ALL THE PRETTY HORSESI'm not sure what was

ALL THE PRETTY HORSES

I'm not sure what was going through my mind when I put this movie in my Blockbuster Online queue, because I usually am not that crazy about Westerns. Perhaps the fact that it starred Matt Damon and Penelope Cruz had something to do with it. Also that it was directed by Billy Bob Thornton. By the time it got to the top of my queue and had arrived here for viewing, I had forgotten what had appealed to me in its description.

As I started watching it, however, I saw that it was based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy. I little light bulb went on in my head -- an "aha" moment -- as I remembered that I had read some books longer ago by McCarthy. As to whether this was one of them, I wasn't sure, and I became even less sure as the movie progressed. If I did, it was long enough ago that the plot didn't seem overly familiar to me.

The movie also stars Henry Thomas as Matt Damon's character's buddy. It is set in 1949, beginning with the two main characters' riding on horseback into Mexico with a young man called Blevins who they reluctantly allow to accompany them for a while, even though they feel he could mean trouble due to the expensive horse he is riding and about which he mostly evades questioning.

The remainder of the movie mainly takes place in Mexico, and involves the adventures of Damon's and Thomas's characters, both in love (via Damon and Cruz) and in a brutal prison. The movie came out in 2000, so it is interesting to see a younger Matt Damon at work.

The movie was rated PG13 and it earned that rating. However, I enjoyed it and I would recommend it for most adults and older teens.

*****

Socks has gotten so that she seems to think my nap-time is her cue to romp through the house and wreak havoc in my bedroom. She may be about 2 years old, as far as I can tell, but she still acts like a kitten at times. Here is a picture of her that I caught a week or two ago, attacking one of the dining room chairs.



*****

My arm seems to be a lot better today. There are still long achy twinges radiating from the injured area, but that is mostly when I am relaxing, such as when I tried to nap earlier. I'm unclear as to whether I slept or not! I took another Vicodin a little bit ago so another nap may be in store. I should be able to cut down on the Vicodin soon -- I don't want to get hooked on it.