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A Western Story with Some Complex Hearts

We liked this western. The story and the complexity of the main characters kept you captivated. The Dead Don’t Hurt is a powerful and profoundly personal cinematic western written and directed by Viggo Mortensen. In theaters nationwide May …

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Unsung Hero Based on A Remarkable True Story

Coming to theaters on April 26. Tickets available now. Unsung Hero is a deeply moving story about an immigrant family that arrived in the USA in the 1970s, braving the unknown to pursue a better future. …

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Upcoming Documentaries Worth Watching

A Thousand Pines, the documentary is directed and produced by Sebastián Díaz and Noam Osband, follows a season of Oaxacan tree planters traveling the United States and explores the hidden world of guest workers regrowing …

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FURIOSA is On Her Way!

Ready for some action? Check out the trailer with Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth in Academy Award-winning mastermind George Miller’s Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, the much-anticipated return to the iconic dystopian world he created more than …

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Shirley Fearless. Fierce. First.

Being old enough to remember when Shirley Chisholm ran for president and the feeling it left you with was, boy, she had guts! Her slogan was “Unbought and Unbossed.” —A.O. Regina King stars as Shirley …

A Western Story with Some Complex HeartsUnsung Hero Based on A Remarkable True StoryUpcoming Documentaries Worth WatchingFURIOSA is On Her Way!Shirley Fearless. Fierce. First.

Las Pildoras De Mi Novio (My Boyfriends Meds)

Jaime Camil and Sandra Echeverría talk about their roles and director Diego Kaplan’s throwing out words for Camil’s character, who has some Tourette syndrome. Which is a balancing act when you are dealing with bipolar, schizophrenic and manic disorders.

©2020 Angela María Ortíz S.

Camil & Echeverria

You can watch a short video in Spanish below and you can click on the audio box to listen in.

Synopsis: Hank (Camil) is a charming store owner who takes an endless assortment of prescription drugs for his multiple personality disorder. He’s delightfully surprised when his new girlfriend Jess (Echeverría) invites him to an island resort for a business retreat—then horrified to learn that he forgot to bring his medication upon arrival. Now unable to control his symptoms, Hank soon finds his relationship in jeopardy as he suddenly transforms into a wild and obnoxious loudmouth.

Starring Brian Baumgartner, Ana Belena, Daniel Tovar, Kevin Holt, James Maslow, Juan Soler, Monica Huarte, Brooke Shields, and Jason Alexander.

Las Pildoras De Mi Novio in theaters February 21. — A.O.

Gentefied Will Settle How to Pronounce Latinx

A couple of weeks ago I screened all ten episodes of Netflix’ upcoming series, Gentefied. I enjoyed every episode for what it was and hope others will too. There’s so much that’s relatable with the characters in the show. They are likable for many different reasons. My fave is the Afro-Latinx activist, Yessika (Julissa Calderon).

For me, it’s personal. I live in Northeast Los Angeles. Through my teenage and college years, I spent A LOT of time in Boyle Heights. Mind you, Northeast Los Angeles is a very large area with many wonderful communities within it, and I’ve seen a lot of changes. Gentrification is real; sometimes it’s good…and sometimes it isn’t. That’s why I think this series hits a nerve within me.

L-r: Joaquín Cosío, Joseph Julian Soria and Carlos Santos

Gentefied is ambitious, in a good way. It tries to show different facets of the Latino/Latinx community in one area of the city, because we all know we aren’t all the same, just as Starz’ VIDA (Tanya Saracho) has been doing in their two seasons (with a third on its way in April).

Gentefied was created by two Chicano first-gen writers, Marvin Lemus and Linda Yvette Chávez, who are credited as executive producers alongside Monica Macer, Aaliyah Williams, America Ferrera, and others. America Ferrera even directed a couple of the episodes. The half-hour dramedy premiered on February 21 on Netflix. It stars Joaquín Cosío as Pop, Karrie Martin as Ana Morales, Joseph Julian Soria as Erik, Carlos Santos as Chris, Annie Gonzalez as Lidia Solis, Felipe Esparza as Crazy Dave, Rafael Sigler as Pancho Solis, Jaime Alvarez as Javier Fernandez, Bianca Melgar as Nayeli Morales, and Michelle Ortiz as Connie.

I had a chance to talk with some of Gentefied’s stars just a few days before its premiere on Netflix. They gave us some real insight into what the series is about, and what a joy it’s been to be part of it.

Joseph Julian Soria, known as JJ, plays Erik. Erik is all about family, even though things don’t seem to always go his way. I asked JJ how much of Eric’s love of family and ambition is like his own. “I understood Eric’s love for family quite well,” he told me. “I myself am very close to my family.  Read the rest of this entry »

I’m Not in It for the Gold—John Thornton of The Call of the Wild

We got to screen The Call of the Wild a couple of weeks ago. We didn’t know what to expect with all the CGI involved in the film. I can now say, the story is so compelling that you forget you are watching a live-action/animation hybrid. The Call of the Wild employs visual effects and animation technology to bring the animals in the film to life and its so much fun to watch.

Cara Gee in white.

A group of us got a chance to talk with Cara Gee (Françoise), Harrison Ford (John Thornton), and director Chris Sanders. We called it a mini conference, but it was worth it. Ms Gee is nine-months pregnant, and due any time now. Mr. Ford will be working on another Indiana Jones, Indy 5 this coming summer. And director Sanders told us about how his wife found the dog that Buck was design from. Now Buckley “Buck” lives with them and is a big part of the family. To listen in on the conversations just click on the audio boxes.

Harrison Ford

Synopsis: Twentieth Century Studios’ The Call of the Wild, adapted from the novel by Jack London, vividly brings to the screen the story of Buck, a big-hearted dog whose blissful domestic life is turned upside down when he is suddenly uprooted from his California home and transplanted to the exotic wilds of the Canadian Yukon during the Gold Rush of the 1890s. As the newest rookie on a mail delivery dog sled team–and later its leader–Buck experiences the adventure of a lifetime, ultimately finding his true place in the world and becoming his own master.

Director Chris Sanders

The Call of the Wild is directed by Chris Sanders and stars Harrison Ford, Omar Sy, Cara Gee, Dan Stevens, Karen Gillan, Bradley Whitford, Michael Horse, Jean Louisa Kelly, Colin Woodell, Adam Fergus, and Abraham Benrubi.

Cara Gee

Harrison Ford

Chris Sanders

The Call of the Wild opens in U.S. theaters on February 21. If you love DOGS this is a movie for you! — A.O.

Photos: ©2020 Angela María Ortíz S.

Ana Maria Trousseau A Chameleon on Stage

Ana María Trousseau

Annie Trousseau made her big screen debut this past fall in director Roland Emmerich’s WWII epic Midway. Even though it was a small part, you got a taste of her singing talent. Below is some interesting information we learned about Annie.

Annie Trousseau is more than a band—it’s an experience fronted by Colombian-born recording artist, Ana Maria Lombo. She grew up singing in the streets and cafes with her father on guitar and her two sisters at her side. Her skills were forged while traveling around Colombia, Mexico and the United States. She has toured the world, recorded with many Grammy winning producers and songwriters including Humberto Gatica, Greg Kurstin, and David Foster and is a seasoned live performer, enjoying long term residencies at top Jazz venues, including Herb Alpert’s Vibrato Grill and Jazz, in Bel Air, and the famed Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, where she has consistently sold out show after show.

“I want to offer an experience that is as intimate and authentic as possible. One that has to be felt in the moment. That is why I prefer live performance as well as live recordings.” — Annie Trousseau

We had an opportunity to catch-up with Miss Trousseau. She told us about her experience working on the film, her love of different music genre’s and vinyl. She even acknowledged that she had a new record coming out, that you can find on Spotify.

She also mentioned, to watch through the credits of the Midway film and you’ll see her full performance set. Midway is available in Digital now, in 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack (Blu-ray and Digital), Blu-ray Combo Pack (DVD and Digital), DVD and on Demand February 18.

Ana María Trousseau

Midway centers on the Battle of Midway, a clash between the American fleet and the Imperial Japanese Navy which marked a pivotal turning point in the Pacific Theater during WWII. The film, based on the real-life events of this heroic feat, tells the story of the leaders and soldiers who used their instincts, fortitude, and bravery to overcome the odds.

Now you can listen in on the q&a that our colleague Chely Acosta conducted for us. Just click on the audio box. — A.O.

Sonic The Hedgehog and Fantasy Island in Theaters Now!

A few weeks back we got to sit in with the cast and crew of Sonic The Hedgehog and what a fun time we had. Even though the questions were asked by youngsters or their parents.

L-r: producer Toby Ascher, director Jeff Fowler, Jim Carrey, James Marsden and Ben Schwartz.

There was lots of laughter just like in the film with producer Toby Ascher, director Jeff Fowler, Jim Carrey, James Marsden and Ben Schwartz. You can listen to the question and answers by clicking on the audio box.

Sonic The Hedgehog is FUN! FUN! FUN! for the whole family. We really enjoyed it. Can’t wait to watch it again.

Sonic Press

Based on the global blockbuster videogame franchise from Sega, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG tells the story of the world’s speediest hedgehog as he embraces his new home on Earth. A live-action adventure comedy.

Cast and kids

Also starring Tika Sumpter, Natasha Rothwell, Neal McDonough, and Adam Pally.

Sonic The Hedgehog is in theaters February 14. Photos: ©2020 Angela María Ortíz S.

We also caught up with the director of the reimagined, Fantasy Island, Jeff Wadlow. We talked about him being an infant when the television series premiered and that the film wasn’t the Fantasy Island of my youth. You can listen to our back and forth by clicking on the audio box.

Writer/director Jeff Wadlow and Angela Ortíz

In Blumhouse’s Fantasy Island, the enigmatic Mr. Roarke (Peña) makes the secret dreams of his lucky guests come true at a luxurious but remote tropical resort. But when the fantasies turn into nightmares, the guests have to solve the island’s mystery in order to escape with their lives.

Jeff Wadlow

Fantasy Island stars Michael Peña, Maggie Q, Lucy Hale, Austin Stowell, Jimmy O. Yang, Portia Doubleday, Ryan Hansen, and Michael Rooker.

Fantasy Island is in theaters February 14.

Michael Peña as Mr. Roarke

The Call of the Wild Adventure Companions Featurette

Check out this featurette with Harrison Ford and a few of the cast of The Call of the Wild.

Adapted from the beloved literary classic, The Call of the Wild vividly brings to the screen the story of Buck, a big-hearted dog whose blissful domestic life is turned upside down when he is suddenly uprooted from his California home and transplanted to the exotic wilds of the Yukon during the Gold Rush of the 1890s. As the newest rookie on a mail delivery dog sled team–and later its leader–Buck experiences the adventure of a lifetime, ultimately finding his true place in the world and becoming his own master.

Cast: Dan Stevens, Omar Sy, Karen Gillan, Bradley Whitford, and Colin Woodell. Directed by Chris Sanders.
The Call of the Wild in theaters February 21.

The Invisible Man Official Trailer

The plot: What you can’t see can hurt you. Emmy winner Elisabeth Moss (Us, Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale) stars in a terrifying modern tale of obsession inspired by Universal’s classic monster character, The Invisible Man.

Trapped in a violent, controlling relationship with a wealthy and brilliant scientist, Cecilia Kass (Moss) escapes in the dead of night and disappears into hiding, aided by her sister (Harriet Dyer), their childhood friend (Aldis Hodge) and his teenage daughter (Storm Reid).

But when Cecilia’s abusive ex (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) commits suicide and leaves her a generous portion of his vast fortune, Cecilia suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of eerie coincidences turns lethal, threatening the lives of those she loves, Cecilia’s sanity begins to unravel as she desperately tries to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.

The Invisible Man opens nationwide on Friday, February 28.

Blu-ray/DVD Review: Snatchers: A Fun, Funny, Almost Good Horror/Comedy

**Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided us with a free copy of the Blu-ray. We reviewed in this blog. The opinions we share are ours.

Horror/comedy is a hard thing to pull off, but Snatchers takes a pretty good crack at it with a funny, fast goofy and gross take on teen pregnancy and monster-mayhem. You could do way worse.

When it comes to horror/comedies, many have tried and many have failed; after decades of earnest attempts, you can still count the number of really fun and funny ones on the fingers of one hand beginning with Gremlins and Shaun of the Dead and ending, maybe, with What We Do in the Shadows. Snatchers (not to be confused with Grabbers, which is actually pretty good, too) may not be one of the top five, but it does a pretty good job at mixing monsters, high school, and really bad sex into a dizzying deep dish of blood-and-guts.

Mary Nepi, with huge eyes and flawless deadpan delivery, and Gabrielle Elyse, who raises truth-telling and horn rims to high art, are the two teens who steal the show, almost in spite of the crazy-ass plot. We begin with Sara (Nepi), eager to gain social acceptance and lose her virginity, as she ditches her bestie Haley (Elyse) and loses her virginity to her boyfriend, an absolute moron who just got back from a vacation in deepest, darkest  Mexico with a monkey on his back. Or in his scrotum. Their first time seems a little…odd?…especially when she wakes up the next morning already hugely pregnant, and gives birth before the end of the day to a thing–not a baby–that looks like a bug made out of skin and teeth and just loves to kill things. People, mostly. After that, things get really weird.

You’ll see shades of The Faculty and bits of Shaun here, as well as a grimmer Gremlins in the creature design. You’ll also see lots of chases and hand-to-hand battles that are pretty well done, especially considering the budget, along with lots of blood, and some very sharp dialogue. Mary Nepi may have the biggest eyes in all of Hollywood, and Elyse the best hair, and both girls navigate some tough scenes, see-sawing from absurdity to actual emotion with a confidence that far exceeds their experience. It’s hard to believe this flawed little gem began as a web series; about a quarter of this film re-purposes footage from the web and smoothly integrated into full-on feature film. Read the rest of this entry »

My Only Concern is Greatness! Timmy Failure

Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made is a fun family film. It’s heart-warming, funny, and sentimental. It reminds us of how important using our imagination is. Even though Timmy’s is way over the top. It’s a film perfect for the 4-year-old who’s starting to develop their imaginative thoughts and the adults who need a reminder of how it used to be, an imaginative kid.

Wallace Shawn and Angela Ortíz
Photo: Kyle Bornheimer

We had the great pleasure of sitting down with three of the adults in the film, actors Wallace Shawn (Mr. Crocus), Ophelia Lovibond (Patty Failure) and Kyle Bornheimer (Crispin), who reminisced about some of their favorite schoolteachers and working together on this new Disney flick.

Timmy Failure – Adults

Timmy Failure – Kids

We also got the kids! The four young actors we spoke to sounded like old souls and I could see why they were perfect in their roles. Kei (Rollo Tookus), Winslow Fegley (Timmy Failure), Chloe Coleman (Molly Moskin), and Ai-Chan Carrier (Corrina Corrina) loved their experience working on this project and are hoping strongly that they will be more Timmy Failure movies made from the other books.

You can listen in on the conversation by clicking on the audio boxes. They also jokingly told us to be nice to Wallace Shaun, because it was his first roundtable.

L-r Wallace Shawn, Ophelia Lovibond and Kyle Bornheimer.

L-r Kei, Winslow Fegley, Chloe Coleman and Ai-Chan Carrier.

Disney’s Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made, is an original movie based on the best-selling book of the same name, debuts today, streaming only on Disney+. The film, follows the hilarious exploits of the quirky, deadpan hero, Timmy Failure, who, along with his 1,500-pound polar bear partner Total, operates Total Failure Inc., a Portland detective agency.

Directed by Tom McCarthy, who won an Oscar® for his Spotlight screenplay, Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made is written by McCarthy and Stephan Pastis based on the book by Pastis. The film also stars Craig Robinson. — A.O.

Photos: ©2020 Angela María Ortíz S.

A Onward Featurette

Check out this behind look on the making of this new family adventure.

The plot: Set in a suburban fantasy world, Disney and Pixar’s Onward introduces two teenage elf brothers (voices of Chris Pratt and Tom Holland) who embark on an extraordinary quest to discover if there is still a little magic left out there. A new trailer and poster are now available, and new character posters were recently revealed, introducing cast members Mel Rodriguez, who voices Officer Colt Bronco; Lena Waithe, who lends her voice to Officer Specter; and Ali Wong, the voice of Officer Gore.

The other wonderful voice actors are Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the boys fearless mom Laurel, and Octavia Spencer aka The Manticore. Directed by Dan Scanlon and produced by Kori Rae.

Onward is inspired by director Scanlon’s personal experiences with his brother. Disney and Pixar’s Onward comes to theaters March 6.

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