Thoughts: I remember reading Joaquin Phoenix was casted for the role of Johnny Cash and Reese Witherspoon was going to be June Carter and thinking ... really?? However both of them did a wonderful job and the fact they sang entirely themselves was more impressive. Personally I enjoyed this film more than Ray yet I'm not quite sure why considering they were both standard biopic movies. It could be that Johnny Cash never hid his demons but instead openly admitted he was flawed. In addition, I enjoyed the deep love Johnny had for June - after her death in May 2003 he pasted away only four months later.
(M) Born Into Brothels. (Zana Briski, Ross Kauffman, 2004) Grade: B+
Thoughts: A heartwarming and heartbreaking film about children growing up in Sonagchi, Calcutta the city's notorious red light district. The children were all charming and smart in their own ways. However, I did some reading online and apparently some people from India found the film to be a misrepresentation of India and its culture. They were quite angry at what they felt were "Westerns/Imperialist" views of their country. I'm not sure who is correct but I can see their point. I would still recommend watching this movie but to keep an open mind about other sides of the story.
(M) The Beat That My Heart Skipped. (Jacques Audiard, 2005) Grade: B-
Thoughts: I heard a lot of praise for this movie so I was kind of expecting a lot. Thomas Seyr (Romain Duris) is a corrupt slumlord working for his father who buys up property for cheap and sells them for three times the value. However upon a chance meeting with his dead mother's concert piano ex-manager, Thomas gets back into playing the piano - his real passion in life. Along the way he gets trained by a Chinese piano teacher and begins an affair with his coworker's wife. I enjoyed the film marginally but I thought something more would come out of it at the end.
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