I was wandering in and amongst Austin’s downtown district, such as it is, for a portion of Wednesday evening, a before movie libation (espresso), an after movie libation (espresso) & a muffin, and I spied upon an abandoned magazine. I flipped it open, no horoscopes, so I just leafed through the pages. I caught up with an article about another local author, with the usual Q&A, and he was quoted as saying, “Do what you love.” Or something like that. Which spawned a long and caffeine-fueled entry about loving what one does.
Fortunately, I love writing the horoscopes. It’s been a great joy for many years now. I hit a stopping point in the late afternoon, but I kept on going because I had one more wild idea that would fit so well, and so I just had to keep on writing. It’s all about doing what you love. And love doing it.
I blew the whole movie thing. See, a A Fistful of Dollars comes first, then For a Few Dollars More is the sequel. And the first one is good, the second one is even better. Same bad guys, same Western premise, and same Italian/French/Spanish stars with an Americano as the lead. Same sound track. Not too much plot, but a little. Not too much, and certainly, the plot doesn’t get in the way of the action. Of which there is plenty.
There was a certain style to the film, and that was pretty amazing, in and of itself. Then there was the bank heist. The El Paso Bank. What was nice? I kept looking at the mountains behind the set, and trying to recall what the Franklin Mountains looked like. But the movie was shot in Spain, and El Paso was originally “El Paseo del Norte,” the pass to the north. However, the countryside sure did look familiar, arid, desert mountains, dust everywhere. Looked like El Paso, even if it was an ocean away.
Which did all make me giggle. Besides that, a double and triple dealing partnership? That didn’t bother me, reminds of former business partners. Revenge and money as motives? Six-shooters, one with a silver rattlesnake set in its grip? Oh sure, and the Man With No Name smoking a tiny cigar.
The musical score, and little research made me realize why I liked films like Rodriguez’s “El Mariachi” trilogy so much. It’s about the land, the landscape is a character, defines the world, at least, the landscape defines the world on the screen. Which is why a movie like For a Few Dollars More, set in a fake El Paso, was such rollicking good adventure. Escape, pure and simple. The characters weren’t too complicated, although, I think the series is best if it’s seen back-to-back with its predecessor.
I just want that sound track so I can cue the lonesome whistle whenever I ride into town.
Unrelated:
Time to change cell plans?
Also unrelated:
“That is SO cool! Look, he’s got a skull ring!”
(With Ruby eyes, glowing red. Am I a bad-ass, or what?)
