Ring of Fire

Could they have possibly shaken the camera any more?

I might have somewhat enjoyed this movie if a bit of moderation was exercised when deciding when & how long to shake the camera. This technique can add tension when employed selectively but that did not happen here. The camera shook & shook & then shook some more. This technique is being overused in recent years and it is becoming quite tiresome!

Unfortunately, it felt like half of the film was shot in this, shall we call it: "Rattle Vision". Too much of this ruins the entire experience.

I've never before gotten motion sick while sitting in an easy chair, but "Ring of Fire" nearly drove me to toss my cookies into the Ring of Porcelain down the hall.

Because of the extreme queasiness I suffered trying to watch this mess, I feel compelled to rate it 3 stars out of 10. My apologies to the cast as they may have done a good job but I'll never know because most of the footage is a blur!

This was to be about June and the love of her life Johnny Cash. There was no chemistry between them in this movie. I am not even sure why this movie was made it was the same story as Walk the line. Just not as good.

Matt Ross was not the person to play Johnny he didn't even look like him. Every time he was on the screen until someone said John I would think who is he? Jewel sang like Jewel instead of acting and singing like June. How can they make this movie without June and Johnny singing Jackson? It was not sang once in this movie.

This movie skipped all over the place it was boring. There is no way it could compete with Walk the line.

I didn't expect to like the music in this movie. I only watched it because it was directed by Allison Anders. Her "Gas Food Lodging" and "Mi Vida Loca" are among my all-time favorites.

The title suggests a movie about Johnny Cash, whose music I never cared for. I've never had much interest in June Carter or Jewel either, but in this movie I absolutely loved Jewel singing as June Carter. And she was so beautiful! Watching her sing was as much a pleasure as hearing her. I don't know whether she resembled the real June Carter, but she looked like a superstar, which I guess June Carter was in her time. She was Elvis' girlfriend, and she married Cash when he was the biggest star in the music business.

Even better was the group of actors singing as the Carter Family. I like the old Carter Family recordings, but the actors in this movie sound like a much better group from the same era, especially Michelle Kabashinski singing as Sara Carter. I'd love to have a CD of her singing old time songs in that style.

I can only think of 3 or 4 movies whose music I enjoyed as much. The rest of the movie was sometimes enjoyable and sometimes tedious. I'm sure I'll watch the music scenes again many times on DVD, but probably skipping past all the rest.

Jewel did an amazing job portraying the timeless beauty June Carter Cash. I don't think it's fair to compare this movie to Walk The Line or other works based on the life of the Carters/Cash Families. They were all written through different views and different people. Matt Ross did an okay job playing Johnny Cash, but the vocals were lacking in the music area from him. Jewel astounded me with not only her vocals but her appearance as well. There were quite a few spots in the movie where Ross carried himself exactly they way we were accustomed to seeing Mr. Johnny Cash. He also had some physical similarities as well. It's hard to try to mimic a man with such unique handsomeness and features.

Overall, I would totally recommend this to Carter/Cash fans and anyone else interested in a quick "behind the scenes glance" through the eyes of Mr. John Carter Cash.

Although some readers compare this movie to Walk The Line, I disagree. This new movie focuses more on the life of June Carter Cash & the tremendous love she had for Johnny Cash. She stood by him through his addiction and helped him recover. Jewel was excellent in her part of June Carter Cash - her mannerisms were "spot on". Although I have given it 10 stars, I found that the actor who played Johnny Cash was unbelievable as the singer. Other than that I found the movie very enjoyable and recommend it to others. Get ready to shed a few tears at the end. An interesting fact is that Johnny Cash died only four months after June Carter Cash died. I think he died of heartbreak after losing her.