not the eyes!!!
Sep. 12th, 2003 02:14 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rivendellroseSaw "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" last night with my housemate Josie and some of her friends, at a free midnight preview at the Metro. I was a little unsure of whether I should go or not, considering it's not at all my usual sort of movie, not to mention being rated R. For those who don't know, I've got a reputation as an awful gore-wimp... and I don't mean the former presidential candidate.
However, this movie was worth it.
Yes, there were definitely some gorey spots. There were some that I saw coming and was able to close and/or lower my eyes in time to avoid... and there were some that I caught full-force. And they weren't pretty. On the other hand, I laughed *a lot*. Even at some stuff that, if somebody were to explain it, wouldn't really sound like it ought to be funny. This is random, bizarre, morbid humor at it's best, my friends, and it's delightful.
Willem Dafoe is... his usual self. Honestly, I'm starting to feel sorry for the man with the way he seems always stuck playing the same character. He's good at what he does, but it's kinda sad--I suspect he could do so much more, if allowed.
Antonio Banderes (or however the hell you spell that) was also his usual self--the dark, brooding, kickass hero. He's kinda sexy, kinda impressive, kinda fun. *Shrugs*
Salma Hyek, despite getting something like second billing for this movie, had a grand total of probably 10 minutes through the whole movie. She was DEAD for crying out loud--everything she's in is flashbacks. Being that I'm something of a fan of her, I was disappointed. However, she totally kicks ass in her first scene... so that was fun.
The real star, from the moment he walks in, is definitely Johnny Depp. Sure, the movie is *about* El Mariachi (Banderas). I couldn't really have cared less, though. He was sympathetic, ok, but not like Johnny Depp's character. The man is a genius. He is an acting GOD. Little actors should look up to this man and pray that they someday will have half the skill he has at pulling off a character who ought to be an un-likeable freak bastard, but manages to be absolutely wonderful and (god help us all) loveable. And no, it's not just those gorgeous brown eyes (although that certainly doesn't hurt) or that perfect face (neither does that, naturally).
By the last third of the movie, I had totally lost track of the plot--my grasp on the exact plan had been not even tenuous to begin with, and multitudinous double-crossings later, I just plain gave up--but I still had my single goal: I wanted Johnny's character and the sweet retired FBI guy (I *will* find out that actor's name because he looked *awfully* familiar) to live. At one point, I even gave up that much--all I wanted was for Johnny to have a single bullet left, to kill one of the double-crossing villains.
It's a fun movie. It's got the visual stylings of a comic book (I'm not the only one who thought this), and the rest of the characters make up for the overly angst-driven primary plot centered on Antonio. I didn't even hate Enrique Eglacias. He was actually quite tolerable, despite my usual hatred for singers-turned-actors.
On the other hand, I can't be totally held responsible for my opinions of this movie. After all, I was under the influence of a highly addictive mind-altering substance...
Those gorgeous, mind-blowing brown eyes.
However, this movie was worth it.
Yes, there were definitely some gorey spots. There were some that I saw coming and was able to close and/or lower my eyes in time to avoid... and there were some that I caught full-force. And they weren't pretty. On the other hand, I laughed *a lot*. Even at some stuff that, if somebody were to explain it, wouldn't really sound like it ought to be funny. This is random, bizarre, morbid humor at it's best, my friends, and it's delightful.
Willem Dafoe is... his usual self. Honestly, I'm starting to feel sorry for the man with the way he seems always stuck playing the same character. He's good at what he does, but it's kinda sad--I suspect he could do so much more, if allowed.
Antonio Banderes (or however the hell you spell that) was also his usual self--the dark, brooding, kickass hero. He's kinda sexy, kinda impressive, kinda fun. *Shrugs*
Salma Hyek, despite getting something like second billing for this movie, had a grand total of probably 10 minutes through the whole movie. She was DEAD for crying out loud--everything she's in is flashbacks. Being that I'm something of a fan of her, I was disappointed. However, she totally kicks ass in her first scene... so that was fun.
The real star, from the moment he walks in, is definitely Johnny Depp. Sure, the movie is *about* El Mariachi (Banderas). I couldn't really have cared less, though. He was sympathetic, ok, but not like Johnny Depp's character. The man is a genius. He is an acting GOD. Little actors should look up to this man and pray that they someday will have half the skill he has at pulling off a character who ought to be an un-likeable freak bastard, but manages to be absolutely wonderful and (god help us all) loveable. And no, it's not just those gorgeous brown eyes (although that certainly doesn't hurt) or that perfect face (neither does that, naturally).
By the last third of the movie, I had totally lost track of the plot--my grasp on the exact plan had been not even tenuous to begin with, and multitudinous double-crossings later, I just plain gave up--but I still had my single goal: I wanted Johnny's character and the sweet retired FBI guy (I *will* find out that actor's name because he looked *awfully* familiar) to live. At one point, I even gave up that much--all I wanted was for Johnny to have a single bullet left, to kill one of the double-crossing villains.
It's a fun movie. It's got the visual stylings of a comic book (I'm not the only one who thought this), and the rest of the characters make up for the overly angst-driven primary plot centered on Antonio. I didn't even hate Enrique Eglacias. He was actually quite tolerable, despite my usual hatred for singers-turned-actors.
On the other hand, I can't be totally held responsible for my opinions of this movie. After all, I was under the influence of a highly addictive mind-altering substance...
Those gorgeous, mind-blowing brown eyes.
