Tuesday, November 29, 2005

I Walk the Plank

Just got home from seeing the new music biopic "Walk the Line". Before I begin whining, I will say that I love my original Sun Records pressing of "Johnny Cash with his Hot and Blue Guitar!". The slightly dorky country "boomp-ditty-boomp-ditty-boomp" rhythm was way, way ahead of it's time when you consider how effectively it can induce a trance effect. Johnny Cash and Ecstasy are an underrated, yet mind-blowing combination for the whole family.
"Walk the Line", however, was just too much of a maudlin-overdose assault on my patience. A lot of people from various stripes told me that this was a decent movie, so I went. Now I blame them. It's clearly their fault that I didn't enjoy the film. Yes, the acting was good and the singing was quite respectable also. Still the overarching and tired "Behind the Music" star-hits-bottom-with-drugs-and-booze template suffocates whatever is worthwhile from start to finish. Without that template, I suppose one could argue that there wouldn't have been a story. I just can't believe that Cash's life was so dull that you'd have to pump up the dramatic cliches so exhaustively to make it interesting. Or perhaps his real story wasn't jagged enough for the romanticized musical-hero version that we demand.

Why must I go on explaining? It wasn't very good. Don't see it.

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Instant relief from that "Ring of Fire" (We've got to pay our bills, folks -all this doesn't just happen by accident)!
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I did catch a great movie on Turner Classics earlier today. It was a film made in 1930 called "Min and Bill" with Marie Dressler and Wallace Beery. The women in it were very scrappy and they spoke like gangsters. It's a funny and gritty movie with honest emotions. I was really quite mesmerized by it. I'm sure it's impossible to get on DVD because it's too good. ...wait, it's on VHS at Amazon.

6 comments:

Cocovan said...

I liked Mim And Bill too See?
And your not going to leave this room See?
Cause this is her big chance See?
So listen here mack, I will not go and see that J.C. movie cause you told me not to....... See?

Joey Polanski said...

When I herd Johnny Cash died my firs thougt was "What, again?" My secon thougt was "What, AGAIN?"

Onnistly I thougt th guy was dead long bfore he was. Kinda figgerd a movie bout a guy like THAT coulda been made intrestin.

Hey, I jus foun out Rickardo Montlban is stilla live! Cripes! Since WHEN?

Anonymous said...

I tried to warn you!

Geritopia said...

cocovan saw 'mim and bill'!

i really liked how physically homely and ordinary the lead characters were.

looked like san pedro's golden age on the warf.

and you polanski and gold state... i'll deal with you mugs later.

Anonymous said...

I was sad when Johnny died. That movie was horrible. Johnny had a soul. That movie didn't.

Country has become gay now (or 'pop') Have you seen those KZLA billboards? yike.

Come on Mr. Lydon. What have you been doing lately? Reality TV doesn't really compare to PIL or Pistols, does it?

Did Cash ever sell out? I don't think so. Those covers of modern songs came close, but I thought he did a good job with them. He had the same quality music all along. Punkers went mainstream. Christ, just look at Henry Rollins and his goofy TV show...

Anonymous said...

Cash Family Blocks Haemorrhoid Ad
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3498749.stm