Home Media Magazine - December 9, 2007 - (Page 16) Edited by Angelique Flores www.homemediamagazine.com COM I NG documentaries: Cocalero (DVD $24.95), about Evo Morales’ campaign to become Bolivia’s first indigenous president; Che Guevara: Where You’d Never Imagine Him, a personal portrait of Guevara; Moments With Fidel, about Castro’s political and personal life; and Roses in December, about the murder of a lay missionary and three American nuns by El Salvador’s security force. Also that day comes the drama Amada, directed by Humberto Solás. All DVDs are $24.95 each. UP I FIRST RUN FEATURES Dec. 11 releases several I LAGUNA PRODUCTIONS Jan. 8 (prebook Dec. 11) releases the first season of Como en el Cine (eight-DVD $29.95). Jan. 15 (prebook Dec. 18) comes Humberto Solás’ Barrio Cuba (DVD $24.95), which won awards at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival and the Cartagena Film Festival. Jan. 22 (prebook Dec. 18) brings the drama Cielo, starring Paulina Gaitan, Alan Chavez and Arcelia Ramírez. I LIONSGATE Jan. 29 (prebook Jan. 2) releases Ladron Que Roba a Ladron, (DVD $19.98), starring Fernando Colunga, Miguel Varoni, Ivonne Montero and many other stars. Extras include a making-of featurette, a featurette with the composer, a director’s commentary and deleted scenes. Director Franc. Reyes Reyes’ ‘Illegal Tender’ Rolls in on DVD By Angelique Flores t’s been five years since Franc. Reyes entered the scene as a director and writer for his gangster drama Empire. Reyes’ follow-up, Illegal Tender, is heading to DVD Dec. 18 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. The $29.98 DVD includes deleted scenes, a music video from Que No featuring Dicky Ranking and Abusivo, as well as making-of featurettes on the film and the music video. The film features a cast of talented Latino stars: Rick Gonzales (Coach Carter, “Reaper”), Wanda de Jesus (“CSI: Miami”), Dania Ramirez (“Heroes,” X-Men: The Last Stand) and reggaeton superstar Tego Calderon. The film, produced by John Singleton, drew in $3.1 million at the box office. Illegal Tender is a story about Wilson (Gonzales), a college student whose father was killed by gangsters. He and his mother (de Jesus) decide to settle the score. The film features the theatrical debut of reggaeton artist Tego Calderon “I wrote that role for him,” said Reyes, who recalled watching Calderon on the music video “Bandoleros” by Don I PLUS ONE ENTERTAINMENT Feb. 12 (prebook Jan. 11) bows La Muerte del Gallo de Oro (DVD $9.98), starring Gerardo Albarran, Luis Gatica and Sergio Reynoso. I SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT Jan. 29 (prebook Dec. 27) offers the reggaeton drama Feel the Noise (DVD $24.94, UMD $24.94). Extras comprise a making-of featurette and a featurette about the reggaeton music movement. Also that day arrives Niñas Mal/Charm School (DVD $29.95), starring Martha Higadera and Maria Aura. The DVD comes with four making-of featurettes and a music video. I Omar. “That’s when I said, ‘That’s the guy.’” For Reyes, finding talented actors with realistic looks is important. And since Latinos come in all colors, he wants to reflect that in his films. “Latinos are not used to seeing themselves as a protagonist unless they’re beautiful people. It’s not realistic,” he said. “Latinos want them to look like the Eurocentric idea of a person, not a Caribbean or Afrocentric idea. We [filmmakers] are to blame for that. We perpetuate.” As a Latino filmmaker, Reyes is mindful of maintaining a Latino cast in his films. “A Latino filmmaker is a filmmaker for all audiences,” Reyes said. “I don’t make films with Latino themes. I make films with Latinos in them.” Reyes’ 2002 film Empire featured a diverse cast with John Leguizamo, Peter Sarsgaard, Denise Richards, Sonia Braga, Nestor Serrano and Isabella Rossellini. “Our experiences are vast, just like that of the black and the Italian communities, and we should tell them all,” he said. “I don’t think filmmakers have hit that sweet spot yet.” I STRAND RELEASING Jan. 8 (prebook Dec. 6) presents Dark Blue Almost Black (DVD $27.99). The film was released theatrically in Spain and won three Goya awards for best new director, best actor and best supporting actor. I TLA RELEASING has moved the street date of Sex Crazy (DVD $19.99) to Dec. 18. I VANGUARD CINEMA Jan. 22 releases Contra Todo… Against All Odds (DVD $19.95), a drama about different characters fighting to survive. – Angelique Flores BRIEFS I LOPEZ RECOGNIZED FOR ‘BORDERTOWN’ ThinkFilm Jan. 29 (prebook Jan. 3) releases the Jennifer Lopez starrer Bordertown (DVD $27.98), a drama inspired by the real-life murders of women working in factories in Juarez, Mexico. DVD extras include a commentary with director Gregory Nava, the featurette “Amnesty International — Juarez, Mexico: A Call to Action” and a making-of featurette. The film was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 2007 Berlin International Film Festival, where Lopez received the Artist for Amnesty Award for her work as producer of the film. Less than eight months after the film’s screening in Berlin, 12 more women were added to the list of women dead, putting the official number at 14. However, 90 women are still reported missing, according to the list by human rights organizations such as Mexico’s Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a Casa. ‘GUADALUPE’ APPEARS ON DVD By Angelique Flores As Catholics everywhere honor the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe Dec. 12, Xenon Pictures is preparing to release a film on the iconic Catholic figure, backed with marketing support from Catholic organizations. Guadalupe streets Jan. 8 for $24.98 and will be distributed by Lionsgate. The feature film intertwines the story of 16th century man Juan Diego and his encounters with the Virgin of Guadalupe with the presentday story of Spanish archaeologist Jose Maria and his investigation of the Virgin. Guadalupe garnered $1.5 million from a limited theatrical run in the United States and Mexico. As Guadalupe is a popular MARKETING religious figure for Latino Catholics, the film was made with the participation of Mexico’s Institute for Guadalupan Studies. And now Xenon has national marketing support for the DVD from numerous Catholic-based organizations, churches and Web sites. “That really makes a difference, especially with this genre,” said Kristi Alires, VP of product management for Xenon. “[Faithbased organizations] really get behind a title to get more family friendly films out there.” The Web site 4marks.com, which is a like Catholic MySpace and YouTube, has added a folio profile for Guadalupe, with information about the film, video clips, a message board and friend list. Dating site Catholicmatch.com, a service owned by 4marks.com will feature clips of the film on its Web site throughout December and send e-mail blasts to subscribers to promote the release. The site, which has more than 200,000 users, will also host Guadalupe parties the week of the DVD release to screen the film. Xenon has been working with various Catholic organizations and churches around the country to screen the film on or around Dec. 12. Univision also is airing the film on its TV network this month, and the film will have a limited theatrical run in Puerto Rico this month. I UNIVISION AIRS PROGRAM ON DIGITAL TV Univision Television Network aired the first in a series of public service programs. “TV Digital… Que Tal?” is intended to inform viewers about the move to digital TV in 2009. The first 30-minute special aired Dec. 1, hosted by network personalities Fernando Arau and Carmen Cominicci. The show explained terminology, analog vs. digital and the government issue of coupons for the converter boxes. – Angelique Flores 16 Home Media Magazine December 9–15, 2007 http://www.homemediamagazine.com http://4marks.com
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