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GWAR's Dave Brockie And Entertainment's Dangerous Relationship With Heroin


Kurt Cobain Layne Staley Peaches Geldof Philip Seymour Hoffman John Belushi River Phoenix

GWAR frontman Dave Brockie died of a heroin overdose Other celebs who have passed away from the drug It was recently announced that frontman of theatrical horror-rock band GWAR has died of a heroin overdose, just another victim of a substance that each year lays waste to thousands upon thousands of tortured souls across the world. In the celebrity sphere, and music world especially, heroin is an all-too common cause of death that has taken the lives of many of the world’s iconic figures.

GWAR performs at revolution liveGWAR frontman Dave Brockie died of a heroin overdose earlier this year

It is also synonymous with certain movements and genres. It’s usage in the grunge era was ubiquitous much the same as it was amongst the likes of Led Zeppelin and the monsters of rock that flourished in yesteryear. To some, heroin is viewed with romanticism that has inspired countless songs, from The La’s “There She Goes” to Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day.” As such, it’s often viewed as a glamorous addition to one’s lifestyle, especially those with a fondness for the ‘gonzo’ literary works of Hunter S. Thompson and William Burroughs. But first and foremost, despite its allusions as a pathway towards creative bliss, it is a killer that ensnares the victim in a routine of cop and fix that can so easily lead to degradation and eventual death.

Continue reading: GWAR's Dave Brockie And Entertainment's Dangerous Relationship With Heroin

River Phoenix's Final Film 'Dark Blood' Gets U.S Distributor, But How Was It Completed Without Him?


River Phoenix

21 years after his death, River Phoenix’s final film Dark Blood is set to be released in the US having been picked up by distributor Lionsgate. It’s a film which many though would never see the light of day after, but director George Sluizer has worked hard to try and deliver as close to a complete film as possible, given the circumstances. Whilst its been 21 years since Phoenix's tragic death, public fascination with the actor and his short career has never waned, but can Dark Blood be a fitting end to his screen legacy?

River PhoenixRiver Phoenix died in 1993, he was just 23 years old

Set in the Utah desert, Dark Blood tells the story of a young Hollywood couple, Harry and Buffy whose car breaks down in the middle of nowhere while they're enjoying a second honeymoon. They then encounter a young widower, Boy, played by Phoenix, who has retreated to the desert after his wife's death in order to wait for the end of the world. But things soon start to take a dark turn for the couple when Boy develops an unhealthy obsession with Buffy.

Continue reading: River Phoenix's Final Film 'Dark Blood' Gets U.S Distributor, But How Was It Completed Without Him?

Michelle Pfeiffer Led Cult-Like Lifestyle As Young Actress In L.A.


Michelle Pfeiffer Robert De Niro Joaquin Phoenix River Phoenix John Travolta Leah Remini

Michelle Pfeiffer admitted to being in a cult when she was younger. The 55-year-old actress discussed her involvement with an unusual couple which led to her involvement into a cult called breatharianism. This involved abstaining from drinking or eating as they believe it food and drink are not necessary to live.

Michelle PfeifferMichelle Pfeiffer discussed her cult-like lifestyle in a magazine article promoting her latest film, The Family.

The Batman actress spoke to The Sunday Telegraph's Stella magazine (published on 3rd November) about her youthful involvement in the cult. Pfieffer described how, after leaving home at the age of 20, she became involved with a "very controlling" couple when she arrived in Los Angeles. She described the couple as "kind of personal trainers" who placed her on an extreme diet, breatharianism, which "nobody can adhere to."

Continue reading: Michelle Pfeiffer Led Cult-Like Lifestyle As Young Actress In L.A.

British Star On River Phoenix: “I Found Him A Remarkable Young Man"


River Phoenix

River Phoenix continued his on screen presence 20 years after his death this week when his last film, Dark Blood, premiered at the Berlin Film Festival. British actor Jonathan Pryce – who worked with Phoenix on the film – has been telling Reuters about the young star.

"I found him a remarkable young man," Pryce told reporters after a press screening in Berlin. "I can't believe now looking back that he was only 23 at the time, a kind of old head on young shoulders. He was absolutely delightful and wonderful to work with. Pheonix, brother of Joaquin, was considered to be one of the brightest stars of his generation before his untimely and tragic death due to a drug overdose. This happened just 10 days before filming was due to finish for Dark Blood. "In all the weeks we were together in Utah ... at no time did I experience him using drugs or abusing drugs in any way, shape or form. I'm not a drug user myself but I'd have known. It was a time in his life when he was very committed to not using drugs. I loved him a lot and I love his memory."

The film’s journey has been a miraculous one. Director, George Sluizer, found out back in 1999 that the footage was to be destroyed, so he flew over and rescued the reels just in time. 2007 saw serious illness hit for the Dutch filmmaker, so he decided to finish what he started. Even after all this, though, he might find the indifferent business of Hollywood a tough place to negotiate. "They are very tough," he said. "They are billionaires, money market people apparently who by mistake I would say have in their stock ... a film, and they don't care about movies and they don't care about culture, they care about money."

The River Phoenix Movies Keep On Coming


River Phoenix

River Phoenix's death occurred 10 days before the wrap of his last film, Dark Blood - the film that premiered at Berlin film festival today, two decades after his death from a drugs overdose.

George Sluizer - a Dutch director - recovered much of the film from its insurance company's vaults. His fundamental idea had been to "put something together so that the material could be preserved in a proper form, rather than in a wastepaper basket". Sluizer explained to The Guardian: "I'm missing about 25% of it, and we lack a number of scenes, but having shown it to a few people after I salvaged it, who raved about the performances, I felt safe enough to continue," he added. Describing it as a "chair with three legs", Sluizer made sure the audience knew they were in for an uncompleted piece of work. "The fourth leg (of the chair) will always be missing but the chair will be able to stand upright," he said, poetically. Phoenix tragically died of a drugs overdose at the age of 23.

The film doesn't appear to have the support of the Phoenix family. A statement released by them says, "Joaquin Phoenix (River's brother) and his family have not been in communication with the director nor will they participate in any way."

Continue reading: The River Phoenix Movies Keep On Coming

Timber! Is Justin Bieber Teetering On The Brink Of A Fall From Grace?


Justin Bieber Usher Selena Gomez Michael Jackson River Phoenix Corey Haim Scooter Braun

For some years, there, we had high hopes for Justin Bieber. It really looked as though the squeaky clean pop star was just that: squeaky clean. A chance online encounter propelled the young bedroom singer to stardom, with a little help from his new pal Usher and by all accounts, he seemed to be the kinda lad that his fans wouldn’t mind taking home to meet mom and dad (they wish!). He was polite, if occasionally a little dim, he came from a seemingly pleasant church-going family and would speak regularly about his faith as though he were just another pleasant, well-behaved young boy next door who happened to be allowed outside the realms of the white picket fence just a few years earlier than most.

A montage of a young Justin Bieber talking about his faith

Continue reading: Timber! Is Justin Bieber Teetering On The Brink Of A Fall From Grace?

River Phoenix’s Final Movie Set For Release As Brother Joaquin Eyes Oscar


River Phoenix Joaquin Phoenix Paul Thomas Anderson

River Phoenix’s final movie ‘Dark Blood’ will finally be released on September 27, 2012, almost 20 years after the aspiring star died outside The Viper Room in Los Angeles. Phoenix –who had ingested a lethal combination of cocaine and heroin – stars in George Sluizer’s thriller about a young widow living in the desert on a nuclear testing site.

Phoenix – who was considered one of the finest young actors in Hollywood – died as he and Sluizer were putting the finishing touches to the movie. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, the director, now 80, said of Phoenix’s death, “I was devastated…It was a terrible sadness.” The movie had roughly 11 days of production to complete when the actor died, with an insurance company making the call to abandon the project and pay out to the original investors. As the firm became owners of the movie, it sat in storage until 1999, at which point they decided to destroy it. “That’s when I said, ‘No, no, I’m going to save it from destruction”, said Sluizer, without going into detail as to how he took ownership of ‘Dark Blood’ once again. After suffering an acute aortic dissection while holidaying in France and spending months recovering, the director decided he had to finish the film, “I said, I want to finish the film before whatever happens,” adding, “At least I will finish my job as best as I could.” The movie will premiere at the Netherlands Film Festival in Utrecht this week, and is competing for the festival’s Golden Calf award.

Meanwhile, River’s brother Joaquin Phoenix is tipped to receive an Oscar nomination for his turn in Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘The Master.


River Phoenix Thursday 28th July 1988 as 'Jimmy Reardon' in the film 'A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon' USA

River Phoenix

I Love You To Death Review


Excellent
It's a film never particularly loved by audiences and unlikely to be rehabilitated by critics in the future, but I Love You to Death is nevertheless the perfect example of an overlooked gem. Coming right in the middle of director Lawrence Kasdan's extremely earnest period (The Accidental Tourist in 1988 and Grand Canyon in 1991), I Love You to Death took its cue from one of those true stories of horrific Americana that come bubbling through the tabloid mediasphere every few months and mined it for all its comic potential.

Kevin Kline plays Joey Boca - a guy who runs a pizza parlor in Seattle - as an oversexed, extremely Italian workaholic who is able to explain his chronic infidelity by saying with a straight face, "I'm a man, I got a lotta hormones in my body." It's a clown's performance, a filmmaker doesn't bring Kline in for this sort of role and demand subtlety but rather one that's so over-the-top it achieves a kind of genius that Kline also showcased in his similarly stereotypical role in A Fish Called Wanda (in that one, he played a clown's view of an American abroad, here he's the clowning pizza man, bad accent, bushy mustache and all).

Continue reading: I Love You To Death Review

The Thing Called Love Review


OK
The routine story of four scrappy Nashville newcomers who hope to make it as country music stars, The Thing Called Love wouldn't hold much interest if it weren't for one important fact: a clearly deteriorating River Phoenix stars as one of the four, and this is the last film he completed before his 1993 death. Director Peter Bogdonavich was probably excited by the prospect of working with the gifted Phoenix, but the resulting film is a record of his struggle to get something -- anything -- out of the incapacitated star.

In reality, the movie centers not around Phoenix but around Miranda Presley (Samantha Mathis), who lets everyone know she's "no relation" to The King but has similar musical dreams. She meets up with southern beauty queen and songwriter wannabe Linda Lue (Sandra Bullock with a rather unfortunate southern accent) and the hunky Connecticut cowboy Kyle (Dermot Mulroney), whose instrument of choice, strangely enough, is the cello. They all hang around the Bluebird Café, which hosts Nashville's most promising open mike night, the place where aspiring songwriters come to show their stuff.

Continue reading: The Thing Called Love Review

Explorers Review


Very Good
A terrific little kid flick, I loved Explorers as a youth, even though I had no idea at the time that it would bring us Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix in their pre-star incarnations.

It's quite a juicy setup: Thanks to the power of dreams, young Ben (Hawke) and Wolfgang (Phoenix -- yes, a hippy kid is playing a German) invent the impossible: A sphere of energy that can travel at extreme speeds through space when connected to an Apple IIc and a 9-volt battery. (That's nothing compared to what they invent later: a machine that spontaneously generates oxygen!) Convinced that they're destined for greatness, they team up with local outcast Darren (Jason Presson), who gets them into the junkyard where they obtain a Tilt-A-Whirl car for use in their spaceship.

Continue reading: Explorers Review

River Phoenix

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River Phoenix

Date of birth

23rd August, 1970

Occupation

Actor

Sex

Male

Height

1.78


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River Phoenix Movies

I Love You to Death Movie Review

I Love You to Death Movie Review

It's a film never particularly loved by audiences and unlikely to be rehabilitated by critics...

The Thing Called Love Movie Review

The Thing Called Love Movie Review

The routine story of four scrappy Nashville newcomers who hope to make it as country...

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