the Dalaverse

Drove aaaaallllllll the way up to Waldorf (stupid southern MD!) to see "Walk the Line." Wow, that was good. Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon were equally amazing -- they really brought the friendship/relationship to life, and it made the whole film. I was expecting Phoenix to knock it out of the park, but Witherspoon really surprised me with the strength of her performance, and how much she brought to the role. At first I was thinking, "Yeah, she's good, but this is more of a supporting role than a lead thing," but in the end June stood on her own merits as a person/character, and wasn't just a reflection upon John. ( a bit spoilery )

And they can both sing. Phoenix did the best impression of Cash I think anybody could ever achieve. I don't actually know if that's what June Carter Cash sounded like, because I've never heard her sing before, but Witherspoon had a very pretty country voice regardless (I know "Jackson" is on one of Daddy's greatest hits CDs, so I'll be stealing that come Thanksgiving). And of course, T-Bone Burnett is a god.

My only complaint -- Vivian Cash was a tad one-dimensional, although the actress did a fine job. I understand why one of their daughters was upset at the portrayal of their mother. But in the context of the film, it's a minor quibble. The child actors playing the Cash-Carter kids and Johnny and Jack as boys were very good.

Oh! And BtVS fans, LARRY WAS TOTALLY JOHNNY CASH'S BASS PLAYER.

I need me a Johnny Cash icon. Of that picture where he's giving the camera the finger. I'll use Dylan in the meantime (and I am very, very glad they didn't try to find anybody to play him, however briefly).

Oh, and I finally saw the "Brokeback Mountain" trailer on the big screen, and it took my breath away. Didn't cry this time, though, thankfully. Mostly I was just happy that nobody threw anything at the screen.

Tonight I watched PotC for the first time since, oh, Christmas or thereabouts, with Vanessa. And then I watched half of it again -- the Jack Davenport/Keira Knightley commentary -- because Jessica came in and she hadn't seen it before.

I love my movie.

This time around, I noticed for the first time that Jack's scar from the cursebreaking would be entirely different from Will and Elizabeth's. In fact, from the way he slices the blade, it looks as though he'd have two scars, one on either side of the coin. It wouldn't be in the center of the palm in any case. Nothing earthshattering, I realize, but food for thought since I've seen the damn thing eighty four thousand times.