What's Up Yo

Really weird Joaquin.

I'm not a big fan, but I consider him one of the few very good character actors in Hollywood. His performances in movies like James Mangold's Walk the Line, Doug Holt's Inventing the Abbotts, Terry George's Hotel Rwanda, Ridley Scott's Gladiator, and M. Night Shyamalan's Signs are few substantial testimonies of a fine acting. That's why when the news came out announcing to the world that he's shifting career followed by his series of outrageous appearances in known TV shows, I've had some rethinking about this whole Joaquin Phoenix repackaging. Perhaps, it is not about him being high on drugs or having a classic nervous breakdown. Perhaps it is something deeper, more intense, well-versed artistic craftsmanship.

I have two related theories (as if the world cares):

1. Maybe he's pulling off a social experiment, gauging how the media as well as the audience are going to react.

2. Maybe this is just all about the documentary film that he and his brother-in-law and fellow actor, Casey Affleck, have been shooting. If this is the case, the premise of the film is not really about an actor taking a chancy career move, but about an audience's wavering frame of mind.

And if I'm right, the "new" Joaquin the rapper Phoenix would be another stunning masterpiece.