Category Archive: Headlines

A Sacred Journey Documentary

“Sometimes love is the only answer” 
 — Ernesto Quintero

Ernesto Quintero

About the film: When one brother is diagnosed with a shattering illness, another brother is forced to face his demons as the family struggles to pick up the pieces and stay together in this powerful portrait of love and what it means to truly care for each other.​

The Quintero Family

A young Quintero family

Director/Producer Ernesto Quintero strongly believes in projects of social relevance and utilizes his skill in video and film to advocate positive change. Quintero has been documenting A Sacred Journey, a story of his brother’s fight with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) since his diagnosis in 2005. In 2013, he decided to edit this heartfelt journey locking picture in May 2019 and winning Best Film at DOCUTAH International Film Festival 2019. In addition to pointing the camera on his brother, Quintero most recently traveled the world working with Jennifer Lopez (JLo) on Dance Again a documentary featuring JLo on her first ever world tour. As second unit director, Quintero got to see the world through his lens, traveling to 40 countries in 4 months. On this same tour Ernesto, directed JLo’s ten dancers and came back to produce six episodes of A Step Away, a docu-series for NUVO TV.

Juan and Ernesto Quintero

On a personal note, I’ve watched Ernie and his family’s passion of taking care and being there for his brother Juan, over the years. It’s tough being a caregiver but once you commit to being one, life as you know it stops to exist. Then a strength you never knew you had takes over.

This is National Family Caregivers Month and there will be a Los Angeles screening of A Sacred Journey on November 23.

For more on the film, click here and on the filmmaker, Ernesto Quintero, click here. — A.O.

Disney Pixar film SOUL Trailer Out in 2020

Next summer, Joe Gardner will discover his brilliant, passionate self. Watch the new trailer for Disney and Pixar’s Soul now.

In the film, just when Joe thinks his dream might be in reach, a single unexpected step sends him to a fantastical place where he’s is forced to think again about what it truly means to have soul. That’s where he meets and ultimately teams up with 22, a soul who doesn’t think life on Earth is all it’s cracked up to be. Jamie Foxx lends his voice to Joe, while Tina Fey voices 22. 

The film also features the voices of Phylicia Rashad, Ahmir Questlove Thompson, and Daveed Diggs.

Melina Matsoukas, Lena Waithe on Queen & Slim

A new featurette in support of the highly-anticipated film, Queen & Slim, has been released. The featurette includes an in-depth conversation about the film between the visionary filmmaker, Melina Matsoukas, and the Emmy-winning writer, Lena Waithe. Queen & Slim arrives in theaters November 27th.

Synopsis: While on a forgettable first date together in Ohio, a black man (Get Out’s Daniel Kaluuya) and a black woman (Jodie Turner-Smith, in her first starring feature-film role), are pulled over for a minor traffic infraction. The situation escalates, with sudden and tragic results, when the man kills the police officer in self-defense. Terrified and in fear for their lives, the man, a retail employee, and the woman, a criminal defense lawyer, are forced to go on the run. But the incident is captured on video and goes viral, and the couple unwittingly become a symbol of trauma, terror, grief and pain for people across the country. 

As they drive, these two unlikely fugitives will discover themselves and each other in the most dire and desperate of circumstances and will forge a deep and powerful love that will reveal their shared humanity and shape the rest of their lives. 

Joining a legacy of films such Set It Off and Thelma & Louise, Queen & Slim is a powerful, consciousness-raising love story that confronts the staggering human toll of racism and the life-shattering price of violence.

From two-time Grammy award winning director Melina Matsoukas, the visionary filmmaker behind this generation’s most powerful pop-culture experiences, including HBO’s Insecure, the Emmy award-winning Thanksgiving episode of Netflix’s Master of None, and Beyonce’s Formation, and from trailblazing, Emmy-winning writer Lena Waithe (Netflix’s Master of None), comes the unflinching new drama, Queen & Slim. The feature-film directorial debut from Matsoukas.

Cast: Bokeem Woodbine, Chloë Sevigny, Flea, John Sturgill Simpson, and Indya Moore.

FX Mayans M.C. Season 2: Behind the Cut: Antonio Jaramillo

Antonio Jamarillo
Mayans M.C. “Riz”

We’ve had some wonderful interviews with the talented actor, Antonio Jaramillo. Now FX Mayans M.C. has shared a behind the scene video featuring Jaramillo. The video is very insightful into Antonio Jaramillo himself and on the universal truths that inform his character, Riz. It’s an outsider looking for connection in the club.

Now watch the video below. Mayans M.C. Tuesdays at 10P ET/PT on FX.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Final Trailer

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Anthony Daniels, Naomi Ackie, Domhnall Gleeson, Richard E. Grant, Lupita Nyong’o, Keri Russell, Joonas Suotamo, Kelly Marie Tran, Ian McDiarmid, Billy Dee Williams, Lucasfilm, director J.J. AbramsLucasfilm and director J.J. Abrams join forces once again to take viewers on an epic journey to a galaxy far, far away with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the riveting conclusion of the seminal Skywalker saga, where new legends will be born and the final battle for freedom is yet to come.

The film stars Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Anthony Daniels, Naomi Ackie, Domhnall Gleeson, Richard E. Grant, Lupita Nyong’o, Keri Russell, Joonas Suotamo, Kelly Marie Tran, Ian McDiarmid, and Billy Dee Williams.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker releases in U.S. theaters on December 20.

Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting of Hill House, Season One: Only the best

Mike Flanagan, The Haunting of Hill House, Season One, Shirley Jackson, Henry Thomas, Tim Hutton, Carla Gugino, Elizabeth Reaser, Michiel Huisman, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Kate Siegel, Victoria Pedretti, Brad MunsonPeople who love horror movies and thrillers are often looking for one thing more than any other: to feel something–whether it’s scared, excited, or simply grossed out. And it’s rare that a movie–or even more rarely, a TV series–can make a viewer feel as many things, as deeply and persistently, as Mike Flanagan’s re-imaging of The Haunting of Hill House.

The story began as a novel by Shirley Jackson back in 1959. It was adapted to film in 1963 and again in 1999–both versions fairly faithful to the original work. Flanagan’s Netflix series, however, is very different–a re-interpretation of the themes of Jackson’s novel, using ghosts and haunting as powerful symbols of memory and loss that weaves a whole new story. But for all its deviation from Jackson’s original plot, is a beautifully made, beautifully acted, disturbing and very moving work.

Don’t look for any plot or character similarities to the original novel or the two movies. This is a whole new story, about an apparently (at first) happy family moving into a decaying mansion called Hill House, determined to undertake a major renovation and re-selling–a “flip” on a major scale. But the ghosts they find inhabiting the hallways and the very walls of Hill House now seep into the new residents as well, young and old, challenging and changing them all and leading to the death of one parents. The rest of the family escapes–barely–but the fear and pain and suffering from their ordeal lingers for years, affecting the children as they become adults themselves, until they are finally forced, ready or not, to return to Hill House and confront what happened to them there, and what they have become since. Read the rest of this entry »

Little Shop of Horrors at the Pasadena Playhouse: A Special Visit from an Old Friend

Little Shop of Horrors, George Salazar, Mj Rodriguez, Amber Riley, Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, Roger CormanLittle Shop of Horrors–the odd Roger Corman movie about the extraterrestrial man-eating plant that invades Skid Row–is about to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary (it premiered in the summer of 1960). The musical version created by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman was a surprising Off-Off-Off Broadway hit more than 35 years ago, and then immortalized in 1986 by Frank Oz. The performances in that film, notably Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, and Steve Martin–with the impossibly perfect voice of Levi Stubbs as the alien plant, Audrey 2–still echo in the mind of any lover of musical theater, but you don’t see it revived very often. For good reason: it is a tough show to pull off. It takes creativity, brains, and not a little courage.

The nearly legendary Pasadena Playhouse didn’t let any of that stop them. They’ve mounted a five-week run of a brand new imagining of Little Shop, this time with a cast that’s so smart, professional, and racially and culturally diverse it’s almost dizzying. And everything about it works. Read the rest of this entry »

The Casagrandes Premiering on Nick October 14!

Say “¡hola!” to The Casagrandes! From the world of The Loud House comes a brand new series starring Ronnie Anne. In this casa, familia is strong, amigas are fierce, and every adventure is grande!

We attended a special screening and panel for The Casagrandes. A reception with food and games for the whole family was enjoyed by all.

The Casagrandes, Izabella Alvarez, Carlos Alazraqui, Miguel Puga, Lalo Alcaraz, Michael Rubiner, animation, Angela Ortiz

The Casagrandes, Izabella Alvarez, Carlos Alazraqui, Miguel Puga, Lalo Alcaraz, Michael Rubiner, animation, Angela Ortiz

L-r: Lalo Alcaraz, Michael Rubiner, Miguel Puga, moderator, Carlos Alazraqui and Izabella Alvarez

Then I caught up with some of the talent of The Casagrandes, Izabella Alvarez the voice of Ronnie Anne Santiago, Carlos Alazraqui the voice of Carlos ‘tío’ Casagrande and Miguel Puga supervising director/creator. We talked about the influences for the show and their voice work. How a show like this is very important. I find that sometimes animation can be a great tool to expand real stories in a fun over the top way.

Afterwords we sat through a panel that included Lalo Alcaraz (Cultural consultant) and Michael Rubiner (Producer).

Check out this official trailer and be sure to stick around for an exclusive sneak peek at the end! Catch the premiere episode on Monday, October 14 at 1:30pm before moving to its regular time-slot on Saturdays at 11:30am, beginning on October 19 on Nick!

Will Smith Gemini Man! Action! Action! Action!

Gemini Man 3D, Gemini Man, Will Smith, Clive Owen, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Benedict Wong, E.J. Bonilla, Guy Williams, Bill Westenhofer, Jerry Bruckheimer, Ang Lee, Scott Mantz

Gemini Man is an innovative action-thriller with Will Smith and Clive Owen as adversaries. Smith as Henry Brogan, an elite assassin, who is suddenly targeted and pursued by a mysterious young operative that seemingly can predict his every move.

Gemini Man 3D, Gemini Man, Will Smith, Clive Owen, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Benedict Wong, E.J. Bonilla, Guy Williams, Bill Westenhofer, Jerry Bruckheimer, Ang Lee, Scott Mantz

Clive Owen

Gemini Man 3D, Gemini Man, Will Smith, Clive Owen, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Benedict Wong, E.J. Bonilla, Guy Williams, Bill Westenhofer, Jerry Bruckheimer, Ang Lee, Scott Mantz

Ang Lee

Most of the talk at the Global Press Conference was about new film technologies that Gemini Man took advantage off. And how this is the first film with a 100% digital HUMAN. Gamers will enjoy some of the fast pace movements in some of the scenes. Gemini Man 3D in theaters October 11.

Gemini Man Press

Attending the conference along with Smith and Owen were Weta VFX supervisor Guy Williams, VFX supervisor Bill Westenhofer, renown producer Jerry

Bruckheimer, Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Ang Lee, and moderator Scott Mantz.

The film also stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Benedict Wong, and E.J. Bonilla.

Now listen on the press conference conversation. Just click on the audio box. Photos: ©2019 Angela María Ortíz S.

Doom Patrol: Totally Insane and Well Worth the Trip

Doom Patrol, Diane Guerrero, April Bowlby, Brendan Fraser, Joivan Wade, Matt Bomer, Alan Tudyk, Timothy Dalton, Riley Shanahan, Justin James Boykin, Matthew Zuk, Arnold Drake , Bob Haney, Bruno Premiani, Grant Morrison, DC Universe, superheroes, comics

**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.

Let’s face it, there are way too many TV series about comic book superheroes. A few of them have been great fun; a couple of them even addictive. Most of them have been forgettable at best. (Is Cloak and Dagger even still on? Anybody?) But nothing is quite as bizarre and wonderful, in or out of the comic book ‘space,’ as the DC Universe’s Doom Patrol.

The Doom Patrol in comics form dates all the way back to 1963; it was a B- (maybe C?) level super-team created by Arnold Drake and Bob Haney (and artist Bruno Premiani) for DC Comics. They had the distinction of being one of the first set of heroes to be well and truly killed off in 1968, then brought back to life repeatedly, and ultimately transformed in 1989 by the rule-breaking comics writer Grant Morrison. And that’s when things got really weird. The hallucinatory, abstract, basically insane comic Morrison crafted with a variety of is still considered a classic, run, more than twenty-five years later…and it’s that warped vision of the DC Universe, superheroes, and comics in general that was the basis for the ongoing DC Universe TV series.

Doom Patrol, Diane Guerrero, April Bowlby, Brendan Fraser, Joivan Wade, Matt Bomer, Alan Tudyk, Timothy Dalton, Riley Shanahan, Justin James Boykin, Matthew Zuk, Arnold Drake , Bob Haney, Bruno Premiani, Grant Morrison, DC Universe, superheroes, comicsIt’s insane, and it’s great. The production values are very high; the writers understand (as much as any sane person can) the stories and messages of Grant Morrison, and the actors playing the main “heroes,” and we use that term very loosely here, are excellent. Brendan Fraser, who supplies the voice of Cliff Steele (Robot Man), is foul-mouthed and hilarious, and when he is forced to make an actual appearance in the flesh presents a wonderful image of the dissipated heart-throb of decades past. April Bowlby, who plays the uncontrollably gloopy Rita Farr–known in the comics as Elasti-Girl–is both arrogant and charming. Matt Bomer, who supplies the voice and occasionally the face of Negative Man, the irradiated ex-astronaut who is inhabited by a mysterious creature made of “negative energy,” is wrapped in bandages like a Space Age mummy most of the time, but here, too–excellent voice work and in-the-flesh performances when called upon. And British actor and YouTubers Joivan Wade, as the tortured Cyborg, a high school kid who’s unexpectedly turned into half-machine, half-human by his manipulative father, provides a nice combination of classic heroism and rage that you have to admire. Read the rest of this entry »

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