L-r: Al Pacino and Steven Bauer Scarface
Scarface, 2 Fast 2 Furious, and a Revolution Marathon Show Us How Far We Have–and Haven’t–Come
It’s hard to believe it’s been thirty years–thirty years–since Scarface hit theaters, complete with all its ultraviolence and unpleasant stereotypes. It’s also hard to believe that even thirty years later it remains one of the most beloved Latino films of the last fifty years, despite all its flaws.
Miriam Colon Scarface
Purely by accident, Thursday night offers us three very different and equally watchable view of Latino Hollywood–a quick primer on how far we’ve come, and how far we have to go.
Pepe Serna Scarface
Scarface. We’ll avoid the long political screed, and just admit it: it’s fun to watch, especially veteran character actors like Miriam Colon, Steven Bauer, and Pepe Serna. But it is interesting: Colon is a major player in Bless Me, Ultima, released on DVD this week…Bauer is turning in an award-winning performance week after week on HBO’s Ray Donovan…and Serna is having a wonderful life and just received a major award from The Reel Rasquache Film Festival. If you want to relive the experience–or, if by some strange accident of fate, you haven’t actually seen it yet–it’s on IFC, complete and uncut, at 8P tonight.
2 Fast 2 Furious. Latinos have been part of the “Fast and Furious” franchise since it began, and Eva Mendes was a big, beautiful part of the second film in the series along with Amaury Nolasco, Mo Gallini, Roberto ‘Sanz’ Sanchez, and others. When it comes to action pictures, you can’t do much better, and the series continues even today, with each edition earning more than the one before. You’re pretty much guaranteed a great ride at 9P on Bravo.
Daniella Alonso Revolution
The Revolution Marathon. Daniella Alonso didn’t make it on screen until Episode Three, and–SPOILER ALERT!–she doesn’t make it to the end of the season finale, but she was absolutely one of the best things about this meandering pretty-post-apocalypse adventure on NBC. And JD Pardo was there the entire time, too. He may be back next season, while Daniella has move on to a new Fox series, S.I.L.A., with Miguel Sandoval and Belita Moreno. But you can watch all she has to offer to the powerless future in a Revolution marathon on SyFy, beginning at 8A and continuing uninterrupted ’til midnight.
From the stereotypical coke dealers of the eighties, through the timeless live-fast-die-young drivers of Fast and Furious, to the hero of the revolution–and Revolution–who sacrifices herself for the good of all…yes, Latino Hollywood has come a long way. And there’s so much more to watch–and accomplish–than ever before.
