Artivels Undescribable Perfection

Merolliv I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

j-lacerra I note that few other reviewers, if any, have connected the title to the movie. It is an apt description and a foretelling. The intentions are masked and anonymous, and it is up to us, the viewers, to unveil our own reality and interpretation of the movie.It is a series of vignettes strung together with and by Dylan, whose character walks through the chaos of the darkly futuristic and collapsed USA, largely unscathed and seemingly unaffected by the pandemonium and violence around him.He serves as a catalyst and MC - an enigmatic music legend who keeps coming back. In other words, he acts like Bob Dylan! Of course, he has a secret, he is the son of the current dictator, seemingly disowned by his father; he is a prince estranged from the land that would be his if he chose. He does not. He neither embraces nor combats it. He exists both below and above it.It has been said that the movie plays like a Dylan song. Perhaps it does. And if so, it will be fluid in meaning, and will change with each viewing and viewer. Not great as a movie, but good as an experience, and a must for Dylan fans.

paolo_bf I think this move is greatly underrated, it is a sad reflection of the fact that when a movie goes beyond the boundaries of most people's morale and intellectual comfort zone, it ends up paying the price. If you don't believe me, think of what happened to British director Michael Powell, after making 'Peeping Tom', a movie which by contemporary standard can only be described as tame and which is now acknowledged by many as one of cinema all time classics, a promising career was cut short and Powell was all but run out of the movie business for some thirty years. The comparison may seem extreme, but to me confirms the fact that we leave our morale, intellectual and even political hangups get in the way with regard of how we perceive and judge movies. Think of how much cinematographic fodder is unleashed on movie-goers every week, this movie is packed full of original ideas, feeling, atmosphere, plus the star-studded cast most of the time delivers excellent performances! OK the movie is technically far from perfect, but who cares! The mere fact of being able to watch His Bobbyness for a couple oh hours would be more than enough for me, but the movie has a lot more to offer, a wonderfully surreal atmosphere, spirited performances by the likes of Penelope Cruz, Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, the latter clearly having the time of his life! But what I most enjoyed is the portrait of a futuristic dystopian US, transformed into some sort of banana-republic dictatorship, whose borders have now extended to include most NAFTA countries! I understand that the project was mainly the brainchild of a Mr. Dylan and it is quite true that the dialogue could have used a little bit of expert editing at times, but who cares! This is happening cinema! Enjoy!

Aaron Louis Sqaat Lombard Arnold MASKED AND ANONYMOUS has potential to attract viewers as a curio. Don't let yourself be one of them. Bob Dylan may very well have had more impact on the music and poetry of the last forty years than any individual. Since sound movies began, it has seemingly been assumed that anyone who makes it in the music business has a good chance of making it in movies. Of course, there have been several exceptions, and when is anyone going to figure out that Bob Dylan is one of them? It doesn't make him less of a creative legend, and besides, he recently received an Oscar as a songwriter, so perhaps that's his cinematic forte. In 1973, his abysmal performance almost single-handedly sunk the movie PAT GARRETT AND BILLY THE KID. He went on to "act" in two majorly poorly received movies, RENALDO AND CLARA and HEARTS OF FIRE. For some reason, it seems many of Hollywood's finest jumped at the chance to appear in a movie with him, and once again, he's awful as an actor!! He plays it entirely one note, he seems forced, and he has no understanding of his character. That's not hard to conceive, as very little of anything about this mess of a movie makes any sense. It seems to be about a now separate post-revolution nation, in the southern California area, that is being ruled by a fascist leader. A sleazy promoter, John Goodman, and his partner, Jessica Lange, decide to put on a televised concert to raise money for the impoverished, although they may have ulterior motives, and they track down a fallen folk music legend, Dylan, with mysterious circumstances of his own. From there, a wide bevy of rather high quality actors filter across the jumbled screen doing seemingly improvised bits that are supposed to be political satire, and are just confusing. It goes off in confusing directions in the lives of a few of them, like Penelope Cruz and her religious fanaticism, and Goodman's bad choices in business. Luke Wilson plays a musician who tries to impress everyone, especially Dylan's character, with his high level of literacy. Might have worked in another film. As Dylan plays with a band, a few moments of relief start to occur, although each song is interrupted, and it's actually no better than any concert video he may have out there. The movie almost comes alive for about a minute, as a young girl named Tinashe Kachingwe turns up to sing an accapella version of "The Times They Are A-Changin'," which is both endearing and uplifting. Just not enough to save this disaster. It had played in the trailer anyway, so if you ever see the trailer, you'll truly see all this movie has to offer. Smart move on the advertising department.

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.