[I have to get these in, before the voting closes - I mean, apart from the AFI list, which is so "stock" in many ways.]
Milagro Beanfield War, 1988
director, Robert Redford
more situational humor than anything, but also:
"I'll hit you so hard they'll arrest you in El Paso for speeding."
Fools Rush In, 1997
A cute, fluff of a film with Salma Hayek and Matthew Perry.
Alex Whitman: "You are everything I never knew I always wanted."
Isabel Fuentes: "Whatever you do, don't tell them I picked you up outside a bathroom. "
More ...
"Some time around 1971 Texas businessmen started buying land around the Chama and Red River areas northern New Mexico and proposed a $16 million dam east of Taos and in the end these businessmen controlled most of the water rights thereby forcing many farmers to sell their farm.
Also these developers moved in and made resorts like the one in Red River New Mexico, square dance capital of the world. Red River New Mexico is like the resort you see in the movie DIRTY DANCING except that it's all square dancing where the best come to strut their stuff. As the resorts moved in Land values increased and property taxes increased for private farmers and the farmers could not afford to live on their ranchos so many had to sell out to the land developers.
Same thing going on now in Florida along the Coast. Retirees can no longer afford to live in their homes because of increase taxes due to Resort areas being built close to their property.
A five year struggle soon became the subject of two anthropological studies, a comparative legal case study, a popular novel, and a Hollywood movie. The most popular representation of the event was John Nichols' novel, The Milagro Beanfield War, published in 1974. Although the novel focused on protagonist Joe Mondragon who decides to water his deceased father's beanfield by illegally tapping water belonging to the state of New Mexico, Nichols' story otherwise parallels the events that took place in Taos between 1971-1975. After a standoff with state and federal law enforcement officers, Mondragon earns the support of his community and together they challenge the Miracle Valley Conservancy District in court using petitions.
This is not about Mexicans from Mexico. This is about American Citizens; Citizens of the United States and that includes the Navajo and Pueblo too. Things like this would not happen at Camp David or Kennebunkport, or Martha's Vineyard. It did happen to many citizens of New Mexico in THE MILAGRO."
