Whiskey Wednesday

Channeling Dead Celebrities

Harry Potter is cool and all, but the movie I most want to see this weekend is Walk the Line - the Johnny Cash biopic also drops on the 18th. The movie looks great and is generating quite a bit of Oscar buzz.
Much as Jamie Foxx did for Ray, the actors went to great extremes to recreate the real life characters they portray. Joaquin Pheonix spent months first learning to play the guitar and then learning how to play (and hold the guitar) like the Man in Black. Pheonix and Reese Witherspoon, who plays June Carter Cash, also spent time with vocal, dialect and acting coaches to master the singing styles, speach and mannerisms of their subjects.
I haven't heard the full soundtrack (released Tuesday), but from the clips I'd say the efforts were successful. Pheonix sounds very much like Cash; a young Johnny Cash granted, but he definitely nails his distinctive sound even without the basso. He's especially effective on I Walk the Line and Ring of Fire. Perhaps even more impressive is Reese Witherspoon. I never would have given her credit for having the chops to take on this role, but after hearing the clips, especially Jackson, and seeing the trailer - she is June Carter. She might be taking the twang just a wee bit over the top, though.
I'm also looking forward to seeing Tyler Hilton, (One Tree Hill) who reportedly gives a virtuoso performance as Elvis Presley. The clips of his recordings sound technically good, but way too subdued for Elvis. Waylon Payne (godson of namesake Waylon Jennings and son of Willie Nelson's guitarist) sounds exactly like Jerry Lee Lewis. Also on the soundtrack are Johnathan Rice as Roy Orbison and Shooter Jennings as his father, Waylon Jennings.
Now let's see if the movie lives up to the hype and the soundtrack.

posted by ThomG @ 12:27:00 PM