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Plot:
A wandering troubadour named Jack Fate (Bob Dylan) is busted out of prison by his former manager (John Goodman) so he can perform at one last concert that may rekindle his career -- and perhaps help b...( read more 
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Masked And Anonymous Recent Reviews
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Recent Reviews
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MCT:June 21, 2008Not Interested
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What is so intriguing and interesting about this film is that it shows us some of Dylan's masks (the means by which he conceals his actual appearance) in order to examine what lies beneath them, and it also looks at his personality in order to suggest how he has protected, changed and diffused it. It gives us a good deal of truth about Dylan, but realises that in his case the best route to the truth is 'slant'.
Casting him in the role of 'Jack Fate' is essential to all this; it means we are pushed a step back from Dylan himself, and therefore see him more clearly. In some respects, Fate is not like Dylan at all - he is a rock star past his sell-by date, who has spent the last twenty-odd years playing in obscure honky tonks and bars and refusing to deal with the dodgy administrators of the music business. At the same time, he has qualities we recognise as Dylan's own: he shares Dylan's deepest preoccupations, and he plays his music (of course). In particular, Fate is like Dylan because he exists at the point where an amazingly creative imagination is permanently scrutinised by its audience. He wants to think of his work as a self-sufficient universe, but his is constantly - sometimes threateningly - required to interpret it, and to justify or explain its connection to surrounding events.
At the film's savage climax, Friend attacks Uncle Sweetheart, and is in turn attacked by Fate then Cupid - who murders him. As we watch the journalist bleed to death, it's hard not to think that Fate/Dylan is getting his revenge for a lifetime of intrusion - but when Fate is falsely accused of the murder, and taken off for sentence, we realise that things are not as straightforward as that. Fate meets his fate without complaining, and in his silence seems to assent to the accusation made against him.
On the face of it, Masked and Anonymous is a film about political corruption, the tensions between religions, and shady business deals - all subjects close to Dylan's heart. Its deeper concerns are closer still: do artists have a responsibility to interpret their work? What value does art have in a corrupt world, and what use? How can the artist protect his gift from his admirers, let alone his detractors? And then there's a third and even more personal level of interrogation. Can happiness be pursued, or must we wait for it to come to us? Are dreams an acceptable alternative to realities? Can our tangled relationships with family and loved ones ever be 'straightened out'?
At all these depths, and in all these respects, the film is deeply engaging. It is also revelatory - in the paradoxical sense that it allows Dylan to say some important things out loud, and to keep the silences, and retain the elements of mystery, which are essential to his genius. We should ask for nothing else. And if there are people watching who still can't resist trying to rip off the mask, and shatter the anonymity - well, they should concentrate on the face we see in the film, and the music we hear. The face with its extraordinary mixture of immobility and expressiveness. The music with its exhilarating sweep and range, and its delivery in a voice which with every passing year has become more haunting in its grace, more compelling in its command. -
MCT:September 29, 2008wow i have just seen this movie 4 the 1st time n this is a brilliant movie 2 watch...this has got a good cast of actors/actressess throughout this movie...i think that bob dylan is plays a good part throughout this movie...john goodman is great as the manager...i think that the director of this Art House & International, Drama, Comedy movie had done a good job of directing this movie because you never know what 2 expect throughout this movie...its really enjoyable throughout...i think that Jeff Bridges, Penélope Cruz and Jessica Lange all play good parts throughout this movie...its a good movie 2 watch
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MCT:July 6, 2008Love & hate this movie. Seinfield creators getting stupid in following Bob Dylan & the people that he meets. Good movie but it kind of wonders all over, just like Seifield.
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MCT:March 19, 2008
Okay, so Bob Dylan's definitely not the greatest actor on the planet, and this movie's a bit confusing sometimes. Despite of that, I like this movie, but maybe it's just because of Bob Dylan I do so. Also, Jeff Bridges is in this movie, and he's always GREAT.
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