Gladiator - news
In the moment the sets are built on Malta. It`s said that they will shoot there about 8-9 weeks which will make 1 hour movie-time. The shooting will begin in mid-march. Recreating the splendour of ancient Rome, this movie has been reported to be budgeted at just around $100 million, making it one of this summer's "biggest" movies.

the story
In AD 180, when a cruel new Emperor of Rome, Commodius (Phoenix), takes power, he strips the rank from Maximus (Russell Crowe), one of the favored generals of his predecessor and father, the stoic philosopher, Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Relegated to fighting in the gladiator arenas to the death lest he challenge Commodius for the emperorship, can this former leader of men survive long enough to break his chains and wreak his vengeance on his mortal enemy, the man who rules Rome?

Sunday, Jan 24 1998
mademoiselle February issue - Joaquin Phoenix: To Die For

You minght think of Phoenix, 24, as an intense guy (consider his roles: a murdere in To Die For, a rivalrous brother in Inventing the Abbotts, a prisoner in Return To Paradise), but a music man? Heck, why not, you think, as you hear him play pretty little tunes on the piano while he discusses his breakup with Liv Tyler: "It was a fantastic, mature decision. I feel blessed we had three years. At a certain point we stopped evolving together, pushing each other. So we decided to end it." Is he putting on a brave face? Well, you would, too, if you'd just filmed a, yes, intense movie about snuff films (8mm, costaring Nicolas Cage).

PHOENIX'S EYE VIEW: "8mm is about these lost kids who fall into the porno world, searching for the glamour of Hollywood and the life they can't find in Middle America. They go on casting calls that end up being porno shoots where they're basically drugged into doing unspeakable acts."

LIGHTS, CAMERA, UNSPEAKABLE ACTION! "We shot in a real sex shop, which was overwhelming-weird sex devices hanging on the walls, those anatomically correct blow-up dolls. Let me tell you, we all just kept our heads down."

PERSONAL EXPOSURE: "The first time I saw a porno film, I was ten or so. I walked into the room of a friend's older brother and thought: `Oh, my God, this is awful,` and got on my bike and rode home as fast as I could."

Saturday, Jan 23 1999
You always wanted to own that Interview mag with Joaquin and Liv on the cover? Well, I got the information that somebody is selling it. So go to www.ebay.com and type in "joaquin phoenix". The price starts at $ 7.00 I think.

The official release-date for The Yards is in the moment Aug 6.

Sunday, Jan 17 1999
Now you are able to read the Cosmopolitan - article right here!

Some extracts:
"I`m not in this business for the lifestyle, to get into places and have free drinks." He doesn`t appear to be in it for the ego trip either - rarely satisfied with his performances, Phoenix doesn`t often make it through screenings of his own films. Perhaps that explains his apparent unfamiliarity with his own face: "I look great there," he says, pointing at a picture in a magazine. He is gently told that the photograph is, in fact, of actor-director Ed Burns. "Oh, that`s no me?" he says. "I was gonna say ... I`m good-looking." The things is, though, that he is good-looking - in what is usually called an unconventional way, thanks to those wicked eyebrows and slightly skewed mouth. Speaking of eyebrows, he has acquired a bit of an accessory for his. In 8MM, he plays a tattoo-ridden, vinyl-pants-clad sex-shop employee. "I hate acting acting - I try to be," Phoenix says, explaining the physical transformation he udnergoes for a part. Conysequently, Phoenix dyed his hair and pierced his brow for the film.

His analysis of the breakup paints it as the most civil in Hollywood. "I`m a great believer in people coming into your life, and you into theirs, for a reason," he says. "And i know that when Liv and I met, it was for a reason - I really needed her and she really needed me. And at a certain point, I think we stopped evolving with each other, stopped progressing, and made a very mature decision to move on, even though there was still a great love there. There`s no one gossipy thing that I can share. I`m thankful that we had the time we had."

Gentle responses like this help apint a picture of Phoenix as the sweet, sensitive type. But Phoenix isn`t content resting with that reputation or with the work he`s done so far. "When you become satisfied, you stop fighting, and I like fighting," he says. "It means that I`m constantly progressing and evolving. I`m never satisfied, and hopefully, I never will be."

Also some information about 8mm:
8MM has been rated R by the MPAA for strong perverse sexuality and violence, and for strong language. The release date for 8 MM is about to be officially changed by Sony. There had been some editing troubles and the studio has moved the release sked from early Feb to Feb. 26.

A review of 8 MM from a person who attended a private screening on the Sony lot that was held last week:
"I got to see a sneak preview of 8mm on the Sony lot last Friday and it sucked. They crammed about 40-50 people into one of those little screening rooms and had us fill out questionaires afterwards. No one coming out of the movie seemed too excited about it afterwards. Nicolas Cage did a pretty lame job in the movie as a private investigator hired to track down the source of a snuff film handed to him by a wealthy client. The acting in the movie was almost all bad except Catherine Keener as Cage's wife. The script has some really boring dialogue and is really predictable. The movie ends with Cage flipping out and deciding to personally punish the men who made the snuff film. It's supposed to be dark and creepy (like Seven) but it end up being cheesy and unintentionally funny (like The Postman). The ads for this movie will make it seem like it's a really dark thriller, but it's really just another fomulaic movie that will never live up to its potential. "

Saturday, Jan 9 1999
Yesterday at the Yahoo! News - Joaquin Phoenix Makes it on Own

NEW YORK (AP) - Joaquin Phoenix can feel good about making it on his own. While initially overshadowed by his older brother, River, who died of a drug overdose in 1993 while partying at the Viper Room in Los Angeles, Joaquin Phoenix endured the glare of media attention and broke through to stardom with his role in 1995's ``To Die For'' with Nicole Kidman. In an interview in Cosmopolitan magazine's February issue, the 24-year-old actor says he's not offended by the media labeling him his brother's heir apparent in acting. "I'm proud of my brother,'' he says. "I would never NOT want to be associated with him.'' He's just finished four back-to-back films which began last fall with "Clay Pigeons'' with Vince Vaughn. His upcoming film is "8MM,'' with Nicolas Cage.

Also you should take a look at www.eonline.com at ted casablanca´s gossip, there you will find a report about a party of Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Lukas Haas and Joaquin.

Following I found at Corona`s Coming Attraction:
January 7, 1999... What's happened to 8MM? We've received two emails from different individuals that the show may be on the verge of shuffling its rapidly-approaching release date... "I was one of several dozen journalists scheduled to attend the 8MM press junket on January 13-14 in L.A. We all received calls today informing us that the junket has been postponed, with no new date yet scheduled. Cancelling a junket this late is major -- it costs the studio a fortune in pre-paid airline tickets, hotel reservations, etc., which means one thing: something big has gone wrong with 8MM. The last junket cancelled in such a fashion was for Babe: Pig In The City, so you do the math." ['Crash' zooms in.]

Tuesday, Jan 5 1999
8 MM has shifted its release date from February 12th to the 5th.

Oh, yes and take a look at Where`s the leaf?