Contentar
Best movie of this year hands down!
Voxitype
Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.
Candida
It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.
Regina Zervou
It may contain spoilersI saw this movie in the autumn film festival of Athens many years ago. It left me really astounded, surprised, marveled, my beloved Dylan co-produces a terrific movie, it starts with a scene referring to Chile's coup d'etat, tanks in the street, terror in the city, contains some of the most endearing performances of Dylan's songs (he doesn't sing any of them, opting for blue blues), such as 'the times they are a changing' by a sweet black girl who lisps, my favorite,a journalist killed by the guitar of Blind Lemon Jefferson, all that combined a mystifying tale that thrilled me. I thought tat, apart from the story, the glamorous cast, Bridges, Cruz, Goodman, Lang, would make it a hit for the winter film season and I started warmly recommending it to my friends. And then...nothing. The movie never found its way to the Athenian theaters. I don't know the reasons, but I thought that many really good movies never end in our screens. I give a ten to the movie for Dylan, the lovingly psychedelic plot, the performances of all those great songs and its depreciation.
alan_ryder
In MASKED AND ANONYMOUS, the 2003 movie by Larry Charles. Bob Dylan plays Jack Fate, a singer who is bailed out of jail (for an unspecified crime) by a couple of promoters, Sweetheart and Nina (John Goodman and Jessica Lange), to play a benefit concert (again unspecified) in an unnamed country. I felt that it was Central American country. Maybe like Nicaragua or Honduras. A dictatorship where the President is on his deathbed and parties are lurking for a takeover. Fate seems to know them all. Fate is hounded by a reporter, Tom Friend (Jeff Bridges) and aided by one of his close friends Bobby Cupid (Luke Wilson). There are various cameos by some rather famous actors, probably friends of Dylan and Charles who just wanted to be a part of the movie. Most of the action takes place in a large convention hall with a stage and a trailer for the 'promoters' , managers and band. Dylan and his band play tunes from his album 'Time Out of Mind' and various others from over the years.I imagined that Larry Charles left it to Bob Dylan to provide dialogue. Well, I felt like this was a memoir, travelogue. Bob Dylan has been around the world a few times, had the ear of and listened to many people, including more than a few politicians. I felt like the characters were composites of these people. Sweetheart and Nina, the business people, Tom Friend the press. The President and and his successor Edmund seemed be the politicians. I bet more than a few asked Dylan's advice. And of course he got to address you and me. And such music! Above all Bob Dylan is a master musician.
Mikelito
Bob Dylan has figured out one important fact: Sing simplistic songs and shut up. People will think you are a genius. Possibly even a God.This movie is a dreadful star vehicle for countless pretentious Hollywood people to tag themselves to the Bob Dylan legend (which is born out of thin air). It seems to me all the professional actors in this are a bunch of desperate direction-less people. Most of them by the way appear to be drunk or high on something else. Sad indeed.Bob is a genius in one single regard - no one has a better grasp on selling himself by NOT doing things.One of the many, many annoying things in this movie is the tendency to trivialize anything that is not "Bob Dylan music" and to turn the entire World into a prop or stooge for the sheer majesty and brilliance that is "Bob Dylan". Why, I would suggest to trademark "Bob Dylan" like some lemonade ... but I think it's already happened. In fact Bob is given a chance to comment on Zappa and Hendrix. They are similar enigmas, so why not take them on in the WWF (Who Writes the best .ucking music).One of the many low points is a black girl singing "Times they are a-changing"... I'm pretty sure this movie was sponsored by some U.N./Unicef/Hollywood conglomerate of detached people living in P.C.-Land.Just watch the scene where Bob and his band are on stage and he sings one trivial line over and over and a carefully selected crop of people from all around the World including by sheer coincidence Gandhi and The Pope stand in awe watching this holy miracle unfold. In one other telling scene in this botch the aforementioned Gandhi and The Pope are sitting side by side but wait ... Who is sitting in between? Why, it's Penelope Cruz! I think that is all you need to know about this piece of horse manure.Of course the movie ends exactly the way it should with Bob rambling about how things don't have to have a meaning etc. etc. etc.
lafilm
Get in the right frame of mind to watch this movie. Bob Dylan has a unique ability for understatement, while at the same time doing broad irony. Here he stays in character. At least he looks right at the camera. Like a Dylan song. Don't look for the standard movie structure. Much seems to be about the doing rather then the getting it done. It's great fun watching the characters. They never looked better then in this film. Bob always attracted the best backing group. And then there's the music. It's the songs that make little sense that really set the tone. Those who don't get it never will. While it's not Dylan's greatest moment, it still holds interest since it's born of his determination and the draw of his energy.
