A to Z Challenge 2020 - O

Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003)
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Starring: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Johnny Depp, Mickey Rourke, Eva Mendes
Brief Thoughts: The conclusion of Robert Rodriguez’s Mariachi Trilogy (Antonio Banderas & Salma Hayek join in the second one, Desperado, which was a formative film experience for me). For a lot of people, it became better known as The Movie Johnny Depp Made After Striking It Big With Jack Sparrow. Depp, of course, was already well-known for seeking out weirdo character roles, but after Jack Sparrow the stakes were immeasurably raised. Somewhat lucky for him, this was weirdo territory already, though the fact that it’s a supporting role was a little confusing. Still, he gets off the memorable gonzo line, “Are you a Mexican or a Mexican’t?”

The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)
Director: Justin Chadwick
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman, Eric Bana, Jim Sturgess, Benedict Cumberbatch, Eddie Redmayne
Brief Thoughts: There’s a whole inexplicable cottage industry of books surrounding Henry VIII’s love life, which I suspect has less to do with how irresistible he was as a lover and...the thousand wives he had, and...how he disposed of them. Sort of an object lesson in the woes of feminism, I suppose (ironically all leading up to Queen Elizabeth). Anyway, a rare opportunity to see two heavyweight actresses (Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman) headline a movie. One of those movies, too, where you get to see Benedict Cumberbatch before, um, anyone really knew what to do with him.

Over the Hedge (2006)
Director: Tim Johnson, Karey Kirkpatrick
Starring: Bruce Willis
Brief Thoughts: Based on an ongoing comic strip that remains virtually impossible to find in actual newspapers, this is one of those animated movies made before everyone realized that the Pixar brand of group adventures didn’t actually work outside of Pixar movies. But I still love it. Bruce Willis has a surprisingly long history of voiceover work, although to date (outside of a cameo in The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part) this remains his most recent credit in this capacity. This was at the tail-end of his last major push, too, just as the Sixth Sense bump was fading. Remains an inexplicably underrated talent.