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 …
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, …
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 …
Despicable Me 4 with One of My Little Minions
We enjoyed it!
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 …
Beauty and the Beast Press Day in Photographs
All in all, I enjoyed the film. The music was great, it made me want to go back and watch the animated version again.
One of the things that bothered me was the time lapse close to the end; it felt rushed. But most won’t notice it and it will be a hit.
We thought we would share some images from our press day, a little performance treat we got with Josh Gad (LeFou), Alan Menken (songwriter) and Luke Evans (Gaston).
Present at our press day was Emma Watson (Belle), Dan Stevens (Beast), Audra McDonald (Madame Garderobe), Gugu Mbatha Raw (Plumette), and director Bill Condon. — A.O.
Photos: ©2017 Angela María Ortíz S.
The Belko Experiment is A Bloody Mess
If you enjoy bloody scenes, this horror film is for you. The Belko Experiment has enough funny and suspense to keep you watching. The guy behind it is no other than writer/producer, James Gunn, who told us about working with small independent film budgets compared to big blockbusters and what Guardian of the Galaxy 2 means to him.
They are many familiar faces in this movie, whose characters have to make some hard choices.
The plot: On what appears to be a normal day at Belko Industries, Belko employees are horrified when they find out that they’ve become guinea pigs in a company-wide experiment which will lead them to either kill their fellow employees or be murdered themselves.
We caught up with a few of cast; Sean Gunn, Michael Rooker, Adria Arjona who told us about the character she plays in the upcoming Pacific Rim: Uprising, John Gallagher Jr., and director Greg McLean. Now listen in on the fun conversations, just click on any of the audio buttons. The film also stars Tony Goldwyn, John C. McGinley, and Melanie Diaz.
The Belko Experiment in theaters March 17. — A.O.
Un Lugar en el Caribe Trailer
The story: Gael (José Zuñiga), a Latin-American writer travels to Isla de Roatán, Honduras to finish his novel and finds love at first sight. Sofia and her father missed their cruise and are forced to stay in the wonderful island—three love stories told around this magical place.
Honduran writer/director Juan Carlos Fanconi brings an international cast together for his latest project, Un Lugar en el Caribe (A Place in the Caribbean). Starring José Zuñiga (Honduras), Gabriela de la Garza (México), Lali González (Paraguay), Rodrigo Guirao Díaz (Argentina), Daniel Zacapa (Honduras), Ana Clara Carranza (Costa Rica), Jamie Bernadette (USA), and Gastón Pauls (Argentina).
Despicable Me 3 Coming this June!
Gru has a TWIN brother! Check out the trailer.
Cast: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Trey Parker, Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, Nev Scharrel, Steve Coogan, Jenny Slate and Julie Andrews. Directed by Pierre Coffin, Kyle Balda, and co-director Eric Guillon.
Despicable Me 3 will be released in theaters on June 30, 2017.
Disney•Pixar’s Coco Opens this Fall
In Coco, Miguel (voice of newcomer Anthony Gonzalez), despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (voice of Benjamin Bratt).
Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector (voice of Gael García Bernal), and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel’s family history. Directed by Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3) and co-directed by Adrian Molina (story artist Monsters University), Disney•Pixar’s Coco opens in U.S. theaters this fall.
Kong is King!
Kong: Skull Island was a good action film, lots of explosions and creatures to watch. I enjoyed the music and the throw back to the 70s and monster movies.
For our press day, I told Samuel L. Jackson that I thought his character was scarier than some of the creatures in the film. Brie Larson told us about taking a lot of the behind the scene photographs with her own camera and how she got into photography. Listen in to hear their answers to me. Including the other actors who joined us; Tom Hiddleston, John Goodman, Toby Kebbell, Jason Mitchell, director Jordan Vogt-Roberts, and screenwriter Max Borenstein.
Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, Brie Larson, Jing Tian, Toby Kebbell, John Ortiz, Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Shea Whigham, Thomas Mann, Terry Notary, and John C. Reilly.
All in all, I enjoyed Kong: Skull Island it was fun to watch and in theaters now.
Al Coronel, No Sign of Slowing Down for This Working Actor
I’ve known Al Coronel for many years and I’ve watched him work really hard on his craft. It is sure paying off.
This past year has seen him very busy with a recurring role on The Last Ship, guest roles on Jane the Virgin, NCIS: Los Angeles, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Secrets and Lies, and countless others.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Coronel has always been surrounded by the entertainment industry, but came to acting much later in life. Prior to his acting career, Coronel was a world-recognized dancer in the world of Salsa, traveling extensively to teach and perform at Salsa festivals and events around the globe.
He’s a military veteran, and he continues to support vets through the Veterans in Film and Television program, participating in many events for the members. He believes in giving back to the community and is very involved with Children’s Hospital LA; he is a co-host of their annual December blood drive.
In the video interview below, we finally got to catch up. Coronel is in the hit movie Logan, where he plays Federale Commander. Along with Logan, you can see him in USA Network’s Colony and CBS’ Training Day.
The Shack is About Love, Forgiveness and Moving On
The Shack plays like the book it was based on. For a faith-based film, it doesn’t feel like your usual brimstone and fire story. The approach they took on this film would make an agnostic feel the positive message. I do feel that some bible thumping believers may not like some of the positivity shown in this film cause it doesn’t show a heaven or hell. On the down side, I think Sam Worthington was missed cast as Mack, he should have been the good buddy and Tim McGraw should have played the lead character.
With that said, here’s a bit of the plot: The Shack takes us on a father’s uplifting spiritual journey. After suffering a family tragedy, Mack Phillips (Worthington) spirals into a deep depression causing him to question his innermost beliefs. Facing a crisis of faith, he receives a mysterious letter urging him to an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Despite his doubts, Mack journeys to the shack and encounters an enigmatic trio of strangers led by a woman named Papa (Octavia Spencer).
We had the opportunity to talk with the story author William P. Young. It was a lively and passionate talk with him. He talked about music and his next two books that will be films soon.
Octavia Spencer told us she would not have done the movie if she didn’t believe in the message it conveyed. The Academy award winner talked about how diversity in front and behind the camera, starts with films that are green-lit.
Radha Mitchell is Nan Phillips, Mack’s wife. She told us why she loves to mix up different film genres to work on. The Shack to her was about forgiveness and she realized that her character had a deeper connection than her husband character played by Worthington.
I always enjoy doing roundtables and this one was a really good one. Now you can listen in on the conversations.
Also starring in the film are Avraham Aviv Alush, Sumire Matsubara, Alice Braga, Graham Greene, Megan Charpentier, and the young Amélie Eve. Directed by Stuart Hazeldine.
The Shack, in theaters March 3. — A.O.
Alien: Covenant Official Trailer
Ridley Scott returns to the universe he created, with a new chapter in his groundbreaking Alien franchise.
The plot: The crew of the colony ship Covenant, bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise, but is actually a dark, dangerous world. When they uncover a threat beyond their imagination, they must attempt a harrowing escape.
Cast: Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Demián Bichir, Carmen Ejogo, Amy Seimetz, Jussie Smollett, Callie Hernandez, Nathaniel Dean, Alexander England, and Benjamin Rigby.
In Theaters May 19.
Blu-ray and DVD Releases
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE are COMING TOGETHER…Watch at home with your BEST BUBS again and again and again!
Add The Highest-Grossing R-Rated Film of All-Time to Your Marvel Studios Movie Collection when it arrives on Digital on October 1 and on 4K Ultra HD™, Blu-ray™ and DVD on October 22.
Experience all the laughs with hours of all-new exclusive bonus content including a gag reel, deleted scenes, filmmaker commentary and all-new featurettes!
Cast Ryan Reynolds (Wade Wilson/Deadpool), Hugh Jackman (Logan/Wolverine), Emma Corrin (Cassandra Nova), Matthew Macfadyen (Mr. Paradox), and Dafne Keen (Laura / X-23).
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Veep: The Complete Series. All 65 episodes from the 17-Time Emmy® Award winning series will be available to purchase on Blu-ray October 22.
Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment will be releasing the complete series. Get ready to binge on all 65 episodes (seven seasons) from HBO’s Emmy® award-winning original series, along with all the previously released special features. The political comedy series follows United States Vice President Salina Meyer (Julia Louis Dreyfus) and her incompetent team as they attempt to secure a legacy, but often instead become bogged down in day-to-day political games. Pre-order your copy today. Also starring Anna Chlumsky, Tony Hale, Reid Scott, Timothy Simons, Matt Walsh, Sufe Bradshaw, Kevin Dunn, Gary Cole, Sam Richardson, Sarah Sutherland, and Clea DuVall. The series was created by Armando Iannucci.
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The West Wing: The Complete Series for the first time ever on Blu-ray, in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the critically acclaimed series. Get ready to binge all 156 episodes from NBC/WBTV’sEmmy® Award-winning original series.
The brilliant political drama, following an extraordinarily intimate look at an American President and the inner workings of the White House, will be available to own on Blu-ray on October 1.
Widely considered one of the best series of all time, The West Wing remains a landmark achievement in television, earning 26 Emmys, including four for Outstanding Drama Series. With its sharp writing and memorable ensemble cast, the show continues to inspire audiences with its intimate look at the triumphs, sacrifices and inner politics of the White House.
Created by Aaron Sorkin who executive produced with Thomas Schlamme, and John Wells, The West Wing stars Rob Lowe, Dulé Hill, Allison Janney, Janel Moloney, Richard Schiff, John Spencer, Bradley Whitford, and Martin Sheen. The series was produced by John Wells Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.
The Complete Series Includes all 156 episodes from all seven seasons on 28 discs, plus over 20 commentaries, behind the scenes featurettes, unaired scenes, gag reels and more.
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HBO’s The Gilded Age: The Complete Second Season to DVD on October 1, 2024. The Gilded Age season 2 was recently nominated for six Emmy® Awards including Outstanding Drama Series. Indulge in all 8 episodes from the second season of the historical drama that won fans over with its charming cast and compelling storylines plus over 20 pieces of bonus content including never-before-released featurettes.
The Gilded Age season 2 cast includes Carrie Coon, Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon, Morgan Spector, Louisa Jacobson, Denée Benton, Ben Ahlers, Michael Cerveris, Kelley Curran, Taissa Farmiga, and more.
The American Gilded Age was a period of significant economic change, conflict between old and new systems, and fortunes made and lost.
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FRIENDS: The Complete Series in 4K Ultra HD for the first time on September 24.
This ultimate collector’s set features ALL 10 seasons from one of television’s most popular sitcoms completely remastered–plus all new bonus content!
Pre-order your copy now.
From Warner Bros. Television, FRIENDS follows the lives and loves of a close-knit group of friends living in New York City: siblings Ross (David Schwimmer) and Monica Geller (Courteney Cox), along with friends Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry), Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow), Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc) and Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston).
FRIENDS marks its 30th anniversary this year, the beloved TV series continues to hold an enduring place in popular culture and hearts worldwide.
Podcast
You can also listen to any episode of all of the podcast at thebradmunson.com
Ant-Man and the Wasp T-Shirt Swag
Angela Ortíz Having Fun as Ferdinand
Star Wars: The Last Jedi, BB-8 & Angela Ortíz
The Incredibles 2 Edna Mode and Angela Ortíz
Latinos in Hollywood Photo Exhibit
The invisibles by Edgar Humberto Alvarez