Hot Diamonds

There are so many elements to this movie that add a delightful sense of the absurdly normal. The corn relish (what?). The hot tamales. The white dude wowing the salsa band. The hot chick. The killer weed (and that reaction was so over the top believable). Really everything that happened in this movie belonged.

It's so corny and uplifting with its quirks and turns that it keeps you glued to your seat waiting for the next surprise. Excellent script, totally incredible acting, I am not sure why I didn't rate it a 10 except that it's not family fare (but is certainly good for a sit-down evening with the girlfriend!).

This movie was made in the mid 2000s, and back in those days VVS(VideoVille Showtime) the company that made it(or at least edited it in Quebec) where known to have Awful dubbing. Nowaways they corrected that and there movies usually end up being pretty good DTV release, but back then sadly there Stigmat of bad dubbing really gave them a bad reputation among french viewer. Not sure if you can relate but for us these dubbing where like the late nigh erotic movies on cable TV, pretty bad low quality with always the same voice "talents". I always watch dubbed movies until a couple years ago, and just to make sure you understand its all fine for me to watch a movie in french dub. But these VVS movies where pretty terrible in term of voice.

Now keeping that in mind, i got myself a french dubbed only copy from my local video store(part of the 5$ bargain bin for sale) and as soon as the movie started, i noticed the voices and look on the cover... VVS... old move, arg, but well i started it, so better keep going right? And honestly i was pleasantly surprised. The story is nice enough, could had use a bit more jokes and funny parts, as its even mentioned in big on the back "a story like the whole nine yard" , and it was nowhere near as funny, but nonetheless its interesting and i got to mention the performance by Diora Baird is what support this movie. OK she is extremely gorgeous, and just that is enough to captivate us and like her in the part of the love interest, but her acting and character really felt so charming and lovely. I mean, you got this gorgeous big breasted woman(and usually Diora play the stripper or such part), but she is a bubbly and fun without pretension charming girl.

Its hard to explain but this i what drove me in the most in the movie. You got a couple big names of B stuff in Jason Prestley and Carmen Electra but lets just say they are mostly in it to catch the eye with there names and faces on the cover. The real star is Diora by a mile away.

So i think i will probably try to find myself an English DVD of this, if i want to watch it again. Trust me these dubbing are just so awful, sadly good movies suffers of them and i wish they would be dubbed again... But well if your an English viewer watching the original version, your all fine. I recommend it for a fun time without any pretension. Its low budget tough, don't expect big explosions and super mega action scenes

This is a superb example of film-making by a really talented writer/director, Michael Damian. Great story line with super casting. This film comes off way beyond it's limited budget. Jason Priestly's cameo performance is great. Mike Starr is his usual bad self. The music in the film is really exceptional. There is a very hot love scene with Diora Baird whose star is just about to take off. Randy Spelling does a superb job in the lead role - very well cast and believable. The supporting cast is awesome right down to Sandy Martin's cameo (the Grandma from Napoleon Dynamite). I saw it at the Newport Beach Film Festival and the house was packed and the energy was high - lots of laughs. This is a great film that sadly not enough people will see - so check it out!

I have to say I really liked it. There's plenty of plot holes and other issues. But, first and foremost, it's entertaining. You have compassion for the plight of the antagonist, and love the supporting cast. A kid from Wyoming joining a Salsa Band in Los Angeles has to be one of the most unique ideas I've seen in a long time. I'm more a punk rock guy, but it has me toe tapping by the end. A splendid job of casting, everyone looked like they were enthusiastic about their parts.

There were only 10 minutes left of the movie and it seemed like it had just started. The pacing was good, the scenery fit the mood, it was just a good time.

I do think tacos have replaced pizza! When was the last time you made a pizza at home...

This film essentially begins with a high school teenager by the name of "Harlan Woodriff" (Randy Spelling) coming to terms with the death of his father. Just prior to that, however, his family welcomes a foreign exchange student named "Caesar Lopez" (Matt Cedeno) who introduces him to salsa music. Being musically inclined and a drummer in his high school band, Harlan immediately takes an intense interest in it. That said, after his father's death and having graduated from high school, Harlan decides to leave his home in Wyoming and drive to Los Angeles to join a salsa band. Naturally, with Caesar having recently moved to Los Angeles, Harlan gladly accepts the invitation to stay with him until he finds a place of his own. What Harlan doesn't count on, however, is a shady crook stashing a backpack in his vehicle on the drive to Los Angeles which is highly desired by two murderous thugs named "Al" (Mike Starr) and "Dewayne Longfellow" (Sean Blakemore)--and they will do anything to get their hands on it. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was one of those comedies which had good potential but was missing the most important ingredient of them all--humor. Sure, it had a couple of attractive actresses in Diora Baird (as "Tuesday Blackwell") and Carmen Electra ("Riley") along with the two credible hitmen mentioned previously. But it just wasn't that funny. At least, I didn't think so. That being said, while certainly not a terrible bad movie, I have difficulty rating it any higher than I have. Slightly below average.