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Current Issue: Artvoice v7n47, week of Thursday November 20 » back issues

Movie Review

Icon Busting: Walk the Line

Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon in Walk the Line

If it were possible to measure such things, I suspect that the death of Johnny Cash two years ago affected more people than the loss of any other public figure in recent memory. Not necessarily a deep and grievous loss for most, and certainly not a surprise. But certainly an awful lot of us heard the news and felt that someone integral to the character of a tumultuous era was gone, leaving us better for having been here. The intensity of that reaction may have varied, but few would dispute it.

It may be an unfair burden to place on a film, but audiences of the future who watch Walk the Line to learn something about Cash won’t come away with much of an idea of what he meant to us. The result is less comparable to last year’s Ray than to the Jerry Lee Lewis biopic Great Balls of Fire.

I have no doubt that director James Mangold and his co-writer Gill Dennis had anything but the best intentions. They spent years developing the film, and had the cooperation of Cash and his wife June Carter in the last years of their lives. According to the production notes, they helped the writers flesh out the information contained in Cash’s two anecdotal books Man in Black and Cash: The Autobiography.

That may, in fact, have been part of the problem. By all accounts a humble man of great religious faith, Cash may have been wont to downplay his accomplishments to focus on a moral journey in which he was redeemed from sin and despair by finding the love of his life.

Walk the Line begins with one of the defining moments of Cash’s life, the accidental death of his 14-year-old brother Jack, the golden child from whom great things were expected. As Cash’s abusive, alcoholic father puts it, “The Devil took the wrong son.”

From there, the film chugs quickly though Cash’s time in the Air Force, his youthful marriage and attempts to support his family while dreaming of becoming a musician. He gets a chance to audition for Sam Philips, head of Sun Records and the force behind Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison and Carl Perkins, all of whom become Cash’s companions in an endless tour of southern roadhouses and high school gyms. He begins to pop amphetamines to get him through the grind and the loneliness. And he meets June Carter, part of a showbiz family that have been country stars since Cash was a boy listening to the radio.

So far so good. Walk the Line takes pains to recreate the excitement of live performances from soon-to-be-famous performers working under trying conditions: all of the actors playing musicians and singers did their own singing and playing, and while they don’t always sound exactly like the originals it’s more important to get the atmosphere correct.

But after this early point the film loses interest in Cash’s developing artistry to concentrate on his relationship with Carter. (The two performed together for ten years, through various marriages and Cash’s drug addiction, before getting married in 1968.) There’s nothing of Cash’s growing interest in social causes, his research into Indian affairs and his attempts to bring the progressivism of early ’60s folk music to conservative Nashville. That Cash doesn’t fit into the simpleminded plot arc that decrees he must be Saved By Love, and so the movie gives us a singer who seems to have no connection to his music other than getting on stage and doing the hits.

(Even Cash’s famous 1968 show at Folsom Prison is presented as a risky career move, when in fact he had been doing free shows at prisons since 1958.)

The blame falls more on Mangold, a generally mediocre director, than actor Joaquin Phoenix, who has the daunting task of portraying such an iconic figure. He and Mangold know better than to have him try to impersonate Cash too directly, and instead aim for the essence. He’s best in the performance sequences, though they may seem amped up to audiences who recall only the more sedate older Cash and not the younger rockabilly star.

Still, while I can’t think of anyone who would have been better cast in the role, Phoenix is a bit lacking. He looks soulful but lacks the downtrodden appearance that made many of Cash’s fans believe he knew about prison life from firsthand experience. (He didn’t, despite various overnight jail lockups for hellraising.) Too often he comes across as merely petulant instead of tormented.

(Personally, Phoenix has always reminded me of Vincent Gallo, which lent an unintended resonance to the scene in which Cash tries to impress his uncaring father at Thanksgiving dinner.)

U2’s Bono once remarked that “Every man knows he is a sissy compared to Johnny Cash.” Walk the Line almost seems to be trying to counter that, to be depicting Cash as a man who was less than his fans took him to be. That may be a useful portrait to his longtime fans; it may even have been a debunking that the real Cash desired. Still, for those without an initial appreciation of him, the film is a disservice.


Artvoice Blog Headlines

Who Goes Where When Hillary Goes to State?

posted November 19, 12:04 pm on Artvoice Daily

City Hall News has flow_chart that tracks who might replace who, from Hillary’s Senate seat on down (click to expand or follow the link—it’s an awkward shape):

It’s Robert Rich Sr. All High Stadium

posted November 14, 5:05 pm on Artvoice Daily

These new signs properly label the structure. We’ve been reading recent stories in the Buffalo News about sportswriter Tom Borrelli’s terrible fall last week at the old All High Stadium. He’s currently battling life-threatening injuries... (more)

CWM Fined for Violations

posted November 14, 2:41 pm on Artvoice Daily

This week Chemical Waste Management was fined $175,000 by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for violating its permits and the state’s hazardous waste laws. I don’t have much to say about that, except it doesn’t seem to me like too much money... (more)

Musical Chairs

posted November 14, 12:51 pm on Artvoice Daily

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Paint the Town

posted November 14, 11:06 am on Artvoice Daily

Late last night, at the tail end of one of the few weeks in the past year in which we did not publish anything snarky about anybody, someone threw two gallons of paint on our front doors. Seems a waste; we hadn’t even earned it. Nonetheless, we were cleaning up all morning... (more)

Old Editions Book Shop

posted November 13, 1:58 pm on Artvoice Daily

AV videographer Matt Quinn tours Old Editions, an often overlooked treasure at the corner of Oak and Huron Streets downtown: show enclosure (video/x-flv; 21.29 MB)

This Is Not Today’s News

posted November 12, 9:37 am on Artvoice Daily

But it would be nice if it were. Via the Data Stream, by way of Jon Winet.

This Just In…

posted November 11, 3:28 pm on Artvoice Daily

Always in the vanguard, researchers of the University at Buffalo’s Center of Human Capital have reached a bold conclusion, according to a statement disseminated this afternoon: Although no official determination has been made about whether New York State or the U... (more)

Silver Lining: Edwards Remains a Good Guy

posted November 11, 11:17 am on Artvoice Daily

Marshawn Lynch Amid the anguished finger-pointing, plaintive wailing and resigned head-shaking sweeping the region following the Buffalo Bills’ third straight defeat, Season Ticket would like to apportion a minute sliver of credit. Quarterback Trent Edwards, by most quantitative and qualitative standards, failed miserably at New England on Sunday (not coincidentally, this was also his third consecutive regressive outing)... (more)

Mazzariello’s Ristorante & Martini Bar

posted November 7, 4:30 pm on Chew on This

  Photo taken by Rose Mattrey From Antipasti to Primi to Secondi, Mazzariello’s (114 Bloomfield Ave, Lancaster, 206.0561) has conquered the map of Italian cooking. Your palate will be exposed to an array of spices, herbs, and ingredients indigenous to Northern & Southern Italy... (more)

Post Election Bits & Bytes

posted November 7, 12:02 am on Tech Voice

Election ‘08 is now in the history books - so I figured it’s time to take a look backward, and a look forward at some relevant headlines. Hacking Democracy First, we’ll take a look at one of the best kept secrets of the campaign season, from both sides, care of a Newsweek article published just today... (more)

BNMC Open Meeting Tonight

posted November 6, 1:19 pm on Artvoice Daily

Tonight at 6pm in the auditorium of the downtown library, everyone is invited to attend a public hearing on the Buffalo-Niagara Medical Campus—North End Projects. Among the projects planned are a 300,000 square foot Medical Office Building to be owned and operated by Ciminelli Development Company, Inc... (more)

That Pigeon Won’t Fly

posted November 6, 10:05 am on Artvoice Daily

Steve Pigeon Here’s another example, this one two years old, of the way Steve Pigeon’s political committees are alleged to steer money to candidates illegally. On September 15, 2006, the Pigeon-controlled PAC Citizens for Fiscal Integrity paid “RUR Strategy Group” $9,000 in consulting fees, according to CFI’s campaign finance disclosure forms... (more)

SeaBar’s Social Calendar

posted November 5, 12:44 pm on Chew on This

SeaBar will host live jazz and sushi nights starting Friday, November 21st at 8 p.m. (5235 Main Street, Wmsvl, 204.5283). A Cave Springs Riesling Tasting Event will take place at SeaBar’s suburban location on Wednesday, November 9th at 7 p.m... (more)

Artvoice TV: Latest Additions » more on AVTV

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posted November 21, 4:50 pm on channel Local Interest

Cosmetic surgeon Dr. Riyaz Hassanali sat down with Buffalo actress and television host Lorraine O'Donnell for the first in our series of interviews with area medical experts. Today's subject is the effects of smoking on your skin and appearance. Dr. Hassanali, of Williamsville (626-1593) is a well respected cosmetic surgeon who works internationally, as well as locally. This is the first of six segments from Dr...

Twilight

posted November 19, 1:09 pm on channel Movie Trailers

Movie trailer for Twilight, in theaters November 21. Read M. Faust's review of the film here.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

posted November 19, 1:06 pm on channel Movie Trailers

Movie trailer for The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, in theaters now. Click here to read George Sax's review of the film.

Avi Takes Artvoice Shopping for the holidays @ Lexington food Co-op

posted November 19, 11:52 am on channel Food

I met up with Avi of Obviously Avi Catering to learn about classic ways to spruce up some great thanksgiving dishes and some more contemporary ideas for this years holiday season.. Also check out the Co-op this weekend Saturday the 22nd to sample some of the fresh turkeys that u can pick up for your family!

TRAIN DAY! @ the Buffalo Historical Society

posted November 17, 3:07 pm on channel Local Interest

I met with Peter Burakowski from the Buffalo Histroical Society to check out their fantastic train exhibit.. Now I have to be honest I was kinda embarrassed to tell Peter that I Hadn't been to the museum since I was about six years old... But the place looks great and has a lot going on for the holiday season. Check out this clip then head on down to the Buffalo Historical Society!

Mass Appeal: Elmwood Fashion Event

posted November 15, 10:19 pm on channel Events

On Friday night the Elmwood Village Association packed the Lafayette Presbyterian Church with a sold out "Mass Appeal: An Elmwood Fashion Event." The atmosphere was electric in the brightly lit church as models strutted down the catwalk to lively deejay beats.

Buffalo Contemporay Dance

posted November 15, 6:43 pm on channel Events

This weekend we stopped at Alt Theatre, 255 Great Arrow, to check Buffalo Contemporary Dance's 10th Anniversary performance. The little black box theatre in the Great Arrow Industrial Center is exceptionally intimate and provides a that up close experience you won't get at larger venues. Dancers and choreographers Amy Taravella and Leslie Wexler put together a lovely set of dance pieces with a variety of musical styles and an enthusiastic group of dancers...

Old Editions Book Shop

posted November 13, 11:42 am on channel Local Interest

I had a chance to check out the Old Editions Book Shop & Café at 74 East Huron Street, Buffalo.... WOW i was blown away at how any cool things they had on display there....Not just the thousands of books on everything from local authors to rare leather-bounds, but hundreds of maps, prints and other artwork. If you havent been down to the corner of Oak and Huron to check it out i suggest you do!

Off Stage: Conversations with Anthony Chase

posted November 12, 4:50 pm on channel Theater

This week, Artvoice and TAB present Part II of the interview with Road Less Traveled founder, Scott Behrand. This is the second installment of "Off Stage", a series of conversations with the Buffalo theatre community and AV Theatre Editor Anthony Chase.

Happy Go Lucky

posted November 12, 2:08 pm on channel Movie Trailers

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Quantum of Solace

posted November 12, 2:01 pm on channel Movie Trailers

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Flash Party at Essex St.

posted November 9, 10:59 am on channel Events

The annual Flash Party-Griffis Sculpture Park fundraiser at the Essex St. art complex was the raucous gathering of music and art it's always been. With live music by the Ifs, plenty of art and free beer what else would you expect?

Lakeview Effect at Nietzsche's

posted November 8, 4:54 pm on channel Music

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Flatbed at Allen St. Hardware

posted November 8, 2:28 pm on channel Music

We'd been trying to film something at the Hardware Cafe for sometime but everything always came out way too dark. Finally, last Friday, Nov. 7, we just brought in some lights and managed to get footage of Flatbed and their homegrown American sound.

Obama's Night

posted November 6, 3:13 pm on channel Politics

On November 4th, history was in the making; but as we know, history needs to be recorded by someone. ArtvoiceTv.com video crews roamed the election night streets of the city.



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