Hero Moment of the Week – Oct 22
I’d heard about Desperado and El Mariachi and Once Upon A Time In Mexico for years, but never really focused in on them until I heard the tale of how they actually came into being.
The first movie, El Mariachi, was made on the smallest of shoestring budgets, when the producer/director/writer, Robert Rodriguez, checked himself into research hospitals and submitted to any research project going anywhere, in order to raise money for the project. He wrote the music, he edited the movie, and every scene was filmed in just one take.
Wow.
The movie actually won serious critical attention at the Cannes Film Festival the next year, and word of mouth after that got Rodriguez into mainstream theatres, and earning some serious money…enough to create a sequel, Desperado, and pay for an upcoming actor with serious star potential at that time — Antonio Banderas.
Desperado wasn’t a box office smash, but it was a very respectable money earner, and won more critical aclaim for its return to basic story telling. And it really does revert back to old simple models that romance readers and writers will recognize at once. Good guys. Bad guys. Violence. Love. Hatred. Vengeance. A simple plot. A beautiful heroine. A drop dead gorgeous, sexy hero, trying to find his way to freedom against overwhelming odds.
Sound familiar?
And Banderas was so perfectly cast, you can’t turn you eyes away from the screen.
I actually watched all three movies about five years ago when they were on video on demand. The first one, El Mariachi, is in Spanish, with subtitles. It’s worth watching at least once, to get the background story on El. It’s really a set-up for the second movie, Desperado, which is the gem of the three. I think I watched that one without blinking the entire time, and maybe I might have breathed once or
twice. It was an amazing ride, that first time througth. Great fun!
It took me a week to find the boxed set of three after that. ~grin~
Desperado and Once Upon A Time in Mexico both star Banderas and are in English, but Once Upon A Time does tend to get a bit big-scale and silly in scope. Although Johnny Dep
p is in it, and he ain’t half-bad either. :)
Because Desperado is such a return-to-basics good-guy-bad-guy movie, there are so many hero moments in it for Banderas, I can’t pick just one to tell you. If you’ve never seen the movie, I urge you to watch it, with the warning that it is bloody and violent. Glance away as you have to…Banderas and the love story inside the movie is so worth the trouble.
Related Posts - Guest Post: Brigit Zahara and Her Edible Delights. Please help me welcome Brigit Zahara, fellow Ellora's Cave author. Brigit is guesting today, to help celebrate the launch of her latest EC title. And yesterday she learned that the Aquamarine Allure anthology is now out in print, which features her story "Catch of the Day", which you'll hear more......
- Hero Moment Of The Week This week's Hero Moment Of The Week came at me from a very unexpected angle. I don't watch live television. I've done a few diatribes and vents about this before, so I won't go into it here, but basically, when I hear of a good tv series, I wait for......
- Upcoming Events: Teal Ceagh to guest post here. My editor at Ellora's Cave contacted me last night and introduced me to one of my fellow Ellora's Cave writers via email. Teal Ceagh is new to the cave, and been dumped in a spot that would frankly terrify most new authors: -- Her editor has just taken off......
- Hero Moment of The Week: The Hero That Didn't Get The Girl - Andrew Lincoln in Love Actually I pulled this movie out the other day because I kept thinking of Bill Nighy singing that god-awful rendition of Love is All Around in that terrible British accent, and the Christmas theme that ran through the movie, and thought it was the perfect time to watch it, as I......
- Shelley Munro's Fortune Soldiers...Ninja Style. Hee-Ya! Today, we're celebrating the launch of Shelley Munro's Soldier of Fortune, and her really cool cover, while I take every opportunity to nudge her in the ribs because she's a Kiwi. It's a thing, you see. I'm Aussie, she's not. She's one of those. Although, ever since New Zealand produced......
Related Websites - Own A Piece Of Hollywood Thanks To the Hollywood Stock Exchange Are you a big movie buff? Can’t get enough of overpaying for the right to watch movies with a group of people? Think you know the Hollywood business better than anyone else? Then the Hollywood Stock Exchange is for you! Just like there is fantasy trading of stocks, playing poker......
- Weakonomics Weekend Edition: Vodka Martini Edition I think you know I'm a big James Bond fan. It's a combination of sexy cars, ultimate luxury, gadgets, action, and hero worship that gets me. I've seen every movie and read many of the books (there are many more books than movies). Daniel Craig has returned for his......
- Favorite Revenge Movies Oh, they are the best! They depict emotions in a raw, powerful form. And by revenge, I'm not talking about an underpaid, overworked guy sticking it up to boss's ass. Nope. I am talking about when a loved one is murdered and the one who left behind takes justice into......
- Collector Plates Memorabilia -> Movie Memorabilia -> Collector Plates One of the most common types of memorabilia for the entertainment world are collector plates. These decorative items adorn the homes of many, but they may not be aware of just how valuable these small collectibles are. While there are plenty of collector......
- Hard Truth Week in Review - Health Care Whining Edition Our local paper ran yet another article featuring the stories of those who do not have health care insurance. The reporter undercuts the merits of the story by including the whinings of this woman who says she can't afford health insurance. First, she quits her $85,000/year job and chooses not......
3 Responses to “Hero Moment of the Week – Oct 22”
Comments
Read below or add a comment...











I so agree, Tracy. Desperado is my favorite Antonio movie. He plays the perfect hero, so intense and sexy, with no hesitation to do what needs to be done.
Of his earlier movies, Cathy, absolutely, this ranks número uno. It can’t be beat.
But of his later ones, there’s one other. But I’m saving that one for another day. :)
Me? Obsessed with Banderas? Don’t be silly! I’m a grown woman….