it was men-to-be

The Constant Gardener: There's not much to say about Ralph Fiennes in The Constant Gardener. The movie happened each time Rachael Weiz walked in, and paused each time she walked off. No matter how hard Ralph tried to pull off the subterfuge, the jealous husband, and the weed puller, he couldn't get the camera to fall in love with him, as Rachael unintentionally did. She was provocative, honest, and completely impassioned in her role as the vociferous activist for the down-trodden in Africa.
As with most other movies set in Africa, some of the shots were heart-rending, others kept reminding you of India.
The plot weakens in places, but it manages to keep you spell-bound with the rest. Not to be missed. Especially the politics of the giant pharamceuticals in under-developed countries. It's enough grist for the NGO mills.
Walk the line: Joaquim Phoenix, that's what the movie was. But yes, Reese Winterspoon won the Oscar for her role as his one and only love interest. Phoenix was Johnny Cash all the way, the way he swaggered, hung his guitar, or twisted his facial expressions. His love-sick moments were quite commendable, the drug battle even more so. There were so many parallels here to Ray Charles -- both men lost a sibling at a very young age and blamed themselves for it, were very very unfaithful to their wives, and pursued drugs for a good night's sleep. The only difference was that Ray married the right woman, and Johnny Cash the wrong. That's what made their music so impassioned?