The stories are both very "cheese". I like the difference of one having a female supporting lead role to help in escaping. this subtle difference had a positive impact on my interest in the story line.

Both the movies, I found them to be highly amusing. Despite them being an action-packed movies, its filled with humourous undertones. The tongue-in--cheek remarks such as 'the customer is always wrong' etc. and the stereotypes about Mexicans along with the ridiculous action stunts which seem highly unrealistic make both the movies have a more comical feel to them than anything else. Starpower does indeed play into both the movies but also making Salma Hayek the sidekick rather than the woman-in-distress adds a nice feel to it where she bails the main protagonist Antonio Banderas. I thoroughly enjoyed both the movies and I thought that it was a well presented discussion.

I enjoyed both of these film clips. Its was easy to see that both films were written and directed by the same person. My favorite part about the films is the way that they are directed. The director makes the scene into such eye-candy that it also seems appropriate to have cliches and cheesy lines. Complex dialogue would take away from the beauty of the cinematography. The directer wants the majority of the audience's attention to be on what they are seeing and not to think too much about it. Because of this a simple, easy to follow script is required. The director creates a new world for his for his audience when they view the movie. A world where people really talk in cheesy cliches and gravity is redefined. A world where people look sexy killing and bullets never hit the hero even though hundreds are shot.

John Killough Wangel

Since i wasnt in class monday, i guess ill have to go on what little i know about the two movies...The more recent movie, Once Upon a Time in Mexico seems to have more star power with Johnny Depp taking over a role in the movie. Both movies, from what ive heard, are meant to be ultra-violent, over the top movies with a lot of flare. All of these traits of a movie are what put Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarrentino in a class of their own. The main tagline for Desperado: "He came back to settle a score with someone. Anyone. EVERYONE." sends the message that the movie is going to be one filled with action and violence, sometimes random and unfocused, that is meant to entertain by fantastic means.

Both Desperado and Once Upon a Time in Mexico are films that can be enjoyed in two different ways. On their face they both provide cheesy overblown stunt work that is just entertaining to watch. However, upon closer inspection there is hidden humor in the film. I have seen both films, but had never noticed some of the comedic elements before the class discussion. Things like the saying, the customer is always wrong, above the door of the bar. I agree that the films are more stylistic than substantive. I also feel like they attract an audience that enjoys extreme embellishments and disjoined dialogue. I don’t see a deeper meaning in the films, they were created for entertainment only and that is why they are successful. To me the films have the same appeal as the old slap stick comedy films of the Three Stooges. This emerging genre seems to be reverting back to older elements that were very popular in their time.

Lindsey W
i had never seen these movie before so i was really intrigued how the director managed to make these two so similar and still create hits. i'm not bashing on him, they were great from what i saw, but it's the same story, and some of the same actors. the special effects were incredible but i have to agree with dawn ashley in that the plot came second to the special effects. the lines were cheesy, but there are the kinda of cheesy that you quote later on and laugh about. and there were a lot of things that you could tell that wouldn't really happen. so it made you think more along the lines of a comic book hero, rather than an intriguing character because everyone knows that the comic book hero always wins, but in some great movies, it doesn't turn out like most people think it would, and the way this movie seems to be going, i say that everything works out great for him in the end.

I have had no previous conceptions of these films, so seeing them was interesting without prior knowledge. The highly stylized action and storytelling make the plot seem secondary to the visual effects. Everything appears to be ethereal, almost.
The budgeting for each film had to have made a huge difference, but I wasn't able to pick up on it within these clips. I also wonder how El Mariachi compares.
The star power in "once upon a time..." Is so intense, I almost didn't know what to do haha... Too many pretty people, making not nearly enough contribution to the plot. But, since the plot is not important, I suppose they can use pretty faces for some really serious advertising.

I've seen both of these movies, and one thing that is really apparent about Rodriguez's style is that he is very aware of the genre he is emulating. He approaches the action genre not with appreciation, but also understands that it isn't the most thought-provoking genre. Most of the violence in his films is very ironic, because it can be extremely gratuitous, gory, and explosive but still be at least somewhat comical in the long run. I've always thought it's really cool how Rodriguez has action and violence that can be extremely gritty sometimes, then completely undermine it by having a cheesy one-liner or merely by the way he presents it. Like Hayek and Banderas falling around clumsily on the side of the building -- It's engaging and cool, yet funny at the same time. He's emulating action, but poking fun at how over-the-top it is. An extremely recent example of this is Grindhouse, which was released Friday. In his portion of the double feature, there is one part where a little boy blows his own head off with a gun his mother gives him, and Rodriguez still manages to find a way to approach it comically. If you think this is impossible, I suggest you see the movie.

Two movies that I'm ashamed to say I've never seen. I don't know whats wrong with me. The discussion today truly sparked my interest and I'm seeing them soon. About the movie, I really didn't see a big difference in the star power quality. I forget his name, but the guy that plays Johnny Deep's character in Desperado is cool. I like him in all of his movies, and I'm not a huge Deep fan. I would probably choose him over Deep so star power doesn't seem as huge to me as it does to the rest of the class. I enjoyed the plot, if you can call it that. The outrageous action is awesome to me. And for the record, Antonio could definitely do those stunts in real life...no doubt. On the other hand, after watching the beginnings of both movies, I can't help but think Rodriguez did a marvelous job with a 7,000 dollar budget. At first I thought that Desperado had the 7 million dollar budget.

I thought both movies focused on the violence and the filming more than the actual acting and plot. In Desperado Banderas and Salma Hayek escape from the enemy with ease, while in Once Upon a Time in Mexico, they actually encounter trouble. The whole thing is pretty unrealistic, but this added aspect at least makes it a little bit more believable. Both the clips we saw in class ended with a big explosion in the background of Banderas and Hayek. I agree with Kristen in that Salma’s role was changed from that of a stereotypical weak female to the powerful sidekick in order to appeal to the female viewers. The acting was pretty cheesy but I think it made it more bearable to be watching big actors like Depp, Banderas, Salma, and Cheech rather than some random B rate actor. This also probably helped draw in more viewers.

Siento mucho mucho about the questions. Sorry I didn't get these up sooner. Here are some things to talk about in the discussion posts:
the violence
possible toungue in cheek attitude (was there any?)
star power
monetary power
stereotypes

But overall, what did you think of the movies? Did you get what they were doing? Did you like what they did? Was it worth doing at all?

Upon seeing these films, neither of which I've seen before, the first difference that struck me was the gender roles and how they are used comparatively. In Desperado, Banderas is in full control as the "bad guy" and successfully wipes out the whole bar (with exception to Buscemi's character). He then goes on to "valiantly" save Hayek and makes a heroic physics-defying land on the rooftop while being showered with gunfire; in this movie the woman has less of a role and is perceived as weaker in nature. However in Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Hayek is given a more commanding role when she comes to rescue Banderas after he fails to take out the men in the bar. During the shooting scene, too, Hayek is very much a part of the action as they swing from the building onto the bus. This change of roles leads me to believe that Once Upon a Time in Mexico could possibly be geared so more females could enjoy the movie. Having a female "powerhouse" character generally adds to the demographic of those that would see this type of film, and I could see how Hayek's role changing could have an effect on the females enjoying these movies.

Kristen Cone

I though with such large budgeting differences that the movies would be
dramatically better. To my surprise this was not true. I think that the story
line can only be marginally improved (if at all) with more expensive explosives. I liked
both movies when I saw them in theaters, it was not until this presentation i realized
how simialr the two movies are. The main actors were similar with long flowing hair and good looks. I found irony in Cheech being in both movies.

since we didnt have anything to work on this is my comment during the class. i think that the movies are very toungue and cheek, though their differences mainly spring from their budget and cast. cheech, the famous comedien, and his impact on the film adds to the film's lack of seriousness due to his style of comedy. him as a story teller in once upon a time is different because it gives a greater impact to his comedy.