Latino movie news, reviews, trailers, and festival coverage

First look at set pictures of ‘Machete Kills’!

We have some exclusive photos from ‘Machete Kills’, which is coming out next year and is already shooting, thanks to Jessica Alba. In this sequel of ‘Machete’,which came out in 2010, Texas born Mexican director Robert Rodriguez brings to the screen the continuations of Machete’s (Danny Trejo) story. Here the U.S. government recruits him to battle an arms dealer in Mexico, who wants to launch a dangerous weapon into space.

The cast is filled with very talented Latinos: Michelle Rodriguez, Sofia Vergara, Demián Bichir and of course Jessica Alba and Danny Trejo. Mel Gibson will be starting as well. 

Here are some of the pictures of the cast and of the very special birthday celebration for director Rodriguez:

Edgar Ramírez encarnará Simón Bolívar en ‘Libertador’

Venezuelan director Alberto Arvelo Mendoza has announced the cast for his biographical film about Simon Bolivar, titled ‘Libertador’ by scriptwriter Timothy Sexton who wrote ‘Children of Men’. Venezuelan actor Edgar Ramirez who’s played noticeable roles in ‘Wrath of the Titans’ and ‘ The Bourne Ultimatum’ will be the liberator, in this movie about the work Bolivar did to unite the nations of South America. During his lifetime (1783-1830), Bolivar fought for the independence of Latin America from the Spanish Empire and carried out military campaigns that extended in a territory far greater than that of Alexander the Great. The rest of the cast are: Spanish actress Maria Valverde, Danny Huston who worked with Ramirez in ‘Wrath of the Titants’ and has been in ‘Children of Men’ among others, Imanol Ariasm and Gary Lewis.

This is an ambicious project in which the director wants to concentrate in how Bolivar really was beyond of what history says about him. Since he’s considered as one of the most influential emancipators and politicians in the history of America. Producer Winnifred Hammacher said that without a doubt this team will be able to make ‘Libertador’, which is a story told from Bolivar’s perspective, into the ‘Braveheart’ of South America.

The production of the film which is mainly in Spanish with a little bit of English and French, has taken place in Venezuela and for the second half has moved to Spain. Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel’s very own Los Angeles Philharmonic will make music for the movies for the first time in this one.

‘LIBERTADOR’ will open in 2013

‘I’m so Excited’, title of Almodóvar’s next comedy

The next movie from Spanish director Pedro Almodovar ‘I’m so Excited’ from his production company El Deseo, was acquired by Sony Pictures Classics, which already has had a long working history with the director.

There are still no details about the story, but it’s described as a mixed comedy written and directed by the Spanish filmmaker. The cast for the film has been announced: Javier Cámara, Cecilia Roth, Lola Dueñas, Raul Arévalo, Carlos Areces, Antonio de la Torre, Hugo Silva, Willy Toledo, Miguel Ángel Silvestre, Banca Suárez, José Luis Torrijo, José María Yazpik, Laya Martí with special collaborations from Antonio Banderas, Penelope Cruz y Paz Vega.

Almodovar’s last film was ‘The Skin I Live in’ which received mixed but enthusiastic reviews. The movie ‘ I’m so Excited’ will begin shooting next month and will open summer 2013.    

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (Movie Review)

The romantic comedy ‘Seeking a Friend for the End of the World’ is a clever refreshing project that will get you thinking about life and will leave you feeling melancholic. The way this movie unravels either directly or indirectly transforms it into a kind of dark comedy, since after all we are talking about death. The subject the film explores is interesting, since the Earth being blown to pieces is quite a real threat we all forget about, but most of the comedy falls out of the film and it becomes dramatic and sad leaving you with a poignant feeling.  

An asteroid threatens to destroy planet Earth and chaos spreads as everyone realizes they only have less than a month to fulfill their lives. Dodge (Steve Carell) an insurance salesman is left to end his days alone, when his wife runs away in a panic. Nostalgically he decides to look for his high school sweetheart, in order to do this he enlists the help of his newly met ditzy neighbor Penny (Keira Knightley). In this final road trip they get to know each other as well as themselves and try to cope with the reality that’s in front of them. 

The film does have a good chunk of comedy, but what makes it not so funny is the subject matter; this is an eminent reality we all face, death, but even more so the threat that this could really happen to our planet. What I really like about the film is the way it goes about exploring the subject, we see how differently everyone copes with the crude reality; some people still try to lead normal lives, while others go completely berserk.

Director Lorene Scarfaria told us in our interview she’s always been curious about love and relationships, and after doing ‘Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist’ which was a story about eternal love; she decided to explore the opposite side of the spectrum and this was the result. Having Carell and Knightley together in this film is genius; they personalize perfectly the mix of funny and dramatic moments. They are an unlikely pair that somehow fit just right in this film, as they both provide different aspects of life and acting styles. We are districted from humanity’s insignificance in this vast universe by their sweet stories and the ideals and hopes they still have despite of the ticking clock.    

Another thing many might enjoy from this film are the various cameos of other actors throughout, so keep an eye out for that. The truth about this film is that despite of some of the wacky scenarios and sporadic funny moments, it’s not enough to save us from the melancholy and sadness of the bigger picture. If you are feel like exploring a mix of humorous sadness, this is the film to do just that, but it’s best to watch it at home when it comes out on DVD.

‘Safe Haven’ to be Nicholas Sparks new movie

They’ve began shooting ‘Safe Haven’ a romance based on the story by Nicholas Sparks, who wrote ‘The Notebook’ and ‘Dear John’; like most of his movies this will be shot in his native land of North Carolina in the town of Southport. Director Lasse Hallström has already casted Josh Duhamel from ‘Transformers’ and Julianne Hough from ‘Rock of Ages’ as protagonists, David Lyons is also part of the cast. The writers of the script: Dana Stevens and Les Bohem along with the rest of the production team make up a group of artists that have worked in movies or TV shows focused on romance; which tells us this movie will be a romantic voyage.

‘Safe Haven’ is a story full of suspense and affirmation about Katie (Hough), a young woman who is struggling to find love once again when she arrives in the small town in North Carolina. The people see her as suspicious when she seems to not want to be part of the community, but slowly she becomes to appear familiar and begins a relationship with Alex (Duhamel), a widowed that owns a story and has two small children. But her past (Lyons will play Hough’s estranged husband) gets in the way of her new life and the terror will force her to rediscover the meaning of sacrifice and what is like to rely on the power of love in this moving romantic thriller. 

The studios involved in the production are: Relativity Media, Temple Hill Entertainment and Nicholas Sparks’ own production company. The movie will open on February 8, 2013.

‘Madagascar 3’ stays at #1 at box office!

Once again ‘Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted’ rules the box office with $35.5 million dollars, earning a total of $120.5 million dollars. The animated film has continued to surprise everyone holding on to the number one spot.

‘Prometheus’ also stays strong at number two with $20.2 million dollars; the sci-fi movie tried to win the number one spot but failed. This film was suspected to become a summer blockbuster; it’s a wonder what made the public turn away.

The Broadway musical turned film ‘Rock of Ages’ landed on the third spot with $15.1 million dollars. This amount is far below of other musicals adapted to the big screen, such as ‘Mamma Mia!’ or Shankman’s own ‘Hairspray’, which opened with $27.5 million dollars in 2007.

The Top 10 Movies in the Box Office:

1. Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted – $35.5 mil

2. Prometheus – $20.2 mil

3. Rock of Ages – $15.1 mil

4. Snow White and the Huntsman – $13.8 mil

5. That’s my Boy – $13 mil

6. Men in Black 3 – $10 mil

7. The Avengers – $8.8 mil

8. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – $2.2 mil

9. Moonrise Kingdom – $2.2 mil

10. What to Expect When You’re Expecting – $1.3 mil

First pic, poster of America Ferrera in ‘It’s a Disaster’

America Ferrera is such a prolific young artist, who’s an Emmy, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award, ALMA and Imagen Award winner among others. She’s had her share of comedy with her hit show on ABC ‘Ugly Betty’. We also have seen her strong talents in the dramedy ‘Real Women Have Curves’. We will see her September 28 in ‘End of Watch’ with Jake Gyllenhaal. Finally, she will star opposite Michael Peña and Rosario Dawson in Diego Luna’s ‘Chavez’ as Helen Chavez, the wife of civil rights activist Cesar Chavez’. Given her resume, it’s a wonder what we can expect from her character in Todd Berger’s comedy ‘It’s a Disaster’ set to come out later on this year; which explores the idea on how four couples would deal with the unexpected end of the world.

Four girlfriends meet for Sunday brunch, brining their significant others and shortly realize this might be their last few hours on Earth. Tracy Scott (Julia Stiles) brings her boyfriend Glenn (David Cross) to meet her girlfriends for the first time: Hedy (America Ferrera), Emma (Erinn Hayes) and Lexi (Rachel Boston). Tracy nervously awaits her friends’ approval, not knowing that there are bigger things happening to worry about it. An apocalyptic disaster catches the four couples off guard, but they don’t let their issues take a back seat; instead they resolve to work them out.

The director was very keen in creating relationships that felt authentic as to have almost real people on screen reacting to an end of the world disaster. Berger injected comedy to the coming disaster; by having four unprepared couples that are at different stages of their relationships react in ways that would shock their significant other. Inspired by end of the world films such as ‘Night of the living dead’ and ‘2012’, he decided zombie’s have been overplayed and opted for a natural disaster instead; keeping in mind that the satirical part is that the end of the world is secondary to the character’s own problems. According to the director, panic runs out in a disaster situation, he aims to represent eight variations of human responses in this kind of situation. We anxiously wait to see what all the actors; Ferrera in particular, will be like in this comedy.

Check out the first picture and poster of the film ‘IT’S A DISASTER’.

Brave (Movie Review)

‘Brave’ is such a good feel animated film for children and parents alike; also, the 3D for the most part is outstanding. Pixar has finally given us a female protagonist; this redheaded stubborn girl was definitely worth the wait. Although the story gets complex and perhaps a bit dark for a younger audience, it’s enchanting and captivating taking us to unexpected places.

This story is set in Scotland in a mythical time that assimilates the middle ages. We get to see Princess Merida (Kelly Macdonald) grow up into a strong willed woman, who gets exasperated by her mother, Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson). The Queen tries in vain to teach Merida how to be a Princess every waking minute, but Merida wishes nothing more than to lead a normal life where she can practice her archery despite of it being not very feminine. Merida gets along better with her father, Lord MacGuffin (Kevin McKidd), because he supports and encourages her unlady like ways. Frustrated Merida tries to change tradition with the help of a witch, but she comes to realize that the spell she casts is more than she can handle.

Directors Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman created a mother-daughter story unlike any we’ve seen before; it is heart warming, funny and leaves us with a valuable lesson. The actors that voiced the characters where right on and really gave life to each character. The animation is one of the best I’ve seen, there’s only one scene while overlooking some rocky mountains where it looks a bit blurry, but everything else is crisp clear and the 3D makes it feel like you can reach out and touch it all.

Everyone’s favorite characters will be Merida’s triplet brothers, who are mischievously cute. The panoramic scenes are breathtaking and look so real; they blend in perfectly with the atmosphere of the story. The story itself draws you in easily, but it does begin to get a bit muddled when magic gets involved. The reason why it’s successful though, it’s the fact that it caters to both the young and the old, it has slapstick humor along with life lessons and a little more mature jokes.

The best part about the story is the lesson it teaches us, that we are in control of our own destinies and we just have to be brave enough to see it. This is definitely a good film to take your kids to, because it is not only entertaining but it’s also nutritious. Don’t miss the short-film at the beginning titled ‘La Luna’ by Italian director Enrico Casarosa, which also pays homage to family and it’s just adorable.