Showing posts with label film. Show all posts
Showing posts with label film. Show all posts
Friday, September 9, 2016
Daily Headlines: September 9, 2016
* Mexico: Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuarón will purportedly return to Mexico to shoot his first film there since “Y Tu Mamá También” in 2001.
* Brazil: Police in Brazil want to question International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach over a suspected plan to resell Rio Olympics tickets, which may explain why he opted to skip attending the Paralympics opening ceremonies held on Wednesday night.
* United States: Despite the sometimes-toxic rhetoric in the U.S. presidential race regarding immigration, a new study found that the Latino population growth has slowed due lower fertility rates and less migrants coming from Latin America.
* Uruguay: Uruguayan authorities are seeking another country, “especially in the Arab world”, to house ex-Guantanamo detainee Abu Wa'el Dhiab who is going through a hunger strike in order to be reunited with his family.
YouTube Source – Movieclips
Online Sources – ABC News, BBC News, NBC News, The A.V. Club
Thursday, January 14, 2016
Latin American Films Receive Oscar Nominees
A pair of cinematic tales of discovery created by Latin American auteurs received nominations for the upcoming Academy Awards set to take place on February 28th.
“Embrace of the Serpent” (“El Abrazo de la Serpiente”) became the first-ever Colombian movie selected as a finalist for Best Foreign Film. The lone Latin American entry in that category is loosely based on the diaries of scientists Theodor Koch-Grunberg and Richard Evans Schultes during their search in the early 20th-century for a sacred plant in the Amazon rainforest. The film follows the perspectives of these botanists along with indigenous and a shaman as they interact with each other and explore the jungle world surrounding them. “Embrace” also examines the clash of cultures and affects to the environment that develop between natives and visitors.
Two unique features of this movie directed by Ciro Guerra is that it jumps back and forth in time, and was filmed entirely in black and white. He justified these actions by claiming that he “wanted the film to feel like it’s a place that exists but is in another world, another time.”
“Embrace” was a modest success in Colombia where the local film industry has grown over the past decade but has become critically acclaimed worldwide since its domestic release last May. The film won the Art Cinema Award as part of the Directors' Fortnight section at last year’s Cannes Film Festival and has garnered a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Embrace producer Cristina Gallo may have had her strong doubts over the film’s nomination but the odds are pretty good that it could become the third Latin American and first non-Argentine movie to win Best Foreign Film.
“Inside Out” is the clear favorite to capture Best Animated Feature yet history was made when a Brazilian production became the first Latin American film to be chosen in that category.
“Embrace of the Serpent” (“El Abrazo de la Serpiente”) became the first-ever Colombian movie selected as a finalist for Best Foreign Film. The lone Latin American entry in that category is loosely based on the diaries of scientists Theodor Koch-Grunberg and Richard Evans Schultes during their search in the early 20th-century for a sacred plant in the Amazon rainforest. The film follows the perspectives of these botanists along with indigenous and a shaman as they interact with each other and explore the jungle world surrounding them. “Embrace” also examines the clash of cultures and affects to the environment that develop between natives and visitors.
Two unique features of this movie directed by Ciro Guerra is that it jumps back and forth in time, and was filmed entirely in black and white. He justified these actions by claiming that he “wanted the film to feel like it’s a place that exists but is in another world, another time.”
“Embrace” was a modest success in Colombia where the local film industry has grown over the past decade but has become critically acclaimed worldwide since its domestic release last May. The film won the Art Cinema Award as part of the Directors' Fortnight section at last year’s Cannes Film Festival and has garnered a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Embrace producer Cristina Gallo may have had her strong doubts over the film’s nomination but the odds are pretty good that it could become the third Latin American and first non-Argentine movie to win Best Foreign Film.
“Inside Out” is the clear favorite to capture Best Animated Feature yet history was made when a Brazilian production became the first Latin American film to be chosen in that category.
Saturday, October 31, 2015
The Weekender: Batty Bloodsuckers
“The Weekender” is our occasional feature where every weekend we hope to
highlight a short film, movie or documentary pertaining to the
Americas.
To commemorate Halloween, we're running the following post originally published on October 31, 2014. The text mostly remains the same but the video below the page break is changed.
What happens when the Cuban musician nephew of Dracula finds a secret potion that allows vampires to be able to live under the sun's rays? The answer to this can be seen in the 1985 animated movie ¡Vampiros en La Habana! (Vampires in Havana). The film provides a satirical look at both capitalism and Communism when competing factions of vampires - a Chicago mob and a European cartel - seek to get their claws on the "Vampisol" concoction from Joseph Amadeus von Dracula. Featuring trumpet playing by the legendary Arturo Sandoval, ¡Vampiros is not your usual scary Halloween flick but is instead a funny spoof of horror and gangster films.
An excerpt from ¡Vampiros can be seen below. (Note that the movie has some adult themes; hence, we're classifying it as Not Safe For Work).
Online Source - imdb.com
YouTube Source - delamilonga
To commemorate Halloween, we're running the following post originally published on October 31, 2014. The text mostly remains the same but the video below the page break is changed.
What happens when the Cuban musician nephew of Dracula finds a secret potion that allows vampires to be able to live under the sun's rays? The answer to this can be seen in the 1985 animated movie ¡Vampiros en La Habana! (Vampires in Havana). The film provides a satirical look at both capitalism and Communism when competing factions of vampires - a Chicago mob and a European cartel - seek to get their claws on the "Vampisol" concoction from Joseph Amadeus von Dracula. Featuring trumpet playing by the legendary Arturo Sandoval, ¡Vampiros is not your usual scary Halloween flick but is instead a funny spoof of horror and gangster films.
An excerpt from ¡Vampiros can be seen below. (Note that the movie has some adult themes; hence, we're classifying it as Not Safe For Work).
Online Source - imdb.com
YouTube Source - delamilonga
Friday, October 9, 2015
Daily Headlines: October 9, 2015
* South America: World Cup qualifiers in South America began yesterday with noteworthy matches including Ecuador shocking Argentina in Buenos Aires and Copa America titleholders Chile beating Brazil.
* Brazil: Nine police officers allegedly avenging the shooting of an off-duty cop were arrested and charged with killing nineteen people on August 13th near Sao Paulo.
* Mexico: Mayor Enrique Serrano of Ciudad Júarez has called on a boycott of the hit film Sicario since it “speaks badly of the city.”
* Venezuela: Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez accused the Guyanese government of “misleading the international community” over a heated territorial dispute between the neighboring countries.
YouTube Source – Futbolpasionmundial3 (Patricio Javier Diaz of La Red Ecuador radio provided emotional play-by-play of Ecuador’s two goals in their upset over Argentina on Thursday).
Online Sources – ESPN FC, The Guardian, BBC News, Xinhua
Sunday, August 9, 2015
The Weekender: The Body Electric
“The Weekender” is our feature where every weekend we hope to highlight a short film, movie or documentary pertaining to the Americas.
Back in 2013 we highlighted Neighboring Sounds, which we described as a film set in Brazil that “gradually exposes the contradictions, tensions and complex relationships among residents of varying social and economic levels.” The movie marked the feature length directorial debut of Kleber Mendonça Filho who previously examined socioeconomic relations in a 2005 short film called Eletrodomestica. In Eletrodomestica, Filho focused on “mechanics and electricity and consumerism” and was inspired by a peculiar aspect of Brazil’s burgeoning consumer culture in the 1990s:
Back in 2013 we highlighted Neighboring Sounds, which we described as a film set in Brazil that “gradually exposes the contradictions, tensions and complex relationships among residents of varying social and economic levels.” The movie marked the feature length directorial debut of Kleber Mendonça Filho who previously examined socioeconomic relations in a 2005 short film called Eletrodomestica. In Eletrodomestica, Filho focused on “mechanics and electricity and consumerism” and was inspired by a peculiar aspect of Brazil’s burgeoning consumer culture in the 1990s:
It came from . . . I think the spark right in the beginning was my family came to the U.S. on holiday in 1991 and on our way back at Miami International Airport, I saw a pyramid of stuff: microwave ovens, and VCRs, and fax machines. This is the stuff the Brazilian tourists were taking back with them, back to Brazil. I thought that it was really kind of absurd, that so much electronic stuff was being taken back to the country.Please check out Eletrodomestica (with English subtitles) below the page break:
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Daily Headlines: April 23, 2015
* Chile: Authorities evacuated more than 5000 people living near the Calbuco volcano that erupted twice after having been dormant since 1972.
* Puerto Rico: “The island's financial state is extremely uncertain,” was the grim warning issued by Puerto Rico’s Government Development Bank over a potential local government shutdown.
* U.S.: A defunct movie theater in Texas has sued the AMC megachain over alleged “conduct (that) was anticompetitive, unlawful, and harmful to Houston’s substantial Hispanic and Spanish-speaking community.”
* Argentina: Spanish coach Josep “Pep” Guardiola could be fined for wearing a shirt supporting a campaign for Jorge “El Topo” López, an Argentine journalist killed at last year’s World Cup in Brazil.
YouTube Source – Associated Press
Online Sources – ABC News, The A.V. Club, Al Jazeera, The Guardian
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Daily Headlines: March 19, 2015
* Argentina: On the two month anniversary of the mysterious death of Alberto Nisman, Cabinet chief Anibal Fernandez called the late prosecutor a “scoundrel” and accused him of embezzling funds.
* Uruguay: Former Uruguayan foreign minister Luis Almagro was elected as the next chief of the Organization of American States.
* Latin America: PetroCaribe members Haiti and Nicaragua would be the most hurt if the Venezuelan-led oil initiative were to fail according to the International Monetary Fund.
* Mexico: The producer of the next movie in the James Bond spy film series denied receiving $20 million from Mexican officials in exchange for modifying the script.
Video Source – YouTube user BBC News (“Hundreds of thousands of people in Argentina marched (last month) through Buenos Aires to demand answers over the death of a state prosecutor.”)
Online Sources – The Hollywood Reporter; Deutsche Welle; The Latin Americanist; Fox News Latino; ABC News
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Nusetro Cine: Orfeu e Eurydice
Tonight we will find out if Argentine anthology comedy “Wild Tales” can upset Polish Holocaust-era drama “Ida” and Russian satire “Leviathan” to capture the Oscar for top foreign film. Twice before has a Latin American movie won the Academy Award in that category and both came from Argentina including most recently “The Secret in Their Eyes”. Unofficially, however, one could make the case that the first ever best foreign film Oscar for a Latin American movie was given over fifty years ago.
Up to that time, 1959’s “Black Orpheus” wasn’t the first movie based on the Greek legend of Orpheus and Eurydice but it was a unique adaptation from a play from Brazilian writer Vinícius de Moraes. Set in the in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro during Carnaval the film follows trolley conductor Orfeu who falls in love with a newcomer to the city, Eurydice. Their relationship becomes stronger despite Orfeu’s engagement to Mira and Eurydice constantly trying to run away from Death dressed in a stylized skeleton costume. Much like in Greek mythology, Death catches up to Eurydice and, thus, Orfeu travels to the underworld in order to get her back.
“Black Orpheus” is famed for its soundtrack that was composed by two little-known artists at the time: Antonio Carlos Jobim and Luiz Bonfá. Their work helped create greater worldwide attention to bossa nova music through several songs in the film like "Manhã de Carnaval" and "A Felicidade".
Though “Black Orpheus” was based on de Moraes’ play, co-produced by Brazil’s Tupan Filmes, shot in Rio with mostly Brazilian actors and spoken in Portuguese, the French government submitted the film as its official entry to the Academy Awards. Since only one film can be nominated per country in the best foreign film category, France was recognized as the recipient of the Oscar. (The movie won the 1961 BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Language and was Brazil credited together with fellow co-producers France and Italy).
Film critics then and now have mostly looked favorably upon “Black Orpheus” though its depiction of dark-skinned, happy-go-lucky Brazilians did not sit well with some viewers. Then-university student Barack Obama acknowledged that the movie was his mother’s favorite film yet he found it to be exploitative. Musician Caetano Veloso remembers the less than favorable reaction in Brazil:
Up to that time, 1959’s “Black Orpheus” wasn’t the first movie based on the Greek legend of Orpheus and Eurydice but it was a unique adaptation from a play from Brazilian writer Vinícius de Moraes. Set in the in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro during Carnaval the film follows trolley conductor Orfeu who falls in love with a newcomer to the city, Eurydice. Their relationship becomes stronger despite Orfeu’s engagement to Mira and Eurydice constantly trying to run away from Death dressed in a stylized skeleton costume. Much like in Greek mythology, Death catches up to Eurydice and, thus, Orfeu travels to the underworld in order to get her back.
“Black Orpheus” is famed for its soundtrack that was composed by two little-known artists at the time: Antonio Carlos Jobim and Luiz Bonfá. Their work helped create greater worldwide attention to bossa nova music through several songs in the film like "Manhã de Carnaval" and "A Felicidade".
Though “Black Orpheus” was based on de Moraes’ play, co-produced by Brazil’s Tupan Filmes, shot in Rio with mostly Brazilian actors and spoken in Portuguese, the French government submitted the film as its official entry to the Academy Awards. Since only one film can be nominated per country in the best foreign film category, France was recognized as the recipient of the Oscar. (The movie won the 1961 BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Language and was Brazil credited together with fellow co-producers France and Italy).
Film critics then and now have mostly looked favorably upon “Black Orpheus” though its depiction of dark-skinned, happy-go-lucky Brazilians did not sit well with some viewers. Then-university student Barack Obama acknowledged that the movie was his mother’s favorite film yet he found it to be exploitative. Musician Caetano Veloso remembers the less than favorable reaction in Brazil:
Friday, October 31, 2014
Nuestro Cine: Battle of the Vampires
What happens when the Cuban musician nephew of Dracula finds a secret potion that allows vampires to be able to live under the sun's rays? The answer to this can be seen in the 1985 animated movie ¡Vampiros en La Habana! (Vampires in Havana). The film provides a satirical look at both capitalism and Communism when competing factions of vampires - a Chicago mob and a European cartel - seek to get their claws on the "Vampisol" concoction from Joseph Amadeus von Dracula. Featuring trumpet playing by the legendary Arturo Sandoval, ¡Vampiros is not your usual scary Halloween flick but is instead a funny spoof of horror and gangster films.
¡Vampiros can be seen in the following video in Spanish and with English subtitles. (Note that the movie has some adult themes; hence, it's NSFW and probably not recommended for young children).
Video Source - YouTube user R Delgado
Online Source - imdb.com
¡Vampiros can be seen in the following video in Spanish and with English subtitles. (Note that the movie has some adult themes; hence, it's NSFW and probably not recommended for young children).
Video Source - YouTube user R Delgado
Online Source - imdb.com
Monday, August 18, 2014
Daily Headlines: August 18, 2014
* U.S.: A recent study concluded that Latino characters were represented in a scant 4.9% of movies released between 2007 and 2013 and “Latinos are the most likely to be sexualized on screen, with both male and female actors more apt to be asked to be partially or fully naked.”
* Brazil: The first poll since the death last Wednesday of presidential candidate Eduardo Campos showed incumbent Dilma Rousseff in a statistical tie in a hypothetical runoff against Campos' probable replacement, environmentalist Marina Silva.
* Ecuador: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange announced today that he plans to “soon” leave the Ecuadorian embassy in London where he has resided in for the past two years.
* Chile: Ricardo Izurieta, the military general who succeeded the dictatorial rule of the late Augusto Pinochet, died Sunday at age 71.
Video Source – YouTube user MOVIECLIPS (Scene from the 2011 ALMA Award-winning film "A Better Life").
Online Sources – The A.V. Club; NBC News; The Latin Americanist; The Huffington Post; Miami Herald
Saturday, July 26, 2014
The Weekender – Voices of Sao Paulo
“The Weekender” is our new feature where every weekend we hope to highlight a short film, movie or documentary pertaining to the Americas.
For over a century, the Brazilian metropolis of Sao Paulo has grown and become highly diverse due to its constantly growing immigrant population. South America’s largest city has received traditionally received foreign migrants from countries like Japan and Portugal as well as domestically from around the country. In recent years Sao Paulo as seen an influx of Chinese, African and Latin American immigrants that have helped gradually revitalize the area’s crime-ridden and largely crime-ridden downtown area.
Produced by Kika Nicolela and Lucas Bambozzi, “Somos São Paulo” (“We Are Sao Paulo”) was featured as part a 2011 exhibition in the Sao Paulo Museum of Art. More than sixty Paulistas of varying racial and ethnic backgrounds were interviewed and provided their experiences living in the city. Among those featured in the film was a Polish Holocaust survivor, an Argentine escaping the repression of the “Dirty War”, a Bolivian seeking better economic opportunities and a Korean woman in love with a Brazilian.
Below the page break is the entire “Somos São Paulo” where you can view how the metropolis has impacted the lives of the film’s interviewees:
For over a century, the Brazilian metropolis of Sao Paulo has grown and become highly diverse due to its constantly growing immigrant population. South America’s largest city has received traditionally received foreign migrants from countries like Japan and Portugal as well as domestically from around the country. In recent years Sao Paulo as seen an influx of Chinese, African and Latin American immigrants that have helped gradually revitalize the area’s crime-ridden and largely crime-ridden downtown area.
Produced by Kika Nicolela and Lucas Bambozzi, “Somos São Paulo” (“We Are Sao Paulo”) was featured as part a 2011 exhibition in the Sao Paulo Museum of Art. More than sixty Paulistas of varying racial and ethnic backgrounds were interviewed and provided their experiences living in the city. Among those featured in the film was a Polish Holocaust survivor, an Argentine escaping the repression of the “Dirty War”, a Bolivian seeking better economic opportunities and a Korean woman in love with a Brazilian.
Below the page break is the entire “Somos São Paulo” where you can view how the metropolis has impacted the lives of the film’s interviewees:
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Nuestro Cine – Gabo
“Nuestro Cine” is our occasional feature where we focus on the world of film in the Americas.
In his career spanning some six decades, recently deceased Latin American journalist and novelist Gabriel García Márquez sold tens of millions of books and received near universal acclaim worldwide. His great literary skill was acknowledged in the numerous tributes to Gabo including a ceremony on Monday at Mexico City’s Fine Arts Palace and a symbolic funeral in the late author’s birthplace of Aracataca, Colombia.
Not as well known, however, are the movies based on his texts that graced the silver screen. (One could argue that his most famed adaptation to have been filmed where the scenes in the R.E.M. music video for “Losing My Religion” that where based on one of his short stories).
Directed by Francesco Rosi of Italy the 1987 movie adaptation of Chronicle of a Death Foretold was filmed in the Colombian state of Bolivar. The movie contained numerous European-based actors who were relatively unknown across the Atlantic though British-born Rupert Everett would gain fame for his roles in My Best Friend’s Wedding and in two of the Shrek films.
As one can view below the page break, the first part of the movie shares some of the non-linear structure of the book that is the fictional reconstruction of the real murder of Santiago Nasar. However the film does differ in that omits many of the dozens of characters included in the novel and also changes the narrator from an anonymous actor to the character of Cristo Bedoya, the closest friend of Nasar.
In his career spanning some six decades, recently deceased Latin American journalist and novelist Gabriel García Márquez sold tens of millions of books and received near universal acclaim worldwide. His great literary skill was acknowledged in the numerous tributes to Gabo including a ceremony on Monday at Mexico City’s Fine Arts Palace and a symbolic funeral in the late author’s birthplace of Aracataca, Colombia.
Not as well known, however, are the movies based on his texts that graced the silver screen. (One could argue that his most famed adaptation to have been filmed where the scenes in the R.E.M. music video for “Losing My Religion” that where based on one of his short stories).
Directed by Francesco Rosi of Italy the 1987 movie adaptation of Chronicle of a Death Foretold was filmed in the Colombian state of Bolivar. The movie contained numerous European-based actors who were relatively unknown across the Atlantic though British-born Rupert Everett would gain fame for his roles in My Best Friend’s Wedding and in two of the Shrek films.
As one can view below the page break, the first part of the movie shares some of the non-linear structure of the book that is the fictional reconstruction of the real murder of Santiago Nasar. However the film does differ in that omits many of the dozens of characters included in the novel and also changes the narrator from an anonymous actor to the character of Cristo Bedoya, the closest friend of Nasar.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Alfonso Cuarón Captures Historic Oscar
Alfonso Cuarón of Mexico won the Academy Award for Best
Director in recognition of his work for the space thriller Gravity.
Cuarón also thanked Gravity's actors and crew including his son, Jonás, who helped co-write the film that won seven Oscars tonight.
Earlier in the evening, Lupita Nyong'o captured the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for her portrayal of Patsey in 12 Years a Slave.
"No matter where you're from, your dreams are valid," was the inspirational message said by Nyong'o after receiving the Oscar.
"It doesn't escape me for one moment that so much joy in my life is due to so much pain in someone else's" added Nyong'o who won the Oscar one day after her thirty-first birthday.
Born in Mexico City, Nyong'o lived in Mexico and was reportedly named after the Virgin of Guadalupe. She was nearly the age of one when her parents took her to Kenya but return to the Latin American nation when she was sixteen-years-old in order to learn Spanish.
"I've seen others fight over my nationality but I'm Kenyan and Mexican at the same time. That's why I insist that I'm Mexican-Kenyan and I love carne asada tacos", Nyong'o said prior to tonight's ceremony.
Prior to her breakout role in the film that won the Best Picture Oscar, Nyong'o worked on the production crew of several films. One of these movies was 2005 drama The Constant Gardner that was directed by Fernando Meirelles of Brazil.
“Thanks to you mom; I wouldn’t be here it weren’t for you,” Cuarón
said in Spanish as he made history by becoming the first Latin American to win
the Oscar for top director.
The 52-year-old also was one of the two winners of the Oscar
for Best Editing for Gravity, a movie
that helped him capture best director honors at the BAFTAs and Golden
Globes.
Cuarón also served as director for 1995 drama A Little Princess, 2001 coming-of-age
tale Y Tu Mamá También and 2004
fantasy Harry Potter and the Prisoner of
Azkaban amongst others.
Earlier in the evening, Lupita Nyong'o captured the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for her portrayal of Patsey in 12 Years a Slave.
"No matter where you're from, your dreams are valid," was the inspirational message said by Nyong'o after receiving the Oscar.
"It doesn't escape me for one moment that so much joy in my life is due to so much pain in someone else's" added Nyong'o who won the Oscar one day after her thirty-first birthday.
Born in Mexico City, Nyong'o lived in Mexico and was reportedly named after the Virgin of Guadalupe. She was nearly the age of one when her parents took her to Kenya but return to the Latin American nation when she was sixteen-years-old in order to learn Spanish.
"I've seen others fight over my nationality but I'm Kenyan and Mexican at the same time. That's why I insist that I'm Mexican-Kenyan and I love carne asada tacos", Nyong'o said prior to tonight's ceremony.
Prior to her breakout role in the film that won the Best Picture Oscar, Nyong'o worked on the production crew of several films. One of these movies was 2005 drama The Constant Gardner that was directed by Fernando Meirelles of Brazil.
Monday, February 17, 2014
Daily Headlines: February 17, 2014
* Cuba: The Cuban government decided to suspend consular services with the U.S. and announced that consular assistance will “only be provided for humanitarian cases.”
* Puerto Rico: Over a year after Puerto Rican voters in a nonbinding plebiscite opted for statehood, a new U.S. Senate bill proposed creating a binding referendum to decide if Puerto Rico should become a state.
* Mexico: “I make a very good case for curbing immigration,” Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón joked after he won the Bafta for best director on Sunday.
* Brazil: An independent safety inspector will examine possible structural damage at the Arena Pantanal soccer stadium that was hit by a fire last year and is expected to host World Cup matches in June.
Video Source – PRESS TV via YouTube
Online Sources- CNN; The Latin Americanist; LAHT; The Guardian; Reuters
Monday, February 3, 2014
Daily Headlines: February 3, 2014
* Brazil: Respected Brazilin filmmaker Eduardo Coutinho was stabbed to death yesterday in an incident allegedly perpetrated by his son who has mental health issues.
* South America: Days after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled in a border dispute between Chile and Peru, Bolivian President Evo Morales said that his country will not drop its ICJ lawsuit against Chile.
* Latin America: Support for Puerto Rican independence and a promise to resolve regional differences via dialogue were some of the details mentioned in a declaration at the end of last week’s summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.
* Venezuela: The Caribbean Series of baseball started on Sunday in Venezuela with the return of Cuba for the first time since 1960.
Video Source – YouTube user Gabriel Silva Mendeleh (The career of Eduardo Coutinho spanned four decades and included directing documentaries such as 1999’s “The Mighty Spirit,” which focused on the residents of a Rio de Janeiro slum prior to a visit of Pope John Paul II to Brazil.)
Online Sources- Folha.com; UPI; Reuters; The Latin Americanist; Xinhua
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Nuestro Cine: Cesar Chavez on the Silver Screen (Take Two)
Last October we linked to the trailer of a feature film on Latino labor rights and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez that will be released in March. Entitled “Cesar Chavez: An American Hero,” the movie is directed by Mexican actor Diego Luna and stars Michael Peña, America Ferrera, John Malkovich and Rosario Dawson.
Several days ago a second theatrical trailer of the Chavez biopic was released and can be viewed below the page break:
Several days ago a second theatrical trailer of the Chavez biopic was released and can be viewed below the page break:
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Nuestro Cine: “Narco Cultura”
This morning the finalists to the upcoming Oscars were announced and the Alfonso Cuarón-directed “Gravity” received ten nominations in categories like Best Picture and Best Director. While the Academy honored the Mexican-born Cuarón and his daring stroller set in outer space, films from Latin American were snubbed and will not be up for the Oscars.
Despite strong submissions like a Peruvian film set in a stark Lima of the future or an uplifting drama examining a Chilean divorcee’s plunge into romance, no movies from the Americas made it to the shortlist for Best Foreign Language Film. The Uruguayan movie “Anina” was wonderfully drawn and had a charming plot but was not chosen as a finalist for Best Animated Feature Film.
Similar to “Heli,” Mexico’s pick for Best Foreign Language Film, “Narco Cultura” examines the death and destruction caused by drug violence in that country. Yet the documentary differs in that it also looks at the appeal that the drug culture has via musicians and their narcocorrido songs. The film depicts the glorification of drug traffickers as modern day Robin Hoods through music with lyrics like “With an AK-47 and a bazooka on my shoulder/ Cross my path and I’ll chop your head off/ We’re bloodthirsty, crazy and we like to kill.” This is contrasted with the testimony of a Ciudad Juarez crime scene investigator who has attended the funerals of several of his colleagues murdered while working by drug gangs.
Below the page break is the trailer to “Narco Cultura”, which was not selected as a finalist in the top documentary category at the Oscars:
Despite strong submissions like a Peruvian film set in a stark Lima of the future or an uplifting drama examining a Chilean divorcee’s plunge into romance, no movies from the Americas made it to the shortlist for Best Foreign Language Film. The Uruguayan movie “Anina” was wonderfully drawn and had a charming plot but was not chosen as a finalist for Best Animated Feature Film.
Similar to “Heli,” Mexico’s pick for Best Foreign Language Film, “Narco Cultura” examines the death and destruction caused by drug violence in that country. Yet the documentary differs in that it also looks at the appeal that the drug culture has via musicians and their narcocorrido songs. The film depicts the glorification of drug traffickers as modern day Robin Hoods through music with lyrics like “With an AK-47 and a bazooka on my shoulder/ Cross my path and I’ll chop your head off/ We’re bloodthirsty, crazy and we like to kill.” This is contrasted with the testimony of a Ciudad Juarez crime scene investigator who has attended the funerals of several of his colleagues murdered while working by drug gangs.
Below the page break is the trailer to “Narco Cultura”, which was not selected as a finalist in the top documentary category at the Oscars:
Monday, January 13, 2014
Daily Headlines: January 13, 2014
* Mexico: Alfonso Cuarôn of Mexico was named Best Director at the 2014 Golden Globe Awards and, thus, could be the favorite to capture top director honors at the upcoming Oscars.
* Brazil: Daniel Ellsberg, the former military analyst who leaked the Pentagon Papers in 1971, claimed in an interview that the Brazilian government should grant asylum to NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.
* Venezuela: Interior Minister Miguel Rodriguez gave out his personal phone number as part of a campaign to combat corruption launched after the murder of ex-beauty queen and actress Monica Spear and her husband.
* Chile: President Sebastián Piñera vowed that the constructors of Chile’s first drawbridge will “fix…the mistake” after it was discovered that one of the stricture’s road decks was built upside down.
Video Source – WIRED via YouTube
Online Sources- UPI; Sky News; ZDNet; Huffington Post
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Nuestro Cine: Cuarón's Debut
The nominees for the upcoming Golden Globe Awards were announced on Thursday and among the finalists for the Best Director Award is Alfonso Cuarón. The 52-year-old Mexican was recognized for his work directing the critically acclaimed and box office hit thriller "Gravity" though he faces stiff competition from other nominees including Steve McQueen ("12 Years A Slave"), David O. Russell ("American Hustle") and Paul Greengrass ("Captain Phillips").
A talented director, screenwriter, producer and editor, Cuarón is best known for films like "Y Tu Mamá También," "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" and "Children of Men." Yet his first big hit came in 1991 with his directorial debut.
"Love in the Time of Hysteria" focuses on a young man who is notorious for his womanizing and, as the narrator of the film's trailer claims, "will sleep with just about any lady he meets." His life as a carefree Casanova comes to a quick halt after one of his many jilted lovers, a nurse, convinces him that he has AIDS. His attempts of suicide are thwarted yet it is his desire to want to kill himself that leads him to fall in love with a stewardess who also wants to end her life after she is cheated upon.
Aside from directing this dark comedy, Cuarón also co-wrote, produced and co-edited the film. Known locally as "Sólo con tu pareja", the movie garnered four nominations in Mexico's Ariel film awards and won in the Best Original Story category.
Below the page break is the Spanish-language trailer to "Love in the Time of Hysteria". (Please note that it is Not Safe for Work due to images of brief nudity).
A talented director, screenwriter, producer and editor, Cuarón is best known for films like "Y Tu Mamá También," "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" and "Children of Men." Yet his first big hit came in 1991 with his directorial debut.
"Love in the Time of Hysteria" focuses on a young man who is notorious for his womanizing and, as the narrator of the film's trailer claims, "will sleep with just about any lady he meets." His life as a carefree Casanova comes to a quick halt after one of his many jilted lovers, a nurse, convinces him that he has AIDS. His attempts of suicide are thwarted yet it is his desire to want to kill himself that leads him to fall in love with a stewardess who also wants to end her life after she is cheated upon.
Aside from directing this dark comedy, Cuarón also co-wrote, produced and co-edited the film. Known locally as "Sólo con tu pareja", the movie garnered four nominations in Mexico's Ariel film awards and won in the Best Original Story category.
Below the page break is the Spanish-language trailer to "Love in the Time of Hysteria". (Please note that it is Not Safe for Work due to images of brief nudity).
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Nuestro Cine: Timeless Love
Last month we looked at several films vying for this year’s best foreign film Academy Award from Latin American countries including animated children’s film “Anina” from Uruguay. Though “Anina” apparently filled the requirements to be nominated for Best Animated Feature Film it was not among the nineteen submissions to that category.
Among the nominees are big-budget entries like "Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2" and "Monsters University" along with the final film from acclaimed Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki. The only Latin American film among the eligible Best Animated features is an entry from Brazil: “Rio 2096: A Story of Love and Fury” (“Uma História de Amor e Fúria”).
Set during four different periods of Brazilian history, the drama depicts the adventures of the 600-year-old Immortal Warrior as he courts the love of Janina. The couple encounters great obstacles throughout the centuries such as slavery in the nineteenth century and a war over water in the future.
Directed by Luiz Bolognesi, “Rio 2096” won the prize for best feature film at the prestigious Annecy International Animation Film Festival last June. But will the film be selected as a finalist by the Academy? See for yourselves by viewing the film’s trailer below the page break:
Among the nominees are big-budget entries like "Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2" and "Monsters University" along with the final film from acclaimed Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki. The only Latin American film among the eligible Best Animated features is an entry from Brazil: “Rio 2096: A Story of Love and Fury” (“Uma História de Amor e Fúria”).
Set during four different periods of Brazilian history, the drama depicts the adventures of the 600-year-old Immortal Warrior as he courts the love of Janina. The couple encounters great obstacles throughout the centuries such as slavery in the nineteenth century and a war over water in the future.
Directed by Luiz Bolognesi, “Rio 2096” won the prize for best feature film at the prestigious Annecy International Animation Film Festival last June. But will the film be selected as a finalist by the Academy? See for yourselves by viewing the film’s trailer below the page break:
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