Walk The Line

[Stuart Murdoch]

Has it come to this?
Are we just supposed to ignore that Joaquim Phoenix has a hare-lip?
Even when it's 6 foot high on a screen in front of you?

I can will the suspension of disbelief to an extent but putting someone that's borderline disfigured up on the screen playing a real-life non-deformed character that everyone is familiar with?
Well, that's just asking a little too much of me.

Why not have a burn victim play June Carter and we'll all pretend not to notice that too?

[LittleBrownFish]

Has it come to this?
Are we just supposed to ignore that Joaquim Phoenix has a hare-lip?
Even when it's 6 foot high on a screen in front of you?

I can will the suspension of disbelief to an extent but putting someone that's borderline disfigured up on the screen playing a real-life non-deformed character that everyone is familiar with?
Well, that's just asking a little too much of me.

Why not have a burn victim play June Carter and we'll all pretend not to notice that too?

- Nice.


Go ride bareback on a buzzsaw.

- LBF

[Stuart Murdoch]

- Nice.


Go ride bareback on a buzzsaw.

- LBF


Hey, it's a fair question.
The guy is disfigured. The (real-life!) character was not.
I found it distracting.

[LittleBrownFish]

Hey, it's a fair question.
The guy is disfigured. The (real-life!) character was not.
I found it distracting.

I happen to think it's really sexy.

And if you can't suspend belief because of something like that, you're not very well-endowed in the imagination department, are you?

- LBF

[Stuart Murdoch]

I happen to think it's really sexy.

And if you can't suspend belief because of something like that, you're not very well-endowed in the imagination department, are you?

- LBF

It's a 3 foot scar in front of your face!
Will Smith kinda looked like Ali.
Hopkins kind looked like Nixon.
It helps, you know.
Wrong guy for the part.


How many non-movie-star hare-lips have you seen that were sexy?

He's also short, btw.

[LittleBrownFish]

1. It's a 3 foot scar in front of your face!

2. Hopkins kind looked like Nixon.

3. How many non-movie-star hare-lips have you seen that were sexy?



- 1. What, have you set up scaffolding right there in the cinema?

- 2. Hopkins looked nothing like Nixon.

- 3. Sexy hare-lips; just one other.

And when is it a requirement for the star of a biopic to look a pixel perfect copy? Phoenix sings in the movie, too. I heard it's brilliant.

- LBF

[neil coco]

Twat......I thought he put in a great performance..thoroug hly enjoyed it..Reese Witherspoon excelled herself too..top notch

[Stuart Murdoch]

- 1. What, have you set up scaffolding right there in the cinema?

It's a big screen at the Opera House.
- 2. Hopkins looked nothing like Nixon.

Kinda did. Same amount of facial-scarring at any rate.
- 3. Sexy hare-lips; just one other.

Liar!
And when is it a requirement for the star of a biopic to look a pixel perfect copy?
No one said pixel-perfect. Just don't have a scarred face if you're playing someone who's face we know!
It's not too much to ask.

[Stuart Murdoch]

Twat......I thought he put in a great performance..thoroug hly enjoyed it..Reese Witherspoon excelled herself too..top notch


Oh, please, it was dragged out to fuck!
That was the longest goddam proposal in movie history.
You didn't think it got a tiny bit repetitive with him and the chick?
I could have done with a bag of those pills to stay awake!

And how am I a twat for pointing out what is obvious?
This is everyone-gets-a-medal-day meets Emporer's New Clothes and it's getting to be rigoddamdiculous.

[neil coco]

Oh, please, it was dragged out to fuck!
That was the longest goddam proposal in movie history.
You didn't think it got a tiny bit repetitive with him and the chick?
I could have done with a bag of those pills to stay awake!

And how am I a twat for pointing out what is obvious?
This is everyone-gets-a-medal-day meets Emporer's New Clothes and it's getting to be rigoddamdiculous.

You're a Twat for focusing on such a ridiculous point..so what if he has a scar on his lip...he was the right man for the job at the end of the day.

I don't think it was dragged out to 'fuck' as you say I found that period of his life very interesting. Yes it was probably the longest proposal in movie history but it wasn't a movie for them it was real life at the time & that's how it happened.

What do you think they should have scrimped on the facts to make it more 'Hollywood' & wrap it up all neatly is it?. That was half the charm of the movie for me they were clearly meant to be together but life got in the way & that's how long it took for them to get it together. The man in black was fasinated with June for 24 years 'til they got it together she clearly loved him but was battling against her image & christian beliefs to be with the 'bad boy' of the time.

Where you actually paying attention to the movie at all or where you transfixed on his 'scar' for the whole time?

[debarra]

Johnny Cash picked Joaquin Phoenix to play him before he died, as did June Carter with Witherspoon. They both sang their parts. Phoenix learned guitar from scratch.
I thought Joaquin put in an amazing performance, I think it's award worthy and I think you'll find him up for a best actor come january. So what he has a hare lip?
Maybe you're too hollywood-a-tised to appreciate a film that manages to not churn out an episodic narrative of anecdotes and instead focuses on the central core of what defined Cash for the remainder of his life - June.
Hi-5 is on the Den every morning if you want something a bit more pacy.

[neil coco]

Johnny Cash picked Joaquin Phoenix to play him before he died, as did June Carter with Witherspoon. They both sang their parts. Phoenix learned guitar from scratch.
I thought Joaquin put in an amazing performance, I think it's award worthy and I think you'll find him up for a best actor come january. So what he has a hare lip?
Maybe you're too hollywood-a-tised to appreciate a film that manages to not churn out an episodic narrative of anecdotes and instead focuses on the central core of what defined Cash for the remainder of his life - June.
Hi-5 is on the Den every morning if you want something a bit more pacy.

My hat is off to you...couldn't have put it better myself.

[madtheory]

Nice one debarra!

[paddypaws]

Who does look like Johnny cash?


http://www.twitchfilm.net/pics/cash.jpg

Have not seen the film but I do find him very watchable heard very mixed reports on this flick so looking forward to making up my own mind, I think the hardcore JC fans don’t like it because well fuck it, it’s Johnny cash

[Stuart Murdoch]

Johnny Cash picked Joaquin Phoenix to play him before he died, as did June Carter with Witherspoon. They both sang their parts. Phoenix learned guitar from scratch.
I thought Joaquin put in an amazing performance, I think it's award worthy and I think you'll find him up for a best actor come january. So what he has a hare lip?
Maybe you're too hollywood-a-tised to appreciate a film that manages to not churn out an episodic narrative of anecdotes and instead focuses on the central core of what defined Cash for the remainder of his life - June.
Hi-5 is on the Den every morning if you want something a bit more pacy.

Phoenix is a fine actor. I’ve liked him in most of his stuff.
All I said was that he looked nothing like Cash and to compound it he has a big scar on his face. It reminds you you're looking at an actor.
The guy they had playing Elvis looked like Elvis, the guy they had playing Jerry Lee looked like Jerry Lee.
Joaquin Phoenix looked like Joaquin Phoenix playing Johnny Cash.
I couldn't care less how long it took him to learn guitar.

As for what defined Cash, how about a mention of his born-again conversion in the 70s? That was an important episode in his life, a defining one, even.
Or better yet, how about something about the development of his music (music that has been hugely influential)? All we see is him writing Folsom Prison Blues in the army. The rest of it all just happened, I guess.
All we get is a drawn-out love story. Important, yes, but not the whole story by a long shot.

I find Hi-5 to be not only derivative but condescending.

[neil coco]

That's just it man..the movie was a love story! focusing primarily on his courtship with June. It wasn't about his life per say.

[Johnnyc]

I'm a massive johnny cash fan, I'm not called Johnny c for no reason! I havent seen the film so I'll reserve judgement until then, but if Johnny picked him personally thats good enough for me. If anyone out there wants a quick snapshot of Johnny cash's life then check out the video to his cover of "Hurt", a very moving piece

[madtheory]

..the movie was a love story!
Ya sure that's got nothing to do with his life at all at all...

[neil coco]

Ya sure that's got nothing to do with his life at all at all...

That's why I added per say..it didn't focus on his entire life just that portion of it

[madtheory]

That's why I added per say..it didn't focus on his entire life just that portion of it
OK, I will make my point without the sarcasm... what you said was it was not about his life "in and of itself" (i.e. per se). If I get your meaning correctly, you view love as being separate from life. I strongly disagree with that view! How would you have preferred them to frame the story?

[debarra]

Look, it's a film. Where Joaquin didn't physically look like Johnny he certainly carried off his personality and I never doubted his integrety.

It was over two hours long and needed to focus on his early career, let's be honest, the drugs,love, formative years have got to be a lot more interesting than the finding Jesus portion which would have stretched the movie into a four hour epic.
As it is it concentrated on the person, didn't glorify him, showed his resolve and doggedness that was a strong personality trait, showed him as a caring, selfish man, and how he matured to be with the woman he loved. It's like a classic western! He fought the (bad guy (drugs!) and got the woman!
We all knew at the end of the movie that he had progressed and would be happy, or happier anyway.
There is a defining point in everybody's life where they have to weigh up what they want in life and this was Johnnys, hence it being the backbone of the film.
It avoided most of the beatles-esque crowd mania self-congratulatory themes and concentrated on the person.
He made peace with himself in the era shown and this peace is what brought him into the finding god portion of his life, it defined him as who he was.
Of course I have gripes with the film too - the sound and the songwriting bits, but I don't know if there's a way of showing hours of intense labour in a few minutes of a movie without it seeming absurd - see the scenes in the Doors where the organ riff for light my fire is written as an example.

I can't fault the era chosen for this film, it was his biggest personal battle.

I think my main issue is that you have to take certain things for granted when you go to a movie - the star has never looked the the real character - the test is if they can convey the person through actions, personality, and, in this case, sound and attitude, which I think Joaquin pulled off admirably.

Personally I thought Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis were less convincing as they were almost a pastiche of the real thing.

You're right, by the way, hi-5 is derivative!

I'm a life-long Johnny fan, and I admire the way the film isn't a highlight of his greatest moments, rather a character study.

That's my pennysworth, I've a feeling we'll have to agree to disagree.

[lynchtp]

well there is mention to his Gospel songs from the early period.
And some of the tunes that are included are fairly religious also.

[Stuart Murdoch]

I think my main issue is that you have to take certain things for granted when you go to a movie - the star has never looked the the real character -

Fair enough.
I disagree with just this bit.
I thought Will Smith managed a passable Ali.
Jamie Foxx had the look of Ray Charles down.
They had enough of the look and mannerisms to suspend disbelief.
Same goes with Frida, Man On The Moon, People V Larry Flynt even Gandhi, ffs.
I'm not saying you have to be a dead ringer but at least remind you of the person.
Phoenix looked so unlike him that it had the effect of reminding you he was an actor the whole time. The scar didn't help.

[eurythmic king of nowhere]

I think it would be almost impossible to find someone to look like him. I haven't seen the film yet, but I have gathered (from autobiographies etc.) that June, and his love for her, were a huge part of his life. And obviously his amphetamine addictions and other drug problems were a big part of his life. So, I think, these are a good focal point for the film to develop his characeter from.

From what I have read as well, he almost sees his life as split in two. The part before he enters Nickajack Cave and when he comes out as a new clean religious person. So I think they were right to focus on one part of it (if this is what they have done), as otherwise the film would be ridiculously long.

[madtheory]

Once again, debarra is on the ball and states his point well. I completely agree- suspension of disbelief is part of enjoying a film. If a barely noticeable hair lip is enough to put you off well... that's a pity!

[Stuart Murdoch]

Once again, debarra is on the ball and states his point well. I completely agree- suspension of disbelief is part of enjoying a film. If a barely noticeable hair lip is enough to put you off well... that's a pity!


Again, it was in the Opera House.
It was the size of a hurl.

[madtheory]

Again, it was in the Opera House.
It was the size of a hurl.
It's all relative- everything else was bigger than real life too...

[Jim Comic]

new johnny cash lp out july 4


http://www.cmj.com/articles/display_article.php? id=13047232

[Johnnyc]

Nice one, there have been so many of the same type of compilations out recently cashing in( no pun intended I swear). It will be good to have something fresh, I hope Rick Rubin doesn't do a Tupac on it and release any old thing after this album. I'd hope this would be the best of what was recorded prior to his passing and anything else should be left behind and not simply released to make a buck or two.

[Hochma]

I think he is a fine actor and very handsome ... lovely eyes ...