Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You…Maybe

A Random Fandom Update!

Since this topic of conversation came up, thought I might go over my musings on some upcoming films.

Enola Holmes: Saw the ad for this, coming to Netflix September 23rd. It looks exciting! The premise is Enola is the younger sister to the famous Mycroft and Sherlock Holmes. Her mother (not sure if it’s their mother as well) has gone missing and she’s called them in for help. Sherlock, played by Henry Cavill, seems nice. Mycroft looks like a prick who wants to turn their younger sister into a “proper young lady.” And I love that Enola is decidedly not. Looking forward to this!

Black Widow: I will admit, I was excited when this was first announced. Black Widow totally deserves her own film and Marvel did great with Captain Marvel. Then the trailer released and I finally read that it takes place between Civil War and Infinity War, which helps make sense. Yes, I totally want to see Black Widow’s origins and her kicking butt, however, the armor looks out of place. Black Widow wears sleek suits so she can slide between her opponents and she’s trained to avoid hits. And the “family” aspect…seems a bit out of place. Honestly, we want the movie that is Hawkeye and Black Widow in Budapest, teased in Avengers. Will I see it? Of course.

Mulan: I am not going to pay the higher premium to watch in on Disney+, I’ll wait till it’s properly released and you can rent it like normal. I get that Disney is taking the story back to its more original roots, but I feel like it’s going to lose that Disney touch. It’s not a musical, though they seem to be using the Reflections theme. And with the more serious tone, they’ve probably lost Mushu and he was half the fun! At some point I’ll watch it.

Wonder Woman 1984: Still excited about this one because I love the first one. Steve Trevor is back and I’d love to know how. The most recent trailer shows Diana’s adversary who transforms into a cat somehow? I will admit, I am not up on Wonder Woman lore, but it just makes me cock my head and go “huh.” The gold suit looks ridiculous, especially after how awesome they made her armor in the first film. Will still see, possibly in theatres.

No Time To Die: The twenty-fifth James Bond film and appears to pick up after Spectre. Bond has retired with Madeleine Swann, though they don’t appear to still be a couple in the trailer. Bond is called back to action. I mean, now that I’m caught up on the new Bond films, I definitely want to see this and see how things play out. I am currently enjoying a slew of James Bond/Sherlock crossover stories; some of the dialogue is absolutely hilarious.

Of course there is also the final seven episodes of Supernatural due out in October and November. I guarantee I will cry. I go back and forth on how I think they will end it. I believe Jensen Ackles has stated he would be willing to come back and do a movie; so they can’t fully kill the boys off, but then how else are you going to end the show? In case there isn’t a film? Pretty sure their destiny is to die, saving the world (as long as you make sure idiot Chuck goes first)

We shall eagerly wait and see how all these stories play out.

Bond film blogs will continue.

Well, he did return the car…in relatively one piece

Tomorrow Never Dies

The second Pierce Brosnan Bond film. Features Jonathan Pryce as Elliott Carver (yeah, a bit disconcerting to watch this after seeing him as Governor Swann in Pirates of the Caribbean). Julian Fellowes (yep, the creator of Downton Abbey) makes an appearance as well, and if the admiral later in the film looks familiar, that is Michael Byrne (he appears as Merlin in The Mists of Avalon and Treville in The Musketeer, as well as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade).

The opening takes place at an arms bazaar on the Russian border, the British intelligence office looking in. Of course, the military wants to just bomb it and be done, but M urges caution; there is more intelligence to be gleaned. Well, the admiralty fires a missile anyway and orders MI6’s agent, Bond, to get out of there. Oh wait, there’s a very dangerous nuclear torpedo on site that you don’t want blown up. Bond does his job, disrupts the bazaar, blows things up, and flies the plane out of there in the nick of time.

The main plot starts with a British ship in the South China Sea. Two Chinese MiGs fly by and warn that the ship is in Chinese water. According to the ship’s navigation, they’re in international water. What neither side knows is that at Carver Media headquarters, the whole mess is being directed by Carver. In the water he has a stealth ship that drills into the British ship and then fires missiles at the Chinese, all to start an international incident. He also has an encoder that has managed to scramble the British signal and they were actually in the wrong area. Elliot Carver’s plan is simply to become the head of the largest media conglomeration and he’ll do that by writing tomorrow’s headlines today. And by instigating the disasters and then he’ll have exclusive coverage.

Bond is sent to investigate; M suggests pumping his old fling, Paris for information, because Paris is now married to Elliott Carver. He has forty-eight hours to discover the truth before the fleet moves in. Carver suspects Bond of something and his little stooge is listening in and discovers that Paris knows Bond. So he sends his wife after Bond. She of course succumbs to Bond’s charm again even though they both fight it. Bond doesn’t want to put her in danger, but Paris knows what kind of man her husband is and gives Bond the information he needs. Bond offers to protect her, but she declines. Carver sends a “doctor” to his wife anyway.

After Bond infiltrates Carver’s office, he steals back the encoder and meets Chinese intelligence agent, Wai Lin. When Bond returns to his room, he discovers Paris dead and the assassin waiting for him. The “doctor” [is it just me, or is he a little clichéd?] is a professional and sits his victim down to talk to him first. Bond still overpowers him and escapes, leading to an expert car chase in the parking garage. Bond gets to use the remote control that Q created (very cool). He then meets up with the Americans near the South China Sea to return their encoder and they discover that it sent the British ship off course. Bond elects to HALO jump into Vietnamese territory and dive down to the wreck for further investigation. There, he encounters Wai Lin again and they discover that one of the ship’s missiles is missing. Once the pair surfaces, they’re taken by Carver’s men and he goes into his villainous monologue. He intends for his associate to torture and kill them. Of course, Wai Lin and Bond work together and escape, leading to a rather hilarious motorbike chase while the pair is handcuffed and have to negotiate how they sit on and steer the bike.

After destroying a marketplace, Wai Lin is determined to finish the mission on her own, but Bond follows her. Good thing, because Carver has sent more local men. Now, Wai Lin takes them out on her on (super cool) and Bond just gets to knock out the last guy holding a gun. Wai Lin agrees to work with a “decadent, corrupt Western agent,” and they both agree to get their governments talking to each other to stop the debacle. They just have to figure out where Carver’s stealth boat is hidden. The two agents sneak on and start setting bombs, but they’re quickly discovered. Wai Lin is captured and Bond makes it look like he’s dead, so he can continue to sneak about. Carver’s plan to further the explosive situation is to fire the British missile into China and then China will retaliate and thus the British fleet with retaliate further.

And how do you expect it to end? Wai Lin gets free and stops the stealth ship; they’ve managed to get word to both militaries to be on the lookout for a stealth ship. Bond causes an explosion that makes the ship a target and the Brits start firing. Bond uses the drill on Carver, then rescues Wai Lin, after he takes on Carver’s last man and sets the missile to explode (complete with witty one liner: “I owe you an unpleasant death, Mr. Bond”). HUGE fireball! And Bond gets a little more time “undercover” with Wai Lin.

Carver is just an ego maniac. He admits he likes an audience to his plans. He quotes Hearst: “you provide the pictures, I will provide the war,” and takes that as his goal in life. I spend most of the film wanting Bond to punch him in the face. The film also shows its age a bit; the Internet is burgeoning, GPS is new, techno babble that most people don’t understand. Now, I find the storyline a little dull; but it is also still completely plausible. That kind of situation is still possible today. Pierce as Bond is charming and suave and I enjoy seeing the tender side of him; he cares about the women he encounters. I appreciate that Wai Lin holds her own, but her character seems sort of thrown in.

Next Time: The World is Not Enough

“Shut the door, Alec! There’s a draft!”

GoldenEye

My parents have watched most all of the James Bond films, but Pierce Brosnan is my mom’s favorite Bond actor, so those were the movies that went on when I was growing up. So I’m starting with those; I’ve seen bits of the older movies, but I have not watched a Sean Connery Bond film all the way through (I’ll get to it, someday).

James Bond started as a novel series by Ian Fleming. His main character, James Bond, goes by the codename “007” (the double-O status means he has “license to kill”) and is a member of the British secret service (MI6; which is a real thing). Bond is also known for beating up bad guys and seducing women along the way; I believe I’ve heard “women want him and men want to be him.” He’s suave, charming, and deadly. Usually seen in a well-cut suit sipping a vodka martini, shaken, not stirred, and a different Bond girl on his arm in every movie.

GoldenEye is Pierce Brosnan’s first Bond movie; he was supposed to star in The Living Daylights, but the show Remington Steele (which has some Bond elements to it; I recommend you check it out) held on to Pierce. Sean Bean (Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings are two of his later hits, but he’s also appeared in Patriot Games and National Treasure [which I’ll get to], as well as Troy, the show Medici [which also starred Thrones‘ Richard Madden and Merlin’s Bradley James], Sharpe, and Percy Jackson) is Alec Trevelyan. Famke Janssen (Jean Grey in the earlier 2000’s X-Men) is Xenia Onatopp, Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid in Harry Potter) is Valentin Zukovksy, Alan Cumming (“Rooster” Hannigan in Disney’s production of Annie, he was also in the 2000’s X-Men movies as Kurt Wagner/ Nightcrawler) is Boris Grishenko. Samantha Bond (Lady Rosamund, Robert’s sister in Downton Abbey, and is part of the Who-verse from her appearance in The Sarah Jane Adventures) appears as Moneypenny, Desmond Llewelyn continues as Q (Coggins in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), and the iconic Judi Dench is the new M. [This is the only Bond movie where James Bond, M, and Miss Moneypenny were all re-cast with a different actor or actress. Desmond Llewelyn as Q is the only holdover]

The film starts with Bond bungee-jumping off a dam. We also meet 006, a friend and co-worker of Bond’s. They’re doing their job, to save the world, for England, on a joint mission to blow up a chemical plant in the USSR. 006, Alec Trevelyan, is caught by the bad guys and Bond re-sets the timers on the bomb. He witnesses Alec shot in the head and manages to make it out of the building while bullets fly. Then he runs after a plane taking off and when that doesn’t work, drives a motorcycle off the cliff and free dives into the falling plane, bringing the plane up in time to not run into the mountains and witness the explosion of the chemical plant. A rather thrilling opening [and one of my parents’ favorites]. The theme plays with the customary silhouetted women.

We next see Bond, presumably several years later, driving his car over the speed limit to impress the woman seated beside him. Then he gets more reckless when a pretty woman in a Ferrari drives by and they start racing each other, until the woman orders Bond to stop. Then, he charms the woman, who is his psychiatrist; classic Bond. And another Bond classic, a casino. Where he meets the mysterious woman, Onatopp (oh, isn’t that just laden with innuendo). They flirt, but she leaves with another man. Bond follows and spies on them. We see Onatopp kill the Admiral “in the act.” Come morning, Bond sneaks on, finds the dead Admiral, realizes something is up, and starts to make for the military demonstration of a new stealth helicopter. Onatopp is apparently also a pilot and takes the place of the actual pilots, then makes off with the helicopter. She flies it to a remote Space Weapons Control Center in Russia. There, we meet Natalya and Boris. Boris likes to hack in his spare time, and make lude jokes to his female coworkers. He goes out for a smoke and the helicopter lands. Natalya is making a coffee when Onatopp and the general from the start of the movie enter. The general goes through the procedure to retrieve the GoldenEye device, then lets Onatopp open fire on everyone. She oddly enjoys it. Natalya hides, until a space laser, activated by the GoldenEye, fires into the center, starting a fire. She eventually escapes in the aftermath of the damage.

Meanwhile, Bond is being briefed on the situation on the helicopter in England. Through satellites they witness the destruction of the control center, well, not all of it because the laser also emits an electromagnetic pulse, knocking out all electronics [that part, I get. The laser and such, not so much]. Bond is also introduced to the new M; there is a mutual dislike at the beginning; M believes Bond to be a relic of the past and she has no compunction about sending a men to his death. However, she will not do it on a whim and does urge Bond to not let this mission be all about revenge (since the general was the man who shot Alec) and asks that he comes back alive. Q has the obligatory gadgets including a pen grenade for Bond and reminds him “you have a license to kill, not to break traffic laws,” please return the equipment.

Bond gains a CIA contact in Russia and meets an old friend; well, former enemy who has at least decided to not kill Bond for the time being. Then he has another run in with Onatopp (in a pool because Pierce looks very good shirtless) and Onatopp of course tries to squeeze the life out of the British agent, but he breaks her hold. Natalya also meets up with Boris, which ends up being a trap (smart movie goers could guess that). Bond gets another blast from the past; turns out Alec isn’t dead! No, he wants revenge against the British government and Bond by extension due to his loyalty, for the betrayal his parents endured years ago. Onatopp works for him and they trap both Bond and Natalya in the helicopter, rigged to fire a missile at itself. Bond brilliantly ejects them. They’re picked up by the government and Bond attempts the typical spy banter, but Natalya gets down to business, which saves them. Until the traitorous general comes in and literally blows their burgeoning plan to pieces. Bond pulls Natalya behind him, though they get separated. Bond then decides that a tank is a suitable vehicle to drive in the streets of St. Petersburg to chase after the general and Natalya (causing mass destruction, and cue the Bond theme).

Everyone meets up on a train, after Bond positions the tank to derail the train and fires. He jumps out and boards the train. Alec quips, “why can’t you just be a good boy and die!” “You first,” Bond responds. Alec points out that the situation is hopeless for Bond, he has no back-up, no escape route, and Alec holds the bargaining chip in the form of Natalya. He knows Bond’s secrets and weaknesses and attempts to get in his old friend’s head. Alec and Onatopp escape, Bond shoots the general, and Natalya hacks into the train to find out where the villainous couple are headed. Bond cuts through the floor of the train before it blows. “Do you destroy every vehicle you get into?” Natalya asks later. Bond claims it to be standard operating procedure.

The CIA unofficially helps Bond and Natalya get to Cuba [there’s an unneeded scene on a random beach before between Natalya and Bond simply to give another excuse for them to kiss and demonstrate that Bond gets the girl] , but they can’t spot the giant satellite dish required to run the GoldenEye. Well, that’s because they hid it under a lake. Onatopp is sent out to take care of the heroic couple after they’re shot down. Bond gets the upper hand again and rigs the cords so Onatopp is strangled by her own helicopter. Bond and Natalya sneak in and Bond begins to place bombs, but he’s captured. Alec knows to disarm Bond and even take his watch [fun fact, this is the first Bond film that features an Omega watch, previous films showcased Rolex watches and occasional Seikos for technology features]. But Boris gets a hold of the pen when Natalya punches him.

Alec’s big plan? Is to hack into the British bank then set off the GoldenEye EMP directly after so his tracks are covered, and creating a worldwide financial meltdown. Bond points out he is simply a petty thief. Natalya was busy when she was near the computer and messed up the guidance system on the satellite that controls GoldenEye, then encrypts it. Boris is confident he can break it, but he struggles. Bond notes that Boris has the unconscious habit of clicking his pen; with the Q pen he’s constantly arming and disarming the grenade inside. Bond times it right to duck when Boris drops his pen, setting off an explosion (though random liquid nitrogen freezes Boris hilariously). Alec goes after Bond, resulting in hand-to-hand fighting. The explosion sets off more fires and Natalya demonstrates she’s an action girl too and rescues Bond. Alec falls into the satellite dish, but doesn’t die until the antenna spears into him. Bond and Natalya escape and Bond takes the time to start kissing Natalya. They’re alone, he promises. Until Marines pop up.

Since this is my mother’s favorite Bond film and the primary Bond film I’ve watched, I do have some fondness for it. Oh, the technology in it is laughable now, but Boris is kind of funny, though he needs a good kick somewhere for his attitude. Sean Bean makes an excellent villain. GoldenEye has all the trademarks of a good action-adventure movie. Some fights. Save the world storyline. Quips and banter. Hero gets the girl. Overall, it’s a fun movie to watch. And I agree with my mother, Pierce is my favorite Bond; he’s more suave than Daniel Craig (but more on that later)

Next Time: Tomorrow Never Dies

Jumpin’ off the deck, shovin’ into overdrive

Top Gun

The classic 1980’s film starring Tom Cruise as Maverick, Val Kilmer as Iceman, and an appearance by Meg Ryan as Carole. I have an interesting history with this film; my father loves planes and loves this movie, but I refused to watch it as a kid. Then, my friend played in while I was on vacation with them in middle school, so I finally watched it and enjoyed it. But, I like it for the planes. I don’t care about Tom Cruise. Though, who can forget the line: I feel the need, the need for speed! The film does have the very cool song Danger Zone performed by Kenny Loggins (so I use this film as a connection in “Six-Degrees of Kevin Bacon,” since Kenny Loggins did the iconic Footloose song in that film as well).

The premise is the top one percent of Naval aviators attend the Fighter Weapons School, known as Top Gun, to learn dog fighting. One of the instructors, Viper, later states in the movie that the ratio pilots shooting down enemy planes in the Korean War was 12 to 1, then dropped to 3 to 1 in Vietnam because they relied too much on missiles; they had forgotten how to dogfight. The film opens with activity on the flight deck on an aircraft carrier. Maverick and his rear-seat partner, Goose are flying with Cougar and Merlin and encounter enemy Soviet MiG (they used the A-4 Skyhawk and F-5E Tiger as stand-ins for the MiGs, though they did use actual F-14 Tomcats, which are now retired). Cougar gets shaken up after a MiG gets a missile lock on him, but Maverick scares them off. Maverick doesn’t land and instead goes back up to help talk Cougar down. While it was very brave, it was against orders. But Cougar has given up flying, so their commanding officer sends Maverick and Goose to Top Gun.

Maverick is known for his wild flying, but he’s good enough at what he does that he doesn’t get thrown out of the Navy. He and Goose attempt to hit on a woman at a bar by singing You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling, in which all the guys join in; then discovers that she is one of his civilian instructors at Top Gun. Though a civilian, her call-sign is Charlie; she has a PhD in Astrophysics and the Pentagon listens to her. And she, of course, starts to fall for Maverick when he demonstrates that he flies as well as he says he does. Their theme throughout the film is Take My Breath Away.

Maverick butts heads with Iceman because Maverick’s flying is reckless and he has the habit of leaving his wingman. They’re both vying for the top spot at Top Gun. That volleyball scene is just an excuse to have the young men shirtless. Maverick is also trying to prove himself after his father mysteriously dies during an encounter while flying. Viper later explains to Maverick that his father was indeed a good pilot and saved several lives during his last mission, but it occurred on the wrong side of a map line for the politicians. Maverick does get reprimanded several times for ignoring rules that are set.

We see a wonderful, happy family shot between Goose, his wife and son, Maverick, and Charlie, singing Great Balls of Fire before Maverick and Goose fly a “mission” with Iceman and Slider. Iceman is slow to take a shot and when Maverick moves in, his plan gets caught in the jetwash, causing it to flat spin (an actual fault in the F-14, and very dangerous). Goose has to eject them and he hits the canopy, dying (that has actually happened). Maverick is lost without Goose, even though it wasn’t technically his fault, he feels like it is. Goose was his responsibility. His friends try to help him out, but when Viper sends him back up for another “mission,” he freezes and can’t take the shot. He tries to quit Top Gun, but his conversation with Viper encourages him to stay and at least graduate. Then he, Iceman, Slider, Hollywood, and Wolfman are sent on an assignment.

Hollywood, Wolfman, Iceman, and Slider are the first two planes up and encounter MiGs; more than they thought. MiGs like to fly close together to hide their numbers on radar. Hollywood and Wolfman are shot down and eject. Maverick is teamed up with Merlin, Cougar’s old partner, and they have to go up and help Iceman and Slider. Maverick and Merlin end up in a jetwash again, but manage to recover. But it still shakes Maverick, like Cougar earlier in the film. Merlin and Iceman are begging for help, but Maverick takes a moment to think of Goose. Then engages the enemy planes and gets them off of Iceman. He’s learned not to leave his wingman. He then does his famous flyby, accompanied by Iceman. The crew all cheer the two planes and the once-adversaries are now at least friendly and joke they’ll be each other’s wingman.

Maverick is given his choice of duties and decides to go back to Top Gun as an instructor. Charlie meets him there, playing You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling on the jukebox before she shows herself.

Yes, this is a simplistic write-up of the film; with the flying action and jargon (which is apparently mostly made-up), it is a film that is better experienced simply by watching. It increased Navy recruiting and was backed by the Navy. There were obviously artistic licenses taken and several of the flight maneuvers were done “because they’re cool.” Sadly, an experienced stunt pilot was killed while filming this movie and the movie was dedicated to him. There is a sequel subtitled Maverick that is due out…sometime. It was due out this summer, but many movies have been postponed. Tom Cruise is back, as is Val Kilmer. I fully intend to see it with my father, for the planes.

pair f-14 pic However, this film also inspired the hit series JAG that I loved. It starred David James Elliott as Harmon Rabb Jr (he was also a Tomcat pilot), Patrick Labyorteaux as Bud Roberts Jr, Catherine Bell (check her out in Hallmark’s Good Witch series) as Sarah MacKenzie, John M. Jackson as A.J. Chegwidden, and Karrie Turner as Harriet Sims. That shot from early in Top Gun where the two planes come to formation is used in the opening credits of JAG. JAG also introduced NCIS midway thru its run, and NCIS has gone on to run for seventeen seasons so far and it in turn spun-off NCIS: Los Angeles (love Sam and Callen in that one), and NCIS: New Orleans. I primarily know the middle seasons of JAG, the first ten or so seasons of NCIS (Gibbs’ dynamic as the team’s father is amazing and I was sad to see various characters leave), and the first couple seasons of NCIS: Los Angeles (Callen is definitely my favorite character). And that is how I play “Six-Degrees of Kevin Bacon;” Footloose leads to Top Gun which leads to JAG which leads to NCIS and thus various actors from there.

Up Next: I start the Bond movies, but I will be dealing with the last eight or so. It may be sacrilege, but I haven’t watched any of the original Sean Connery films all the way thru; I’ve seen bits. But I am familiar with Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig.

Are They Fighting or Are They Dancing?

The Mask of Zorro

Another of the swashbuckling movies produced in the nineties, like Three Musketeers and Prince of Thieves and like those two, it’s very well done. Stars Anthony Hopkins (a classic Welsh actor who is Odin in MCU Thor, famous as Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs [and I refuse to watch that movie, I do not need the nightmares], was Van Helsing in 1992’s Bram’s Dracula, was in A Bridge Too Far with the other great actors of that time) as Don Diego de la Vega, Stuart Wilson (an older Robin Hood in Disney’s Princess of Thieves) as Don Rafael Montero, Tony Amendola (Marco/Geppetto in ABC’s Once Upon a Time series amongst other TV series) as Don Luiz, Antonio Banderas (this is probably his most famous role) as Alejandro Murrieta and Catherine Zeta-Jones (who is actually Welsh, and married to Michael Douglas since 2000; this was her breakthrough role, and she went on to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2002’s Chicago) as Elena. This is not the first appearance of the character Zorro; he dates to 1919 and was originally supposed to be a one-time character, then the popularity of the 1920 movie had the author create dozens of further stories. However, this is probably one of the more well-known iterations.

The story begins in 1821 as Spain is leaving Mexico due to a rebellion led by General Santa Anna. The last governor, Don Rafael Montero is ordered to leave, but has one last piece of business to take care of. He gives his friend Don Luiz orders to distribute the Spanish land amongst themselves and pay taxes to Santa Anna, thereby maintaining their wealth. Montero is planning to execute three innocent men amidst a protest. Two boys are waiting for the legendary Zorro to appear and he does not disappoint. The boys even save Zorro from a trap and in return, he gifts them with a medallion. The crowd cheers for their hero and protects him from the guards. He confronts Montero and marks his neck with a “Z”, three slashes for three men. Montero would murder a hundred innocent men in order to kill Zorro. But Zorro rides away.

There is a lair beneath his estate (the original Bat cave; in fact, Zorro is considered an influence to Batman); Zorro remarks to his faithful black steed that they are both getting too old for their activities. Zorro without the mask is Diego de la Vega and he visits his infant daughter in her nursery and tells her stories about his escapades. His wife, Esperenza joins the pair. They are interrupted by Montero and his guards. Montero has an inkling at this point that de la Vega is Zorro and pressing on his arm reveals a bloody scratch de la Vega received during the fight that day. He attempts to arrest de la Vega as a traitor to both his country and his class, and oddly apologizes to Esperenza. Turns out, Montero loves Esperenza and is upset that she married de la Vega; but now, he probably is thinking with de la Vega out of the way, he can claim Esperenza. But Esperenza tries to protect her husband during his duel with Montero and a guard accidentally shoots her. Montero dispatches the guard, and de la Vega goes for his crying daughter; a fire has started during the scuffle. Montero knocks de la Vega out, puts him in chains, and claims his daughter. Montero leaves with young Elena for Spain and de la Vega is taken away to prison to rot; Montero’s parting words to de la Vega: you must “live with the knowledge you have lost everything you hold dear,” and “your child should have been mine.” (This of course, takes away the notion of Esperenza’s own choice; she seems very happy with de la Vega and aware of his secret, most likely meaning it was a love match, so no, Elena should have never been Montero’s child.) de la Vega swears to Montero, “you will never be rid of me!”

Twenty years later: the Murrieta brothers have been caught…well, actually, they were in on their capture so they could steal the guard’s money and redistribute it to the poor (a la Robin Hood). But there is a new Captain in town, Captain Love from Texas; he ends up shooting Joaquin and capturing Jack. Alejandro escapes, but watches his brother shoot himself instead of being captured. Alejandro collects his brother’s medallion, then tries to barter it away for a drink. In the meantime, Montero has returned to California. His first stop is the prison, in order to be sure that Zorro is dead. Several prisoners claim they are Zorro (like the famous “I’m Spartacus” scene), but Montero doesn’t believe any of them. He walks right by an old man with an eye patch, pauses for a moment, but dismisses him. He deduces Zorro is dead.

Wrong. That old man is de la Vega and he manages to free himself and get smuggled out of the prison by impersonating a dead body; meaning he then digs himself out of the grave. He will exact his revenge on Montero. He attends Montero’s official arrival the following day, where Montero plays to the crowd, insulting the other Dons so he can claim he works for the people. Obviously, de la Vega knows better and starts to make his way to the former governor, until Montero’s “daughter” arrives, Elena. This halts de la Vega. He must rethink his plan. On his way to his hideout, he comes across Alejandro and his old medallion as Alejandro prepares to barter it away. He easily bests Alejandro in a fight, but offers to train the young man.

mask of zorro Alejandro is eager to start fighting, though his answer of “the pointy end goes in the other man, [sounding like Jon Snow or Arya Stark]” shows de la Vega that he must start with the basics. The master has a new apprentice. de la Vega has Alejandro bathe and trim his hair. After disarming the old fox once, Alejandro figures he is skilled enough to capture a black Andalusian, like Zorro’s Tornado. Alejandro, in a mask, encounters Elena and she is quite taken by the dangerous man. When his plan goes a bit awry, Alejandro hides in the church and ends up hearing Elena’s confession, that she is starting to have thoughts about the masked man and her heart is too wild for her father’s liking. Alejandro manages to escape before Captain Love appears, but he leaves the “Z” mark to let them know Zorro has returned.

de la Vega, expertly using a whip to extinguish candles (Hopkins could do that trick and was added into the movie), is not pleased with Alejandro; Zorro serves the people, not himself. Alejandro is tired of the lectures and demands de la Vega duel him. The older man holds up a spoon. Alejandro must have the polish of a proper gentleman, and needs to spy on Montero. The two men attend a gala held at the estate, de la Vega masquerading as Alejandro’ s servant, who goes by the title Don de Castilio. Alejandro is properly presented to Elena, but his gentleman charm does not impress her, though he is impressing Montero. However, when Alejandro has to stall Montero, he dances quite passionately with Elena (it is a wonderful and lively dance). Alejandro gains an invitation with the rest of the Dons and Montero reveals his plan; he means for the Dons to claim California. They will buy it from Santa Anna with gold from a mine on his own land that he is unaware of. Santa Anna will take the gold because a war with the United States is expensive. Montero shows off the mine the next day and Alejandro discovers that poor Mexicans who have gone missing have been taken to the mine.

Elena has a conversation with de la Vega the next day in the stables, only knowing him as Alejandro’s servant. But de la Vega remarks that she looks like her mother. Elena has been told that her mother was very proper. And de la Vega’s voice is familiar. Then, in the market, her former nursemaid makes a gift to her, recognizing her as the daughter of Esperenza de la Vega. Elena tries to tell the woman she is mistaken and that she was born in Spain. But she’s already encountered native Californian flowers she remembers the scent. Montero’s tale is starting to unravel.

de la Vega gifts Alejandro with a proper Zorro mask and instructs him to sneak into Montero’s office; they need the location of the mine. de la Vega sets a flaming “Z” on the hillside as a distraction, but Alejandro still encounters Captain Love and Montero and even duels them both. he escapes through the stables and faces off with Elena, who is skilled in sword fighting as well (I love that she’s an action woman). He does delicately cut her clothes off her as a way to stop her (her hair covers her top). Alejandro still has hilarious issues with his new horse, but does demonstrate that he is a good rider. de la Vega returns that evening to confront Montero and demands that Elena be brought out. Montero’s tale fully unravels; the name “de la Vega” is a clue from the woman in the marketplace and the truth comes out. She persuades de la Vega to put down his sword to save himself from being shot. At this point, Elena must be wondering what did Montero do that he was able to take her from de la Vega and what truly happened to her mother. Then she later frees him from the cellar he’s been thrown into and they race off to help Zorro.

zorro dance

Zorro sneaks into the mine and discovers the people are locked in. Captain Love’s suggestion is to blow up the mine once all the gold is out and kill the people as well so there are no witnesses. But when Zorro shows up, Love cuts the fuse so he has time to deal with the nuisance. de la Vega confronts Montero again as Elena watches. Montero seems willing to kill her to stop de la Vega, but he wouldn’t actually hurt the woman he views as a daughter, though it gives him the chance to shoot de la Vega. Zorro dispatches Love, even after being stabbed and unmasked, then Montero is caught behind the wagon as it falls. Elena goes to rescue the trapped people and the fuse has restarted. Zorro helps her with the last cells and they save the day! Alejandro holds de la Vega as he bids his daughter farewell; she has the same spirit as her mother. He even blesses Alejandro and Elena, then passes away. Elena mourns de la Vega; not Montero.

There must always be a Zorro; it is a destiny and a curse, for there is always another battle. But both Zorros have loved Elena. And now Alejandro tells the story to his son.

In 2005, there was a direct sequel to this film, The Legend of Zorro, bringing back both Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones to reprise their roles. Rufus Sewell (Knight’s Tale, Tristan and Isolde, Victoria) joins as Armand, a former friend of Elena de la Vega’s when she grew up in Spain. This film is not nearly as good as Mask of Zorro. The premise is that California is voting to become part of the United States in 1850, but there is a secret organization attempting to block it. Zorro is doing his best, but since he is gone often, his marriage is strained and he’s missing out on seeing his son grow up. His secret is found out by mysterious men, who blackmail Elena into working undercover for them. She divorces Alejandro and he must make a choice between being Zorro and saving his family.

Of course, several of the fight scenes are still good and Elena retains some of her action-girl status. But there are several glaring errors. California at that time was Catholic; divorce was not allowed and Elena’s status would have surely suffered. Mentions of the Confederacy are inaccurate since it didn’t form until 1861. The inclusion of nitroglycerin is just barely factual; it was invented in 1847 as an explosive, but to me, still seems a bit farfetched. The overall feeling I get from the film is that they were trying too hard. The villains are flat. Of course, the son learns who his father is, and the marriage is put to rights. I argue how could Elena say to Alejandro “we were never meant to be together?” You married him knowing full well who he was and what he did. That was what attracted you to him. There was a more logical way to deal with the matter.

So, definitely watch Mask of Zorro, it is a classic. Hopkins is excellent and I actually would love to see more of him in that role. Antonio is charming and this is why Puss in Boots in Shrek is a takeoff on Zorro, since Antonio voiced the cat (despite the tale being French). As I’ve stated before, I love a good sword fight.

Next Time: Top Gun

Tiding Over

A Random Fandom Update:

I happen to be listening to the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtracks recently, which makes me want to re-watch the first trilogy. They also have inspired a few scenes and notes for my eventual fantasy epic (which is good, because it needs some major work). And yep, still love the first three movies! The original is still the best and looking back, I feel some pity for the special effects team because it could not have been easy timing all the moonlight skeleton effects. Orlando Bloom is young a dashing (he was a celebrity crush when I was a teen) and still swoon at the kiss at the end 🙂

I like elements of Dead Man’s Chest soundtrack and the battle against the Kraken is thrilling. And the ending of At World’s End is full of emotions. That flourish in the orchestra during Will and Elizabeth’s wedding times perfectly with the spin, squee! And Most. Epic. Kiss. Ever! Of course, I have to find the few clips of Will in the fifth movie and I think it’s sweet that they use Will and Elizabeth’s theme in the background while he talks to his young son, Henry.

I also really want a good crossover fic between Pirates of the Caribbean and Once Upon a Time because there is such a realm of possibilities between Killian Jones knowing either Jack and/ or Will. If anyone finds a good story, let me know so I can check it out!

In the meantime; I’ve read several novels off my shelf, re-reading a couple different fanfiction stories, but haven’t gotten much writing done. The action-adventure blogs will be starting soon, just gotta get my brain to focus, lol!

Let me know what fandoms have been keeping you entertained!

A Random Fandom Update

Thought I’d take a step away from my musical blogs (don’t worry, already got the next one planned) and mention the elephant in the room: staying at home because of coronavirus. I work retail, so I have not been to work in several weeks. For the most part, I’m handling it fine; I’ve managed to work on other writing projects, I’ve crocheted several afghans, I’ve gotten back to my books (huzzah!), and I’ve caught up on some movies and shows.

So let me go ahead and state: SPOILERS ALERT!

Finally watched Frozen II; I liked the story. I don’t think the music was quite as memorable as the first and I still can’t stand Olaf, but the sisterly bond was great and very interesting to delve into their family history. (Puts to rest the fan connection between Frozen and several other Disney movies, including Tangled).

Also finally watched Crimes of Grindlewald. Excellent. Though while watching, I had to remind myself that Leta Lestrange was not a direct relation of Bellatrix (same family, but distant cousins). And the Dumbledore angle was better than I feared it to be; I thought they would focus entirely on Dumbledore’s infatuation with Grindlewald, but SPOILER a blood pact is a more solid excuse. And I totally do not believe Grindlewald about Creedence’s real name; the only plausible way he is a Dumbledore is as a cousin.

Supernatural has put filming their final season on hold, but it’s ramping up to be a doozy. News was just released that the final seven episodes will air in the fall. Jack is back, yay I guess. I have loved seeing some old favorites again; Benny was seen briefly. Loved that Eileen was back (then dead, then back!) and I really wish that she could get together permanently with Sam. (Then we find Dean someone, unless they make Destiel canon, which would be cool). And it was hilarious to have both Daneel Ackles and Genevive Padalecki back and in the same episode! The alternative universe Sam and Dean were hilarious as well (though can’t beat their father coming back; love that episode and cried along [unless you watch the blooper where Jared hits Jeffrey somewhere with the pearl; everyone is on the floor in laughter]). I really want to punch Chuck in the face and I hope Amara may come back to help. The boys are shaping up to fight God; I believe they will win and save the world because that is what they and the show are all about; but it’ll cost them. I still figure there is a decent chance the show will end with both boys dead; unless they are serious about producing a film later. If not, the only way for the fans to accept that it is over, is for our beloved boys to die. Even then, we’ll still write fanfiction.

Speaking of fanfiction; I was reading something on Facebook the other night about how fanfiction started. I mean, I had an idea, but it was interesting and a little unnerving. I realized why disclaimers are always posted at the top because you don’t want some bigwig suing you, but to find out that fan writers were punished… Some of the more recent successes give me hope; but I still am not likely to post what I have written. I share with a few friends, but I use it for my own practice. And some of this may end up as an essay or article. In case you’re interested, Supernatural accepts its fan writers and the fandom that has sprung up around it, which makes me love the fandom and the stars even more.

MacGyver just finished its fourth season, which went in a different direction than I originally imagined, and has been renewed for a fifth season. Yay! Their season got cut short due to the virus, but they must have filmed enough ahead to finish things up. I personally miss Jack and wish they would at least mention him in the story. Mac’s spiraling a bit and the fans know that Jack would help him. Still not a hundred percent sure of Russ’s motivations, but he at least tries to keep Mac alive; and Matty is still there, yay! I adored the episode with the plane and Mac in Tesla’s house; the writing has been excellent this season. Personally, I have never been fond of pairing Mac with a woman because I feel it detracts from the story and female characters should exist in shows outside their connection to a man. I’ve warmed up to Desi, but still not wholly sure. I like Riley, and I’m liking the Riley – Mac dynamic, but this triangle is only going to end badly. I shed tears when SPOILER James died. And I’m even sad that Auntie Gwen died; because she had just decided to protect Mac and it would have been great for Mac to have a familial connection, particularly to his mother. Though, baby Angus MacGyver is the cutest baby in the world! (And I refuse to believe that he’s named Angus because of a sign for beef; that’s demeaning to the character). Fanfiction should keep me occupied until it’s back.

Also been re-watching Hallmark’s Good Witch, going through the most recent episodes and the movies and now starting at the beginning of the show. Some days I can handle Hallmark and some days I just get annoyed; real life does not give us the right guy and the right job to keep us happy. But I love the magical elements of Cassie and the story. She and Sam are adorable. I’d love to live in Middleton. And when things get rough, there is a comfort in knowing that things will turn out alright; it’s Hallmark.

My mother and I have also managed to catch up on Outlander; we got behind. I miss them in Scotland; that was a reason I loved the show. Not fond of the time they were in the Caribbean, but now that they’ve settled in the colonies, my interest is peaking again. I’m glad Brianna has joined her mother and is bonding with her father. And proud that Roger has followed (though at times he was a bit of an idiot). I’m glad Stephen Bonnet finally was stopped; though I wished it had happened sooner. Whenever I would see Billy Boyd, I kept commenting “bad Pippin!” though I had to explain to my mother what I meant. I like the family that is growing at Fraser’s Ridge, and Ian has returned. Brianna, Roger, and Jemmy have also ended up staying, yay. The final episode; they actually found Claire sooner in the episode I thought they might, but we did get to see Claire’s struggles with the aftermath. I’m sure the time-traveling Native American will return; we’ll have to see what sort of time jump there may be before the next season.

Also enjoying watching the original MacGyver series with my parents and catching episodes of Race to the Edge (still love the show!). We’ve put on a few other movies, like some older James Bond (which was a bit weird), and re-watching the Librarian films (I’ll be covering all of those and the show upcoming. And it also gave me a writing idea). We are also going back and re-watching the newest Star Wars movies in preparation for finally getting to Rise of Skywalker (never fear, they are on the list to cover…down the road; MCU stands between us and them).

As for books; since I am first and foremost a reader; I have made a tiny dent in my “to-read” pile (and bought a few to add). Finally finished Raging Heat, a Richard Castle book (based on the show Castle that I don’t think I’m going to be covering, due to length) and Ireland’s Pirate Queen about Grace O’Malley, which have been on the back burner for a while. Enjoyed Castle and Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. Read Jeffersonian Key by Steve Berry. Few other books in there that weren’t great, but a relatively quick read; got around to Sense and Sensibility and that was a bit boring; the movie helped make sense. Just finished a Philippa Gregory book, The Lady of the Rivers which is a prequel in a way to White Queen (my mother and I have watched the first episode of the series). Parts are interesting and it is relatively well-written, but parts are now appearing a bit implausible (which happens with her books). Now I can move on to other books on my list. My Richard Castle, Nikki Heat series is up to date, but I want to get to some others first. I’ve got half a shelf of romances that I need to catch up on, so I can go looking for those newest books. Picked up another Librarians novel (based on the show) and some Peter Jackson/ Lord of the Rings books (like I need more of those). Some history series and the first book to a couple fantasy series I’d like to try. Some fun books I am holding off on as a reward, like behind the scenes of MacGyver, the last How to Train Your Dragon art book (I am that much of a nerd).

What are you guys doing to keep your minds occupied? Any good movies or books? Creative projects?

One Hundred Strong

One hundred posts…wow. I had no idea when I started this exercise that I would carry it on this long (seriously; I originally figured less than a year, then I finally laid things out and understood what all was invovled). I am blown away by the reading response I have built up and the fact that I have over fifty followers – thank you all.

Yes, my posting schedule has lessened a bit, but I am also trying to work on some other writing projects. I’d love to write some short stories to enter in contests to get published. And I have a massive fantasy series that needs laid out…when my brain cooperates. Right now it likes to play around with fanfiction and in turn focus on like the fourth and fifth generation of characters rather than background and world building. And my books also beg my attention; they cry to be read.

With the…current situation, I do have some more free time, so we’ll see how everything best fits in. I do apologize for the breaks that have occurred and I cannot promise that they won’t happen again. When not watching movies for this blog, I’m keeping up with the current MacGyver series (some of the episodes this season have been excellent), the final season of Supernatural (which will end in tears, when it finally does end…my guess is that both boys will die) and also working my way through the original MacGyver series (there are times it is hilarious; though personally I prefer Lucas Till to Richard Dean Anderson, that may be based on my age). Also catching up on Outlander (I finally read the first book; along with the first book of Game of Thrones; both are good, but I kind of prefer the show so I can see the full scope. I prefer the earlier seasons of Outlander, when it is more based in eighteenth century Scotland [a time period I like to study].)

But, I still have a huge collection of movies (one of these days, in a few years hopefully, I will have a place of my own and space to display and organize all of them) and I am looking forward to the upcoming genres. Next are musicals, which I love. Then action/adventure films (another genre I am more fond of) which will phase into the superhero genre (yep, I will attempt to tackle a good portion of the MCU…that’s going to be practically a year on its own). And I will finally get to some of my favorite series, like Star Wars, Harry Potter, and nearest to my heart, Lord of the Rings and Hobbit, and How to Train Your Dragon. And once we get into some newer and more popular films, I can add in the various fanfiction stories that I have read (and keep re-reading…which is how I distract myself from reading proper books).

Let me know what you think and here’s to another hundred!

Dream-Song

Australia

As the title suggests, a movie about Australia. So much, that it starred Australians, was shot in Australia, and was directed by an Australian. Hugh Jackman, one of the stars, even joked when he opened the 2009 Oscars, where Kate Winslet and Robert Downey Jr were both nominated for their range in acting; “I’m an Australian, playing an Australian, in a movie called Australia, hosting.” [He then goes into an entire song and dance number, because that’s how he got his start, though he ended by stating “I am Wolverine!”] Hugh Jackman’s character is only known as the Drover. Nicole Kidman (her parents are Australian) plays Lady Sarah Ashley (she worked with director Baz Luhrmann on Moulin Rouge). David Wenham (Faramir in Lord of the Rings, shot in New Zealand; he was also in 300, and worked alongside Hugh Jackman in Van Helsing) is Neil Feltcher. The film spans a six-year time frame, starting in September of 1939 and concludes during Japan’s attack on Northern Australia after they hit Pearl Harbor December of 1945. There is a note at the beginning of the film to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island viewers in deference to their culture, and explaining that this was a time where Aboriginal children of mixed race were taken from their families and “trained for service in white society.” “These children became known as the Stolen Generations.”

To be honest, the main reason I wanted to watch this movie is the fact that Hugh Jackman is in it. Throw in a bit of history and I’m intrigued. After the opening notes, the movie begins with an Aboriginal boy witnessing the murder of a white man. The boy is fearful of coppers (police) taking him to Mission Island. But then, the boss lady arrives. The boss lady is Lady Sarah Ashley who flies from England to the Northern Territory of Australia to force her husband to sell the Faraway Downs property. She meets the Drover, while he’s in the middle of a bar fight. It’s a rocky start for them, difference in culture and all that. He shock her on their travels the first night by bathing [yep, like that scene], then commenting they all huddle up in the one tent for warmth. Truth is, the men are more used to sleeping under the stars. But the Drover takes Lady Ashley to Faraway Downs (which is what the boy sees before he hides), and they discover that the man who had been killed was her husband. Lord Ashley is the only one to stand up to the Carney cattle monopoly in the area, though his death is blamed on an Aboriginal leader, King George (the boy’s grandfather).

The boy, Nullah, appears to Lady Ashley and reveals that she cannot trust the manager, Mr. Fletcher. Partly because Neil Fletcher is his father. Which wouldn’t sit too well with his fiancée’s family, the Carneys. Nullah proves Fletcher a liar and when caught, Fletcher starts hitting the boy. Sarah steps in and fires Neil. Drover isn’t happy when he comes around; Lord Ashley had promised him a drove (driving cattle) and rights to breed an outback brumby with an English thoroughbred. Sarah insists that everyone left on the ranch can pull together and make the drove. Faraway Downs is competing against the Carneys for an Army contract. The accountant of the ranch, when he’s sober, reveals to Sarah that Fletcher had been siphoning off the best cattle to Carney land; that is what her husband had been investigating when he had been killed.

australia stars

The actual police arrive the next day, setting Nullah and his mother to hide in the water tower. Sadly, the mother drowns before the police leave. Drover sends Sarah to comfort Nullah; she admits she’s not great with children, but tries to cheer him up by recounting the recent film, The Wizard of Oz, and attempting to sing the main song Somewhere Over the Rainbow [I am odd and not fond of the film or the song (it’s overplayed)]. Nullah likes the idea of dreaming and wishing; songs are important to the Aboriginals. The drove is back on the next morning. But Fletcher isn’t finished; he and his men set a fire to spook the cattle and drive them off a cliff. Nullah stands firm at the edge and halts the cattle, after the accountant (Kipling Flynn) is trampled to death. There is a rather tender scene of both Drover and Sarah diving after Nullah before he passes out over the edge. Tender moments start cropping up between Sarah and the Drover, even a kiss after they get tipsy in memory of Kipling. Drover admits he was married previously, to an Aboriginal woman. She got sick and died because the hospital wouldn’t treat her.

Fletcher’s at it again; he poisons the drinking holes along their way. Their only option is the wasteland known as Never Never Land. But King George offers to lead them. News is reported that they all die. The Army is about to sign a contract with Carney for their cattle…until there is a disturbance in town. Sarah and her people survived and there is a race to load the cattle. Drover gets in front and blocks Carney’s cattle. Nullah sums up that everyone gets what they want; everyone happy. Except him, because he is half-caste and doesn’t belong anywhere. Well, his friends disguise him so he looks fully Aboriginal and sneak him in to see The Wizard of Oz.

Meanwhile, there is a ball for the upper class to donate money to Mission Island. Sarah tries to argue to keep Nullah; the priest insists that Aboriginal women forget their children, she retorts no mother forgets her child and points out that the fathers of the mixed race children are in the room. The high society women start looking down on her, though Kaitlin Carney is sympathetic (she is “King” Carney’s daughter, and engaged to Neil Fletcher). “King” Carney wins the auction to dance with Lady Ashley and they discuss the sale of Faraway Downs. Sarah informs him of Neil’s involvement in her husband’s death and she is almost ready to sell when a cleaned up Drover enters the ball. He had already turned down her offer to be the new manager of Faraway Downs, insisting he doesn’t mix with the upper class. But he has apparently changed his mind and Sarah is willing to give Northern Australian society something to talk about. They run off after a dance and the rain comes. Their relationship really takes off [yep, another one of those scenes I love and reminds me why I watch the movie]. With the rain, Faraway Downs is like an island; Drover, Sarah, and Nullah can be a little family. Drover leaves again to go droving once the wet is over, but he comes back.

Everything is idyllic for a few years, until Neil leads Carney into an alligator attack and takes over the business. He then returns to Faraway Downs, intent on buying; it was his family that worked it for generations for the Ashley family. And a big drove comes in for Drover, and Nullah wants to go on walkabout to become a man. Drover leaves, hurting Sarah. And then Nullah is taken. Katey Carney, now Fletcher, begs her husband to help. He strikes a deal, Sarah will work for the war effort, he’ll buy Faraway Downs, and then he’ll get Nullah back.

Then the Japanese attack. Drover, after being called out for being scared to get close to Sarah, returns to town, only to find it destroyed. Sarah is believed to be dead. Drover knows he has to get Nullah, Mission Island is where the radio tower is and is sure to have been hit. The boys on the island did survive. And so did Sarah; it was Katey Fletcher who died in her place. Just as Drover, Nullah, and Sarah are about to be happily reunited, Fletcher aims a gun at them. A shot goes off and Nullah drops, but so does Fletcher. King George escaped prison and saved his grandson. Nullah is fine and they return to Faraway Downs. Sarah lets him go on walkabout. The film ends with another note. The Australian government ended the assimilation program in 1973 (that’s another twenty-eight years after the events of the movie) and in 2008, the Prime Minister officially apologized to the Stolen Generations.

This film is long. It honestly could have been cut down into two movies for it tells almost two different stories. There is the action/adventure plot of the first half, driving the cattle to town. Then there’s the war part, which could have been expanded for it holds most of the character depth. I like the family group that Sarah, Drover, and Nullah become without meaning to. They all need family and end up blending well with each other. We see how far the Drover has come throughout the film, first being annoyed by Lady Ashley, to loving her, to leaving, then being heartbroken when he believes she’s dead. Nullah is a sweet child, and Sarah Ashley’s character softens throughout the film, though she is still strong and determined. Parts of the movie drag and I tend to just fast forward to the bits I like. It is interesting to see how other places in the world were affected by the Second World War.

I much prefer some other movies to this, especially for some of the actors; David Wenham is much nicer as Faramir. Hugh Jackman is a good leading man and he did well opposite Nicole Kidman, but I think we see a larger range for her in Moulin Rouge. Not the most romantic role for Hugh, we’ll get to some of those later.

Up Next: Kate and Leopold

“Nobody Hurts My Horse”

Hidalgo

I know I said Master and Commander was next after the end of Sherlock, but sadly, I cannot find my copy. So I moved on to what turns out to be the last of what I’m calling the “historical” movies. Hidalgo stars Viggo Mortensen, fresh from his big role as Aragorn in Lord of the Rings. Which is why I watched the movie, to be honest. Viggo impressed me in Middle Earth and this story had the added bonus of being about a horse. As many other girls, I went through a phase where I was really into horses. I read book series about riders; I wanted to ride a horse, and in the wake of Lord of the Rings, bonus features showed that Viggo had a connection to his horse on set…we can see what got me to go to the theatre. Which is probably what marketing people were banking on.

The film, which claims to be based [loosely] on the life of Frank T. Hopkins, opens in late December of 1890. Frank and his mustang horse, Hidalgo, have just won another long distance race. But Frank also works as a dispatch rider for the American military. He is sent with orders to Wounded Knee Creek…we can already tell where this might end. Frank seems sympathetic to the Natives, but rides before the first shot is fired. Hidalgo hears the commotion and turns back. Short time jump to eight months later, during one of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West shows, and Frank is drunk during a reenactment of the event, skewed towards making the American military look good and portraying the Natives as wild and bloodthirsty.

Buffalo Bill and Frank have a visitor, from the Middle East. Their land is famed for its pure horse breeding practices and hold the title for greatest endurance horse racer, which Bill has bestowed upon Hopkins and Hidalgo. If Hopkins will not allow the title to be removed, they challenge him to a 3,000 mile race in the Arabian desert, referred to as the “Ocean of Fire.” Hopkins is prodded into accepting and embarks on a ship to get there. He meets a Major Davenport and is (much younger) wife, Lady Anne, who has a thoroughbred mare entered in the race.

Once at the race, Hopkins meets the Sheikh, who sadly only has a daughter left, Jazira, who is intended to marry the prince that is riding the prized Al-Hattal if he wins. The Sheikh also has an interest in the Wild West. They almost strike up a friendship, but it is also clear that no one expects Hopkins and Hidalgo to survive the race, much less win. Several people offer him chances to drop out, but Frank is a bit stubborn. Against a competitor paying to deprive him and his horse of water and a sandstorm, Frank and Hidalgo make it to the half way point. The Sheikh’s nephew (cough-evil-cough) pops in and lo and behold, a raid happens later that evening; an attempt to steal Al-Hattal, though they do get away with the breeding book and the daughter. The Sheikh asks Hopkins to get Jazira back (and he’ll forget the little incident of Jazira visiting his tent [she’s fascinated by the foreigner and wishes to help so she doesn’t have to marry the prince]). A bit of a shoot-out later, and Hopkins returns with Jazira.

hidalgo race

The race continues (and Lady Anne and the nephew are in league with each other; she wants her mare to win so she has breeding rights to Al-Hattal; they intend to kill Hidalgo). One of the other competitor’s falls into a pit…quicksand or tar, not entirely sure. Race rules dictate that no one helps him, but Frank ignores that command. Which helps later when Hidalgo and Frank fall into a spear pit. You may want to look away when Hidalgo gets hurt and Frank has to get him out. Frank’s new friend comes back to help, but sadly is killed moments later. Frank gets some satisfaction for putting the evil nephew in another spear pit, his parting words, “nobody hurts my horse.”

Then Frank almost gives up. Hidalgo is badly hurt. They are far from anything familiar; they’re in a hostile land where people want to kill them. Then he hears a Native chant. He remembers his past, his mother (a Sioux woman; his father had been a cavalry man who had fallen in love with her). Frank joins the chant and gains strength from another people who held the horse sacred, just like the Bedouin. The last two competitors pass him. Frank gets back on Hidalgo, who has stood up from collapsing and it’s a race to the finish. At first, Lady Anne’s horse is in the lead, followed by Al-Hattal, then Hidalgo. Then Al-Hattal takes the lead. Hidalgo passes Lady Anne’s horse and makes a move on Al-Hattal. Our heroes win the race!

Frank returns to America just as the American military is rounding up all the Native’s mustangs, with the intention of shooting them. The Native chief from earlier in the movie who had motivated Frank has sadly passed, but had mentioned the plight to Frank and Buffalo Bill. Frank has one more dispatch; the price for the mustangs has been paid in full [the large prize money]. The mustangs are set free, and Frank lets Hidalgo go. The film finishes by stating that Frank Hopkins was “an outspoken activist for the wild mustang until his death in 1951 at 86 years old.”

I still enjoy the movie. It is very roughly based on some true events, but it is ultimately a story that we want to have happened. We love when an underdog triumphs; we want Hidalgo to beat all those pure bred horses and prove everyone wrong. Viggo was amazing. He learned Elvish for Lord of the Rings and he has a similar quality when speaking the Sioux language.

Next Time: Time to start some romantic movies. First, a few with a more historical base, starting with Shakespeare in Love.