JOAQUIN PHOENIX RETURNS TO SCENE OF CRIME — LATE SHOW

Joaquin Phoenix returned to Late Show with David Letterman Wednesday night, this time clean-shaven and wearing a suit, and immediately went about trying to set the record straight. Yes, his previous appearance as a bearded, disoriented rap wannabe was all a hoax, part of his “performance art” for his movie with Casey Affleck, He’s Still […]

I’M STILL HERE — BUT MOVIE WON’T BE

Despite massive promotion — most of it free, thanks to the Internet — Casey Affleck’s I’m Still Here, about Joaquin Phoenix’s supposed transition from movie star to rap wannabe, has turned out to be a flop. In its second week, the film, released by Magnolia films as a documentary, earned $113,333 in 120 theaters, or […]

CASEY AFFLECK OWNS UP: I’M STILL HERE WAS A HOAX

Surprising hardly anyone, Casey Affleck (Ben’s brother) has admitted that his I’m Still Here documentary about the alleged career tailspin of Joaquin Phoenix was a hoax. However, in an interview with the New York Times, Affleck said, “The idea of quote, hoax, unquote, never entered my mind.” While, as the newspaper observed, most mockumentaries “wear […]

BOX OFFICE LIKELY TO SEE TICKET SALES PLUNGE THIS WEEKEND

Only one film is opening wide this weekend, and it’s a horror flick based on a videogame at that. And it hasn’t been shown to critics. Box-office analysts have observed that the weekend after Labor Day frequently produces the year’s fewest ticket sales, so without any serious competition, Resident Evil: Afterlife is likely to have […]

MOVIE REVIEWS: I’M STILL HERE

Critics are suggesting that, judging from Casey Affleck’s documentary about him, Joaquin Phoenix may still be here but he’s not all there. In his review of I’m Still Here, Joe Neumaier writes in the New York Daily News: “The whole thing is such a tedious, foul-mouthed mess that it isn’t even worth discussing as a […]

IN NEW FILM PHOENIX DESCENDS TO THE ASHES

Casey Affleck’s documentary about his brother-in-law, Joaquin Phoenix, turns out to be not the mockumentary it was expected to be. In a terse review on his website, Roger Ebert writes: “A mind is a terrible thing to waste. The tragedy of Joaquin Phoenix’s self-destruction has been made into I’m Still Here, a sad and painful […]