In a recent interview with Elvis Mitchell of Interview Magazine, Joaquin Phoenix expressed his distaste for the Oscars, calling them, quite simply, "bullsh-t". It's clear that Phoenix is marching to the beat of his own drum, but it's a shame he shows such disdain towards the Oscars, since as of late, his choices have brought about some of the finest performances of his career that one would hope could finally land Phoenix the golden statue he deserves. In fact, over the past ten or so years, Phoenix has proven himself to be one of the finest and most versatile actors working today, delivering a string of increasingly daring, edgy, and career-defining performances that put most of his contemporaries to shame. Phoenix's dedication to each performance, and immersion in the characters he portrays, harkens back to De Niro's work with Martin Scorsese in the 70's and 80's. He even manges to find interesting angles to approach the increasingly rare Studio film characters he portrays. Phoenix is such a gifted actor, one would be hard-pressed to find any genuinely terrible performances in his filmography. However, his talents haven't prevented him from appearing in a few stinkers in his time. So without further ado, here are five of his best performances... and five that were lackluster.
5 Awesome Performances...
5. Leonard Kraditor - Two Lovers
James Gray could be credited as the director who truly uncovered Phoenix's talent and exposed it to the world - Phoenix's volatile turn in Gray's film The Yards was the first testament to his abilities as an actor, and tendency to fully commit and immerse himself in his performances, if the characters provided him with enough depth to work with. Phoenix delivers an equally impressive but far subtler performance in Gray's most recent film, Two Lovers, starring opposite Gwyneth Paltrow in one of the finest performances of her respective career. Phoenix plays a Brooklyn bachelor torn between two women - his attractive neighbor, or his more homely family friend whom his parents wish he would marry. The film was unfortunately overshadowed by Phoenix's shenanigans that wound up becoming the film I'm Still Here, and the movie and performance remain criminally underrated and underseen - though there seems to be no bad blood between Phoenix and Gray; he is starring in Gray's upcoming film, Nightingale, to be released sometime in 2013.