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Home > Blogs > Sir Critic on Cinema > Archives > 2008 > November > 03
Monday, November 3, 2008
Joaquin Phoenix, quitting? Yeah, right
My good colleagues at our Celebrity Worship blog have posted Joaquin Phoenix’s supposed confirmation that he’s really quitting acting to become a musician.
To which I say, “Whatever you say, man. Good luck. We’ll see you back on screen in a couple of years.”
In other words, I don’t believe him.
This bears all the hallmarks of an actor who really doesn’t know what he wants grasping at straws. The vibe I’m getting is that Phoenix is bored and wants to try something else - and when that something else doesn’t pan out, he’ll come back to movies again.
I mean, sure, the guy can carry a decent tune, as his Walk the Line performance attests, but I just don’t sense much conviction in this decision. I think film blogger Jeffrey Wells is right on when he says “I don’t care what he says — this is a Frank Sinatra/Daniel Day Lewis retirement. Two to three years and then back in.”
What struck me is that commenters on another blog about this story were hard pressed to tell who Phoenix was. One person even pegged him as Anakin Skywalker. Ummmm …
C’mon, folks: He was in Gladiator, Signs, The Village and Walk the Line and was Oscar-nominated for Gladiator and Walk the Line. He may not be Will Smith, but he’s not exactly unknown.
And one more thing, Joaquin … that “BYE GOOD” thing on your knuckles? Robert Mitchum you ain’t.
Do you believe Phoenix when he says he’s quitting? Will you miss him if he does?
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment | Categories: Celebrities
Did the P-word hurt Zack and Miri?
I was a bit disappointed when I saw the box office numbers come in this weekend for Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Even with that title, I thought, perhaps naively, that the movie might end up being one of writer-director Kevin Smith’s most popular movies.
Alas, it’s not on track for that sort of success. The movie made about $10.7 million over the weekend, which is a little better than usual for Smith, but not by much. As things stand, it is on track to top out at around $30 million or so, which is about par for the course for the director of Clerks, Dogma and Jay Silent Bob Strike Back, among others.
Why do I care? Because I think it’s Smith’s best movie since Chasing Amy, and it deserves a better reception than it’s getting. Sure, some of the gags wallow in the gutter, but on balance, the movie isn’t that far removed from something like, say, Knocked Up, which was a much bigger hit.
So I wonder: Did Smith paint himself into a corner by putting “porno” in the title? I really have to wonder if people saw that word and said, “You know, I think I feel better watching that in the comfort of my own home.” Smith’s movies historically do much better on DVD than in theaters.
Would you have gone to see it if it were called something tamer like Zack and Miri Get Off, Zack and Miri Get It On, The Naughty Adventures of Zack and Miri, or When Zack and Miri Loved Each Other Very Much … ?
Even if you did see it, why do you think more people didn’t?
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment | Categories: In Area Theaters
