Are You Ready for Frozen 2 !

On Saturday morning, November 9th, we covered the Disney Frozen 2 press junket. There was plenty of laughter in the room because the talent present were so much fun to listen to. (Click on Audio) 

Top: Bobby Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez
Bottom: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee and Peter Del Vecho

Top: Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad, Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell.

The press conference included the talented duo of Bobby Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez (Music and Lyrics), Evan Rachel Wood (Queen Iduna), Jonathan Groff (Kristoff), Josh Gad (Olaf), Idina Menzel (Elsa), Kristen Bell (Anna), Chris Buck (Director), Jennifer Lee (chief creative officer, director, and writer), and Peter Del Vecho (producer). Each one, shared their stories of how they came to be part of the beloved Frozen and now Frozen 2.

Frozen 2

Our view of Frozen 2: If you haven’t seen the first Frozen, you can still follow along once Olaf gives you a fast-track story review. Since this was Frozen, I personally wasn’t expecting anything more than an enjoyable family film—which it was. There was lots of laughter, cuteness, and definitely some inside jokes for the adults (spoiler alert in audio).

Generally, Frozen 2 wasn’t as dark as it could have been and I came away with a new heroine: Anna.

Frozen 2 in theaters November 22.  Photos: ©2019 Angela María Ortíz S.

Doctor Sleep: Beautiful, Chilling, Scary, Remarkable in Many Ways

What an Impossible Mission to take on: adapting Stephen King’s sequel to The Shining, the mixed-reception Doctor Sleep, as a major movie that somehow straddles the considerable space–critical and stylistic–between King’s original novel (and horrible TV miniseries) and the legendary Stanley Kubrick anti-adaptation of the book. Sure, writer/director Mike Flanagan may be amazing–look at anything he’s done, from Gerald’s Game to Oculus to the truly amazing Haunting of Hill House–but come on. That’s crazy.

And yet…he pulls it off. Doctor Sleep is beautifully made, incredibly well-acted, suspenseful and fast-moving for something as complex and involving (and often meta) as it is, and yet it is still somehow respectful to both the original source and the much-loved Kubrick version Ewan McGregor. gives us his usual nuanced and effective performance (it’s hard not to take this guy for granted), and relative unknown Rebecca Ferguson as Rose the Hat is hypnotic and charismatic and hard not to watch every damn second (can’t wait to see her as Lady Jessica in her next big movie: Dune). And young  Kyliegh Curran, who plays Abra Stone, who actually Shines brighter than Danny Torrance, is equally impressive.

It’s rare that high expectations are actually fulfilled, but this time only the most hidebound or nit-picky are going to get hung up on the differences between book and film or the (understandable) questions that get left unanswered. As a work of storytelling and adaptation both, this is an awesome achievement from one of the best filmmakers working today–not just in horror and suspense, but in American film in general. (Yeah, come at me, Midway.)

You can hear more spoilerific celebration of Stephen King, Doctor Sleep, and horror in general on the weekly podcast, “The Dark Multiverse of Stephen King.” Click here to learn more… — B.M.

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.

GIVEAWAY! Advance Screening Passes for Playing with Fire

*Contest Closed. Thank you for participating, stay tuned for our next GIVEAWAY!

Giveaway! In the Los Angeles area, we have 100 pairs of an advance screening of Playing with Fire.

When straight-laced fire superintendent Jake Carson (John Cena) and his elite team of expert firefighters (Keegan-Michael Key, John Leguizamo, and Tyler Mane) come to the rescue of three siblings (Brianna Hildebrand, Christian Convery, and Finley Rose Slater) in the path of an encroaching wildfire, they quickly realize that no amount of training could prepare them for their most challenging job yet– babysitters.

*Download a first-come, first-served screening pass by clicking the Poster or the link below. Screening will take place on Saturday, November 2 @ 11:30A (Have your pass ready to show at the door).

Follow the instructions in your pass and share your excitement using #PlayingwithFire and #SeFijaOnline. ENJOY!

(*Each Pass is good for 2 seats)

Los Angeles (100 Pairs)
http://www.gofobo.com/FIRESEFIJA 

Giveaway! The Addams Family and Addams Family Values

*Contest Closed. Thank you for participating, stay tuned for our next GIVEAWAY!

In this giveaway, we have ONE Copy of The Addams Family and Addams Family Values 2-movie collection for ONE lucky winner. From Paramount Home Entertainment and just in time for HALLOWEEN!

Would you like to win a copy? Then just click here to send us an email with your name and address (no P.O. Box).

We’ll draw the winners at 6P (PT), Thursday, October 31! Please follow and share our social media pages: Twitter, Facebook, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

**Disclaimer: U.S. Residents ONLY/NO P.O. Box. Only one entry per household. Entries on behalf of another person will not be accepted and joint submissions are not allowed. We will not accept entries of contestants who have claimed a prize in the last 6 months.

*Blu-ray or DVD based on availability.

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 »

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