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Holiday Films Are in the Works!

One of my favorite time of the year is the holiday season. I love Christmas for many reasons, especially my grandkids and grandnephews. We always find time to watch our old and new favorite Christmas …

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Watch the Featurette Wicked on Singing Live

After two decades as one of the most beloved and enduring musicals on the stage, Wicked makes its long-awaited journey to the big screen as a spectacular, generation-defining cinematic event this holiday season. Synopsis: Wicked, …

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Another Love Story in Honor of Domestic Violence Awareness

In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, here’s an impactful new film Another Love Story, now available for streaming on TUBI. This timely film sheds light on the emotional and psychological journey of domestic abuse survivors …

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Despicable Me 4 with One of My Little Minions

We enjoyed it! 

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It Was A Twisters Night

My #1 grandson and I screened the new #TwistersMovie last night. And it was a long overdue date, too. The film was much better than we expected. It had its excitements that kept you on …

Holiday Films Are in the Works!Watch the Featurette Wicked on Singing LiveAnother Love Story in Honor of Domestic Violence AwarenessDespicable Me 4 with One of My Little MinionsIt Was A Twisters Night

Gloria Garayua Talks Acting for True Beginners

Gloria Garayua and Angela Ortíz 

Gloria Garayua has been part of the television, film and live theatre scene for over 18 years. We’ve seen her on television, in commercials and in films, including recurring roles in Reckoning, Bounty Hunters, Wake Up America, Animal Kingdom, How To Get Away with Murder, and Grey’s Anatomy. She has guest starred in Snowfall, Criminal Minds, NCIS: LA, Weeds, Bones, Rizzoli & Isles and so many others. Now the actress and acting coach has created a video series that addresses the needs of true beginner actors, suitable for everyone from pre-teens to adults. 

Check out our conversation with Gloria. We talked about her new project, Acting for True Beginners, which fits her perfectly. We also had a little fun at the end, doing some screen shots.

“Why should you buy my series? Because I am not only an acting teacher but I am also a working actress! Check out Maid, streaming on Netflix now! I’m in episode 9!”
     Gloria Garayua

The series consists of 17 short individual lessons presented in lecture format with captions of key fundamental vocabulary. There is also a 10-minute video quiz for self-testing after the completion of the series. The series can be purchased for streaming as a self-guided study from the comfort of the actor’s home, and can be re-watched at the student’s convenience.

How to get the course:

• Go to gloriagarayua.com

• Click on “Online Video Series”

• Click on “Sign up for Online Video Series”

• Sign up for member access (free to sign up)

• Pay through credit card, Paypal, or Apple Pay

• Price: $29.99 / monthly streaming

• Free guidebook, download with purchase!

Live Theatre is Alive! The Nun and The Countess at CASA 0101

We rarely do pieces on live theater, but we wanted to share some information on Macha Theatre Co., The Nun and The Countess, which premiered at at Casa 0101 in Boyle Heights, on Friday, October 22. It was a SOLD OUT evening. The play has a limited run. Its last show is, Sunday, November 7, 2021.

The Nun and The Countess, is brought to you by producer, director, writer and award-winning playwright, Odalys Nanin. It is based on the novel Sor Juana’s Second Dream by Alicia Gaspar de Alba. And co-directed by Corky Dominguez.

Synopsis: This is the story of the passionate romance between Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz, a 17th Century Mexican nun and the Countess Maria Luisa de Paredes, Vicereine of Mexico. Nanin stars as legendary Mexican nun Sor Juana, who wowed a Countess (played by Genevieve Joy and alternate Lee Ann Gutierrez) with poems that still live today. Read the rest of this entry »

“Night of the Living WTF”?

“Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the DVD I reviewed in this Post. The opinions I share are my own.”

By Maud

All right, ghosts and ghouls, it’s that time of year when we ready ourselves with spooky vibes and spooky aesthetics–a time to scare the ever-loving bejesus out of your significant other or fellow hydro-homies with a choice of horror films and anthologies. 

Thank goodness the market is full of delicious, tantalizing blood-curdlers at your fingertips. But that doesn’t mean all of them are good. In fact, when it comes to this new “retelling” of a classic, I’d say ‘keep on searching, ’cause you ain’t gunna find satisfaction in Night of the Animated Dead. 

First I’d like to note that I am quite familiar with the original Night Of the Living Dead by the legendary George A. Romero and the many, many, M A N Y retellings that it has undergone over the last few years. I remember a time when they did a scene-by-scene live-cast of the, side by side. Live. You cannot joke about this–it was a BIZARRE experience. For those of you who have been living under a metaphorical boulder, Night of the Living Dead is a zombie horror cult classic where we briefly follow Barbara and Ben as they experience a horrific phenomenon and “try their best” to survive amongst the onslaught of somewhat intellectually functioning zombies–an effort that ultimately proves to be fruitless. You want the official synopsis? Sure:

In Night of the Animated Dead, siblings Barbara and Johnny visit their father’s grave in a remote cemetery in Pennsylvania when they are suddenly set upon by zombies. Barbara flees and takes refuge in an abandoned farmhouse along with stranded motorist Ben and four local survivors found hiding in the cellar. Together, the group must fight to stay alive against the oncoming horde of zombies while also confronting their own fears and prejudices.   

But enough about this introductory shit: lets get BRUTAL. 

First of all who the hell asked for this????? Like??? Who??? Whoever did, you were clearly deprived of any sustenance, love and affection. 

I’m all for a great animated story. However, this was just a gosh-darn waste of potential and most likely budget cuts being obvious as all hell. When I think of the word “retelling,” I think of a story being retold with some dynamic charm, or changes being adjusted into it without compromising the integrity of the story. Couple that with the freedom that animation offers, and you’d think there’d be some exciting scenes and key moments to see in this version.

No. No not here. Not today, Satan. 

In the beginning, I recognized the style. It’s somewhat akin the animated adult comedy series Archer but like…Bad. The bland voice acting and the kinda sorta Scooby Doo-esque stylistic choices that accompanied it did us no favors whatsoever. It seemed like the main focal points were just the background settings and the sprinkling of SOME Read the rest of this entry »

Panamanian International Film Festival Los Angeles Back In Person!

This is a film festival that I heartily support. They showcase so many different types of talent in the film and art world. And this year, I look forward to the collaboration of these two long standing film festival, PIFFLA and ELAFF.

October 8 @ RALEIGH STUDIOS

The Panamanian International Film Festival in Los Angeles (PIFFLA) and East Los Angeles Film Festival (ELAFF) come together as Take 2, the 2021 in-person edition, showcasing features, documentaries and short films from Latino filmmakers throughout the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Take 2 will also include live performances, youth workshops, industry panels and more. The Festival kicks off on Thursday, October 7 at Self Help Graphics in East Los Angeles with a full day of workshops for kids and teens and outdoor evening screenings.

Buy tickets for Self Help Graphics. Take 2 continues October 8-10 at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood. Purchase tickets for Raleigh Programs.

“With Take 2, PIFFLA and ELAFF are teaming up to amplify our shared cultural missions by engaging diverse audiences from the Los Angeles Latino community and far beyond,” says Carlos Carrasco, PIFFLA Founder and Creative Director.  “PIFFLA is in its 7th year and ELAFF has been connecting with the community since 2008. The festivals are partnering under the ELAFF non-profit umbrella.”

October 10 @ RALEIGH STUDIOS

“The East L.A. Film Festival continues its mission to heal children and their families through art and film,” says Juan Escobedo, director of the East L.A. Society of Film and Arts (TELASOFA). “We created the TELASOFA initiative because we believe in the relationship between creative arts and health outcomes. Through our partnership with PIFFLA, we’ve combined resources to expand services to the Boyle Heights and East L.A. areas by working with youth in producing art, photography and film.”

Carlos Carrasco
and Juan Escobedo

TAKE 2 PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS Click here to view entire program.

The Panamanian International Film Festival in Los Angeles is part of a collective alliance of film festivals in Panama, including The Hayah International Short Film Festival, Panama’s Low Budget Film Festival (Festival de Cine Pobre Panalandia), ACAMPADOC International Documentary Film Festival, Cine Animal, and Bannabáfest.

NOTE: In accordance with L.A. County COVID Guidelines, all in-person live events require audiences to wear a mask indoors. In addition to wearing a mask, you must present proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or a negative COVID-19 test taken within the last 72 hours, along with a photo I.D.

Update! Great news for the At Last Film

UPDATE: Not only did they reach their goal, the short has been doing the festival circuit for the past year. Now, on September 3rd, it will be streaming on HBOMAX. Congrats to all!

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

We don’t do a lot of these type of posts but when we do, it is because we believe in the project and the people involved. Read below and watch the video to find out more and hopefully you can donate to this project.

At Last is a film about a timid high school girl who reveals her truth during the most important night of the year, the prom.

The film is by writer/director Lorena Gordon (Times Like These, Lessons in Romantics). Here’s her statement: “I am the writer and director of, At Last. This is a personal film I wrote and am so passionate about making it and sharing it with an audience. I like telling powerful and compelling stories, and giving a voice to those who need to be heard and seen on screen. Film is such a powerful medium, and as a storyteller it’s our responsibility we use that power for good.” Read the rest of this entry »

Diary of a Future President Season 2 Streaming on Disney+

Diary of a Future President is a clever and sweet series and we are happy to see its return. Season two is now streaming on Disney+ with ten episodes.

Gina Rodriguez and Tess Romero.
(Disney/Christopher Willard)

Synopsis: Diary of a Future President continues the origin story of Cuban American and future leader Elena Cañero-Reed as she enters the seventh grade. Told using the narration of excerpts from Elena’s diary, this coming-of-age series and family comedy follows Elena through the ups and downs of middle school which set her on the path to becoming the president of the United States.

Created by showrunner Ilana Peña (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) and loosely inspired by Peña’s own adolescence, the series has been lauded for its authentic portrayal of a Latinx tween and her friends and family.

Tess Romero stars as young Elena Cañero-Reed alongside executive producer Gina Rodriguez who features as a grown-up Elena and reappearing throughout the season as Elena’s future self and conscience that guides her through middle school and towards the White House.

Diary of a Future President also stars Selenis Leyva as Elena’s mother Gabi, Charlie Bushnell as Elena’s brother Bobby, and Michael Weaver as Gabi’s boyfriend Sam. 

Keith Heisler and Molly Breeskin are executive producers alongside Peña and Rodriguez. Diary of a Future President is produced by CBS Studios in association with I Can and I Will Productions.

Marie Kondo is Back! Netflix August 31!

We’ve been waiting for Marie Kondo’s next series. And it’s here! I have to admit, we were hooked on her last series and made changes at home.

Kondo took the world by storm in 2019 with the debut of Tidying Up, a heartwarming series that introduced viewers to her signature KonMari Method, which encourages keeping only those things that speak to the heart and discarding items that no longer spark joy. Kondo returns to Netflix on August 31 with a brand new series, Sparking Joy With Marie Kondo, which finds Marie applying her method outside the home.

A Nickelodeon Event! A Drive-in Premiere of The Patrick Star Show and Middlemost Post

••• AROUND TOWN •••

My grandson Jimmy (#JimmityCritic) and I attended another Nickelodeon event, The Patrick Star Show and Middlemost Post double feature drive-in premiere.

 

From under the sea in Bikini Bottom to the mountain tops of Mount Middlemost, Nickelodeon is delivering colorful characters, stories and big laughs with these new series.

The Patrick Star Show, follow everyone’s favorite sea star at home with his family as he hosts an imaginary variety show that comes from the bizarre and hysterical depths of his own brain. 

The brand new series, Middlemost Post, follows the adventures of Parker J. Cloud and two best friends Angus and Russell as they deliver the mail and sunshine to the citizens of Somewhere.

#F9 is On Demand this FRIDAY!

Jet engine strapped to Go-kart in LA meets F9! To celebrate the On Demand release of F9 and the 20th Anniversary of The Fast & The Furious, YouTube filmmaker Devin Graham filmed a street race through Los Angeles between Dom’s Hellcat Charger, a Go-Kart with a Jet Engine on it and a remote control car recreating iconic moments from all nine franchise titles.

Video features Lyndrel Palm as the go-kart driver. It also features at the end from the Fast and Furious franchise: Tyrese Gibson, Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang, with Daniel Malakai doing the “radio chatter,” and Brittany Marsicek as the flag girl.

Own the Fast & Furious 8-Movie Collection on 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray™ and Digital on VUDU.

From the big screen to your screen, #F9 is On Demand this FRIDAY, July 30.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife New Trailer!

Ghostbusters: Afterlife, exclusively in movie theaters November 11th. Based on the 1984 film Ghostbusters. An Ivan Reitman film written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis.

From director Jason Reitman and producer Ivan Reitman, comes the next chapter in the original Ghostbusters universe. In Ghostbusters: Afterlife, when a single mom and her two kids arrive in a small town, they begin to discover their connection to the original ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind. The film is written by Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan.

Cast: Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Annie Potts, and Paul Rudd.

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