NewsTaco

By Victor Landa, NewsTaco

It’s surprising to think about it, 40 years since it happened, but when Bless Me Ultima was first published it was banned – burned in places. And here we are today, anticipating the premiere of the film adapted from the iconic Rudolfo Anaya novel.

The film is set to premiere next week, on the 22nd, in more than 300 venues across the country.

The story is set in World War II era New Mexico where a boy and a curandera form a relationship that defies rules, ponders tradition and helps the boy navigate the perennial battle between good and evil in his town and within himself. That’s the cover story, because this tale is about much more.

The cast, Luke Ganalon, who plays the boy Antonio, Miriam Colon who plays the curandera, and Benito Martinez who plays Antonio’s father Gabriel, weave a story about family and community that resonates through generations.

I had the opportunity to interview Luke and Benito recently via Skype and I spoke to them about their roles, about the movie, and the novel. My original intent was to edit the conversation into small highlights, but I felt that the interview in it’s entirety was worth a full listen – there’s so much to unpack in what Benito and Luke said.

By Melanie Mendez-Gonzales, ¿Qué Means What?

I recently heard Patsy Torres Lucero, Ph.D. discuss the findings of her dissertation on a sense of purpose. In summary,  her conclusion is that our sense of purpose is tied to our beliefs in spirituality and faith. What stuck out was that she said ‘spirituality’ not religion.

Sense of purpose greatly ties in to our personal identity. The story of BLESS ME, ULTIMA by Rudolfo Anaya will have readers (and now viewers) take a look at their identity in their culture, as a part of history and in their faith.

BLESS ME, ULTIMA is a story of the relationship between a young boy, Tony, and the curandera, Ulitma, who comes to stay with his family in New Mexico during World War II. Through her teachings of the spiritual world, Tony begins to question the Catholic doctrine, good vs. evil and most importantly, his own destiny and purpose.

My blog was birthed out of discovering my Latino culture identity as a 3rd generation Mexican-American. So, I anticipate seeing this movie in hopes that:

The universal coming-of-age story will resonate with everyone.

The Latino culture ties will remind us of who we are and where we come from.

“It is important for Latinos to go and watch this film because it is talking about us. We need to show the entertainment industry that we are a force to be reckoned with.” – Alex Nogales, CEO of National Hispanic Media Coalition. Watch this short video for more responses from Latino community leaders:

BLESS ME, ULTIMA will be in theaters on February 22, 2013 in select cities. Thanks to Arenas Entertainment, ¿Qué Means What? readers have a chance to win reserved seating at the early San Antonio screening on February 20, 2013 at  Santikos Silverado 16, 11505 W Loop 1604 N, San Antonio, TX 78250

Enter to win below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

This article was first published in ¿Qué Means What?

By Victor Landa, NewsTaco

If you’re like us at NewsTaco, you’ve got the 22nd of this month circled on your calendar.

That’s the day of the big release of the anticipated “Bless Me Ultima” movie.

In advance of the release several Latino leaders who’ve had the opportunity to preview the film were asked their take on why this particular movie is important, and why is shouldn’t be missed.

We’ll keep you posted on NewsTaco about special screening events, possible ticket give-aways and other surprises!

[Photo courtesy Arenas Group]

From the textmex obsessed imagination of Marc García-Martínez, textmex galleryblog

This article was first published in textmex galleryblog.

Marc García-Martínez is an associate professor of English at Hancock College.

[Photo screenshot courtesy Arenas Group]

By Michael Lopez, Huffington Post Latino Voices

Forget Hollywood and New York, right now the world’s greatest film mecca is Park City, Utah. From now until the end of the month, the city is hosting its annual Sundance Film Festival, which has brought out a host of stars and some very talented Latinos.

One of the most highly-touted movies of the fest is the Oscar-nominated No. This political drama documents the real life ousting of Chilean President Augusto Pinochetand is up for the Academy’s Best Foreign Language Film. Star Gael Garcia Bernal hit the Sundance carpet to promote the flick and strongly encouraged his fans to see it.

“This film talks about getting rid of a dictator or an oppressing government with democratic means,” he told the Sundance crowd. “It’s about a questioning. It’s a strong questioning.”

Another big hit at the fest is Narco Cultura, a documentary that delves deep into the world of Mexico’s narcotics traffickers. Focusing specifically on the troubled town of Juarez, this moving movie has interviews with crime scene investigators, victims’ families and even ranchero singers, all of whom have been impacted by the violence.

“I wanted…

READ MORE HERE

This article was first pubished in Huffington Post Latino Voices.

[Photo by rasdourian]

From the textmex obsessed imagination of Memo Nericcio

San Diego State University alum* Raquel Welch (née Jo Raquel Tejada), star of One Million Years B.C., and a regular on the Textmex Galleryblog appears here on the left. I love the way Wikipedia chronicles her memorable film work: “One Million Years B.C. is a 1966 British adventure/fantasy film in DeLuxe Color starring Raquel Welch and John Richardson, set in a fictional age of cavemen and dinosaurs. The film was made by Hammer Film Productions, and was a remake of the 1940 Hollywood film One Million B.C.. It recreates many of the scenes of that film (such as one in which an allosaurus attacks a tree full of children). It was marketed with the taglines “Travel back through time and space to the edge of man’s beginnings…discover a savage world whose only law was lust!” and “This is the way it was”. Location scenes were filmed on the Canary Islands in the middle of winter, in late 1965. The film was released in the United States in 1967.[2] ¶Like the original film, this remake is largely ahistorical. It portrays dinosaurs and humans living together, whereas, according to the geologic time scale, the last dinosaurs became extinct roughly 65 million years BC, and Homo sapiens (modern humans) did not exist until about 200,000 years BC. Ray Harryhausen, who animated all of the dinosaur attacks using his famous stop motion technique, has stated that he did not make One Million Years B.C. for “professors” who in his opinion “probably don’t go to see these kinds of movies anyway” (this was a comment he made for the DVD of the 1933 version of King Kong).”

Here’s an interview with Welch on her work on the movie:

This article was first published in textmex galleryblog.

William Anthony Nericcio, aka “Memo,” is the Director of San Diego State University’s ever-evolving MALAS program (The Master of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences)–a dynamic, interdisciplinary, cultural studies graduate program located near the U.S./Mexico border. Nericcio also serves on the faculties of the Chicana/o Studies Department, the Center for Latin American Studies and the Department of English and Comparative Literature at SDSU.

By Eduardo Sanchez-Ubanell, Voxxi

Host Seth Macfarlane and actress Emma Stone announced the nominations for the 85^th Annual Academy Awards last week. Though the flashy, high-profile categories of directing and acting did not feature any Hispanic nominees, many Latinos were honored for their work behind the camera.

Four Hispanics received Oscar nominations: Spaniard Paco Delgado for Best Costume Design for Les Miserables, Chilean Claudio Miranda for Best Cinematography for Life of Pi, Chilean Pablo Larrain for Best Foreign Film for No, and Jose Antonio Garcia for Best Sound Mixing for Argo.

The Barcelona-born costume designer Paco Delgado is having a particularly good year. His talent in costuming helped create a world of fantasy and drama in the new film Les Miserables.

“You just never know how a film is going to turn out or how your work will look. You are always so concentrated on the work every day. It’s not until the movie is finished that you can see the world you created.” —Delgado

Apart from receiving his first ever Oscar nomination yesterday, Delgado was also nominated for Spain’s Goya Award in Costume Designing for Blancanieves, an artistic, black and white interpretation of Snow White; and the BAFTA, England’s highest honor in film.

He explained the elation of receiving the news of his Oscar nomination: “I’m in Madrid when a friend called me and gave me the Oscar news. I’m very happy to be recognized. I’m trying to keep my head on my shoulders because if not… *laughs.” He insists, “Being nominated was never in the back of my mind.” Now, he is just enjoying the moment.

Hispanic film ‘No’ receives Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film

Chileans Pablo Larrain and Claudio Miranda say they are thrilled to be nominated as well. Larrain is nominated for his film No, which is in the running to win Best Foreign Film. For his work on Life of Pi, Miranda has received his second Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography, after his 2009 nomination for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

This is the first Oscar nomination for Jose Antonio Garcia who shares it with fellow sound mixers John Reitz and Gregg Rudloff. Argo received a whopping eight Oscar nominations and won big at the Golden Globes, taking home several awards including Best Picture and Best Director.

For Hispanics in Hollywood, the trend this year was off-camera work. Since the turn of the century, actors such as Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz, and Benecio del Toro have won Oscars for their work in front of the camera, but Hispanics are now a formidable force behind the scenes as well. As our influence in the industry continues to grow, the next few decades look quite promising for Hispanics in mainstream cinema.

Except for Chile’s No, you can still witness the incredible work of all the nominees on the big screen. Les Miserables, Argo, and Life of Pi are still playing nationwide.

The 85th Annual Academy Awards will be televised Sunday, February 24 on ABC.

This article was first published in Voxxi.

Eduardo Sanchez-Ubanell has always had a fascination with journalism and news. He is currently studying film and television production at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

[Photo screenshot by Oscars.com]

By Jack Rico, NBC Latino

Click on picture to read story.

[Photo screenshot courtesy jakethemovieguy YouTube page]

By Huffington Post Latino Voices

Despite disappointment among Latinos over the lack of Hispanics in this year’s Academy Awards nominations, many celebrate that four of their best in the film industry have been included in the coveted list.

Expected nominations like Javier Bardem as best supporting actor in the film “Skyfall,” who was already chosen as a candidate for the SAG awards, and Benicio del Toro for his role in “Savages,” left many wanting more. The Academy also declined to nominate Salma Hayek for “Savages” or Penelope Cruz, who starred in Woody Allen’s “To Rome With Love.”

In the fields of direction and cinematography, the snubs of director Juan Antonio Bayona for “The Impossible” and cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto for “Argo,” also came as surprises.

However, there is still much to be happy about. Chilean Claudio Miranda, selected for “Best Photography” for “Life of Pi” received his second Oscar nomination, after making the list in…

READ MORE HERE

This article was first published in Huffington Post Latino Voices.

[Photo courtesy MGM]

By Jack Rico, NBC Latino

Click on picture to read story.

[Photo courtesy Film District]

By Vanessa Erazo, Remezcla

Click on picture to read story.

[Photo screenshot courtesy Wolfe Releasing]

By Jack Rico, NBC Latino

Click on picture to read story.

[Photo courtesy Universal Studios]

By Jose Cruz, Our Tiempo

Like so many, we were shocked to hear of the untimely death of singer Jenni Rivera. Jenni was an icon in our community, know for her talent on the stage and her support of multiple issues effecting Latinos across the Americas.

Jenni is set to star in the 2013 film release “Filly Brown.” The cast and crew released this statement as well as a clip today in her honor-

We are shocked and devastated by the tragic loss of our friend and colleague Jenni Rivera. She was a uniquely talented woman and an inspiration to millions, especially those of us who were lucky enough to work with her. Though she’ll be remembered as an iconic singer, she was also a powerful actress whose full range of talents the world was just beginning to discover. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her children and family. — on behalf of the Directors, Producers, Cast and Crew of “Filly Brown”

The world lost an extraordinary talent in the realm of Judy Garland, Barbara Streisand, and Frank Sinatra, who took their singing artistry and became dramatic artists in film and television. Jenni Rivera was destined to surpass any artist that we have ever seen coming from the Mexican American culture. She was just starting. My love to her family, especially her children and her mother and father. –Edward James Olmos

Filly Brown will be in theaters, Spring 2013

This article was first published in Our Tempo.

Jose Cruz is a Puerto Rican/Irish multi-city/multi-hat guru at OurTiempo.com. An online entrepreneur, Jose is the in house editor and writer. With a background in politics and a career that includes a law degree, the Clinton White House and managing and developing websites geared at the Latino community, his tastes are as diverse as his work. Just at home diving into a Chicago Deep Dish Pizza to munching on a Fish Taco in East LA. Twitter: @JoseCruz2000

[Photo by Julio Enriquez]

By Latino Rebels

In October, we ran a piece called “Now Ben Affleck Is Latino: Another Lost Opportunity for Hollywood.” As we tried to stray away from the “we’re offended” line that many of our critics tossed our way (because that was not the point of the piece, if people actually took the time to read it and not react to a headline on a social stream), we were encouraged to see a real dialogue happening about the simple question: why did Ben Affleck, the film’s director, cast himself to play the role of CIA hero Tony Mendez?

Now, we won’t get into the reasons here, and if you really want to read a very passionate and intelligent post about the issue, check out what award-winning producer and entertainment executive Moctesuma Esparza had to say about Affleck’s casting choices: “In Argo we have yet another instance where the public has been denied of an opportunity for all Americans to learn of an American Latino’s valor, talent and patriotism. This occurs because there has been no consequence to this behavior. It is time for a change.” You should read what he has to say before we dive into the “there goes those offended Latinos” critique, which quite frankly, is such a simplistic critique that it adds nothing to the dialogue.

Tonight, the official blog of the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA), published a guest post by María Nieto where Affleck finally addresses the question himself. Here is what Nieto wrote and what Affleck said:

At a recent industry screening of Argo, I asked the film’s director and lead actor, Ben Affleck, and screenwriter, Chris Terrio, the following question during the screening’s Q&A portion: “As a Latina writer, I’ve been following some of the issues that have been raised around your playing Tony Mendez and I’m wondering if… in the conversations between yourself and Chris– and Tony Mendez himself– was the ethnicity of the character essential to the role?” Affleck candidly responded as follows: “That’s a good question. You know, I obviously went to Tony and sought his approval…was the first thing. And Tony does not have, I don’t know what you would say, a Latin/Spanish accent, of any kind really, and… you know you wouldn’t necessarily select him out of a line of ten people and go ‘This guy’s Latino.’ So I didn’t feel as though I was violating some thing, where, here’s this guy who’s clearly ethnic in some way and it’s sort of being whitewashed by Ben Affleck the actor. I felt very comfortable that if Tony was cool with it, I was cool with it.” Chris Terrio then added, “He’s fourth generation. Which was another interesting thing for me… to say that there are Latinos in this country… who… he was here long before my family was, certainly, being Italian-American and Irish-American. It’s funny that, at least in my mind, you hear the name Mendez and you think New American… at least I do living in New York. But, in fact, Tony has American creds that go much deeper into American history than I do.”

You can (and should read) the rest of Nieto’s post here because it speaks to a clear misunderstanding of what it is to be a US Latino in the 21st century. There is still a lot of work to be done, and we agree 100% with Nieto when she writes the following:

Whether you agree with them or not, Affleck and Terrio’s responses offer a true insight into the ways that “Latino” is viewed by those outside of our Latino community. For me, the most interesting and unexpected aspect to their conversation was that of Mendez’s American nationality and the way in which that seems– at least for them– to be a different and separate issue from his Latino heritage. Affleck’s reference to not having to be Croatian to play Croatian seems to make the case for nationality vs. race vs. ethnicity. It is a triple issue that is particularly meaningful for Latinos given that we are not of any one race, but rather of an “ethnic origin” that can– and does– belong to any number of nationalities… including American. Further, given Mendez’s long roots in this country it would seem to make him more “American” and, possibly, less truly Latino than some New Americans, in their eyes. What seems to be implied here is that in being such a true American, one with very far-off, distant roots to his Latino heritage, he is able to be played by any other American– so long as he had not retained any particular ethnic accent and/or a specifically “Latino Look.” It seems to be understood that if he had retained some aspect of ethnicity either in physical bearing or in a spoken accent, then that would definitely be understood to be a “whitewashing” and would be deemed both ridiculous and contemptible.

Those points resonate with us. A lot. And we encourage you to read all of Nieto’s post. It is one that should not be missed. She is a rockstar for asking the question and getting an answer. Now we know where Affleck stands, and he still misses the point.

This article was first published in Latino Rebels.

The Latino Rebels are a collective of social media influentials, bloggers, marketers, journalists, poets, writers, producers, photographers, and marketers. We use humor, commentary, opinions, independent stories, cross-links to others blogs, and our social media platforms to share our universe.