The Visit A New Hit for Shyamalan and Blumhouse

M. Night Shyamalan and Jason Blum ©2015 Angela María Ortíz S.

M. Night Shyamalan and Jason Blum
©2015 Angela María Ortíz S.

It was a lively press conference with writer/director M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense) and producer Jason Blum (Paranormal franchise) about their new project together, The Visit.

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The sister and brother duo are fun to watch, they are played by Olivia DeJonge (Becca) and Ed Oxenbould (as younger brother Tyler) who go on a train trip deep into Pennsylvania farm country to meet their maternal grandparents for the first time. The “grandparents” are Deanna Dunagan (Nana) and Peter McRobbie (Pop Pop) who are creepily good. The other supporting actors are Kathryn Hahn (Mom), Jorge Cordova (Miguel) and Benjamin Kanes (Dad). The cinematography by Maryse Alberti (John Leguizamo’s Ghetto Klown) is beautiful to watch and this new Shyamalan film could finally be a long awaited hit.

To my surprise, I found this horror comedy to be quite funny and enjoyable. — A.O.

Ready for the Next Paranormal Activity…It’s Coming!

p10143620_p_v8_aaParanormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension 3D is in theaters this October 23. Starring Chris J. Murray, Brit Shaw, and Olivia Taylor Dudley and directed by Gregory Plotkin.

New Trailers

StonewallStonewall in theaters September 25. Starring Jeremy Irvine, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Joey King, Ron Perlman, and Jonny Beauchamp. And directed by Roland Emmerich.

The RevenantThe Revenant will be in theaters in November. The film is directed and produced by academy award winner Alejandro González Iñárritu with a cast that includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, and Will Poulter. Alejandro González Iñárritu and Mark L. Smith did the screenplay, based in part on the novel by Michael Punke.

Santana Dempsey Takes Center Stage

Santana Dempsey ©2015 Angela María Ortíz S.

Santana Dempsey
©2015 Angela María Ortíz S.

We’ve been a friend and a fan of actress/writer Santana Dempsey for years now–she’s even done some work with us. We celebrated her one-woman show last year, her co-starring role in Lifetime’s Megachurch Murder (available on Watch Instantly here), her guest star role on HBO’s The Newsroom, among so much other work. And we were especially proud when she was chosen for the lead in the Pasadena Playhouse’s production of Real Woman Have Curves by Josefina Lopez.

Real Woman Have Curves Banner

This is one of the first adaptation of the best-selling book and award-winning film, and the first with an all-Latino cast. It stars Blanca Araceli (FX’s The Bridge), Diana DeLaCruz (ABC Family’s Chasing Life), Cristina Frias (The Motherf*cker with the Hat at South Coast Repertory), and Ingrid Oliu (HBO’s Real Women Have Curves, Stand and Deliver). Director Seema Sueko made a perfect choice in casting Santana as a feisty, proud, and independent young woman whose humanity and energy cannot be denied.

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Angela Ortíz and Santana Dempsey

Angela Ortíz
and Santana Dempsey

We got a chance to sit down with Santana for a few minutes between her final rehearsals, where we talked her career since she came to L.A., her hard work and hard-won successes, and what’s coming next…

Real Women Have Curves plays September 8 through October 4 at the Pasadena Playhouse, one of Southern California’s most prominent showcases for new and established talent. Tickets are available online at PasadenaPlayhouse.org; by calling The Pasadena Playhouse at 626-356-7529; or visiting The Pasadena Playhouse Box Office.

Photos: ©2015 Angela María Ortíz S.

Sicario Goodies Came in the Mail Today, Thanks Allied Hispanic

Sicario2This action-packed film will have you sitting at the edge of your seat. The music score is intense which is perfect for this film.

Sicario cast includes Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, Victor Garber, Jon Bernthal, Maximiliano Hernández and is directed by Denis Villeneuve.

The film will be in limited release September 18, and in selected markets September 25, then in wide release October 2.

Three for the Three Day Weekend

The Transporter RefueledThe long weekend is ahead, and we found three films you may want to check out.

Tired Pinoy Loved The Transporter Refueled
The Transporter Refueled is unique compared to the other Transporter movies starring Jason Statham were Statham’s character takes control of the situation while this new actor (Ed Skrein) for Refueled walks into situations without knowing he’s in it. The rest of the cast are Loan Chabanol, Ray Stevenson, Radivoje Bukvic, Gabriella Wright, Anatole Taubman, and Tatiana Pajkovic.

Great movie. Seemed kinda short compared to the rest of the The Transporter franchise. But still a must see action-packed thriller! If this were rotten tomatoes I would rate it 7/10. —Tired Pinoy

Bloodsucking BastardsBloodsucking Bastards is a Horror Comedy
Here’s a quick description we found on the movie. Evan (Fran Kranz) must find a way to stop the evil brewing amidst the cubicles at work, rescue his workplace pals, and win back his girlfriend before his life and career go from dead-end to dead. That’s it, in a nutshell. There’s some funny stuff in this movie and we are happy to support a couple of our friends, Yvette Yates (Zabeth) and Patricia Rae (Sofia).

The rest of the cast are Pedro Pascal, Joey Kern, Joel Murray, Emma Fitzpatrick, Joel Murray, and Parvesh Cheena. And directed by Brian O’Connell.

You can watch On Demand starting this Friday, September 4 and in theaters too. —A.O.

Un Gallo con Muchos HuevosUn Gallo con Muchos Huevos Funny but Not for Kids
Un Gallo con Muchos Huevos is the first Spanish Language Animated film released in the U.S.—Panteleon is set to release it in around 400 theaters. I found it to be funny but more adult humor than kids humor, the film is voiced by Bruno Bichir, Angélica Vale, Omar Chaparro, Maite Perroni, Carlos Espejel, Ninel Conde, and Sergio Sendel.

The film is the third in a series of movies that follow the adventures of Toto (the young rooster). However, this is the first time that series is released internationally. It is written and directed by Gabriel Riva Palacio Alatriste —A.O.

The Walk Virtual Experience and Angela Ortíz

I was so ready to do “The Walk” movie IMAX Virtual Reality Tour it was too real for me and I had to walk away.

The film is on IMAX September 30 and in theaters everywhere else on October 9.

A Fun Day at the Los Angeles River

©2015 Angela María Ortíz S.

©2015 Angela María Ortíz S.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Los Angeles Conservation Corps and Friends of the Los Angeles River came together on Saturday to celebrate their partnership and the revitalization of the LA River. ©2015 Angela María Ortíz S.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Los Angeles Conservation Corps and Friends of the Los Angeles River came together on Saturday to celebrate their partnership and the revitalization of the LA River.
©2015 Angela María Ortíz S.

“Anchored in the south by the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge Complex and to the north by the Hopper Mountain Refuge Complex, the SoCal Urban Wildlife Refuge Project reaches deep into Los Angeles’ diverse urban core where the revitalization of the Los Angeles River is bringing back nature to urban residents.”

This post is personal to me, I grew-up in Los Angeles knowing the history of the Los Angeles River—I’ve walked parts of the river before the improvements and now we (family) enjoy some of the improvements that let us appreciate the flora and fauna along the way.

Having a great time with friends, artist/muralist Leo Limon, Angela Ortiz, Margie Hernandez and writer Elena de la Cruz ©2015 Anselmo S. Ortiz

Having a great time with friends, artist/muralist Leo Limon, Angela Ortiz, Margie Hernandez and writer Elena de la Cruz
©2015 Anselmo S. Ortiz

This past weekend, conservation partnerships held an event celebrating the revitalization of the Los Angeles River. Along with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Los Angeles Conservation Corps and the Friends of the Los Angeles River put this effort together as a part of the Southern California Urban Wildlife Refuge Project that reaches deep into Los Angeles, San Diego and Ventura’s diverse urban core.

I love their goal, to bring back nature to its residents and underscore the importance of wildlife and natural habitat conservation, which are essential components to sustaining healthy communities. Some folks may not know that the area around the LA River is 57% Hispanic so this effort is of particular importance to our community.

“With eighty percent of Americans now living in cities, there is an increasing challenge of how to connect current and future generations with National Wildlife Refuges and the outdoors. The goal of the Urban Wildlife Conservation Program is to reach into communities to find ways to connect urban youth with America’s natural wonders.”

For those of you in the Los Angeles area who have never checked out the river walk or bike lanes, it’s a great way to reconnect with nature in the city. — A.O.

Urban Wildlife Conservation: Southern California from Tandem Stills + Motion, Inc. on Vimeo.

Filmmakers Talk of Their Journey to the Screening Process

Pepe Serna, Jade Puga and Richard Montes ©2015 Angela María Ortíz S.

Pepe Serna, Jade Puga and Richard Montes
©2013 Angela María Ortíz S.

When filmmakers talk about their film projects, they are almost always optimistic and excited…at the beginning. Then the process take so much out of them that they can be left drained, tired and dissolute. But true filmmakers will keep going no matter what to bring their film to the screen.

Director Richard Montes and his partner in crime, lead actress/producer Jade Puga are two such filmmakers. I had the pleasure of participating in a great conversation with them and their lead actor/producer, the iconic Pepe Serna, as the difficult process of completing the film just as they were getting underway.

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The film Aguruphobia has been making the film festival route and has even garnered a “Best Comedy” award. The supporting cast includes Carlos Ramzey Ramirez, Marco Parra, and Lia Chapman. Now listen in on our conversation and check out some information on the latest screening in the Los Angeles area.

Audio-Button-200Aguruphobia screens Wednesday, September 2, at 7:30P, at Laemmle Noho 7. Veteran TV director Jesús Salvador Treviño will moderate a Q & A after the screening. Click here for more information on upcoming screenings.

“When internet Guru Nanak meets his biggest fan agoraphobic Crystal Luna, the two discover that searching for enlightenment can be dangerous…” —A.O.

Aguruphobia (2015) Trailer from SYS FILMS on Vimeo.

Our End of August Giveaway!

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse-MMMAnswer a Question, Win A New MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE: MICKEY’S MONSTER MUSICAL DVD!

The Disney folks have offered us 5 copies to give away to a few Mickey fans!

Would you like to win one? Then just click here to send us an e-mail with your answer to this question:

What year did Pluto the Pup (Mickey’s dog) officially debut?

We’ll draw the winners from all correct answers at 6P (PT) ON THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3.

The DVD will be out September 8, ready for Halloween.

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