The Latest in Latino Entertainment News

‘The Expendables’ is #1 for a second week

08.23.2010 | By SBC Staff |

Sylvester Stallone and “The Expendables” managed to somehow beat Julia Roberts again at her own box office game. Looks like she’s lost her touch a bit.

The action film, directed by and starring Sylvester Stallone, also beat out in its second straight week the debuts of “Vampires Suck,” “Pirahna 3D,” “Lottery Ticket,” and “Nanny McPhee Returns”.

“The Expendables” has a cast that includes Jet Li, Steve Austin, and Jason Statham, with cameos by Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Here are the top five box office films:

#1 “The Expendables” ($16.5 million)
#2 “Vampires Suck” ($12.2 million)
#3 “Eat Pray Love” ($12 million)
#4 “Lottery Ticket” ($11.1 million)
#5 “The Other Guys” ($10.1 million)

Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman in The Switch

The Switch movie scene from Miramax official trailer

2010/08/20 at 12:00am

The Switch (Movie Review)

08.20.2010 | By Jack Rico |

‘The Switch’ could have been very good but ends up being just okay. Jennifer Aniston has more of a supporting role here while Jason Bateman is clearly the star of the film. The chemistry between them is non existent and the story, although intriguing, fails to compel because of an over-extension of plot. This is a clichéd trick screenwriters use to fill gaps of time in the middle of a movie to build ‘momentum’ for the final scenes. Case in point, writer Allan Loeb over-extends the inevitable confrontation scenes between Bateman and Aniston so much that when it arrives, you’re annoyed and ultimately uninterested.

The premise is a good one though… A single 40-year-old woman (Aniston) turns to artificial insemination in order to become pregnant. Seven years later, she reunites with her best friend (Bateman), who has been living with a secret: he replaced her preferred donor’s sperm sample with his own.

At its best, The Switch is reminiscent of About a Boy starring Hugh Grant but it never goes deep enough to illicit a tear. If something could be praised about the film is the acting by the supporting cast. Jeff Goldblum who plays Bateman’s cynical and wise cracking friend still can deliver a funny line. I don’t know why he’s not working more frequently but he is a delight on screen. And we can’t forget young actor Thomas Robinson who plays Bateman’s 6 year old son Sebastian. The kid has the goods and delivers some true acting as a melancholic pessimist who thinks he has hypochondria.

The Switch generates some occasional cheap laughs, but it doesn’t come together. It feels generic. There are two directors on the film, Josh Gordon and Will Speck, and if two people couldn’t get this right, then its probably not worth the theatrical viewing. This film might play better on a Saturday night at home on DVD.

Nanny McPhee Returns movie scene from Universal Pictures official trailer

2010/08/19 at 12:00am

Nanny McPhee Returns (Movie Review)

08.19.2010 | By Jack Rico |

In today’s Hollywood spectrum it seems that the best family films are animated. There are some live action fare that reached critical praise such as Percy Jackson and the Olympians and The Karate Kid, but none can be compared to what I believe to be the best family film of 2010 so far – ‘Nanny McPhee Returns’ starring Emma Thompson.

In this sequel, Nanny McPhee (Emma Thompson) arrives once again to help a harried young mother, Mrs. Green (Maggie Gyllenhaal), with running the family farm while her husband is away at war. With Mrs. Green’s children waging a personal war with their two spoiled rich cousins, Nanny McPhee comes to the rescue using her magical cane to teach the kids five important new lessons.

It might not seem that difficult to the novice eye, but blending in comedy, action, drama and special effects to create a family film with an affecting message is tougher than one might think. The original film, though sweet and endearing, was much more targeted to seven year olds while dismissing adults. Not so in this follow up where director Susanna White and screenwriter Emma Thompson delve death into the parameters of the story with panache and care.

It cannot go unsaid how remarkable the cast is, in particular the child actors Eros Vlahos and Rosie Taylor-Ritson who play the spoiled, rich cousins from London. Their acting skill is leagues apart from the rest of the young cast, which you could argue, might be a detriment to the picture. Nevertheless, it is rare to see actors this young being this good. It is a rare treat to see and enjoy. Maggie Gyllenhaal on her part, who is a true blue American, makes us forget she is from the States with an uncanny authentic British accent. It is perhaps better than Gwyneth Paltrow’s. Ewan McGregor is barely seen in the film but his scene is perhaps the most moving.

‘Nanny McPhee Returns’ is a delightful experience, but different than the original film, I believe adults will be able to indulge a bit more in the story. Leave no bones about it, kids are going to like this charming sequel.

Wesley Snipes wearing suit looking sideways in dark movie scene

By Mack Chico

2010/08/19 at 12:00am

Wesley Snipes goes Cuban in ‘Havana Heat’

08.19.2010 | By Mack Chico |

In what seems to be a straight to DVD movie, former action star Wesley Snipes will star in ‘Havana Heat‘ about a Homeland Security agent who is murdered while undercover in Havana, and the investigation which follows that death.

The film will also star former hearthrob Joey Lawrence, who looks like he’s jacked as all hell.

Havana Heat will start shooting November with a cast that includes Michael Dudikoff, mixed martial artist Heath Herring, Puerto Rican actress Zulay Henao (Fighting), Lorena Rincon, Puerto Rican actor Raul Julia Jr. and Nicolas Brown (Kites).

The film will be out sometime 2011.

Three actors wearing vampire makeup and costumes pose dramatically indoors

2010/08/18 at 12:00am

Vampires Suck (Movie Review)

08.18.2010 | By Jack Rico |

*Updated April 2026

Vampires Suck directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer plain ol’ sucks. Now don’t get me wrong, I like spoof movies, but ones that are full of hilarity such as The Naked Gun, Hot Shots and the Scary Movie series to name a few. The level of creativity to get this film off the ground is elementary, nothing seems to be out of the box thinking and 10 year old girls must have been consulted. Read More

2010/08/17 at 12:00am

‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ has a new star!

08.17.2010 | By Jack Rico |

Actress Rooney Mara has been officially casted to play Lisbeth Salander, the lead in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the first of three Sony Pictures films based on the late Swedish writer Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy book series.

If you are unfamiliar with the young thesp, join the club. We did some research and found out she is a New Yorker who belongs to the Mara family, owners of the New York Giants football team. She has been in a few movies, nothing worth boasting about – Dare, The Winning Season and Tanner Hall in 2009. In 2010, she appeared in Youth in Revolt and starred in A Nightmare on Elm Street, a remake of the 1984 horror film. I saw ‘Revolt’ and the ‘Nightmare’ and barely remember her.

This book to film franchise is the hottest thing in Hollywood right now. David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Social Network) is set to direct and Daniel Craig and Robin Wright are set to star along with Mara.

Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman, Ellen Page, Harry Potter’s Emma Watson and Alice in Wonderland’s Mia Wasikowska were rumored for the role, I imagined they auditioned for the part too, but Mara must’ve blown the lids off the producers to get this highly sought after gig.

Mara’s contract also includes an option to cast her in two further films, The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.

For those of you who have not yet seen the original Swedish film version, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, is a gripping, thrilling yet sexually disturbing piece of work that will discompose more than a few viewers. Ultimately, its more than 2 hour duration is a satisfying product worth your time and investment.

Mr. Fincher reportedly plans to start shooting The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo in Sweden next month, though one assumes the Scandinavian country will be doubling for a part of North America. He will also be in charge for the two sequels, while Craig has also signed on for three films. The first movie is due to hit cinemas on December 21, 2011.

Larsson died in 2004, and his books were only published posthumously. Like his character, Blomkvist, he was the editor of a left-leaning magazine with a talent for documenting and exposing Swedish extreme right and racist organisations. His novels have sold more than 27m copies around the world, and he recently became the first writer to have sold one million e-books on Amazon.com.

Here is Rooney Mara in a clip of her most recent film, the remake of ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street. Do you think she can pull off playing the tough and complex hacker played so well by her Swedish counterpart Noomi Rapace? Check out the clip and let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone at Expendables event

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, and Sylvester Stallone together at The Expendables box office event.

By Mack Chico

2010/08/16 at 12:00am

‘The Expendables’ are #1 at the box office

08.16.2010 | By Mack Chico |

Sylvester Stallone’s ‘The Expendables‘ topped the weekend box-office with an estimated 35 million dollars.

On the other hand, Julia Roberts’ second-place Eat Pray Love (23.7 million dollars) scored the actress’ best debut in nearly 10 years.

At the third place was ‘The Other Guys’, with 18 million dollars at the ticket window, reports E!Online.

Rounding off at the fourth and fifth place was Leonardo DiCapril’s ‘Inception’ and ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. the World’ with 11.4 million dollars and 10.5 million dollars respectively.

#1 “The Expendables” ($35 million)
#2 “Eat Pray Love” ($23.7 million)
#3 “The Other Guys” ($18 million)
#4 “Inception” ($11.4 million)
#5 “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” ($10.5 million)

Manny Perez shirtless close-up with intense gaze in La Soga

Manny Perez in ‘La Soga’

By Ted Faraone

2010/08/13 at 12:00am