I go out walkin' after midnight.

I saw Walk the Line, starring Reese Witherspoon and Joaquin Phoenix, last weekend. It was a fabulous film. While the movie tells the tale of Johnny Cash's rise to fame, I thought Reese Witherspoon was the real star of the picture. She fully realized June Carter as a sassy, strong woman who was gun-shy after being burned by love and the judgement of her fans. She won a Golden Globe for her performance last night, and I heartily hope she is recognized by the Academy as well. Both Witherspoon and Phoenix sing all of their songs in the film, and I thought they both did a great job. Their portrayal of a relationship the blossoms slowly, over time, is beautiful. The film follows Cash from his childhood in rural Arkansas, through his service in the armed forces, and eventually to his music and recording career. The main focus seemed to be his relationship with Carter, who saved him from his addictions and proved to him that he was worth loving. I enthusiastically recommend this movie.

I also recently saw The Pacifier, starring Vin Diesel as Shane Wolf, a Navy SEAL who is tasked with guarding the four children of a mudered scientist. Wolf's real agenda is to somehow recover a copy of a top-secret program that the scientist was working on when he was murdered. Well, what can I say about this movie? It was VERY predictable. I could call out who was evil and who was good in the first five minutes. Also, it was quite cliche. The jokes, the sight gags, the plot - it's all been done before, in one way or another. Some of the lines are laughable, and not in a good way. On the up side, it did show Vin Diesel in another light, something that his career probably needs if he ever expects to break out of the action/adventure roles that he's typecast in. Brad Garrett, unfortunately, played the wrestling coach at the local high school. He was more than a little over-the-top, and it all fell flat. I give this movie one and half stars.