I'm (So) There

Picture the scene. It's a dark, windy evening in Dublin city centre, with rain splashing around my hood and my bag uncomfortably heavy with textbooks. I'm not in altogether the best of moods, the bus into town was crowded and smelt of hot, damp bodies and I now have to go to Irish classes for an hour and a half. On my way, I decided to take a tiny detour and nip into the IFI to check if their new brochure is out. Within seconds, my mood has changed, there's a lightness in my step and glee rising in my throat; I'm Not There is opening on 21st December. It's the first I've heard of an Irish release date for the Tod Hayne's Dylan biopic, which I've been patiently waiting for for quite some time. I'm by no means a Dylan buff, or even much of a fan - I like some of his songs, but not enough to ever purchase any - and I know next to nothing about his life (to give you an idea of the lack of depth in my Dylan knowledge base, I'll confess that for years I thought he was singing Tango Lovin' Blues, which I still think is a superior title). Yet, everything I read about I'm Not There appeals to me. The initial premise, the cast, the cinematography, the director, Tobias Funkee as Ginsberg - I honestly think it's one of the most novel, interesting and downright exciting ideas of 2007.

The soundtrack disc seems tailored to my tastes, too.* Have a look (I've bolded the ones that interest me the most)


Disc 1
1. Eddie Vedder and the Million Dollar Bashers: "All Along the Watchtower"
2. Sonic Youth: "I'm Not There"
3. Jim James and Calexico: "Goin' to Acapulco"
4. Richie Havens: "Tombstone Blues"
5. Stephen Malkmus and the Million Dollar Bashers: "Ballad of a Thin Man"
6. Cat Power: "Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again"
7. John Doe: "Pressing On"
8. Yo La Tengo: "Fourth Time Around"
9. Iron and Wine and Calexico: "Dark Eyes"
10. Karen O and the Million Dollar Bashers: "Highway 61 Revisited"
11. Roger McGuinn and Calexico: "One More Cup of Coffee"
12. Mason Jennings: "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll"
13. Los Lobos: "Billy"
14. Jeff Tweedy: "Simple Twist of Fate"
15. Mark Lanegan: "The Man in the Long Black Coat"
16. Willie Nelson and Calexico: "Señor (Tales of Yankee Power)"

Disc 2
1. Mira Billotte: "As I Went Out One Morning"
2. Stephen Malkmus and Lee Ranaldo: "Can't Leave Her Behind"
3. Sufjan Stevens: "Ring Them Bells"
4. Charlotte Gainsbourg and Calexico: "Just Like a Woman"
5. Jack Johnson: "Mama You've Been on My Mind"
6. Yo La Tengo: "I Wanna Be Your Lover"
7. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova: "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere"
8. The Hold Steady: "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window"
9. Ramblin' Jack Elliott: "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues"
10. The Black Keys: "Wicked Messenger"
11. Tom Verlaine and the Million Dollar Bashers: "Cold Irons Bound"
12. Mason Jennings: "The Times They Are a-Changin'"
13. Stephen Malkmus and the Million Dollar Bashers: "Maggie's Farm"
14. Marcus Carl Franklin: "When the Ship Comes In"
15. Bob Forrest: "Moonshiner"
16. John Doe: "I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine"
17. Antony and the Johnsons: "Knockin' on Heaven's Door"
18. Bob Dylan: "I'm Not There"

But that wasn't the best film news I got all day. Oh, dear me no. That honour would go to the rereleasing of All About Eve! A brand new 35mm print, no less. It's showing for three days after Christmas. Just thinking about watching it on a large screen, in the sensory depravation zone of a cinema, with a bevy of other Eve-fans, makes me feel all tingly inside.

*If you trawl over to the film's MySpace (I find it slightly disconcerting that films have social networking sights, but whatever), you can listen to a selection of the cover songs, including Sufjan Stevens and Cat Power.