I'm Not There

Todd Haynes' new Dylan biopic, "I'm Not There" is a must-see. Cate Blanchett was recently acknowledged for her amazing work being more Dylan than Dylan, it is truly mind-numbing. Christian Bale plays the protest and Christian Bob, Heath Ledger as the Hollywood Bob, and Richard Gere as the Billy the Kid Bob weave the tapestry that is the life of Dylan. Marcus Carl Franklin and Ben Whishaw take a turn as pieces of the Dylan folklore though not really Dylan himself, they add their own dimension to the storyline. It is the perfect way to tell the story of a man whose identity has, at times, been elusive; at once edgy, poetic, spiritual, prophetic, and overall genius. It really lacks any cohesive storyline however and real Dylan fans will pick up on all of the references rather easily to keep things straight and figure out which Dylan is being portrayed at what times. The movie begins and ends with Blanchett's Jude Quinn crashing the Triumph into a tree, causing one recent review I read to speculate on whether or not the content of the movie could have been what was going on in Dylan's head during this traumatic event. Either way, it is brilliant and worth the watch for Dylan fans. It would be the way I hope someone would tell my life story if they had to make a movie. I think all of us have different sides we show to different people at different times in our life. Mesmerizing and brilliant soundtrack as well from popular artists reduxing Dylan, some taking liberties while others keep to the originals. Check it out if only to see what all the fuss over Blanchett's performance is about. Currently checking out the books "Dylan and Philosophy" and "Dylan's Vision of Sin", will report later on quality of both.

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