John C. Horst's Blog, page 4

“The fat one or the thin one or the tall one or the short one, or the very ugly one who stinks?”

Felix by Rivera The little nun approached Marta as the girl sat close to the dying fire, smoking the last of a cigarette and working on her tatting. She was alone. She’d gotten a bad knot and was trying to work it out. She looked absurd; the little girl bent over her lace with a cigarette dangling from her lips. This was a thoroughly corrupt place.

Marta liked the little nun. The men were afraid of her. They said she was a leper. She did not know what a leper was but was glad to see the men afraid. She liked it when the men looked stupid or foolish or afraid and this nun’s making them this way pleased her. The little nun never looked up from the ground and spoke into her chest in a tiny, afraid voice. This amused Marta too.

“Where is the one named Jesus?” the little nun spoke into her chest.

“The fat one or the thin one or the tall one or the short one, or the very ugly one who stinks?”

The little nun was not certain which to choose. “The maestro said he was to guard the remuda.”

Marta breathed her smoke and her answer at the little nun. “That’s the thin one.” She pointed with her cigarette butt, “He is over there, in the blue vest.”

“Gracias.” The Mule Tamer II: Chica's Ride

4.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly enjoyed -- will read more.

Rivera of Maria Felix 4.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly enjoyed -- will read more, September 12, 2014 By Live to Read (South Carolina) - See all my reviews Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Maria's Trail (The Mule Tamer Book 1) (Kindle Edition) Different, but kind of mesmerizing. No major suspense, but plenty of action. Reveals one author's perception of the violence and amorality of the old west (and Mexico). I thought there was good development of the character of Maria. A somewhat unlikely progression of her character, but very engaging. Author has avoided reliance on f-bombs to create "reality". I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

You are a nice boy, but you are in, ah, over your eyes, ah, in too deep water.

“No, gringo. I am going back to Mexico.” She decided not to say any more. She didn’t want to waste time and he wouldn’t listen anyway. She watched him get angry and prepared herself for action. He did not disappoint.

“Well, what if I tell you I could have you arrested, locked up and thrown in jail? You’ll never see Mexico again.”

Maria stood up and got close to him. She looked into his eyes and reached out, squeezed his cheeks together gently. “You are a nice boy, but you are in, ah, over your eyes, ah, in too deep water. You are in too far and I’ll forget that threat, but you have to go now, gringo.”

He stood, not certain what to do. She wasn’t afraid and not in the least intimidated by him. In fact, it was the other way around. He put up his hands in surrender. “All right, but you’re missing a plum opportunity, a plum opportunity.” He turned to leave. “Just one kiss?” He gave a look more confident than he was.

Maria looked at him. He was bold and a little drunk. She decided to humor the poor fool and kissed him gently on the cheek. Maria's Trail

Film Review: The Artist and the Model

Title: The Artist and the Model
Year Released: 2012
Country: France
Language: French
Rating:  R  My Rating: R
Score (out of five stars): 2.5
Gold: High
Silver: High
Bronze: Medium
Memorable: Medium
Temptation for checking the time: Medium
Acting: High
Writing: High for the first 75% of the film, then low for the balance.
Cinematography: High

I absolutely loved this film for the first three quarters of its running. Then, it seemed the screenwriter had turned it over to a cheap tabloid journalist and asked him to finish it, writing from the perspective of a randy high schooler.

Actually, that's not entirely accurate, as my fifteen year old daughter and her classmates treat nude models in their art high school class with more maturity, dignity and respect, than was afforded by the producers of this film, as does every artist I've ever encountered or known.

That all artists are perverts and all models sluts is such a tired old cliche, and this is where the film disappoints the most. Mercè is introduced to us as, at first, a lonely and frightened peasant girl, whom we learn later to be an intelligent and courageous resistance fighter, capable of holding her own against the ever present Nazis. She's ignorant of art and the artist's life, but she is by no means helpless or stupid. Her ubiquitous nudity seems to serve as a warning against marginalizing her, yet, this is exactly what the filmmaker does, ultimately. He turns Mercè into a caricature, after painstakingly revealing to the audience that she has so much more to offer.

I honestly thought it was some cruel joke when the artist and model had sexual relations, and this is why the film falls apart toward the end. It brought to mind another French film, entitled The Women on the Sixth Floor, (review forthcoming), as both films very beautifully develop stories about human beings treating each other like human beings only to destroy the whole lovely story with some silly juvenile and superficial sex scene and romance at the end.

I ask, why? Does every caring relationship between a man and woman have to become sexual? Can there be nothing else? The beauty in the relationship early on in the film between the artist and model reminded me of that of Matisse, (mentioned in the film, by the way), and Sister Jacques-Marie. Despite the best efforts of the sensational tabloids of the time, this friendship could never be maligned, as it was between two thoughtful and caring human beings. Sex never entered into it. Remember Educating Rita? Why can't we see more films like that these days?

I really wanted to love this film. I wanted to share the experience of it with my artist daughter, and would have if only they'd rewrite the last few scenes, particularly the one featuring the shotgun, which I won't get into further due to spoilers. Suffice it to say, it was more incongruous to me than the sex, almost as if it had been tacked on at the end, to add some existential weight to this potentially classic and lovely film.

These are my film reviews. I am not any more qualified to offer them than anyone else. I just love films and seek out works that are not on the radar, especially foreign language and independent films. Many of my friends consult me for interesting stuff to watch, so, I’ve decided to put them on my blog.

I am constantly on the lookout for films that are entertaining and always with an eye toward how they treat subjects and matters of the human condition. I feature myself a moralist, and am especially drawn to works that bring out emotion and treat heavy subject matter with respect.  

I’ve decided, in addition to giving just a number rating, to also give weight to the three basic concepts of the human condition, as described by Plato in his Republic; namely,

The gold, to represent the mind,

The Silver, to represent the heart, and

The bronze, to represent, well, you know, the region below the belt.

I think this is useful in describing films.

Some other things of note:

I’ll give a rating whenever the film has not been, to help give the reader a sense of what to expect.

I’ll rate the films 1-5, five being the top score.

I’ll also rate the film on how memorable it was. My good friend mentioned that, and I agree. He stated that he bases a film or book on how long he thought about it after the experience. Great insight.

Temptation for checking the time is just that. Was the film boring? Did I consult my watch, or the little bar at the bottom of the screen when streaming, to see when the thing would end?

Finally, for the more bronze-ish movies, I’ll let the viewer know how explicit the sex is or how much nudity is involved.

Hope these reviews will be useful.

John

It was a face formed by the centuries mingling Spanish and Indian blood.

Maria Felix Her face bore a peaceful expression as she lay there on the dusty floorboards among the bits of hair and hemp. It was a face formed by the centuries mingling Spanish and Indian blood.  A small scar under her bottom lip added to her beauty and imparted a not insignificant suggestion of danger. She sighed as he removed her gun belt. The little viper would be more difficult to defang after she had awakened. 

He removed her scarf, wetted it from his canteen and began cleaning the dust from her face and arms and decided it better to leave the rest. He turned his attention to her rig. He fumbled with the latch on one of the six shooters, as they were a type he did not know well. Arvel had little use for six shooters. The gun sprang open, ejecting cartridge cases into the air and clattering on the floor, awoke the pretty girl. The Mule Tamer

Movie Review of The Trip to Italy

Title: The Trip to Italy
Year Released: 2014
Country: UK
Language: English
Rating: NR  My Rating: R
Score (out of five stars): 3
Gold: High
Silver: Medium
Bronze: Low
Memorable: Medium
Temptation for checking the time: High
Acting: Medium
Writing: Medium
Cinematography: High
I loved the other two Coogan / Brydon films, The Trip being my favorite, with Tristram Shandy coming in a close second. Unfortunately, I could not get into The Trip to Italy as well as these other two films featuring these excellent funny men. My main complaints are, I believe, with the writing and the timing between the actors. There just did not seem to be the chemistry between them that existed in the other films. Additionally, the switch in focus from Coogan to Brydon did not work for me. This was the beauty of the other films. It would be like Laurel and Hardy or Abbott and Costello switching parts. That would not work in those instances and it did not work for me in this film.

These are my film reviews. I am not any more qualified to offer them than anyone else. I just love films and seek out works that are not on the radar, especially foreign language and independent films. Many of my friends consult me for interesting stuff to watch, so, I’ve decided to put them on my blog.

I am constantly on the lookout for films that are entertaining and always with an eye toward how they treat subjects and matters of the human condition. I feature myself a moralist, and am especially drawn to works that bring out emotion and treat heavy subject matter with respect.  

I’ve decided, in addition to giving just a number rating, to also give weight to the three basic concepts of the human condition, as described by Plato in his Republic; namely,
The gold, to represent the mind,
The Silver, to represent the heart, and
The bronze, to represent, well, you know, the region below the belt.

I think this is useful in describing films.

Some other things of note:
I’ll give a rating whenever the film has not been, to help give the reader a sense of what to expect.

I’ll rate the films 1-5, five being the top score.

I’ll also rate the film on how memorable it was. My good friend mentioned that, and I agree. He stated that he bases a film or book on how long he thought about it after the experience. Great insight.

Temptation for checking the time is just that. Was the film boring? Did I consult my watch, or the little bar at the bottom of the screen when streaming, to see when the thing would end?

Finally, for the more bronze-ish movies, I’ll let the viewer know how explicit the sex is or how much nudity is involved.

Hope these reviews will be useful.

John

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely loved this whole series.

Daria Werbowy as Maria Felix 5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely loved this whole series, September 4, 2014 By Joan Young - See all my reviews Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: The Mule Tamer (Kindle Edition) Absolutely loved this whole series. It kept me on the edge of my set, and could hardly wait for the next book. I highly recommend this book as well as 2 and 3. You'll laugh with her and cry with her. A wonderful book. The Mule Tamer

I’m so afraid ‘cause I ain’t smart, and I’m old, and I just ain’t up to your boy’s measure.

Gianni Strino She looked back at the house and saw Adulio and Paulo working and they waved to her from a good distance away. She smiled and waved back and continued. “I wanna tell you, Señor, that I’m so happy and I’ll do my best to make your son happy, but I’m afraid. I’m so afraid ‘cause I ain’t smart, and I’m old, and I just ain’t up to your boy’s measure. I ain’t by a mile and I know it.” She shrugged and tried to make her voice stop shaking. Hilola was working herself up into a fairly agitated state. Her nose ran and she sniffed hard and wiped the tears from her eyes. She went on. “But Ramon keeps tellin’ me I’m fine and he loves me just as I am and he don’t act like he’s getting’ sick of me at all. And, Señor, I ain’t too old for babies, I know that. And I think I’m goin’ to be makin’ you a grandpa soon.” Allingham; Desperate Ride

Old Pop had wanted to start living all his life. Now was his chance, now was his time, and he’d take it.

Rest in Harvest A young pretty woman walked by in a blue print dress and smiled at him and wished him a good morning. He tipped his hat and looked up at the clear blue sky and smiled back at her. She was clean and pretty and pure and, to Old Pop, likely pure of heart. It made him very happy to see her, as if God had sent her to him as some kind of sign, an Angel from heaven, sent down to tell him that it was indeed a good and beautiful morning and that it was time to start living. For a man of nearly sixty years, that was no insignificant message, as Old Pop had wanted to start living all his life. Now was his chance, now was his time, and he’d take it. Allingham; Desperate Ride

5.0 out of 5 stars Historical Western with Mystery.

5.0 out of 5 stars Historical Western with Mystery, September 6, 2014 By Noreen Kellner (Connecticut) - See all my reviews Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Allingham; Desperate Ride (Kindle Edition) Western with mystery and a look at how crimes were solved...or not, years ago. Really enjoyed the character development and meeting new characters in this adventure. Intriguing story line and plot development that is in keeping with the time period. John Horst has proven himself an exceptional author and I look forward to his next book. Allingham; Desperate Ride