Moulin Rouge! The Musical, the stage adaptation of the 2001 film, won the Tony Award for Best Musical tonight. The Inheritance, Matthew López’s elegiac two-part drama about the AIDS scourge inspired by E.M Forster’s Howards End, won the Tony Award tonight for Best Play.
López, after thanking and acknowledging three queer artists who inspired him, noted that he was the first Latinx playwright to win a Tony Award for Best Play. He said that while the Latinx community made up 19% of the U.S. population, the number drops to only 2% on Broadway. “This must change,” he said.
With the Best Play award going to The Inheritance, Slave Play, nominated for 12 Tonys, ended the night with no awards. The shut out is easily the biggest upset of the night.
Earlier in the broadcast, director Kenny Leon, accepting the award for best play revival...
López, after thanking and acknowledging three queer artists who inspired him, noted that he was the first Latinx playwright to win a Tony Award for Best Play. He said that while the Latinx community made up 19% of the U.S. population, the number drops to only 2% on Broadway. “This must change,” he said.
With the Best Play award going to The Inheritance, Slave Play, nominated for 12 Tonys, ended the night with no awards. The shut out is easily the biggest upset of the night.
Earlier in the broadcast, director Kenny Leon, accepting the award for best play revival...
- 9/27/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Caesar Cordova, a character actor who appeared with Al Pacino in “Scarface” and “Carlito’s Way,” died of natural causes Wednesday in Atlantic City, N.J. He was 84.
His son, actor Panchito Gomez “American Me,” “Mi Vida Loca”), announced his death.
In Brian de Palma’s “Scarface,” Cordova played the taco cook at the El Paraiso lunch stand. Though the film was set in Miami, the scene was actually shot in downtown Los Angeles. In “Carlito’s Way,” he played the barber.
Cordova was a lifetime member of the Actors Studio. He also appeared on Broadway with Pacino in “Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?”
His film credits include “Where the Buffalo Roam,” opposite Peter Boyle and Bill Murray, “Nighthawks” with Sylvester Stallone and Billy Dee Williams and “Shark’s Treasure,” where he appeared opposite Cornel Wilde, who also wrote and directed the film.
On television, he had guest appearances on “Kojak,...
His son, actor Panchito Gomez “American Me,” “Mi Vida Loca”), announced his death.
In Brian de Palma’s “Scarface,” Cordova played the taco cook at the El Paraiso lunch stand. Though the film was set in Miami, the scene was actually shot in downtown Los Angeles. In “Carlito’s Way,” he played the barber.
Cordova was a lifetime member of the Actors Studio. He also appeared on Broadway with Pacino in “Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?”
His film credits include “Where the Buffalo Roam,” opposite Peter Boyle and Bill Murray, “Nighthawks” with Sylvester Stallone and Billy Dee Williams and “Shark’s Treasure,” where he appeared opposite Cornel Wilde, who also wrote and directed the film.
On television, he had guest appearances on “Kojak,...
- 8/28/2020
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
As we look in the rearview mirror of the summer blockbusters, September heralds the start of the fall movie season. Filled with Hollywood heavyweights and A-listers, here’s our Big list of the most anticipated movies coming to cinemas this autumn and during the holidays.
Our exhaustive list includes films that are playing at the upcoming Toronto Film Festival as well the ones that already have a theatrical release date. With the awards season on the horizon, we also added a few bonus films at the end to keep your eye out for in the months ahead.
Pull up a chair, grab a pen and paper and get ready for Wamg’s Guide to the 100+ Films This Fall And Holiday Season.
We kick it off with what’s showing in Toronto at the film festival that runs September 4 – 14.
Maps To The Stars – September 2014 – Toronto International Film Festival; UK & Ireland September...
Our exhaustive list includes films that are playing at the upcoming Toronto Film Festival as well the ones that already have a theatrical release date. With the awards season on the horizon, we also added a few bonus films at the end to keep your eye out for in the months ahead.
Pull up a chair, grab a pen and paper and get ready for Wamg’s Guide to the 100+ Films This Fall And Holiday Season.
We kick it off with what’s showing in Toronto at the film festival that runs September 4 – 14.
Maps To The Stars – September 2014 – Toronto International Film Festival; UK & Ireland September...
- 8/29/2014
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
We asked a few LatinoBuzz amigos to get their Robinson Crusoe on and pick a film, an album, a book and a companion from the movies to join them in their shenanigans were they to be stuck on a deserted island (and before anyone nitpicks, filmmakers are resourceful, so of course they built solar powered entertainment centers made from bamboos, coconuts and grass to watch movies and listen to baby making slow jams). We figured we'd start with the narrative filmmakers since they probably sit around thinking about this kinda stuff anyway.
Film: Choosing desert island items may mean sacrificing taste and/or reason, thinking about those items that you wouldn’t forgive yourself for not bringing them as your company, it´s like choosing the woman of your life. Here it goes: Hiroshima Mon Amour; there might be others I fancy as much as or more than (La Dolce Vita, Vertigo, M , some Lubitsch or Preminger), but I can think of no other as unique. I wouldn’t be able to choose any other without feeling Hiroshima’s absence - the best love film, the best movie about war, the best motion picture regarding the memory and its consequences. I can spend my whole life learning about film and the world because of Hiroshima...'.
Album: “Los Preludios de Debussy” by Claudio Arrau. These were so important to my life (I'm referring to my childhood of course) and I think no one does it better than Arrau. Same thing: it is endless. I think I could never tire of this and I could still wake up each and every morning amazed by it.
Book: “Sentimental Education”, by Flaubert. Similar to “Hiroshima”, a book that changed my outlook on literature and the world and I am certain it will keep transforming it forever.
Companion: Susie Diamond (Michelle Pfeiffer in 'The fabulous Baker Boys'). Since I saw the film (which I liked very much!) in the provincial movie theater of my childhood, I felt as Jack Baker´s relative and I loved Susie. If we had a piano, it would all be all be perfect. - Santiago Palavecino (Algunas chicas/Some Girls)
Film: This is a tricky question. I've always said that on a deserted island you should bring some porn. You could use that more than regular movies. But since I've got to pick a film I guess it'd be Jaws. Why? Because it's one of my favorites (I could also go with The Good, the Bad and the Ugly). But being on a deserted island, Jaws will remind me all the time what'll happen to me for sure if I try to get away!
Album: “ Appetite for Destruction” (Guns N' Roses). Hey, I was 13 when this came out. I listen to it every day while I work, anyways. My favorite, by far.
A Book: I'm going to cheat on this one: 'The Complete Works' by Jorge Luis Borges. The best writer, and enough labyrinths to get lost on endless nights.
Companion: Sherlock Holmes. He's always been my favorite, and also, since my guess is he'll be pretty useless in a deserted island, every time we fail to get out because of him I can get to tell him "Is that the best you can do, Sherlock? - Alejandro Brugués (Juan of the Dead)
Film: Los Olvidados- this is punk rock and Pachuco. Mexico City style before the bombed out bunkers of Sid & Nancy. Bunuel is a hero and I wanna buy Jaibo a beer and milk for the old poetic man!
Album: The Blade Runner album. I can play it over and over, get cranked up or mellow with Blade Runner Blues and the constant rain.
Book: '20 years of Joda' - poems of Jose Montoya, my pop. Epic stuff! 'Ran with Miguel Pinero in the Lower Eastside!”
Companion: Michael Corleone cause he's Mack in my book! Jaibo gets an honorable mention. - Richard Montoya (Water & Power )
Film: I´d choose Misery because a year can go by and I can watch it again eagerly. It's simple and the director (Rob Reiner) and Stephen King are both masters of suspense.
Album: I know this may be considered cheating but it would have to be 'The Best of David Bowie'. That way I have 2 CD's with nearly 40 songs!
Companion: There's many great people who I would to live with but on a deserted Island? It would have to be Mary Poppins for obvious reasons.
Book: And finally the book would be 'Blood Meridian' by Cormac McCarthy because it's one I haven't read yet. Analeine Cal y Mayor - (The Boy Who Smells Like Fish)
Film: I would say White Chicks. I’m going to need some humor! White Chicks is the movie that I put on when I need a good laugh. It does it for me every time. I grew up with characters like that; and admittedly, I can regress back to a few of them myself when no one is looking.
Album: ' Songs From the Capeman' - Paul Simon. I can’t get enough of that album. It instantly takes me to that world and electrifies that side of me that’s determined to make a change for Latinos. I want to keep that feeling with me alive eternally…wherever I’m at.”
Book: There are many but 'Anatomy of the Spirit' by Caroline Myss has been my compass. It taught me how to take control of my destiny by listening to my intuition and body. I stand by her quote: “Your biography becomes your biology.
Companion: The first person that came to mind when I read the question was silly Clarence from “It’s a Wonderful Life”. I guess I’m going to need an angel with me, and he’s perfect. He has a pure childlike spirit that would help me find gratitude in the most unlikely moments… even on a deserted island! That right there is the meaning of life. - Carmen Marron (Endgame)
Film: There are so many brilliant, groundbreaking favorite films that have influenced me (The 400 Blows; Jules and Jim ; Law of Desire; et al) but I wouldn't bring any of them. If I'm stuck on a deserted island, I'm bringing Neil Simon's Murder by Death so I can laugh my ass off. Not a great film at all, it's true, but it's a classic comedy.
Album: Oh, this is easy: Madonna's "Ray of Light." I am no Madonna fanatic, but "deserted island, " means beach + summer weather + Fire Island-like atmosphere. So somewhere nearby there's got to be gay guys partying and I will use Madonna to lure them to me so I can be rescued.
One Book: Varga Llosa's "Feast of the Goat" ("La Fiesta del Chivo") -- it's action-packed historical fiction. It will keep me occupied. One of my favorite novels.
Companion: Huckleberry Finn. He will be a great companion: not only will he tell great stories, but undoubtedly, the ever-resourceful Huck Finn will figure out how to build a raft and get us out off that island! - Terracino (Elliot Loves )
Film: Whenever anyone asks me this I always think of what use these items would serve practically on a deserted island, so I answered this in that respect. Tokyo Story - Yasujiro Ozu. This would be a great film to take on a deserted island because it's really about the unavoidable suffering of the cycle of life, which I'm sure you'd relate to if you were stuck on an island. I really could watch this film a million times over and notice something new every time. Watching most Ozu films is not unlike participating in a Zen meditation practice. It's patience and slowness and trying to empty your mind of thought until your left with the basics of existence. Kind of like sitting on a deserted island alone. I can watch the scene where Kyoto says “Life is disappointing, isn't it?” and Noriko smiles and says “Yes it is.” I can watch that endlessly and cry every time. It's so true.
Album: ' Tusk' - Fleetwood Mac. I could also deal with 'Rumours' but I picked 'Tusk' because it's longer and denser; probably better for an island. 'Sara' is maybe my favorite song in the world and so it would be nice to have that with me. I think channeling the powerful witchy energy of Stevie Nicks would be a real asset on an island. This album has so much strange material on - you wouldn't get bored too easily with it. It's also got a range of emotions so if you get too depressed on the island you can just put on 'Never Forget' and feel better. And 'Sisters of the Moon' would be good around a fire at night. Even though you're stuck on an island, it's good to create an ambiance to remind you that life is worth living.
Book: ' In Search of Lost Time' - Marcel Proust. I've only read 'Swann's Way' which is first part of this. My analyst recommend it to me when I was totally heartbroken after someone broke up with me. It really did the trick. This would be a good long epic read that has enough complex ideas in it to keep you occupied for a life time. Probably a good book (or set of books) to get back to nature with.
Companion: I'll say Terry Malloy from “On the Waterfront”. He'd be strong and good to have around to cut down trees and hunt and stuff. He's also easy on the eyes and someone that could do with a little lonely contemplation away from the loading docks. That doesn't sound half bad...stuck on like a tropical island with a young, cute Marlon Brando, watching Ozu, reading Proust and listening to Fleetwood Mac all day. Sign me up! - Joshua Sanchez (Four)
Film: My film would have to be Luis Buñuel's Los Olvidados. I have been a movie watcher since I was a child. Raised on mainstream American films and Wuxia flicks, it wasn't until I was a late teen that I took my first film class and was introduced to the work of Buñuel. Los Olvidados literally changed my perception of the world, both socially and visually. It was also the gateway for me to progress from movie watcher to film student.
Album: Music is my religion and I belong to the church of Robert Nesta Marley. I would prefer the whole anthology, but if I had to choose one album it would be “Exodus”. When on an island listen to island music.
Book: Right around the time I discovered the work of Buñuel, I was gifted Jose Montoya's 'In Formation: 20 years of Joda'. The book is a treasure of epic poems, sketches, and corridos. All testaments to the beauty and strength of Chicana/o culture. 20 years later I pay homage to both of these Maestros in my debut feature film, “Cry Now”. The film's protagonist is nicknamed 'Ojitos' during the course of the narrative, a reference to one of the characters in Los Olvidados. The late great Lupe Ontiveros playing the role of a sage loosely recites Montoya's mantra 'La Locura Cura' (In madness you find truth) while she councils our protagonist.
Companion: To bring it all full circle my fictitious character would have to be a Wuxia hero. As a child I was awe inspired by these bigger than life martial artists. As an adult, Ang Lee's “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” did the same. I know all would be as it should if Yu Shu Lien was on that island with me. - Alberto Barboza (Cry Now )
Film: Nothing But a Man (1964) It's a film that does an incredible job balancing a character-driven story within a politically charged context. It's a film I'm finding myself inspired by as I continue to write Los Valientes.
Album: I'm not a fan of albums, but if I had to choose one I guess I would have to go with any of Prince's albums. His music always puts me in a trance.
Book: My dream journal so I can look back look for signs of what is to become of my future.
Companion: Who better than TV's MacGyver. I'd put his ass to work on getting me off the island! -Aurora Guerrero (Mosquita y Mari)
Film: Hell in the Pacific so that I can be reminded that even in paradise there is a duality.
Album: “La Scala: Concert” by Ludovico Einaudi – I've listened to it a thousand times and each time I feel or discover something new.
Book: “ Voces Reunidas” by Antonio Porchia. Each time I read one of his poems I learn something new and I'm deeply moved.
Companion: Barbarella, so I could never be lonely and I could enjoy this planet-island – Diego Quemada-Díez (La jaula de oro/The Golden Dream)
Written by Juan Caceres . LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow [At]LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook...
Film: Choosing desert island items may mean sacrificing taste and/or reason, thinking about those items that you wouldn’t forgive yourself for not bringing them as your company, it´s like choosing the woman of your life. Here it goes: Hiroshima Mon Amour; there might be others I fancy as much as or more than (La Dolce Vita, Vertigo, M , some Lubitsch or Preminger), but I can think of no other as unique. I wouldn’t be able to choose any other without feeling Hiroshima’s absence - the best love film, the best movie about war, the best motion picture regarding the memory and its consequences. I can spend my whole life learning about film and the world because of Hiroshima...'.
Album: “Los Preludios de Debussy” by Claudio Arrau. These were so important to my life (I'm referring to my childhood of course) and I think no one does it better than Arrau. Same thing: it is endless. I think I could never tire of this and I could still wake up each and every morning amazed by it.
Book: “Sentimental Education”, by Flaubert. Similar to “Hiroshima”, a book that changed my outlook on literature and the world and I am certain it will keep transforming it forever.
Companion: Susie Diamond (Michelle Pfeiffer in 'The fabulous Baker Boys'). Since I saw the film (which I liked very much!) in the provincial movie theater of my childhood, I felt as Jack Baker´s relative and I loved Susie. If we had a piano, it would all be all be perfect. - Santiago Palavecino (Algunas chicas/Some Girls)
Film: This is a tricky question. I've always said that on a deserted island you should bring some porn. You could use that more than regular movies. But since I've got to pick a film I guess it'd be Jaws. Why? Because it's one of my favorites (I could also go with The Good, the Bad and the Ugly). But being on a deserted island, Jaws will remind me all the time what'll happen to me for sure if I try to get away!
Album: “ Appetite for Destruction” (Guns N' Roses). Hey, I was 13 when this came out. I listen to it every day while I work, anyways. My favorite, by far.
A Book: I'm going to cheat on this one: 'The Complete Works' by Jorge Luis Borges. The best writer, and enough labyrinths to get lost on endless nights.
Companion: Sherlock Holmes. He's always been my favorite, and also, since my guess is he'll be pretty useless in a deserted island, every time we fail to get out because of him I can get to tell him "Is that the best you can do, Sherlock? - Alejandro Brugués (Juan of the Dead)
Film: Los Olvidados- this is punk rock and Pachuco. Mexico City style before the bombed out bunkers of Sid & Nancy. Bunuel is a hero and I wanna buy Jaibo a beer and milk for the old poetic man!
Album: The Blade Runner album. I can play it over and over, get cranked up or mellow with Blade Runner Blues and the constant rain.
Book: '20 years of Joda' - poems of Jose Montoya, my pop. Epic stuff! 'Ran with Miguel Pinero in the Lower Eastside!”
Companion: Michael Corleone cause he's Mack in my book! Jaibo gets an honorable mention. - Richard Montoya (Water & Power )
Film: I´d choose Misery because a year can go by and I can watch it again eagerly. It's simple and the director (Rob Reiner) and Stephen King are both masters of suspense.
Album: I know this may be considered cheating but it would have to be 'The Best of David Bowie'. That way I have 2 CD's with nearly 40 songs!
Companion: There's many great people who I would to live with but on a deserted Island? It would have to be Mary Poppins for obvious reasons.
Book: And finally the book would be 'Blood Meridian' by Cormac McCarthy because it's one I haven't read yet. Analeine Cal y Mayor - (The Boy Who Smells Like Fish)
Film: I would say White Chicks. I’m going to need some humor! White Chicks is the movie that I put on when I need a good laugh. It does it for me every time. I grew up with characters like that; and admittedly, I can regress back to a few of them myself when no one is looking.
Album: ' Songs From the Capeman' - Paul Simon. I can’t get enough of that album. It instantly takes me to that world and electrifies that side of me that’s determined to make a change for Latinos. I want to keep that feeling with me alive eternally…wherever I’m at.”
Book: There are many but 'Anatomy of the Spirit' by Caroline Myss has been my compass. It taught me how to take control of my destiny by listening to my intuition and body. I stand by her quote: “Your biography becomes your biology.
Companion: The first person that came to mind when I read the question was silly Clarence from “It’s a Wonderful Life”. I guess I’m going to need an angel with me, and he’s perfect. He has a pure childlike spirit that would help me find gratitude in the most unlikely moments… even on a deserted island! That right there is the meaning of life. - Carmen Marron (Endgame)
Film: There are so many brilliant, groundbreaking favorite films that have influenced me (The 400 Blows; Jules and Jim ; Law of Desire; et al) but I wouldn't bring any of them. If I'm stuck on a deserted island, I'm bringing Neil Simon's Murder by Death so I can laugh my ass off. Not a great film at all, it's true, but it's a classic comedy.
Album: Oh, this is easy: Madonna's "Ray of Light." I am no Madonna fanatic, but "deserted island, " means beach + summer weather + Fire Island-like atmosphere. So somewhere nearby there's got to be gay guys partying and I will use Madonna to lure them to me so I can be rescued.
One Book: Varga Llosa's "Feast of the Goat" ("La Fiesta del Chivo") -- it's action-packed historical fiction. It will keep me occupied. One of my favorite novels.
Companion: Huckleberry Finn. He will be a great companion: not only will he tell great stories, but undoubtedly, the ever-resourceful Huck Finn will figure out how to build a raft and get us out off that island! - Terracino (Elliot Loves )
Film: Whenever anyone asks me this I always think of what use these items would serve practically on a deserted island, so I answered this in that respect. Tokyo Story - Yasujiro Ozu. This would be a great film to take on a deserted island because it's really about the unavoidable suffering of the cycle of life, which I'm sure you'd relate to if you were stuck on an island. I really could watch this film a million times over and notice something new every time. Watching most Ozu films is not unlike participating in a Zen meditation practice. It's patience and slowness and trying to empty your mind of thought until your left with the basics of existence. Kind of like sitting on a deserted island alone. I can watch the scene where Kyoto says “Life is disappointing, isn't it?” and Noriko smiles and says “Yes it is.” I can watch that endlessly and cry every time. It's so true.
Album: ' Tusk' - Fleetwood Mac. I could also deal with 'Rumours' but I picked 'Tusk' because it's longer and denser; probably better for an island. 'Sara' is maybe my favorite song in the world and so it would be nice to have that with me. I think channeling the powerful witchy energy of Stevie Nicks would be a real asset on an island. This album has so much strange material on - you wouldn't get bored too easily with it. It's also got a range of emotions so if you get too depressed on the island you can just put on 'Never Forget' and feel better. And 'Sisters of the Moon' would be good around a fire at night. Even though you're stuck on an island, it's good to create an ambiance to remind you that life is worth living.
Book: ' In Search of Lost Time' - Marcel Proust. I've only read 'Swann's Way' which is first part of this. My analyst recommend it to me when I was totally heartbroken after someone broke up with me. It really did the trick. This would be a good long epic read that has enough complex ideas in it to keep you occupied for a life time. Probably a good book (or set of books) to get back to nature with.
Companion: I'll say Terry Malloy from “On the Waterfront”. He'd be strong and good to have around to cut down trees and hunt and stuff. He's also easy on the eyes and someone that could do with a little lonely contemplation away from the loading docks. That doesn't sound half bad...stuck on like a tropical island with a young, cute Marlon Brando, watching Ozu, reading Proust and listening to Fleetwood Mac all day. Sign me up! - Joshua Sanchez (Four)
Film: My film would have to be Luis Buñuel's Los Olvidados. I have been a movie watcher since I was a child. Raised on mainstream American films and Wuxia flicks, it wasn't until I was a late teen that I took my first film class and was introduced to the work of Buñuel. Los Olvidados literally changed my perception of the world, both socially and visually. It was also the gateway for me to progress from movie watcher to film student.
Album: Music is my religion and I belong to the church of Robert Nesta Marley. I would prefer the whole anthology, but if I had to choose one album it would be “Exodus”. When on an island listen to island music.
Book: Right around the time I discovered the work of Buñuel, I was gifted Jose Montoya's 'In Formation: 20 years of Joda'. The book is a treasure of epic poems, sketches, and corridos. All testaments to the beauty and strength of Chicana/o culture. 20 years later I pay homage to both of these Maestros in my debut feature film, “Cry Now”. The film's protagonist is nicknamed 'Ojitos' during the course of the narrative, a reference to one of the characters in Los Olvidados. The late great Lupe Ontiveros playing the role of a sage loosely recites Montoya's mantra 'La Locura Cura' (In madness you find truth) while she councils our protagonist.
Companion: To bring it all full circle my fictitious character would have to be a Wuxia hero. As a child I was awe inspired by these bigger than life martial artists. As an adult, Ang Lee's “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” did the same. I know all would be as it should if Yu Shu Lien was on that island with me. - Alberto Barboza (Cry Now )
Film: Nothing But a Man (1964) It's a film that does an incredible job balancing a character-driven story within a politically charged context. It's a film I'm finding myself inspired by as I continue to write Los Valientes.
Album: I'm not a fan of albums, but if I had to choose one I guess I would have to go with any of Prince's albums. His music always puts me in a trance.
Book: My dream journal so I can look back look for signs of what is to become of my future.
Companion: Who better than TV's MacGyver. I'd put his ass to work on getting me off the island! -Aurora Guerrero (Mosquita y Mari)
Film: Hell in the Pacific so that I can be reminded that even in paradise there is a duality.
Album: “La Scala: Concert” by Ludovico Einaudi – I've listened to it a thousand times and each time I feel or discover something new.
Book: “ Voces Reunidas” by Antonio Porchia. Each time I read one of his poems I learn something new and I'm deeply moved.
Companion: Barbarella, so I could never be lonely and I could enjoy this planet-island – Diego Quemada-Díez (La jaula de oro/The Golden Dream)
Written by Juan Caceres . LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow [At]LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook...
- 3/5/2014
- by Juan Caceres
- Sydney's Buzz
Growing up in East Los Angeles with a single mom, Richard Cabral was in a gang by 13 years old, made his first trip to jail at 14 and by 15 was addicted to crack cocaine. His teenage years were a series of trips in and out of jail. At the age of 20 Cabral was arrested and charged with attempted murder and would spend a year in jail while he awaited trial. If convicted, he was facing a sentence of 35 years to life. Making a plea deal gave him a reduced sentence of 5 years of which he would serve 27 months. Upon release he found a support system in Homeboy Industries, Father Gregory 'G-Dog' Boyle's charity, where ex-gang members are provided jobs as an alternative to gang life providing they stay clean. It was there that led to Cabral being cast as an extra in CSI: Miami. Earlier this month we saw the release of Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones featuring Richard in the role of Arturo. LatinoBuzz got to hear from Cabral about his transition in life.
Latinobuzz: You are from East La and joined a gang at 13 years old. What was it about that time and place that you felt that it was yours and your peers only option?
Richard: I feel that in all kids that I've came across, that at the age of 12-13 is a big transition . They begin forming the Young Adult there going to become, here molding . I can't put a "name" on it but it's something. Your trying to find yourself, were getting ready to go to High School and as this world teaches you, you must "belong" to something. (So we Belong to Something)
Latinobuzz: I did a piece on Father G-Dog – how important was Homeboy Industries to your spiritual evolution and why are organizations like them always in jeopardy of losing funding when they change so many lives?
Richard: 'Homeboy Industries' is a great organization but beyond that, it is Father Greg. He is the reason why I was given this second chance. Of course other things play a factor on this amazing journey I've gone through, but if there was no Father Greg there would be nothing. I believe 'organizations' like these are always in jeopardy because what we are taught in this sickening world (“Society”) is "greed" and we as people are not one. 'Majority of "minds" are warped into the belief of the only person worth helping is themself. People think others that come from gangs, poverty, drugs are below them. Which is bull-shit because the whole world is going through problems, were all suffering together, people are just too blind to see.
Latinobuzz: Is it crazy to think that you would be a part of a blockbuster film franchise when you were facing 35 years to life?
Richard: Ha! It's ludicrous to even say it in the same line:) Well, that's what we are taught to believe and that's what I would have stated when I was sitting in a cell. But the power of belief, of God is beyond what mere mortals can Imagine. There is no restrictions in my Life. If I do what I love, work night and day, and I'm open to the spirits. that's when the "Greats" take over.
Latinobuzz: How important is 'Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones' for Latino filmmaking?
Richard: Huge! This is the first time in history that Latinos have done it and made the "Studios" this amount of money and signed to a franchise. There is a wave of seasoned and young Latino actors right now! We're making money for the studios and were bringing the Noise, there's no stopping it.
Latinobuzz: What moment as being an artist impacted you the most?
Richard: The true meaning of an artist/actor is opening my heart to the audience and at the same time opening their heart. Through sharing my pain I can possibly heal your pain, there is no other feeling like it, money doesn't compare. This is the true meaning of Art. I will attempt to do it till my dying day. The theater is the 'church' and when I'm on that stage I am the Priest/Pastor, it is a pure spiritual journey for me.
Latinobuzz: You've cited Miguel Pinero and Stephen Adly Guirgis as writers that understood your world. What was it about these two, very much New Yorkers, made you feel that way?
Richard: Learning the craft as an actor in Los Angeles is a very hard thing to do, in my opinion. We all come from a certain world and when you start learning the craft, you need material to read/study that you can relate to. We do not have too many Latino writers on the West Coast that I was able to relate to (or at least, I didn't know at the time). I came from the streets, so the most published authors had no relation to my world. As soon as I picked up Pinero & Guirgis, it was all over. It was my world, just in a different location. They cracked me open inside and out. They talked about the "inside" of the barrio, the emotions, the stories that people know is happening but were too scared to talk about. "Sun Always Shines for The Cool" and "Den of Thieves" will always be my favorites/breakthroughs.
Latinobuzz: What's your dream role?
Richard: I can't point my finger on a “dream role”, but the day's that I'm able to fulfill the stories of the hood/barrio on film, those will be great days. The stories of why people from the barrio become what they've become. To show that sensitive side of a man, its always filled with macho bull-shit, but we must see the other side (Fathers and Sons). In film and television they never get the good stuff, while at least I feel on my behalf.
Latinobuzz: What do you want to leave behind when it's all said and done?
Richard: When I die I want a child that never met me, to hear were I came from and what I accomplished and for him or her to live their life to the fullest and do what they were put on this world to do. No limitations, blowing past everybody's expectations. Screw whatever body thinks!
Written by Juan Caceres. LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook .
Latinobuzz: You are from East La and joined a gang at 13 years old. What was it about that time and place that you felt that it was yours and your peers only option?
Richard: I feel that in all kids that I've came across, that at the age of 12-13 is a big transition . They begin forming the Young Adult there going to become, here molding . I can't put a "name" on it but it's something. Your trying to find yourself, were getting ready to go to High School and as this world teaches you, you must "belong" to something. (So we Belong to Something)
Latinobuzz: I did a piece on Father G-Dog – how important was Homeboy Industries to your spiritual evolution and why are organizations like them always in jeopardy of losing funding when they change so many lives?
Richard: 'Homeboy Industries' is a great organization but beyond that, it is Father Greg. He is the reason why I was given this second chance. Of course other things play a factor on this amazing journey I've gone through, but if there was no Father Greg there would be nothing. I believe 'organizations' like these are always in jeopardy because what we are taught in this sickening world (“Society”) is "greed" and we as people are not one. 'Majority of "minds" are warped into the belief of the only person worth helping is themself. People think others that come from gangs, poverty, drugs are below them. Which is bull-shit because the whole world is going through problems, were all suffering together, people are just too blind to see.
Latinobuzz: Is it crazy to think that you would be a part of a blockbuster film franchise when you were facing 35 years to life?
Richard: Ha! It's ludicrous to even say it in the same line:) Well, that's what we are taught to believe and that's what I would have stated when I was sitting in a cell. But the power of belief, of God is beyond what mere mortals can Imagine. There is no restrictions in my Life. If I do what I love, work night and day, and I'm open to the spirits. that's when the "Greats" take over.
Latinobuzz: How important is 'Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones' for Latino filmmaking?
Richard: Huge! This is the first time in history that Latinos have done it and made the "Studios" this amount of money and signed to a franchise. There is a wave of seasoned and young Latino actors right now! We're making money for the studios and were bringing the Noise, there's no stopping it.
Latinobuzz: What moment as being an artist impacted you the most?
Richard: The true meaning of an artist/actor is opening my heart to the audience and at the same time opening their heart. Through sharing my pain I can possibly heal your pain, there is no other feeling like it, money doesn't compare. This is the true meaning of Art. I will attempt to do it till my dying day. The theater is the 'church' and when I'm on that stage I am the Priest/Pastor, it is a pure spiritual journey for me.
Latinobuzz: You've cited Miguel Pinero and Stephen Adly Guirgis as writers that understood your world. What was it about these two, very much New Yorkers, made you feel that way?
Richard: Learning the craft as an actor in Los Angeles is a very hard thing to do, in my opinion. We all come from a certain world and when you start learning the craft, you need material to read/study that you can relate to. We do not have too many Latino writers on the West Coast that I was able to relate to (or at least, I didn't know at the time). I came from the streets, so the most published authors had no relation to my world. As soon as I picked up Pinero & Guirgis, it was all over. It was my world, just in a different location. They cracked me open inside and out. They talked about the "inside" of the barrio, the emotions, the stories that people know is happening but were too scared to talk about. "Sun Always Shines for The Cool" and "Den of Thieves" will always be my favorites/breakthroughs.
Latinobuzz: What's your dream role?
Richard: I can't point my finger on a “dream role”, but the day's that I'm able to fulfill the stories of the hood/barrio on film, those will be great days. The stories of why people from the barrio become what they've become. To show that sensitive side of a man, its always filled with macho bull-shit, but we must see the other side (Fathers and Sons). In film and television they never get the good stuff, while at least I feel on my behalf.
Latinobuzz: What do you want to leave behind when it's all said and done?
Richard: When I die I want a child that never met me, to hear were I came from and what I accomplished and for him or her to live their life to the fullest and do what they were put on this world to do. No limitations, blowing past everybody's expectations. Screw whatever body thinks!
Written by Juan Caceres. LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook .
- 1/23/2014
- by Juan Caceres
- Sydney's Buzz
The Company Members of Labyrinth Theater Company, the award-winning, downtown ensemble, have announced today casting for its upcoming Newyorknewyork Festival Marathon Weekend, which will feature forty-eight hours of free, round-the-clock readings of plays centered around New York themes - iconic playwrights, vibrant cultures, urban ideals, and more.Over 180 actors will participate in the marathon weekend of free play readings including Max Casella, Sarita Chowdhury, Liza Colon-Zayas, Kieran Culkin, Tony Danza, John Doman, Tate Donovan, Halley Feiffer, Michael Kelly, Elizabeth Kemp, Josh Hamilton, Sarah Nina Hayon, Florencia Lozano, Julia Murney, Tony Plana, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Julia Stiles, Marlo Thomas, and Yul Vazquez. The marathon will feature classic works by over twenty esteemed New York playwrights, including Maria Irene Fornes, Lorraine Hansberry, David Henry Hwang, Kenneth Lonnergan, Arthur Miller, Clifford Odets, Miguel Pinero, and more.
- 3/21/2013
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Most actors can point to a particular role they'd love to play, or a play they've always dreamed of acting in. For Matias Ponce, that play was "Short Eyes," the 1975 Tony Award winner written by Miguel Piñero during his incarceration for armed robbery. "When I was 16, I saw the film 'Piñero' about the playwright [Miguel Piñero]," Ponce remembers. "It's all about his life and what he went through when he was locked up, and how he started writing his plays. I got really hooked on the playwright and read 'Short Eyes' and realized there was a character I'd love the opportunity to play." Director Julian Acosta feels similarly excited about the play. "It's a kind of a seminal play in theater history," Acosta explains. "It's the first play by a Latino playwright ever to be produced on Broadway, and it's very rarely produced. It's one of those shows...
- 11/5/2011
- by help@backstage.com (Sarah McKinley Oakes)
- backstage.com
Abel Ferrara is set to make his Broadway debut, directing the revival of Miguel Pinero's Short Eyes.
The King of New York director is reviving the original 1974 production, which follows the lives of a racially-mixed group of inmates at a New York prison who are joined by a white middle-class man accused of raping a girl.
Carl Rumbaugh and Susan Batson - who worked on the 2004 Broadway revival of A Raisin in the Sun, starring Sean 'Diddy' Combs - will produce, along with Antone Pagan and Charles Rosen.
Casting has not yet begun on the show, which is expected to debut during the 2010-2011 season.
The King of New York director is reviving the original 1974 production, which follows the lives of a racially-mixed group of inmates at a New York prison who are joined by a white middle-class man accused of raping a girl.
Carl Rumbaugh and Susan Batson - who worked on the 2004 Broadway revival of A Raisin in the Sun, starring Sean 'Diddy' Combs - will produce, along with Antone Pagan and Charles Rosen.
Casting has not yet begun on the show, which is expected to debut during the 2010-2011 season.
- 2/24/2010
- WENN
Actor Benjamin Bratt and his wife, Talisa Soto, have announced they will become parents for a second time this autumn. The couple, who were married in April 2002, made the announcement in a joint statement yesterday. Their first child, Sophia, was born in December 2002 in New York City. Bratt, 41, and his 38-year-old wife met while filming Pinero, the story of poet-playwright-actor Miguel Pinero. Bratt had previously dated Julia Roberts, who recently gave birth to twins.
- 4/21/2005
- WENN
Puerto Rican-American poet-playwright Miguel Pinero, the "philosopher of the criminal mind" who achieved his greatest fame for writing the set-in-Sing Sing "Short Eyes", is the subject of this complex but often disengaging film by Cuba-born filmmaker Leon Ichaso ("Bitter Sugar", "Sugar Hill").
A main competition entry at the Montreal World Film Festival and unspooling at the Toronto International Film Festival, with Miramax releasing it Stateside, "Pinero" features a furiously unglamorous, convincing performance by Benjamin Bratt. While some critics might respond favorably and serious-minded urban audiences should find it worth the price of admission, judging from its mixed reaction here, the film will not break out in a significant way commercially.
Alternating between color digital and black-and-white 16mm and constantly challenging the viewer with its nonlinear structure, "Pinero" is an intriguing attempt to present cinematically the bad-boy charisma of the lead -- more than a coherent biographical portrait. As such, it does not fall into the traps of many true life-story films, but it still struggles to make the drug-taking, angry genius' expansive dark side a milieu one wants to dive into voluntarily.
But plunge in we do, with countless scenes of the lead and others shooting up, committing crimes and combating verbally, with these subjects also gone over in short excerpts from Pinero's plays and poems. Although referred to, his acting career in movies like "Serpico" and TV series like "Miami Vice" is not delved into, but his whole life was essentially a performance of his Nuyorican perspective.
Rita Moreno as the mother who brought his family to live on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and Mandy Patinkin as Joseph Papp, who championed Pinero, are positive influences that cannot keep the fiery artist from burning out. Likewise, his longtime girlfriend (Talisa Soto) and mentor Miguel Algarin (Giancarlo Esposito) are loyal but frustrated by Pinero's instability.
Many other characters come and go and come back, given the mosaiclike structure -- from proteges like playwright Reinaldo Povod (Michael Irby) to a down-and-out friend (Michael Wright) with whom Pinero lives in a van. Aware that his life is precarious given the quantity of drugs he takes and crimes he commits, Pinero is a tragic character to be sure, but one this film refuses to make conventionally sympathetic.
Destined to please some and frustrate many with its uncompromising attitude and highly physical production that transports one to New York of the 1970s and '80s -- with its environment of "stabbing, shooting and dying" on which the lead thrived -- Ichaso's film is a brave but flawed tribute to a man (Pinero died in 1988) whose incomparable talents still provoke and move one through the works that survive him.
PINERO
Miramax Films
GreeneStreet Films
Screenwriter-director: Leon Ichaso
Producers: John Penotti, Fisher Stevens, Tim Williams
Executive producer: Brad Yonover
Director of photography: Claudio Chea
Production designer: Sharon Lomofsky
Editor: David Tedeschi
Costume designer: Sandra Hernandez
Casting: Ellyn Marshall, Maria Nelson
Color and black and white/stereo
Cast:
Miguel Pinero: Benjamin Bratt
Miguel Algarin: Giancarlo Esposito
Sugar: Talisa Soto
Tito: Nelson Vasquez
Reinaldo Povod: Michael Irby
Running time -- 103 minutes
No MPAA rating...
A main competition entry at the Montreal World Film Festival and unspooling at the Toronto International Film Festival, with Miramax releasing it Stateside, "Pinero" features a furiously unglamorous, convincing performance by Benjamin Bratt. While some critics might respond favorably and serious-minded urban audiences should find it worth the price of admission, judging from its mixed reaction here, the film will not break out in a significant way commercially.
Alternating between color digital and black-and-white 16mm and constantly challenging the viewer with its nonlinear structure, "Pinero" is an intriguing attempt to present cinematically the bad-boy charisma of the lead -- more than a coherent biographical portrait. As such, it does not fall into the traps of many true life-story films, but it still struggles to make the drug-taking, angry genius' expansive dark side a milieu one wants to dive into voluntarily.
But plunge in we do, with countless scenes of the lead and others shooting up, committing crimes and combating verbally, with these subjects also gone over in short excerpts from Pinero's plays and poems. Although referred to, his acting career in movies like "Serpico" and TV series like "Miami Vice" is not delved into, but his whole life was essentially a performance of his Nuyorican perspective.
Rita Moreno as the mother who brought his family to live on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and Mandy Patinkin as Joseph Papp, who championed Pinero, are positive influences that cannot keep the fiery artist from burning out. Likewise, his longtime girlfriend (Talisa Soto) and mentor Miguel Algarin (Giancarlo Esposito) are loyal but frustrated by Pinero's instability.
Many other characters come and go and come back, given the mosaiclike structure -- from proteges like playwright Reinaldo Povod (Michael Irby) to a down-and-out friend (Michael Wright) with whom Pinero lives in a van. Aware that his life is precarious given the quantity of drugs he takes and crimes he commits, Pinero is a tragic character to be sure, but one this film refuses to make conventionally sympathetic.
Destined to please some and frustrate many with its uncompromising attitude and highly physical production that transports one to New York of the 1970s and '80s -- with its environment of "stabbing, shooting and dying" on which the lead thrived -- Ichaso's film is a brave but flawed tribute to a man (Pinero died in 1988) whose incomparable talents still provoke and move one through the works that survive him.
PINERO
Miramax Films
GreeneStreet Films
Screenwriter-director: Leon Ichaso
Producers: John Penotti, Fisher Stevens, Tim Williams
Executive producer: Brad Yonover
Director of photography: Claudio Chea
Production designer: Sharon Lomofsky
Editor: David Tedeschi
Costume designer: Sandra Hernandez
Casting: Ellyn Marshall, Maria Nelson
Color and black and white/stereo
Cast:
Miguel Pinero: Benjamin Bratt
Miguel Algarin: Giancarlo Esposito
Sugar: Talisa Soto
Tito: Nelson Vasquez
Reinaldo Povod: Michael Irby
Running time -- 103 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Following engagement reports, it turns out Julia Roberts' ex-boyfriend Benjamin Bratt has secretly married his Pinero co-star Talisa Soto. According to the star's publicist Ina Treciokas, the ceremony took place on Saturday in San Francisco, where Bratt grew up and owns a home. Treciokas says the pair wed "at an intimate family gathering, a day that perfectly celebrated their love and happiness". The actor had only just announced that he was engaged to Soto, which sources say was a deliberate move to throw suspicious minds off the scent of their impending nuptials. Bratt, 38, and Soto, 35, fell in love while co-starring in Pinero, the 2001 film about hard-living Puerto Rican poet-playwright Miguel Pinero. Bratt split with Roberts last year after a four year relationship, with some reports claiming Bratt had grown frustrated at the Oscar winning actress' refusal to marry.
- 4/17/2002
- WENN
Movie hunk Benjamin Bratt's worried mum is giving the actor a hard time about his skinny frame. Ben slimmed down to play Miguel Pinero in an acclaimed new biopic about the emaciated and drug-addled street poet. But a year after losing the weight, he is still struggling to put it back on - and his mom fears her son went too far in trying to look like Pinero. He says, "I just can't get those last seven pounds back on. I'm really trying. "It's easy enough to lose the weight - I simply continued to run, but stopped going to the gym altogether. For whatever reason I'm predisposed to losing weight. If I don't lift weights and keep physical to keep mass on, I become the physical person I was at high school when I was known as The Scarecrow. My mom keeps calling and says, 'I saw you on TV dear and you look thin.' I keep saying, 'I'm trying ma'"...
- 12/28/2001
- WENN
Puerto Rican-American poet-playwright Miguel Pinero, the "philosopher of the criminal mind" who achieved his greatest fame for writing the set-in-Sing Sing "Short Eyes", is the subject of this complex but often disengaging film by Cuba-born filmmaker Leon Ichaso ("Bitter Sugar", "Sugar Hill").
A main competition entry at the Montreal World Film Festival and unspooling at the Toronto International Film Festival, with Miramax releasing it Stateside, "Pinero" features a furiously unglamorous, convincing performance by Benjamin Bratt. While some critics might respond favorably and serious-minded urban audiences should find it worth the price of admission, judging from its mixed reaction here, the film will not break out in a significant way commercially.
Alternating between color digital and black-and-white 16mm and constantly challenging the viewer with its nonlinear structure, "Pinero" is an intriguing attempt to present cinematically the bad-boy charisma of the lead -- more than a coherent biographical portrait. As such, it does not fall into the traps of many true life-story films, but it still struggles to make the drug-taking, angry genius' expansive dark side a milieu one wants to dive into voluntarily.
But plunge in we do, with countless scenes of the lead and others shooting up, committing crimes and combating verbally, with these subjects also gone over in short excerpts from Pinero's plays and poems. Although referred to, his acting career in movies like "Serpico" and TV series like "Miami Vice" is not delved into, but his whole life was essentially a performance of his Nuyorican perspective.
Rita Moreno as the mother who brought his family to live on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and Mandy Patinkin as Joseph Papp, who championed Pinero, are positive influences that cannot keep the fiery artist from burning out. Likewise, his longtime girlfriend (Talisa Soto) and mentor Miguel Algarin (Giancarlo Esposito) are loyal but frustrated by Pinero's instability.
Many other characters come and go and come back, given the mosaiclike structure -- from proteges like playwright Reinaldo Povod (Michael Irby) to a down-and-out friend (Michael Wright) with whom Pinero lives in a van. Aware that his life is precarious given the quantity of drugs he takes and crimes he commits, Pinero is a tragic character to be sure, but one this film refuses to make conventionally sympathetic.
Destined to please some and frustrate many with its uncompromising attitude and highly physical production that transports one to New York of the 1970s and '80s -- with its environment of "stabbing, shooting and dying" on which the lead thrived -- Ichaso's film is a brave but flawed tribute to a man (Pinero died in 1988) whose incomparable talents still provoke and move one through the works that survive him.
PINERO
Miramax Films
GreeneStreet Films
Screenwriter-director: Leon Ichaso
Producers: John Penotti, Fisher Stevens, Tim Williams
Executive producer: Brad Yonover
Director of photography: Claudio Chea
Production designer: Sharon Lomofsky
Editor: David Tedeschi
Costume designer: Sandra Hernandez
Casting: Ellyn Marshall, Maria Nelson
Color and black and white/stereo
Cast:
Miguel Pinero: Benjamin Bratt
Miguel Algarin: Giancarlo Esposito
Sugar: Talisa Soto
Tito: Nelson Vasquez
Reinaldo Povod: Michael Irby
Running time -- 103 minutes
No MPAA rating...
A main competition entry at the Montreal World Film Festival and unspooling at the Toronto International Film Festival, with Miramax releasing it Stateside, "Pinero" features a furiously unglamorous, convincing performance by Benjamin Bratt. While some critics might respond favorably and serious-minded urban audiences should find it worth the price of admission, judging from its mixed reaction here, the film will not break out in a significant way commercially.
Alternating between color digital and black-and-white 16mm and constantly challenging the viewer with its nonlinear structure, "Pinero" is an intriguing attempt to present cinematically the bad-boy charisma of the lead -- more than a coherent biographical portrait. As such, it does not fall into the traps of many true life-story films, but it still struggles to make the drug-taking, angry genius' expansive dark side a milieu one wants to dive into voluntarily.
But plunge in we do, with countless scenes of the lead and others shooting up, committing crimes and combating verbally, with these subjects also gone over in short excerpts from Pinero's plays and poems. Although referred to, his acting career in movies like "Serpico" and TV series like "Miami Vice" is not delved into, but his whole life was essentially a performance of his Nuyorican perspective.
Rita Moreno as the mother who brought his family to live on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and Mandy Patinkin as Joseph Papp, who championed Pinero, are positive influences that cannot keep the fiery artist from burning out. Likewise, his longtime girlfriend (Talisa Soto) and mentor Miguel Algarin (Giancarlo Esposito) are loyal but frustrated by Pinero's instability.
Many other characters come and go and come back, given the mosaiclike structure -- from proteges like playwright Reinaldo Povod (Michael Irby) to a down-and-out friend (Michael Wright) with whom Pinero lives in a van. Aware that his life is precarious given the quantity of drugs he takes and crimes he commits, Pinero is a tragic character to be sure, but one this film refuses to make conventionally sympathetic.
Destined to please some and frustrate many with its uncompromising attitude and highly physical production that transports one to New York of the 1970s and '80s -- with its environment of "stabbing, shooting and dying" on which the lead thrived -- Ichaso's film is a brave but flawed tribute to a man (Pinero died in 1988) whose incomparable talents still provoke and move one through the works that survive him.
PINERO
Miramax Films
GreeneStreet Films
Screenwriter-director: Leon Ichaso
Producers: John Penotti, Fisher Stevens, Tim Williams
Executive producer: Brad Yonover
Director of photography: Claudio Chea
Production designer: Sharon Lomofsky
Editor: David Tedeschi
Costume designer: Sandra Hernandez
Casting: Ellyn Marshall, Maria Nelson
Color and black and white/stereo
Cast:
Miguel Pinero: Benjamin Bratt
Miguel Algarin: Giancarlo Esposito
Sugar: Talisa Soto
Tito: Nelson Vasquez
Reinaldo Povod: Michael Irby
Running time -- 103 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Julia Roberts's boyfriend Benjamin Bratt is desperately trying to pile the pounds back on after playing junkie playwright Miguel Pinero. The Red Planet (2000) star found it easy losing weight for the harrowing role - he just stopped going to the gym - but now he's sick of looking like a beanpole. He says, "I went from 185 pounds to 170 . I had to stop going to gym and continue to eat everything I usually eat. I lost 15 pounds that way. "Since I was a kid I've been accused of having worms or some other creature living inside of me because of the way I put food away I never gained weight. "When I was a kid in high school they used to call me 'Scarecrow' because I was so gangly and skinny. Since the film, I've had to go back into the gym and try to put muscle on. That's my struggle." Bratt is hoping his family's traditional Christmas delicacies will help. He adds, "I love this strawberry rhubarb cake my mother makes and we also have this other desert - a yellow cake with chocolate frosting. You get whipped cream and fold a can of pineapple chunks into the whipped cream, and dollop it on the cake. Delicious."...
- 12/29/2000
- WENN
Benjamin Bratt's new film is igniting a family feud - relatives of the man he plays claim they had no idea the movie was being made. Bratt signed on to play Puerto Rican poet/actor/playwright Miguel Pinero - but members of the legend's family are already claiming the movie was made without their consent. Pinero's sister Rosa Gomez says, "We had no knowledge that this was going on. All of this is wrong and we want to put a stop to it." Gomez claims her family was given a script in August and offered $100, 000 for the movie rights - but they rejected the offer because "we didn't want to sell ourselves short and we didn't like the way they portrayed my mother as a troubled woman." But brother Dadi Pinero who is the executor of Pinero's estate, maintains his family was not left in the dark. He says, "I contacted all my brothers and sisters. They didn't want the film done, but in the end it was my call and I thought it was a good script." All the same, Gomez admits she and other kin may go to court. She says, "This whole thing is blowing our minds. We don't want to go up against our own brother, but if we have to, we will."...
- 10/12/2000
- WENN
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