The Latest in Latino Entertainment News

2010/07/21 at 12:00am

New THOR photo hits online

07.21.2010 | By Mack Chico |

Marvel has picked Comic-Con 2010 to unveil their new film THOR to a multitude of comic and film fans. The newspaper USA Today obtained a brand new picture of Thor star Chris Hemsworth trying to pick up the god-like hammer. This pic represents what the whole movie is about.

Just in case you’re unfamiliar with the Thor story, he is fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Journey into Mystery #83 (August 1962) and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby.

Kenneth Branagh, the same guy who starred in Woody Allen’s ‘Celebrity’, is the director. I particularly don’t have high hopes for the film, but you never know with the Marvel guys, they can surprise you.

Here’s the pic below and a Thor Marvel cover as well… this guy is jacked!

‘Entre Nos’

By Karen Posada

2010/07/20 at 12:00am

Movie Reviews Movies

Entre Nos (Movie Review)

07.20.2010 | By Karen Posada |

*Updated November 2025

Verdict: If the moving story in Entre Nos had been more developed and the ending had not been rushed, it would be worth watching. When the filmmaker Paola Mendoza told us that the movie was made in only 18 days, this explained why it was so short and felt so rushed. The emotional connection is very strong, and with more development it could have gone farther and it would be a better film that I could recommend.
Read More

By Jack Rico

2010/07/20 at 12:00am

Movies

The Losers

07.20.2010 | By Jack Rico |

Rating: 3.0

Rated: PG-13 for sequences of intense action and violence, a scene of sensuality and language.
Release Date: 2010-04-23
Starring: Peter Berg, James Vanderbilt
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://www.the-losers.com/

Go to our film page

An action film with some heart, family values and a Latino flair is the way I would describe WB’s new film ‘The Losers’. The genres, though, do not necessarily fit well together. It’s a fun movie, but somewhere along the way it goes through a bit of an identity crisis. Does it want to be an action film or a family film? The producers seem to think both.

Based on the 1970 comic book of the same name, The Losers is about 5 members of a CIA black ops team who are betrayed and left for dead. Their mission now is to find out who wanted them killed.

This revenge film means well. It has a cast of characters comprised of a diverse and simpatico bunch (Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Zoe Saldana, Chris Evans, Idris Elba, Columbus Short, Óscar Jaenada and Jason Patric) that draws you into them and their plights. What most vexed me was their jobs – they’re killers for the government who have hearts of gold? Not sure verisimilitude played a role there, or at least, I don’t think director Sylvain White pulled it off well. You hate to be gripped into a storyline to then detour somewhere opposite. It’s not good storytelling and it’s what happened here. In the end, The Losers is hit and miss and it has more hits than the latter. You can forgive some of its deficiencies for some laughs and charm and some old PG-13 action.

On a side note, just like Fast and Furious, this movie has a very big Latin American feel to it that begins with the opening credits in Bolivia and lasts throughout the ending. Most of the film was shot in Puerto Rico, which we hope they film there much more. Stay for the closing credits, there some funny sketches that belong to the storyline of the movie.

To follow Jack Rico’s film review check him out on Twitter at @jackricofficial

Daniel Radcliffe set to star in ‘The Woman in Black’

By Jack Rico

2010/07/19 at 12:00am

Movies

Daniel Radcliffe set to star in ‘The Woman in Black’

07.19.2010 | By Jack Rico |

Mr. Daniel Radcliffe, a.k.a Harry Potter, is leaving his wand at home in exchange for professional growth. He has just been chosen to star in a new movie called THE WOMAN IN BLACK about a young lawyer and some secrets involving a ghost. Read up on the press release sent to us this morning…

“Daniel Radcliffe will take the lead in The Woman in Black, Hammer Films and Alliance Films hotly anticipated adaptation of Susan Hill’s best-selling novel, it was announced today by Simon Oakes, and Nigel Sinclair of Exclusive and Hammer.

To be directed by James Watkins (Eden Lake) and written by Jane Goldman (Kick Ass, The Debt) The Woman in Black follows a young lawyer, Arthur Kipps (Radcliffe), who is ordered to travel to a remote corner of the UK and sort out a recently deceased client’s papers. As he works alone in an old and isolated house, Kipps begins to uncover its tragic secrets, and his unease grows when he discovers that the local village is held hostage by the ghost of a scorned woman set on vengeance. Production is expected to begin in the Fall of 2010.

Exclusive and Alliance Films will co-finance the film. Alliance Films will also distribute the film in the United Kingdom (Momentum), Spain (Aurum) and Canada (Alliance Films). Exclusive Films International, headed by Chairman Guy East and President of International Sales and Distribution Alex Walton, is handling worldwide sales.

Daniel Radcliffe is of course, best known for his portrayal of the bespectacled wizard Harry Potter, in the hugely successful series of feature films based on J. K. Rowling’s publishing phenomenon. He has starred in all eight films and collaborated with respected directors Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuaron, Mike Newell and David Yates. He also starred in Brian Kirk’s My Boy Jack (written by and also co-starring David Haig), playing the role of Rudyard Kipling’s tragic 17 year old son who went off to fight in the First World War. Most recently Radcliffe has proved him self an accomplished stage actor, receiving tremendous reviews and acclaim for his portrayal of Alan Strang in Peter Shaffer’s Equus in the West End and on Broadway. Radcliffe will return to Broadway next Spring to star in the musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.

“’When I met Dan, it was quite uncanny how closely our thoughts on the story mirrored each other: I can’t wait to get down to work with him to fashion a compelling character and a classy ghost story that tugs at the heart and chills to the bone,” says James Watkins.

Simon Oakes continues, “We’re thrilled to have Daniel on board, I can think of no better actor to play the role of Arthur Kipps. I’m confident that under the direction of James Watkins, he’ll take Jane Goldman’s script and deliver an utterly intense and compelling performance.”

Daniel Radcliffe said, “I am incredibly excited to be part of The Woman In Black. Jane Goldman’s script is beautifully written – both tender and terrifying in equal measure. It is thrilling to be working with James Watkins. From his brilliant work on Eden Lake and also having met him and heard his vision for the film, I know he will make a fantastic film.”

The Woman in Black is produced by Simon Oakes for Exclusive’s Hammer Films label and Richard Jackson at Talisman Films. Exclusive’s Nigel Sinclair and Guy East are serving as Executive Producers, along with Roy Lee for Vertigo Entertainment (The Ring). Jane Goldman (Kick-Ass) is adapting the screenplay, based on Susan Hill’s best-selling novel.

Susan Hill’s novel has become a modern classic, appearing on the national curriculum in the United Kingdom. The Woman in Black was also adapted into a stage play by Stephen Mallatratt, first performed at the Theatre-By-The-Sea in Scarborough, UK in 1987. It moved to the Fortune Theatre in London’s West End in 1989, where it still successfully runs today, over twenty years later, and has been performed the world over.

Exclusive is currently in post-production on three films: Matt Reeves’ Let Me In starring Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloe Moretz, Elias Koteas and Richard Jenkins (produced through its Hammer Films label, Overture Films will release the film in October 2010); Antti Jokinen’s The Resident starring Hilary Swank, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Lee Pace and Christopher Lee (produced through Hammer Films); and Peter Weir’s The Way Back starring Ed Harris, Jim Sturgess, Saoirse Ronan, Mark Strong and Colin Farrell. The company recently premiered Spitfire Pictures’ The Last Play at Shea, about Billy Joel and his last performance at Shea Stadium, at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival and is currently in production on the authorised history of Formula 1.”

Inception

By Jack Rico

2010/07/16 at 12:00am

Movie Reviews Movies

Inception (Movie Review)

07.16.2010 | By Jack Rico |

What is undoubtedly one of the top 3 films of the year, Inception is a visual and production achievement infused with entertaining CGI and action sequences all while engaging you intellectually… characteristics that I wish every movie would set out to do. The premise is not a simple one to follow and it demands more focused attention from you than 90% of the films out there, but the payoff will be one of the great cinematic experiences of 2010 and perhaps the past decade.

Inception, in dictionary terms, means the beginning of something. In Christopher Nolan’s new film it is defined as the implanting of an idea through the dreams of a subject. That is what Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) sets out to do for the very first time in this story. He is a skilled thief, the best in the dangerous art of extraction: stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb’s rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved. Now Cobb is being offered a chance at redemption. One last job could give him his life back but only if he can accomplish the impossible–inception. Instead of the perfect heist, Cobb and his team of specialists have to pull off the reverse; their task is not to steal an idea but to plant one.

You’d have to go back to the The Matrix movies to even remotely experience anything like ‘Inception’. Director Christopher Nolan has perfected the craft of the cavernously dark, cerebral, tension filled films which have now become his stylistic stamp. His films such as The Following, Memento, The Prestige, amongst others, all carry the singularities and traits that have build up to ‘Inception’.

The assembled cast (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe, Dileep Rao, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, Marion Cotillard, Pete Posthethwaite, Michael Caine), many from The Dark Knight project, is top notch. Dicaprio, the star of the film, is intense, affecting, and captivating. I do think though, his best performance was captured by Martin Scorsese in this year’s Shutter Island. In regards to the CGI, it functions as a compliment to the plotline instead of overwhelming it. Make sure you await with anticipation the hallway fight scene which seemed extremely hard to shoot and produce. That scene alone is worth the price of admission.

If you are looking for an action/adventure film that is layered with puzzles and mysteries, then you are going to love Inception, but remember, in order to fully enjoy it, your trip to the concession stand or the bathroom will have to wait. Don’t look at that text or that guy that’s gasping too loud in amazement. Just focus, just enjoy.

Exclusive! 6 questions with Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie in ‘Salt’

By Karen Posada

2010/07/15 at 12:00am

Interviews Movie Reviews Movies

Exclusive! 6 questions with Angelina Jolie

07.15.2010 | By Karen Posada |

ShowBizCafe.com obtained a very exclusive interview with the multiple award winner and humanitarian actress, Angelina Jolie about her upcoming action film Salt opening July 23rd nationwide. She cleared up some rumors and spoke of her motivation as well as her ideas of new projects.

ShowBizCafe: At this point in your career what validates your work? Is it what critics say? Or?…

Angelina Jolie: I never read what critics say, I think it’s healthy. (laughs) I like the process of making a film, when we’ve worked really hard in making a good film I feel satisfied. I like the team of other actors, and the crew, the director; I just love the family and if we feel we’ve done our best I feel happy. The best obviously is when an audience responds and enjoys the film and people tell you they’ve had a good time, or they’ve learned something, it’s the greatest.

SBC: Do you think the length of 90 minutes works and helps this film?

AJ: I don’t have the longest attention span, so I think it depends on the film. This one is kind of relentless from start to finish, that’s what we tried to do. I don’t think you can handle that for too long.

SBC: Since you did your own stunts, what were your days like? Were you exhausted?

AJ: It seems like so much but it was spread out and I was exhausted. But the kids would come and we would have lunch and I was home by the time the sun went down. There are much harder jobs (laughs).

SBC: Vanity Fair reported you saying that you’d give up acting at some point, is that true?

AJ: Not that I’d give up acting, I think I would just do less at some point. I have a few more stories that I’d like to tell but I can imagine that I’ll just do less and less as my kids grow up. I’d like to do other things before my life is over.

SBC: Cinematically what things do you feel you haven’t done?

AJ: Well there’s been talk about Cleopatra, I haven’t done a historical epic of that nature and she’s always been fascinating to me. I feel that as much as her story [has been done so many times] it’s never been done accurately. Not that any movie can get history perfectly right. There’s no universal truth to history in film but you can get closer and I feel that there’s a lot that hasn’t been explored about her. Theres a lot that would have to come together for that to work.

SBC: Finally, what was your reaction when you first heard about the alleged Russian spies that were recently arrested?

AJ: It was the day before we started press so at first I didn’t believe it. It was bizarre. It was two-fold. The part of me that’s interested in politics felt ‘ I hope this doesn’t affect our relationship with Russia and our relationship with moving forward and [with] Afghanistan and Iran. And all these things and I don’t know what this means.’ The other part of me, that does films thought ‘ what extraordinary timing’ and this is because all through the making of this film we would question: Is this possible? are we bringing back Cold-War propaganda that’s unnecessary? and [is this]something we should leave alone? With no intention on doing anything like that. It just felt true to the story and when I [Evelyn Salt] would have been young that would have been the war so it would make sense to do that sleeper. It was just bizarre when we read it and we have been following it, it’s extraordinary how it’s unfolding

By Jack Rico

2010/07/13 at 12:00am

Movies

Our Family Wedding

07.13.2010 | By Jack Rico |

Rating: 3.0

Rated: PG-13
Release Date: 2010-03-12
Starring: Wayne Conley, Malcolm Spellman
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://www.ourfamilyweddingmovie.com

Go to our film page

By Jack Rico

2010/07/13 at 12:00am

Movies

Greenberg

07.13.2010 | By Jack Rico |

Rating: 2.0

Rated: R for some strong sexuality, drug use, and language.
Release Date: 2010-03-26
Starring: Noah Baumbach, Jennifer Jason Leigh
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://www.filminfocus.com/focusfeatures/film/greenberg

Â Go to our film page

By Jack Rico

2010/07/12 at 12:00am

Movies

Gene Hackman’s Hollywood return!

07.12.2010 | By Jack Rico |

Whatever happened to Gene Hackman? If you have ever seen him in The Conversation, Unforgiven, The French Connection or even Superman, you’ll know he’s one of the best actors Hollywood has ever bestowed upon us.

So where did he go and why? The last movie he did on record was the real bad comedy Welcome to Mooseport with Ray Romano in 2004. Not the best way to leave your legacy, but sounds like he wants to make amends with himself and his fans.

So read on you “Hacks” (Hackman fans), our good friend Casper Martinez over at LatinoFilmChatter.com has the exclusive scoop on his comeback.

The Tony Awards moving to Washington Heights?

By Jack Rico

2010/07/09 at 12:00am

Movies

The Tony Awards moving to Washington Heights?

07.9.2010 | By Jack Rico |

‘In the Heights’ is no longer just a Broadway show, but a reference to where The Tony Awards will be next year. As a passionate fan and advocate of Broadway and the arts for the Hispanic community, I’m exhilirated and yes, shocked as well, to hear that The Tony Awards, Broadway’s most prestigious and distinguished award show, is leaving Radio City Music Hall and moving to Washington Heights for 2011. Wow! I’m still pinching myself!

According to Michael Reidel of the New York Post, who broke the story, this is absolutely true. If so, this an exciting time for the Broadway community and the Hispanic one. Why? Because both groups need each other especially now when diversity is a key issue for every business, including The Great White Way. I think next year they should do it at The Apollo and expose their great event to the African American residents of Harlem. Soon we might be seeing them change their nickname to The Great Melting Pot of Broadway, who knows.

Reidel’s report says that the Tony’s new home will be The United Palace on 175th street on Broadway (that’s Washington Heights). Even though the area is historically a Caucasian neighborhood, culturally today, it is home to the largest population of Dominicans outside of the Dominican Republic. Funny enough, or just coincidence, Reidel never mentions the obvious relevance of the matter.

Broadway in Latino territory. Even though the visuals of these two are strange, we do live in the Obama world and Broadway seems to be making an effort to reach out and make new friends. I’ll tell you this much, I am going to be one of the first ones on line to this historic event and I am also sure that hundreds of Latino spectators will also be paying to see The Tony’s because it is in their backyard. A win win situation. Viva Broadway! (There’s a slogan they should go with!)