Protraph Lack of good storyline.

BroadcastChic Excellent, a Must See

SanEat A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

vchimpanzee History teacher and guidance counselor Miss Ruiz speaks to a high school gym class made up mostly of Latino kids. She's hoping some of them will listen because few Latino kids in the Los Angeles schools go on to college, their best bet at improving their status in life.In history class, Jordin makes it clear he's not interested in what Miss Ruiz has to say, and he uses a word that I'm not sure was even allowed when the version I saw was being cleaned up for TV (though this word is often used on broadcast TV). Miss Ruiz kicks him out of class.Felipa, a nerdy but somewhat attractive girl from New York City who moved in with her beautiful cousin Kika and her parents when her mom couldn't handle the responsibility of a child or anything else, is interested in a scholarship. Jordin sees her when he is waiting to be chastised by the school principal, but he doesn't think too much about her. Or does he?Jordin lost his mother when he was too young to know her. In fact, the truth is that giving birth to Jordin was very risky and some wrong decisions were made. His father, who sells cars along with Jordin's dropout brother, expects Jordin not to send up like his brother, and he is very demanding and borderline abusive. Yet we do see he really cares for his sons.Jordin has a reputation. He acts very macho in front of his friends and wants to impress them by flirting with as many hot girls as possible, including Kika. And eventually getting some of them in bed with him.And yet when Kika and Felipa are together, somehow Jordin wants to hang out with Felipa. Just as a friend. I'm not entirely clear on what happened, but it might have been a bet that he could resist the hot girl and go for the ugly one instead.But Jordin really does seem to fall for Felipa. He just won't admit it to anyone else. And he goes after Kika to show he's still got it. Kika, who is somewhat shallow and not particularly brainy, is actually jealous of her cousin, when one would expect things to be the other way around.Meanwhile, Jordin makes the discovery that his biological father is a college professor. In the process of going to find out more about the man and about the mother he never knew, he just might be inspired to go to college.So will things turn out well for Jordin? What about his romance with Felipa?This is a very good movie. Although there are some stereotypical images, this movie does make an attempt to show positive images of Latinos as well. Veronica Diaz-Carranza and E.J. Bonilla both do very good jobs, and so do many of the leading actors.Jennifer Esposito, in addition to being hot for her age, gives a strong performance. She's tough. She can handle whatever Jordin throws at her, and still care about him enough to help him in life.This is a worthy effort.

followmee I normally don't write reviews but I knew the movie pulled me in, after watching it I found myself looking up the actors online. That to me speaks volume. I was so intrigued and in completely enamored by the way this movie was simply put together, from cast to directing, to writing. It is a simple plot but you fall for the characters, and overall is realness. I look forward to seeing this cast in more movies. I am confident this young cast of actors will continue succeeding, paving the way. By the way, when you have the movie in your mind for days and you find yourself telling others to watch it - you know is good. I highly recommend it.

Joel I really enjoyed this movie at the Florida Film Festival. It's definitely a genre flick: nothing original or unexpected in the form. It's well- written, well-acted, and set in a realistic middle-class LA. It was apparently shot in Super-16mm format, and the colors are warm and rich, which really complements the feel of the movie. The music is understated, which is also just right for this story. What I like most about the whole movie is its human scale: you can relate to these characters not because they're super-realistic (in fact, they're the types you expect in a teen romance) but because the pain and the joys they experience are important for themselves, and not overblown to epic proportions or sold to us disingenuously. _Mamitas_ is just a quality piece of craftsmanship and a pleasure to take in.

Nicole Hamilton I thought Mamitas was a really well acted and naturalistic film. I found myself being able to relate to all of the characters, and felt like I knew them personally even though I grew up in a much different environment. It was like someone just dropped a camera into the middle of their everyday lives in LA including the drama, romance, and pressures of being in high school and made a movie out of it.Mamitas is truly a coming of age story that features wonderful dialogue and two honest, realistic performances from its young cast. The story is nothing particularly new, but the movie is honest and real. Very entertaining movie that does a great job making a possibly cliché story-line unique and original in its own way.