Jewel is June Carter Cash in Lifetime’s RING OF FIRE

Lifetime Channel‘s RING OF FIRE explores the successful career and life of June Carter Cash and her rough marriage to the “Man in Black,” Johnny Cash. Singer, songwriter and poet JEWEL and actor Matt Ross star as June and Johnny respectively and provide great performances in their assigned roles, showing it is possible for the Lifetime channel to produce a film that isn’t overly dramatic or heavily campy. The Ring of Fire television biopic is based on son John Carter Cash‘s written biography of his mother, Anchored in Love, and although the made-for-television show lacks some of the personal stories from his mother about her life experiences before and during her relationship with Cash–the TV movie does a decent premiere for a Lifetime Channel film.

June Carter Cash’s life is explored from her early days as a young singer performing in The Carter Family band with her sisters, mother and uncle–to her eventful solo career, and marriage to Johnny Cash in 1968, including her experiences during their more tumultuous years of Johnny’s drug use, June’s other two marriages are also explored and her relationship with their son John Carter Cash.

Ring of Fire is a surprisingly good TV movie, and although there were some acting missteps, it was an overall pleasant. There are some warm and intimate moments, and actresses who appeared as June Carter for each developmental stage of her professional life  facilitate Carter’s engaging and charming persona. The larger portion of the film is the relationship between herself and Johnny Cash. Although three of the other children are from both June and Johnny’s previous marriages–John Carter was the only child featured in a state of prominence.

Actor Matt Ross’ appearance as Johnny Cash is impressive from the beginning to end–accent and all–even has great on-screen chemistry with Jewel. Though the film quickly depict the crucial aspects of June’s life, it is a recommended watch for fans of the country music duo.

It’ll do.

Ring of Fire special features include:

•   Biography®: Johnny Cash Bonus Documentary

The bonus documentary cover Cash’s life from his hard childhood on the family cotton farm in Arkansas, his stint in the Air Force where he was a Morse Code interpreter and meeting his first wife Vivian. Cash honed his musical with his brothers and developed his familiar persona over time. The extras in the featurette also include an impressive biopic about the “Man in Black” and his amazing achievements both in and out of the music business.

Artwork and supplementary materials courtesy ©2013 of Lionsgate Home Entertainment. All rights reserved.

Winter is coming.

Finally, History® Channel‘s season one of Mountain Men made it to DVD. All the way from the rugged Blue Ride Mountains of North Carolina proves History® continues to produce high quality reality television programs.  Three men identify as self-proclaimed “mountain men”, individuals who take up refuge in remote spaces of nature away from modern civilization to live as our ancestors have done for hundreds of years. Although this type of living gives them great pleasure being near the land, isolation comes with its own set of troubles; hunting for food, keeping predators away, and surviving in harsh weather conditions without the help of nearby stores or neighbors. While many domesticated viewers wouldn’t imagine trading in their lives to become mountain people, the History Channel provides good insight into what it takes to live the life of a mountain man.

Eustace Conway, Tom Oar, and Marty Meierotto have been living off the rugged terrain in North Carolina, Alaska and Montana respectively for decades. Chopping wood, fetching fresh water, growing crops, and hunting animals are some of the many tasks they must get done to survive the harsh winters. No mistakes are allowed in the wild, and the worst-case scenario must always be taken into consideration while completing daily chores. Income is made by selling firewood and skinning animals and selling their hides, fur and antlers as show pieces or as specialty clothing items. A series of challenges aside from a harsh winter threaten the lifestyle of the three men; Conway is in danger of losing his land, and the cold weather limits the amount of animals Oar and Meierotto can gather to eat and utilize for their livelihoods. Mountain Men shows what it takes to survive in the wild, and these men, with their decades of experience, put all of their skills and knowledge to the test.

Unexpectedly, I intensely enjoyed my review copy. The show is very easy to get into and hooks you in minutes with the start of the first episode. Mountain Men works because of the challenging yet rewarding lives of the three individuals. Viewers can learn a thing or two about what it takes to thrive in the wild and take a mini-trip back into history when those before us lived in an era where there was no electricity. Though the mountain men do have assistance with tools such as chainsaws, snowmobiles, mini-airplanes for long distance trips and residences that do have electric power. But to be fair, those conveniences only lighten their workload slightly and credit must be given where it is due.

Highly Recommended.

MOUNTAIN MEN: Season One DVD Special features include:

•  25 minutes of bonus footage

•  The extra bonus footage reveals more details about the lives of the mountain men, including the personal and family lives of Tom Oar and Marty Meierotto. Oar’s wife, Nancy, is seen cleaning the skull of a deer to be used as a mount piece while Marty reveals he only indulges in his mountain man lifestyle for a few months a year because of his wife Dominque and daughter Noah. However he is seen passing his knowledge along to Noah in order for her to grow into an independent woman. Eustace shows how to preserve deer meat via the traditional process of canning (he also shows how to use deer tendon to sew a button back onto his shirt) and to make a fire using simple tools.

Artwork and supplementary materials courtesy of Mountain Men © 2012, Cover Art and Design © 2013 A&E Television Networks, LLC. All Rights Reserved.