Our Daily Trailer: I’M NOT THERE

Biopics usually suck, and a Bob Dylan biopic seems like it would be even worse than your run-of-the-mill biopic. Simply telling the events of Dylan's life doesn't work, so Todd Haynes - genius that he is - embraced the chameleonic nature of Dylan and made a biopic featuring a host of different Dylans.

I think this is what makes Dylan a uniquely modern human - the fluidity of his identity. There are so many Dylans, each of them valid and excellent. His brand is the malleability of his brand, something that feels very current in an ever-changing world of saturated media coverage. If one Dylan doesn't suit your tastes, another will be along shortly.

I'm Not There is a wonderful movie, if one that's aimed fairly squarely at Dylan afficianados. Haynes has perfectly cast the different Dylans, giving us a representation of each phase of the man's life and his persona. Christian Bale as the angry, idealistic Dylan? Ideal. Cate Blanchett as the transormational electric Dylan? Wow. Heath Ledger as the dreamy troubador? Perfect. And Marcus Carl Franklin as the child of Woody Guthrie and railroad hobos Dylan? I could watch a whole movie of that.

Between this film, Velvet Goldmine and Superstar, Todd Haynes has cemented himself as the ultimate translator of 20th century music to the screen. His latest work was Mildred Pierce for HBO, but I'm hoping he gets back to something musical in the near future.