ELI JAMES is an actor, writer, songwriter and standup in New York.
His Broadway credits include the National Theatre of Great Britain's "One Man, Two Guvnors," directed by Nicholas Hytner, and Alex Timbers's and Michael Friedman's "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson." His solo show "William and the Tradesmen" has been performed at Ars Nova, La Mama, and The Drilling Company. Further stage credits include "Rutherford and Son" and "Temporal Powers" at The Mint, "The Four of Us" at Manhattan Theatre Club, "Becky Shaw" at Boston’s Huntington Theater, and the world premiere of Jason Grote’s "Maria/Stuart," directed by Pam McKinnon. His TV credits include "Gossip Girl," "Lights Out," and "Murder in Manhattan." He co-founded, wrote and performed with the sketch comedy group Quiet Library at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, and currently performs with improv team Pleading Softly. His essay "Finding the Beat" was published in the Random House collection "Twentysomething Essays by Twentysomething Writers," a Boston Globe Bestseller.
I mean, really. Give me a break will you, America? I knew this film was a bad idea when I'd first heard about it. A bunch of actors play a version of the young Bob Dylan, but it's not really Bob Dylan. Why? It's naturally going to attract Bob Dylan fans, and we already know the story, so why would we want to see some scene from "Don't Look Back" fictionalized and hear "Ballad of a Thin Man" sung by Cate Blanchett?
But then it got such good buzz, and my natural fondness for Dylan and the period made buy a ticket. I was then subjected to the most cloying, condescending, umimaginative and boring "art-house" bio-interpolation ever made. Full of super-cool shots and jump-cuts that tell no story. And, again, I can't ask this enough of director Todd Haynes, WHAT WAS THE POINT? What was the meaning of dressing up five movie movie stars as Bob Dylan, calling them by other names, and even having them speak words uttered by the real Dylan in interviews, live performances and songs? What would I gain from viewing that that I couldn't gain from watching "No Direction Home" (which is a brilliant documentary and a better use of four hours on any day) or "Don't Look Back" or listening to "Bringing it all Back Home?" I think all the actors just wanted to look cool, so they signed on to this project in which they get to play Dylan in his early twenties ('cause you can't get much cooler than that), and they get to sing his songs and come up with award-winning impressions of him. There was no story, no movie! Just a lot of impressions - and no actor, no matter how good, can do what the real Dylan did! Otherwise, they'd be rock legends too!
While sitting in the theater, thinking how I wisehed I'd gone to the Walter Reade Theater instead to watch that new doc containing new footage from Newport Folk Festival, I also thought, "Yes, America really is in the shithole, isn't it? When this - this piece of dumbed-down art-house dreck - can be lauded as a great piece of real cinema." I guess I did learn something from "I'm Not There" - that if you stick Bob Dylan's legend onto anything it gains instant credibility.
This is not anger. I'm reserving my real rage for when this thing gets Oscar noms.
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I mean, really. Give me a break will you, America? I knew this film was a bad idea when I'd first heard about it. A bunch of actors play a version of the young Bob Dylan, but it's not really Bob Dylan. Why? It's naturally going to attract Bob Dylan fans, and we already know the story, so why would we want to see some scene from "Don't Look Back" fictionalized and hear "Ballad of a Thin Man" sung by Cate Blanchett?
But then it got such good buzz, and my natural fondness for Dylan and the period made buy a ticket. I was then subjected to the most cloying, condescending, umimaginative and boring "art-house" bio-interpolation ever made. Full of super-cool shots and jump-cuts that tell no story. And, again, I can't ask this enough of director Todd Haynes, WHAT WAS THE POINT? What was the meaning of dressing up five movie movie stars as Bob Dylan, calling them by other names, and even having them speak words uttered by the real Dylan in interviews, live performances and songs? What would I gain from viewing that that I couldn't gain from watching "No Direction Home" (which is a brilliant documentary and a better use of four hours on any day) or "Don't Look Back" or listening to "Bringing it all Back Home?" I think all the actors just wanted to look cool, so they signed on to this project in which they get to play Dylan in his early twenties ('cause you can't get much cooler than that), and they get to sing his songs and come up with award-winning impressions of him. There was no story, no movie! Just a lot of impressions - and no actor, no matter how good, can do what the real Dylan did! Otherwise, they'd be rock legends too!
While sitting in the theater, thinking how I wisehed I'd gone to the Walter Reade Theater instead to watch that new doc containing new footage from Newport Folk Festival, I also thought, "Yes, America really is in the shithole, isn't it? When this - this piece of dumbed-down art-house dreck - can be lauded as a great piece of real cinema." I guess I did learn something from "I'm Not There" - that if you stick Bob Dylan's legend onto anything it gains instant credibility.
This is not anger. I'm reserving my real rage for when this thing gets Oscar noms.
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