08.17.2012 | By Jack Rico |
This week from Miami, on the Enrique Santos Morning Radio Show, Jack Rico reviews the new film releases: THE EXPENDABLES 2, and one of the best indie films of the year, COMPLIANCE.
You can hear our movie review segment in Miami on the ‘Enrique Santos Morning Show‘ every Friday at 7:25 AM and 9:25 AM by Univision Radio ‘MIX98.3FM’ in Miami or the global network by visiting: http://www.enriquesantos.com/
08.14.2012 | By Jack Rico |
*Updated 2026
In 2026, when wealth, screens and isolation define so much of modern power, Cosmopolis feels timely in subject even when Jack’s problem with its cold abstraction still stands.
08.14.2012 | By SBC Staff |
Finally! 3 years since its release on December 18th, 2009, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment announced this morning that James Cameron’s Avatar will arrive as a “Collector’s Edition” Blu-ray 3D on October 15 globally and in North America on October 16. Three years to wait for a 3D bluray?? Nuts.
“3D television is the future of home entertainment,” said Cameron, “I’m a huge proponent of the technology and very pleased that ‘Avatar’ can be viewed in the living room the way it is meant to be seen.”
“As the number of homes with 3D televisions continues to grow, we thought it was important to bring the biggest 3D film ever right into your living room,” continued producer Jon Landau, “This is the only way fans should experience the world of Pandora and this release offers the highest picture quality possible.”
Previously only available to consumers through an exclusive deal with Panasonic, the two-disc Avatar 3D Blu-ray Collector’s Edition will feature the original theatrical release and be available in all-new collectible packaging. Seen by more than 310 million people worldwide, the Oscar and Golden Globe winning epic is the highest-grossing film of all time, taking in more than $2.7 billion in worldwide box office. It is also top-selling Blu-ray disc of all time.
Dominican actress Zoe Saldaña who played Neytiri in the movie, is on the cover of the 3D Blu-ray movie.
08.13.2012 | By Karen Posada |
Laika studio’s ‘ParaNorman’ is a quirky stop-motion animated family film that like ‘Coraline’ from the same studio is a beautifully shot movie surrounded by the subject of death and zombies. The movie ‘s greatest assets are its clarity, color and real look to it, especially in 3D; this is stop-motion at its best. What the movie lacked most was comedy, it does have some but it needed a bigger dose of it seeing how much it talks about death, bullying and being an outcast; a family film with these dominant subjects needs much more comedic release. The storyline gets too convoluted and dark to the point where it can get almost boring, especially for little kids but an older audience can definitely appreciate it more.
Norman Babcock (Kodi-Smit-McPhee) is a misunderstood 11 year-old that has the ability to communicate with the dead; this makes him an outcast in school as well as in his own home. Neil (Tucker Albrizzi) a chubby kid who knows all-too-well the feeling of being bullied and different, follows Norman around and looks up to him. His estranged uncle Mr. Prenderghast (John Goodman) informs Norman about a curse Blithe Hallow, his town, is under and he’s the only one that can stop it. Without planning it Norman ends up with a group of “ghost busters” his friend Neil, his sister Courtney (Anna Kendrick), Neil’s brother Mitch (Casey Affleck) and the school’s bully Alvin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse).
Details are the key to this movie, which are carried out masterfully and the cartoonish way in which some of the characters were crafted add a playful angle to it. Norman is a strong character and the fact that it’s a real kid voicing him, makes him the more convincing and real. Neil is a great sidekick and is the one that gives us the most comedic moments, which could have been exploited even more. The movie has a moment where it almost becomes like an episode out of ‘Scooby Doo’, where the kids are escaping zombies in their van, giving the movie familiar elements to the grown ups watching it and introducing a new generation to them. The message the film has against bullying is powerful, it also teaches children to believe in themselves and their capabilities giving the story depth.
I don’t understand the reason why directors like Chris Butler, Henry Selick and Tim Burton like making family films about zombies, vampires and death; these are bizarre subjects to present children with. Although this one paints a pretty picture with Norman’s grandma (Elaine Stritch), it becomes too sinister and dark when we encounter the witch behind the town’s curse, Aggie (Jodelle Ferland). The film tries to come back to an uplifting note after the second part, teaching that vengeance is not the way to go. The problem is that it goes to such a dark place that it’s hard to forget where it took you, something that comedy could have helped and this might scare younger children.
The action scenes in the movie are fun and look very real; this can be credited to the animators as well as the camera work. I recommend this film for older kids, perhaps 8 or 10 and up, as the main plot of the movie can easily give nightmares and scare little ones. I appreciate the attention to detail and craftsmanship of this film, as these are the main things that will keep you watching. I wish the storyline were a little more lighthearted so that it could be more entertaining and not as serious. However, this quirky, funky, spooky film is unique in its own way and teaches some valuable lessons about understanding others and believing in yourself, qualities that make it worth watching.
08.13.2012 | By Karen Posada |
‘The Bourne Legacy’ successfully premieres at number one, beating out Batman’s streak with $40.3 million dollars. Universal certainly did everything right to keep the Bourne franchise alive, with the results of this one we can be sure to receive many more films about the spies looking for their identities.
Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis’ comedy ‘The Campaign’ took over the second spot with $27.4 million dollars. Perhaps many people wanted to get a comedic relief from all the presidential campaigning happening at the moment and these two comedy geniuses sure delivered.
‘The Dark Knight Rises’ takes a hard fall to number three with $19.5 million dollars, rounding out to $390 million dollars. The drop is sudden and surprising but the film remained at number one for three straight weeks like ‘The Avengers’ did, despite of it not earning as much as that one.
The Top 10 Movies in the Box Office are:
1. The Bourne Legacy – $40.3 mil
2. The Campaign – $27.4 mil
3. The Dark Knight Rises – $19.5 mil
4. Hope Springs – $15.6 mil
5. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days – $8.2 mil
6. Total Recall – $8.1 mil
7. Ice Age: Continental Drift – $6.8 mil
8. Ted – $3.3 mil
9. Step Up Revolution – $2.9 mil
10. The Amazing Spider-Man – $2.2 mil
08.12.2012 | By Jack Rico |
Mexican American actress/singer Selena Gomez lends her voice to Columbia Pictures new animated family comedy in ‘Hotel Transylvania‘ and now the studio has unveiled her new character poster. Check it out below along with others from the cast.
If you still don’t know anything about the movie here’s the official synopsis on the movie: Welcome to Hotel Transylvania, Dracula’s lavish five-stake resort, where monsters and their families can live it up, free to be the monsters they are without humans to bother them. On one special weekend, Dracula has invited some of his best friends – Frankenstein and his wife, the Mummy, the Invisible Man, the Werewolf family, and more – to celebrate his beloved daughter Mavis’s 118th birthday. For Drac, catering to all of these legendary monsters is no problem – but everything could change for the overprotective dad when one ordinary guy stumbles on the hotel and takes a shine to Mavis.
Gomez plays the teen daughter of Dracula who is antsy to have her freedom and be an adult, but makes matters worse when she develops a crush with a human.
We had a chance to see 20 minutes of the movie several months ago at at an exclusive private screening with director Genndy Tartakovsky – who will now be directing the new Popeye – and it delivered the laughs and gags. The comedy is for kids, but adults will be able to enjoy it as well.
Hotel Transylvania is released on September 28th in the US.
08.12.2012 | By Mack Chico |
USA Today has unveiled the first photo of Russell Crowe as the title character in Darren Aronofsky‘s big-budget biblical epic “Noah,” which is currently in production in Iceland. Check out the photo below.
The story follows the biblical tale of a man (Crowe) who is given the mission to build a giant vessel that can house two of every animal from the earth to save them from a giant flood that will wipe all life for a new beginning.
Aronofsky has been tweeting updates about his upcoming film, including several last month. “I dreamt about this since I was 13. And now it’s a reality. Genesis 6:14,” he said on July 11.
“Noah” won’t be your average Biblical epic though. Aronofsky plans to feature wingless angel demons and giants–based on his tweets, a creature named Og. Og was the King of Bahan, a race of giants, and part of the Rephaim in the Bible.
“According to Jewish folklore, Noah built a special compartment in the Ark for him and/or he rode out the flood by sitting on the top. Either way, we’ll see how Og will make an appearance, but it’s another interesting note to a movie that is playing as much with myth and legend as it is with the elements of the standard story we know,” writes Kevin Jagernauth.
The film is being made in Iceland, amidst inclement weather. Crowe has taken to his Twitter to talk about the cold and the wind during filming.
The new movie co-sars Jennifer Connelly, Anthony Hopkins, Ray Winstone, Douglas Booth, Emma Watson and Logan Lerman. It’s set to hit theaters on March 28th, 2014.
08.11.2012 | By Karen Posada |
I watched ‘Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax’ in a movie theater full of kids ranging from 3-10 years of age, which gave me the perfect audience with a mix of adults to get the right movie experience for this film. This movie exudes cuteness and the right amount of singing, the bits of comedy it has just made me smile and a couple of children laugh. There was no crying or chattering in the audience, which tells me the film’s 94 minutes are the perfect amount of entertainment for its target audience. The brilliant colors and clever shapes and storyline were even more fantastic in IMAX 3D, although ‘Horton Hears a Who’ achieved the same visual greatness without IMAX 3D.
The film begins by explaining in singing our setting, Thneedville, which is a city, made of plastic entirely, there’s no nature; trees are made in a factory and the most powerful man in town and the villain, Mr. O’Hare (Rob Riggle) made his millions by selling air. A 12 year old boy, Ted (Zac Efron) who is in love with a high schooler, Audrey (Taylor Swift) who dreams of seeing a real tree; decides to go on a quest to win the girl’s affection by getting her what she wants. He travels outside of the “capsule” that is his city to the contaminated world beyond in search of The Once-ler (Ed Helms) who according to his grandma Norma (Betty White) is the only person that can lead him to the free oxygen producing trees.
Here is when we being to discover the story of The Lorax (Danny DeVito) who speaks for the trees and cares for nature. What Ted finds in his journey not only changes his life but that of the whole town and the main message of the movie comes across, that each and single one of us makes a difference and we all need to care for our planet.
DeVito’s voice is perfect with that of the furry chubby Lorax, he’s a like a wise joke cracking grandpa that teaches just in the right tone. Efron is laid back and curious just the right amount to depict a 12 year old. White is the best character, the crazy grandma that is always covering for her grandchildren. Every voice created the characters depicted on the screen and together created a very pleasant movie to watch.
The environmentalist message of the film and the dangers of industrialism are very clear; that it takes one person to care so that we can come together as a whole to save the planet and the beauty it offers. I personally didn’t care for the “love story” in the film, but it was easy to over look it, with all the other more important stuff happening, even if it was what pushed the storyline. A children’s movie that has such an inspiring and important message with enough entertainment and color is a nice treat to both parents and children to see.
08.6.2012 | By Karen Posada |
‘The Dark Knight Rises’ is still king of the box office at number 1 with $36.4 million dollars, with a domestic total of $354.6 million dollars and a grand total of $733 million dollars worldwide. It’s doubtful that it will reach ‘The Dark Knight’ total neither domestically nor worldwide, which were $533.3 million dollars and $1.002 billion dollars respectably.
Len Wiseman’s remake of ‘Total Recall’ premiered at number two with $26 million dollars far from the amount it took to make which was around $140 million dollars, making it a big flop. This isn’t surprising since the main star Colin Farrell has been part of box office failures for most of his career; this one adds one more to his list.
‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days’ the third one of the ‘Wimpy Kid’ series opened at number 3 with $14.7 million dollars, the lowest debut for the film franchise. Since Fox spent only $22 million dollars on it, this won’t affect the studio much.
The Top 10 in the Box Office are:
1. The Dark Knight Rises – $36.4 mil
2. Total Recall – $26 mil
3. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days – $14.7 mil
4. Ice Age: Continental Drift – $8.4 mil
5. The Watch – $6.4 mil
6. Ted – $5.5 mil
7. Step Up Revolution – $5.3 mil
8. The Amazing Spider-Man – $4.3 mil
9. Brave – $2.9 mil
10. Magic Mike – $1.4 mil
08.6.2012 | By Jack Rico |
After finishing the promo tour for “The Dark Knight Rises”, Christian Bale is headed to Mexico to make a movie. He’s teaming up with “In the Bedroom” writer/director Todd Field for an adaptation of Boston Teran’s novel The Creed of Violence. “Set against a backdrop of intrigue and corruption,” the story takes place in Mexico in 1910 and centers on a criminal named Rawbone.
The synopsis goes as follows:
Mexico, 1910. The landscape pulses with the force of the upcoming revolution, an atmosphere rich in opportunity for a criminal such as Rawbone. His fortune arrives across the haze of the Sierra Blanca in the form of a truck loaded with weapons.
But Rawbone’s plan spins against him, and he soon finds himself at the Mexican-American border and in the hands of the Bureau of Investigation. He is offered a chance for immunity, but only if he agrees to proceed with his scheme to deliver the truck and its goods to the Mexican oil fields while under the command of Agent John Lourdes. Rawbone sees no other option and agrees to the deal—but he fails to recognize the true identity of Agent Lourdes, a man from deep within his past.
Set against a backdrop of intrigue and corruption, The Creed of Violence is a saga about the scars of abandonment, the greed of war, and America’s history of foreign intervention for the sake of oil.
The producers have offered Bale $5 million for the movie, but Bale’s asking for $10 million and he deserves it, but this means it’s far from a done deal.
The plan is to start production early next year in the American southwest and parts of Mexico. Universal Pictures will distribute.
