Movie Night: ****^Spiderwick Chronicles; ****I Walk The Line

I Found Spiderwick Chronicles (2008) among our personal family DVDs and realized I hadn't watched it; although I did read the book sometime ago.  I think the movie is very true to the book, and one think I had difficulty understanding in the book was the manipulation of time, which was much more clear in the movie.  The ogres and Mulgarath, (Nick Nolte) are just despicable, and their green blood is gross.  Freddie Highmore plays a dual roll of twin brothers.  (I was confused at first until I looked up the casting.  Their sister is portrayed by Sarah Bolger.  Jared, one of the twins, finds a book written by his great-great uncle after the move into the Spiderwick mansion.  There is a warning placed on the book to not read it under threat of death.  He reads anyway, and sets off a series of events with trolls and Mulgarath wanting the book, and willing to kill to get it.  The children's mother (Mary-Louise Parker) doesn't believe in the beasts, and thinks it is just her son's anger coming out.  Her son is angry because dad has left the family.  Spiderwick is very well done.  It is exciting, but also has good story, and characters with interesting powers and motivations.

I Walk the Line I also found in our personal DVDs.  It is the story of Johnny Cash (Joaquin Phoenix and June Carter (Reese Witherspoon).  I assume the actors are singing the songs in the movie, and do an admirable job.  I get carried away by the music, but more so by the characters of John Cash and June Carter.  John Cash was tormented by a poor relationship with his father, and by the death of his older brother in an accident with a saw. I guess this combined with the stress of his career lead to drug addiction.  Another consequence of his lifestyle was the dissolving of his marriage.  June is instrumental in helping overcome drugs for a period, and following his being sober for six months they become engaged.  Drug addiction was a lifelong struggle for Johnny Cash, and the movie portrays the consequences drugs can have.