Film: Walk the Line

[Sideways_Falling]

PREVIEW: Walk the Line

Walk the Line


I saw the trailor tonight at the movie theatre. And I must admit I'm sort of excited to see this movie. Joaquin Phoenix looks sort of like a young Johnny Cash and he's a decent actor so I'm sure he'll preform well. I wonder if he'll be singing or playing the songs sort of like Foxx did in Ray?? I'm a Johnny Cash fan not die-hard or anything but I like his music . I'd like to hear the music. I probably will own the soundtrack at some point.

Any thoughts? Any Johnny Cash fans?

 

[skywise]

Whoa! That could be really cool (although admittedly it could be really bad). I'll definitely be interested to see it when it comes out.

I think it'd be better if it chronicled a longer span of his life than just up to his Sun Records days though.

 

[die-late]

For those of you who had no plans to see this flick, I encourage you otherwise.

It's a disturbingly real account of Johnny Cash, a true American songwriter/musician who took the simple gifts he was given in life and shared them with the world in the only way he knew how; by just being himself. His art and persona wasn't always appreciated to the fullest during his life but in many ways his revolutionary sound paved the road for a lot of what we hear in music today.

I went into this film as a fan of both Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon and new practically nothing about the life of Johnny Cash or his roots. You don't have to enjoy or even have heard his music to take something away from this film because his passion remains contagious even after his recent passing. I must say that both lead performances were arguably their best to date. I was thoroughly impressed by the depth of the entire cast in each of their roles, but it only acted as the spine for the outstanding lead performances that completed the body of the story, throughout.

So if you get a chance to check this joint out, write down what you thought or a little of how it made you feel.


"And what's with the black? You look like you're goin' to a funeral.

Johnny Cash: Maybe I am."

 

[mariacallas]

Cant wait to watch this

 

[Psilo707]

I cant wait to see this either

 

[Banquo]

rate it

 

[joeyneedspizza]

I already saw it. It was great, Joaquin was amazing, Reese blew my socks off, definitely one of the best in a mediocre year in movies anyways, is it better than Ray? yes, and no, their different, different styles of telling a story. Thumbs way up for me.

 

[indelibleface]

Looks good -- plus, I hear Oscar nominations are expected.

 

[Die2Versify]

Haven't seen it.
Joaquin is a good actor though. I liked him Gladiator.
I should probably go see this, and will most likely like it.

 

[cravNbeets]

i was very very nervous about this movie. im a huge fan of both cash's music as well as the type of man he was. the last thing i wanted to see was some trite rock n roll cliche film spearheaded by some talentless heart throb; my apprehension was not unwarranted.

phoeinx's performance was better than i expected. he looked (and sounded) the part. i dont know how much of the vocals in the film were actually his, but he deserves some serious credit for nailing the impersonation of cash on stage. his weakness[es] were glaring anytime the role required any range of emotion. anytime he flipped out in sadness, rage, desperation etc... i kept waiting for him to burst out laughing or otherwise break character. his performance didnt detract too much from my overall enjoyment of the film but it definitely didnt change my opinion of phoenix as an actor.

on the flip side of that coin reese witherspoon was flat out amazing. i dont normally go for a lot of her films but have always respected her as an actress. she completely stole the show. if any performance is to be nominated for an oscar (who the fuck really cares frankly) it should be hers. she captured the charisma and strength of june carter seemingly effortlessly and looks pretty smokin hot w/ dark hair

the years of cash's life that the film follows arent exactly the ones which i find the most interesting or compelling. his rise to fame and love affair with carter/ amphetamines interests me much less than his connection with the downtrodden forgotten members of society. the last 1/2 hour to 45 minutes sort of touches on this but honestly the bulk of the film is a love story.

all in all i give this movie a 3 out of 5. im surely glad that i saw it and overall it was well done but its nothing mind blowing. im most pleased that it didnt cheapen or tarnish the memory of one of america's true cultural icons

 

[sickpuppy]

This is on my 1 must see movie of the year. The man in black is second favorite only to Waylon Jennings.

 

[Hypnotik1]

Havent seen it but i think Joaquin Phoenix is an exceptional actor....will be seeing pretty soon

 

[die-late]

phoeinx's performance was better than i expected. he looked (and sounded) the part. i dont know how much of the vocals in the film were actually his, but he deserves some serious credit for nailing the impersonation of cash on stage.

hi andy.

die-late = three[x]

Actually, I heard both Phoenix and Witherspoon both did ALL of vocals for the parts, and I think they spent like 6 months with vocal coaches to achieve that.

This is on my 1 must see movie of the year. The man in black is second favorite only to Waylon Jennings.

If I'm not mistaken, I think the part of Waylon Jennings was played by Shooter Jennings, Waylon's son. I thought that was a pretty solid move.

UPDATE: I still love this movie. I give it another handful of thumbs up just for good measure.

 

[miss starry]

I saw this on Friday and really enjoyed it. Joaquin did a fine job, but as others have mentioned, Reese Witherspoon stole the show.

It's hard to find movies that my husband and I both want to see, but this was one of them. He was into the music and history, and I really liked the love story between Johnny Cash and June Carter.

And I also agree that it's really hard to compare this movie to Ray; they are just very different.

 

[cravNbeets]

for those of you saying that you like Joaquin prior to this film; what else have you seen him in?

i've seen two of his films:

clay pigeons (kickass)
gladiator (effing boring as fuck)

i liked him in the former and couldnt have been more indifferent to him in the later. just wondering what body of work he actually has out there

edit: hay gabe

 

[poopie]

wow...i love "clay pigeons"- joaquin, vince vaughn AND janeane?!

what more can you ask for?!

i really loved joaquin in "quills"- there's something so sexy about him in that movie.

about "walk the line"- incredible! joaquin is practically channeling johnny cash. how a lanky guy like him can nail down the man in black's paunchiness and prefectly express his swagger. god, if you blurred your eyes a little, i swear you'd think it was him. and that voice...

reese also did an excellent job. i don't think anyone ever expects much out of her, but people seem to forget "election" and that she can actually act in something that's not just a comedy (well, "election" was a dark comedy) or a chick flick. god, she was just so bubbly and cute...loved it.

i enjoyed it being the love story between the two. i also liked how johnny's childhood was portrayed- it helped to explain a lot.

alright, i'm done now. definitely 2 thumbs up!

 

[cravNbeets]

^^ a agree with your asessment of phoenix's impersonation of cash but i dont think i rate it as a stellar acting job because any time an emotional range was required he seemed melodramatic and borderline cheesey... just my opinion. that is one handsome man though

 

[die-late]

dude. fucking 8 mm. you can't say he didn't steal the show from pussy nick cage. face it andy, you're dead wrong. joaquin is a golden god.

 

[cravNbeets]

yeah i forgot about 8 mm. he was one one of the few brightspots in that garbage dump of a movie. who knew a movie about snuff porn could be so dull

 

[Yesterday]

AAACk 8mm might be the worst movie ever made.

I thought Pheonix was amazing in this movie though, something in the makeup and the way they shaped his eyebrows and the contacts made him virtually unrecognizable. I've been a fan of his since To Die For and I really like his work with M. Night Shyamalan.

As for Reese, this movie is hands down a career best. She looked and sounded amazing.