• Bryce Dallas Howard - Ivy Walker
• Joaquin Phoenix - Lucius Hunt
• Adrien Brody - Noah Percy
• William Hurt - Edward Walker
• Sigourney Weaver - Alice Hunt
• Brendan Gleeson - August Nicholson

Its been two years since this came out in the cinema, and I’m finally getting to see it. Given that I’ve liked most of what Shyamalan has done, and given that Joaquin Phoenix is a star I’m a little surprised that it has taken me this long. I really enjoyed The Sixth Sense, and loved Unbreakable, but I did hate Signs.

Whatever the reason, I’m glad that I’ve finally gotten to see it, as there is a lot to admire here. As with most of Shyamalan’s films there are twists and turns. Some I saw coming, others took me a little by surprise, but I’ve never really been wowed by the sudden, unexpected twist. Afterall, if a story is to be believable and real then you should have some idea that the twist in question is possible. But this isn’t really a twist-film. Not is it a horror, monster-type film. Rather it is a character film.

The setting is an isolated, rural village, surrounded by a forest. And we open on a funeral, a funeral that could possibly have been prevented. The elders of the village founded it to escape the violence and crime of the towns. They have taken oaths never to return, even if medicines are needed. And then there is “those we do not speak of”. Strange creatures that inhabit the woods. They have come to a sort of truce with the villagers. The creatures will not enter the village, and the villagers must never enter the woods. They maintain a border, with watch-towers and torches burning through the night. Ready to hide if those we do not speak of should make an appearance.

Overall I really enjoyed this film, Phoenix is wonderful as the taciturn Lucius who doesn’t seem to fear the creatures, and who wishes to visit the towns in order to bring back medicine. Howard also gives a great performance as Ivy, the love interest. And then there is Brody as the “village idiot”. This threesome is the heart of the film.

The film’s action is quite slow, and is more atmospheric and tense rather than jumpy or scary. Although there are a few jump-in-your-seat moments. Although they are mainly down to overuse of sound cues and a soundtrack that tries too hard to make you scared. That being said there are moments of fear in the film, but the main one is because you believe the fear of a character, rather than that of a “scary movie”.

IMDb | Official site | National Review | Randy Ray | Can’t log in

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• Joaquin Phoenix - John R. Cash
• Reese Witherspoon - June Carter
• Ginnifer Goodwin - Vivian Cash
• Robert Patrick - Ray Cash

Almost everyone has heard of Johnny Cash. The “Man in Black” is famous for songs like Ring of Fire, Walk The Line, Don’t take your guns to town, I could go on. But I knew very little about Johnny Cash himself. I do have one of his “best of” albums, but I’m not what you call a huge fan.

Still, I like what I have heard of, and am a fan of Joaquin’s, and think that Reese Witherspoon is watchable, so I knew that I’d be going to see this film. And hoping it’d be good.

I wasn’t disappointed.
Walk The Line is just so very watchable. You got the pretty people, the great music, the wonderful story, and the tragic childhood. I know that there are comparisons being made with last year’s Ray but I didn’t se that, so can’t comment.

Phoenix is great in this role. He is John Cash. And I think that having him and Witherspoon sing the songs themselves was a great move. It adds so much to both of their performances.

The film starts off outside a prison. The camera moves in, and as it does we begin to hear the crowd chanting, and a band playing, the same few bars over and over again, as they, and everyone else waits for Cash to come out on stage.

Backstage, in the woodshop we get our first glimpse of Phoenix as Johnny Cash, and almost at once we flashback to his childhood. To working in the cotton fields with his family, listening to the radio, chatting with his older brother Jack. And then tragedy, as in an accident Jack dies, leaving J.R. (as he was called) feeling guilty for going fishing, not to mention hearing his father saying that the wrong son, the good son, died.

For the rest of the film this hangs over Cash. The audience isn’t hit over the head with it at every turn, but we are aware of it. And I wonder if the fact that Joaquin lost his older brother made his performance more intense.

It may be marketed as a bio of Johnny Cash, but for the most part this film is a love story. The story of Johnny and June. And it has all the highs and lows you’d expect, dealing as it does with divorce, drug-addiction and family tensions. But there is also a fair amount of humour thrown in there, along with more than a few stars who show up as characters.

Well worth watching.

IMDb | Official site | Confessions of a Movie Critic | Kimputer |

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Dir: Jay Russell
* Joaquin Phoenix
* John Travolta
* Jacinda Barrett
* Robert Patrick

So you see firemen and Joaquin Phoenix and you think, hmmm, that’ll be fun. (Or you do if you’re me). Well it wasn’t. Honestly, yet another crappy film. 2005 has been very mixed so far.

Ladder 49 starts with Phoenix as an experienced firefighter who, in rescuing a worker from a burning building, get trapped inside. The rest of the film tells hs story in flashback, with bits in between detailing his attempts, and those of the other firefighters, to free him.

I guess it isn’t totally rubbish. The scenes in the firehouse, especially the tricks they play on one another are great fun, and never overly predictable. It is just a pity that the rest of the film is so obvious. I mean he meets a girl, falls in love, marries, has kids, fights fires, worries, has friends dies, worries some more. But all in all there is nothing to this film.

And there is a terrible feeling that this film was made because of the attacks on the world trade centre, and because firefighters were such heroes that day. This is especially true of the final scene and the absolutely dire song that is used. It is really horrendous.

Yawning even through fires, not a good sign.

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