Ambition and Madness

"I go into movies thinking, we're performing, but with interviews, we're pretending to be completely real. I just can't get my head around it. And the things we say in this hour could permanently shape our personas. I mean, tell me that's not a little odd! And because I think that's odd, people think I'm odd. And that's strange. Know what I'm saying?" -Joaqin Phoenix

I'm going to talk about two movies that are coming out, two movies that have been on my radar for some time but I haven't gotten around to talking about them. So what prompts the sudden urge to write about both? Well, for one both just release trailers, and both look equally intriguing. One film is about ballerinas the other about an actor who quits to become........a rapper and yes I am talking about Joaqin Phoenix.

The first film is "Black Swan" I have been following this movie for sometime for a few reasons, the biggest is that it's directed by Darren Aronofsky. This brilliant man has given us "Pi" "Requiem for a Dream" "The Fountain" and the film that got Mickey Rourke his Academy nomination, "The Wrestler" He is immensely talented and always comes along with Clint Mansell doing his incredible scores.

Anyways "Black Swan" stars Natalie Portman as a talented ballerina who gets moved up to a more elite position at the dance theater where she dances. Where she meets another talented ballerina played by "That 70's Show"'s Mila Kunis. The two begin a rivalry, an intense rivalry. From what the trailer gives us numerous things are possible. 1. Mila Kunis is nuts. 2. Some thing supernatural is going on. 3. Natalie Portman is going insane. Now it is possible that all three are occurring, which would be greatly entertaining.

The film resembles my all time favorite horror film "Suspiria" directed by Dario Argento (a little fact, Natalie Portman is rumoured to be the lead in the "Suspiria" remake) Which also centered around ballerinas. Either way seeing as how Arronofsky is behind it, we an expect the very unexpected.

The second film is different, yet still just as, if not more, bizarre. A year or two ago Joaquin Phoenix announced he was quitting acting to pursue a career in Rap music. He grew his beard out, wore sunglasses and disappeared until appearing at a few of his "rap" concerts. This spawned the question, had Joaqin lost his mind? Had the great actor fallen far into obscurity? Well I personally felt it was a hoax, and was an artistic endeavor of some sorts.......it appeared I was right, maybe?

I first knew something was up when I spotted Casey Affleck filming Joaqin when he appeared on David Letterman. Suddenly "Documentary" popped into my head, or rather "Mockumentary". Now it is confirmed with the trailer for "I Am Still Here".

Its a documentary about his quitting acting and his attempt at a career in "rap" music. I personally think it looks great. And it could be a real great satire. But the question is still out there, was it all fake? Or did Joaqin really think he could make it as a rapper, whilst his best friend filmed him? Who knows, either way I'm terribly drawn in to it and I think that a lot of it has to do with sheer ambition of it all. I mean it is possibly the most ambitions endeavor ever attempted by an actor or any celebrity for that matter. This guy stopped acting and dedicated months and months to make this and create this whole persona. Because of the amount of the ambition, it is also the most risky move ever made. Real or fake, and i still tend to go with fake, its complete madness.

"I'm Still Here" trailer: http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1742407193/