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BEFORE WATCHMEN: First Thoughts on the WATCHMEN PrequelCasey Affleck Admits I’M STILL HERE Is a Hoax
by Ramses Flores Posted:September 16th, 2010 at 5:48 pm
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Is Casey Affleck’s documentary about Joaquin Phoenix, I’m Still Here, real or a hoax? That’s been a question that everyone has been asking ever since we first heard about the film, which follows Phoenix as he tries to become a hip hop musician after retiring from acting. Now, we have an answer from Affleck himself: it’s all an act and a hoax. You can read Affleck’s quotes after the jump along with why I’m very let down by this news.
Affleck came clean during an interview with The New York Times today. The actor said “It’s a terrific performance, it’s the performance of his career”. He then goes on to talk about how he never intended to trick anyone and how “The idea of a quote, hoax, unquote, never entered my mind.” He goes to say that he wanted audiences to “experience the film’s narrative, about the disintegration of celebrity, without the clutter of preconceived notions.” The interview later on makes it clear that except for a snippet of a home movie that’s used in the film, everything else is not real and an act.
I’m extremely let down by Affleck. It’s not that I actually wanted the “documentary” to be real and that I was looking forward to buying Phoenix’s hip hop album. I’m just let down because the mystery has been ruined so early. Part of the “fun” of seeing I’m Still Here was that you would be watching something that, if real, would be uncomfortably candid and personal. You would be left with that doubt of what was real and what wasn’t, and that doubt would be part of the film’s magic.
I was looking forward to seeing the film and then talking to other people about it, but now I’m not really looking forward to it anymore. One of the reason’s why Exit Through the Gift Shop continues to be one of my favorite films of the year is because of the whole “real or hoax?” conversations that come up when you talk about the film. I’m saddened that Affleck chose to let the secret out so early since the only people who got to have that discussion about the film are mainly the critics and film fest goers who have seen the film so far. Now, all that’s left for the rest of us who were waiting for the film to open around us or to be released on DVD, is a mockumentary where we get to see Phoenix goof around and try to rap. The mystery, doubt, and fun are all gone now.
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Related Links
- First Clip from Casey Affleck’s Documentary I’M STILL HERE Starring Joaquin Phoenix
- First Trailer for the Joaquin Phoenix Documentary I’M STILL HERE
- Casey Affleck’s I’M STILL HERE: THE LOST YEAR OF JOAQUIN PHOENIX Due out on September 10th
- First Clip from Paul Thomas Anderson’s THE MASTER Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix
- Director Paul Thomas Anderson Updates Progress on THE MASTER; Also Provides the First Image of Philip Seymour Hoffman in Character
I always suspected that. And the clip with Diddy gave it away. Diddy isn’t a good actor at all.
Also, anyone else GLAD it was fake? I personally can’t wait to see him in some more films soon.
What director would bother ruining the trick? Who does that? It’s like telling your professor your going to plagiarize your essay before you write it.
It was way too early for him to come clean, should have waited 6 months at least.
Theres really no reason to see this movie now.
I always suspected it was all bogus. I mean, if you want to start a career in music then do it. You don’t have to act crazy.
Theres really no reason to see this movie now.
I always suspected it was all bogus. I mean, if you want to start a career in music then do it. You don’t have to act crazy.
i wanted to see it and now im mad that it isn’t realz… baw!
Aren’t we forgetting that this discussion has been going on for over a year? Yes it would have been interesting to judge the reality of the experience after watching the film, but we’ve still had months of speculation to play around with. I’m guessing the film wouldn’t have left audiences truly wondering and that’s why Affleck “spilled the beans.” Perhaps it was pre-emptive disappointment management. Casey Affleck is a smart man and I don’t think he would reveal what he did if he thought it would destroy his own project.
I’m still looking forward to seeing a strange and dedicated performance by Phoenix.
Well duh, not that big of a surprise.
For anyone who thought this was going to be real, I’ve got a bridge I’d like to sell ya!!
end of line
I agree , this kind of takes the fun out of it a little
OMG, you people are kidding! You’re actually bummed by knowing something about a movie before you see it? Wow! Welcome to the world, the way it used to be: before internet dorks got great pleasure out of exposing every possible micron of information of a movie before it even begins shooting, in order to, I don’t know, attain a sort of geek superiority over the lowly masses and each other. You are the people to whom Hollywood now caters, so, you might as well accept the occasional upset. Jeezus,
OMG, you people are kidding! You’re actually bummed by knowing something about a movie before you see it? Wow! Welcome to the world, the way it used to be: before internet dorks got great pleasure out of exposing every possible micron of information of a movie before it even begins shooting, in order to, I don’t know, attain a sort of geek superiority over the lowly masses and each other. You are the people to whom Hollywood now caters, so, you might as well accept the occasional upset. Jeezus,
To be honest, i don’t really think it was a ‘hoax’. Maybe the idea of ‘an act’ is the actual hoax. If the movie is in fact ‘real’, there’s people in the ‘documentary’ that are going to lose the credibility and perhaps the respect from either fans or investors, and they realized that, only when the movie was already in the eyes and ears of important people, hence turning the ‘reality documentary’ into an act..