A Máscara do Anonimato

I had read so many bad reviews of this movie. I'd read it was impossible to follow; I'd read that the dialogue was banal; Roger Ebert gave it half a star, claiming it was too ambiguous. So, when I saw Masked & Anonymous, I was prepared for the worse.

Instead, as soon as the movie began, and that Spanish Version of My Back Pages started playing to bomb explosions and imagery of a future gone wrong, I realize: I'm going to like this movie.

First, the plot, far too incredible to really explain here (And it sort of depends on your point of view anyways) is very creative in that it conveys an incredible amount of symbolism. On one hand, this is a movie that mocks rock music (Think of the scene where Uncle Sweetheart tells Fate "You're gonna play rock and roll get rich launch your career and bring world peace all at the same time!") On the other hand, this could be Dylan's way of telling us who he really is. "Maybe I'm just a singer and nothing more" he tells us. He's tired of being made to be a counter cultural liberal protester. He's tired of people who think he only writes anti-war songs. Think of the scene where a woman brings her daughter to see Dylan. When Dylan learns that the little girl knows all his lyrics he asks "What'd she do that for?" And the mother quickly responds "Because I made her." This movie is about so many things: You just have to see it and every time you see it again you'll see more.

Concerning the dialogue. Many people say the dialogue is contrived, banal, or mindlessly poetic. To such people I reccomend they read Shakespeare (He's in the alley). Dylan has been hailed as a modern Shakespeare, so it is not wonder that this movie has the same beautiful poetry that his songs do.

But I will grant this: Bad actors would never be able to pull off this script. And this was probably the movie's strongest feature: Incredible acting. John Goodman deserves an Emmy for his portrayal of the scheming Uncle Sweetheart. Val Kilmer shocked me with his ability to portray the crazed Animal Wrangler. Jessica Lange gave the best performance of her career. The list goes on... Mickey Rourke, Ed Harris, Christian Slater, all surprised me with brilliant acting.

If you have the chance to see this movie, just once, do so. And forgive its few shortcomings-- it was made on short notice, and its messages were meant to transcend all imperfections for movie rookie director Larry Charles. This movie will probably be forgotten one day, which is unfortunate, because rarely is a movie this original.

A puzzling, very dark, far-fetched and totally abstract political satire that is revealed through the film's dialogue and the contents in the 7 songs of Dylan's Jack Fate. Fate (supposedly to be a pun?), a faded (looks kind of jaded in his looks,too!) cult-singer gets out of prison to play at a benefit concert for the victims of wars. Fate performs with a band, called Twist of Fate. The film offers an ‘Armageddon' view of an artist's loss of creative freedom to a consumer-consumed corrupted and politically-correct society. Will Fate forgo his freedom of artistic expressions to satisfy the commercial ideals of the corporate world. The themes of government corruption, female deceit, and the need for a messiah are also constantly evoked. It's Fate's concept of a world of madness and perfidy, and the corruption of society. There doesn't seem to be any plot in this film, but it sure feels like it does have loads of messages to pass on! The location (with ‘science-fiction' landscapes of a crumbling society) may be "Somewhere in America" - a notice, at the beginning, seems to suggest so. There are unexplainable groups, rioting or carrying out terrorist acts or even military operations. There are canvas images of a dictator-like "President" (a reminder of Saddam Hussein?) scattered in between scenes. Is the location totalitarian? The film does imply that the location has nothing positive to offer – bringing to mind the Orwellian Dystopia! The viewer does get to see this location turn into a police state.

The relationship between all characters, except for that between Fate and Luke Wilson's Bobby Cupid, seem cold and ugly. Art vs. commerce is metaphorically represented by the roles of John Goodman and Jessica Lange. There are several references to contemporary news. Giovanni Ribisi plays a confused man eager to join the insurgents, and discovers their funding is by the government they are hoping to topple. Perhaps, a John Walker Lindh? Jeff Bridges plays an aggressive journalist. "I'm on your side," he tells Jack. Jack responds with: "That depends on your point of view." Take heed of the wisdom of Ed Harris' blackfaced ‘Al Jolson' minstrel-show character – to avoid Fate's fate! The film's finale occurs as a result of a ‘Pretender' presiding over the location. That strikes me as the most powerful ending I've seen this year!

It's a complex film that cries for opinionated answers – even harder to analyze than Jean-Luc Godard's ‘60s movie or Fellini's La Dolce Vita – or even Mulholland Drive! One would see it as a brilliant attempt, or hate it without any ‘buts'!

I actually hated the movie at the end of it, but given time, discussion and re-thinking, I've found this film excitingly interesting and clever!

Sure, Masked and Anonymous (or M&A, as I fondly like to call it) is convoluted and pretentious. Sure, it has ridiculously banal dialogue that makes Forrest Gump sound like an intellectual. Sure, there are preposterously-named characters (Jack Fate, Tom Friend, Uncle Sweetheart, et al) and let's face it, no one actually has a coherent conversation throughout the entire proceeding. But it's not predictable - that counts for something in my book, anyway, and it has Bob Dylan (looking more and more like Salvador Dali in every scene - all he needed was the mustache wax), and Jeff Bridges always rocks. Here's the bottom line for me, though: any film that has a bearded, bare-armed and derangedly disheveled Val Kilmer deliver the title phrase (while fondling a bunny rabbit) can't be all bad.

you cant get much bigger of a Bob Dylan fan than me, but i tried my best to not let that interfere with my evaluation of the movie. If you like Dylan, and at least think you understand him, you'll like the movie. Today, there are 4 cookie cutter classes of movies...your drama, bathroom humor slapstick comedy, your romantic comedy, and everything else. I cant say that this is the best movie ever, but i can say that it was a nice escape from these categories, as about 20% of the year's movies are.

Abstract is what keeps my faith in the modern day films alive. Have a nice day.

What do Bad Boys II, The Hulk, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle and Masked and Anonymous have in common? They were all released in the summer of 2003. Unlike the first three mentioned, 'Masked and Anonymous' is certainly not an action blockbuster or popcorn flick. It's not the kind of movie that you can sit in the sun all day and then show up for and check your brain at the door. (It does have a limited release, so maybe it will be fall/winter by the time it reaches your town.)

I recently saw this at a deserted mall in Los Angeles with a couple of friends, one proclaiming it the worst movie he'd ever seen. (Usually I'd debate them on the car ride back, but I was too busy absorbing what I had just seen.)

It's been about a week since I saw the flick and I'm still forming an opinion, which counts for something. The biggest thing I'm trying to figure out is if the whole movie is just a big joke perpetuated by Bob Dylan and Larry Charles. Considering Charles' work on "Seinfeld" (The Limo, The Opera, etc.) I have a good feeling it is. But it's a good joke, playing to all sides. Detractors can knock the movie because of lack of plot, while Dylan fans can search to find a deeper meaning. It seems Charles and Dylan are sitting back laughing at both of them. (Just as net geeks can chuckle at Dylan's crack at acting.)

In terms of history, 'Masked and Anonymous' won't make any critics best lists or AFI specials, the film is simply not that great. However, the ideas put forth by it, are certainly worthwhile. No matter how you want to slice it, there are certain parallels between the world of Masked and Anonymous and our current world situation. Does Dylan have the answers to this, no, he clearly states he doesn't. He's just a song-and-dance man after all. No sense getting worked up over questions that cannot be answers, but it's fun trying to, right? (That paradox is the crux of the film.)

In closing, yes the movie borders on pretentious and yes it lacks a solid narrative. But considering that 99 percent of movies are pretty cookie cutter and have as much substance as a marshmallow, 'Masked and Anonymous' should be praised for taking a risk and actually questioning the audience. (Not in the sense that Bruce Willis was actually a ghost the whole time.)

On a final side note, it is disturbing to see Walter and the Dude at each other's throats.