Movie Review: Spare Parts

Spare Parts

Release Date: January 16th 2015
Director: Sean McNamara
Producers: George Lopez, David Alpert, Rick Jacobs, Leslie Kolins Smith, Ben Odell
Main Cast: Marisa Tomei, George Lopez, Jamie Lee Curtis, Carlos Peña, Jose Julian, David Del Rio, Oscar Gutierrez, Alessandra Rosaldo, J.R. Villareal, Aubrey Miller, Alexa Vega, Esai Morales
Genres: Drama
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for some language and violence
Studio: Pantelion Films

Official Sites: Facebook | IMDb

SPARE PARTS is a true life story about four Hispanic high school students who form a robotics club under the leadership of their school’s newest teacher, Fredi (GEORGE LOPEZ). With no experience, 800 bucks, used car parts and a dream, this rag tag team goes up against the country’s reigning robotics champion, MIT. On their journey, they learn not only how to build a robot- they learn to build a bond that will last a lifetime.

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Spare Parts is a film based on the true story of how four high school from Carl Hayden High School competed in, and won, a college-level national robotics competition. The film stars George Lopez, Jamie Lee Curtis, Marisa Tomei and a fresh faced cast of young actors as the high school students.

It is a GOOD movie. I enjoyed all of it. I grew up in a border town. When the camera opened on a scene of the town with a Latin soundtrack, it could have been my hometown. And the charm of this film is that it could really be any small town, any where. And, better yet, you don't need to have grown up in a small town, or be able to personally identify with this group of students, to appreciate the adversity in the boys' lives and to enjoy the film. The themes are universal... It's a modern day Cinderella story.

These high school students faced just about every challenge possible. They have difficult home lives. The have no resources to fund the competition. They have to avoid being caught by immigration officers. The list goes on and on. But, they don't let any of the adversity stop them. With determination and some well-placed humor, the students persevered.

I appreciated that this film is more about the solutions than the problems. It is more about the possibilities than the limitations. Nowadays, we focus too much on what is wrong with the world to enjoy everything that is right. This film reminds you of what is right. Go see it. I think it's especially good for high school students and families, but anyone who sees it will leave the theater with a smile on their face.

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Movie Review: 23 Blast

23 Blast

Release Date: October 24th 2014

Director: Dylan Baker

Writers: Bram Hoover, Toni Hoover

Main Cast: Dylan Baker, Mark Hapka, Bram Hoover, Stephen Lang, Alexa Vega, Kim Zimmer, Max Alder

Genres: Drama | Family | Sports 

MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for some teen drinking

Distributor: Ocean Avenue Entertainment

Official Sites: IMDb | Website | Facebook | Twitter 

Synopsis: When a high school football star is suddenly stricken with irreversible, total blindness, he must decide whether to live a safe, protected life or to summon the courage through playing football to step back into the world. 23 Blast is based on the amazing, true story of Travis Freeman. A typical teenager growing up in a small town in Kentucky, Travis is a local hero on and off the field. In the prime of his youth, he is unexpectedly stricken with an infection that destroys his optic nerve; he becomes blind overnight. Under the influence of parents who love him, a physical therapist who challenges him, a coach who inspires him, and a best friend who he cannot bear to leave behind, Travis shows us what true bravery is by competing on the gridiron, helping his team advance to the State playoffs. We follow Travis and Jerry Baker, his closest friend, from the time they meet on the football field as kids through high school. Jerry’s attraction to the dark side of teenage temptations threatens to pull the friends apart. It is only on the football field where they truly connect.

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Blast 23 was a feel good movie that I almost didn’t want to end.

The movie is based on the life of a high school football player who became blind due to a virus. He was determined to live life alone until his friends, coach, and an unlikely person, his therapist. The therapist was amazing. She would push him to be independent and to continue doing everything he had done in the past like; laundry, cleaning his room, picking out his clothes. His coach asked him about rejoining the team and the thought was almost daunting. He finally did it, even with parents and other towns’ people saying that it was a bad idea. The end of the movie was an ending to remember. All of the nay-sayers were shown that anything is possible as long as you have the support of the people around you.

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Rachel and I enjoyed this movie thoroughly from start to finish. It's a great movie to see with the family and definitely for that hardcore football fan. The movie has such a strong message that stays with you long after you have seen it which is "never give up". It's not just about the game, it's about the team and the community, because if none of those are behind you, then the team and yourself will fail.

So to see how everyone came together and helped Dylan get back to the one thing they knew he could play with his eyes closed, which is football was just amazing. Just because he did loose his vision doesn't mean his world ended, even though at times he felt that way, but he never let the darkness swallow him.

23 Blast is a feel-good movie with tons of excitement and believable characters that do justice to the real life players that did experience this years ago in their small town. I recommend to everyone to go see it. And its perfect, right in the middle of football season.

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The autobiography that inspired the movie 23 Blast