walk the line

[firsty]

anyone else see "walk the line"? thought it was good. decent performances, but superficial attempt at dramatizing the creative process. everything else worked for me. best opening scene i've seen in a LONG time.

a big complaint i've seen is that it misrepresents cash's father and first wife - apparently they were sort of exaggerated versions, cliched versions of characters for plot purposes. i buy that with the father more than with viv. i think it's easier to oversympathize with the scorned woman role.

the entire film takes place before i was born, so i was glad to see cash during a time when i never saw him before. my memories of him are more along the lines of the distinguished country gentleman, not the growling middle finger giving womanizer that he was in the 50s and 60s; i knew that was there, but i had first thought that pheonix's portrayal of a nervous, jittery and slightly insane performer was offbase, but the more i read now, the more accurate that seems to be.

the film is, as the title indicates, about cash figuring out how to walk the line in order to win his love. it's a love story from beginning to end, and leaves out or alters historical details that would have fit a film that was meant to be more biographical, which this is not. the film behaves like a dramatization of the title song's lyrics. taken like that, it's a great film. going in with the assumption that it's a biography would be a mistake, i think.

i would have liked to see more of his oddball despair. there is one scene where he walks miles and miles to see june carter, in the rain, tired and hungry, well after he's a full-blown celebrity. i know he was arrested once for trespassing after being caught picking flowers. the myth of him having served hard time is obviously just that, but he did get into more trouble than the movie shows. i think that the lack of scenes that get deeper into cash's mind and mentality should keep pheonix from winning the best actor role. it's actually a relatively superficial portrayal, tho what he does is pretty damn good.

good hollywood flick, not as good tho as ray, even tho the actors did their own singing, etc. simply put, there is less subtlety in "walk the line" than there was in "ray," less beneath the surface.

would love to hear thoughts from others who've seen it.

[singlemalt]

didn't see it. but i saw capote. i was in louisville, of all places, taking depositions and i got back to my hotel around 6:00. nothing to do, so i asked the guy at counter, hey any movie theaters around here? found one. didn't know a thing about any of the movies out but saw capote. it was good. but slow. what are you gonna do?

[firsty]

i want to see that too. that seems like one of the most compelling casting choices i've seen in a long time. i think he's a great actor and i am definitely interested in capote, and what better period to focus on than that creepy novel?

that and ice harvest are on my list of must-sees.

i heard that lenny kravitz is going to play hendrix in a biopic. that should suck.

i like biopics about musicians. sid and nancy was a great movie. i really liked the doors, which i know is more controversial, but i liked it. i even like la bamba. i root for more, but i dont root for anything involving kravitz, especially if it's going to further delusion him that he's anything like hendrix.

[e_dog]

i was planning on boycotting the WALK THE LINE but i am definitely gonna boycott the Hendrix flick.

people wanna see a Hendrix film? rent the Woodstock video! Lenny Kravitz dreams that he could be hendrix but he is not worthy to even touch his guitar.

[surfermike]

"Walk The Line" was quite enjoyable. I liked it against
my will. Bios... aren't my favourite, but this one was
good. The opening scene was incredible for sure. Jason
Patrick as his dad wasn't convincing to me, and I felt the
drug scenes were so light weight compared to
the rest of the film. I worked with dope fiends for years,
and I felt this side of his life was glossed over. Like an
Elvis film where someone hints he should loose a few
pounds. I felt that song he did in Folsum Prison was
the best..
_________________
WDP

[tinkerjack]

the myth of him having served hard time is obviously just that

A singer nashville was preparing to sue the local paper bor libel because they printed a story about him saying he had never been in prison. They tried to ruin his career he said.

maybe the johnny cash line that still gives me the squirms
"I would walk through hell on Sunday just to keep my Rose in paradise"

I have not seen it either Mike. Drug sceenes were bad, a tough old bird to live so long. Did not last long after June died.
Speaking of lyrics
Drive On
One night out in west texas I came across his bus. He got on the radio and talked to us trashy truckers.
He read a lot of Novels from Viet Nam.
The language would run through his head
a talking ramble kind of thing he did with willie nelson.

He starts out saying
As if I was there.

And I have seen the tiger smile
I spit in a bamboo viper's face
And I'd be dead , but by God's grace

Drive on, don't mean nothin'
My children love me, but they don't understand
And I got a woman who knows her man
Drive on, don't mean nothin', drive on


I don't know if i want to see it firsty. I get mixed feelings about bio's. Movies about real times for me like 11/22/63. I don't know if I will ever see JFK the movie. Do I want these rich hollywood actors mixed in with the real people I remember. Not sure if that makes sens. I don't want to pollute my sensory data anymore. Memmories ...

Thanks for starting this string. Any man that Gives his guitar to Bob Dylan is a hero in my book.

[firsty]

i understand where you're coming from tj on not wanting to see it. for me, it dramatized a scene i wasnt already exposed to. jfk the movie is ok but real long. oliver stone is very iffy. i really liked natural born killers and platoon (altho platoon hasnt aged as well), and i did like the doors, but otherwise he's a little wacky i think. i like biopics because so much happened before i was born, man. but i tell you what, i'd never go see a movie about 9/11. so i do understand that feeling. altho i am writing a novel about 9/11, so i understand the appeal as well. also personally cathartic. i'd really like to hear what elder people think of the cash movie, those who were "there," who had their own impressions, etc. i learned some things, but mostly it encouraged me to do some of my own reading about the man, where i learned much more and more accurate information.

for instance, will i in 20 yrs go see a biopic about tom waits or bruice springsteen or the white stripes? prolly not, or if i do, i'll be so pissed off about the plot devices. i guess these kinds of movies are for the whippersnappers.

[surfermike]

twenty years from now will be
the bio.. "BEN" the true story
of Ben Affleck, and how he overcame...
..... himself
_________________
Honda Varadero

[Scootertrash]

twenty years from now will be
the bio.. "BEN" the true story
of Ben Affleck, and how he overcame...
..... himself

HAH!!!!!


Good to see you, Mike....


I saw the Cash biopic at Thanksgiving...thought it was a good one...well written, decently acted, beautifully photographed with great editing that kept the pace moving and in your face, --thought the little girl who played June Carter stole the show....Phoenix came through well portraying Cash alternately as a sensitive and insightful visionary/poet or a selfish dumb as a fencepost clod...

I thought the performance scenes were some of the best I've seen translated to film--Great camera work. They utilized amazing camera angles that made the scenes jump out at the viewer--my favorite was the short scene where the audience gets their first look at performance dynamo Jerry Lee Lewis-that was an exciting moment and it brought the viewer right to an exciting era for a new and exciting artform by new and exciting artists.
The performance scenes with the Carter and Cash characters were also beautifully done...