My latest MSN DVD column offers millions of Canadians the chance to consider Banksy’s “Exit Through the Gift Shop” and Casey Affleck’s “I’m Still Here” — two documentaries about extremely dubious artists that unfold like puzzle boxes to ask some fascinating questions about the nature of art and our relationship to it in an age of pop saturation.
Well, Bansky’s does, anyway. But Joaquin Phoenix is mesmerizing to watch in “I’m Still Here”, even when you want to grab him by the beard and scream at him to stop trying to be clever. It’s that kind of movie.
In other news, some movies are opening today in advance of the Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. My review of Disney’s “Tangled” ran in last week’s NOW; but logistics demanded “Faster” and “Love & Other Drugs” be held until tomorrow’s paper, but come back to this page around 10pm tonight; I’ll link to the reviews as soon as they go online. UPDATE: They’re linked.
I didn’t see “Burlesque”. The faux-IMAX trailer was scarier than all of “Paranormal Activity 2”, so I took that as a warning to stay away …