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Homeland Season 5 premieres with Carrie out of the CIA game and living in Germany. Nothing bad could happen there, right?
This review contains spoilers.
5.1 Separation Anxiety
Nowadays, beginning a new season of Homeland is a bit like starting over with an anthological show. Similar to American Horror Story and True Detective, the later seasons of Homeland rarely enjoy major or direct connective tissue from year-to-year other than Claire Danes and Mandy Patinkin’s reliably stellar performances; every season is a new topical, “ripped from the headlines” threat, and each do-over mostly dismisses story threads from the previous year.
For example: whatever happened to Javadi after he became the CIA’s mole in Iran? Also, what effect did Saul being a hostage have on his getting a new job at the CIA (where he is apparently back in a command position)? Also, are we ever going to find...
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Homeland Season 5 premieres with Carrie out of the CIA game and living in Germany. Nothing bad could happen there, right?
This review contains spoilers.
5.1 Separation Anxiety
Nowadays, beginning a new season of Homeland is a bit like starting over with an anthological show. Similar to American Horror Story and True Detective, the later seasons of Homeland rarely enjoy major or direct connective tissue from year-to-year other than Claire Danes and Mandy Patinkin’s reliably stellar performances; every season is a new topical, “ripped from the headlines” threat, and each do-over mostly dismisses story threads from the previous year.
For example: whatever happened to Javadi after he became the CIA’s mole in Iran? Also, what effect did Saul being a hostage have on his getting a new job at the CIA (where he is apparently back in a command position)? Also, are we ever going to find...
- 10/12/2015
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
Martin Clunes is to play Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in an ITV drama.
The high-profile series will be based on the novel Arthur & George by Julian Barnes.
The three-parter will be written by Silent Witness and Waking the Dead scribe Ed Whitmore.
ITV has also commissioned Line of Duty producer World Productions to make Code of a Killer, a two-part DNA-based crime thriller which tells the story of the first major UK case that was solved using DNA profiling.
Written by Michael Crompton, Code of a Killer will be directed by James Strong (Broadchurch). David Threlfall will star as Dcs David Barker, following his recent outing for ITV as Tommy Cooper in Not Like That, Like This.
ITV's director of television, channels and online Peter Fincham spoke about the channel's recent successful dramas, citing Tommy Cooper biopic Not Like That, Like This, The Widower and Prey. He...
The high-profile series will be based on the novel Arthur & George by Julian Barnes.
The three-parter will be written by Silent Witness and Waking the Dead scribe Ed Whitmore.
ITV has also commissioned Line of Duty producer World Productions to make Code of a Killer, a two-part DNA-based crime thriller which tells the story of the first major UK case that was solved using DNA profiling.
Written by Michael Crompton, Code of a Killer will be directed by James Strong (Broadchurch). David Threlfall will star as Dcs David Barker, following his recent outing for ITV as Tommy Cooper in Not Like That, Like This.
ITV's director of television, channels and online Peter Fincham spoke about the channel's recent successful dramas, citing Tommy Cooper biopic Not Like That, Like This, The Widower and Prey. He...
- 5/13/2014
- Digital Spy
Who are these Dreamers?
In the past couple of years, Dreamers have been a topic of hot political debate at Washington, D.C. It’s centered on the issue of undocumented young adults and children who grew up with American culture and values.
“Dreamer” is a narrative fictional feature film that revolves around a Joe Rodriguez, a Dreamer who is trying to live a secret life in America. He’s amiable, well-educated and attractive. He’s graduated from college and is working and excelling in his field. He’s on the way to achieving the American Dream. That is until his employer discovers his undocumented status and the life he’s worked so hard for begins to crumble around him. He must face the possibility of losing his livelihood, his family and, even, himself.
Latino-Review conducted a telephone interview with director Jesse Salmeron and actor Jeremy Ray Valdez for this touching film.
In the past couple of years, Dreamers have been a topic of hot political debate at Washington, D.C. It’s centered on the issue of undocumented young adults and children who grew up with American culture and values.
“Dreamer” is a narrative fictional feature film that revolves around a Joe Rodriguez, a Dreamer who is trying to live a secret life in America. He’s amiable, well-educated and attractive. He’s graduated from college and is working and excelling in his field. He’s on the way to achieving the American Dream. That is until his employer discovers his undocumented status and the life he’s worked so hard for begins to crumble around him. He must face the possibility of losing his livelihood, his family and, even, himself.
Latino-Review conducted a telephone interview with director Jesse Salmeron and actor Jeremy Ray Valdez for this touching film.
- 10/30/2013
- by Gig Patta
- LRMonline.com
“Deception has no friend.” A voice adds, “We grew up soldiers around here. Most don’t make it past 24. But I never thought it would come to this.” “Mission Park” begins with four friends as young boys around 11 years old. At that age there are marked differences emerging in their personalities, though they are all profanity-adept, street-smart wanna-be’s looking for ways to make a name for themselves. The violent crime that follows this introduction marks the kids for life. As they grow older their basic characters initially follow the mythological template that fate has sealed the destinies of all four and nothing can make any significant difference. Bobby Ramirez (Jeremy Ray Valdez) and Julian Medina (Will Rothhaar)...
- 10/4/2013
- by Bev Questad and Ron Wilkinson
- Monsters and Critics
It may have been a bit unfair of me to watch Bryan Anthony Ramirez’s film Mission Park so close to one of the last episodes of the TV series Breaking Bad. One of them is a beloved show that over its five seasons has expertly categorized exactly what it takes for a person’s actions to make them good or make them bad, while the other is a low budget Texas-made gangster flick that tries to do the same but relies on characters whose constantly empty threats and tendency to shoot off guns with an awkwardly juvenile machismo only shows how off the mark the themes of this film actually are. What we get is an utterly generic genre film that tries to stay true to its own characters but gets lost in the shuffle because it’s way too preoccupied with trying to make everything look cool and...
- 9/18/2013
- by Sean Hutchinson
- LRMonline.com
People exposed to continuous crime and poverty growing up tend to either be pulled into enduring and partaking in the same cycle of illegal activity as an adult, or force themselves to find a job that will help them rise above the corruption that held them down as a child. Striving to help stop the corruption that rules the streets in lower-class neighborhoods, police endlessly work to stop the leaders of criminal organizations maintain their rule, particularly over the young adults who believe they have no other way of survival. First time feature film writer-director Bryan Anthony Ramirez, whose father worked as a homicide detective while he was a child, [ Read More ]
The post Interview: Bryan Anthony Ramirez Talks Mission Park appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Interview: Bryan Anthony Ramirez Talks Mission Park appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 9/9/2013
- by Karen Benardello
- ShockYa
Indiewire has gotten hold of an exclusive clip from the new crime thriller "Mission Park." The film, which opened yesterday, follows four childhood friends who grow up to be on opposite sides of the law, as up-and-coming FBI agents Bobby and Julian are given the task of going undercover to infiltrate a drug organization run by kingpin Jason and right-hand-man Derek, the four of whom know each other all too well. In the clip, Jason and Derek discuss their reservations about longtime friend Julian, who has just come back into town unannounced after being away for several years. Despite their past, there seems to be serious doubts over what Julian's true agenda and motivations are for dropping back into the two drug honchos' lives. "Mission Park" was directed by Bryan Ramirez, who also utilized his hometown of San Antonio, TX for the film's setting. For tickets go here.
- 9/7/2013
- by Clint Holloway
- Indiewire
Poor old Michael Jackson never experienced anything like a real life unmediated by money, power, or the acquired narcissism of the super-famous. So most of his song lyrics--poems about satin-jacket-clad street gangs and law-breaking smoothness-evincers--sound like things he saw on TV. The narrative shorthand of basic-cable cop dramas colors the American psychic landscape, tainting the expectations of jurors, and inspiring the work of lazy screenwriters like some sloppy, unshaven muse who's had it up to here with your loose-cannon police work. The tense prologue of writer-director Bryan Ramirez's Mission Park, in which a group of mostly Latino middle-school kids robs a taqueria and shoots an old lady, evokes a tactile, scary reality utterly betrayed by the following 90...
- 9/4/2013
- Village Voice
Watch clips from Bryan Anthony Ramirez's Mission Park, starring Jeremy Ray Valdez, Walter Perez and Fernanda Romero. The crime pic directed and written by Ramirez, opens September 6th. In the film, the ambitions of four childhood friends land them on opposite sides of the law. Rookie FBI agents Bobby (Valdez) and Julian (Rothhaar) must go undercover and face their hidden pasts in an attempt to bring down their best friends' (Perez, Soria) criminal organization. The film picked up wins for Best Narrative Feature, Best Director, and Best Acting Performance (Walter Perez) at this year’s Boston International Film Festival, as well as the Special Jury Prize for Best Feature Film at the WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival.
- 8/31/2013
- Upcoming-Movies.com
The festival season is in full swing which means you'll be beat about the head with movies bringing with them heavy themes, weighty ideas and possibly lengthy running times. And while that's generally right up our alley, sometimes you just need a taut little crime drama to take the edge off. Nothing flashy, but just delivering what's expected, and "Mission Park" could be the answer for those looking for just that. Written and directed by Bryan Anthony Ramirez and starring Sean Patrick Flanery, Jesse Borrego, Jeremy Ray Valdez, Walter Perez, Fernanda Romero, Joseph Julian Soria, Will Rothhaar, Vivica A. Fox and Will Estes, the film follows four childhood friends — a pair who are rookie FBI agents, the two others part of an criminal organization — who find their past catching up with them, when the agents have to go undercover to bring down their pals. And in this exclusive clip, the plan is put into motion.
- 8/29/2013
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Will Estes and Jeremy Ray Valdez instantly grow suspicious of each other’s motivations in a new exclusive clip for their upcoming film, ‘Mission Park.’ In the exclusive Shockya teaser from the action crime drama, Valdez plays undercover officer Bobby, who’s doing business for the crime boss he’s trying to take down. Estes portrays The Drug Dealer, who’s busy contemplating Bobby’s intentions during their deal. Neither of the two men trusts the other, and rightfully so. AMC Theaters is giving ‘Mission Park’ a platform release in select theaters in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and San Antonio on September 6, with other markets to follow. New San Antonio based production company, [ Read More ]
The post Jeremy Ray Valdez and Will Estes Duel in Exclusive Mission Park Clip appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Jeremy Ray Valdez and Will Estes Duel in Exclusive Mission Park Clip appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 8/28/2013
- by Karen Benardello
- ShockYa
In Mission Park, the ambitions of four childhood friends land them on opposite sides of the law. Rookie FBI agents Bobby (Valdez) and Julian (Rothhaar) must go undercover and face their hidden pasts in an attempt to bring down their best friends' (Perez, Soria) criminal organization. This new poster joins the trailer and first poster we added recently for the film featuring Sean Patrick Flanety, Will Estes, Vivica A. Fox alongside stars Jeremy Ray Valdez, Will Rothhaar , Fernanda Romero, Walter Perez, Joseph Julian Soria and Jesse Borrego.
- 8/20/2013
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Check out the new teaser trailer and poster for the upcoming award-winning indie action-thriller Mission Park starring Jeremy Ray Valdez, Will Rothhaar, Walter Perez, Joseph Julian Soria, Vivica A. Fox and Sean Patrick Flanery.
In Mission Park, the ambitions of four childhood friends land them on opposite sides of the law. Rookie FBI agents Bobby (Valdez) and Julian (Rothhaar) must go undercover and face their hidden pasts in an attempt to bring down their best friends’ (Perez, Soria) criminal organization.
The film was written and directed by Bryan Ramirez, produced by Independent Spirit Award nominee Douglas Spain (Star Maps, HBO’s Band of Brothers), co-produced by David J. Phillips (Life Happens, Green Guys), and executive produced by national real estate mogul and former star of A&E’s ‘Flip This House’ Armando Montelongo. Spain and Phillips both have featured acting roles in the film as well. Mission Park is the...
In Mission Park, the ambitions of four childhood friends land them on opposite sides of the law. Rookie FBI agents Bobby (Valdez) and Julian (Rothhaar) must go undercover and face their hidden pasts in an attempt to bring down their best friends’ (Perez, Soria) criminal organization.
The film was written and directed by Bryan Ramirez, produced by Independent Spirit Award nominee Douglas Spain (Star Maps, HBO’s Band of Brothers), co-produced by David J. Phillips (Life Happens, Green Guys), and executive produced by national real estate mogul and former star of A&E’s ‘Flip This House’ Armando Montelongo. Spain and Phillips both have featured acting roles in the film as well. Mission Park is the...
- 8/5/2013
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
We have the new trailer as well as the poster for Mission Park starring Jeremy Ray Valdez. Directed by Bryan Anthony Ramirez, the film from Armando Montelongo Productions opens in theaters on September 6th, 2013 and also includes Walter Perez, Fernanda Romero, Joseph Julian Soria, and Will Rothhaar, and features Vivica A. Fox, Will Estes, Sean Patrick Flanery and Jesse Borrego. In Mission Park, the ambitions of four childhood friends land them on opposite sides of the law. Rookie FBI agents Bobby (Valdez) and Julian (Rothhaar) must go undercover and face their hidden pasts in an attempt to bring down their best friends' (Perez, Soria) criminal organization.
- 8/5/2013
- Upcoming-Movies.com
San Antonio filmmaker Bryan Ramirez has dug filmmaking since he was a kid when he would spend time creating Ninja Maniacs (which I'm dying to see!). After graduating Full Sail Film School in Orlando, he stayed true to his roots and never did the 'Hollywood' thing. Instead he gathered friends in Tejas to make his first feature film debut, the award winning Mission Park which has had a successful festival run and got picked up by AMC Independent to be released in September. The crime drama stars Jeremy Ray Valdez (Walkout), Walter Perez (The Avengers), Fernanda Romero (Drag me to Hell), Joseph Julian Soria (Crank: High Voltage) and Will Rothhaar (Battle Los Angeles). It also features Vivica A. Fox, Will Estes and Sean Patrick Flanery. So, we asked Ramirez to tell us his 5 rules of making a film.
“It starts with the script, it speaks to you as you write it, let it tell the story. When writing and reading a script, the characters come to life, you see them, hear them and feel them. You have to be true to this when casting. If they offer you a big name but you don't think they'll fit your vision. They won't fit. There are other options and you must be adamant about who you want.”
“Your vision is your vision. You have be able to tell your story the way you want to tell it. It has to look and feel the way you want it to. Make sure you get a Dp who trusts your vision and assist you in bringing it to life. At the same time you have to trust your Dp, he may have an idea that will blow your mind.”
“Collaborate, but don't lose control of the set. You're the Director, a lot of times an actor will have an idea of how they want to bring a character. Hear them out, this just means that they are as deeply involved as you are and they will move mountains for you in order to bring the words to life.”
Watch the trailer for Mission Park
“Hire a seasoned Ad, and trust him 100%. Remember though, you set the pace of your crew, if you're excited to be there, know your shots, know your blocking, and know your story, they will all keep pace with you. The moment you lose control or show signs of confusion, don't know what you want or how to get it, you will lose your crews respect and the actors trust.”
“If you're just starting out and want to be a director, watch movies, a lot of movies. Then watch them with no sound, look at the shot selection, the actor's facial movement and body motions, the set, the props, even the lighting. How do all these elements help tell the story?"
For all the good stuff, check out: http://missionparkthemovie.com/
Written by Juan Caceres and Vanessa Erazo, LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook.
“It starts with the script, it speaks to you as you write it, let it tell the story. When writing and reading a script, the characters come to life, you see them, hear them and feel them. You have to be true to this when casting. If they offer you a big name but you don't think they'll fit your vision. They won't fit. There are other options and you must be adamant about who you want.”
“Your vision is your vision. You have be able to tell your story the way you want to tell it. It has to look and feel the way you want it to. Make sure you get a Dp who trusts your vision and assist you in bringing it to life. At the same time you have to trust your Dp, he may have an idea that will blow your mind.”
“Collaborate, but don't lose control of the set. You're the Director, a lot of times an actor will have an idea of how they want to bring a character. Hear them out, this just means that they are as deeply involved as you are and they will move mountains for you in order to bring the words to life.”
Watch the trailer for Mission Park
“Hire a seasoned Ad, and trust him 100%. Remember though, you set the pace of your crew, if you're excited to be there, know your shots, know your blocking, and know your story, they will all keep pace with you. The moment you lose control or show signs of confusion, don't know what you want or how to get it, you will lose your crews respect and the actors trust.”
“If you're just starting out and want to be a director, watch movies, a lot of movies. Then watch them with no sound, look at the shot selection, the actor's facial movement and body motions, the set, the props, even the lighting. How do all these elements help tell the story?"
For all the good stuff, check out: http://missionparkthemovie.com/
Written by Juan Caceres and Vanessa Erazo, LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook.
- 7/31/2013
- by Juan Caceres
- Sydney's Buzz
AMC Theaters will play Mission Park, the first film from San Antonio-based production company Armando Montelongo Productions, in select theaters in September, as part of its AMC Independent platform. The film will be released in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and San Antonio on Sept. 6. Other markets will follow. Story: Forever 74 Degrees: How Movie Theaters Keep Cool During Summer's Scorching Months The crime drama, written and directed by Bryan Ramirez in his directorial debut, is the first project from Armando Montelongo Productions, a San Antonio-based company founded by real estate mogul and former star of A&E’s
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- 7/26/2013
- by Rebecca Ford
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Next week in Miami, hundreds of bloggers, marketers, corporate brand reps, music and film artists will be checking in at the Eden Roc Hotel to attend Hispanicize, a social media platform for today’s Latino innovators. Now in its 4th year, the marketing, interactive, film and music conference was founded by Manny Ruiz, a PR businessman who adopted the term Hispanicize to signify the transformation and growing impact of Latino culture into traditional American mainstream and who created this convergence to amplify the success of diverse voices in social media.
In part modeled after SXSW and Ted Talks, Hispanicize aims to be a digital multi-media launchpad and idea stimulating conference tailored towards Latinos. The event’s core journalistic DNA is confirmed by guest co-chair, Soledad O Brien, who just signed off on her morning CNN show capping off a decade of reporting for the news outlet. For the second year the South Beach setting will host yacht parties, beachside receptions, breakfast and lunch networking, and 100 plus talks, featuring such entrepreneurs in social media like the Latina Mom Bloggers, panels like How Brands and Agencies are Engaging and Collaborating with Latino Bloggers and Getting on Corporate Boards. The heavily sponsored event, (Procter & Gamble is the presenting sponsor) will include a Diversity Tech Leaders Summit presented by Sprint in which the lesser-known business stories of diverse tech and social media entrepreneurs who are making their marks in digital media will be highlighted.
I have to admit I knew nothing of Hispanicize up until a couple months ago. Curious, I went on the website and I found the lingo a tad superfluous and hyperbolic. Words like iconic and mighty are used to describe the young but clearly flourishing event. Then again, this kind of grandiose speak is typical Public Relations so it makes sense given it is a partnership with Hispanic Public Relations Association (Hpra) and the Public Relations Society of America (Prsa).
I reached out to the founder Manny Ruiz to find out more about the mission of the event and found his enthusiasm and excitement for what he considers a pioneering movement infectious. It’s hard to argue that this mass tech and entertainment crossroads gathering makes for an incredible networking opportunity. Ruiz called it a “Uniting of these industries to create a symphony” and went on to note it is much more powerful for bloggers to converge at the same place with journalists, marketers, digital, music and film innovators then if you had them out there individually and remotely. Before I knew it I was put in touch with with Roman Morales, the Film Showcase Organizer and I came onboard as Programmer for the film component. A big reason I stepped in was because I was particularly attracted to presenting Us independent Latino films to an audience heavy with social media influence and bloggers, to see if it would indeed create a higher level of buzz, publicity and exposure from the community.
Along with a special screening of Filly Brown days before its national theatrical release, this year Hispanicize will screen six features including the high profile sneak preview of The Weinstein Company’s Aftershock, the horror comedy produced and starring Eli Roth, directed by Chilean filmmaker Nicolas Lopez (Que Pena tu Vida, Promedio Rojo). Also, straight from SXSW the music industry and character-driven documentary Los Wild Ones about the Wild Records label and family of Mexican rockabilly acts. With the exception of Aftershock, all the films reflect a taste of the diaspora of unique, bi-cultural Us narratives, and notably are all first features. Three of the films, Blaze You Out, Filly Brown and Mission Park are being distributed by Lionsgate labels Pantelion and Grindstone Entertainment. Meanwhile, seeking distribution is Dreamer written and directed by Salvador born Jesse Salmeron, a poignant and timely story starring and produced by Jeremy Ray Valdez about an upwardly mobile American whose paralyzed by the fear of being deported. Los Wild Ones is also seeking distribution and should find considerable traction within and outside hard core music fan circles.
My personal pride and joy however has to be the shorts film showcase. Portraying visionary quests for identity, love, truth and legacy and created by multicultural emergent voices from San Antonio, Miami, La, NYC, Oaxaca and Puerto Rico. This is the medium in which to find provocative, daring and versatile young generation of fresh voices who you can expect will blow up big soon. To name just a few, the filmmakers include Jillian Mayer and Lucas Leyva of the Borscht corporation, Zoé Salicrup Junco, the filmmaker of Gabi who workshopped her feature script of the short at San Antonio’s CineFestival’s Latino Screenwriters Project, Victor Hugo Duran the Colombia Film grad whose short, Fireworks played at the La Film Festival last year and is currently shooting his first feature in Mexico called La Victoria, and Steve Acevedo, the director of El Cocodrilo which is a powerful and urgent film about a journalist played by Jacob Vargas on the run from narcos, who participated in NBCU Directing Fellowship.
I’ll try not to go all Spring Breaker debauchery when I head to Miami next week. I’m very interested in immersing myself in the Hispanicize program to cover the dialogue and scrutinize the impact so stay tuned for my report.
See below to check out full film list and links. Hispanicize will take place April 9 – 13. For information on how to attend and the schedule click here.
Blaze You Out
(USA, 2013, 90 min)
Writers/Directors: Mateo Frazier, Diego Joaquin Lopez
Cast: Veronica Diaz Carranza, Elizabeth Pena, Q’orianka Kilcher, Mark Adair Rios, Elizabeth Pena
Logline: An unyielding young woman ventures into the ruthless underworld of the town’s heroin trade in order to save her younger sister’s life.
Dreamer
(USA, 2013)
Writer/Director: Jesse Salmeron
Cast: Jeremy Ray Valdez, Isabella Hofmann, Cory Knauf
Logline: Joe Rodriguez is an All American young man. He’s amiable, well educated and attractive. He’s graduated from college and is working and excelling in his field. He’s on his way to achieving the American Dream. That is until his employer discovers his undocumented status and the life he’s worked so hard for begins to crumble around him. He must face the possibility of losing his livelihood, his family and even himself.
Los Wild Ones
(USA, 2013, 95 min)
Director: Elise Salomon Writers: Ryan Brown, Elise Salomon
Featuring Luis Arriaga, Gizzelle, the Rhythm Shakers and more
Logline: Wild Records is an La indie music label comprised of young Hispanic musicians, it is run by Irishman, Reb Kennedy. Wild is an unconventional family, reminiscent of the early days of Sun Records, all of its musicians write and perform 50s Rock ‘n Roll. If Wild is going to continue to grow and reach broader audiences, its current business model will cease to work.
Aftershock
(USA, 2012, 90 min)
Director: Nicolás López
Writers: Guillermo Amoedo, Nicolás López and Eli Roth
Cast: Andrea Osvart, Ariel Levy, Eli Roth
Logline: In Chile, a group of travelers who are in an underground nightclub when a massive earthquake hits quickly learn that reaching the surface is just the beginning of their nightmare.
Mission Park
(USA, 2013, 120 min)
Writer/Director: Bryan Ramirez
Cast: Jeremy Ray Valdez, Walter Perez, Fenanda Romero, Joseph Julian Soria, William Rothaar, Jesse Borrego
Logline: Four friends from the rough side of town grow apart when two are consumed by a life of crime, and the other two become FBI agents sent deep undercover – to bring down those childhood friends.
Shorts Film Showcase~
#Postmodem
(USA, 2012, 13 mins)
Writers/Directors: Lucas Leyva, Jillian Mayer
Cast: Jillian Mayer, Kayla Delacerda, Amy Seimetz, Arly Montes, Jesse Miller, Shivers Thedog
Logline: A comedic, satirical, sci-fi pop musical based on the theories of Ray Kurzweil and other futurists, #PostModem is the story of two Miami girls and how they deal with technological singularity, as told through a series of cinematic tweets.
@borschtcorp
Fireworks
(USA, 2012, 11 mins)
Director: Victor Hugo Duran
Writer: Kevin James McMuillin
Cast: Roger Cruz, Alberto Castañeda, Irene Sorto, Azucena Benitez, Edgar Vanegas, Julio Duran, Victor Hugo Duran, Kevin James McMullin
Logline: During the Fourth of July in South Los Angeles, a teenage boy and his brother scour the neighborhood for fireworks in order to win the admiration of a girl.
Twitter: @victorhugoduran
Clara Como El Agua
(USA, 2012 10 min)
Writer/Director: Fernanda Rossi
Cast: Kathiria Bonilla León, Sixta Rivera, Rubén Andrés Medina, Alfonso Peña Ossoria, Stephanie Quiles Reyes, Eyra Aguero
Logline: Clara is the only light-skinned and clear-eyed girl in an all-black neighborhood. Teased incessantly, the children claim her unknown father is actually a “gringo” tourist. However, Clara was told a different story, and to find out the truth, she will venture into the magical waters of the bioluminescent bay all on her own.
Echo Bear
(USA, 2012 6min)
Writer/director: Yolanda Cruz
Cast: Joe Nunez, Hugo Medina, Tzina Carmel, Donato López, Lobo Manet
Logline: Bear, a single gay Latino man in L.A.’s Echo Park neighborhood, looks for love online. Fearing traffic, he searches locally, but soon discovers how geographic convenience can turn to heartache overnight.
Vincent Valdez: Excerpts For John
(2012, USA, 12 min)
Directed by Mark and Angela Walley
Logline: Two years in the making, this beautifully shot and perfectly paced short documentary captures the creative process of painter Vincent Valdez, as the artist works on a series of pieces dedicated to a childhood friend John Holt Jr. an Army combat medic who died in 2009 after serving in Iraq.
El Cocodrilo
(2012, 15 min)
Director: Steve Acevedo
Writer: Alfredo Barrios, Jr.
Cast: Jacob Vargas Hugo Medina Shannon Lucio Manuel Uriza
Logline: A Mexican journalist and a cartel assassin collide in a diner, with tragic consequences for both.
Reinaldo Arenas
(USA, 2012, 3:29min)
Writer/director Lucas Leyva
Shark: Alberto Ibarguen Man: Epifanio Leyva
Logline: Told from the point of view of a dying shark, 'Reinaldo Arenas' metaphorically captures the current state of the aging Cuban-American exile community, many of whom have still not come to terms with the Communist Revolution that changed their lives forever. The film culls from various Cuban films and works of literature to create not a singular voice, but a feeling of a particular moment in time
@borschtcorp
Gabi
(2012, USA 20 min)
Writer/Director: Zoe Junco
Cast: Marisé Alvarez , Dalia Davi , Roy Sanchez Vahamonde , Aris Mejias
Logline: A Puerto Rican saying haunts single women in their 30’s: “If such a woman is not married by this time, she must be a slut, a lesbian, or a prude.” This is the story of that woman...
@gabifilm...
In part modeled after SXSW and Ted Talks, Hispanicize aims to be a digital multi-media launchpad and idea stimulating conference tailored towards Latinos. The event’s core journalistic DNA is confirmed by guest co-chair, Soledad O Brien, who just signed off on her morning CNN show capping off a decade of reporting for the news outlet. For the second year the South Beach setting will host yacht parties, beachside receptions, breakfast and lunch networking, and 100 plus talks, featuring such entrepreneurs in social media like the Latina Mom Bloggers, panels like How Brands and Agencies are Engaging and Collaborating with Latino Bloggers and Getting on Corporate Boards. The heavily sponsored event, (Procter & Gamble is the presenting sponsor) will include a Diversity Tech Leaders Summit presented by Sprint in which the lesser-known business stories of diverse tech and social media entrepreneurs who are making their marks in digital media will be highlighted.
I have to admit I knew nothing of Hispanicize up until a couple months ago. Curious, I went on the website and I found the lingo a tad superfluous and hyperbolic. Words like iconic and mighty are used to describe the young but clearly flourishing event. Then again, this kind of grandiose speak is typical Public Relations so it makes sense given it is a partnership with Hispanic Public Relations Association (Hpra) and the Public Relations Society of America (Prsa).
I reached out to the founder Manny Ruiz to find out more about the mission of the event and found his enthusiasm and excitement for what he considers a pioneering movement infectious. It’s hard to argue that this mass tech and entertainment crossroads gathering makes for an incredible networking opportunity. Ruiz called it a “Uniting of these industries to create a symphony” and went on to note it is much more powerful for bloggers to converge at the same place with journalists, marketers, digital, music and film innovators then if you had them out there individually and remotely. Before I knew it I was put in touch with with Roman Morales, the Film Showcase Organizer and I came onboard as Programmer for the film component. A big reason I stepped in was because I was particularly attracted to presenting Us independent Latino films to an audience heavy with social media influence and bloggers, to see if it would indeed create a higher level of buzz, publicity and exposure from the community.
Along with a special screening of Filly Brown days before its national theatrical release, this year Hispanicize will screen six features including the high profile sneak preview of The Weinstein Company’s Aftershock, the horror comedy produced and starring Eli Roth, directed by Chilean filmmaker Nicolas Lopez (Que Pena tu Vida, Promedio Rojo). Also, straight from SXSW the music industry and character-driven documentary Los Wild Ones about the Wild Records label and family of Mexican rockabilly acts. With the exception of Aftershock, all the films reflect a taste of the diaspora of unique, bi-cultural Us narratives, and notably are all first features. Three of the films, Blaze You Out, Filly Brown and Mission Park are being distributed by Lionsgate labels Pantelion and Grindstone Entertainment. Meanwhile, seeking distribution is Dreamer written and directed by Salvador born Jesse Salmeron, a poignant and timely story starring and produced by Jeremy Ray Valdez about an upwardly mobile American whose paralyzed by the fear of being deported. Los Wild Ones is also seeking distribution and should find considerable traction within and outside hard core music fan circles.
My personal pride and joy however has to be the shorts film showcase. Portraying visionary quests for identity, love, truth and legacy and created by multicultural emergent voices from San Antonio, Miami, La, NYC, Oaxaca and Puerto Rico. This is the medium in which to find provocative, daring and versatile young generation of fresh voices who you can expect will blow up big soon. To name just a few, the filmmakers include Jillian Mayer and Lucas Leyva of the Borscht corporation, Zoé Salicrup Junco, the filmmaker of Gabi who workshopped her feature script of the short at San Antonio’s CineFestival’s Latino Screenwriters Project, Victor Hugo Duran the Colombia Film grad whose short, Fireworks played at the La Film Festival last year and is currently shooting his first feature in Mexico called La Victoria, and Steve Acevedo, the director of El Cocodrilo which is a powerful and urgent film about a journalist played by Jacob Vargas on the run from narcos, who participated in NBCU Directing Fellowship.
I’ll try not to go all Spring Breaker debauchery when I head to Miami next week. I’m very interested in immersing myself in the Hispanicize program to cover the dialogue and scrutinize the impact so stay tuned for my report.
See below to check out full film list and links. Hispanicize will take place April 9 – 13. For information on how to attend and the schedule click here.
Blaze You Out
(USA, 2013, 90 min)
Writers/Directors: Mateo Frazier, Diego Joaquin Lopez
Cast: Veronica Diaz Carranza, Elizabeth Pena, Q’orianka Kilcher, Mark Adair Rios, Elizabeth Pena
Logline: An unyielding young woman ventures into the ruthless underworld of the town’s heroin trade in order to save her younger sister’s life.
Dreamer
(USA, 2013)
Writer/Director: Jesse Salmeron
Cast: Jeremy Ray Valdez, Isabella Hofmann, Cory Knauf
Logline: Joe Rodriguez is an All American young man. He’s amiable, well educated and attractive. He’s graduated from college and is working and excelling in his field. He’s on his way to achieving the American Dream. That is until his employer discovers his undocumented status and the life he’s worked so hard for begins to crumble around him. He must face the possibility of losing his livelihood, his family and even himself.
Los Wild Ones
(USA, 2013, 95 min)
Director: Elise Salomon Writers: Ryan Brown, Elise Salomon
Featuring Luis Arriaga, Gizzelle, the Rhythm Shakers and more
Logline: Wild Records is an La indie music label comprised of young Hispanic musicians, it is run by Irishman, Reb Kennedy. Wild is an unconventional family, reminiscent of the early days of Sun Records, all of its musicians write and perform 50s Rock ‘n Roll. If Wild is going to continue to grow and reach broader audiences, its current business model will cease to work.
Aftershock
(USA, 2012, 90 min)
Director: Nicolás López
Writers: Guillermo Amoedo, Nicolás López and Eli Roth
Cast: Andrea Osvart, Ariel Levy, Eli Roth
Logline: In Chile, a group of travelers who are in an underground nightclub when a massive earthquake hits quickly learn that reaching the surface is just the beginning of their nightmare.
Mission Park
(USA, 2013, 120 min)
Writer/Director: Bryan Ramirez
Cast: Jeremy Ray Valdez, Walter Perez, Fenanda Romero, Joseph Julian Soria, William Rothaar, Jesse Borrego
Logline: Four friends from the rough side of town grow apart when two are consumed by a life of crime, and the other two become FBI agents sent deep undercover – to bring down those childhood friends.
Shorts Film Showcase~
#Postmodem
(USA, 2012, 13 mins)
Writers/Directors: Lucas Leyva, Jillian Mayer
Cast: Jillian Mayer, Kayla Delacerda, Amy Seimetz, Arly Montes, Jesse Miller, Shivers Thedog
Logline: A comedic, satirical, sci-fi pop musical based on the theories of Ray Kurzweil and other futurists, #PostModem is the story of two Miami girls and how they deal with technological singularity, as told through a series of cinematic tweets.
@borschtcorp
Fireworks
(USA, 2012, 11 mins)
Director: Victor Hugo Duran
Writer: Kevin James McMuillin
Cast: Roger Cruz, Alberto Castañeda, Irene Sorto, Azucena Benitez, Edgar Vanegas, Julio Duran, Victor Hugo Duran, Kevin James McMullin
Logline: During the Fourth of July in South Los Angeles, a teenage boy and his brother scour the neighborhood for fireworks in order to win the admiration of a girl.
Twitter: @victorhugoduran
Clara Como El Agua
(USA, 2012 10 min)
Writer/Director: Fernanda Rossi
Cast: Kathiria Bonilla León, Sixta Rivera, Rubén Andrés Medina, Alfonso Peña Ossoria, Stephanie Quiles Reyes, Eyra Aguero
Logline: Clara is the only light-skinned and clear-eyed girl in an all-black neighborhood. Teased incessantly, the children claim her unknown father is actually a “gringo” tourist. However, Clara was told a different story, and to find out the truth, she will venture into the magical waters of the bioluminescent bay all on her own.
Echo Bear
(USA, 2012 6min)
Writer/director: Yolanda Cruz
Cast: Joe Nunez, Hugo Medina, Tzina Carmel, Donato López, Lobo Manet
Logline: Bear, a single gay Latino man in L.A.’s Echo Park neighborhood, looks for love online. Fearing traffic, he searches locally, but soon discovers how geographic convenience can turn to heartache overnight.
Vincent Valdez: Excerpts For John
(2012, USA, 12 min)
Directed by Mark and Angela Walley
Logline: Two years in the making, this beautifully shot and perfectly paced short documentary captures the creative process of painter Vincent Valdez, as the artist works on a series of pieces dedicated to a childhood friend John Holt Jr. an Army combat medic who died in 2009 after serving in Iraq.
El Cocodrilo
(2012, 15 min)
Director: Steve Acevedo
Writer: Alfredo Barrios, Jr.
Cast: Jacob Vargas Hugo Medina Shannon Lucio Manuel Uriza
Logline: A Mexican journalist and a cartel assassin collide in a diner, with tragic consequences for both.
Reinaldo Arenas
(USA, 2012, 3:29min)
Writer/director Lucas Leyva
Shark: Alberto Ibarguen Man: Epifanio Leyva
Logline: Told from the point of view of a dying shark, 'Reinaldo Arenas' metaphorically captures the current state of the aging Cuban-American exile community, many of whom have still not come to terms with the Communist Revolution that changed their lives forever. The film culls from various Cuban films and works of literature to create not a singular voice, but a feeling of a particular moment in time
@borschtcorp
Gabi
(2012, USA 20 min)
Writer/Director: Zoe Junco
Cast: Marisé Alvarez , Dalia Davi , Roy Sanchez Vahamonde , Aris Mejias
Logline: A Puerto Rican saying haunts single women in their 30’s: “If such a woman is not married by this time, she must be a slut, a lesbian, or a prude.” This is the story of that woman...
@gabifilm...
- 4/3/2013
- by Christine Davila
- Sydney's Buzz
Earlier this month the psychological horror anthology Sanitarium premiered during the Miami International Film Festival.
Directed by Bryan Ramirez, Kerry Valderrama and Bryan Ortiz, Sanitarium consists of three segments based on the particular patients of a mental institution that's being overseen by the sinister Dr. Stenson (Malcolm McDowell), who acts as the navigator through each chilling story.
With elements from "The Twilight Zone," "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," "Creepshow," and "Tales from the Crypt," Sanitarium explores the different narratives of the insane patients and the tales which led to their crazed states of minds. These accounts reflect hallucinations, imaginary voices and altered realities and include themes of the paranormal, the unexplainable and the mystical.
Sanitarium also stars Robert Englund, John Glover, Lou Diamond Phillips, Lacey Chabert, Chris Mulkey and David Mazouz. Recently Dread Central chatted with the directing trio behind the film for Indie Horror Month, who touch upon what inspired them...
Directed by Bryan Ramirez, Kerry Valderrama and Bryan Ortiz, Sanitarium consists of three segments based on the particular patients of a mental institution that's being overseen by the sinister Dr. Stenson (Malcolm McDowell), who acts as the navigator through each chilling story.
With elements from "The Twilight Zone," "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," "Creepshow," and "Tales from the Crypt," Sanitarium explores the different narratives of the insane patients and the tales which led to their crazed states of minds. These accounts reflect hallucinations, imaginary voices and altered realities and include themes of the paranormal, the unexplainable and the mystical.
Sanitarium also stars Robert Englund, John Glover, Lou Diamond Phillips, Lacey Chabert, Chris Mulkey and David Mazouz. Recently Dread Central chatted with the directing trio behind the film for Indie Horror Month, who touch upon what inspired them...
- 3/18/2013
- by thehorrorchick
- DreadCentral.com
Ivan Mora Manzan – Dir. Sin Otoño, Sin Primavera
LatinoBuzz: Ecuador hasn't historically had the output of films like Mexico or Chile, yet your film represents a new wave of films after being the first to receive a grant from Ecuador's 'National Film Council' – did you ever feel you would have to conform to a more conventional style of story telling because of it?
Iván Mora Manzan: I think if Cinema is being born, it’s better to be born free. I wanted to make an honest film, and risky in it’s form. I wanted it’s time structure and it’s visual language to be the reflection of the state of mind of the characters. The time is managed playfully, emotionally. The sound is frenetic, subjective. The acting is naturalistic. I’m determined to continue doing the same kind of films, even though it’s not in tune with the mainstream of current Latin American cinema (contemplative/quiet/rural).
LatinoBuzz: 'Sin otoño, Sin primavera' took five years to raise enough money to shoot and given that there's been less than 40 films ever made in Ecuador, was there ever a moment you thought it was impossible, let me find something else to do with my life?
Ivan: I never thought it would be impossible, but it turned into something longer and harder as the film progressed. The last two years I worked in parallel to 'No Autumn, No Spring' with my wife in a documentary that mixes a “film essay” with a family portrait, and I found that this might be an easier option to narrative fiction. At Cartagena Film Festival I listened to Paul Schrader and I was impressed by his view about how post-capitalist cinema will be freer to express a personal view in a more similar way to the individual process of creating poetry or being a songwriter.
LatinoBuzz: You are a trained pianist, what's the greatest soundtrack and score you've ever heard?
Ivan: As a musician is difficult to choose only one soundtrack: 'Goodfellas', '24hour Party People', 'The Hours', 'In The Mood For Love'. I really like the work of contemporary composers such as Jon Brion, Carter Burwell, Alberto Iglesias. If I have to choose just one it would be the score of the film 'There Will be Blood', composed by Jonny Greenwood, by it’s harmonic and acoustic reinvention of widely used instruments in classical cinema: the strings and piano.
LatinoBuzz: Who influenced you the most in making this film?
Ivan: The biggest influence comes from the immediate surroundings: friends and neighborhood. In cinematic terms the film has many conscious influences: Fatih Akin, Won Kar Wai, Fassbinder and Buñuel. Last two especially in their creative philosophies. The film also references local artists such as the three great painters of my city: Rendón Seminario, Tábara and Velarde. Also to some Ecuadorian films like Ratas, Ratones Rateros (by Sebastián Cordero), and Prometeo Deportado (by Fernando Mieles). The film is filled with tributes to global artists of punk rock music. Anarchy runs trough it entirely and maybe that dissident feature is what most influences the film.
LatinoBuzz: What's your next project?
Ivan: We have finished the documentary “The Great-grandmother has Alzheimer’s” about the encounter between my grandmother with Alzheimer's and my baby daughter, two people without memory, one memory runs out while the other begins. This documentary has been exhibited in 14 countries from Latin America through public broadcasting channels. I’m starting to develop two new projects, one fiction and one documentary. The fiction project it’s being written by my wife and is going to be a portrait of the female world, and I will direct it. About the documentary I want to keep it in the line of my previous work: intimate documentaries like a “film essay”.
Bryan Ramirez dir. Mission Park.
LatinoBuzz: You have an impressive cast, how important was it to have a Latino
ensemble when you wrote 'Mission Park'?
Bryan: Having a Latino ensemble cast was extremely important, because it’s
our story. Mission Park represents what I saw and could have faced
growing up. These guys exist, and are living proof of what the choices
you make in life can lead to.
LatinoBuzz: There's amazing African American and Latino talent coming out of Texas
right now – What did it mean to you to shoot in the city you called
Home? And why did you move back there as opposed to La or NYC?
Bryan: San Antonio is my city man. I write about things I know, and or
interest me. Mission Park is an actual area on the South Side of San
Antonio and I wouldn’t want to film it anywhere else. I have been
producing and directing here for over 10 years now. We have a love for
one another, a brotherhood and work ethic that you don’t find in a lot
of places. No one on set is ever there for the sole reason of a
paycheck. I did do the whole La thing though. I like the nightlife,
fancy lunches, and dinners, but at the end of the day, I love Texas. I
was born and raised here, and I feel as a Husband and Father that this
is the place I want to raise my family and build my shop.
LatinoBuzz: Jeremy RayValdez, Jj Soria, Walter Perez, Will Rothaar & Douglas
Spain... who is The Hulk, Hawkeye, Thor, Captain America or Iron Man?
Go!
Bryan: Jeremy is 'Hawkeye', he’s quick, sharp and witty. Jj is 'Thor', Big and masculine, but even a bigger heart when you get to know him. Walter is definitely 'Iron Man', smooth, tactful, and confident while at the same time caring about everyone around him. Will has to be 'Captain America', he’s strong where it counts and has those baby blues going for him. Doug is 'Nick Fury', keeps us in line and under control, but once that eye patch comes off and those margaritas start flowing… Watch out!
LatinoBuzz: Which filmmakers influenced you growing up and in making 'Mission
Park'?
Bryan: Martin Scorsese and the Scott Brothers have always impacted me. Their
unique style and ability to take you into a world unbeknownst to you
is beautiful, and specifically beautiful when it isn’t always supposed
to be. They introduce us to people and places and then give us the
emotions we feel as we watch their films.
Watch the Trailer for Mission Park: http://www.missionparkfilm.com/en/trailer
LatinoBuzz: Pick a novel set in Texas that you would love to direct as a movie.
Bryan: The Devils Odd’s by Milton T. Burton
LatinoBuzz: What's the next project?
Bryan: I just finished writing a psychological thriller titled For Jane! It’s
about the lead singer of a rising band who loves, and is loved by
everyone around him. With a troubled past and failing family, his
inner demons take over when he least expects it.
For more on Bryan check: http://www.irezproductions.com/
Written by Juan Caceres and Vanessa Erazo, LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on twitter and www.facebook.com/latinobuzz...
LatinoBuzz: Ecuador hasn't historically had the output of films like Mexico or Chile, yet your film represents a new wave of films after being the first to receive a grant from Ecuador's 'National Film Council' – did you ever feel you would have to conform to a more conventional style of story telling because of it?
Iván Mora Manzan: I think if Cinema is being born, it’s better to be born free. I wanted to make an honest film, and risky in it’s form. I wanted it’s time structure and it’s visual language to be the reflection of the state of mind of the characters. The time is managed playfully, emotionally. The sound is frenetic, subjective. The acting is naturalistic. I’m determined to continue doing the same kind of films, even though it’s not in tune with the mainstream of current Latin American cinema (contemplative/quiet/rural).
LatinoBuzz: 'Sin otoño, Sin primavera' took five years to raise enough money to shoot and given that there's been less than 40 films ever made in Ecuador, was there ever a moment you thought it was impossible, let me find something else to do with my life?
Ivan: I never thought it would be impossible, but it turned into something longer and harder as the film progressed. The last two years I worked in parallel to 'No Autumn, No Spring' with my wife in a documentary that mixes a “film essay” with a family portrait, and I found that this might be an easier option to narrative fiction. At Cartagena Film Festival I listened to Paul Schrader and I was impressed by his view about how post-capitalist cinema will be freer to express a personal view in a more similar way to the individual process of creating poetry or being a songwriter.
LatinoBuzz: You are a trained pianist, what's the greatest soundtrack and score you've ever heard?
Ivan: As a musician is difficult to choose only one soundtrack: 'Goodfellas', '24hour Party People', 'The Hours', 'In The Mood For Love'. I really like the work of contemporary composers such as Jon Brion, Carter Burwell, Alberto Iglesias. If I have to choose just one it would be the score of the film 'There Will be Blood', composed by Jonny Greenwood, by it’s harmonic and acoustic reinvention of widely used instruments in classical cinema: the strings and piano.
LatinoBuzz: Who influenced you the most in making this film?
Ivan: The biggest influence comes from the immediate surroundings: friends and neighborhood. In cinematic terms the film has many conscious influences: Fatih Akin, Won Kar Wai, Fassbinder and Buñuel. Last two especially in their creative philosophies. The film also references local artists such as the three great painters of my city: Rendón Seminario, Tábara and Velarde. Also to some Ecuadorian films like Ratas, Ratones Rateros (by Sebastián Cordero), and Prometeo Deportado (by Fernando Mieles). The film is filled with tributes to global artists of punk rock music. Anarchy runs trough it entirely and maybe that dissident feature is what most influences the film.
LatinoBuzz: What's your next project?
Ivan: We have finished the documentary “The Great-grandmother has Alzheimer’s” about the encounter between my grandmother with Alzheimer's and my baby daughter, two people without memory, one memory runs out while the other begins. This documentary has been exhibited in 14 countries from Latin America through public broadcasting channels. I’m starting to develop two new projects, one fiction and one documentary. The fiction project it’s being written by my wife and is going to be a portrait of the female world, and I will direct it. About the documentary I want to keep it in the line of my previous work: intimate documentaries like a “film essay”.
Bryan Ramirez dir. Mission Park.
LatinoBuzz: You have an impressive cast, how important was it to have a Latino
ensemble when you wrote 'Mission Park'?
Bryan: Having a Latino ensemble cast was extremely important, because it’s
our story. Mission Park represents what I saw and could have faced
growing up. These guys exist, and are living proof of what the choices
you make in life can lead to.
LatinoBuzz: There's amazing African American and Latino talent coming out of Texas
right now – What did it mean to you to shoot in the city you called
Home? And why did you move back there as opposed to La or NYC?
Bryan: San Antonio is my city man. I write about things I know, and or
interest me. Mission Park is an actual area on the South Side of San
Antonio and I wouldn’t want to film it anywhere else. I have been
producing and directing here for over 10 years now. We have a love for
one another, a brotherhood and work ethic that you don’t find in a lot
of places. No one on set is ever there for the sole reason of a
paycheck. I did do the whole La thing though. I like the nightlife,
fancy lunches, and dinners, but at the end of the day, I love Texas. I
was born and raised here, and I feel as a Husband and Father that this
is the place I want to raise my family and build my shop.
LatinoBuzz: Jeremy RayValdez, Jj Soria, Walter Perez, Will Rothaar & Douglas
Spain... who is The Hulk, Hawkeye, Thor, Captain America or Iron Man?
Go!
Bryan: Jeremy is 'Hawkeye', he’s quick, sharp and witty. Jj is 'Thor', Big and masculine, but even a bigger heart when you get to know him. Walter is definitely 'Iron Man', smooth, tactful, and confident while at the same time caring about everyone around him. Will has to be 'Captain America', he’s strong where it counts and has those baby blues going for him. Doug is 'Nick Fury', keeps us in line and under control, but once that eye patch comes off and those margaritas start flowing… Watch out!
LatinoBuzz: Which filmmakers influenced you growing up and in making 'Mission
Park'?
Bryan: Martin Scorsese and the Scott Brothers have always impacted me. Their
unique style and ability to take you into a world unbeknownst to you
is beautiful, and specifically beautiful when it isn’t always supposed
to be. They introduce us to people and places and then give us the
emotions we feel as we watch their films.
Watch the Trailer for Mission Park: http://www.missionparkfilm.com/en/trailer
LatinoBuzz: Pick a novel set in Texas that you would love to direct as a movie.
Bryan: The Devils Odd’s by Milton T. Burton
LatinoBuzz: What's the next project?
Bryan: I just finished writing a psychological thriller titled For Jane! It’s
about the lead singer of a rising band who loves, and is loved by
everyone around him. With a troubled past and failing family, his
inner demons take over when he least expects it.
For more on Bryan check: http://www.irezproductions.com/
Written by Juan Caceres and Vanessa Erazo, LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on twitter and www.facebook.com/latinobuzz...
- 3/13/2013
- by Juan Caceres
- Sydney's Buzz
Valentine's Day is here! For some, it's a day full of joy and hubris, where cherubs are your local baristas complete with handle-bar mustaches. It's a day you ride unicorns to work and nothing will get in the way of you delivering those flowers you fought for like “This is Sparta”. This day your wildest dreams will be exceeded and you may even get a marriage proposal! Nothing can top this feeling of euphoria – not even Luther Vandross singing 'Always and Forever’ to a bunch of dolphins can top that sh*t... And then there's those for whom the day is abhorrent and full of rue. It's like a herpes breakout - an embarrassing reminder that somewhere you went wrong (like the time you proposed on Valentines Day). A catalog of memories of past failed romances, all accumulating in one day. You wish you had been 'catfished', so you would have never met them at all... Anyways, LatinoBuzz got to chop it up with young Latino Hollywood about their most romantic films, their cine-crush and in the spirit of los haters de San Valentin: their worst date!
“I think I'll have to say Natalie Portman in 'Garden State'. 'Love her in that. Maybe minus the helmet and epilepsy but I think I'd be able to deal with it. Something about a beautiful woman that can make me laugh. My favorite romantic film has to be Charlie Chaplin's 'City Lights' - Beautiful! One of my favorite movies ever, and not a word is spoken. I remember seeing it at the age of 16 for the first time and it made my heart explode. And 'Pretty in Pink' always makes me feel like I'm 'Duckie' at heart” - Jorge Diaz, 'Love, Concord', 'Filly Brown'
“My worst Valentine's date was when my ex-boyfriend spent the day with his best friend instead of me because his best friend's birthday is on Valentine's Day. He tried to make up for this by scheduling our date for February 13th instead of the 14th. He had a nice dinner date and a movie planned but his best friend (the birthday boy) and his other friends crashed our entire date and took over. Dinner was awkward and the birthday boy joined us after and even chose the movie. The worst was what happened during the movie, I decided to lay my head on his shoulder and because I was wearing a hat he couldn't see my eyes and he thought that I had fallen asleep. His phone received a text message from a girl that read "Happy Valentines baby! Miss you and care about you. You're very special, I hope your girl knows what she got". And that's when I found out he had been cheating on me!!!” - Francia Raisa, 'Chastity Bites'.
“Favorite Romantic Film: 'The Umbrellas of Cherbourg' is probably the most romantic story I have ever seen. This film moves me in a way no other film has. No matter how many times I see it I always cry and that to me is wonderful. It is a story of impossible love accompanied by the most beautiful music and color. Although the main characters do not end up together, the film shows their early stages of love and courtship so beautifully. One can be so lucky to experience such hope and blissfulness, even for just a moment. It is anything but predictable just the way life and love really is” - Diane Guerrero, 'Emoticon'
“Lou Diamond Philips as Richie Valens in 'La Bamba'. I dreamt of him serenading me to "Oh Donna" when I was younger. I still swoon at the thought of it. Lou is so young, handsome, and hopeful and "Richie Valens" is such a tragic hero. To have a man write and sing you songs, I mean come on, it doesn't get anymore dreamy than that. I married a poet and he writes me poems, I guess I made my dream come true!” -Julia Grob, 'East WillyB'
“I was once set up on the worst blind date ever. It was like eating dinner with Dr. Jekyll and Mrs Hyde. One minute she was trying to wine and dine me and the next she was throwing every insult you can imagine my way. It was very confusing” - Roberto Aguirre, 'Struck By Lightning'
“My crush would be Salma Hayek... Come on now, do I really need to say any more? She's perfection” - Joseph Julian Soria, 'Army Wives', 'Mission Park'
“My favorite romantic movie is 'True Romance'. Always. A reckless love story. When two unlikely lovers cross paths and fall madly in love in record time and he fights to the death for her freedom from her pimp so they can run away together with millions of dollars worth of drug money!? Oh! My heart melts” - Alicia Sixtos, 'East Los High'
“My perfect cine girlfriend would have to be Kate Winslet! She is not only stunning, but also ridiculously talented and the British accent doesn't hurt either. She had me at Titanic! And 'King Kong' is the most romantic film of all time! There is nothing more touching that the love of a giant gorilla and Jessica Lange. Lol! Seriously, 'Out of Africa' is my favorite romantic film. How can you beat Robert Redford and Meryl Streep, and the music by Stephan Grimes really punctuates a beautiful true story” - Jeremy Ray Valdez, 'Mission Park', 'H.O.M.E'
“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Just a great film! We all wish we could forget that someone who may have caused us pain. It's a bitter sweet movie and bitter sweet is what love is all about”- Rayniel Rufino, 'Trouble in the Heights'
“Lisa Bonet circa late 80's early 90's, hands down! I think she's just gorgeous. Everything about her screams Take Me On A Date Ej! I have an agreement with my girlfriend. I'm allowed to cheat on her with early 90s Bonet” - E.J . Bonilla, 'Four', 'The House That Jack Built'
“My favorite film is 'Big Fish' by Tim Burton and although it's not a traditional romantic film, it definitely showcases “Love” the way I like to think it truly is. That movie inspires me every time I watch it. Ewan McGregor is the perfect leading man in this film and it makes me believe in love at first sight. My worst date ever would have to include too much Pda. There is nothing more unattractive than two people in public doing what should be done in private. I also would be tortured if I went on a date with someone who smells bad and talked only about themselves haha!” - Denise Bidot, 'Curvy Girls', 'Habla'
“Matt Bomer!!! Oh wait, I'm barking up the wrong tree aren't I? But goodness, look at that face! My fave romantic film is definitely Dirty Dancing. It's actually my favorite movie, period. I don't care if I sound cheesy or corny, I've loved that movie ever since I can remember. Yes, I watched it as a kid and my mom would make me close my eyes during certain parts. It's nice to be able to watch the full movie now, even though I still feel like someone's telling me "cover your eyes" sometimes haha.” - Janine Larina, 'East Los High'
“I can say, best boyfriend from any era of film would have to be the dude from the movie 'The Princess Bride'! What's that dudes name? Oh, he was so delicious and heroic! Chivalry at its best! I don't admire men often but when I do it's the dude from 'The Princess Bride'. Omg Worst Date Ever was with this dude about 2 years ago! I want to say his name only for the small, minute, almost impossible possibility that he would read this because he should know how awful it was! But alas I won't! He took me to this bar, Village Idiot, for dinner and if tossing his car keys to the valet while he walked in the joint (keys that were definitely not caught by valet) wasn't obnoxious enough, he then told the hostess "best table, they know me here" except No they didn't! We proceed to sit down and he goes on this rant about how much money he has, who he knows and why he is the ultimate La bachelor! As I sit there stirring in my contempt for this over the top ridiculous man, he stops and says "Well it's not ladylike to look so ugly, smile at least!" I wanted to stab him with my fork! I respond "Well I usually smile when I'm happy, entertained, excited and I'm none of those right now. I would like to leave...now" and with that I dropped cash on the table and walked right out. Worst date ever! Gina Rodriguez, 'Filly Brown', 'Sleeping with the Fishes'
“It'd have to be January Jones and of course, in the Mad Men era. What is that, the 60's right? I love the show but also hate it because Don Driver gets to come home to her. There's something about how patient and loving she is. Such a soothing voice. I'd let her talk my ear off”- Walter Perez, 'Mission Park'
“My favorite romantic film would definitely be 'Amelie', because it's about a young girl on a journey fueled by love, the love of helping others selflessly and in the midst of it all, she falls in love with a quirky guy who collects photo booth pictures. It's a sweet little unique story, not to mention it was such a musical inspiration for me, I can play majority of the songs from it on the piano - Just so lovely!!! I'd highly suggest adding it to your movie list”– Andrea Sixtos, 'Sunset Stories'
“The Wedding Planner, because they were going down different paths but still ended up together. For awhile after I watched the movie I would only eat the brown M&Ms haha! And worst date, one Valentines Day I was supposed go out with my boyfriend, he picked me up and when we got in the car we had a huge fight and broke up. So the date just made it to the drive way” - Chelsea Rendon, 'A Better Life', 'Kill Kapone'
“Andy Garcia in 'When a man loves a woman' and the worst date ever was the time when this guy took me out and tried to get me drunk so he could hit it. He left me stranded on 6th Street in Austin Texas” - Corina Calderon, 'All She Can', 'End of Watch'
“I had two horrible dates with the same person. The first date we went to a karaoke bar and he got sexually molested by his ex-girlfriend. He told me about it and he felt really uncomfortable. He wanted to leave and I wanted to confront her. So we stayed and I took her outside and she and I exchanged words. We agreed to be civil, but I missed my turn and never got to sing. The second horrible date happened a couple months into our relationship. We went to 'Lucky Strike' for a birthday party and ran into another ex-girlfriend who swore they were meant to be together and that he shouldn't be bringing me into her work. Long story short, I laughed and asked her to get me a coke. I never got the coke. After all that drama, we are still together and It only took him a over 1000 good dates to make up for those two” - Veronica Diaz-Carranza, 'Blaze You Out', 'Taco Shop'
Written by Juan Caceres and Vanessa Erazo, LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on twitter and www.facebook.com/latinobuzz...
“I think I'll have to say Natalie Portman in 'Garden State'. 'Love her in that. Maybe minus the helmet and epilepsy but I think I'd be able to deal with it. Something about a beautiful woman that can make me laugh. My favorite romantic film has to be Charlie Chaplin's 'City Lights' - Beautiful! One of my favorite movies ever, and not a word is spoken. I remember seeing it at the age of 16 for the first time and it made my heart explode. And 'Pretty in Pink' always makes me feel like I'm 'Duckie' at heart” - Jorge Diaz, 'Love, Concord', 'Filly Brown'
“My worst Valentine's date was when my ex-boyfriend spent the day with his best friend instead of me because his best friend's birthday is on Valentine's Day. He tried to make up for this by scheduling our date for February 13th instead of the 14th. He had a nice dinner date and a movie planned but his best friend (the birthday boy) and his other friends crashed our entire date and took over. Dinner was awkward and the birthday boy joined us after and even chose the movie. The worst was what happened during the movie, I decided to lay my head on his shoulder and because I was wearing a hat he couldn't see my eyes and he thought that I had fallen asleep. His phone received a text message from a girl that read "Happy Valentines baby! Miss you and care about you. You're very special, I hope your girl knows what she got". And that's when I found out he had been cheating on me!!!” - Francia Raisa, 'Chastity Bites'.
“Favorite Romantic Film: 'The Umbrellas of Cherbourg' is probably the most romantic story I have ever seen. This film moves me in a way no other film has. No matter how many times I see it I always cry and that to me is wonderful. It is a story of impossible love accompanied by the most beautiful music and color. Although the main characters do not end up together, the film shows their early stages of love and courtship so beautifully. One can be so lucky to experience such hope and blissfulness, even for just a moment. It is anything but predictable just the way life and love really is” - Diane Guerrero, 'Emoticon'
“Lou Diamond Philips as Richie Valens in 'La Bamba'. I dreamt of him serenading me to "Oh Donna" when I was younger. I still swoon at the thought of it. Lou is so young, handsome, and hopeful and "Richie Valens" is such a tragic hero. To have a man write and sing you songs, I mean come on, it doesn't get anymore dreamy than that. I married a poet and he writes me poems, I guess I made my dream come true!” -Julia Grob, 'East WillyB'
“I was once set up on the worst blind date ever. It was like eating dinner with Dr. Jekyll and Mrs Hyde. One minute she was trying to wine and dine me and the next she was throwing every insult you can imagine my way. It was very confusing” - Roberto Aguirre, 'Struck By Lightning'
“My crush would be Salma Hayek... Come on now, do I really need to say any more? She's perfection” - Joseph Julian Soria, 'Army Wives', 'Mission Park'
“My favorite romantic movie is 'True Romance'. Always. A reckless love story. When two unlikely lovers cross paths and fall madly in love in record time and he fights to the death for her freedom from her pimp so they can run away together with millions of dollars worth of drug money!? Oh! My heart melts” - Alicia Sixtos, 'East Los High'
“My perfect cine girlfriend would have to be Kate Winslet! She is not only stunning, but also ridiculously talented and the British accent doesn't hurt either. She had me at Titanic! And 'King Kong' is the most romantic film of all time! There is nothing more touching that the love of a giant gorilla and Jessica Lange. Lol! Seriously, 'Out of Africa' is my favorite romantic film. How can you beat Robert Redford and Meryl Streep, and the music by Stephan Grimes really punctuates a beautiful true story” - Jeremy Ray Valdez, 'Mission Park', 'H.O.M.E'
“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Just a great film! We all wish we could forget that someone who may have caused us pain. It's a bitter sweet movie and bitter sweet is what love is all about”- Rayniel Rufino, 'Trouble in the Heights'
“Lisa Bonet circa late 80's early 90's, hands down! I think she's just gorgeous. Everything about her screams Take Me On A Date Ej! I have an agreement with my girlfriend. I'm allowed to cheat on her with early 90s Bonet” - E.J . Bonilla, 'Four', 'The House That Jack Built'
“My favorite film is 'Big Fish' by Tim Burton and although it's not a traditional romantic film, it definitely showcases “Love” the way I like to think it truly is. That movie inspires me every time I watch it. Ewan McGregor is the perfect leading man in this film and it makes me believe in love at first sight. My worst date ever would have to include too much Pda. There is nothing more unattractive than two people in public doing what should be done in private. I also would be tortured if I went on a date with someone who smells bad and talked only about themselves haha!” - Denise Bidot, 'Curvy Girls', 'Habla'
“Matt Bomer!!! Oh wait, I'm barking up the wrong tree aren't I? But goodness, look at that face! My fave romantic film is definitely Dirty Dancing. It's actually my favorite movie, period. I don't care if I sound cheesy or corny, I've loved that movie ever since I can remember. Yes, I watched it as a kid and my mom would make me close my eyes during certain parts. It's nice to be able to watch the full movie now, even though I still feel like someone's telling me "cover your eyes" sometimes haha.” - Janine Larina, 'East Los High'
“I can say, best boyfriend from any era of film would have to be the dude from the movie 'The Princess Bride'! What's that dudes name? Oh, he was so delicious and heroic! Chivalry at its best! I don't admire men often but when I do it's the dude from 'The Princess Bride'. Omg Worst Date Ever was with this dude about 2 years ago! I want to say his name only for the small, minute, almost impossible possibility that he would read this because he should know how awful it was! But alas I won't! He took me to this bar, Village Idiot, for dinner and if tossing his car keys to the valet while he walked in the joint (keys that were definitely not caught by valet) wasn't obnoxious enough, he then told the hostess "best table, they know me here" except No they didn't! We proceed to sit down and he goes on this rant about how much money he has, who he knows and why he is the ultimate La bachelor! As I sit there stirring in my contempt for this over the top ridiculous man, he stops and says "Well it's not ladylike to look so ugly, smile at least!" I wanted to stab him with my fork! I respond "Well I usually smile when I'm happy, entertained, excited and I'm none of those right now. I would like to leave...now" and with that I dropped cash on the table and walked right out. Worst date ever! Gina Rodriguez, 'Filly Brown', 'Sleeping with the Fishes'
“It'd have to be January Jones and of course, in the Mad Men era. What is that, the 60's right? I love the show but also hate it because Don Driver gets to come home to her. There's something about how patient and loving she is. Such a soothing voice. I'd let her talk my ear off”- Walter Perez, 'Mission Park'
“My favorite romantic film would definitely be 'Amelie', because it's about a young girl on a journey fueled by love, the love of helping others selflessly and in the midst of it all, she falls in love with a quirky guy who collects photo booth pictures. It's a sweet little unique story, not to mention it was such a musical inspiration for me, I can play majority of the songs from it on the piano - Just so lovely!!! I'd highly suggest adding it to your movie list”– Andrea Sixtos, 'Sunset Stories'
“The Wedding Planner, because they were going down different paths but still ended up together. For awhile after I watched the movie I would only eat the brown M&Ms haha! And worst date, one Valentines Day I was supposed go out with my boyfriend, he picked me up and when we got in the car we had a huge fight and broke up. So the date just made it to the drive way” - Chelsea Rendon, 'A Better Life', 'Kill Kapone'
“Andy Garcia in 'When a man loves a woman' and the worst date ever was the time when this guy took me out and tried to get me drunk so he could hit it. He left me stranded on 6th Street in Austin Texas” - Corina Calderon, 'All She Can', 'End of Watch'
“I had two horrible dates with the same person. The first date we went to a karaoke bar and he got sexually molested by his ex-girlfriend. He told me about it and he felt really uncomfortable. He wanted to leave and I wanted to confront her. So we stayed and I took her outside and she and I exchanged words. We agreed to be civil, but I missed my turn and never got to sing. The second horrible date happened a couple months into our relationship. We went to 'Lucky Strike' for a birthday party and ran into another ex-girlfriend who swore they were meant to be together and that he shouldn't be bringing me into her work. Long story short, I laughed and asked her to get me a coke. I never got the coke. After all that drama, we are still together and It only took him a over 1000 good dates to make up for those two” - Veronica Diaz-Carranza, 'Blaze You Out', 'Taco Shop'
Written by Juan Caceres and Vanessa Erazo, LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on twitter and www.facebook.com/latinobuzz...
- 2/13/2013
- by Juan Caceres
- Sydney's Buzz
Matthew MacCaull (The Killing) and Ken Luckey (Mission Park) have been cast in Lifetime’s drama pilot American Housewife starring Melanie Griffith, who is executive producing with husband/producing partner Antonio Banderas. The Fox TV Studios-produced project centers on Leila (Griffith), a seemingly perfect housewife living the American Dream in an affluent neighborhood married to wealthy up-and-coming politician Stanford (Jeffrey Nordling) with whom she has three grown or almost-grown children. McCaull, repped by Pacific Artists Management, will play a quirky but brilliant campaign aide for Stanford, on whom Leila’s youngest daughter (Kacey Rohl) has a crush. Luckey, repped by Greene & Associates and Emerald Talent Group, will play the oldest son, a talented but somewhat unreliable artist and painter who is curious about his mother’s odd behavior. Brandon Jay McLaren has joined USA’s untitled drama pilot from White Collar creator Jeff Eastin. The project, also from Fox TV Studios,...
- 11/29/2011
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
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