Walk the Line

From PASTO, COLOMBIA-Via: L. A. CA; CALI, COLOMBIA+ORLANDO, FL -----------The ONLY Tony Kiss Castillo on FaceBook!----------------------- In L. A., California, in the 50s & 60s, my daily habit of listening to TOP 40 Radio exposed me to just about every kind of music genre, pretty much all of the time! Interestingly, I eventually acquired a taste for just about all of them, to one degree or another! Well, pretty much every-thing...JAZZ, not so much, really, and definitely NOT at all: "Country" music. The ONLY Country album I EVER bought in my ENTIRE life (Well, at least before turning 50!) was "Johnny Cash: His Greatest Hits"! Upon realizing that they had released a movie about his life, it immediately went to the top of my "Must See" list! What was it about his music that gave it such widespread appeal? Exactly what made Johnny Cash so special? It would be nice to be able to provide a simple, straightforward answer to both questions, but in the film, Walk the Line, it is all too clear, that in real life, when it comes to a human being, things sure can get extremely complicated! So, here we end up with a movie that mirrors the life of its lead character: very interesting, entertaining, multifaceted, but at the same time, often dark, brooding and conflicted! WALK is a film I can wholeheartedly recommend no matter how you feel about Johnny Cash and/or his music. Quite frankly, for the role of Johnny Cash, Joaquin Phoenix (GLADIATOR) is not someone who would have made my short list, or even my long list, for that matter! Wow, what a surprise! This actor, who was born in Puerto Rico, demonstrates tremendous versatility, both as an actor as well as a singer... (Yes, that is Joaquin Phoenix's own voice in the movie!) However, I think that, at times, Mr. Phoenix comes up just a little bit short when it comes to his ability to project his voice firmly, but his performance, in general, was so masterful, that this point is quite easily overlooked. What really drives WALK, what gives it its soul and keeps it focused and centered is the repressed romance between Cash and the love of his life, June Carter (Reese Witherspoon - Legally Blonde, Cruel Intentions) Joaquin Phoenix, despite shining in the title role, is overshadowed by Witherspoon's overwhelming screen presence in the scenes where they appear together. Previously, she had never really flagged my attention that much, perhaps other than her notable characterization of Tracey Flick in ELECTION. In most of her roles she seemed to be type cast as the syrupy sweet, but at the same time, somewhat annoying girl next door! WALK is well worth any time and money you invest to see Reese demonstrate her considerable acting talents ... And how clearly she demonstrates just how stunning those abilities are! Surely, Walk the Line, for many reasons, invites comparison with another film about the life of another famous musician, RAY. Perhaps, there are many common elements in the life of famous musicians: A tragic childhood, years struggling in anonymity, problems with alcohol and drugs, a great deal of conflict and tension in their affectative relationships and great difficulty accepting and managing fame and money. But after all, each story is real and each contains many elements that distinguishes it from others! 8******** ..... ENJOY! / DISFRUTELA! Any comments, questions or observations, in English, o en Español, are welcome!

I don't necessarily want to be spoon-fed a basic story, but some actual interesting events would have been nice? Possibly the only interesting thing in the whole film is Johnny's brave decision to play in the prison as a way of giving himself an identity as someone who gives hope to those who have lost it (and thereby giving himself reason to live). The endless live performances by the cast just frustrated the hell out of me, if I wanted to listen to the man in black live, I could just have bought the recording from Fulsome which would actually have been much better? His father randomly has an element of respect for him at the end of the film? How the hell did that happen? He just woke up one morning and decided 'son, you're the one with all the stories'? I just think the hyperbole which surrounds this film is totally unjustified. The plot is boring, the script is tepid and the cast, Witherspoon aside, totally forgettable. I don't even think it's a case for different people, different tastes, it's just an awful film with so many gaps in the story (which could have been filled by taking out the musical sections) it's just a waste of time to watch?

Considering the formula junk coming out of Hollywood these days, I was blown away by how good this movie was. The direction was perfect. Using close ups to get us in under the skin of Johnny Cash. And since it was a period piece, he could have bored us with lots of cgi of Memphis and L.A. to take us back in time. Instead he used the actors and the music to take us there. Biopics naturally have a formula to them, but the director and screenwriter did not take us down the track of overly sentimental scenes. These were real and done with a bit of well placed humor. Just like real life. Afterall you still have to follow the real lives of Johnny and June. You can't make it up, just to be original! The movie was also a movie you can take most of the family to. No nudity and sex to SHOW how in love they are, just real dialog...it's nice to hear REAL dialog and not just another chase scene, or four letter word. Yes, some movies need that to tell the story, this one doesn't. This movie goes onto my short list of great biopics, with "Ray". Not much else comes close to Ray or Walk the Line. The true test of any biopics is: can you still understand the plot even if you never heard of the people the movie is about. This movie is a great love story even if you never heard of Johnny and June Cash. Oscars all around I say! Plus I loved the Rockabilly music through out the movie.

I don't know about "Mangold the Auteur", and might need a bit more proof that this is really a director worth paying attention to, but this is a pretty watchable film. I found the story and film-making a bit predictable, like the usual bio-pic formula that you might expect if you've seen, say, coal miner's daughter, or any other bio-pic of someone you love. What makes this movie stand out is the two lead performances. Reese is unbelievably convincing as June Carter Cash. She almost disappears into the role. And her singing! Who knew??? And Joaquin! We've been waiting for him to deliver a really spectacular performance for some time, and this is finally it. I, for one, resisted the idea that ANYONE could portray the man in black, but he does a pretty fine job. Not just an impersonation, but actually a performance worth watching. Really fine. Watch for the Jackson duet. Really awesome.

Joaquin Phoenix does some fine acting and singing. But the story has only half of Cash's life, his troubled relationship with his father and his love for June Carter. Where is Cash the civil rights protester? The one who put out a whole album on Native rights. Where is Cash the antiwar protester? What Is Truth, Singing Vietnam Talking Blues, and of course Man In Black. Where is Cash The Outlaw? The legend with fellow legends Haggard, Nelson, and Kristofferson. And Cash becoming a legend all over again to Gen X. Admired and covered by the likes of Soundgarden, Social Distortion, and many others. Cash himself wouldn't have care for a film making him so blandly apolitica. He was opinionated to say the least.

Johnny Cash has quite a few things in common with the actor who plays him in this movie. This is a worthy portrayal of the great American singer-songwriter, a man who was always on the side of the downtrodden and those who, like himself, were tortured souls. The music is pretty faithfully reproduced, and the movie is measured, dignified and entertaining. This is a fascinating and authentic film about a fascinating and authentic person.