horses: By now you know that I don't like horses and that Hank does. That's just his way, taking his ranching lifestyle and translating it to the big screen. You just know he loves those horse-girls. That's right, the ones with big hair and little boots that make them look like shetland ponies. I used to say that I'd clean up his mucky horse stable, but I've changed my mind on that one.
texas: This theme is almost as big as the state, itself. even if you don't think the plot's taking place there--check the credits--you may be surprised. Ol' Lone Star Thomas is just a big homebody. Maybe he's not allowed to leave the state (well, I know he wasn't allowed into England). That's a scary possibility.
penis references: Yes, it did all start with infamous "penis-breath" line and now it's out of control. It went from Henry talking about dicks to others talking about his. The whole thing is uncanny.
music: When it's least expected or called for--there he is warbling away. This is not a good thing. Poets and artists are hard enough to deal with, but guys who think they're singer/songwriters are the worst. H.T. can dabble his heart out in his free time, but hobbies have their place and it's not in feature films (or made-for-tv-movies or cable access shows), O.K.?
period piece: Ten years, ten centuries--it doesn't matter--this boy can't seem to stay with the present. Though I don't think he graduated, Henry's college studies in history and philosophy really got the wheels turning, "Almost all primitive cultures interest me. I think we can find out more about ourselves. it's the basic interpretation of who we are now--who we were then." That's beautiful. And then Henry proceeds to whip his dick out all covered in celtic tattoos. He'd better not have any celtic crap on him or I'll puke.
made for cable: A while back Hank said, "trash scripts come in all the time." I used to interpret that to mean he turned a lot of crap down. Now I know better. The guy makes at least one movie a year (and well more than that these days) and the odds are you've never seen them in a theater. Actually, I kind of like his movies so I'll shut-up right now.
storms: Symbolic and tumultuous, just the way you like it. When words can't convey the depth of an emotion all you need is a little thunder and lightning. Sometimes it just makes sense for Hank Thomas Jr. to let nature do the talking.
