I know I can’t be free
But those people keep a movin’ and that’s what’s killing me
-- Johnny Cash

Hello, I’m Johnny Cash.

I saw Walk the Line last week. Loved it. I’m not a huge movie person, I mean, I like movies but in recent years my enthusiasm has waned because of the ticket prices and the thirty minutes of commercials that proceed the movie I paid entirely too much to see. And anyone reading this knows about my issues with sitting by other people. (Wave the freak flag for me!) I’m more of a TV fan. Nonetheless, when I want to see a movie, by George, I HAVE to see it. I was dying to see this one.

From the opening minutes I knew I would love it. Sort of like with Chicago, I could just tell. No ramp up involved, it was love at first sight. Joaquin and Reese give the performances of their careers as the tortured soul Johnny Cash and his saving grace, spitfire of a soul mate, June Carter. I’m not a movie critic and don’t pretend to be one, but I’ll give you a few bullets on why this movie is outstanding and why you need to see it.

1) The music –Johnny was in the Air Force, teaching himself to play guitar and writing songs. As he quietly strummed a chord and sang, “But I shot a man in Reno” the hair on the back of my neck literally stood up. He paused, considering the options before singing “just to watch him die.” Brilliant. I’ve since learned Johnny has said he tried to think of the worst reason imaginable to kill a person and one of the greatest lyrics in history music is the result.

2) Joaquin is phenomenal. Look for the ripping the sink out of the wall scene.

3) Reese should get an Oscar. It was amazing to me how she conveyed so much emotion just through her facial expressions. I walked away feeling like I may have actually watched a June Carter documentary – I felt like I almost really knew her.

4) Redemption – I loved that they showed the ugly side of drugs and alcohol and how it can destroy a person. I loved even more that they showed redemption and forgiveness leading to a happy life. What’s even better is that this wasn’t dreamed up in some writer’s mind in LA for a Hollywood happy ending, but this was what really happened.

5) Reese and Joaquin do all their own singing and playing – come on, that’s reason enough to see it! They do a fantastic job! They’ll make you want to go check out the real Johnny and June. Loved the performance of Jackson.

So that’s my rave on that. Love, love, loved it! Go see it!

-- dabbs