Walk the Line review

 Number 414 on the top 1000 films of all time is the biographical drama 'Walk the Line.'

Focussing on the story of the country music star Johnny Cash (Joaquin Phoenix,) 'Walk the Line' shows his life from his humble beginnings on an Arkansas cotton farm with his abusive father Ray (Robert Patrick) to his rise to stardom to the breakdown of his first marriage with Vivian (Ginnifer Goodwin) and his relationship with his contemporary June Carter (Reese Witherspoon.)

Although I do like Johnny Cash songs, I'm certainly no expert on his life. And 'Walk the Line' offered an unflinching look into the Man in Black himself. Joaquin Phoenix helped bring this character into life. He stopped him from being just another country music star and turned into a vulnerable and damaged man. I say, just another country star, as the film also adapts a lot of Johnny Cash's contemporaries from Waylon Jennings to Elvis Presley to Jerry Lee Lewis and, of course, June Carter.

Up until now, June Carter has always just been a name to me. I knew that she was married to Johnny Cash, but little more than that. Reese Witherspoon was great in the role. She was charismatic and energetic as the country singer. But she also brought a quiet ferocity. This was a woman who wasn't going to roll over and let herself be dominated in a man's world. And, on many occasions, she rightly puts all the men in their place. 

Witherspoon won the Best Actress Oscar for the role and I think she put in a formidable performance. She was great by herself, but also great acting opposite Phoenix. The two actors had a great chemistry. Reportedly, the two got off to a rocky start but they soon became so close that they made a pact that if either one of them leaves the project, both of them would leave. I would argue that Phoenix and Witherspoon had better chemistry than Phoenix had with Goodwin. Although considering the two characters don't have the best relationship, perhaps this worked out for the best.

But a musical drama about real life musical stars is nothing without good singing performances. And Phoenix and Witherspoon don't disappoint. They did all their own singing and instrumentation without any dubbing. I've never really heard June Carter sing so I can't comment on Witherspoon too closely, but Phoenix got Cash down to his classic bass-baritone voice.

I did enjoy this film. Even if you're not a country music or a Johnny Cash fan, this is still a great watch with strong performances from both its leads.

No Country for Old Men review

 Number 204 on the top 1000 films of all time is the Coen Brothers' No Country for Old Men.

Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) is a Vietnam war veteran and welder who stumbles upon a big bag of drug money in the desert. He takes the money in the hopes of giving him and his wife Carla Jean (Kelly Mcdonald) a better life. However, he is being hotly pursued by mysterious hitman Anton Chigurin (Javier Bardem) who leaves a trail of chaos in his wake. Investigating this is local sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones). Woody Harrelson co-stars as a bounty hunter who is also tracking down Chirgurin.

Since I started this challenge, I've watched a fair few films by the Coen Brothers and they all contain the same offbeat, surreal humour. At times it did make things funny and at times it was tiresome. I was glad that No Country for Old Men was far more straightforward. It was more of a neo-western/thriller rather than an off-the-wall comedy. Everything was direct and easy to follow. Chigurin made a scary villain and I do think Bardem deserved his Best Supporting Actor Oscar. I loved the cinematography that was reminiscent of the old Spaghetti Westerns; the sweeping shots of the desert were great to see. You felt the isolation of all the characters. They were in this expanse all alone. Nobody was going to help them.

But despite all that, the film felt lacking. I was expecting so much more, but I was left short-changed. And I think that's because the film never really provided closure on anything. Our hero Llewelyn Moss dies off-screen. He isn't even killed by the bad guy, but by a Mexican drug cartel. There is no build-up and no payoff. He's our protagonist - the main character and he doesn't even have the dignity of an on-screen death. Sure, kill him off, but show it to us. He doesn't even have a confrontation with Chigurin. The sheer psychopathy behind Chigurin's character made him frightening to watch, but we don't even get to see him have a showdown with Llewelyn.

I was also sorely disappointed with Woody Harrelson's contribution. It looked like the film was setting up a confrontation between he and Chirgurin. And while the two meet, it's hardly the most thrilling of encounters. And shortly after, Chigurin kills him. Harrelson felt very underused.

But, perhaps this is supposed to be the point of the film. Times have changed. The days when films provide you closure and wrap everything up are long over. This is no country for old men, but also not a country for reviewers who like all their films neatly wrapped up with a pretty pink bow.