I'm Not There (Todd Haynes, 2007)

[L.S. Pan]

Thats interesting, Thanks L.S. Pan, I keep getting more and more excited about this. I plan on somehow getting into the screening with Todd Haynes Q and A when it comes to Santa Barbara.

You're welcome. I hope you get to the Q&A too. Haynes is really good at that sort of thing, articulate and funny. You get the feeling half the audience would stay and talk all night if he allowed it. And he's such a fan himself you don't feel too geeky being a fan of his.

[ogygia avenue]

Quick aside about the soundtrack:

Why the fuck is Jack Johnson on this? You have all these amazingly talented musicians, and then you have this himbo who writes songs about eating banana pancakes in bed. Couldn't they get someone with talent to do that song? Did Jack have compromising pictures of Todd with Condi Rice? WHY GOD, WHY?

[chaddoli]

Not a huge Jack Johnson fan either, but I really dig his version of Mama You've Been On My Mind / A Fraction of Last Thoughts On Woody Guthrie

[domino harvey]

Quick aside about the soundtrack:

Why the fuck is Jack Johnson on this? You have all these amazingly talented musicians, and then you have this himbo who writes songs about eating banana pancakes in bed. Couldn't they get someone with talent to do that song? Did Jack have compromising pictures of Todd with Condi Rice? WHY GOD, WHY?

I loathe the man too but his contribution is not bad and about a million times better than the Hold Steady and Karen O tracks--the two worst in the package. Faring best are the Malk (esp Thin Man), Black Keys, Los Lobos and Charlotte Gainsbourg/Calexico trax. Overall the soundtrack's a lot better than these projects usually end up.

[GoldenPilgrim]

Why the fuck is Jack Johnson on this? You have all these amazingly talented musicians, and then you have this himbo who writes songs about eating banana pancakes in bed.

I loathe the man too but his contribution is not bad and about a million times better than the Hold Steady and Karen O tracks--the two worst in the package.

Agreed! It's so good to see Calexico all over this soundtrack, not to mention Jim James and Tom Verlaine!

"eating banana pancakes in bed," sounds like a high point in Jack Johnson's song writing.

[ogygia avenue]

"eating banana pancakes in bed," sounds like a high point in Jack Johnson's song writing.

Dude, you have no idea. I have some teeny tiny bit of respect for him that he's not trying to be a deep songwriter and that he's just writing this stuff that sounds like outtakes from Spongebob -- he's not trying to be anything he's not, you know? But there are so many good songwriters who are worthy of the Dylan comparison who could have taken that spot, and it breaks my heart.

Oh yeah, saw the trailer for this over the weekend before Wristcutters. The trailer was better than that movie.

[domino harvey]

But there are so many good songwriters who are worthy of the Dylan comparison who could have taken that spot, and it breaks my heart.

Though I'm sure there were more, the only artist I know who for sure got cut from the final soundtrack was Bonnie "Prince" Billy.

[pianocrash]

Though, for the curious, Mr. Oldham released his cut contributions on an EP earlier this year. Probably too bleak for the picture, I guess.

[zedz]

Overall the soundtrack's a lot better than these projects usually end up.

It's not bad, but given how robust Dylan's songs are, I was surprised to hear how respectful most people seemed to be. I guess too much diversity would have made Haynes' film even more unruly. So far, I much prefer the deranged Masked and Anonymous ST, but the official release (finally!) of the title track of I'm Not There is worth all of the live Dylan stuff on [/i]Masked[/i], great as it is.

[Antoine Doinel]

New character posters and a whole bunch of stills.

[rs98762001]

There's a great spirit to this film which keeps its momentum going even when Haynes threatens to lose control of all the balls he's juggling (no pun intended). It just has such clear-eyed affection for its characters, which is even extended to the embodiment of Mr. Jones (a fantastic Bruce Greenwood). The Richard Gere section seems to be the most ill-fitting but I agree with some others that the real heart of the movie is found within it; it's extremely moving, and beautifully ties together the myths of Dylan and Billy the Kid. Out of the more conventional "Dylans," Blanchett and (surprisingly) Heath Ledger make the biggest impression, Christian Bale (equally surprisingly) the least. The music is of course fantastic, and thankfully the cover versions are far outweighed by the originals (many of which are represented in non-album forms - an acoustic Idiot Wind is especially lovely). A beautiful film, and I disagree that the more discerning critics will hate it; as an expression of pure cinema, as a visual and aural experience, it's better than almost anything I've seen this year.

P.S. Ed Lachman deserves special kudos for his work, which if anything surpasses his great accomplishment on Far From Heaven.

[David Ehrenstein]

Ed Lachman

[GoldenPilgrim]

I saw this yesterday along with the Todd Haynes Q and A.

I just deleted my whole post, I had already talked it over to death with a couple friends. Basically it was a belabored way of saying, It's a great concept, I didn't really feel like everything worked, but I did enjoy watching it, and (only after hearing Haynes side of it) I will recommend it. I'm sure that's the general consensus, though.

The whole Jim James and Calexico part blew my mind! It was Wisconsin Death Trip meets Fellini, a winning combination!

Also, I think going into this movie with no Dylan knowledge might make it a better experience, you aren't trying to piece everything together and figure out who is who.

So when is the Jakob Dylan story going to be told? I'm thinking lets get The Rock, Ashton Kutcher, and one of the Olsen girls on board. Maybe Ludacris.

[Noir of the Night]

I saw it last night with the Q&A too. While the movie was by nature uneven, its blending of genres and techniques as exhilarating. The Jim James funeral part really resonated with me too. In general, I thought the Richard Gere story was the most rewarding and illuminating, in its exploration of the conflict between Dylan's urge to subvert and reinvent himself and his urge for self-expression. The film suggests, in my eyes, that one is the consequence of the other.

[GoldenPilgrim]

The Jim James funeral part really resonated with me too. In general, I thought the Richard Gere story was the most rewarding and illuminating.

Exactly, I think that section best represents what Todd Haynes was trying to do with the whole movie.

[Noir of the Night]

I think part of the reason it's so successful is that it's really the only storyline where we see things through the eyes of Dylan (well, Billy the Kid, but you know). All of the other Dylan personas are seen from an outsider perspective, and as a result none of them become much more than enigmas.

[Antoine Doinel]

Liner notes for the film will be provided at select theatres for moviegoers with articles and whatnot about Dylan to enhance the viewing experience.

[David Ehrenstein]

TA-DAH!

[LeeB.Sims]

WEINSTEIN CO. PUBLICIST: I'm sorry, but we're going to have to wrap up the interview now.

That's so sad. It's like the recording that interrupts the payphone conversation when you're on an incredibly important long-distance call and wants you to put in more change... but I haven't got any more change lady!!! Great job on that interview though Mr. Ehrenstein. You seemed to have such a sound understanding of the movie and of Haynes' intentions that there are never any of those typically awkward "Um, no. That's not what I meant actually" moments. I also think it is a good sign of an engaging interviewer when the subject is compelled to ask some questions of his own.

I also like how Haynes gives big ups to P-Town at your prompting.

[David Ehrenstein]

Glad you liked it.

[David Ehrenstein]

Jim Hoberman weighs in.

[ogygia avenue]

Saw this last night. I was really, really impressed with it. I'm not a huge Dylan fan (we had some Dylan albums when I was a kid and I saw him in '94), but the technique was amazing. It was fun to play "name that reference" in a few of the scenes (8-1/2, Jeanne Dielmann, and Masculin Feminin obviously, but the Gere scenes reminded me a lot of Wisconsin Death Trip, and I got a Ganja & Hess vibe from the Pastor John scenes). Some of the performances were great -- Cate Blanchett was amazing (and made a sexy man), but the kid and Charlotte Gainsbourg completely knocked me out. The peripheral stuff with the Beatles and some of the gorgeous images

I write a lot in here based on feel and gut reactions, and I sense that I'm more of a ham-fisted autodidact than a lot of the people in the forum, which makes me self-conscious about posting about this film. I need to see it again, but watching it made me feel humbled about my own filmmaking ability. But I also wanted to stay up all night and write and play with my camera after watching it.

[Cold Bishop]

It was fun to play "name that reference" in a few of the scenes (8-1/2, Jeanne Dielmann, and Masculin Feminin obviously, but the Gere scenes reminded me a lot of Wisconsin Death Trip, and I got a Ganja & Hess vibe from the Pastor John scenes).

I saw some Petulia in there too. I have to say, it was a great film. There's probably a few flaws and missteps here and there, but I find this to be one of those films whose accomplishments and sheer ambition seem to make up for them. I have to say, however, I'm quite suprised at those who say they felt the Richard Gere part was the most successful. If any segments felt out of place, its this one, and maybe it's because of the exact reason Noir of the Night gives for liking it, or maybe its because of the one most removed from the timeframe of the others, I'm not sure. I thought the funeral party itself was great, but I was just left the coldest by this section (which isn't to say I felt in unecessary or didn't like it, I just found it the most disconnected of all the sections)

[GoldenPilgrim]

Did anyone else notice Moondog on the streets near the beginning of the film?

[chaddoli]

It looks like Harvey Weinstein released this on 130 screens today. I have to say I'm pretty impressed about how they are marketing and releasing this film.

So, 130 screens, doesn't that mean Barmy has to like eat his shoe or something?