Episode 139: Walk the Line (2005)

Episode one thirty-nine, Walk the Line! It rhymes! That was totally intentional! I’m not completely lying! Another in our biopic series “Semi-Real People” and we’ve got another musical icon . . . I mean, an icon of the world of music, not an icon that plays music . . . although he did play music . . . so I mean a living icon of music, not a mechanical one . . . of course, he’s not living anymore and I can’t really prove he wasn’t mechanical . . . wait, what was I talking about? Right, right this is a movie about Johnny Cash: his past, his rise to fame and his relationship with June Carter, later June Carter Cash.  Joaquin Phoenix terrifies, I mean fascinates, with his portrayal of the singer/songwriter/occasional actor and Reese Witherspoon gives an Oscar-winning performance as the woman who seemed to be a match for him in every sense of the word.  Damn, I’m sorry, I just can’t get past this: do we KNOW that Johnny Cash wasn’t some kind of musical cyborg? A performance robot? Maybe our discussion of the movie will help me work through this, but I don’t know . . . I just don’t know . . .

This week, our poll question is: What movie from the recent or distant past would you most like to see remade, and why? Please answer in the Reply section below. Thank you, won’t you?

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8 thoughts on “Episode 139: Walk the Line (2005)”

  1. Not sure if this counts, but I’ve always felt that the Harry Potter movies (although they had a great fan following, and made midnight movies a staple of the 00’s) were a little shallow and didn’t fully embrace the small nuances and spectacles of the harry potter world. They felt rushed. I would love to see it remade but as an HBO series (which is apparently rumored to be in planning stages?) in which each book can be it’s own season.

    I would also love to see a version of green lantern that doesn’t suck. And maybe The Crow? (although the original has such a cult following it might be blasphemy).

    1. Great ideas, Weez! Thanks for commenting. Harry Potter is problematic as its creator keeps saying things that make one not want to give her any more money but I totally agree that the movies lack a lot of what made the books really grab us. Green Lantern…that wouldn’t really be a remake but a totally different movie, I think. The Crow…whew. That one IS a heavy choice and who would want to play the lead what with the legacy of that particular role? Great stuff to discuss!

  2. Great poll question! I struggled with it, as, while there are movies I think would be fun to remake, the original casting is so good it would be hard to see anyone else in the role(s). Also, the way Hollywood now relies so heavily on CGI and explosions I would hate to hand them a cherished classic. If it could be done in a more traditional method of film making, it might be fun to see a remake of The Maltese Falcon, or even The Big Sleep.

    My assistant suggested Some Like It Hot, another good idea.

    1. Cool answers, Val! I’m betting that touching any of those would cause a lot of internet scrutiny which, these days is often considered good even when it’s bad. We’ll add these to the list for next week’s show. Thanks!

  3. Like Val, I have been thinking a lot about this. 10 years ago or more i had a ton of ideas, i wanted to be involved in a remake of the TV show Dark Shadows, UFO and/or Babylon 5 and thought time was good for a remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still and a high Godzilla… after seeing some of that happen… wow… seems like a mistake. That Said I LOVE silent films and since they are almost unseen these days and many are in such bad shape they seem perfect fodder for remakes. Pandora’s Box for example or take the plot of one the lost silent films and bring it back to life. I have been kicking around the idea of animating Cabinet of Dr Calligari but not sure I can take that on alone!

    1. All interesting suggestions, Vince! Silent films might be a problem if they were kept silent. I mean, sure, it worked for Mel Brooks back in the 70s but I don’t think today’s audiences would go for it. They did do that sorta kinda remake of “Nosferatu” with Willem DeFoe, so maybe an adaptation or something? Melies’ work is pretty much untouched. Thanks!

      1. Herzog did a great remake of Nosferatu with kinski and the guy who made the witch and the lighthouse wants to make one soon. They don’t have to stay silent, I think they can be updated. Some of the silent films have great stories, the crowd is another great drama that could be relevant today.

      2. I actually thought The Artist was a lovely modern take on silents. I don’t think studios like to take risks, though, and silents would be a risk. I’m with Vincent, though – would love to see more.

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