Beverly Hills Chihuahua

Beverly Hills Chihuahua is a 2008 comedy film by Walt Disney Pictures directed by Raja Gosnell and released October 3. A trailer of the upcoming Disney film Bolt was seen at the beginning. The plot centers around a Chihuahua who gets dognapped in Mexico and has to escape from an evil Doberman, El Diablo, with help from a lonely German Shepherd, Delgado, and a hyperactive male Chihuahua, Papí, who has a desperate crush on her.

Critical reception

Beverly Hills Chihuahua received mixed reviews from critics. As of October 17, 2008, review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 41% of critics gave positive reviews based on 71 reviews. Among Rotten Tomatoes' Cream of the Crop, it was reported that 50% of critics gave positive reviews based on 16 reviews. Metacritic reported that the film had an average score of 41 out of 100 based on 22 reviews, placing it under the "Mixed or Average" category.

Mark Olsen of the Los Angeles Times wrote in his review that "One could try to overlook the film's view of Mexico as an either-or land of resort poshness and street-level poverty, chiefly populated by criminals and hustlers of all stripes, except that view forms the entire film, driving the narrative impulse by which the spoiled puppy makes her journey." Olsen also wrote "Think of it as the Paris Hilton Complex, that idea of young people as little princesses and princes who get what they want, and what they want is easy pickings and a life without engagement." Walter Addiego of the San Francisco Chronicle gave a positive review saying the film combines the themes of dignity and empowerment - "We are tiny, but we are mighty", says the leader of a vast Chihuahua pack - with a story of a spoiled rich canine who learns not to be so high and mighty, the film hits all the typical Disney notes. There's even a politically correct message at the end advising would-be dog adopters to make sure they know what they're getting into.

Cast

Humans

• Jamie Lee Curtis - Aunt Viv
• Piper Perabo - Rachel Ashe Lynn
• Manolo Cardona - Sam
• Maury Sterling - Rafferty
• Jesús Ochoa - Officer Ramirez

Voices

• Drew Barrymore - Chloe
• George Lopez - Papi
• Eddie "Piolín" Sotelo - Rafa
• Andy Garcia - Delgado
• Placido Domingo - Monte
• Edward James Olmos - El Diablo
• Paul Rodriguez - Chico
• Cheech Marin - Manuel
• Loretta Devine - Delta
• Luis Guzman - Chucho

Lonely Hearts

Lonely Hearts is a 2006 American film directed and written by Todd Robinson. It is based on the true story of the notorious "Lonely Hearts Killers" of the 1940s, Martha Beck and Raymond Fernandez. The story of Beck and Fernandez was also the subject of the 1970 film The Honeymoon Killers, directed by Leonard Kastle, and the 1996 film Deep Crimson, directed by Arturo Ripstein.

Plot

Raymond Fernandez (Jared Leto) is a con man who meets single, rich women through personal ads. Upon meeting Martha Beck (Salma Hayek), the two decide to join forces, and begin travelling the country, eventually murdering at least 12 women who responded to their ads. Detective Robinson (John Travolta) and Detective Hildebrandt (James Gandolfini) are the homicide detectives who try to bring the couple to justice.

The director, Todd Robinson, is the grandson of Elmer C. Robinson, the character played by Travolta. The scrapbook in the opening credits left by the director's grandmother before she killed herself was the actual scrapbook that she kept before her death.

Cast

• John Travolta as Elmer C. Robinson
• James Gandolfini as Charles Hildebrandt
• Salma Hayek as Martha Beck
• Jared Leto as Raymond Martinez Fernandez
• Bailee Madison as Rainelle
• Laura Dern as Rene
• Scott Caan as Detective Reilly

Bandidas

Bandidas is a 2006 Western comedy film starring Penélope Cruz and Salma Hayek, edited, produced and directed by Norwegian directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg. It tells the tale of two very different women in turn-of-the-century Mexico who become a bank robbing duo in an effort to combat a ruthless enforcer terrorising their town. This is the first movie that Cruz and Hayek have starred in together.

Plot synopsis

The film tells the story of María Álvarez and Sara Sandoval. María is a poor farm-girl whose father is being forced off his land by a cruel US land baron, Tyler Jackson. Sara is the wealthy daughter of the owner of the nearby properties, and has recently returned from Europe where she attended school. In one fell swoop, both María's and Sara's fathers fall under attack by the baron, (Sara's father is killed, María's is shot but survives) giving him free rein in the nearby territories. As an act of revenge, María and Sara become bank robbers, stealing and giving back to the poor Mexicans who had lost their lands.

At first the two are catty and quick to fight over the smallest matters, but under the tutelage of famed bank robber Bill Buck they learn to trust each other. María turns out to be a crack shot and, while Sara can barely hold a gun, she shows that she is an expert with throwing knives.

Angered by the recent attacks by the newly infamous 'Bandidas' Jackson brings in a specialist, criminal investigator, Quentin Cooke. It doesn't take long for Sara and María to hear of this, and they quickly capture Cooke and convince him to help them. He has already figured out that Sara's father was murdered, so realises that his employer is actually a criminal.

Now there are three robbers, each playing their part in bigger, more ambitious heists. As time goes on, each of the girls compete for Quentin's affections, but he rebukes them since he's engaged. In a move to make the money they've stolen useless, Jackson moves the gold that backs the money on a train up towards U.S. territories. Midway, he decides to steal the gold, betraying the Mexican government. The Bandidas manage to hunt him down, but when they get their chance to kill him, they can't, feeling it would make them no better than him. Jackson manages to draw his gun and almost gets a shot off at María but Sara shoots first, finishing the villain off. In the end Quentin ends up with his fiancée and María and Sara ride off into the sunset, their eyes set on Europe where the banks are, according to Sara, "bigger".

Cast

• Penélope Cruz ... María Álvarez
• Salma Hayek ... Sara Sandoval
• Steve Zahn ... Quentin Cooke
• Dwight Yoakam ... Tyler Jackson
• José María Negri ... Padre Pablo
• Audra Blaser ... Clarissa Ashe
• Sam Shepard ... Bill Buck
• Ismael 'East' Carlo ... Don Diego Sandoval