If you are here to read a strict review of the “Joaquin Phoenix documentary” you’ll have to go somewhere else. The film is operating on levels reminiscent of The Brothers Bloom because you have no idea how to differentiate between reality and performance, and are left bereft of any concrete narrative to critique.
However, if you’re here searching for thoughts about the film, step right into my office.
My initial impression was that Phoenix was proclaiming his self-importance with the title I’m Still Here, a defiant cry to some crowd that, “You can’t hold me! I’m still here (bitches)!” This was supplanted by an interpretation more along lines of, “Uh…why are you talking about me like that? I’m still here.” At the film’s heart are the ways Phoenix sets himself up for the type of criticism he receives, and how much is fueled by celebrity culture.
First and foremost, Phoenix appears to have serious issues. I mean this not at all in a judgmental fashion, just as an interpretation of what appears on-screen. Phoenix performs a giddy jig at the prospect of a line of coke and two prostitutes; the way he speaks suggests one too many shots of rum; and the way he reacts to other people, in word and deed, does not suggest a sound mind. Silence follows him at the film’s end, but the rest of the time we see him as a crazed hobo crying, yelling, and consuming various substances. Continue reading →
Posted in Articles, Filmsmith Faves, News, Reviews
Tagged acting, Ben Creech, Casey Affleck, David Letterman, Documentary, Drugs, Edward James Olmos, fake, hoax, illdoctrine, Jay Smooth, joaquin phoenix, mental health, Puff Daddy, rap, Sean Combs, South Park, The Lottery, The Prestige, Venice
The prequel for John Carpenter’s The Thing has been removed from its April 2011 premiere, with a new date set for October 14, 2011. Continue reading 
The Filmsmith
The Filmsmith 
Vampire Rumble: Let the Right One In vs Let Me In
Note: to avoid redundancies, let me clarify that Oskar and Eli are the boy and girl from Let the Right One In and Owen and Abby are the boy and girl from Let Me In. Also, this post contains major spoilers for both films.
My wife pointed out that there is a difference between re-making a story and re-telling a story, as we’re always re-telling similar tales with different window dressings. Michael Haneke’s Funny Games is a clear example of a re-make: it was first made in 1997 (Austria) and re-made, shot-for-shot, by Haneke in 2007 (U.S.). Alternatively, something like John Carpenter’s The Thing is a re-telling of The Thing From Another World, which itself was based on the short story Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell. Let Me In is an example of the latter re-telling, not a mere re-make. Continue reading →
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Posted in Articles, Filmmaking, News
Tagged bully, eddie izzard, funny games, Horror, let me in, Let the Right One In, Matt Reeves, Sweden, The Thing, the thing from another world, U.S., Vampire, who goes there