Eva Longoria makes her feature film directorial debut in “Flamin’ Hot,” a breezy biopic about Richard Montanez, the man who invented the super spicy (and well known) flavor of Cheetos. This underdog story of a hardworking Mexican immigrant who found success despite all of the boxes society tried to put him in is one that’s inspiring, satisfying, and universal. As a teenager, Montanez (Jesse Garcia) was in and out of trouble. As he puts it, “when society treats you like a criminal, you become one.” He was on the fast track to a permanent life of crime until his wife Judy (Annie Gonzalez) became pregnant with their first son. Searching for a better life for his new family, Richard relied on his street smarts and entrepreneurial attitude to go out and make his own success story. A go-getter from the start, he ended up working at Frito Lay and, after “thinking like a CEO,” came up with the idea to create a flavor that would appeal to the large Hispanic market and save the snack food industry. It’s a terrific story that captures the Mexican-American experience that’s not often seen in mainstream films. Linda Yvette Chávez’s script feels deeply personal, and she takes Richard’s inspiring, complex story and gives us an intimate picture of the man behind the Cheetos. The result is a very human film about discrimination, determination, and the ability to get a leg up on life by pulling yourself out of a bad situation. The story (which is actually controversial because there is a debate as to who really invented the snack flavor) is full of humor and heart. It’s a love story between Richard and Judy, his supporting, loving wife. She isn’t just a background character waiting in the shadows, but is presented as a very strong, tenacious woman who dominates every seen she’s in. As is the case with most biopics, there’s obvious embellishment and exaggeration, and there’s no shortage of emotional fluffery that is designed to tug on your heartstrings. There’s plenty of discussion about having faith and living the American dream, which does feel as corny as it sounds. There’s a lot of talk about representation in front of the camera, but it’s important behind the camera, too. Longoria put her money where her mouth is and hired a diverse crew for her film because who tells these stories also matters. The final product is something that radiates an authentic tone and feeling that is rare, especially for a biopic. Longoria’s directorial style is polished and well-matched to the script, with a clear vision and voice. The cast is just as easy to love. Charismatic and sympathetic, I was rooting for Richard and Judy the minute they were introduced onscreen. Casting is so important in a film like this, and it couldn’t be more perfect. Despite a predictable outcome and a few obvious exaggerations of the truth, “Flamin’ Hot” is an irresistible underdog story about a disruptor who shook up the snack food industry. It’s a funny, sweet, and delightful film that’s as crowd-pleasing as it gets. By: Louisa Moore
On her eightieth birthday, a lawyer gives Frida Borel, the wealthy heiress of a textile fortune from St. Gallen, a mysterious pill from the legacy of her father, who died long ago. This miracle pill is supposed to relieve her of the misery and infirmity of old age. The effect is as surprising as it is far-reaching: Frida becomes physically young again, although she remains mentally the same age as before. But who is going to believe a 25-year-old who claims to be 80? Not even her long-time gardener, Roman, recognises her anymore. Suddenly Frida finds herself penniless. After being waited on her whole life, she now has to go to work for a living. And if that were not unsettling enough, her nephew Georg and his greedy wife, Eva, pilfer everything they can from of her villa. Frida has to acknowledge that her closest relatives would literally walk over her dead body if given the chance.
Movie Star Rating : 9 Read More
On March 21st, 1945, the British Royal Air Force set out on a mission to bomb Gestapo's headquarters in Copenhagen. The raid had fatal consequences as some of the bombers accidentally targeted a school and more than 120 people were killed, 86 of whom were children.
Movie Star Rating : 7.8 Read More
Filmed in Miami during Hurricane Isaac, 'When We Lived in Miami' is a hypnotic short about the lengths one woman will go to keep her family from falling apart.
Movie Star Rating : 6.5 Read More
Take Carmen Vega downtown and book her! Carmen (Sonia Braga) is guilty as charged of scheming with her two best friends, Marisol and Valeria (Rose Abdoo and Saundra Santiago) to stick her nose in everything in her two adult daughter’s lives. From secretly leaving baby books out for recently wed daughter Yolanda (Ana Ayora) and her husband Rico (George Contreras) to manipulating youngest daughter Ally (Mercedes Renard) into a doomed date with best friend Marisol’s son Pablo (Rafael Amaya), Carmen can’t stop interfering. Now, the notorious mother of good intentions with equally hideous results is about to get a crash course in butting out!
Movie Star Rating : 4.6 Read More
British nurse Edith Cavell is stationed at a hospital in Brussels during World War I. When the son of a former patient escapes from a German prisoner-of-war camp, she helps him flee to Holland. Outraged at the number of soldiers detained in the camps, Edith, along with a group of sympathizers, devises a plan to help the prisoners escape. As the group works to free the soldiers, Edith must keep her activities secret from the Germans
Movie Star Rating : 6.4 Read More
Kati and Steffi have been best friends since they were six. Now they're both 17 and enjoying the ups and downs of becoming adults together. While Kati's parents are religious and conservative, but argue constantly, Steffi comes from what appears to be a harmonious and liberal family. But the girls discover how quickly their attractive world can fall apart when, at a hip nightclub, they happen to see Steffi's father in the arms of another woman. Steffi is shocked, her trust in her small perfect world shaken to the core. She can only think of one thing: revenge.
Movie Star Rating : 5.9 Read More
After leading his football team to 15 winning seasons, coach Bill Yoast is demoted and replaced by Herman Boone – tough, opinionated and as different from the beloved Yoast as he could be. The two men learn to overcome their differences and turn a group of hostile young men into champions.
Movie Star Rating : 7.6 Read More
Autumn in New York follows the sexual exploits of Will Keane - New York restaurateur, infamous verging-on-50 playboy, master of the no-commitment seduction - until he runs into an unexpected dead end when he meets Charlotte Fielding. Charlotte is half Will's age and twice his match, a 21 year-old free spirit yearning to get out and taste the excitement of adult life.
Movie Star Rating : 6.1 Read More
Like some other kids, 12-year-old Trevor McKinney believed in the goodness of human nature. Like many other kids, he was determined to change the world for the better. Unlike most other kids, he succeeded.
Movie Star Rating : 7.3 Read More
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