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Ben (2351 KP) rated Walk the Line (2005) in Movies
Apr 10, 2020 (Updated Apr 10, 2020)
Great acting (1 more)
Great singing
A very good film about the life of Johnny Cash
A great biopic that follows the life and career of Johnny Cash. It follows the singer from his early life growing up in Arkansas until his famous performance at Folsom prison. Brilliant lead performances from Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash and Reese Witherspoon as June Carter make this movie a good watch for anyone, even if your not a big fan of Johnny Cash.
I’d highly recommend!
I’d highly recommend!
Chris Carr (78 KP) rated Walk the Line (2005) in Movies
Jan 15, 2019
A biopic for movie & music fans
Walk the line is a Johnny Cash biopic staring Joaquin phoenix (cash) & Reese Witherspoon (June carter cash ) which chemistry does make this biopic believable .wether you like Johnny cash music or not is a movie to see .I'm a music fan & never really listened to cash but I'll start taking notice of he's music from now on .
Billy Gibbons recommended Carter Girl by Carlene Carter in Music (curated)
Gareth von Kallenbach (968 KP) rated Walk the Line (2005) in Movies
Aug 14, 2019
Condensing something as vast and complex as the life of a person into a film is often a daunting task. With so many events that comprise the span of an individual, knowing what to cover and what to omit is a daunting task for any writer. For an icon like Johnny Cash, this task becomes monumental as not only does the history and humanity of the individual need to be captured, but the very soul of the artist as well.
Thankfully in the film Walk the Line Writer Gil Dennis and Writer/Director James Mangold capture the very essence of The Man in Black. Unlike many biopics that focus on the rise and fall of an individual, Walk the Line strives to balance than man and his demons without losing the compassion of the character.
The film stars Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash, a man who rose from poverty in Dyess Arkansas to become on of the most beloved and enduring entertainers in history. Chronicling portions of his childhood, and the hardships he endured as well as his sting in the Air Force, we are shown things that helped shape the man he was to become. Shortly after his Air Force career, Johnny marries Vivian (Ginnifer Goodwin), and they start a family. Struggling to make ends meet as a door to door salesman, and facing pressure to take a job with her father in San Antonio Johnny manages to gain an audition for Sun Records in Nashville.
When told in the audition that his Gospel songs will not sell, Johnny instead performs one of his own compositions and earns a record contract. Before long, he and his band are on the road playing with the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, and June Carter (Reese Witherspoon). June who has been part of a singing family
as well as an object of admiration for Johnny since their childhoods soon becomes a friend to Johnny as he copes with rising fame and the pressures and temptations of life on the road.
As Johnny spends more and more time on the road, tensions between him and Vivian grow causing Johnny to delve deeper into the temptations that are available to him as a star. During this time, Johhny becomes obsessed with June, who wile attracted to Johnny has just come from a failed marriage and does not want to break up Johnny’s family. It is against this backdrop that the unusual courtship between the two begins. They spend time with one another on the road, they talk for hours on end, and even perform duets with one another on stage, yet Johnny’s love for June remains a source of frustration that only leads him deeper into his destructive behaviors.
While the addition that grips Johnny is a driving part of the film, the main focus of the story is the love between Johnny and June and their unusual courtship that survived despite marriages, addictions, denials, and their own insecurities. Phoenix and Witherspoon are amazing and give Oscar Caliber performances that are easily the best in recent years. Not only do they both convey the mannerisms of their flesh and blood counterparts, but they convey solid chemistry and compassion from the audience.
While one can say that Johnny was an adulterer and a drug addict, his gentle nature, compassion, and humanity are abundantly clear in the way he is portrayed by Phoenix. We do not see Cash as a stuck up rock star, we see him as a simple human being, who used his gifts to connect with the masses yet never lost site of his heart. His tenderness, honesty, and devotion to his music, June, and eventually himself are clear and Phoenix is able to portray this by a reserved and endearing manner that captures the man he is portraying. Far too many films of this type are loaded with scenes of conflict, screaming, conflict and destruction that it was refreshing to see Johnny attempt to win June by stubbornness, and persistence yet never losing his easy going mannerisms despite being wracked by addiction.
Much has been made of the decision to let Phoenix and Witherspoon sing their parts rather than dub the voices. Unlike in the film “Ray” where Jaime Foxx had his singing dubbed over, the accurate and heartfelt interpretations of the songs only underscores the triumph and complexity of their performances.
Not just a good film but a great film, Walk the Line is an endearing and entertaining film that keeps you engrossed from start to finish. If you are not a fan of Johnny Cash when you see this film, at the least you will find a new found respect for this American Legend.
Thankfully in the film Walk the Line Writer Gil Dennis and Writer/Director James Mangold capture the very essence of The Man in Black. Unlike many biopics that focus on the rise and fall of an individual, Walk the Line strives to balance than man and his demons without losing the compassion of the character.
The film stars Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash, a man who rose from poverty in Dyess Arkansas to become on of the most beloved and enduring entertainers in history. Chronicling portions of his childhood, and the hardships he endured as well as his sting in the Air Force, we are shown things that helped shape the man he was to become. Shortly after his Air Force career, Johnny marries Vivian (Ginnifer Goodwin), and they start a family. Struggling to make ends meet as a door to door salesman, and facing pressure to take a job with her father in San Antonio Johnny manages to gain an audition for Sun Records in Nashville.
When told in the audition that his Gospel songs will not sell, Johnny instead performs one of his own compositions and earns a record contract. Before long, he and his band are on the road playing with the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, and June Carter (Reese Witherspoon). June who has been part of a singing family
as well as an object of admiration for Johnny since their childhoods soon becomes a friend to Johnny as he copes with rising fame and the pressures and temptations of life on the road.
As Johnny spends more and more time on the road, tensions between him and Vivian grow causing Johnny to delve deeper into the temptations that are available to him as a star. During this time, Johhny becomes obsessed with June, who wile attracted to Johnny has just come from a failed marriage and does not want to break up Johnny’s family. It is against this backdrop that the unusual courtship between the two begins. They spend time with one another on the road, they talk for hours on end, and even perform duets with one another on stage, yet Johnny’s love for June remains a source of frustration that only leads him deeper into his destructive behaviors.
While the addition that grips Johnny is a driving part of the film, the main focus of the story is the love between Johnny and June and their unusual courtship that survived despite marriages, addictions, denials, and their own insecurities. Phoenix and Witherspoon are amazing and give Oscar Caliber performances that are easily the best in recent years. Not only do they both convey the mannerisms of their flesh and blood counterparts, but they convey solid chemistry and compassion from the audience.
While one can say that Johnny was an adulterer and a drug addict, his gentle nature, compassion, and humanity are abundantly clear in the way he is portrayed by Phoenix. We do not see Cash as a stuck up rock star, we see him as a simple human being, who used his gifts to connect with the masses yet never lost site of his heart. His tenderness, honesty, and devotion to his music, June, and eventually himself are clear and Phoenix is able to portray this by a reserved and endearing manner that captures the man he is portraying. Far too many films of this type are loaded with scenes of conflict, screaming, conflict and destruction that it was refreshing to see Johnny attempt to win June by stubbornness, and persistence yet never losing his easy going mannerisms despite being wracked by addiction.
Much has been made of the decision to let Phoenix and Witherspoon sing their parts rather than dub the voices. Unlike in the film “Ray” where Jaime Foxx had his singing dubbed over, the accurate and heartfelt interpretations of the songs only underscores the triumph and complexity of their performances.
Not just a good film but a great film, Walk the Line is an endearing and entertaining film that keeps you engrossed from start to finish. If you are not a fan of Johnny Cash when you see this film, at the least you will find a new found respect for this American Legend.
The Marinated Meeple (1848 KP) rated Fistful of Dollars (1964) in Movies
Mar 23, 2018
Storyline/Plot (1 more)
Clint Eastwood
American Western remake of Yojimbo, and a damn good one.
See this movie, it's worth it, but th reason it's a 9, and not a ten is because the Samurai version by Akira Kurosawa; Yojimbo is just better. If you can see that one first, if not follow it up and prepare to see two master storytellers use the same idea in two different genres, kinda like hearing a Nirvanna song being done by Johnny Cash. or an Alicia Keys version of a Cher song. Fundamentally the same, but so different in presentation. Both are epic masterpieces.
Anna Calvi recommended Walk the Line (2005) in Movies (curated)
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) in Movies
Sep 2, 2017
Villains (2 more)
Johnny Depp
Weak plot
Average and Unnecessary
For me this film is just a new way for JK Rowling to cash in on the Harry Potter franchise (similar to the Cursed Child) and it's totally unnecessary. Yes these characters have been touched upon in the HP books and films, but do we really need this and numerous sequels to tell us all about them? There is such a thing as too much, and I think Fantastic Beasts and it's future sequels are a perfect example.
Eddie Redmayne is the only real saving grace, Colin Farrell is alright, but the rest of the cast and characters are either boring or cliched and irritating. And Johnny Depp? There was a time when he would make a film, but now his casting just makes me groan. The effects are patchy at times and the plot as a whole feels a little weak and lacklustre. And the word "nomaj" is possibly the most irritating and cringeworthy word in the entire Harry Potter universe.
Eddie Redmayne is the only real saving grace, Colin Farrell is alright, but the rest of the cast and characters are either boring or cliched and irritating. And Johnny Depp? There was a time when he would make a film, but now his casting just makes me groan. The effects are patchy at times and the plot as a whole feels a little weak and lacklustre. And the word "nomaj" is possibly the most irritating and cringeworthy word in the entire Harry Potter universe.
Russ Troutt (291 KP) rated Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock 'n' Roll in Books
Jul 18, 2019
For those not familiar with the name Sam Phillips, he is the man who started up Sun Records in Memphis, TN. And it was there at 706 Union Avenue that Sam invented rock n roll. Now, he didn't invent the music or the soul behind rock n roll, rock n roll was cooked up by the men and women working in the cotton fields, folks in the churches singing hymns, heartbreak, and good times goofing off with friends; just to name a few ingredients. With any recipe, no matter how great the ingredients, a great cook is needed; and Sam Phillips was a five star chef ahead of his time. Thankfully for all us, he made it his time. He produced and laid down the first tracks for some of the greats, such as Howlin' Wolf, Ike Turner, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis just to name a few. I wouldn't say he discovered these great musicians, but rather helped them discover themselves. Back to the book, that's only a small portion of his story. Learning more about the man, who and what made him who he was, all of his accomplishments, and all of the details of what most know and a lot of what you had no idea about, made for a very fascinating read. If you have a love for music, then this is a must read book.
Holly Johnson recommended Someday at Christmas by Stevie Wonder in Music (curated)
