 |
 |
|
|
buying more than one thing? (uses Multi-Item Price Optimization™) ...or |
||
 |
 |
intereact!Director: James Mangold
Actors: Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Ginnifer Goodwin, Robert Patrick, and Dallas Roberts
Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Retail Price (not our price): $29.99
Release Date: 2006-02-28
Theatrical Release Date: 2005-11-18
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Run Time: 135 minutes
Format: Array
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Discs: 1
Editorial Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
1) Amazon.com
A solid and entertaining biopic, Walk the Line works less as a movie than an actors' showcase for its stars. Joaquin Phoenix's total immersion into the skin of singer Johnny Cash is startling--watching it, you can't believe this is the same guy who whined about being "vexed" in Gladiator. As he evolves from a farm boy to gospel croonin' plunker to the Man in Black, Phoenix disappears into Cash's deep baritone, his way of slinging the guitar onto his back, and his hunched-up style of strumming. But it's more than just picking up mannerisms: Phoenix also sings as Johnny Cash, and it's quite impressive. The story of how Johnny Cash became Johnny Cash traces from his childhood under a distant father (Robert Patrick) to his early attempts at a music career, during which he married his girlfriend Vivian (Ginnifer Goodwin). During a tour with the likes of Elvis (Tyler Hilton) and Jerry Lee Lewis (Waylon Malloy Payne), he encounters singer June Carter (Reese Witherspoon), and his love for her--and her rejection of him through the years--spurs him into drugs, drinking, and depression. As with most movies based on real-life singers, as his popularity grows, the women come a-flockin', and the childhood demons surface. Witherspoon, who matches Phoenix drawl for drawl, plays June both as a sassy spitfire whose charm breaks your heart, and as a sympathetic friend who tries to help Cash get over--well, her. The love story is what endures, but the movie comes most alive during its musical numbers, and even if you're not a country fan, it may just get you to run out and buy a Johnny Cash album.--Ellen A. Kim2) Description
Singer. Rebel. Outlaw. Hero. With his driving freight-train chords, steel-eyed intensity and a voice as dark as the night, the legendary ?Man in Black? revolutionized music?and forged his legacy as a genuine American icon. Golden Globe winners Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon star (and sing) as Johnny Cash and June Carter in this inspiring true story of one man?s unwavering devotion to his sound, his message and the greatest love of his life.
Customer Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5
1) OK by ME! [Rating: 5 out of 5]
After reading some of the other reviews I'm thinking that if you're a life-long, die-hard Johnny Cash fan, you will not appreciate this movie. I, for one, knew little about him and wasn't prticularly interested in his music. Let me tell you, I just ordered an album of songs by Johnny Cash.2) Great once, but after... [Rating: 5 out of 5]
I love this movie, the casting is perfect, the performances are amazing, so is the music, and Joaquin Phoenix makes the perfect Johnny Cash(I never knew he had such a voice). Though the movie is one of those "amazing the first time you see it" kind of movies. So much drama and sadness occur in the movie, drug abuse, smoking, drinking, that you just want to scream at the characters in the movie to cut it out! The ending is a happy one and the movie is good, but I personally don't want to re-live Johnny Cash's struggles and mistakes over and over again. If I did watch it constantly than I would go into a depression of some sort. The movie is good, just not the kind to watch over and over again on a daily bases.3) To all those believe this film is a great biopic..... [Rating: 2 out of 5]
you're sadly mistaken and duped. Oh, why don't I like this film, it's because what happens is a train wreck and without the energy and emotion to make it palpable. I respect both of the actors and the director as well as Cash and his wife, but this film makes the worst compromises. It sacrifices genuine moments of joy in his life for muted paraphrases of them. Film is an emotional medium in terms of storytelling and you can't tell a biopic with it. Often biopics are inaccurate because of this and it seems this one has the reverse problem, they made a dull movie because they didn't want to be accused of sensationalism. That "d word" in the last sentence sums up this movie just fine. It's dull from start to finish, it never takes off and it finishes in a way that makes even the biggest supporter of it think "that's it" or even possibly "well, it had to end sometime" or even ludicrously, "I thought they were going to cover the later years when he did that cover of "hurt"." I can't think of one reason for this movie even existing except for the fact they were cashing in on the bandwagon of people who became fans when the media made a deserved tribute to him when he died. It's possibly and even likely that Cash's life is worthy of dramatization, but what's shown here isn't worth the trouble. It's not terrible because of the performances, but the performances feel like composites instead of authentic portrayals. I hated that and also hated the fact that I knew there were better actors for these roles as well as better stories to tell. They just seem depressed and without energy throughout. Just to state the obvious: this film is a downer even if the ending is somewhat victorious.4) Great Movie! [Rating: 5 out of 5]
If you're a Johnny Cash fan, a country music fan or just a fan of great movies you need to add this one to your collection. It's excellent!5) Didn't like it at all. Sorry. Good performances do not necessarily make a good movie. [Rating: 2 out of 5]
I like Juaquin Phoenix. I absolutely and always have loved Johnny Cash. I did NOT like this movie. Not at all. I didn't buy Phoenix as Cash for one second. It was merely Phoenix doing a Cash impersonation the whole movie. For comparison's sake, Gary Busey did a superior job of Buddy Holly. This movie offered me nothing further that I didn't already know and even did a poor job doing it, didn't entertain me in any way I cared to in relation to J.Cash, and I found it merely a stepping stone for it's actors. Anymore, you do a great impersonation of a famous celebrity or historical figure, you change yourself form a supermodel to a loathesome murderer (see C.Tiegs in "Monster") and you have the Academy and movie goers talking about you as if you just invented celluloid. This movie is okay for those who didn't necessarily grow up on J.Cash. To those who've followed him for decades, even subjected to ridicule for doing so by the very folks who now claim J.Cash fanaticism in hindsight, this movie just didn't do it for me. As far as Phoenix, this isn't even his best role. I liked him better in "Inventing the Abbotts" much better than this one (I actually liked that movie better than this one, but that's another debate.) In short, this is one of those, "the audience loves the movie for who's in it." I can't sit through more than 10 minutes of this masquerade. I seriously think it's no more than a high school production of a portrayal of one of my favorite artists ever. Save your money and buy one of the many Johnny Cash Concert DVDs, or comprehensive collections.