The Avengers
05.4.2012 | By Jack Rico |
05.4.2012 | By Jack Rico |
Movie fans! What would you do or give up to be an actor in one of the biggest blockbusters of all time – The Avengers? A better question to ask would be, how sickly talented do you have to be to even make it past the casting auditions!? Mexican-American actor Walter Perez can pat himself on the back with Thor’s Hammer with a grin on his face from here to Asgard because he achieved just that!
Perez is one of the up and coming rising stars in the highly competitive Hollywood business. It’s even more competitive when you are a Latino actor, because of the dearth of roles out there for Hispanics. But Perez, as is becoming the norm, managed to impress the casting crew and director Joss Whedon himself for a spot in the most anticipated film in Marvel history. Read More
05.3.2012 | By Karen Posada |
‘The Avengers’ hasn’t even opened in theaters in the United States and it has already made about $260 million worldwide which covers its cost, which was $220 million, this alone describes the craze and buzz this movie has created. It’s hard to deny even not being a part of phenomenon, that this is a great action packed movie. We all like: Superheroes, special effects, alien attack, fights, space ships, saving the world, comedy. The special effects are fantastic, from Iron Man’s suit to The Hulk and the evil aliens. There are many weak points in the storyline, but if you’ve been wanting to go watch this movie more than anything is because of the action it has, I doubt many people want to watch it for its dialogue or depth. One thing this superhero movie does best is shine a light on all the beloved characters, although some or a bit more important than others it is all about team work.
In this comic book brought to life the espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D. calls in the superheroes after an energy source of unknown potency, tesseract, opens a portal through outer space and the Norse god Loki (Tom Hiddleston) crosses over and steals it, hypnotizing some of the scientist that had been working with the energy source, Clint Barton or Hawkeye (Jeremy Reener) and Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård). At this point Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) has no choice but to go against the government’s wishes and reactivate the Avengers Initiative. So, while the superheroes are gathered we get to see a bit of what each one of them has been up to, with a little background explanation on who each one of them is. We first see Russian spy Natasha Romanoff better known as Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), she is sent to India to get Bruce Banner aka The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) because he might be the only one that can track the tessarct. Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) goes to collect the multimillionaire scientist Tony Stark or Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.). Steve Rogers aka Captain America (Chris Evans) is asked to join since the energy source was found in the ocean after his freak accident that made him a superhero. Finally the demigod Thor (Chris Hemsworth) crashes the scene as he’s trying to get his brother Loki to change his mind and leave planet earth alone. All these different personalities, which the government views as freaks, must come together to save the world before alien forces take over the planet.
The movie is 143 minutes long and at times it does start dragging, when the superheroes can’t get along because of their egos, but fortunately the culminating action scenes saves anything that was wrong with the film. Personality wise Iron Man is the most likeable character, because of his calm, funny, and sarcastic views on life and the other characters. It is always awesome seeing a girl kick ass and Johansson does a great job keeping up with these superheroes when she’s basically the only human. There’s an unnecessary and uncharacteristic point where she’s portrayed as being weak, but minutes later she’s ready to kill huge robot like monster aliens. For some reason Captain America becomes the leader, perhaps because of his military background and although many seem to dislike his goodie two shoes personality, however, he’s able to carry out an organized team effort. Thor is just the odd extraterrestrial being, that knows this evil forces good enough and cares for planet earth to be able to give the superheroes and advantage. There’s no denying though that The Hulk is probably everyone’s favorite superhero, it could be because he’s not a thinker but a doer and although he’s hard to control somehow the beast realizes what his place is and when to SMASH.
There’s a fierce competition of popularity between Iron Man and The Hulk, they both steal the show and are even more superheroey than most when the situation calls for it. I have to admit that at times there is too much going on at once and some characters seem to be forgotten, while others are sitting around or being chased unnecessarily, but it all comes together so masterfully, ironically enough when disaster breaks out. The 3D effects are not glorious, so save your pennies and watch it on the regular screen; also, make sure to sit around after the movie is over as there are two extra scenes at the end. The Avengers is an unstoppable force that will continue to succeed, there being talks of another Hulk, Iron Man and Avengers 2 movies.
05.1.2012 | By Karen Posada |
There’s not much to expect from ‘New Year’s Eve’, unfortunately this movie with so many well known actors doesn’t have much to give; not even entertainment value. I can’t help but compare it with Garry Marshall’s ‘Valentine’s Day’, the director used the exact same recipe here: tie in about 7 stories and try to use some humor along with drama on the biggest holiday of the year. It’s tough to get the audience to care about a character with so many things going on and so many stories to follow, you don’t get much of a background on the characters and just when you are starting to get into one of the stories it changes to the next one. The biggest star in the movie is of course New York City, a place where the holidays; New Year’s Eve in particular is like no other.
The film is an analogy to new beginnings, looking back in the past and pushing the rewind button to not make the same mistakes and to accomplish the resolutions we procrastinated on. The only story that has a little substance is that of Ingrid (Michelle Pfeiffer) a woman who has followed the same routine for years and worked endlessly without being appreciated until one day she decides to change it all and we have a little fun with her exploring NYC. We basically follow around the whole cast as they prepare for midnight, some are anxious about their midnight kiss, others are anti-holiday, others are nostalgic about the year that has passed and others are too busy working to care about the holiday. The love stories are predictable and boring, there are some minor twists but not exiting enough to improve the movie.
The audience was surprised with some guest appearances, but we already had enough of a cast for me to find it necessary. The Hispanics in the movie Ava (Sofia Vergara) and Kominsky (Hector Elizondo) have small supporting roles, Vergara plays the exact same character she does in her hit show ‘Modern Family’ with awkward anecdotes and childish behavior, who knows if they’ll ever cast her as something besides a stereotype. Elizondo is always a Marshall aka the help, so no surprise there.
A 2 hour-long movie of running around is exhaustingly boring, the movie has a nice (not original) concept but it’s not enough. I’m not sure how I feel seeing Academy Award winners such as Halle Berry and Hilary Swank in such petty roles that seem to be for amateurs. The only thing this movie inspired in me is a curiosity to actually be crazy enough to see the ball drop live in Times Square and I enjoyed recognizing the different sights in NYC, such as Smith Street in Brooklyn towards the end of the film.
05.1.2012 | By Karen Posada |
‘The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’ is charming, I would say even funny at points, but despite of the star-studded cast the story is too feeble to be worth your money at the movies. This film brings together English actors that are considered royalty to many because of their extensive CVs and talent; this alone will make many people want to check out this dramedy. But once more the formula of putting too many stories together in one movie is exhausting and unsatisfying.
In this film 7 British retirees are lured to spend their retirement in exotic India, in what once was a beautiful palace, now a place in ruins for the elderly. They are enticed by the owner of the hotel Sonny Kapoor (Dev Patel) who is the most positive person on earth no matter the circumstances. Evelyn Greenslade (Judi Dench) a recent widow begins to learn how life works, since her husband was the decision maker of the household. Graham Dashwood (Tom Wilkinson) tired of his job, goes into early retirement to relive past memories of his life in India. Douglas & Jean Ainslie (Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton) venture into a cheaper life, where they hope to find peace in their marriage. Muriel Donnelly (Maggie Smith) is a sour woman that has no choice but to go on this trip for health reasons. Norman Cousins (Ronald Pickup) is a helpless romantic, who despite his age is still looking for love. Finally, Madge Hardcastle (Celia Imrie) realizes time is catching up with her and although she’s had various divorces this might be her last chance at finding true love.
There’s no denying that this film is full of warm, heartfelt moments but notwithstanding its length there are many holes in the story and the predictability of it leaves very little mystery behind it. Like most movies that use this formula of trying to tie seven stories into one, it fails because the public can’t connect with any of the characters. Of course these actors are still top notch, their stories are interesting and India is a perfect exotic place because of the noise and the color, but the film tries to embark on too many subjects which makes it hard for it to fulfill even one.
They say, as we get older we go backwards and live over our teenage years and childhood; so at some point in this film these grandparents begin acting like teenagers, which becomes a bit irritating more than it is funny. We get some clichés along the way, that: it’s never too late to start over, a person who risks nothing has nothing, and we all have a fear of making the same mistakes again. The movie hopes to be inspiring and it might touch people that have had to start over at a later age in their lives, but although there are obstacles here it fantasies it all too much and it becomes a Disney movie where the characters are too old and most of their problems have extremely easy solutions. However, if you still feel like catching these actors that have made cinematic history, I suggest doing it from the comfort of your home.
05.1.2012 | By Jack Rico |
Could one of the greatest franchises in cinema history, The Godfather, get a new sequel with Andy Garcia? I spoke to the Cuban actor about the status of ‘The Godfather Part 4‘, how he did not speak to Luis Guzman about the project, and how he would only do it if Francis Ford Coppola would direct it. Read More
05.1.2012 | By Karen Posada |
The Tony Awards are celebrating 66 years and are only 40 days away, the ceremony will be held in New York’s Beacon Theater hosted by Neil Patrik Harris. The Antoinette Perry “Tony” Awards are presented every year to professionals in the theater community for their great performances. Today Kristin Chenoweth and Jim Parsons announced all the nominations for the 26 competitive categories. The 2011/2012 eligibility season began April 29, 2011 and ended April 20, 2012. 851 members of the theatrical community voted on all of the 26 competitive categories.
This year ‘Once’ the musical got the most nominations, with 11 under its’ belt.The Lifetime Achievement in Theater Award will be presented to producer Emanuel “Manny” Azenberg. Also, the Tony Awards Administration Committee will bestow two Special Tony Awards this year to Actors’ Equity Association and Hugh Jackman.
Nominations for the 2012 American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards®
Presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing
Best Play
Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris
Other Desert Cities by Jon Robin Baitz
Peter and the Starcatcher by Rick Elice
Venus in Fur by David Ives
Best Musical
Leap of Faith
Newsies
Nice Work If You Can Get It
Once
Best Revival of a Play
Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
Gore Vidal’s The Best Man
Master Class
Wit
Best Revival of a Musical
Evita
Follies
The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess
Jesus Christ Superstar
Best Book of a Musical
Lysistrata Jones by Douglas Carter Beane
Newsies by Harvey Fierstein
Nice Work If You Can Get It by Joe DiPietro
Once by Enda Walsh
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Bonnie & Clyde Music: Frank Wildhorn
Lyrics: Don Black
Newsies Music: Alan Menken
Lyrics: Jack Feldman
One Man, Two Guvnors Music & Lyrics: Grant Olding
Peter and Starcatcher Music: Wayne Barker
Lyrics: Rick Elice
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
James Corden One Man, Two Guvnors
Philip Seymour Hoffman Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
James Earl Jones Gore Vidal’s The Best Man
Frank Langella, Man and Boy
John Lithgow The Columnist
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Nina Arianda Venus in Fur
Tracie Bennett End of the Rainbow
Stockard Channing Other Desert Cities
Linda Lavin The Lyons
Cynthia Nixon Wit
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Danny Burstein Follies
Jeremy Jordan Newsies
Steve Kazee Once
Norm Lewis The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess
Ron Raines Follies
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Jan Maxwell Follies
Audra McDonald, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess
Cristin Milioti, Once
Kelli O’Hara Nice Work If You Can Get It
Laura Osnes Bonnie & Clyde
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Christian Borle Peter and the Starcatcher
Michael Cumpsty End of the Rainbow
Tom Edden, One Man Two Guvnors
Andrew Garfield Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
Jeremy Shamos Clybourne Park
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Linda Emond, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
Spencer Kayden Don’t Dress for Dinner
Celia Keenan-Bolger Peter and the Starcatcher
Judith Light, Other Desert Cities
Condola Rashad Stick Fly
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Phillip Boykin The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess
Michael Cerveris Evita
David Alan Grier The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess
Michael McGrath Nice Work If You Can Get It
Josh Young Jesus Christ Superstar
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Elizabeth A. Davis Once
Jayne Houdyshell Follies
Judy Kaye Nice Work If You Can Get It
Jessie Mueller On A Clear Day You Can See Forever
Da’Vine Joy Randolph Ghost the Musical
Best Scenic Design of a Play
John Lee Beatty Other Desert Cities
Daniel Ostling Clybourne Park
Mark Thompson One Man, Two Guvnors
Donyale Werle Peter and the Starcatcher
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Bob Crowley Once
Rob Howell and Jon Driscoll Ghost the Musical
Tobin Ost and Sven Ortel Newsies
George Tsypin Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark
Best Costume Design of a Play
William Ivey Long Don’t Dress for Dinner
Paul Tazewell A Streetcar Named Desire
Mark Thompson One Man, Two Guvnors
Paloma Young Peter and the Starcatcher
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Gregg Barnes Follies
ESosa The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess
Eiko Ishioka Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark
Martin Pakledinaz Nice Work If You Can Get It
Best Choreography
Rob Ashford Evita
Christopher Gattelli Newsies
Steven Hoggett Once
Kathleen Marshall Nice Work If You Can Get It
Best Direction of a Play
Nicholas Hytner One Man, Two Guvnors
Pam MacKinnon Clybourne Park
Mike Nichols Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
Roger Rees and Alex Timbers Peter and the Starcatcher
Best Direction of a Musical
Jeff Calhoun Newsies
Kathleen Marshall Nice Work If You Can Get It
Diane Paulus The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess
John Tiffany Once
Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
Emanuel Azenberg
Regional Theatre Award
The Shakespeare Theatre Company, Washington, D.C.
Isabelle Stevenson Award
Bernadette Peters
Special Tony Award
Actors’ Equity Association
Hugh Jackman
Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre
Freddie Gershon
Artie Siccardi
TDF Open Doors
Tony Nominations by Production
Once – 11
The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess – 10
Nice Work If You Can Get It – 10
Peter and the Starcatcher – 9
Follies – 8
Newsies – 8
Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman – 7
One Man, Two Guvnors – 7
Other Desert Cities – 5
Clybourne Park – 4
End of the Rainbow – 3
Evita – 3
Ghost the Musical – 3
Bonnie & Clyde – 2
Don’t Dress for Dinner – 2
Gore Vidal’s The Best Man – 2
Jesus Christ Superstar – 2
Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark – 2
Venus in Fur – 2
Wit – 2
The Columnist – 1
Leap of Faith – 1
The Lyons – 1
Lysistrata Jones – 1
Man and Boy – 1
Master Class – 1
On A Clear Day You Can See Forever – 1
The Road to Mecca – 1
Stick Fly – 1
A Streetcar Named Desire – 1
05.1.2012 | By Jack Rico |
This week from Miami, on the Enrique Santos Morning Show, Jack Rico reviews the new DVD/Bluray releases: the action film HAYWIRE, Madonna’s new movie W.E., and the end of year romantic comedy NEW YEAR’S EVE.
You can hear our DVD review segment in Miami on the ‘Enrique Santos Morning Show‘ every Tuesday 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/
04.30.2012 | By Jack Rico |
The article was taken from a Spanish language article we wrote back on May 4th, 2012.
Mientras nos acercamos más a la gran fecha de 4 de mayo, día en que se estrena THE AVENGERS, una de las películas más esperadas en la historia del cine, recibimos una reseña del filme de un anonimo/a ansioso por hablar de que pensó del largometraje.
Desconocemos si es una “ella” o “él”. De todos modos, lo que importa aquí es la opinión, una que se ve muy sincera. Vale la pena mencionar, que ShowBizCafe.com no apoya los comentarios siguientes y solo es puesto como nota editorial. Gracias a la anomima o anonimo que nos entregó la nota:
“Tuve la oportunidad de ver la película “The Avengers” antes de que saliera en cartelera y no la desaproveché. Después de todo, se trata de “una de las películas más esperadas de este año” y aunque no soy un gran fanático de todos los superhéroes, hay algunos que me llaman la atención. Quería ver con qué iba a salir Hollywood esta vez.
Una vez sentado comienza la película. Con todas las ansias y esperando que me sorprendiera, ocurre lo impensable: me quedé dormido en los primeros 5 minutos.
No se si fue que todo empezó muy rápido o, por el contrario, muy despacio que me desconecté de la película. De pronto fue que vi varios superhéroes que no conocía y que son los que se roban gran parte del comienzo. Menos mal fueron unos pocos minutos en los que mis ojos se mantuvieron cerrados.
Una vez que recobré mis cinco sentidos empezaron a aparecer un par de superhéroes que ya conocía y hasta me sorprendí al ver a uno que sigo desde mi niñez.
Ahora si empieza la acción, que está muy buena pero que para mi concepto a veces se torna un poco ruidosa. Tanto que me saca de estar disfrutando la película a pensar que “está como un poco duro el volumen” entre explosión y explosión.
Me gustó mucho la idea de que sea en 3D porque definitivamente hay una diferencia abismal con las pantallas “regulares” que estamos acostumbrados a ver. Lástima que sea a través de unas gafas que personalmente después de unos minutos me comienzan a fastidiar y pienso en quitármelas para descansar así como me quito mis lentes de sol cada vez que me molestan durante el día y me encuentro con que no se puede ver bien la pantalla sin ellas. Miro a mi alrededor y veo a todo el público con unos lentes súper anticuados, como viendo a muchos Woody Allens observando una película. Me parece que ahí falló la tecnología.
Volviendo a la película, por supuesto Hollywood sale triunfador como estamos acostumbrados. Una vez nuestros superhéroes se ven derrotados y casi ya sin fuerzas, salen a relucir aquellas cancioncillas a las que muy bien acostumbrados estamos y que nos recuerdan que ahí no termina todo y que al fin y al cabo ellos son superhéroes y los buenos siempre ganan.
Me entretuve viendo la película excepto por aquellos minuticos en que mis ojos estuvieron ausentes. Tiene mucha acción aunque muy predecible y se la aconsejaría a aquellas personas que de una forma u otra les gusta lo relacionado con superhéroes. De otra manera creo que sólo despertarán cuando escuchen las explosiones.”
04.30.2012 | By Karen Posada |
‘Think Like a Man’ once more took over the first place with $18 million dollars. Obviously the public agrees that this hilarious romantic comedy should continue headlining the box office.
‘The Pirates! Band of Misfits’ a perfect movie for the whole family follows it, with $11.4 million dollars. Hugh Grant’s first animated film along with other actors like Salma Hayek, has earned this spot because of the intricate details that form this wonderful story.
The romantic movie ‘The Lucky One’ fell to third place with $11.3 million dollars. Leaving ‘The Hunger Games’ in fourth place, which indicates that possibly it will loose a place in the top 10 rapidly.
The Top 10 Movies in the Box Office are:
1. Think Like a Man – $18 mil
2. The Pirates! Band of Misfits – $11.4 mil
3. The Lucky One – $11.3 mil
4. The Hunger Games – $11.3 mil
5. The Five Year Engagement – $11.2 mil
6. Safe – $7.7 mil
7. The Raven – $7.3 mil
8. Chimpanzee – $5.5 mil
9. The Three Stooges – $5.4 mil
10. The Cabin in the Woods – $4.5 mil
