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 …
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Has Given Us The Force Back
By Lina Fubar and Monique Contreras
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a refreshing take on the franchise, shedding light on the whole reason why Star Wars became so memorable.
Director Gareth Edwards and writers Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy pay homage to the initial trilogy in so many ways.
The level of overacting, SFX, sound, and classic CG graphics used—truly provides a sense of respect and truth to the saga.
Diversity was one striking element in this film.
Diego Luna (Cassian Andor), Forest Whitaker (Saw Gerrera), and Donnie Yen (Chirrut Îmwe) in particular was fantastic not only in stunts but in performance.
The films pacing starts off slow and not all characters were utilized as much as we would have loved. But we still enjoyed it.
Fans of Star Wars and newcomers alike, this is a definite see and a perfect place to start.
The stars of the film are Felicity Jones, Alan Tudyk, Wen Jiang, Ben Mendelsohn, Riz Ahmed, Mads Mikkelsen, Jimmy Smits, Ben Daniels, and Genevieve O’Reilly.
To Be One with the Force in Hopes of a Better tomorrow.
Denzel Washington’s Fences is a Must See!
By Soraya G. Machado-Powell
Fences is a film produced and directed by Denzel Washington and based on August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize winning play.
Fences, is brought to life by a stellar performance by Denzel Washington (Troy Maxson) and Viola Davis (Rose). Troy Maxson is a garbage man who fights through the racial injustice of the 1950’s as well as through his own personal and social inadequacies in order to provide for his family. Though he is consumed by the bitterness of racial tensions and enraged by the hand that was dealt to him, he sees the world through it all. Washington’s performance masterfully pulls you into the web of his complex character, leaving you torn between commiserating with him or despising him because of how tough and sometimes unreasonable he is, in a totally relatable way.
But the movie wouldn’t work without Davis balancing him out. Rose has suffered as much as Troy, if not, more than he has. But she is not consumed by the anger. In fact, she shows love for those around her, including Troy’s mentally disabled brother Gabriel (Mykelti Williamson). She deals with every bit of pain that comes her way with dignified strength; a strength that is contagious.
The psychology of the movie occurs when Troy uses the building of a backyard fence as a way to bond with his teenage son Cory (Jovan Adepo). Troy bullies his son into leaving behind football and the possibility of a different life provided by the opportunity of a football scholarship for a life equal to his. It subtly causes you to think about your own life, and certainly the relationship between you and your own father.
The fence is symbolic for the fences that we build around us in order to protect and insulate us from difficult life circumstances and from others; the ones that we erect around us in order to keep others out. The fence protects our inadequacies, our perspectives, our points of view, our sins, our indiscretions, our ineptitudes, our emotional faultiness, and our mistakes. At the same time, these fences prevent us from seeing and be seen by others; from moving forward and progressing and from noticing that life is constantly changing.
That being said, Fences is a two thumbs up must see, and in theaters on Christmas Day!
Collateral Beauty is One for the Holiday Season
By watching the trailer you would think that the film was your standard tearjerker for the holidays. Surprisingly it’s not. I enjoyed the humor that I wasn’t expecting, loved the approach of the story and that there wasn’t anything supernatural.
I know there are some who don’t care for these type of films or their premise and think it’s a waste of talent.
Deep pain of lost is hard, no matter how long or current it happened. In my view, someone did his or her homework on bereavement for this film and tried to make something new that didn’t work for everyone. For me, it wasn’t so black and white, I found many things that I liked about the film and I guess I am in the minority. One of the things I enjoyed was the great performance by all, but Helen Mirren and Michael Peña topped it for me.
The story: When a successful New York advertising executive suffers a great tragedy he retreats from life. While his concerned friends try desperately to reconnect with him, he seeks answers from the universe by writing letters to Love, Time and Death. But it’s not until his notes bring unexpected personal responses that he begins to understand how these constants interlock in a life fully lived, and how even the deepest loss can reveal moments of meaning and beauty.
Starring Will Smith, Edward Norton, Kiera Knightley, Naomie Harris, Jacob Latimore, Kate Winslet, and directed by David Frankel. Collateral Beauty in theaters December 16. — A.O.
No Manches Frida Giveaway!
*Contest Closed. Thank you for participating, stay tuned for our next GIVEAWAY!
This is a fast GIVEAWAY for fans of Omar Chaparro and Martha Higareda. We have 5 DVD copies of No Manches Frida (a comedy with subtitles) to give to some lucky winners.
The DVD will be available in stores on December 27, but you could win a copy here.
Would you like to win one? Then just click here to send us an email with your name and address. And that’s all!
We’ll draw the winners at 10A (PT) ON FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16.
Hidden Figures Trailer, Opens January 2017
Looking forward to checking out this film. In theaters in January and starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Parsons, Mahershala Ali, Aldis Hodge, Glen Powell, and Kimberly Quinn.
Matt Baiamonte Boxing Trainer Talks Matt Damon in Jason Bourne
With the release of the Jason Bourne Blu-ray combo pack in stores now, we got to hang out with boxing trainer Matt Baiamonte and got to ask him some questions about training routines and boxing. You can check out our conversation in the video below and find out more about him on his website here.
For Jason Bourne, Matt Damon continued to work with boxer Matt Baiamonte, whom he’d met prepping for his role in Invictus and The Adjustment Bureau.
The highly pedigreed Baiamonte boxed under the legendary Angelo Dundee, trainer and cornerman, who worked with the likes of Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, George Foreman, and Héctor Camacho, among others. — A.O.
Creating Art and Celebrating the Release of A Monster Calls
We took part in a painting therapy evening that was fun and relaxing with good drinks and food. Creating art is fun and more people should do it! We were also celebrating the upcoming release of A Monster Calls in theaters, January 6.
Here’s my second painting this year, from blank canvas to finish. It’s in acrylic paints which I find challenging since I work much better in oil paints. The painting even has a home already.
The evening took place at Skylight Gardens in Westwood Village with some great Latino press in the house.
A Monster Calls in theaters January 6, 2017. — A.O.
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