Do you think you can tell...? Real from Reel...?

(Note of caution to friends who might read this: DON'T make fun of me later...)
A few words about one of my favorite actors- Joaquin Phoenix. I watched this guy for the first time in ‘Gladiator’- that being his most critically acclaimed performance it’s hardly surprising I grew to like him. ‘Like him’ may be an understatement. Respect him, admire him and ‘Luuuurrve him’ is more like it… (For those who’ve started sniggering right about now, I mean in a STRICTLY non-teenagerish crush sort of way… I’ve carefully avoided mentioning that he has beautiful olive green eyes; eyes that seem capable of expressing a staggering depth of feeling…) Getting back to the point, Phoenix’s talent lies in being able to make any character seem real. He actually got people to sympathize with a sick bastard like Commodus. Even in his worst moments Commodus (maybe I should say Phoenix) retains his vulnerability, his insecurities and his desperate, heart-breaking need to be loved. There’s a part of me that believes that Commodus could have been saved from committing those terrible acts of injustice if his sister could have made herself love him… Then again that’s probably my naivety speaking… But Phoenix still deserves credit for showing that ‘a villain’ could have more than one side to him. I don’t know exactly how to express this, but it was even creepier watching him because Commodus was so naturally evil that he wasn’t a typical movie villain…
I’ve watched only a couple of his other movies in which he made his small appearances really count. (Return to Paradise and 8 mm) Quite a bit of what I like about Phoenix is what I’ve read about him. I’d like to believe that what I’ve read is true because I like people with passion and if what I’ve read about the guy is true then he IS one heck of a passionate person. The only person I’ve probably ever been inspired by is Michelangelo. It’s said of him that when he was working on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, he was so dedicated, so immersed in his work that he went days together without shaving, eating or paying attention to anything worldly. He had worked to a point where his health was completely deteriorating and he was going half blind. Now that is real passion. I guess what I’ve read about Phoenix’s dedication to a part reminds me of that. My compliment is probably undeserved because, in my head, NOBODY in this world deserves to be compared to Michelangelo. But, maybe, just maybe Phoenix has about a millionth of his passion and a billionth of his genius. Now that’s enough to make a pretty terrific actor….
I, for one, can’t wait for ‘Walk the Line’ to release and hopefully I can badger a few friends into watching it with me. Even if Phoenix doesn’t deliver the performance of his life, I’ll still have spent two hours staring into those beautiful eyes... Time well spent I’d say…

(Hmmm did I say, few words?)