Foxcatcher Movie Review

Stars:
Channing Tatum
Mark Ruffalo
Steve Carell


Foxcatcher is based on true events that took place during the late 1980s. Olympic wrestlers/brothers, Dave and Mark Schultz, are recruited by eccentric millionaire John Du Pont to form the next official U.S.A Olympic wrestling team.

However, it quickly becomes clear that Du Pont is less interested in the sport of wrestling and more interested in impressing his aging mother. Thus, he allows his insecurities to get the best of him and takes out his frustrations on Mark and Dave.

All three actors give powerful performances throughout each scene. All of which leads up to a very dramatic conclusion.

On a scale of 1 tamale to 10 tamales I give Foxcatcher a solid 8.5 tamales.

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Ted 2 Movie Review by Lisa Amaya

http://lifeofanelpasowoman.com/2015/06/27/ted-2-offers-a-lot-of-laughs/

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The Dark Knight Movie Review by Ryan A. Loera

I've been a fan of the Batman movie franchise ever since Michael Keaton donned the costume. Christian Bale also made a good Batman. I mean, he was way better than Val Kilmer.

And of course no one can ever really top Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker.

On a scale of 1 tamale to 10 tamales I give The Dark Knight 8.5 tamales.


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Batman: Assault on Arkham Movie Review by Ryan A. Loera

Stars:
Kevin Conroy - Batman
Neal McDonough - Deadshot
Hynden Walch - Harley Quinn
Matthew Gray Gubler - The Riddler
Troy Baker - The Joker
John DiMaggio - King Shark
Greg Ellis - Captain Boomerang
Giancarlo Esposito - Black Spider
Jennifer Hale - Killer Frost
Martin Jarvis - Alfred Pennyworth
CCH Pounder - Amanda Waller

Directors: Jay Oliva, Ethan Spaulding
Writers: Heath Corson, Bob Kane (characters)
Genre: Action/Animation
Rated PG-13

I  was genuinely surprised by this movie! It's chock-full of DC Comics action!

Deadshot, Harley Quinn, King Shark, Captain Boomerang, Black Spider and Killer Frost make up Amanda Waller's group of villains known as the Suicide Squad.

They are tasked with breaking into Arkham Asylum to recover vital information stolen by the Riddler. To ensure they do as they're told, Waller has small explosive chips implanted in their necks. At the slightest hint of rebelliousness she can activate their chips remotely and blow their heads into a million pieces.

While they break into Arkham, Batman is preoccupied with trying to locate a dirty bomb that the Joker hid before being sent to Arkham.

You would think that having so many villains work together would be a terrible idea but for the most part they work well together. I guess the threat of death can be a very powerful motivator.

Once they get inside Arkham and locate the Riddler, they realize Amanda Waller has set them up to take the fall for something far more sinister.

The action sequences are really intricate and well thought out. I also like how accurately each villain is portrayed. I give a big thumbs up to each voice actor! They really gave it their all.

On a scale of 1 tamale to 10 tamales I give Batman: Assault on Arkham 7.7 tamales!
(I wonder if Batman likes tamales.)

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Street Poet Movie Review by Ryan A. Loera

Stars:
Jeff Stearns - Jake
Tara D'Agostino - Marni
C. Thomas Howell - David Settles

Director: E. Paul Edwards
Release Date: March 2, 2010
Genre: Drama
Rated R

The life of a poet is not an easy one. It's filled with many hardships and struggles. But there are moments of great creative expression as well.

Jake (Jeff Stearns) is your typical angst ridden poet struggling to get his poetry heard and read by the masses.
Enter Marni (Tara D'Agostino) a talent scout for a major publisher who is very interested in getting Jake's work published. She takes Jake to a well known poet's, David Settles (C. Thomas Howell), book signing/reading with the hope of inspiring him to become more marketable.

Jake is reluctant to conform but he eventually realizes this could be his only shot at being a nationally recognized published poet. So, with some vigorous training and coaching from Marni, he becomes a lean mean poetry machine.

Marni also signs him up for something called a Poetron Slam. Which is just one big spoken word contest in which hundreds of poets compete for prize money.

In between all the training, Jake and Marni become intimate with one another. By which I mean they get it on!
You know what I mean. Eh? Eh? Ha, ha, ha, ha!!

But seriously… Jake learns of Marni's life threatening illness and freaks out a little bit but eventually looks past it.

There's a lot of really well written original poems in this movie. Unfortunately, most of the actors have a hard time conveying the raw emotional attributes of each poem. But they deserve applause for trying.

I really like Tara D'Agostino's portrayal of Marni. When I did a Google search I was bummed to see that Street Poet is her only acting credit. Apparently, she's now involved in selling Aflac insurance.

Tara D'Agostino! If you're reading this… PLEASE return to acting! PLEASE!

On a scale of 1 tamale to 10 tamales I give Street Poet 6.8 tamales.

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Sideways Movie Review by Ryan A. Loera

Stars:
Paul Giamatti - Miles
Thomas Haden Church - Jack
Virginia Madsen - Maya
Sandra Oh - Stephanie

Director: Alexander Payne
Story by: Rex Pickett
Screenplay: Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor
Awards: Academy Award for Best Writing
Adapted Screenplay
Release Date: October 12, 2004
Genre: Comedy-drama
Rated R

Take two near middle aged men, send them to Santa Barbara Wine Country and have them drink copious amounts of wine. That’s the foundation of Sideways.

Miles (Paul Giamatti) is a struggling writer who teaches English to 8th graders when he's not writing. When his friend, Jack (Thomas Haden Church), announces his engagement Miles plans a week long bachelor's vacation in Santa Barbara Wine Country.

Jack sees it as an opportunity to sleep with as many women as possible before getting married. Miles just sees it as a bonding experience and a chance to teach Jack a little bit about wine.

Along the way, they drink many glasses of wine and meet two interesting ladies.

Maya (Virginia Madsen) waitresses at a restaurant called The Hitching Post. Miles has had a bit of a crush on her since first meeting her the year before. Jack tries to get Miles to ask her out but Miles hates being forced into doing something.

Later, they meet Stephanie (Sandra Oh) at a local vineyard. Her and Jack immediately hit it off. It turns out Stephanie and Maya are best friends and completely open to going on a double date with Jack and Miles. Miles is reluctant at first but loosens up after a couple of glasses of wine. Maya is definitely attracted to him but she respects his personal space.

Jack and Stephanie throw caution to the wind and dive head first into a passionate relationship. By passionate I mean they do it like rabbits every chance they get.

Eventually, Miles let's it slip to Maya that Jack is getting married. Maya then tells Stephanie who then beats Jack's nose to a bloody pulp.

There's lots of vineyard lingo used throughout the movie but it's not too difficult to follow.

Each actors' performance really stands out. Their characters are easy to relate to. I would say I identify with Miles the most. I know what it’s like to be a struggling writer.

On a scale of 1 tamale to 10 tamales I give Sideways 8.5 spicy tamales.

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The Science of Sleep Movie Review by Ryan A. Loera

Stars:
Gael Garcia Bernal - Stephane Miroux
Charlotte Gainsbourg - Stephanie
Emma de Caunes - Zoe

Director: Michel Gondry
Screenplay: Michel Gondry
Release Date: September 22, 2006
Genre: Fantasy/Drama
Rated R

Dreams and reality become one in The Science of Sleep.

Stephane Miroux (Gael Garcia Bernal) reluctantly moves back into his mother's French apartment while she is away on business. He is promised a job as an illustrator at a calendar producing company. Of course, the job turns out to be more monotonous than he was led to believe.

Upon returning from his first day at work, he notices some movers moving a piano up to the apartment of a new tenant. They struggle to lift the piano up the curved staircase.

Stephane then attempts to help them but as soon as he grabs one end of the piano one of the movers loses his grip. Stephane's hand is then crushed by the piano.

His new neighbor, Stephanie (Charlotte Gainsbourg), then appears and scolds the movers for losing their grip. Luckily, Stephane's hand is not broken. But it is bruised.

Stephanie then invites him into her apartment so she can render first aid. She also introduces him to her friend Zoe (Emma de Caunes). Stephane is immediately attracted to Zoe and attempts to impress her with one of his "inventions".

In addition to being an illustrator he considers himself to be an inventor. His inventions include, but are not limited to, 3D reality glasses, a mind reading helmet and a time travel device that only allows the user to travel back one second into the past.

He eventually gives up on pursuing Zoe but he also struggles to accept the notion of having any kind of romantic relationship with Stephanie.

In between all of this, Stephane frequently retreats into his own dream world. These are the scenes that are the most vivid and elaborately designed.
Stephane's dreams have a very child-like quality to them.

Unfortunately, he often has trouble differentiating his dreams from reality. It seems to be the main source of his frustration and inspiration.

I've yet to see another movie with the same look and feel as The Science of Sleep.

On a scale of 1 tamale to 10 tamales I give The Science of Sleep 8 delicious tamales!

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Jurassic World Movie Review by Ryan A. Loera

Stars:
Chris Pratt - Owen
Bryce Dallas Howard - Claire
Vincent D'onofrio - Hoskins
Ty Simpkins - Gray
Nick Robinson - Zach
BD Wong - Dr. Henry Wu
Judy Greer - Karen
Andy Buckley - Scott
Katie McGrath - Zara

Genre: Science fiction/Thriller
Director: Colin Trevorrow
Release Date: June 12, 2015
Rated PG-13

I'd like to start this review with… Wow! Jurassic World really blew my mind!

Yes, there are many predictable scenes and the story line is still the same but the dinosaurs are bigger and better than ever!

The movie begins with brothers Gray (Ty Simpkins) and Zach (Nick Robinson) being driven to the airport by their parents Karen (Judy Greer) and Scott (Andy Buckley). After a semi-heartfelt goodbye they board the plane and begin their journey to Jurassic World, where their Aunt Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) works as Operations Manager.

Upon first sight, Jurassic World looks like every other amusement park. With the exception of being set on a tropical island and populated by genetically engineered dinosaurs.

Gray and Zach are first greeted by their Aunt Claire's assistant, Zara (Katie McGrath), who has been tasked with looking after them. That doesn't last long because they eventually sneak away and get into some trouble.

The first half of the movie does drag on but that's mostly to allow enough time for each character to be introduced. Chris Pratt gives a good performance as Owen the Velociraptor Trainer. His abilities extend beyond those of a typical trainer. He actually develops some kind of mutual relationship based on trust with them. He's also an all around badass.

Vincent D'onofrio does an excellent job of portraying Hoskins, the quintessential bad guy with his own agenda.

The only returning actor in Jurassic World is BD Wong as Dr. Henry Wu. If you don't know who he is then Google him.

But the real star of the movie is Indominus Rex, the hybrid dinosaur mutation, created solely for the purpose of drawing in more people to Jurassic World and raking in more money.

Indominus Rex is not your average genetically engineered dinosaur. She's super intelligent and super aggressive.

Once she breaks free from her holding pen, all havoc ensues and the real action begins. Many people are injured and many people die. It may seem tragic but that should be expected at a theme park with live dinosaurs.
The sooner you accept that fact the sooner it becomes easy to enjoy the magnificently detailed CGI effects.

And I do mean magnificent!

For me, the absolute best scene is the final fight scene. I wish I could describe it without ruining the surprise but I really can't.

Just trust me… it's insanely awesome and well worth shelling out the extra bucks for the 3D version.

I do wish people would stop comparing it to the original but I suppose that is unavoidable.

Jurassic Park was about people encountering live dinosaurs for the first time. Jurassic World is about dinosaurs becoming fed up with people and exacting revenge for being held in captivity.

On a scale of 1 tamale to 10 tamales I give Jurassic World 9 tamales!

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Thumbsucker Movie Review by Ryan A. Loera

Stars:
Lou Taylor Pucci - Justin Cobb
Keanu Reeves - Perry Lyman
Kelli Garner - Rebecca
Tilda Swinton - Audrey Cobb
Vincent D'onofrio - Mike Cobb
Vince Vaughn - Mr. Geary

Director: Mike Mills
Release Date: January 23, 2005
Genre: Coming of age/Comedy-drama
Rated R

Thumbsucker is a movie about a teenage boy who can't stop sucking his thumb. Well… it's about a little more than that.

Justin Cobb (Lou Taylor Pucci) is your typical awkward teenager with high hopes for the future. Unfortunately, his inability to focus and thumbsucking affliction hold him back.

His Dad, Mike Cobb (Vincent D'onofrio), eventually becomes so fed up with his thumbsucking that he resorts to weird methods. Such as writing his initials on Justin's thumbs.

Justin's Mom, Audrey Cobb (Tilda Swinton), believes nothing is really wrong with Justin. She chalks it up to normal teenage awkwardness. Which, from her point of view, makes sense considering she's seen far worse addictions at the drug rehab center where she works as a nurse.

Perry Lyman (Keanu Reeves), Justin's orthodontist and unofficial spiritual advisor, attempts to halt Justin's thumbsucking via hypnosis. The effects of which force Justin into a temporary downward spiral of withdrawal.

Luckily, Justin quickly befriends his debate team partner and long time crush Rebecca (Kelli Garner). They flirt with the notion of becoming more than friends but Rebecca quickly puts a stop to it when Justin refuses to be completely open and honest with her.

A few days later, he has a panic attack of sorts while preparing for a debate at school. His teacher Mr. Geary (Vince Vaughn) develops a real interest in his well being and, with the expertise of the school counselor, suggests the use of medication to Justin's parents.

They are against it at first but then become open to it once Justin tells them he feels he could really benefit from the psychoactive effects that only medication can provide.

The medication does help Justin focus more and become the star of the debate team. However, he ultimately realizes that all he did was trade one addiction for another.

Thumbsucker has many heartwarming scenes and many comedic scenes. The ending isn't what one would expect but it leaves much to the imagination.

On a scale of 1 tamale to 10 tamales I give Thumbsucker a delicious 7 tamales.

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