Archive for the ‘Movies’ Category
VL Pelicula Giveaway!
12:00 am By BiancaLaureano · Arts|Movies · 4 Comments
23 Jan 2012Our friends at Paramount Home Entertainment and H+M Communications have been generous to offer VL readers an opportunity to win a copy of Paranormal Activity 3 DVD/Blu-Ray which is on sale Tuesday January 24, 2012. We have more than one copy to give away!
I’ll admit that when Paranormal Activity 1 was released I went to a midnight screening by myself! When I saw Part 2 I had to be convinced by at least one other person because I was not trying to watch anything like that by myself again! I believe too much in los espirtus and was irritated some characters were taunting them in the first part. But Paranormal Activity 3 centers the two sisters who are the main characters of Part 1 and Part 2 as they were growing up. Check out the trailer below:
The DVD/Blu-Ray combo pack includes both the theatrical version of the film and an unrated version with footage not seen in theaters, as well as Lost Tapes that reveal more footage not seen in the film. Plus, they will include a digital copy and be enabled with UltraViolet TM, a new way to collect, access and enjoy movies which helps with adding films to your digital collection by streaming and/or downloading them to a variety of devices. Audio and subtitles in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese.
To Enter:
Winners will be selected randomly and contacted via email. Reply to this post with an VALID email address where we can reach you by Tuesday January 24, 2012 at 10 AM eastern standard time.
Produced by Desperate Housewives’ Eva Longoria, Cinema Libre Studio‘s The Harvest/la Cosecha – a documentary about young Latino farmworkers in the United States – is available today on DVD and video on demand.
Read my review of the film here.
<iframe src=”http://player.vimeo.com/video/25874029″ width=”400″ height=”225″ frameborder=”0″ webkitAllowFullScreen allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href=”http://vimeo.com/25874029″>The Harvest/La Cosecha – Theatrical Trailer</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/shineglobal”>Shine Global</a> on <a href=”http://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a>.</p>
VL at the NY International Latino Film Festival: Gun Hill Road
11:50 am By BiancaLaureano · Arts|Movies|New York City|Uncategorized|Women|youth · 1 Comment
23 Aug 2011This film was not an official part of the NY International Latino Film Festival. However, there was a lot of support and marketing among the NYILFF for this film and I watched it during the festival as one of the films I chose to review.
I tried really hard not to put in spoilers, however, there may be some in this review, but not enough that the entire film is spoiled!
By now many have heard about this film from one space or another. It is still only in theaters on a limited release basis in NYC and LA. As one of the (very) few films that feature and center Latinos and is created by Latinos, the fact that this film is in theaters is a huge accomplishment. The film stars Judy Reyes as Angela, Esai Morales as Ernesto, and presents Harmony Santana as Vanessa. View the trailer below:
Read more…
VL at the NY International Film Festival: Precious Knowledge
2:29 pm By BiancaLaureano · arizona|Arts|Culture|Movies|Politics|society|youth · 1 Comment
22 Aug 2011Over the next few days be on the lookout for film reviews from our time at the NY International Latino Film Festival. A week of films from all over the world, it was difficult to choose when and which films to watch. Unfortunately, I could only check out three, but I’m glad I did!
We’ve shared the trailer to Precious Knowledge before, and I was very excited to see the film as part of the NY Latino Film Festival and one I could review. I attended the second of two screenings at the festival and there were about 50 people present. The producers, editors, and one young woman, Pricilla Rodriguez, whose father is detained since the passing of SB 1070, from the film were present for a question and answer period after the film. Check out the trailer one more time:
Read more…
Monday Movie : La Cosecha/The Harvest
6:48 am By Maegan La Mala · children|Labor|Movies|youth · Comments Off
15 Aug 2011What did you eat this weekend? Onions, tomatoes, strawberries, watermelons, blueberries, cucumbers, or apples? If you said yes to any of the above it is possible that your food passed through the hands of one of the three teenagers featured in the documentary la Cosecha/The Harvest.
The Harvest/La Cosecha – Theatrical Trailer from Shine Global on Vimeo.
The film follows the lives of Zulema, Victor, y Perla as they follow their families as three of the 400,000 who pick the food that passes over our tables. The teens, are described as American children – as in from the United States, but one shouldn’t gloss over the fact that they are Latin American children as well. The children of immigrants or immigrants themselves. They speak the languages of Latinos – our languages : Spanish, English, and Spanglish.
“My dad no esta” – says 14 year old Zulema.
“Vamos al field,” says 16 year old Victor.
And they In the words of 14 year old Perla:
Because you are brown they think you’re from Mexico. They think your stupid, poor, a migrant. I was born here. Where am I supposed to go?
New York International Latino Film Festival : The Difference Between Movies & Films
9:45 am By Maegan La Mala · Movies|New York City · 1 Comment
8 Aug 2011
Film festivals usually tend to present cutting edge films that go against the standard multiplex offerings. The New York International Film Festival, for 12 years has been pushing short and long form films featuring Latino directors, producers, scripts, actors and issues that push up against the often stereotypical presentation of our communities. This year promises to be no different.
The NYILFF is capitalizing on their reputation as cutting edge while simultaneously taking a critical look at Hollywood’s blockbuster mentality and clichés and contrasting it against the “film” mentality – in particular, the Latino film mentality, which focuses on real, complex issues rather than simple entertainment. Take for example their ad campaign that focuses on the roles that Latinos traditionally play in mainstream Hollywood films.
We will be reviewing and featuring some of the films from the New York Latino Film Festival so stay tuned for that. In the meantime if you want to check out some of the festival for yourself. You can check out the schedule and plan your festival experience here.
You can purchase tickets here.
Ticket & badge info can be found here.
If you want to keep it old school and prefer to buy your tickets in person, box office info is here.
VL At The Cine: Summer Indie Latino Films To Check Out
4:25 pm By BiancaLaureano · Arts|Dominican Republic|Immigration|Latin America|Movies|Raices|sexuality · Comments Off
26 Jul 2011This summer it’s all about saving money and supporting important films for our comunidad! I write this knowing that sometimes to support important films we may spend a little extra at film festivals, and if you live in an area where film festivals are coming (or have been) it’s def worth the energy to check out what they have to offer.
Mala and I will try to bring you some highlights of the film festivals we are going to this summer and year. In the meantime, here are a few films that have caught my attention and that I’d love to see (note that I’ve only seen some of these films and you can too, so they are not reviews), pero if any VL readers have seen any of these films I haven’t, please tell us your thoughts!
The first set of films is offered to view for free by the organization FUTURESTATES which are:
short narrative films created by established filmmakers and emerging talents transforming today’s complex social issues into visions about what life in America will be like in decades to come.
FUTURESTATES has also created a web resource for educators to use the films with grades 9-12 (but let’s be honest these are useful for any age!). The curriculums focus specifically on film and media.
The first film is one that was shared with me while I was away at a wedding. It is created, written, and directed by NYU alumna A. Sayeeda Clarke. Her film WHITE is in one word: phenomenal! It’s a short about 15 minutes long, and you may watch it online for free here. Clarke’s film takes place in the near future in NYC where the currency is skin color/melanin. She questions our ideas of identity, skin color, importance, class, natural resources, community, race, ethnicity, health, parenting, work, capitalism, global warming, and survival. The lead character is Bato, a Black Puerto Rican (yes, he’s written as that and indicates his identity in the film as such!), an activist in his community and expectant father. When the midwife working with his partner shares that she will have to give birth in a hospital setting, the couple must now find the money to pay the entrance fee to have a safe birthing outcome for their child. Bato must now find the money to do so.
The fact that there is a LatiNegro at the center of this story warms my heart. That we remain a part of the FUTURE is important for us to see and recognize. It also shares an important narrative of how white supremacy will/may continue in the future, but in new forms. This is one of those films where after seeing it I was so uncomfortable yet calm. I wanted more of the story and that alone is what makes this short film one of my favorites! Below is an interview with A. Sayeeda Clarke discussing her film:
Summer Movie Mash-Up
29 Jun 2011Often we review films that are in the theater, but this summer we want to highlight some films that may be more accessible for our readers. There were several films that I wanted to see this year but couldn’t because of the high prices of movie tickets. As a result I had to wait until they were available on DVD to check them out. There are a few summer film festivals coming and I may be able to see other films that way, but for the most part I’m getting DVDs from the library and through other rental spaces.
Here’s a list of films in alphabetical order that I waited to see and think VL readers may enjoy as well. This is not a full review of these films as we usually do, but there are a few comments as to what the films are about and what I found interesting. If there are others you’d like to share please do!
Buitiful
This film was only in theaters for a few weeks, as many international independent films are. I wanted to see it to support both the director Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu (Amores Perros, Babel) and cast which includes Javier Bardem. I only knew a little bit about the story: that Bardem’s character Uxbal worked in an “underground” street economy and was trying to save enough money to leave his children before he died. What I was not expecting was the part of the move that is connected to spirituality/magic/paranormal/some may even say magical realism. The film is in Spanish with various subtitles on the DVD.
Elvis & Madona
A film that I saw last year for the Tribeca Film Festival, Elvis & Madona is a film from Brazil. We follow Elvis, a lesbian who is working on becoming a photographer full time but must take a job as a pizza delivery person who meets Madona, a trans woman and drag performer who orders pizza that Elvis delivers. Their relationship begins as friends as Elvis photographs Madona for upcoming shows, yet it evolves into an intimate relationship that they both desire and find peace of mind. When Elvis becomes pregnant, her and Madona discuss their options and chose to parent the child. We watch as Elvis introduces Madona to her parents, explains the pregnancy, watch as they move in together, and struggle as new parents do to respect one another and create a safe environment for their child. This is a beautiful love story that I wish more folks would see. There were less than 20 people in the theater when I went to the screening. This film will make you realize how many stories are not being told and how thirsty we ALL are for more complex human narratives and representations!
We Women Warriors Documentary
8:21 pm By BiancaLaureano · Arts|Colombia|Movies|Women · 4 Comments
9 Apr 2011The trailer for this documentary film about indigenous struggles in Colombia came to my attention earlier this week and I wanted to share it with VL readers as many of you may be interested in coordinating a screening or supporting the documentary. Below is the synopsis from the film website as well as the trailer which is in Spanish with English subtitles.
Colombia has 102 indigenous peoples that are currently caught in the crossfire between Latin America’s oldest guerrilla group and the army. WE WOMEN WARRIORS is a journey inside the war-torn native nations that are surviving Colombia’s internal armed conflict, guided by three valiant female leaders who illuminate salient examples of bravery and nonviolence.
WE WOMEN WARRIORS shares intimate stories of resistance and survival. Doris Puchana, 26, is a young mother who defends the vulnerable Awá population that grows coca leaves (the base for cocaine). Ludis Rodriguez, 34, a spunky Kankuamo widow, tells us from prison how she was framed and captured on false charges of rebellion. Tiny in height but tremendous in spirit, Flor Ilva Trochez, 36, is the first female leader for the Nasa tribal government. She leads peaceful demonstrations to fight for the removal of police barracks set up in the Nasa community that endanger civilians by placing them in the line of fire.
WE WOMEN WARRIORS is both personal and political. Despite her life being threatened after denouncing a massacre in her village, Doris does not abandon her tribal post. Once Ludis is freed she joins other widows in the struggle to move onward, coping and healing after systematic violence swept through her region. Meanwhile, Flor puts Colombia’s constitutional indigenous autonomy into practice and strives toward creating a territory free of armed fighters.
In 2009, Colombia’s Constitutional Court ruled that nearly one-third of its native peoples are in danger of extinction because of the warfare. WE WOMEN WARRIORS bears witness to human rights abuses and offers stories of female empowerment, unshakable courage and faith in the survival of indigenous culture.
WE WOMEN WARRIORS from Nicole Karsin on Vimeo.
VL At The Cine: Ilegales
7:33 pm By BiancaLaureano · Arts|Immigration|mexico|Movies · 3 Comments
17 Oct 2010
I have a love/hate relationship with the New York International Latino Film Festival. It’s a long deep love/hate where the hate is active and more recent then I’d care to admit. Perhaps it had to do with the corporatization of the Festival, perhaps knowing past (and maybe still present) organizers ripped ideas from other media makers I know and claimed them as their own. Or maybe it’s because the caliber of the films, the opportunity to host and represent Latin@ film and media makers seems lost at times. I often struggle each year with attending. This year was no different.
Due to a family emergency that took me out of the country during the Festival, I was not able to attend. So I was very happy when the VL team got a note to review the film Ilegales. We were sent a screener, so I could enjoy the film in my own home and watch as often as I’d like. The film in Spanish, with English subtitles, reminds me of a modernized El Norte (sans the indigenous storyline), or at least it is in the same spirit of sharing the narrative of people who seek to migrate from Central America to the US and the struggles and reality of that journey.
Hola!
VivirLatino is a daily publication published by Mamita Mala Media, dedicated to featuring all the latest politics, culture, entertainment of interest to the diverse Latin@ diaspora.
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