"THE THREE BURIALS OF MELQUIADES ESTRADA"

Hi, guys. 

I recently watched “The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada,” the 2005 feature directorial debut of Tommy Lee Jones, for the second time.  Now that I think about it, it's hard for me to believe that I haven't actually seen the film for several years.  Why?  Because it has stayed with me ever since my first viewing.

For those of you who may not be familiar with the film, it’s the story of a Texas ranch hand who looks to fulfill the promise he made to his recently deceased best friend by burying him in his hometown in Mexico. 

The screenplay, written by Guillermo Arriaga (“Amores Perros,” “21 Grams”), won Best Original Screenplay at Cannes and Jones won Best Actor.  The fact that the film was completely ignored by the Academy, but picked up four Independent Spirit Award Nominations, only seems to further bolster my opinion that the former means less and less with each passing year. 

Interestingly, in addition to acting and directing, Jones translated Arriaga's script from Spanish to English himself and shot the majority of the film on his own ranch in Texas. 

Anyway, if you haven’t seen the film and would like to watch something that somebody really cared about, I highly recommend "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada."

-Dax

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3k1iBYa5Z4