Phoenix to expose himself at TIFF

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This article was published 18/08/2010 (5863 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TORONTO — Casey Affleck’s controversial movie about Joaquin Phoenix’s attempt to launch a hip-hop career will screen at next month’s Toronto International Film Festival.

I’m Still Here marks the directorial debut of Affleck, whose acting credits include 2007’s Gone Baby Gone, which was helmed by his brother Ben.

Phoenix caused a sensation last year when he declared his intention to quit acting in favour of music.

A series of bizarre appearances followed, including a memorable guest spot on Late Show with David Letterman, during which Phoenix — sporting a shaggy beard and sunglasses — was mostly incomprehensible.

The incident prompted many to wonder if Phoenix’s music career was an elaborate put-on in service of Affleck’s film project.

Buzz about the film hasn’t exactly been entirely positive. Details of an advance screening for film buyers were leaked to the L.A. Times, with reports circulating that the film featured more nudity than a pornographic movie and a scene in which another individual defecates on Phoenix while he sleeps.

The festival also announced that it will feature the latest from Danny Boyle. Based on a true story, 127 Hours stars James Franco as a mountain climber trapped in a Utah canyon.

Boyle was the toast of Toronto two years ago, winning the audience choice award for Slumdog Millionaire, which went on to nab the Academy Award for best picture.

Other marquee directors have also been confirmed for the fest.

Clint Eastwood will bring Hereafter, which casts Matt Damon as a "blue-collar American who has a special connection to the afterlife," while John Carpenter will premiere The Ward, a thriller that takes place in a 1960s mental institution. It’s his first new film since 2001’s Ghost of Mars.

Meanwhile, Dustin Lance Black — the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Milk — will bring What’s Wrong With Virginia, a drama he wrote and directed that stars Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris and Emma Roberts.

Elsewhere, Liv Tyler, Kevin Bacon and Canadian Ellen Page star in the James Gunn-directed superhero flick Super; 13-year-old Chloë Moretz (Kick-Ass) takes centre stage in Let Me In, an adaptation of the well-loved Swedish cult film/novel Let the Right One In; and Guy Moshe’s actioner Bunraku features Josh Hartnett, Woody Harrelson and Demi Moore.

Will Ferrell will headline Everything Must Go, a debut feature from writer-director Dan Rush. Adapted from a Raymond Carver short story, the dramedy casts Ferrell as a recovering alcoholic who loses his job, wife and home in short order and resorts to a garage sale to survive.

Director Massy Tadjedjin’s Last Night casts Keira Knightley and Sam Worthington as a married couple whose devotion is tested during a night apart, while the Brad Anderson-helmed Vanishing on 7th Street finds Hayden Christensen, Thandie Newton and John Leguizamo banding together during a blackout.

Istanbul will be the subject of the City to City series, which focuses on the films from and about a certain area. Last year’s inaugural version of the program drew controversy for focusing on Tel Aviv.

This year’s Toronto International Film Festival runs Sept. 9-19.

 

— The Canadian Press