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LOCKED Is Intense and Entertaining A talk with the Director

We caught up with the director of LOCKED David Yarovesky (Brightburn, Nightbooks), just before we screened the film with no spoilers. The film took nineteen days to shoot. Watch our quick interview. Synopsis: No escape. No …

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At a Screening of Dog Man the Movie

It was an enjoyable screening with two of the grandsons. The five year old said it was happy and sad at the same time. And he loved it! The twelve year old who has read …

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Unstoppable Streaming on Prime Video

Unstoppable is the inspiring true story of Anthony Robles (Jharrel Jerome) who was born with one leg but whose indomitable spirit and unbreakable resolve empowered him to defy the odds and pursue his dreams. With the …

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Sonic the Hedgehog 3 The Speed to the BoxOffice

“Sonic 3 will beat out Mufasa, for sure!” — JimmityCritic (12) Sonic the Hedgehog 3, what a fun evening with the grandkids it was. When you have a 12, 10 and 5 year-old clap their hands at the end …

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Mufasa: The Lion King the Prequel

Mufasa: The Lion King was entertaining and the production value was amazing to watch. Set in Africa, all-new film blends live-action filmmaking techniques with photoreal computer-generated imagery.  My 12 year-old grandson thought it was one …

LOCKED Is Intense and Entertaining A talk with the DirectorAt a Screening of Dog Man the MovieUnstoppable Streaming on Prime VideoSonic the Hedgehog 3 The Speed to the BoxOfficeMufasa: The Lion King the Prequel

Tuesday, March 4

Thirteen shows worth watching tonight. Check out the full post! PLUS: Sunny Hostin, guest host on The View (check for time) and Lea Michele on Tonight Show: Jimmy Fallon, 11:35P on NBC.

Congratulations to Cuarón and “Gravity”

Alfonso Cuarón
Photo: Eric Ray Davidson

I actually tuned in to the 86th Academy Awards broadcast and enjoyed it. It was a good show with a few really good acceptance speeches

Emmanuel Lubezki
Photo: Angela María Ortíz S.

The evening was a big win for Gravity,  with a total of seven awards for its director Alfonso Cuarón and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubeski, both natives of Mexico with a long list of U.S. projects.

Lupita Nyong’o

Cuarón became the first Mexican-born director to win this title and Lubeski after six nominations, won his first.

The husband and wife team of Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (Filipino-American) won for original song for “Let It Go” from Frozen. He also became a member of the prestigious “EGOT” (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Awards) club. And their acceptance speech was a fun one.

And we had to mention our sentimental favorite, the MexiKenyan (she calls herself) Lupita Nyong’o for best supporting actress in 12 Years a Slave.

Monday, March 3

A solid night for comedy, action, and drama. Check out the full post! PLUS: Cameron Diaz on Chelsea Lately!, 11P on E!

Nine New Shows in a Single Night

Antonio Jaramillo

Last week was amazing; this week is good, too: here’s the rundown of TV shows with Latinos in the mix on a busy Monday night:

  • The Voice with Shakira continues its first rounds at 8P on NBC
  • Michael Irby in the finale of Almost Human, 8P on Fox
  • Constance Marie is center stage on Switched at Birth at 8P on ABC Family

    Carlos Gómez Castle

  • Nestor Carbonell is the creepiest sheriff since Desperation on the return of Bates Motel, 9P on A&E
  • Valerie Cruz is chasing and/or following The Following, 9P on Fox
  • Cierra Ramirez, Jake T. Austin and David Lambert on The Fosters at 9P
  • Marlene Forte, Julie Gonzalo, Jordana Brewster, Kuno Becker, Juan Pablo Di Pace, Antonio Jaramillo and more on Dallas at 9P on TNT
  • Carlos Gómez joins Jon Huertas on Castle tonight, 10P on ABC
  • Tyler Posey is the Teen Wolf himself at 10P on MTV

Génesis Rodríguez Joins Paul Walker in One of His Last Films, “Hours,” Available on DVD March 4

Genesis Rodriguez

Génesis Rodríguez; star is ascending, from Man on a Ledge to The Last Stand to Identity Thief…and now she’s starring a moving and exciting story about a couple trying to survive Katrina when everything goes wrong.

Generally well-received by critics, and featuring what many consider one of the late Paul Walker’s strongest performances, Hours never got the theatrical release it clearly deserved. Instead, this tense and involving action/drama about a couple with a critically ill newborn trying to escape Katrina is quietly going direct to DVD, March 4.

One reviewer said the film “somehow transfers the bomb-on-a-buss concept of Speed to an infant-on-an-incubator ride of suspense and heartbreaking stakes.” Another said “The chemistry Walker shares with Rodriguez is terrific as the two played off each other perfectly,” and another calls it a “lean, palpably tense thriller” where Walker gives “the best performance of his career.”

Paul Walker and Genesis Rodriguez in Hours

Despite its relatively anonymity, it certainly hasn’t slowed Rodriguez’ ascent. She already set to appear in Kevin Smith’s controversial new project Tusk, and she’s completed work on Jaume Collett-Serra’s thriller with Liam Neeson and Joel Kinnaman, Run All Night, scheduled for release early next year. And she’s already in pre-production on another thriller, Home, with Topher Grace.

If you’d like to see some of her earlier, impressive work, you can catch her in Man on a Ledge on Monday March 3 at 9P on TMC, or in one of her many episodes of Entourage in a rebroadcast on Comedy Central, 1:30A on Tuesday, March 4.

Rest in Peace, Paul Walker.

Sunday, March 2

The Oscars rule the night on the nets; no one else is wasting original programming. Not a Latino nominee to be seen (except Alfonso Cuarón for multiples and ) in the writing, directing, or acting categories, and cinematography for Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubeski, but there are sure to be plenty of beautiful Latino men and women attending, no matter what. And cable marches on: Christian Serratos is on a new Walking Dead at 9P on AMC. Over on HBO, Randal Gonzalez continues as detective Gonzalez, on True Detective, 9P. Also on HBO, a new episode of Looking with Frankie J. Alvarez and Raul Castillo at 10:30P.

Photos: Raul Castillo and Christian Serratos

Already Some Good Action for Latinos in TV Pilots

It’s too early to make any final judgments, but it’s good to see some Latinos already lined up for next fall’s possibilities.

Johnny Ortiz

Richard Cabral

Richard Cabral, Johnny Ortiz, and Elvis Nolasco (most recently in the Oldboy remake) are part of John Ridley’s American Crime for ABC. The project centers, they tell us, on “the home invasion and murder of a young war veteran and his beauty queen wife in Modesto, CA.” Cabral will play Hector Tonz, a hustler and occasional drug dealer who is implicated in the murder and attack of the young couple; Ortiz will play Tony Gutierrez, Alonzo’s son who is eager for independence and sick of his dad’s rules. How great to see both of them playing complex and ‘real’ Latinos.

Elvis Nolasco

Kevin Alejandro

Kevin Alejandro moves from being the bad guy on Arrow to another superpowerful project: Clementine, where he is either casing or being chased by folks with supernatural powers.

Natalie Martinez is currently slated to be in the second season of Under the Dome, but that may change–or she may check out early, so to speak–if Secrets and Lies is picked up. The new show is based on an upcoming Australian series about a patriarch (Ryan Phillippe) who becomes the prime suspect in the murder of a young boy when he finds the body.

Morena Baccarin

Natalie Martinez

Morena Baccarin may have been kicked to the curb by Homeland (and who the heck knows why?) but, as usual, she wasn’t unemployed for long. She’s slated to be a centerpiece in Warriors, a medical drama based in a fictional version of Walter Reed.

Zabryna Guevara is part of the growing ensemble in Gotham the CW’s Bat-version of Smallville, tracing the teen-and early-twenty development of key Batman characters like Bruce Wayne, Jim Gordon, the Penguin, the Riddler, and more.

Carlos Valdes

Rosa Salazar

And meanwhile Carlos Valdes is joining the cast of The Flash, the superhero spin-off out of Arrow.

Rosa Salazar will be part of The Pro, a new soap set in and around a tennis and golf club starring Rob Lowe (for this he left Parks and Recreation?).

Rita Moreno

And the best news of all: Rita Moreno is slated to be part of Amy Poehler’s new project Old Soul, starring Natasha Lyonne (Orange is the New Black) as a young woman who is “trying to find herself while working as the aide to a group of elderly people.”

And there are a zillion more in the works, where casts have not been announced or completed.

Saturday, March 1

It’s not a perfect film, but TNT is showing Cowboys and Aliens which stars, Ana de la Reguera, Julio Cedillo, Raoul Trujillo, Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, and Olivia Wilde at 7P. Or catch up on repeats of Modern Family on the USA Network starting at 8P.

“HairBrained” A Comedy in Theaters

Robin de Jesús

Not much in film releases with Latinos in prominent roles this week. But we found Robin de Jesús (Gun Hill Road) as Romeo in HairBrained. He’s done lots of stage work and even got a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his role of Sonny in the 2008 Broadway musical In the Heights. I think we’ll be seeing more of him in the future. Brendan Fraser and Alex Wolfi are the stars of the film.

Friday, February 28

Begin with Rosie Perez guest-hosting on The View, daytime on ABC. Then enjoy Hector Elizondo on Last Man Standing, 8P on ABC, Angelique Cabral on Enlisted at 9:30 on Fox, and/or Marisa Ramirez on Blue Bloods at 10P on CBS. Over on NBC, Raúl Esparza is on a new episode of Hannibal also at 10P. Then finish the night with Cameron Diaz on Jimmy Fallon’s all-new Tonight Show, 11:35P on NBC.

Photos: Rosie Perez and Hector Elizondo

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