’t taking off. Since the advent of reality TV, documentary features about people heading for disaster are in vogue in this age of Schadenfreude. The reviews also mention Joaquin’s older brother, River Phoenix. River Phoenix passed away from a drug overdose. This might be the beginning of Joaquin Phoenix going down the exact same path.

Further reading

Roger Bert

rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100907/REVIEWS/100909992

Rotten Tomatoes

rottentomatoes.com/m/im_still_here_the_lost_year_of_joaquin_phoenix/



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