Okay! Sorry for the delay, friends. This is @BilgeEbiri livetweeting THE MASK OF ZORRO from the Vulture account. I assure you I am very good at this.

Is it just me, or are these eyes – which are supposed to belong to young Alejandro – the eyes of a grown man? Is it possible they actually used Banderas for this shot? If so, nice, subtle move.
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When that James Horner score kicks in, you just know everything's going to be okay. #vulturemovieclub

The fact that Anthony Hopkins as Zorro in these early scenes looks a little too old and a little out of shape actually helps establish the idea that someone else will soon have to take over. At first it seems like a mistake, but it helps move the story along. #vulturemovieclub

Zorro’s lair definitely giving off Bat Cave vibes. Of course, Batman’s creators were directly influenced by Zorro.
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I love that the villains in MASK OF ZORRO are really, like, horrible people. Obviously, they’re movie villains. But it feels like the filmmakers went the extra mile to make them especially sadistic and evil.
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Let’s pay tribute to Western movie legend L.Q. Jones, scene-stealing co-star of many a Sam Peckinpah movie, and briefly a cult director in his own right, who plays Three Fingered Jack.
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In the dungeon scenes, you can hear strains of James Horner's ALIENS score, which of course contains strains of Jerry Goldsmith's ALIEN score. #vulturemovieclub #maskofzorro

Hmm, Don Rafael Montero's demagoguery-posing-as-populism seems familiar. #vulturemovieclub

The story of an impulsive young nobody being trained by an aging master is nothing new (it’s the basis of like every other STAR WARS movie), but THE MASK OF ZORRO really does a lovely job reinvesting the idea with both levity and urgency.
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That the film takes its time w/ the training scenes b/w Hopkins and Banderas is one of its great strengths. Banderas becomes an expert fighter while occasionally still bumbling -- that's a key to the film's sense of humor.
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Catherine Zeta-Jones actually had to do a ton of horse-riding lessons for a scene where she shows her dexterity with a sword while riding. This scene was, alas, cut from the movie.

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This melee is a great example of the way that THE MASK OF ZORRO mixes swashbuckling with Chaplinesque slapstick. Alejandro keeps screwing up, which leads to more elaborate, acrobatic stunts. #vultureovieclub

I mean, this is basically what happens when you cross Douglas Fairbanks with Charlie Chaplin. (To be fair, Jackie Chan was also wonderful at this.) #vulturemovieclub

The chemistry between Banderas and Zeta-Jones really is so wonderful. #vulturemovieclub @maskofzorro

Really should have used my time in quarantine to perfect this skill. #vulturemovieclub

#truedetectiveseasonfour

Here’s another example of what great directing & acting can bring to a scene. This is a minute-plus of two actors standing there talking. But watch the body language, watch their eyes and gestures. Every little detail tells a story.
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“Dancing is merely the vertical expression of a horizontal desire.”
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The scene where Don Rafael lays out his Devious Plan to the other nobles feels straight out of a Bond picture, complete with giant map. #vulturemovieclub

To those of you asking about THE LEGEND OF ZORRO, sorry, but in this house we do not discuss THE LEGEND OF ZORRO.
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(To be perfectly clear, nobody has actually asked about THE LEGEND OF ZORRO)
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I love the fact that halfway through the swordfight between Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, they actually stop to disrobe. #vulturemovieclub

The look they give each other at the end really sells this whole thing. #vulturemovieclub

Okay, I'm gonna go on a bit about the beautiful conception and execution of this horse chase (one of the greatest ever), because it really does give you a sense of the artistry and care that went into making this film.
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First, it kicks off with Zorro trying to get on his horse, and slamming into a branch, a moment of broad comedy to start things off…
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But the fact that Zorro has fallen off his horse now also means that the soldiers think they’re chasing Zorro, when in fact they’re just chasing the horse.
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Instead, Zorro has to do all these incredible stunts to knock off the soldiers one by one…
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Each individual fight/stunt is different during this horse chase. But note the elegant simplicity of the shots. No fancy camerawork or cutting is required, because the sequence itself is so clever.
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And finally, there’s our old friend the tree branch again, only this time Zorro is able to use it to his advantage.
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It's a theme that runs across the action scenes in this film. Zorro screws up, then has to do something even more impressive to make up for it. This keeps the action light, while allowing it to escalate organically. That's how you do it. #vulturemovieclub

If James Horner's score during the climactic scenes of THE MASK OF ZORRO sound curiously familiar to you...That's because he basically reused it for AVATAR.

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brb, going to scream in rage for a bit about the fact that we still don't have an Oscar for Best Stunts.

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Talking to director Martin Campbell and revisiting the film, it seems clear that executive producer Steven Spielberg's influence on it was huge. You can see shades of Indiana Jones in here as well. #vulturemovieclub

Hopkins's death scene in MASK OF ZORRO offers a fine example of why you really want a great actor in a part like that. Not everybody -- including some very accomplished performers -- can do intimacy like that. #vulturemovieclub

Okay, that's it from me, folks. I leave you with this final thought: Remember, this movie never got a sequel. It never happened. #vulturemovieclub