The Joe and Anthony Russo-backed production company Agbo has announced the return of the fourth consecutive “No Sleep ‘Till Film Fest.”
The two-day festival challenges participants to make films that are three minutes or less for a chance to win prizes and receive ongoing mentorship from the independent studio.
The top three winners receive a filmmaking prize package with essential resources and “best-in-class” equipment for future filmmaking opportunities. They will also join the Agbo Storytellers Collective, an alumni network of winners from other Agbo-sponsored festivals and fellowship programs such as the Russo Brothers Italian American Filmmaker Forum and the Slamdance Film Festival Fellowship — the same festival the Russos received their start at in 1997 as emerging filmmakers.
In the past three years of the festival, “No Sleep ’til Film Fest” received over 2000 submissions from over 60 countries. 2023 winners included “Time of Your Life” directed by Darren Hinchy (Canada), “Just a Sec!
The two-day festival challenges participants to make films that are three minutes or less for a chance to win prizes and receive ongoing mentorship from the independent studio.
The top three winners receive a filmmaking prize package with essential resources and “best-in-class” equipment for future filmmaking opportunities. They will also join the Agbo Storytellers Collective, an alumni network of winners from other Agbo-sponsored festivals and fellowship programs such as the Russo Brothers Italian American Filmmaker Forum and the Slamdance Film Festival Fellowship — the same festival the Russos received their start at in 1997 as emerging filmmakers.
In the past three years of the festival, “No Sleep ’til Film Fest” received over 2000 submissions from over 60 countries. 2023 winners included “Time of Your Life” directed by Darren Hinchy (Canada), “Just a Sec!
- 8/29/2024
- by Jack Dunn, Andrés Buenahora, Diego Ramos Bechara and Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
Peacock has announced the lineup of movies, TV shows, and live sports that will be available on the streaming service in September. The Peacock September 2024 schedule includes Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist, which tells the infamous story of how an armed robbery on the night of Muhammad Ali’s historic 1970 comeback fight transformed Atlanta into the “Black Mecca”).
Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Little House on the Prairie on September 11 (all nine seasons are currently streaming on Peacock). Plus, get a double dose of housewife realness with the two-part reunion of The Real Housewives of Dubai Season 2 uncensored on September 11 and 18, and the season five premiere of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City on September 19.
Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist
September also brings the spooks! Peacock’s “Face Your Fears” horror collection starts to roll out on the 1st, with more than 75+ Halloween titles arriving in September alone,...
Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Little House on the Prairie on September 11 (all nine seasons are currently streaming on Peacock). Plus, get a double dose of housewife realness with the two-part reunion of The Real Housewives of Dubai Season 2 uncensored on September 11 and 18, and the season five premiere of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City on September 19.
Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist
September also brings the spooks! Peacock’s “Face Your Fears” horror collection starts to roll out on the 1st, with more than 75+ Halloween titles arriving in September alone,...
- 8/23/2024
- by Mirko Parlevliet
- Vital Thrills
Tom Bower, the veteran character actor best known for prominent turns on The Waltons and in Die Hard 2, has died. A family member confirmed the news to Deadline’s sister publication The Hollywood Reporter. He was 86.
Bower never had what one might call a “breakout” part, but he was an actor one recognized from, well, everywhere. His more than 180 screen credits include appearances on The Rockford Files, Lou Grant, Quincy M.E., Miami Vice, Hill Street Blues, NYPD Blue, The X-Files, Law & Order and many other TV staples of the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s and early 2000s.
And he kept on working. In the past 15 years, Bower was on Ray Donovan, Bosch, Grey’s Anatomy, Criminal Minds, The Office and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. He also played the father of Bob Odenkirk’s character on Lucky Hank and had a part in Vince Gilligan’s El Camino, A Breaking Bad Movie.
Bower never had what one might call a “breakout” part, but he was an actor one recognized from, well, everywhere. His more than 180 screen credits include appearances on The Rockford Files, Lou Grant, Quincy M.E., Miami Vice, Hill Street Blues, NYPD Blue, The X-Files, Law & Order and many other TV staples of the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s and early 2000s.
And he kept on working. In the past 15 years, Bower was on Ray Donovan, Bosch, Grey’s Anatomy, Criminal Minds, The Office and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. He also played the father of Bob Odenkirk’s character on Lucky Hank and had a part in Vince Gilligan’s El Camino, A Breaking Bad Movie.
- 6/6/2024
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
There’s no shortage of things to watch this month at Prime Video and Freevee! The Amazon streamers head into May with a collective hundred-plus new titles, channels, and sports streams available to watch throughout the month, from the new Anne Hathaway-starred rom-com “The Idea of You” to Thursday night 2024 WNBA regular season games after the season opener on Tuesday, May 14.
Ready to watch? Check out The Streamable’s top-to-watch picks this month, and find out everything coming to Prime Video and Freevee in May!
30-Day Free Trial $8.99+ / month amazon.com What are the 5 Best Shows and Movies Coming to Prime Video and Freevee in May 2024? “The Idea of You” | Thursday, May 2
Michael Showalter and Jennifer Westfeldt adapt Robinne Lee’s sexy, funny, and contemporary love story with Anne Hathaway playing Solène, a 40-year-old single mom who begins an unexpected romance with 24-year-old Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), the lead singer...
Ready to watch? Check out The Streamable’s top-to-watch picks this month, and find out everything coming to Prime Video and Freevee in May!
30-Day Free Trial $8.99+ / month amazon.com What are the 5 Best Shows and Movies Coming to Prime Video and Freevee in May 2024? “The Idea of You” | Thursday, May 2
Michael Showalter and Jennifer Westfeldt adapt Robinne Lee’s sexy, funny, and contemporary love story with Anne Hathaway playing Solène, a 40-year-old single mom who begins an unexpected romance with 24-year-old Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), the lead singer...
- 5/6/2024
- by Ashley Steves
- The Streamable
With its list of May 2024 releases, Amazon Prime Video is giving us the kindest gift of all: cougar Anne Hathaway.
May 2 sees the premiere of The Idea of You, a romantic-comedy that features Hathaway as a 40-year-old mom finding romance with a 24-year-old boy band singer (Nicholas Galitzine). Having saved the medium of film forever, Prime Video is celebrating with some big time library titles this month as well. American Fiction and BlacKkKlansman arrive on May 14 and will be followed by Creed and Pearl: An X-traordinary Origin Story on May 16.
For its TV offerings, Prime is leading off with Outer Range season 2 on May 16. This James Brolin sci-fi Western will continue the mysteries of the strange happenings on Thanos’ ranch. Reality TV fans will be able to enjoy the Daniel Tosh-hosted competition series The Goat on May 9.
Here’s everything coming to Prime Video and Freevee in April – Amazon...
May 2 sees the premiere of The Idea of You, a romantic-comedy that features Hathaway as a 40-year-old mom finding romance with a 24-year-old boy band singer (Nicholas Galitzine). Having saved the medium of film forever, Prime Video is celebrating with some big time library titles this month as well. American Fiction and BlacKkKlansman arrive on May 14 and will be followed by Creed and Pearl: An X-traordinary Origin Story on May 16.
For its TV offerings, Prime is leading off with Outer Range season 2 on May 16. This James Brolin sci-fi Western will continue the mysteries of the strange happenings on Thanos’ ranch. Reality TV fans will be able to enjoy the Daniel Tosh-hosted competition series The Goat on May 9.
Here’s everything coming to Prime Video and Freevee in April – Amazon...
- 5/1/2024
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Ron Thompson, the unheralded actor who starred on Broadway for Charles Gordone in the Pulitzer Prize-winning No Place to Be Somebody and played father and son musicians for Ralph Bakshi in the animated cult classic American Pop, has died. He was 83.
Filmmaker Joe Black told The Hollywood Reporter that he found Thompson in his Van Nuys apartment on Saturday afternoon. The two had worked together in eight features, including Hate Horses (2017), Chicks, Man (2018) and Suffrage (2023), and Black visited him a couple times a week to help him out.
“For a man of his age, he was so full of life, he had such a presence,” Black said. He called Thompson “the Sam Jackson to my Tarantino.”
In 1969, Thompson originated off-Broadway the role of Shanty Mulligan in the Joseph Papp-produced No Place to Be Somebody, starring Ron O’Neal, then accompanied the drama to Broadway and on a tour around the country.
Filmmaker Joe Black told The Hollywood Reporter that he found Thompson in his Van Nuys apartment on Saturday afternoon. The two had worked together in eight features, including Hate Horses (2017), Chicks, Man (2018) and Suffrage (2023), and Black visited him a couple times a week to help him out.
“For a man of his age, he was so full of life, he had such a presence,” Black said. He called Thompson “the Sam Jackson to my Tarantino.”
In 1969, Thompson originated off-Broadway the role of Shanty Mulligan in the Joseph Papp-produced No Place to Be Somebody, starring Ron O’Neal, then accompanied the drama to Broadway and on a tour around the country.
- 4/16/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Robert M. Young, the adventurous director who called the shots for Edward James Olmos in The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez, Farrah Fawcett in Extremities and Tom Hulce and Ray Liotta in Dominick and Eugene, died Feb. 6, his son Andrew announced. He was 99.
After getting his start in educational and documentary films, Young also directed the 1969 Peabody-winning CBS telefilm J.T., written by Jane Wagner. Revolving around a Harlem youngster (Kevin Hooks) and an alley cat, it bowed on a Saturday afternoon and was repeated in primetime as the network preempted its most popular show, Gunsmoke.
Young also served as cinematographer, producer and co-writer with director Michael Roemer on the critically acclaimed drama Nothing But a Man (1964), featuring Ivan Dixon and jazz vocalist Abbey Lincoln as a struggling young Black couple in Alabama.
Young made his feature directorial debut with Short Eyes (1977), which starred Bruce Davison, José Pérez and several real-life prisoners...
After getting his start in educational and documentary films, Young also directed the 1969 Peabody-winning CBS telefilm J.T., written by Jane Wagner. Revolving around a Harlem youngster (Kevin Hooks) and an alley cat, it bowed on a Saturday afternoon and was repeated in primetime as the network preempted its most popular show, Gunsmoke.
Young also served as cinematographer, producer and co-writer with director Michael Roemer on the critically acclaimed drama Nothing But a Man (1964), featuring Ivan Dixon and jazz vocalist Abbey Lincoln as a struggling young Black couple in Alabama.
Young made his feature directorial debut with Short Eyes (1977), which starred Bruce Davison, José Pérez and several real-life prisoners...
- 2/13/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Robert M. Young, whose 70-year career included independent and studio documentaries, narrative features, and episodes of Battlestar: Galactica, died Tuesday in Los Angeles at 99. His death was confirmed in a Facebook post by his son.
Two of his films have recently been added to the Library of Congress Film Registry. They include ¡Alambrista! (1977), a film about the life of an undocumented Mexican immigrant, which won the Camera d’Or for best first film at Cannes, and The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez, (1982), one of Young’s eight films with actor Edward James Olmos. Based on a true story that inspired a corrido, it tells of a man on the run after a confrontation with police.
Both films are also part of the Criterion Collection.
Those films represented a recurring theme of Young’s career, one which showed his interest in bringing social issues to wider attention.
“We lose important people all the time,...
Two of his films have recently been added to the Library of Congress Film Registry. They include ¡Alambrista! (1977), a film about the life of an undocumented Mexican immigrant, which won the Camera d’Or for best first film at Cannes, and The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez, (1982), one of Young’s eight films with actor Edward James Olmos. Based on a true story that inspired a corrido, it tells of a man on the run after a confrontation with police.
Both films are also part of the Criterion Collection.
Those films represented a recurring theme of Young’s career, one which showed his interest in bringing social issues to wider attention.
“We lose important people all the time,...
- 2/10/2024
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Robert M. Young, one of the pioneers of American independent cinema whose work began nearly 70 years ago, died Tuesday in Los Angeles. The news was announced via a Facebook post from his son Andy.
In a career that lasted from 1956 to 2011 he directed documentaries, narrative features, both independent and studio releases, and even episodes of “Battlestar: Gallactica.” Two of his films have recently been added to the Library of Congress Film Registry. “¡Alambrista!” (1977), as timely today as when it was made, about the life of undocumented Mexican immigrant won the Camera d’or for best first film at Cannes. “The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez” (1982), one of Young’s eight films with actor Edward James Olmos, produced by American Playhouse but released theatrically, has also been included. Both films are also part of the Criterion Collection.
Though perhaps not as well known as some pre-Sundance independent American directors like John Cassavetes,...
In a career that lasted from 1956 to 2011 he directed documentaries, narrative features, both independent and studio releases, and even episodes of “Battlestar: Gallactica.” Two of his films have recently been added to the Library of Congress Film Registry. “¡Alambrista!” (1977), as timely today as when it was made, about the life of undocumented Mexican immigrant won the Camera d’or for best first film at Cannes. “The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez” (1982), one of Young’s eight films with actor Edward James Olmos, produced by American Playhouse but released theatrically, has also been included. Both films are also part of the Criterion Collection.
Though perhaps not as well known as some pre-Sundance independent American directors like John Cassavetes,...
- 2/10/2024
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
The Academy Awards for Latino Podcast proudly presented the highly anticipated Latin Podcast Awards 2023, showcasing an array of extraordinary winners who have redefined the landscape of podcasting.
A celebration of cultural diversity, the Latin Podcast Awards (Lpa) honored outstanding creators from Latin America, Spain, and the United States. Surpassing fierce competition from global contenders including Germany, Argentina, and Canada, these trailblazing winners have left an indelible mark on the industry, captivating audiences with their masterful storytelling and captivating narratives.
The recipients' monumental achievements were commemorated with the presentation of the distinguished chrome microphone trophy, symbolizing their unwavering commitment to podcasting brilliance.
Watch the full ceremony
https://youtu.be/DKmYAeUVThQ
The winners
The winners of the Latin Podcast Awards 2023 are the following:
Podcasts Detail Podcast of the year: Cuentos infantiles con La Tía Botas Rev of the year: More Than a Movie: American Me Bilingual: Seedcast English: A Little Bit of Everything with Me!
A celebration of cultural diversity, the Latin Podcast Awards (Lpa) honored outstanding creators from Latin America, Spain, and the United States. Surpassing fierce competition from global contenders including Germany, Argentina, and Canada, these trailblazing winners have left an indelible mark on the industry, captivating audiences with their masterful storytelling and captivating narratives.
The recipients' monumental achievements were commemorated with the presentation of the distinguished chrome microphone trophy, symbolizing their unwavering commitment to podcasting brilliance.
Watch the full ceremony
https://youtu.be/DKmYAeUVThQ
The winners
The winners of the Latin Podcast Awards 2023 are the following:
Podcasts Detail Podcast of the year: Cuentos infantiles con La Tía Botas Rev of the year: More Than a Movie: American Me Bilingual: Seedcast English: A Little Bit of Everything with Me!
- 10/18/2023
- Podnews.net
Texas Congressman Joaquin Castro announced on Monday that he has nominated 27 films for potential addition to the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry, all of which feature Latino filmmakers, culture and history.
“Given the film industry’s continued exclusion of Latinos, we must make a special effort to ensure that Latino Americans’ contributions to American filmmaking are appropriately celebrated and included in the National Film Registry,” Rep. Castro wrote in his nomination letter. “The continued exclusion of Latinos in the film industry affects Latinos seeking opportunities in the industry and shapes how Latinos are perceived, stereotyped, and misunderstood in American life.”
Among the films nominated by Castro are “Frida” the 2002 biopic of legendary Mexican artist Frida Kahlo that earned Salma Hayek an Oscar nomination. Other Oscar nominated performances, such as Catalina Sandino Moreno and Demián Bichir in the immigration dramas “Maria Full of Grace” and “A Better Life,” were also included.
“Given the film industry’s continued exclusion of Latinos, we must make a special effort to ensure that Latino Americans’ contributions to American filmmaking are appropriately celebrated and included in the National Film Registry,” Rep. Castro wrote in his nomination letter. “The continued exclusion of Latinos in the film industry affects Latinos seeking opportunities in the industry and shapes how Latinos are perceived, stereotyped, and misunderstood in American life.”
Among the films nominated by Castro are “Frida” the 2002 biopic of legendary Mexican artist Frida Kahlo that earned Salma Hayek an Oscar nomination. Other Oscar nominated performances, such as Catalina Sandino Moreno and Demián Bichir in the immigration dramas “Maria Full of Grace” and “A Better Life,” were also included.
- 8/21/2023
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
Texas Congressman Joaquin Castro has nominated 27 Latino-driven films for inclusion in the National Film Registry. Among the suggestions are films that brought Oscar nominations to Latino actors and artists, including Salma Hayek, as Mexican artist Frida Kahlo in “Frida” (2002); Catalina Sandino Moreno, who portrayed a desperate undocumented pregnant immigrant in “Maria Full of Grace” (2004) and Demián Bichir, who played an undocumented worker in Los Angeles in “A Better Life” (2011). All were nominated for lead acting Oscars.
Other notable titles nominated by the congressman are Peter Sollett’s coming-of-age indie “Raising Victor Vargas,” Alfonso Arau’s romantic drama “Like Water for Chocolate (1992) and Darnell Martin’s “I Like It Like That” (1994), a story of a Puerto Rican family in the Bronx.
“Given the film industry’s continued exclusion of Latinos, we must make a special effort to ensure that Latino Americans’ contributions to American filmmaking are appropriately celebrated and included in the National Film Registry,...
Other notable titles nominated by the congressman are Peter Sollett’s coming-of-age indie “Raising Victor Vargas,” Alfonso Arau’s romantic drama “Like Water for Chocolate (1992) and Darnell Martin’s “I Like It Like That” (1994), a story of a Puerto Rican family in the Bronx.
“Given the film industry’s continued exclusion of Latinos, we must make a special effort to ensure that Latino Americans’ contributions to American filmmaking are appropriately celebrated and included in the National Film Registry,...
- 8/21/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Salma Hayek gets a lot of attention for her stunning looks, but her oeuvre proves she's a versatile and formidable actress. From action to drama to comedy, Hayek takes on every role with consummate aplomb. Her talent has garnered Oscar, Golden Globe, and Emmy award nominations.
Hayek started her acting career in the novela "Un Nuevo Amanecer" in the late-1980s. She then appeared in television shows, including "Teresa," "Street Justice," and "Dream On." She made her big screen debut with 1993's "Mi Vida Loca," portraying Gata -- a small yet memorable role. Her feature film debut led to bigger and bigger parts, leading her to become one of the most sought-after actresses in Hollywood. While the 1990s saw her cultivate a reputation as a sex symbol, she's since lent her impressive acting chops to a wide range of films, such as experimental indie flicks, superhero blockbusters, and everything in between.
Hayek started her acting career in the novela "Un Nuevo Amanecer" in the late-1980s. She then appeared in television shows, including "Teresa," "Street Justice," and "Dream On." She made her big screen debut with 1993's "Mi Vida Loca," portraying Gata -- a small yet memorable role. Her feature film debut led to bigger and bigger parts, leading her to become one of the most sought-after actresses in Hollywood. While the 1990s saw her cultivate a reputation as a sex symbol, she's since lent her impressive acting chops to a wide range of films, such as experimental indie flicks, superhero blockbusters, and everything in between.
- 4/29/2023
- by Joe Garza
- Slash Film
Edward James Olmos, his son Michael Olmos and Morris Ruskin’s MoJo Global Arts have pacted with Ecuador’s 2bLatam to make an English-language premium TV version of the YouTube phenomenon, “Mortal Glitch.” This is the first project in English for the Ecuadorian company as it seeks to expand its global reach.
To date, “Mortal Glitch” has been the only fiction series produced in Latin America for YouTube Premium. The web series has notched up to 37 million views, with 13.3 million views in Mexico, 5.1 million views in Colombia and 4.1 million views in Argentina.
Produced by 2bLatam’s production arm 2bOriginals, the web series was written and directed by Christian Moya, a partner at 2bLatam and co-founder of 2bLatam’s Enchufe.tv, the leading Spanish-language comedy channel.
“I never thought that ‘Mortal Glitch’ would have an international audience or, at least, generate curiosity among foreign producers who recognized its potential,” he said,...
To date, “Mortal Glitch” has been the only fiction series produced in Latin America for YouTube Premium. The web series has notched up to 37 million views, with 13.3 million views in Mexico, 5.1 million views in Colombia and 4.1 million views in Argentina.
Produced by 2bLatam’s production arm 2bOriginals, the web series was written and directed by Christian Moya, a partner at 2bLatam and co-founder of 2bLatam’s Enchufe.tv, the leading Spanish-language comedy channel.
“I never thought that ‘Mortal Glitch’ would have an international audience or, at least, generate curiosity among foreign producers who recognized its potential,” he said,...
- 4/19/2023
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Irwin Young, owner of DuArt Film & Video and a producer of independent films, died Jan. 20 in Manhattan. He was 94.
His death was announced in a New York Times obituary published Sunday.
Young served as chairman of the board of DuArt Film Laboratories and DuArt Video in New York City and as president of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (Smpte). Forrest Gump, Philadelphia and Dead Man Walking were among the films printed at DuArt.
At the 1980 Oscars, Young was given a Technical Achievement Award for the development of a computer-controlled paper tape programmer system, which was used in motion picture laboratories. In 2001, he received the Gordon E. Sawyer Award, which recognizes major technical contributions to the industry.
As an independent film producer, Young’s credits include Alambrista!, which won the Golden Camera award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1978; American Me, which starred Edward James Olmos and...
His death was announced in a New York Times obituary published Sunday.
Young served as chairman of the board of DuArt Film Laboratories and DuArt Video in New York City and as president of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (Smpte). Forrest Gump, Philadelphia and Dead Man Walking were among the films printed at DuArt.
At the 1980 Oscars, Young was given a Technical Achievement Award for the development of a computer-controlled paper tape programmer system, which was used in motion picture laboratories. In 2001, he received the Gordon E. Sawyer Award, which recognizes major technical contributions to the industry.
As an independent film producer, Young’s credits include Alambrista!, which won the Golden Camera award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1978; American Me, which starred Edward James Olmos and...
- 1/23/2022
- by Trilby Beresford
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Though the summer movie season is winding down (if it ever really started this year), Amazon Prime’s list of new releases for September 2021 is chock full of worthwhile movie options.
For starters, Amazon’s library movie titles are quite good this month. September 1 sees the arrivals of heavyweights such as Apollo 13, Arachnophobia, Romeo + Juliet, The Descent, and The Social Network. And if that weren’t enough, the streamer is trying out some intriguing original movies as well. Cinderella, a modern update on the classic fairy tale, premieres on September 3. That will be followed by “exotic thriller” The Voyeurs (Sept. 10), musical adaptation Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (Sept. 17), and French thriller The Mad Woman’s Ball (Sept. 17).
Read more Movies How Arachnophobia Became the Perfect Creepy Crawly Horror Comedy By Jack Beresford Movies Quentin Tarantino Calls The Social Network the Best Movie of the 2010s By David Crow
Things...
For starters, Amazon’s library movie titles are quite good this month. September 1 sees the arrivals of heavyweights such as Apollo 13, Arachnophobia, Romeo + Juliet, The Descent, and The Social Network. And if that weren’t enough, the streamer is trying out some intriguing original movies as well. Cinderella, a modern update on the classic fairy tale, premieres on September 3. That will be followed by “exotic thriller” The Voyeurs (Sept. 10), musical adaptation Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (Sept. 17), and French thriller The Mad Woman’s Ball (Sept. 17).
Read more Movies How Arachnophobia Became the Perfect Creepy Crawly Horror Comedy By Jack Beresford Movies Quentin Tarantino Calls The Social Network the Best Movie of the 2010s By David Crow
Things...
- 8/31/2021
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Exclusive: Renée Victor (Dead To Me) and veteran character actor Pepe Serna are set for recurring roles opposite Emeraude Toubia and Mark Indelicato in With Love, Amazon’s one-hour romantic comedy series from Gloria Calderón Kellett and her GloNation Studios and Amazon Studios.
Created and written by Calderón Kellett, With Love follows the Diaz siblings, Lily (Toubia) and Jorge (Indelicato), who are on a mission to find love and purpose. The Diaz siblings cross paths with seemingly unrelated residents during some of the most heightened days of the year — the holidays.
Victor will play Marta Delgado, grandmother to Lily, Jorge and Sol and married to Luis (Serna). She wants to know everything about everybody in the family and while she is very accepting she is uncompromising about church attendance.
Serna’s Luis Delgado, is Marta’s husband and grandfather to Lily, Jorge and Sol. He’s the founder of the family’s Mexican restaurant,...
Created and written by Calderón Kellett, With Love follows the Diaz siblings, Lily (Toubia) and Jorge (Indelicato), who are on a mission to find love and purpose. The Diaz siblings cross paths with seemingly unrelated residents during some of the most heightened days of the year — the holidays.
Victor will play Marta Delgado, grandmother to Lily, Jorge and Sol and married to Luis (Serna). She wants to know everything about everybody in the family and while she is very accepting she is uncompromising about church attendance.
Serna’s Luis Delgado, is Marta’s husband and grandfather to Lily, Jorge and Sol. He’s the founder of the family’s Mexican restaurant,...
- 8/20/2021
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
“Stowaway,” a Netflix sci-fi and drama movie starring Toni Collette, took Nielsen’s top spot for all films on streaming during the week of April 19, toppling the Melissa McCarthy comedy “Thunder Force” that had held the No. 1 slot for several weeks.
“Stowaway” was viewed for 359 million minutes during the week of April 19-25 after debuting on Netflix on April 22, according to the latest streaming figures from Nielsen. It beat out “Thunder Force,” which had another strong showing with 318 million minutes for the week. “Thunder Force” debuted on the list for the week of April 5 and topped not just the list of streaming movies but also the most minutes viewed for anything on streaming with 950 million minutes, beating out mainstays like “NCIS” and new episodes of “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.”
During the week of April 19, “Stowaway” placed 10th among all streaming shows or films. Netflix also had the top three films for the week,...
“Stowaway” was viewed for 359 million minutes during the week of April 19-25 after debuting on Netflix on April 22, according to the latest streaming figures from Nielsen. It beat out “Thunder Force,” which had another strong showing with 318 million minutes for the week. “Thunder Force” debuted on the list for the week of April 5 and topped not just the list of streaming movies but also the most minutes viewed for anything on streaming with 950 million minutes, beating out mainstays like “NCIS” and new episodes of “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.”
During the week of April 19, “Stowaway” placed 10th among all streaming shows or films. Netflix also had the top three films for the week,...
- 5/20/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Oscars ratings hit new lows, but this week’s VOD rentals tell another story. With several titles making their debuts, Oscar winners dominate the charts. The bounty could continue in upcoming weeks given the lack of theatrical availability, older audiences’ reluctance to return to theaters, and the ease of home access.
That said, the dominant title is Universal’s thriller “Nobody” starring Bob Odenkirk. It holds #1 spots on three of the charts and is #2 on the fourth. The Universal film added PVOD after three weeks and remained #4 in theaters for the weekend. Odenkirk’s Nobody may be the next John Wick.
“Promising Young Woman,” which went to PVOD in mid-January and has been available at standard pricing for more than a month, has been the best Oscar performer. It’s the only Oscar title on all four charts, including its first-ever #1 (at AppleTV). It’s also the top standard-price VOD at FandangoNow,...
That said, the dominant title is Universal’s thriller “Nobody” starring Bob Odenkirk. It holds #1 spots on three of the charts and is #2 on the fourth. The Universal film added PVOD after three weeks and remained #4 in theaters for the weekend. Odenkirk’s Nobody may be the next John Wick.
“Promising Young Woman,” which went to PVOD in mid-January and has been available at standard pricing for more than a month, has been the best Oscar performer. It’s the only Oscar title on all four charts, including its first-ever #1 (at AppleTV). It’s also the top standard-price VOD at FandangoNow,...
- 4/27/2021
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
Trailblazing director Betty Thomas will receive the DGA’s prestigious Robert B. Aldrich Award for her “extraordinary service to the guild and its members” at the 73rd Annual DGA Awards.
Veteran Upm Brian E. Frankish and longtime CBS operations’ associate director Joyce Thomas will receive special awards for their service to the guild and the industry. The awards show will be held on April 10, but the DGA isn’t saying yet whether it will be virtual or not.
All three recipients have long histories of service to the guild. Betty Thomas serves as the DGA’s secretary-treasurer – the guild’s second-highest elected officer.
“Betty means so much to our guild,” said DGA president Thomas Schlamme. “No matter how busy she’s been throughout her remarkable, ceiling-shattering directing career, she’s always placed service to her fellow members among her highest priorities, fighting for their creative and economic rights. And from the very beginning,...
Veteran Upm Brian E. Frankish and longtime CBS operations’ associate director Joyce Thomas will receive special awards for their service to the guild and the industry. The awards show will be held on April 10, but the DGA isn’t saying yet whether it will be virtual or not.
All three recipients have long histories of service to the guild. Betty Thomas serves as the DGA’s secretary-treasurer – the guild’s second-highest elected officer.
“Betty means so much to our guild,” said DGA president Thomas Schlamme. “No matter how busy she’s been throughout her remarkable, ceiling-shattering directing career, she’s always placed service to her fellow members among her highest priorities, fighting for their creative and economic rights. And from the very beginning,...
- 2/25/2021
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
Caesar Cordova, a character actor whose long association with Al Pacino included appearances in Scarface and Carlito’s Way, died Aug. 26 of natural causes in Atlantic City. He was 84.
His death was announced by son Panchito Gomez, an actor whose credits include Selena, American Me and Hill Street Blues, with Deadline’s sister publication Variety first reporting the news.
Cordova first appeared with Pacino in 1969 in Broadway’s Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie? The play marked the Broadway debut of the little-known Pacino. In Brian de Palma’s 1983 Scarface, Cordova played a lunch stand cook, and 10 years later played a barber in Carlito’s Way.
Other film credits include Where the Buffalo Roam (1980), Cutter’s Way (1981) and Nighthawks (1981). TV credits from the 1970s and ’80s include Toma, Kojak, Baretta, Police Woman, Cagney and Lacey and The A-Team.
Born in Puerto Rico and raised in New York City, Cordova is survived by...
His death was announced by son Panchito Gomez, an actor whose credits include Selena, American Me and Hill Street Blues, with Deadline’s sister publication Variety first reporting the news.
Cordova first appeared with Pacino in 1969 in Broadway’s Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie? The play marked the Broadway debut of the little-known Pacino. In Brian de Palma’s 1983 Scarface, Cordova played a lunch stand cook, and 10 years later played a barber in Carlito’s Way.
Other film credits include Where the Buffalo Roam (1980), Cutter’s Way (1981) and Nighthawks (1981). TV credits from the 1970s and ’80s include Toma, Kojak, Baretta, Police Woman, Cagney and Lacey and The A-Team.
Born in Puerto Rico and raised in New York City, Cordova is survived by...
- 8/28/2020
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Caesar Cordova, a character actor who appeared with Al Pacino in “Scarface” and “Carlito’s Way,” died of natural causes Wednesday in Atlantic City, N.J. He was 84.
His son, actor Panchito Gomez “American Me,” “Mi Vida Loca”), announced his death.
In Brian de Palma’s “Scarface,” Cordova played the taco cook at the El Paraiso lunch stand. Though the film was set in Miami, the scene was actually shot in downtown Los Angeles. In “Carlito’s Way,” he played the barber.
Cordova was a lifetime member of the Actors Studio. He also appeared on Broadway with Pacino in “Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?”
His film credits include “Where the Buffalo Roam,” opposite Peter Boyle and Bill Murray, “Nighthawks” with Sylvester Stallone and Billy Dee Williams and “Shark’s Treasure,” where he appeared opposite Cornel Wilde, who also wrote and directed the film.
On television, he had guest appearances on “Kojak,...
His son, actor Panchito Gomez “American Me,” “Mi Vida Loca”), announced his death.
In Brian de Palma’s “Scarface,” Cordova played the taco cook at the El Paraiso lunch stand. Though the film was set in Miami, the scene was actually shot in downtown Los Angeles. In “Carlito’s Way,” he played the barber.
Cordova was a lifetime member of the Actors Studio. He also appeared on Broadway with Pacino in “Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?”
His film credits include “Where the Buffalo Roam,” opposite Peter Boyle and Bill Murray, “Nighthawks” with Sylvester Stallone and Billy Dee Williams and “Shark’s Treasure,” where he appeared opposite Cornel Wilde, who also wrote and directed the film.
On television, he had guest appearances on “Kojak,...
- 8/28/2020
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
Edward James Olmos has been acting, directing and producing film and television for 45 years, establishing himself as an iconic Latino actor when there weren’t many of them. Films from Blade Runner to Zoot Suit, Selena, My Family and American Me, and TV work including his Emmy-winning turn as Lt. Castillo in Miami Vice, Battlestar Galactica‘s Commander Adama, and most recently Mayans M.C. patriarch Felipe Reyes. Last time Los Angeles was engulfed in the kind of turmoil we’ve seen this week was the 1992 La Riots, the lifelong Angeleno assisted in the cleanup effort. At 73, he continues to self- quarantine, which he has done since early March. But he has watched this drama unfold like the rest of us. He shares his thoughts on what’s unfolded, and taps his own frustrations and experiences to advise how to turn Hollywood’s receptiveness to get involved in anti-racist causes...
- 6/3/2020
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Happy Monday, everyone! Before we head into Memorial Day, we have more horror and sci-fi Blu-ray and DVD releases coming our way that should definitely keep genre fans busy for the three-day weekend. Scream Factory is keeping busy with their Blus for The Seduction, The Hunted, and the recent psychological thriller A Dark Place. Shout Select is showing Earthquake some love with their Collector’s Edition this week, and Kino Lorber has two stellar-looking Special Edition releases on their docket as well: Black Moon Rising and Bitter Moon.
Other exciting titles coming home on May 21st include White Chamber, She-Devils on Wheels, A Brilliant Monster, and Crank in 4K.
Black Moon Rising: Special Edition
When master thief Sam Quint is hired by the government to steal top-secret data from a crime organization, he hides the stolen data in the experimental supercar, The Black Moon. But when the car is then...
Other exciting titles coming home on May 21st include White Chamber, She-Devils on Wheels, A Brilliant Monster, and Crank in 4K.
Black Moon Rising: Special Edition
When master thief Sam Quint is hired by the government to steal top-secret data from a crime organization, he hides the stolen data in the experimental supercar, The Black Moon. But when the car is then...
- 5/21/2019
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Kurt Sutter’s “Mayans Mc” series has cast Edward James Olmos in a lead role, TheWrap has confirmed. Olmos will play Felipe Reyes, the family’s formerly strong patriarch who after years of being crushed by bullets and labor, struggles to keep his past buried and lead his own sons down a lawful and righteous path. Olmos is a film and television veteran with a career stretching back over forty years. He is best known for his roles as Commander William Adama in “Battlestar Galactica,” Lieutenant Martin Castillo on “Miami Vice,” and Mexican Mafia leader Montoya Santana in “American Me.
- 2/13/2017
- by Joe Otterson
- The Wrap
In the late eighties, a month after the release of La Bamba—at the time the biggest Latino box office hit ever—Newsweek magazine proclaimed that it was the era of the “Hispanic Hollywood.” That same summer came the release of the Chicano classic Born in East L.A. written, directed, and starring Cheech Marin. Compared to the box office smash La Bamba which made $54 million, Marin’s comedy was only a modest success making $17 million. But, for Latino films which struggle to make it to millions in ticket sales these two films were blockbusters that made Hollywood studios stand up and take notice of the moneymaking potential that laid in the hands of the Latino moviegoing audience.
The 1980 census had thrown the industry into a tizzy when it brought to light that the Latino population had grown by more than half since the previous decade. Then Variety published a report on the ‘Top 20 Hispanic Markets’ where it revealed that Latinos were a huge part of the total population of large cities like L.A. and New York, that they spent 30% more on entertainment than the average American, and that they held an overall purchasing power of $180 billion (now it’s more than $1 trillion). Movie studio bigwigs suddenly saw dollar signs in the barrios of the U.S.A. For the first time they saw the advantage of distributing films with Latino stories, creating bilingual marketing campaigns, and circulating movie prints that were subtitled or dubbed in Spanish.
In March of 1988, amidst Hollywood’s giddiness over the Latino box office, Warner Bros. released Stand and Deliver theatrically. It was a small, independently made Latino film starring the legendary Edward James Olmos and a young Lou Diamond Phillips. Based on actual events the movie tells the story of Jaime Escalante (Olmos), a Bolivian immigrant, who teaches math at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles to mostly Latino students. The school is facing losing its accreditation and the students are failing miserably. Mr. Escalante, or Kimo as his students call him, decides to teach AP Calculus against the advice of the school administration. The chair of the math department says, “You can’t teach logarithms to illiterates.” Kimo responds, “Students will rise to the level of expectation.” When a record number of students pass the AP Calculus exam they are accused of cheating by the Educational Testing Service.
The film, 25 years later, is now a Latino classic thanks in large part to Edward James Olmos. He not only produced and starred in the film but also participated in an aggressive grassroots marketing campaign. He traveled across the country championing the film, doing interviews, setting up community screenings, and even giving away free tickets to anyone who wanted to see the film. It’s now one of the most watched Latino films, ever.
LatinoBuzz got a chance to chat with Edward James Olmos about the 25th anniversary of the film, the state of Latino filmmaking, and the upcoming release of Filly Brown, a film his son directed and stars himself along with the late Jenny Rivera in her first (and sadly last) movie role.
LatinoBuzz: Stand and Deliver earned close to $14 million dollars at the box office. This is a huge feat for a Latino film, even today. Last year’s most successful Latino movie made a little under $6 million. What do you think contributed to Stand and Deliver’s success?
Ejo: The biggest contributor, the biggest factor of its success is the story, hands down the story. It’s a universal story and we wanted people see it. So, we allowed people to see it. We practically gave the film away to anyone who wanted to see it. And because of that the word of mouth was strong. Now practically everyone has seen this movie. Most students see it at least once before leaving high school. Sometimes they see it two or three times in school. The usage of the film by teachers has been incredible. And it’s because of the story. It’s an inspirational piece, it’s uplifting and it’s not only inspiring for the kids but for the teachers too.
LatinoBuzz: 25 years after the release of Stand and Deliver it is still incredibly difficult to raise funds for a Latino movie. How difficult was it to raise the money back then? Why do you think it still remains a challenge to fund a Latino film?
Ejo: I think the budget for the film was $1.2 million. It was really hard to raise the money. And today it hasn’t changed an inch. It’s still really difficult to make a Latino film, it’s nearly impossible. I think one of the major factors that make it difficult to raise the money is that studios have no need to make Latino films. Because Latinos will go see the Fast and Furious or some other big budget action movie or a horror film. In fact about 37% of the people who are going to theaters during the opening weekend of one of these big budget studio films are Latinos. And it’s even more so for something like the Fast and the Furious. It’s closer to about 50% Latinos. They are spending millions of dollars on movie tickets. The market is very ripe for these fast car action films so there’s no need to put in a Latino lead actor or have a Latino story. They can keep it more universal and then don’t nurture Latino talent.
The little Latino talent that is out there, they get cast in mainstream films and blockbusters—like Selena Gomez the actress in Spring Breakers—and will be whitewashed. The few Latino actors that are in the mainstream—someone like Jennifer Lopez, she’s done Anaconda, The Wedding Planner, mostly mainstream films. She’s done very few Latino-themed pieces, you can count them on one hand.
I did it differently. Had I done the movies that were offered to me in my prime, at the height of my career, I would have been alongside the likes of Denzel Washington. But, I chose not to do those movies. I chose to do Stand and Deliver, American Me, Zoot Suit—Latino movies that ended up being successful but were not blockbusters. I just wanted to do my part and get those stories out there before I pass.
Stand and Deliver has been the most successful thing I have done in my life. So many people have seen it. There was really no need for me to do anything else. And the fact that we were able to do the film, it was a miracle.
LatinoBuzz: Your performance in Stand and Deliver garnered you an Oscar nomination for Best Actor making you the first American-born Latino to receive this honor. Do you remember the day you found out you were nominated? What effect did the nomination have on your acting career?
Ejo: I was in Miami on the set of Miami Vice. It was around 8:30 in the morning. I was walking from my trailer to the set and someone walked up to me, someone I didn’t even know. They said, “You were just nominated for an Oscar.” I asked him, “Excuse me?” And he said, “Yeah, for Stand and Deliver” and then just walked away. Of course I called my family right away and then Jaime (Escalante). I called him and woke him up. It was around 5:30 in the morning over there, in California. I told him, “Congratulations, you just won me an Oscar nomination.” Jaime said, “What do you mean? That wasn’t my performance, it was yours.” And I said, “No, it was all you. I just impersonated you. It was all you.”
It’s really difficult to figure out how to make a performance work, it’s like putting lightning in a bottle. But, it was really just an impersonation of him. From meeting and watching and observing Jaime I realized there is a reason why he was successful at teaching, it’s his personality. And I found that out on set. He was always there on set while we were filming. He was always standing there next to the camera. I would look at him after finishing a scene and he would have his arms crossed on his chest, his head tilted, his eyes a little bit squinted and then he would put his thumb up. That’s it. He wouldn’t say anything, just the thumbs up.
And as far as the nomination it opened up a big opportunity for me with a big studio. I signed a development deal. Tom Pollock, who was head of Universal at the time, asked me what I wanted to make. I got the chance to make a movie that I had been trying to make for 18 years, American Me. And it was as strong a movie and as important as Stand and Deliver.
LatinoBuzz: Stand and Deliver is filled with witty dialogue that people quote even 25 years later. Some of my favorite lines are, “You burros have math in your blood” and “His body is decomposing in my locker.” Any favorite lines of dialogue?
Ejo: Oh yeah, there are so many of them. There’s the one that everyone quotes when he calls the kid, “the finger man.” And that was all Jaime, all those lines were Jaime. There was nothing of that stuff that we made up. I rewrote the script, him and I, we wrote it together. All the dialogue in the shooting script was ours. We were never credited but we wrote it. He told me line by line what he said. He remembered everything. The scene where he comes back from the hospital and surprises the kids. When they yell “Bulldogs, dog-dog-dog-dog” and he says, “Thank you for babysitting my canguros.” When he makes them line up, “Against the wall like a snake.” He told me exactly what he said to each kid while they were standing in line and I put it in there.
The scene where he talks to the guys from Ets (Educational Testing Service) and they accuse him of cheating, the part that Andy Garcia plays, he told me exactly what he said to those guys. Exactly that scene, word for word, was said by Jaime. That scene, the dialogue is meticulously written. If you go back and watch it again—the rhythm, beat by beat, it is incredibly written. It’s because Jaime is a mathematician, he was meticulous with details, you have to be.
I remember lines from a lot the movies I made like Zoot Suit and American Me but most of the ones I remember are from Stand and Deliver.
LatinoBuzz: You are part of some of the most iconic Latino films. We haven’t had a huge hit like that in a few years. What do you think it will take to get there again?
I don’t know but the main issue is distribution. Right now I am focused on April 19th, the release of Filly Brown. That movie is my cause right now. There have been some major mistakes around publicity. Pantelion took over the distribution after Indomina went under. Indomina, they were young and couldn’t handle it, they didn’t know what they were doing. So, we sold it to Lionsgate/Pantelion and they moved up the release date, they made it earlier. And I told them that they made the biggest mistake for a film of this caliber. They aren’t giving people a chance to find out about the film. They need time for word of mouth to spread. Latinos and Spanish speakers, they will show up because of Jenny Rivera, because of their love for her and their love for me. But they are losing out on the chance to attract an audience of non-Latinos that will love this film. The are going to do what is always done with Latino films and independent films—putting the movie out there without giving the audience a chance to find out about it. You need to give it away and then they will tell other people—and then thousands of people will find out about it. It takes time. Unfortunately, with this film, if it works, will probably be attributed to Jenny’s tragic accident.
It’s an issue. Studios want to tell universal stories. We want to do the same thing. But, we want to use Latino stories with Latino faces to tell universal stories. We’re only one group. We are all humans and we all want to tell human stories.
Filly Brown opens in theaters across the country on April 19. The film stars Gina Rodriguez as a rapper who needs to make it big so she can raise money to get her mom (Jenny Rivera) out of jail. In conjunction with the film's release the official soundtrack will be available beginning April 16. Filly Brown on Facebook.
Stand and Deliver is available for viewing on iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, and Netflix.
Written by Juan Caceres and Vanessa Erazo, LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook.
The 1980 census had thrown the industry into a tizzy when it brought to light that the Latino population had grown by more than half since the previous decade. Then Variety published a report on the ‘Top 20 Hispanic Markets’ where it revealed that Latinos were a huge part of the total population of large cities like L.A. and New York, that they spent 30% more on entertainment than the average American, and that they held an overall purchasing power of $180 billion (now it’s more than $1 trillion). Movie studio bigwigs suddenly saw dollar signs in the barrios of the U.S.A. For the first time they saw the advantage of distributing films with Latino stories, creating bilingual marketing campaigns, and circulating movie prints that were subtitled or dubbed in Spanish.
In March of 1988, amidst Hollywood’s giddiness over the Latino box office, Warner Bros. released Stand and Deliver theatrically. It was a small, independently made Latino film starring the legendary Edward James Olmos and a young Lou Diamond Phillips. Based on actual events the movie tells the story of Jaime Escalante (Olmos), a Bolivian immigrant, who teaches math at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles to mostly Latino students. The school is facing losing its accreditation and the students are failing miserably. Mr. Escalante, or Kimo as his students call him, decides to teach AP Calculus against the advice of the school administration. The chair of the math department says, “You can’t teach logarithms to illiterates.” Kimo responds, “Students will rise to the level of expectation.” When a record number of students pass the AP Calculus exam they are accused of cheating by the Educational Testing Service.
The film, 25 years later, is now a Latino classic thanks in large part to Edward James Olmos. He not only produced and starred in the film but also participated in an aggressive grassroots marketing campaign. He traveled across the country championing the film, doing interviews, setting up community screenings, and even giving away free tickets to anyone who wanted to see the film. It’s now one of the most watched Latino films, ever.
LatinoBuzz got a chance to chat with Edward James Olmos about the 25th anniversary of the film, the state of Latino filmmaking, and the upcoming release of Filly Brown, a film his son directed and stars himself along with the late Jenny Rivera in her first (and sadly last) movie role.
LatinoBuzz: Stand and Deliver earned close to $14 million dollars at the box office. This is a huge feat for a Latino film, even today. Last year’s most successful Latino movie made a little under $6 million. What do you think contributed to Stand and Deliver’s success?
Ejo: The biggest contributor, the biggest factor of its success is the story, hands down the story. It’s a universal story and we wanted people see it. So, we allowed people to see it. We practically gave the film away to anyone who wanted to see it. And because of that the word of mouth was strong. Now practically everyone has seen this movie. Most students see it at least once before leaving high school. Sometimes they see it two or three times in school. The usage of the film by teachers has been incredible. And it’s because of the story. It’s an inspirational piece, it’s uplifting and it’s not only inspiring for the kids but for the teachers too.
LatinoBuzz: 25 years after the release of Stand and Deliver it is still incredibly difficult to raise funds for a Latino movie. How difficult was it to raise the money back then? Why do you think it still remains a challenge to fund a Latino film?
Ejo: I think the budget for the film was $1.2 million. It was really hard to raise the money. And today it hasn’t changed an inch. It’s still really difficult to make a Latino film, it’s nearly impossible. I think one of the major factors that make it difficult to raise the money is that studios have no need to make Latino films. Because Latinos will go see the Fast and Furious or some other big budget action movie or a horror film. In fact about 37% of the people who are going to theaters during the opening weekend of one of these big budget studio films are Latinos. And it’s even more so for something like the Fast and the Furious. It’s closer to about 50% Latinos. They are spending millions of dollars on movie tickets. The market is very ripe for these fast car action films so there’s no need to put in a Latino lead actor or have a Latino story. They can keep it more universal and then don’t nurture Latino talent.
The little Latino talent that is out there, they get cast in mainstream films and blockbusters—like Selena Gomez the actress in Spring Breakers—and will be whitewashed. The few Latino actors that are in the mainstream—someone like Jennifer Lopez, she’s done Anaconda, The Wedding Planner, mostly mainstream films. She’s done very few Latino-themed pieces, you can count them on one hand.
I did it differently. Had I done the movies that were offered to me in my prime, at the height of my career, I would have been alongside the likes of Denzel Washington. But, I chose not to do those movies. I chose to do Stand and Deliver, American Me, Zoot Suit—Latino movies that ended up being successful but were not blockbusters. I just wanted to do my part and get those stories out there before I pass.
Stand and Deliver has been the most successful thing I have done in my life. So many people have seen it. There was really no need for me to do anything else. And the fact that we were able to do the film, it was a miracle.
LatinoBuzz: Your performance in Stand and Deliver garnered you an Oscar nomination for Best Actor making you the first American-born Latino to receive this honor. Do you remember the day you found out you were nominated? What effect did the nomination have on your acting career?
Ejo: I was in Miami on the set of Miami Vice. It was around 8:30 in the morning. I was walking from my trailer to the set and someone walked up to me, someone I didn’t even know. They said, “You were just nominated for an Oscar.” I asked him, “Excuse me?” And he said, “Yeah, for Stand and Deliver” and then just walked away. Of course I called my family right away and then Jaime (Escalante). I called him and woke him up. It was around 5:30 in the morning over there, in California. I told him, “Congratulations, you just won me an Oscar nomination.” Jaime said, “What do you mean? That wasn’t my performance, it was yours.” And I said, “No, it was all you. I just impersonated you. It was all you.”
It’s really difficult to figure out how to make a performance work, it’s like putting lightning in a bottle. But, it was really just an impersonation of him. From meeting and watching and observing Jaime I realized there is a reason why he was successful at teaching, it’s his personality. And I found that out on set. He was always there on set while we were filming. He was always standing there next to the camera. I would look at him after finishing a scene and he would have his arms crossed on his chest, his head tilted, his eyes a little bit squinted and then he would put his thumb up. That’s it. He wouldn’t say anything, just the thumbs up.
And as far as the nomination it opened up a big opportunity for me with a big studio. I signed a development deal. Tom Pollock, who was head of Universal at the time, asked me what I wanted to make. I got the chance to make a movie that I had been trying to make for 18 years, American Me. And it was as strong a movie and as important as Stand and Deliver.
LatinoBuzz: Stand and Deliver is filled with witty dialogue that people quote even 25 years later. Some of my favorite lines are, “You burros have math in your blood” and “His body is decomposing in my locker.” Any favorite lines of dialogue?
Ejo: Oh yeah, there are so many of them. There’s the one that everyone quotes when he calls the kid, “the finger man.” And that was all Jaime, all those lines were Jaime. There was nothing of that stuff that we made up. I rewrote the script, him and I, we wrote it together. All the dialogue in the shooting script was ours. We were never credited but we wrote it. He told me line by line what he said. He remembered everything. The scene where he comes back from the hospital and surprises the kids. When they yell “Bulldogs, dog-dog-dog-dog” and he says, “Thank you for babysitting my canguros.” When he makes them line up, “Against the wall like a snake.” He told me exactly what he said to each kid while they were standing in line and I put it in there.
The scene where he talks to the guys from Ets (Educational Testing Service) and they accuse him of cheating, the part that Andy Garcia plays, he told me exactly what he said to those guys. Exactly that scene, word for word, was said by Jaime. That scene, the dialogue is meticulously written. If you go back and watch it again—the rhythm, beat by beat, it is incredibly written. It’s because Jaime is a mathematician, he was meticulous with details, you have to be.
I remember lines from a lot the movies I made like Zoot Suit and American Me but most of the ones I remember are from Stand and Deliver.
LatinoBuzz: You are part of some of the most iconic Latino films. We haven’t had a huge hit like that in a few years. What do you think it will take to get there again?
I don’t know but the main issue is distribution. Right now I am focused on April 19th, the release of Filly Brown. That movie is my cause right now. There have been some major mistakes around publicity. Pantelion took over the distribution after Indomina went under. Indomina, they were young and couldn’t handle it, they didn’t know what they were doing. So, we sold it to Lionsgate/Pantelion and they moved up the release date, they made it earlier. And I told them that they made the biggest mistake for a film of this caliber. They aren’t giving people a chance to find out about the film. They need time for word of mouth to spread. Latinos and Spanish speakers, they will show up because of Jenny Rivera, because of their love for her and their love for me. But they are losing out on the chance to attract an audience of non-Latinos that will love this film. The are going to do what is always done with Latino films and independent films—putting the movie out there without giving the audience a chance to find out about it. You need to give it away and then they will tell other people—and then thousands of people will find out about it. It takes time. Unfortunately, with this film, if it works, will probably be attributed to Jenny’s tragic accident.
It’s an issue. Studios want to tell universal stories. We want to do the same thing. But, we want to use Latino stories with Latino faces to tell universal stories. We’re only one group. We are all humans and we all want to tell human stories.
Filly Brown opens in theaters across the country on April 19. The film stars Gina Rodriguez as a rapper who needs to make it big so she can raise money to get her mom (Jenny Rivera) out of jail. In conjunction with the film's release the official soundtrack will be available beginning April 16. Filly Brown on Facebook.
Stand and Deliver is available for viewing on iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, and Netflix.
Written by Juan Caceres and Vanessa Erazo, LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook.
- 4/10/2013
- by Vanessa Erazo
- Sydney's Buzz
All are first features by wildly original voices who are remixing potent multi-cultural heritage and inventing their own unique brand of genre. So much talent! Makes this Chicanita so proud!
Let’s start with numero uno:
1. Water & Power – from Chicano wordsmith warrior and Culture Clash iconoclast, Richard J. Montoya and produced by Mark Roberts. This is the screen adaptation of Montoya's 2006 play originally performed at the Mark Taper Forum in La. Rife with The City of Angels' legends, haunts and lore, the Chicano noir tale (how cool is that?) takes place over the course of one fateful night. An intense story centered on twin brothers nicknamed “Water” played by Enrique Murciano and “Power” played by Nicolas Gonzalez who were born and raised on the East Side streets playground - one grows up to be a senator and the other a high ranking cop. The young gifted musical artist and composer Gingger Shankar (Circumstance, Charlie Wilson's War) has contributed music to the film. The project participated in the 2007 Sundance Institute screenwriters & directors lab. A madly prolific playwright (a regular Berkeley and Yale Repertory Theatre collaborator), I got a chance to see Montoya's uproarious American history redux play, American Night: The Ballad of Juan Jose last fall (read the La Weekly feature review here). An uncompromising artist with a thundering voice all over the culture pop pulse, Montoya's first feature film tops my list of films to watch out for in 2013. Can. Not. Wait.
Like the Facebook page to stay on top of future premiere announcements and here's a pic on Mark Roberts website
Film contact: <mark@robertsdavid.com>
2. Pardon – written and directed by R.F. Rodriguez and produced by his production company BadMansSon. A story that deals with a cholo ex-con who returns to his barrio in Highland Park and sets to go on the straight and narrow but soon finds himself pulled by his old gang familia may sound familiar, but never has it been as emotionally excavated and depicted with such sensitivity and complexity. Hector Atreyu Ruizis Saul Sanchez whose driving motivation is the chance to reunite with his estranged daughter. Guided by a sympathetic parole officer, played by Tracey Heggins (from the 2008 indie African-American gem (Medicine for Melancholy), Saul tackles catch-22 circumstances towards his mission and confronts growing uneasiness from his vatos who continue to test if he's still down. At its core the film is an exploration about fatherhood and home, in particular highlighting the social phenomenon of absentee fathers because they are behind bars, an issue predominantly afflicting Latino families and communities.
Rodriguez, a USC film school grad, made the feature before graduating, having fleshed the story further out of the short film he made of the same name. His project mentor, Patricia Cardoso (Real Women Have Curves) encouraged him to do more with it and this is the amazing result. With earnest and raw performances, the moving and powerfully directed film marks this a sign of a true filmmaker talent discovery.
Website, Twitter
Film contact <contact@badmansson.com>
3. Recommended By Enrique written and directed by Daniel Garcia and Rania Attieh and produced by their NY based company En Passant Films. Shot in border town Del Rio, Texas (the U.S. side of the Rio Grande) with an offbeat hipster cast of young non-professionals plucked locally, the quirky, mystical tale is about an aspiring actress and an old cowboy who each arrive into town with respective plans and expectations, only to end up waiting for something to happen. Forced to wait out their time, they've nothing to do but explore the bewitching town and its people. Lino Varela plays the Cowboy and Sarah Swinwood, a Canadian newcomer actress nails the airhead wannabe star.
This is the second feature film from Texas native Daniel Garcia and Lebanese born Rania. Their first film, Ok, Enough, Goodbye screened at San Francisco International Film Festival among other world wide festivals, and the duo were included in 2011's Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film. Undertones of a Twilight Zone type of dimension and the spellbinding pull of the dusty town are perfect captured - as anyone who's been in these strange little Texas towns can attest. An unexpected, unpredictable and ultimately lyrical film, this definitely gets my recommendation.
Website, Facebook
Film contact < info@recommendedbyenrique.com>
4. Vincent & Luzy (Fka On the Run) written and directed by Alberto Barboza and produced by Cinético Productions. A charming, hip and modern fairy tale love story between a soulful graffiti artist,Vincent, played by Miguel Angel Caballero, and sexy tattoo artist, Luz, or Luzy played by Iliana Carter Ramirez. The film captures and romanticizes the happening, multi-culti rockabilly/emo scene and counter culture of Boyle Heights and Echo Parque, and features lots of home grown talent and spots like Self Help Graphics, the community visual arts mission center. The posters created by Vincent in the film are designed by La native, rising street artist, El Mac (Miles MacGregor). You'll recognize some of his murals around La like this one on Hollywood and Wilton, one of my favorites. He just did the album cover for No Doubt.
An eclectic soundtrack featuring local Vallenato band, Very Be Careful, Hermanos Herrera, Irene Diaz, Doghouse Lords and more. The cast also includes ol' G', Sal Lopez (American Me) and Lupe Ontiveros in what may be her last film role before she passed away last year (she also has a small role in Water & Power).
Fresh, exuberant and inhabiting a distinct, heightened magical street reality, Vincent & Luzy might be the first film to truly reflect this young, vibrant artist subculture, making this one a hot to track.
Film contact: info@CineticoProductions.com
Website
5. Blaze You Out – written and directed by Mateo Frazier and Diego Joaquin Lopez and produced by Alicia J. Keyes. Set in the rarely seen mystic world of New Mexico, this young female driven thriller is uniquely atmospheric. Starring the rising young talent, Veronica Diaz Carranza (Mamitas) along with Elizabeth Pena, Q'orianka Kilcher and Raoul Trujillo, all who ignite the screen. Diaz stars as Lupe, a DJ who is forced to venture into her town's heroin trade underworld in order to save her younger sister Alicia's life. To do so she must confront mysterious occult figures and harness the power within her to connect with the divine that surrounds her.
I was thrilled to hear that Lionsgate picked up the film at Afm a couple months ago. Lionsgate/Grindstone will release the film July 2013. 6 Sales is handling rights to rest of world. Intense and wicked and unlike anything else this is a film to look forward to. In the meantime, check out the press kit, pics and more on their site.
Website, Facebook
Must Mention
Chavez – written and directed by Diego Luna and produced by Canana Films, Mr. Mudd and backed by Participant Media. The biography of an iconic Chicano figure, labor rights activist Cesar Chavez, and Luna, who is an international name talent, has obviously been given major press coverage ever since it was first announced so it doesn't really fit my 'Discovery' profile. That said, it is a highly anticipated and eagerly awaited film. I truly hope the film opens wide and mainstream - although Participant will likely need a partner to make this happen in the U.S. Michael Peña, the Puerto Rican actor catapulting towards leading man roles and more regularly Hollywood roles (he's also in Gangster Squad opening this weekend), embodies a young Chavez. It wasn’t quite ready for Sundance so it’s possible the film will bow at a high profile festival like Cannes or Toronto. Although I'm hoping Stephanie Allain, director of Film Independent's La Film Festival will go hard after the film to wrangle what would be a fitting La gala premiere. Diego Luna proved his salt as the filmmaker of Abel, an eloquent and heart-stirring portrait of a little delusional boy who pretends to be the man of the house since his father left. Peña recently shared his approach was to be truthful to Cesar the Man not necessarily the legend or myth generated by his colossal perseverance and labor rights feats. All eyes will be on the representation of such a querido and influential figure. My bet? All in. I trust the filmmakers and cast will deliver a resonant and accomplished cinematic film worthy of the inspiring civil rights story, and more importantly re-introduce Chavez to mobilize our millennial generation.
Do you have a hot independent American Latino film recommendation I should track? Holler at your girl. Email me at chicanafromchicago@gmail.com
Next up, Non-Fiction American Latino films to track in 2013...
Let’s start with numero uno:
1. Water & Power – from Chicano wordsmith warrior and Culture Clash iconoclast, Richard J. Montoya and produced by Mark Roberts. This is the screen adaptation of Montoya's 2006 play originally performed at the Mark Taper Forum in La. Rife with The City of Angels' legends, haunts and lore, the Chicano noir tale (how cool is that?) takes place over the course of one fateful night. An intense story centered on twin brothers nicknamed “Water” played by Enrique Murciano and “Power” played by Nicolas Gonzalez who were born and raised on the East Side streets playground - one grows up to be a senator and the other a high ranking cop. The young gifted musical artist and composer Gingger Shankar (Circumstance, Charlie Wilson's War) has contributed music to the film. The project participated in the 2007 Sundance Institute screenwriters & directors lab. A madly prolific playwright (a regular Berkeley and Yale Repertory Theatre collaborator), I got a chance to see Montoya's uproarious American history redux play, American Night: The Ballad of Juan Jose last fall (read the La Weekly feature review here). An uncompromising artist with a thundering voice all over the culture pop pulse, Montoya's first feature film tops my list of films to watch out for in 2013. Can. Not. Wait.
Like the Facebook page to stay on top of future premiere announcements and here's a pic on Mark Roberts website
Film contact: <mark@robertsdavid.com>
2. Pardon – written and directed by R.F. Rodriguez and produced by his production company BadMansSon. A story that deals with a cholo ex-con who returns to his barrio in Highland Park and sets to go on the straight and narrow but soon finds himself pulled by his old gang familia may sound familiar, but never has it been as emotionally excavated and depicted with such sensitivity and complexity. Hector Atreyu Ruizis Saul Sanchez whose driving motivation is the chance to reunite with his estranged daughter. Guided by a sympathetic parole officer, played by Tracey Heggins (from the 2008 indie African-American gem (Medicine for Melancholy), Saul tackles catch-22 circumstances towards his mission and confronts growing uneasiness from his vatos who continue to test if he's still down. At its core the film is an exploration about fatherhood and home, in particular highlighting the social phenomenon of absentee fathers because they are behind bars, an issue predominantly afflicting Latino families and communities.
Rodriguez, a USC film school grad, made the feature before graduating, having fleshed the story further out of the short film he made of the same name. His project mentor, Patricia Cardoso (Real Women Have Curves) encouraged him to do more with it and this is the amazing result. With earnest and raw performances, the moving and powerfully directed film marks this a sign of a true filmmaker talent discovery.
Website, Twitter
Film contact <contact@badmansson.com>
3. Recommended By Enrique written and directed by Daniel Garcia and Rania Attieh and produced by their NY based company En Passant Films. Shot in border town Del Rio, Texas (the U.S. side of the Rio Grande) with an offbeat hipster cast of young non-professionals plucked locally, the quirky, mystical tale is about an aspiring actress and an old cowboy who each arrive into town with respective plans and expectations, only to end up waiting for something to happen. Forced to wait out their time, they've nothing to do but explore the bewitching town and its people. Lino Varela plays the Cowboy and Sarah Swinwood, a Canadian newcomer actress nails the airhead wannabe star.
This is the second feature film from Texas native Daniel Garcia and Lebanese born Rania. Their first film, Ok, Enough, Goodbye screened at San Francisco International Film Festival among other world wide festivals, and the duo were included in 2011's Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film. Undertones of a Twilight Zone type of dimension and the spellbinding pull of the dusty town are perfect captured - as anyone who's been in these strange little Texas towns can attest. An unexpected, unpredictable and ultimately lyrical film, this definitely gets my recommendation.
Website, Facebook
Film contact < info@recommendedbyenrique.com>
4. Vincent & Luzy (Fka On the Run) written and directed by Alberto Barboza and produced by Cinético Productions. A charming, hip and modern fairy tale love story between a soulful graffiti artist,Vincent, played by Miguel Angel Caballero, and sexy tattoo artist, Luz, or Luzy played by Iliana Carter Ramirez. The film captures and romanticizes the happening, multi-culti rockabilly/emo scene and counter culture of Boyle Heights and Echo Parque, and features lots of home grown talent and spots like Self Help Graphics, the community visual arts mission center. The posters created by Vincent in the film are designed by La native, rising street artist, El Mac (Miles MacGregor). You'll recognize some of his murals around La like this one on Hollywood and Wilton, one of my favorites. He just did the album cover for No Doubt.
An eclectic soundtrack featuring local Vallenato band, Very Be Careful, Hermanos Herrera, Irene Diaz, Doghouse Lords and more. The cast also includes ol' G', Sal Lopez (American Me) and Lupe Ontiveros in what may be her last film role before she passed away last year (she also has a small role in Water & Power).
Fresh, exuberant and inhabiting a distinct, heightened magical street reality, Vincent & Luzy might be the first film to truly reflect this young, vibrant artist subculture, making this one a hot to track.
Film contact: info@CineticoProductions.com
Website
5. Blaze You Out – written and directed by Mateo Frazier and Diego Joaquin Lopez and produced by Alicia J. Keyes. Set in the rarely seen mystic world of New Mexico, this young female driven thriller is uniquely atmospheric. Starring the rising young talent, Veronica Diaz Carranza (Mamitas) along with Elizabeth Pena, Q'orianka Kilcher and Raoul Trujillo, all who ignite the screen. Diaz stars as Lupe, a DJ who is forced to venture into her town's heroin trade underworld in order to save her younger sister Alicia's life. To do so she must confront mysterious occult figures and harness the power within her to connect with the divine that surrounds her.
I was thrilled to hear that Lionsgate picked up the film at Afm a couple months ago. Lionsgate/Grindstone will release the film July 2013. 6 Sales is handling rights to rest of world. Intense and wicked and unlike anything else this is a film to look forward to. In the meantime, check out the press kit, pics and more on their site.
Website, Facebook
Must Mention
Chavez – written and directed by Diego Luna and produced by Canana Films, Mr. Mudd and backed by Participant Media. The biography of an iconic Chicano figure, labor rights activist Cesar Chavez, and Luna, who is an international name talent, has obviously been given major press coverage ever since it was first announced so it doesn't really fit my 'Discovery' profile. That said, it is a highly anticipated and eagerly awaited film. I truly hope the film opens wide and mainstream - although Participant will likely need a partner to make this happen in the U.S. Michael Peña, the Puerto Rican actor catapulting towards leading man roles and more regularly Hollywood roles (he's also in Gangster Squad opening this weekend), embodies a young Chavez. It wasn’t quite ready for Sundance so it’s possible the film will bow at a high profile festival like Cannes or Toronto. Although I'm hoping Stephanie Allain, director of Film Independent's La Film Festival will go hard after the film to wrangle what would be a fitting La gala premiere. Diego Luna proved his salt as the filmmaker of Abel, an eloquent and heart-stirring portrait of a little delusional boy who pretends to be the man of the house since his father left. Peña recently shared his approach was to be truthful to Cesar the Man not necessarily the legend or myth generated by his colossal perseverance and labor rights feats. All eyes will be on the representation of such a querido and influential figure. My bet? All in. I trust the filmmakers and cast will deliver a resonant and accomplished cinematic film worthy of the inspiring civil rights story, and more importantly re-introduce Chavez to mobilize our millennial generation.
Do you have a hot independent American Latino film recommendation I should track? Holler at your girl. Email me at chicanafromchicago@gmail.com
Next up, Non-Fiction American Latino films to track in 2013...
- 1/10/2013
- by Christine Davila
- Sydney's Buzz
Gina Rodriguez has a giving spirit and smiling soul that instantly makes everyone sit up and notice. After her breakout role in 'Filly Brown' which recently opened the HBO New York International Latino Film Festival (directed by Youssef Delara and Michael D. Olmos and co-starring Edward James Olmos, Lou Diamond Phillips and a slew of underground rappers from Cali), Gina has seen a meteoric dream like rise in her star potential.
LatinoBuzz: Do you recall the exact moment you realized, "Yeah, this is what I want to do!"
Gina Rodriguez: “The exact moment is hard to pinpoint because with each accomplishment, each role, my love for acting grows deeper. It reaffirms that this is what I was put on this earth to do, to be a voice for those that need one. With each dream accomplished, bigger ones are put in their place. I started performing very young as a salsa dancer and every time I was on that stage dancing all I knew was that I wanted to speak. I wanted the music to stop and I wanted to speak. Then in high school I tried out for harlequins and landed the role of Diana Morales in ‘A Chorus Line’, whether or not I was the only Puerto Rican in the school is neither here nor there regardless I Booked It. Opening night came and I was on that stage belting my heart out (I can't sing by the by) and I felt this sense of calm. Looked out onto the many faces, contorted, smiling, half asleep, it didn't matter because I knew that was my heaven. That was where I belonged”.
LatinoBuzz: A book you will never forget is…
Gina Rodriguez: “The Bible”.
LatinoBuzz: Five people you would like to have fine wine with and just listen to them talk?
Gina Rodriguez: "Jesus and the Virgin Mary because come on, who doesn't want to meet her really, let me holler at Gandhi, Frida Kahlo and Albizu Campo the Puerto Rican activist that gets my grandma all worked up! Oh, can I just have a 6th? My French great grandfather, I would like to have a chat with him too".
LatinoBuzz: Tell us a crazy on set or audition story.
Gina Rodriguez: "I've learned a lot about what kind of actor I want or do not want to be while being on set. I sit back and observe how other actors treat the totem pole of set politics. And truthfully growing up in the hood, mad broke and the youngest of three I was my siblings slave, I had to learn to share, help, accept leftovers and hand me downs with a smile oookaaayyyy…so this one time, there was this one time ya hear, I was on set with name escapes me of course and I watched this person just be straight nasty to the people on set. Being the lead that just makes for an uncomfortable environment. I finally had the opportunity to go and talk to said actor and they straight put their hand up (like Talk To The Hand steez) and said “No, I'm working on a scene!” No you weren't, 'you nasty, you’s a nasty. Well from that moment on I knew one, I didn't want to work with them no more and the image of them I had in my head was quickly destroyed and all in all it put me in check. So ‘Filly Brown’ being my first lead I kept reminding myself, you can set the tone on set, you can make it amazing or atrocious. Why not make it amazing for everyone, right? Seems pretty simple to me. Being a good person seems pretty basic to me. Sad story but true".
LatinoBuzz: What would you like to see more (or less) from in Latino film?
Gina Rodriguez: “Wow, okay, I mean this is a never ending conversation that can be taken in many different ways. I love Latino films, there are some amazing Latino films ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’, ‘Grindhouse’ (what it do Robert Rodriguez), hey I say ‘Fast Five’ was a Latino film there were so many in it, ‘Y Tu Mama Tambien’, ‘A Better Life’ (Wepa Demian Bichir), ‘Stand and Deliver’, ‘American Me’ (get it Ejo, the legend!) etc. But to me its not what I want to see more or less of its a conversation of why are there not more Latino films?? Why are there not more mainstream commercial films being produced, directed and starred by Latinos that get seen by absolutely everyone because they are well made, well shot, well written etc?? The problem lies in that Hollywood clumps us in one category, we are Latino, not Puerto Rican or Mexican etc but we as Latinos do not do that we see ourselves as Puerto Rican or Mexican. So when a Mexican flick comes out the other Latinos say “oh well that’s a Mexican film.” Not “hey lets go support that Latino film because if we do and it does well in the box office then maybe the Guatemalan film will come out next or the Dominican film.” If Hollywood is going to put us under one umbrella then we need to unite and support that umbrella whether it be Mexican, Cuban, Venezuelan and so on. We are 50 million plus and make up the highest amount of movie goers. If we work together under the umbrella they have placed us under we will see our box office sales sky rocket and then Hollywood can't deny the money. More money more movies with our beautiful brown faces all over them billboards. I want to See more Unity!”
LatinoBuzz: Who’s hotter, Lou Diamond Philips as ‘Richie Valens’ in La Bamba or Lou Diamond Philips as ‘Chavez Y Chavez’ from Young Guns? Or Can Erik Estrada as ‘Ponch’ from CHiPs have ‘em both beat? - (Random we know).
Gina Rodriguez: “Have you seen Lou?! The man gets more and more handsome with age. No denying Hot in ‘La Bamba’, Banging in Young Guns’ but wait till you see him in ‘Filly Brown’. And his gorgeous wife Yvonne, oh she knows. Sorry Erik but you ain’t got nothing on Lou!”
LatinoBuzz: Filly Brown is feisty! have you ever wanted to set fire to a guys possessions ala Angela Basset in 'Waiting to Exhale'? And what did he do?
Gina Rodriguez: "Hahahaha now I know the good stuff is the juice but the truth is Filly Brown is feisty, Gina Rodriguez is a flower. I'm pretty gentle and when it comes to another person I just could never get that angry, especially if I loved that person".
LatinoBuzz: What have you learnt the most about the industry since the debut of Filly Brown at Sundance?
Gina Rodriguez: "This industry is all about work and just because Sundance exposed me to the world it is my job to stay deserving in that world. The work never ends, the hustle just get harder and you get stronger!" LatinoBuzz: Dialogue from a film that made you fall in love? Gina Rodriguez: "Just recently Beasts of the Southern Wild. The poetry in that script made me fall in love with film all over again!" LatinoBuzz: Who's the person that kept you going on this path? Gina Rodriguez: "My big sister Ivelisse. She has been my sister, best friend and role model. By her following her dreams she has given me permission to follow mine. Calling me her super star since I was a child she instilled in me that belief in myself". LatinoBuzz: If there was a montage to your life, full of jump cuts; what's the song? And it has to be cheesy. It can't be poignant. Gina Rodriguez: "'It's raining men'! 'These boots were walking'!"
LatinoBuzz: “5 years from now I will…”
Gina Rodriguez: “…be in a position to use my voice in order to make a difference in the way minorities are viewed in the media. To take what Tyler Perry did for the black community to a whole other level for the Latino community. Distributing good non stereotypical stories from immigrants, first, second, third generation and beyond. Putting our stories on the mainstream screen so that little brown babies everywhere know they can do it to, know that they see their faces as doctors and lawyers. I will fight the good fight so its not so easy to count Latino stars on two hands”.
You can catch up with Gina at her website: www.hereisgina.com and find out the latest on ‘Filly Brown’ at http://twitter.com/fillybrown and https://www.facebook.com/FillyBrown...
LatinoBuzz: Do you recall the exact moment you realized, "Yeah, this is what I want to do!"
Gina Rodriguez: “The exact moment is hard to pinpoint because with each accomplishment, each role, my love for acting grows deeper. It reaffirms that this is what I was put on this earth to do, to be a voice for those that need one. With each dream accomplished, bigger ones are put in their place. I started performing very young as a salsa dancer and every time I was on that stage dancing all I knew was that I wanted to speak. I wanted the music to stop and I wanted to speak. Then in high school I tried out for harlequins and landed the role of Diana Morales in ‘A Chorus Line’, whether or not I was the only Puerto Rican in the school is neither here nor there regardless I Booked It. Opening night came and I was on that stage belting my heart out (I can't sing by the by) and I felt this sense of calm. Looked out onto the many faces, contorted, smiling, half asleep, it didn't matter because I knew that was my heaven. That was where I belonged”.
LatinoBuzz: A book you will never forget is…
Gina Rodriguez: “The Bible”.
LatinoBuzz: Five people you would like to have fine wine with and just listen to them talk?
Gina Rodriguez: "Jesus and the Virgin Mary because come on, who doesn't want to meet her really, let me holler at Gandhi, Frida Kahlo and Albizu Campo the Puerto Rican activist that gets my grandma all worked up! Oh, can I just have a 6th? My French great grandfather, I would like to have a chat with him too".
LatinoBuzz: Tell us a crazy on set or audition story.
Gina Rodriguez: "I've learned a lot about what kind of actor I want or do not want to be while being on set. I sit back and observe how other actors treat the totem pole of set politics. And truthfully growing up in the hood, mad broke and the youngest of three I was my siblings slave, I had to learn to share, help, accept leftovers and hand me downs with a smile oookaaayyyy…so this one time, there was this one time ya hear, I was on set with name escapes me of course and I watched this person just be straight nasty to the people on set. Being the lead that just makes for an uncomfortable environment. I finally had the opportunity to go and talk to said actor and they straight put their hand up (like Talk To The Hand steez) and said “No, I'm working on a scene!” No you weren't, 'you nasty, you’s a nasty. Well from that moment on I knew one, I didn't want to work with them no more and the image of them I had in my head was quickly destroyed and all in all it put me in check. So ‘Filly Brown’ being my first lead I kept reminding myself, you can set the tone on set, you can make it amazing or atrocious. Why not make it amazing for everyone, right? Seems pretty simple to me. Being a good person seems pretty basic to me. Sad story but true".
LatinoBuzz: What would you like to see more (or less) from in Latino film?
Gina Rodriguez: “Wow, okay, I mean this is a never ending conversation that can be taken in many different ways. I love Latino films, there are some amazing Latino films ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’, ‘Grindhouse’ (what it do Robert Rodriguez), hey I say ‘Fast Five’ was a Latino film there were so many in it, ‘Y Tu Mama Tambien’, ‘A Better Life’ (Wepa Demian Bichir), ‘Stand and Deliver’, ‘American Me’ (get it Ejo, the legend!) etc. But to me its not what I want to see more or less of its a conversation of why are there not more Latino films?? Why are there not more mainstream commercial films being produced, directed and starred by Latinos that get seen by absolutely everyone because they are well made, well shot, well written etc?? The problem lies in that Hollywood clumps us in one category, we are Latino, not Puerto Rican or Mexican etc but we as Latinos do not do that we see ourselves as Puerto Rican or Mexican. So when a Mexican flick comes out the other Latinos say “oh well that’s a Mexican film.” Not “hey lets go support that Latino film because if we do and it does well in the box office then maybe the Guatemalan film will come out next or the Dominican film.” If Hollywood is going to put us under one umbrella then we need to unite and support that umbrella whether it be Mexican, Cuban, Venezuelan and so on. We are 50 million plus and make up the highest amount of movie goers. If we work together under the umbrella they have placed us under we will see our box office sales sky rocket and then Hollywood can't deny the money. More money more movies with our beautiful brown faces all over them billboards. I want to See more Unity!”
LatinoBuzz: Who’s hotter, Lou Diamond Philips as ‘Richie Valens’ in La Bamba or Lou Diamond Philips as ‘Chavez Y Chavez’ from Young Guns? Or Can Erik Estrada as ‘Ponch’ from CHiPs have ‘em both beat? - (Random we know).
Gina Rodriguez: “Have you seen Lou?! The man gets more and more handsome with age. No denying Hot in ‘La Bamba’, Banging in Young Guns’ but wait till you see him in ‘Filly Brown’. And his gorgeous wife Yvonne, oh she knows. Sorry Erik but you ain’t got nothing on Lou!”
LatinoBuzz: Filly Brown is feisty! have you ever wanted to set fire to a guys possessions ala Angela Basset in 'Waiting to Exhale'? And what did he do?
Gina Rodriguez: "Hahahaha now I know the good stuff is the juice but the truth is Filly Brown is feisty, Gina Rodriguez is a flower. I'm pretty gentle and when it comes to another person I just could never get that angry, especially if I loved that person".
LatinoBuzz: What have you learnt the most about the industry since the debut of Filly Brown at Sundance?
Gina Rodriguez: "This industry is all about work and just because Sundance exposed me to the world it is my job to stay deserving in that world. The work never ends, the hustle just get harder and you get stronger!" LatinoBuzz: Dialogue from a film that made you fall in love? Gina Rodriguez: "Just recently Beasts of the Southern Wild. The poetry in that script made me fall in love with film all over again!" LatinoBuzz: Who's the person that kept you going on this path? Gina Rodriguez: "My big sister Ivelisse. She has been my sister, best friend and role model. By her following her dreams she has given me permission to follow mine. Calling me her super star since I was a child she instilled in me that belief in myself". LatinoBuzz: If there was a montage to your life, full of jump cuts; what's the song? And it has to be cheesy. It can't be poignant. Gina Rodriguez: "'It's raining men'! 'These boots were walking'!"
LatinoBuzz: “5 years from now I will…”
Gina Rodriguez: “…be in a position to use my voice in order to make a difference in the way minorities are viewed in the media. To take what Tyler Perry did for the black community to a whole other level for the Latino community. Distributing good non stereotypical stories from immigrants, first, second, third generation and beyond. Putting our stories on the mainstream screen so that little brown babies everywhere know they can do it to, know that they see their faces as doctors and lawyers. I will fight the good fight so its not so easy to count Latino stars on two hands”.
You can catch up with Gina at her website: www.hereisgina.com and find out the latest on ‘Filly Brown’ at http://twitter.com/fillybrown and https://www.facebook.com/FillyBrown...
- 10/17/2012
- by Juan Caceres
- Sydney's Buzz
Boomtron.com
Role would call for Olmos to play drug lord.
It must be a nice thing for an actor to get the call from Mark Wahlberg’s people in this day and age. Wahlberg is one of the people who runs the thing. The whole thing. When you get a call like that, you pick it up. So when Edward James Olmos’ phone rang with an offer from Wahlberg’s people to play the bad guy in the upcoming 2 Guns, the right thing for Olmos to do was seriously consider it.
Edward James Olmos seems to know the right way to do things. Think about it. The guys been a visible presence in movies and on television since his first role on Kojak in 1975. He’s popped up in some all-time classics in the world of film, like Blade Runner, American Me, and Stand and Deliver, and also played...
Role would call for Olmos to play drug lord.
It must be a nice thing for an actor to get the call from Mark Wahlberg’s people in this day and age. Wahlberg is one of the people who runs the thing. The whole thing. When you get a call like that, you pick it up. So when Edward James Olmos’ phone rang with an offer from Wahlberg’s people to play the bad guy in the upcoming 2 Guns, the right thing for Olmos to do was seriously consider it.
Edward James Olmos seems to know the right way to do things. Think about it. The guys been a visible presence in movies and on television since his first role on Kojak in 1975. He’s popped up in some all-time classics in the world of film, like Blade Runner, American Me, and Stand and Deliver, and also played...
- 6/21/2012
- by Josh Converse
- Boomtron
"Stand and Deliver," the 1988 film starring Edward James Olmos in an Oscar-nominated role as East Los Angeles math teacher, and Robert Rodriguez's "El Mariachi" from 1992 were the latest Latino films added to the Library of Congress's National Film Registry.
That brings to 10 the number of films about Latinos, by Latinos or set in Spanish-speaking countries to be named to the vast depository dedicated to works that are "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant in the estimation of the Librarian of Congress.
With the 25 films announced this week, most notably "Forrest Gump," the Oscar-winning 1994 film starring Tom Hanks, the total number of National Registry Films is 575.
Can you name one other Latino-related movie on the list of films the nation's oldest federal cultural institution considers "cultural, artistic and historical treasures"?
Chulas Fronteras (1976), El Norte (1983), I am Joaquin (1969), Modesta (1956), The Revenge of Pancho Villa (1930-1936), The Treasure of the Sierra Madre...
That brings to 10 the number of films about Latinos, by Latinos or set in Spanish-speaking countries to be named to the vast depository dedicated to works that are "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant in the estimation of the Librarian of Congress.
With the 25 films announced this week, most notably "Forrest Gump," the Oscar-winning 1994 film starring Tom Hanks, the total number of National Registry Films is 575.
Can you name one other Latino-related movie on the list of films the nation's oldest federal cultural institution considers "cultural, artistic and historical treasures"?
Chulas Fronteras (1976), El Norte (1983), I am Joaquin (1969), Modesta (1956), The Revenge of Pancho Villa (1930-1936), The Treasure of the Sierra Madre...
- 12/30/2011
- by Ray Sanchez
- Huffington Post
It's another week of great revival screenings here in Weirdsville, and although the Paramount's Summer Film Series has come and gone for another year, there are still a mess o' fine flicks for the Classic Film connoisseur to enjoy.
And although the Austin Classic Movies Examiner has a somewhat arbitrary, self-imposed time limit of ten years before a film is considered "classic," he would be remiss if he did not give mention to what is sure to be a hilarious evisceration of M. Night Shyamalan's 2008 craptacular The Happening by the geniuses at Master Pancake Theater this weekend at the Alamo Ritz. What a twist!
Here are This Week's Classic Movie Screenings in Austin from Friday September 17th through Thursday September 23rd:
Grease (1978) with John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, and Sid Caesar, directed by Randall Kleiser, Sing-Along at Tinseltown South, Fri. @ 4:40, 7:30, and 10:10 p.m.; Sat. and Sun. @ 11:50 a.
And although the Austin Classic Movies Examiner has a somewhat arbitrary, self-imposed time limit of ten years before a film is considered "classic," he would be remiss if he did not give mention to what is sure to be a hilarious evisceration of M. Night Shyamalan's 2008 craptacular The Happening by the geniuses at Master Pancake Theater this weekend at the Alamo Ritz. What a twist!
Here are This Week's Classic Movie Screenings in Austin from Friday September 17th through Thursday September 23rd:
Grease (1978) with John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, and Sid Caesar, directed by Randall Kleiser, Sing-Along at Tinseltown South, Fri. @ 4:40, 7:30, and 10:10 p.m.; Sat. and Sun. @ 11:50 a.
- 9/17/2010
- by malthursday
- Examiner Movies Channel
William Forsythe and Joe Pantoliano have joined the cast of the independent drama-comedy "Loosies."According to Variety, the cast includes Peter Facinelli, Michael Madsen, Vincent Gallo and Jaimie Alexander.Verdi-Corrente Productions and Facinelli Films are producing. Michael Corrente ("Outside Providence") is directing from a script by Facinelli.The film focuses on a successful con artist (Facinelli) enjoying his life until confronted with an old one-night stand who tells him she's pregnant with his child.Forsythe.s credits include "Once Upon a Time in America," "Raising Arizona" and "American Me."Pantoliano is best known for his roles as Ralph Cifaretto on HBO.s "The Sopranos" and Guido the Killer Pimp in "Risky Business."...
- 7/13/2010
- by Adnan Tezer
- Monsters and Critics
(Director, writer, and filmmaker Floyd Mutrux, above.)
By Terry Keefe
It was the 1960s and a foursome took over the popular music charts in America, but they didn’t wear mop-tops. Right before the British Invasion, the girl group known as the Shirelles soared with hits such as “Dedicated to the One I Love,” “Soldier Boy,” “Will You Still Me Tomorrow,” and “Baby It’s You,” amongst many others. The Shirelles were discovered by Florence Greenberg, an ambitious and very prescient New Jersey housewife who founded Scepter Records, and consequently changed the face of popular music forever. In her business life, Greenberg was a woman who dove right into the middle of a male-dominated record industry and created one of the most successful independent labels of the time, and on the personal side, she left her first marriage for a union with African-American songwriter Luther Dixon. The story of Greenberg,...
By Terry Keefe
It was the 1960s and a foursome took over the popular music charts in America, but they didn’t wear mop-tops. Right before the British Invasion, the girl group known as the Shirelles soared with hits such as “Dedicated to the One I Love,” “Soldier Boy,” “Will You Still Me Tomorrow,” and “Baby It’s You,” amongst many others. The Shirelles were discovered by Florence Greenberg, an ambitious and very prescient New Jersey housewife who founded Scepter Records, and consequently changed the face of popular music forever. In her business life, Greenberg was a woman who dove right into the middle of a male-dominated record industry and created one of the most successful independent labels of the time, and on the personal side, she left her first marriage for a union with African-American songwriter Luther Dixon. The story of Greenberg,...
- 12/3/2009
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
"Urban" cinema tends to mean black cinema or cinema reflecting a "Ghetto" experience often from a youthful perspective. So I will that as a rough guide and then narrowing it down to crime related and violent features I'm going to look at some of the best from this "Genre", if it can really be called a genre.
1. La Haine (1995) Directed by Mathieu Kassovitz
La Haine is arguably the best "Urban" film ever made, certainly the most politically charged and the one with the most impacting ending. French Jewish director Mathieu Kassovitz may have gone on to make the crappy Gothica, but in 1995 he made the best film of the year. So the top film on my list is not American as you would expect, but French. In fact as far as I am aware, a decade after its release the film which took won best director and was nominated for...
1. La Haine (1995) Directed by Mathieu Kassovitz
La Haine is arguably the best "Urban" film ever made, certainly the most politically charged and the one with the most impacting ending. French Jewish director Mathieu Kassovitz may have gone on to make the crappy Gothica, but in 1995 he made the best film of the year. So the top film on my list is not American as you would expect, but French. In fact as far as I am aware, a decade after its release the film which took won best director and was nominated for...
- 4/7/2009
- by Leigh
- Latemag.com/film
Olmos Honored On Latino Walk Of Fame
Actor Edward James Olmos, who went from East Los Angeles to Hollywood stardom, has been honored with a plaque on the Latino Walk of Fame. The 53-year-old actor was the seventh person to be honored with a plaque on Whittier Boulevard. Others have included labor leader Cesar Chavez and former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela. Known for his roles in such movies as Stand and Deliver (1987) and American Me (1992), Olmos has worked with the poor and the Los Angeles International Latino Film Festival. Ray Abboud, the Walk of Fame chairman, says, "He's deserving because he has helped out Los Angeles so much. He became a celebrity, but he never forgot his roots."...
- 12/18/2000
- WENN
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