I saw "Walk the Line" on DVD today. I had meant to see this during my Houston exile, but it opened the day before we moved back here, and the local theater situation in Slidell remains bleak, with both of the tiny moviehouses still closed, and who wants to drive 20 miles just to see a movie? Okay, so I've driven farther than that many times to see a film in a theater where my feet won't stick to the floor. I just haven't wanted to lately. We are finally getting that multiplex we've been promised for years, I suspect thanks to that theater chain getting an insurance check for its property in New Orleans.
Oh yeah, the movie. The lead acting performances alone make "Walk the Line" worth seeing. I don't know whether the songs were recorded in the order they appeared in the movie, but Joaquin Phoenix's singing sounded more confident as the film went on, and, by the end, he was pretty much channeling Johnny Cash, complete with Cash's mannerisms and stage presence. He also managed to play Cash well, acting like a total jerk much of the time without losing sight of Cash's considerable natural charm or becoming entirely unsympathetic.
The relationship between Johnny and June Carter is the main plot element of the movie, and Reese Witherspoon doesn't disappoint as June. One question I had, however, was what kept her attracted to him. I got the impression that the movie version of June Carter Cash was more disgusted by him, and felt sorry for him, than she was attracted to him. Perhaps a little more exploration of her emotions might have been helpful there.
I saw "Walk the Line" on DVD today. I had meant to see this during my Houston exile, but it opened the day before we moved back here, and the local theater situation in Slidell remains bleak, with both of the tiny moviehouses still closed, and who wants to drive 20 miles just to see a movie? Okay, so I've driven farther than that many times to see a film in a theater where my feet won't stick to the floor. I just haven't wanted to lately. We are finally getting that multiplex we've been promised for years, I suspect thanks to that theater chain getting an insurance check for its property in New Orleans.
Oh yeah, the movie. The lead acting performances alone make "Walk the Line" worth seeing. I don't know whether the songs were recorded in the order they appeared in the movie, but Joaquin Phoenix's singing sounded more confident as the film went on, and, by the end, he was pretty much channeling Johnny Cash, complete with Cash's mannerisms and stage presence. He also managed to play Cash well, acting like a total jerk much of the time without losing sight of Cash's considerable natural charm or becoming entirely unsympathetic.
The relationship between Johnny and June Carter is the main plot element of the movie, and Reese Witherspoon doesn't disappoint as June. One question I had, however, was what kept her attracted to him. I got the impression that the movie version of June Carter Cash was more disgusted by him, and felt sorry for him, than she was attracted to him. Perhaps a little more exploration of her emotions might have been helpful there.