{"id":10462,"date":"2011-01-10T02:45:05","date_gmt":"2011-01-10T02:45:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/?p=10462"},"modified":"2011-01-10T02:45:05","modified_gmt":"2011-01-10T02:45:05","slug":"uk-dvd-blu-ray-releases-monday-10th-january-2011-catfish-im-still-here","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/2011\/01\/10\/uk-dvd-blu-ray-releases-monday-10th-january-2011-catfish-im-still-here\/","title":{"rendered":"UK DVD & Blu-ray Releases: Monday 10th January 2011"},"content":{"rendered":"

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DVD & BLU-RAY PICKS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Catfish<\/a><\/strong> (Momentum):\u00a0An increasingly mysterious online relationship forms the backdrop for this compelling documentary about a group of New Yorkers who seek to find out the real identity of someone they only know via the web.<\/p>\n

The common refrain about Catfish<\/a> when it\u00a0premi\u00e8red\u00a0to buzz and acclaim<\/a> at Sundance back in January, was that you should know as little as possible before seeing it and it\u00a0really is the case (in fact, stop reading this now and come back when you’ve seen the film).<\/p>\n

It begins when Nev, a 24-year-old photographer based in New York, is contacted online by Abby, an 8-year-old girl from Michigan, who wants permission to paint one of his photos.<\/p>\n

An online correspondence develops with Abby\u2019s family and things get stranger when Nev also virtually befriends Abby\u2019s older sister, Megan, who appears to be a musician and model.<\/p>\n

Up to this point everything we see has been filmed by Nev\u2019s brother Ariel Schulman along with their friend Henry Joost, and in a pivotal scene Ariel persuades his sibling to actually meet Abby and Megan in the real world.<\/p>\n

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This is when things get really interesting, with the gradually unfolding mystery playing like a suspense thriller.<\/p>\n

In a year that has seen \u2018fake\u2019 documentaries like Exit Through The Gift Shop<\/a> and I\u2019m Still Here<\/a>, questions about the authenticity of the film seem to reflect a wider ambiguity about the genre itself.<\/p>\n

Was it always their intention to make a film? Would a group of savvy New Yorkers really be this na\u00efve about strangers online? Are the events that unfold too structurally perfect<\/a>?<\/p>\n

Charges that the film is a fake documentary have been vigorously denied by the filmmakers<\/a> ever since the likes of Morgan Spurlock<\/a> and Zach Galifianakis<\/a> cast doubt on it at Sundance.<\/p>\n

Whatever the truth, it seems fitting that a film which depicts the uncertainty of online identities should have its own personality crisis. It captures a cultural mood, inspires instant debate and stretches the documentary form in new and imaginative ways.<\/p>\n

> Buy the DVD<\/a> from Amazon UK and is on various VOD platforms including iTunes
\n> My full review of Catfish<\/a> and\u00a0my strange Catfish experience<\/a> at the LFF<\/p>\n

I’m Still Here<\/a><\/strong> (Optimum Home Releasing): A skilful blend of performance art and elaborate hoax, this fake documentary\u00a0is a clever and frequently hilarious deconstruction of Hollywood celebrity.<\/p>\n

Back in 2008, you may have read about\u00a0Joaquin Phoenix<\/a> claiming that he was going to quit acting<\/a> in order to become a hip-hop artist and this is the ‘behind the scenes’ film of his supposed meltdown.<\/p>\n

You may have also seen the now infamous appearance on Letterman where he came across like a rogue Rabbi strung out on heroin and also heard the admission that the whole thing was staged in the manner of Borat and Bruno.<\/p>\n

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Throughout Phoenix arguably gives the performance of his career in playing a twisted version of himself and Affleck has created a pleasingly anarchic take on stardom in the current era.<\/p>\n

When this fake Joaquin is placed in real situations such as concerts, press junkets, airports filled with paparazzi and TV chat shows, the results are hilariously awkward.<\/p>\n

Special features include:<\/p>\n