Our film/TV writer, Vanessa Erazo, had a chance to preview the first episode of Lifetime’s Devious Maids, which will premiere on June 23, and here is what she thought.
A Theater Near You is Remezcla’s guide to awesome Latin movies for the lazy and broke; you can watch these all at home! This week we feature ‘Chop Shop.’
I’m not giving the show a glowing review. I, along with every other Latina, rolled my eyes when I heard that the show was about maids. But, I think it’s important to give the show a chance and to look at it critically. Let’s dissect what it does right and what it does wrong.
Jack Rico, NBC Latino contributor, put together a list of the, “Best Hispanic movies of 2012” that included films like Silver Linings Playbook, Skyfall (a James Bond movie), and End of Watch. Were these really the best Latino films of the year? I was dumbfounded. Not one of these movies was written or directed by a Latino. I kept wondering, what makes these films Latino?
Check out the trailers for our Top Picks of the Latino films at the 2013 Brooklyn Film Festival.
This documentary film tracks a decommissioned American school bus from the auction floor to its refurbishment as a Guatemalan public-transport vehicle, touching on the political, the humanistic and the spiritual in the process.
“To see the 86 year old Ríos Montt looking at his 30-year-younger self projected in the courtroom was stunning. Now he looks old and weak, but in the film footage he looks strong, vital, arrogant. It was a good reminder of the absolute power he wielded as a ruthless General in 1982.”
Documentary films can be eye-opening, thrilling, informative, maddening, and impactful. But Pamela Yates’ film When the Mountains Tremble has gone beyond any filmmaker’s highest hopes.
In the 1980s Guatemala was amidst a bloody civil war and ruled under a military dictatorship. Filmmaker Pamela Yates documented the tragedy, and her work eventually served as evidence in the Ríos Montt genocide trial that recently concluded. Learn where to watch her films here!
Mosquita y Mari premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and played in theaters last summer. I spoke with its Director, Aurora Guerrero just ahead of the film’s digital release to talk about the challenges of making and distributing independent Latino films.
Se Fija wrote about my Indiewire post on the theatrical distribution of Latino films.
Vanessa Erazo asked a very good question in a very good piece on IndieWire’s LatinoBuzz last week. It’s been a long, long time, she points out, since a movie by, about, and for Latinos has made any kind of splash in the theatrical arena.
Today is May Day - pay homage to worker and labor rights by watching ‘Bread and Roses.’
Historically, Latino films have struggled at the box office but once in a while there’s a breakout hit. Independent Latino films can’t spend a bunch of money on T.V. ads, print advertising, or make multiple copies to circulate in theaters. So, what’s the magic formula?
Today would have been Selena’s 42nd birthday - remember her with the classic film Selena.
“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 all part of one group. We are all humans and we all want to tell human stories.”
The Havana Film Festival in New York is back! Opening Friday, April 12 and running through April 19 the festival will screen more than 45 films from and about Latin America, the Caribbean, and Latinos in the U.S. We know it’s overwhelming with so many awesome-sounding films so here’s our top picks of what not to miss at this year’s HFFNY. Pretty soon you’ll be yelling, ¡Películas o Muerte!
I got the chance to chat with Edward James Olmos about the 25th anniversary of Stand and Deliver, the state of Latino filmmaking, and the upcoming release of Filly Brown, a film his son directed and starring EJO along with the late Jenny Rivera in her first (and sadly last) movie role.
Four great Latin-American films (and one Spanish one) are playing in theaters across the country – including one by former The Mars Volta guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez. Check them out!
A Theater Near You is Remezcla’s twice-a-month guide to Latin movies you can watch without having to get off your couch. Check out two great films that put a face on homelessness: the Academy Award-winning short documentary Inocente, about a young Latina artist who is homeless and undocumented, and Entre Nos, based on the true story of a Colombian immigrant doing what she can to survive after her husband abandons her and her two young children.
Viggo Mortensen, best known for his roles in Eastern Promises and The Lord of the Rings, is a huge soccer fan. He almost got thrown out of an airport once after loudly celebrating a goal by his favorite Argentinian club team, San Lorenzo. Coincidentally, it’s his love of soccer that brought him to his newest role—playing twins in the Argentinian thriller Everybody Has A Plan.
