REVIEW: ‘Santa Y Andres’ History, Drama, And The Cinematic Middle Finger.

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History and drama collide on screen in the second feature from Cuban Director Carlos Lechuga (literal translation: lettuce). Santa Y Andres is a film about the great divides between people caused by politics. But more importantly, the film is about the similarities we all share as humans. Santa Y Andres is a movie that works powerfully on some levels but misses the mark on others. Overall, it’s an entertaining two hours set in a time and place few rarely get to see.

A picture like this, though, relies on two crucial things:
writing and performance.

Santa Y Andres tells the story of an unlikely pair forced together by circumstances greater than the both of them. Andres (Eduardo Martinez) is an author living in exile. Andres is at odds with the Cuban government of 1983 and as a counter-revolutionary is no longer allowed a life, much less his own as someone who spreads the “wrong” ideas. Santa (Lola Amores) is a young woman, longing for companionship and finding it only in serving the oppressive government led by Dictator Fidel Castro. Santa is ordered to keep watch over Andres while a political meeting takes place. The government wants to make sure Andres and his banned ideas stay hidden.

Director Lechuga deftly moves the camera throughout the film, focusing attention on what viewers need to see. The choices for music in Santa Y Andres are fantastic too. A picture like this, though, relies on two crucial things: writing and performance. Both Martinez and Amores deliver powerful performances, embodying their characters flawlessly. However, the script leaves both characters a little short of being truly compelling. Andres is hardened by having his life stolen from him, Martinez portrays this perfectly throughout, but Andres ends the film at nearly the same point. The lack of development for Andres has the effect of rendering the character a little flat. On the flip side, Santa is rich and fascinating, she’s a woman torn between powerful forces. But some of the more interesting nuances of her character come too late.

Martinez and Amores shared the Best Actor prize at the Miami International Film Festival for their performances. The dynamic between Santa and Andres is what drives this film forward. Andres spends nights secretly working on a book while Santa believes she can free herself from government and into the arms of her lover. However, betrayal is also an important part of this story. Andres was betrayed by his country, and Santa soon learns the feeling all too well herself. The world forced these two together, and perhaps it’s fate, as they need each other more than they ever realized.

Santa Y Andres doesn’t always come together as it could have but is very much worth a watch. The film’s narrative is a unique blend of history and drama in a severely isolated country. Both lead performers and Lechuga’s direction carry the film, keeping it moving, and never letting it become a heavy-handed critique of the Cuban government. However, with that said, the Cuban government still went ahead and banned the film away. So, maybe this isn’t the kind of movie you look for, but it’s an excellent way to flip the cinematic bird at a ruthlessly oppressive regime.

Santa Y Andres TRAILER

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REVIEW: ‘Are We Not Cats’ And The Horrible Horror Of Reality

By

Ruben Diaz

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One of the beautiful things about any great film festival is the celebration of diversity. Film is a language with nearly infinite possibilities for expression. At the Miami International Film Festival, such diversity is a treasured hallmark. Documentaries, drama, action, adventure, and all genres in-between find a place on screens all around South Florida. One of the oldest and most immortal of all genres — horror — didn’t weigh heavily at MIFF this year, but it’s not about quantity, it’s quality and Are We Not Cats is one top-notch, grade-a quality horror film, though, maybe not for all horror fans.

A good horror should give you characters you care about
or even care enough about to hate.

Are We Not Cats tells the story of Eli (Michael Patrick Nicholson), a thirty-something suffering from a severe case of wanderlust. Eli also has issues with trichotillomania and trichophagia, the conditions where a person pulls out their hair and sometimes eats it, but we’ll get to that a little later. “When it rains, it pours” becomes an understatement for Eli. In a matter of days, Eli’s girlfriend dumps him, his future-less job drops him, and his parents leave him behind without a place to live.

Eli soon meets Kyle (Michael Godere), a man forever locked in party mode. Along with Kyle, Eli also meets Anya (Chelsea LJ Lopez), Kyle’s eccentric, Elvin-cute girlfriend. Anya’s free spirit attitude enraptures Eli. As the trio spends more time together, Eli’s relationship with Anya grows more intimate since they share the same obsessive condition. Eli and Anya’s connection ultimately becomes the thrust of the film, becoming more dangerous and gross with every scene.

A good horror should give you characters you care about or even care enough about to hate. This way, threatening or killing a liked character causes an unease in the audience while killing a douchebag causes elation. Second, the film should soak you in tension, but that can take many forms. Most horror movies do this with tons of blood, jump scares, and loud, sudden sounds. That’s the easy way. But Writer/Director Xander Robin used a uniquely different approach.

So, where do the scares come from in Are We Not Cats? The scariest place of all — reality. The rom-com portions of the movie work great. Edgar Wright-inspired whip-pans and cuts play well with the type of dark humor going on in the script. Those rom-com portions, while sometimes falling into eye-rolling tropes, also serve to make the horror bits all the more squirm-inducing. Eli and Anya both feast upon themselves and it gets ugly fast. Eli, in particular, also has a bad habit of scratching at his back until it’s raw. The film’s minimalist approach serves a much greater payoff for the viewer. Particularly during other scenes where the gore feels suddenly turned up to 11.

If you’re the kind of horror movie fan who likes heads and limbs being hacked off then Are We Not Cats won’t satiate your bloodlust. But if you love to squirm, to feel your skin crawl, to connect with broken people and watch them fall deeper into their cracks, then Are We Not Cats is must-watch horror.

ARE WE NOT CATS TRAILER

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REVIEW: ‘Citizen Jane: Battle For The City,’An Engaging Documentary About Real Estate!

By

Ruben Diaz

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Documentaries are a dime a dozen, especially if you spend even two minutes on Netflix. Documentaries, like movies, have genres. So, if you’re not into science or math, documentaries on those subjects aren’t likely to make much of an impact on you. Of course, there are those rare documentary filmmakers who can make just about anything interesting. Here we arrive at Citizen Jane: Battle For the City, a documentary about real estate. Sound exciting? Probably not, but filmmaker Matt Tyrnauer, is one of those rare types of filmmakers.

Journalist Matt Tyrnauer first tackled a documentary film with Valentino: The Last Emperor. In it, Tyrnauer told the story of Italian businessman Valentino Garavani. But at the heart of The Last Emperor is a relationship. Citizen Jane is no different, presenting a larger picture but then scaling it down to the humans mixed into the paint. In this case, the relationship isn’t one of mutual support and progress.Instead, Tyrnauer presents a classic hero in Jane Jacobs, author of “The Death And Life of Great American Cities” (1961). Jacobs thinks cities are magical places with a unique connection to the people who live there. If Jacobs is Superman, her Lex Luthor is Robert Moses, a Trump-like businessman who speaks of progress while laying the foundation of this growth on the backs of people he cares little about.

Jane Jacobs talks of neighborhoods as naturally forming organisms that create something larger than intended. Neighborhoods breed stories, seemingly born from the surrounding Earth. On a more pragmatic level, Jacobs argues that smaller areas with business sprinkled in are safer than a city of 100 times the amount of people living in rows of skyscrapers. For Moses, it’s all about the money. Moses’ vision is to turn New York into an even larger sea of concrete, with people living in small caves tucked into massive, box-like buildings.

Citizen Jane handles the material with surprising vibrancy. Let’s face it, the thought of a doc about the battle for real estate isn’t very exciting. But Tyrnauer’s use of old photos and footage makes New York come to life.

Showcased at the Miami International Film Festival, Citizen Jane’s battle for the city between Jacobs and Moses began in earnest when Moses wanted to stretch New York’s Fifth Avenue right on through Washington Square Park. Jacobs, a relative unknown journalist at the time took up the fight against the builder. Jacobs was dismissed by opponents, lead a campaign which ultimately shut the project down. Jane won, but it would be the first of many battles against Moses.

Later, the fight would grow truly personal when Moses set his sights on wrecking Greenwich Village. Jane lived in Greenwich and had formed a lot of her concepts, like “social capital” living there. To Jacobs, Greenwich, much like Washington Square Park, Lower Manhattan and SoHo (two more areas Jacobs saved), she saw it as a symbiotic organism that was as much vital to the people or the city as it is the profit motive for people like Robert Moses.

Tyrnauer weaves the Citizen Jane like a tapestry of natural progress versus perceived progress. The model of creating cities of skyscrapers is more the norm now than Jacobs would’ve liked. But Jacob’s inspiration continues to fuel modern-day activists to continue the fight to preserve the spirit of humanity woven into great American cities.

CITIZEN JANE TRAILER

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Brianna Hildebrand On Negasonic Teenage Warhead In ‘Deadpool’ Sequel

By

Aric Sweeny

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March 13, 2017

Brianna Hildebrand talked to Screen Rant as SXSW, and commented on Negasonic Teenage Warehead’s character in Deadpool 2.

“I’ve not yet actually read the script, but I do think she will be a lot cooler, based on the wardrobe ideas and stuff. I’m very excited.”

Hildebrand then explained that, although she hasn’t read the script, she did see some character concept art.

“Just some ideas, nothing that’s concrete or anything. But I think it’s cool that she’s grown and matured and she still has so much of this essence of a punk kid.”

Are you looking forward to Deadpool 2? Why or why not? Comment below!

The film is slated for a theater release in 2018.

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DC on CW: Week in Review – ‘Flash’ and ‘Supergirl’ Get Gritty

By

Jon Barr - TV Editor

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March 13, 2017

This series will be a brief, semi-comedic review of the CW superhero shows. You can check out last week’s review post here, or see the tally of winners below. The only shows discussed will be ‘Arrow’, ‘Flash’, and ‘Supergirl’. There WILL be some spoilers discussed, so only look at the reviews you’re up to date on!

Supergirl, “Exodus” (Mar 6)

While the two CW shows got dark this week, Supergirl doesn’t lean too hard into its angst. Therefore, “Exodus” works as a dramatic conclusion (of sorts) to the CADMUS plot line. Kara’s dark turn mostly involves independent journalism, but putting her double-life in conflict works well for side plots. Alex’s “bad cop” turn, on the other hand, is legitimately dark and exciting. J’onn’s Dad-Test may have been unnecessary, but the way it motivated Alex was incredible. Jeremiah’s true loyalties still aren’t clear, but perhaps his capture – or demise – will clear it up. Winn falling too madly in love is actually pretty sweet. It’s also exciting to see Kevin Sorbo and Teri Hatcher show up. James has mostly disappeared from Supergirl, which is a shame, as he’s more interesting than Mon-El. But the work “Exodus” does with the other Supergirl stars is phenomenal.

SCORE: 8.5/10 Flash Grenade Things

The Flash, “The Wrath of Savitar” (Mar 7)

Holy Gosh Darn, this episode is DARK. It’s a confusing choice, coming from a show often praised for its levity. While it’s commendable that CW took a risk on this darkness, it did not pay off. Barry is barely visible this episode, as if the CW knew he couldn’t be convincingly brooding. The proposal twist is interesting, but under-done. It would’ve been intriguing to see Barry sit more on the decision before it gets tossed out like that. Instead, it comes out of the blue to make Wally leave, and Iris calling off the engagement feels unearned. Savitar’s speech becomes far more casual, and makes him feel more like the human evil speedsters of seasons past. The Julian/Caitlin relationship falls more into melodrama, making it hard to watch them onscreen together. But Wally’s an interesting character, and the transformation he MAY be going through is exciting to watch unfurl.

SCORE: 5/10 Acolytes

Arrow did not have an episode this week. Seems like all its dark mojo & rejected proposals got absorbed by The Flash. So perhaps someone in Starling City is gonna get married for real? Maybe Quentin and Felicity’s mom? Talia and Arsenal, perhaps? It doesn’t look like Oliver and Susan will stay together for long.

WEEKLY WIN TALLY:

Arrow: 6 Weeks

Supergirl: 5.5 Weeks

The Flash: 3.5 Week

What show did you think won the week? Does Legends of Tomorrow take your vote? Do you think A.o.S. or Gotham outshines all the CW shows? Let us know in the comments below!

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This Trailer for Edgar Wright’s ‘Baby Driver’ Will Make Action Fans Salivate

By

Larry Taylor - Managing Editor

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March 13, 2017

Edgar Wright is back, and he’s ready to attack the action genre head on with Baby Driver.

Wright, whose given us one of the greatest comedy trilogies of all time with Shaun of The Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World’s End, strays from his Simon Pegg/Nick Frost comfort zone to tell another familiar story with what looks to be terrific flair. Check out this trailer:

After being coerced into working for a crime boss, a young getaway driver finds himself taking part in a heist doomed to fail.

There are echoes of a dozen different films here, most obviously Drive from 2011. It’s certainly a familiar story, but Wright’s confidence with the action/comedy genre mashup is on full display.

And how about that cast?! Baby Driver stars Ansel Elgort as the titular driver, Lily James, Jon Hamm, Jaime Foxx, Jon Bernthal, and Kevin Spacey, who seems to have aged a decade the last year or so.

Baby Driver will hit theaters August 11. Let’s hope it’s not another American Ultra.

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Best Current TV Shows for Buffy-Heads to Binge

By

Jon Barr - TV Editor

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March 13, 2017

Buffy the Vampire Slayer celebrated its 20th anniversary this past week. The cult series featured a phenomenal blend of drama, comedy, and non-stop supernatural action. It’s been off the air for years now, but there are still plenty of shows that carry Buffy’s spirit on. Here’s a list of great series on the air right now that Buffy fans can enjoy!

BackNext

1. Supergirl

Supergirl

The CW’s latest acquisition, Supergirl, may be one of the network’s strongest shows. The series follows the exploits of Superman’s cousin, as she fights alongside her secret agent sister, Martian Manhunter, and whatever Mon-El is. Much like The Flash, Supergirl is praised for its levity, not allowing too much melodrama into the action-packed show. It hasn’t had the advantage of starting as a CW tie-in, but it’s flourished. Now that its on the CW, it’s only getting better, with no signs of slowing down. Catch S1 on Netflix, then watch S2 as it comes out Mondays on the CW!

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Netflix’s Love, Season Two: Calista Flockhart and Tony Soprano

By

Joseph Rejent

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March 12, 2017

I like this show.

That may seem like a thoughtless, uncritical statement, but I mean it in the way Gus and Mickey say it to each other at the end of episode five. I like this show. I don’t love it, and there’s a good chance I never actually will, but I enjoy spending time with it. There are moments where I find myself disliking certain characters (Gus in particular) more than I dislike, say, Tony Soprano, who is an actual murderer, but I keep coming back to them. There are so many riveting series that I adore, and yet when many of them release a season in bulk, I don’t breeze through them as quickly as I breeze through a season of Love. (I’ve watched the first six episodes of Season Two.)

I’m not building up to some brilliant insight as the reason I feel this way, either. Love is a strange, awkward show that often places its characters in uncomfortable or outright humiliating situations. And I don’t know why, but somehow it’s still a lot of fun to watch.

Except Randy. Anything with Randy pretty much sucks. As I mentioned above, there are plenty of moments where I find Gus annoying, and Mickey is certainly more obviously troubled. But these characters are flawed by design, and when the show is at its best, the two of them improve each other. Randy the unemployed barbarian, however, isn’t improved by Bertie, his scenes aren’t funny, his existence as a character feels unrealistic, and yet the show devotes an absurd amount of screen time to him. Maybe later in the season the reasons will for this will become apparent, but as things stand, when Randy comes on, my attention starts to wander. I get that he’s supposed to be sort of a mirror of Mickey, but for whatever reason, something just isn’t clicking there.

That being said, this season is a large improvement over the previous one. Many Netflix or other streaming service original series tend to consist of episodes that are meant to be watched in a clump. This causes most of the episodes to exist to serve the larger narrative rather than form individual memorable installments. In other words, to draw on The Sopranos yet again, we’ll never get a “Pine Barrens” type of episode from many of these series, in which the content is self-contained and more in service of the theme than the overarching story. While more serialized storytelling is currently the norm, there’s a good reason “Pine Barrens” is my favorite episode of The Sopranos. Shows like Jessica Jones or The Man in the High Castle tend to miss opportunities for this type of storytelling.

This season, Love is an exception to that. In almost all of the six episodes I’ve seen, there is a mini-story that furthers the plot. Episode one is all about escaping the apartment complex while it’s on lockdown, and episode four is about the experience the characters have on shrooms. Aside from the magic episode in the first season, I don’t recall the show ever having done this before. As a result, the storytelling feels less like a mess of information being dropped on the audience, and more like a series of coherent chapters in an evolving story. It’s also a lot more fun this way.

The biggest reason I started watching Love is Gillian Jacobs, because Community is one of my all-time favorite shows. But even as a fan of her earlier work, I’ve been consistently impressed with her versatility and vulnerability in this role. Paul Rust is pretty great, but I get the sense he’s more or less playing himself, as one of the creators of the show. Jacobs, on the other hand, takes a difficult, troubled character, and plays her so earnestly that even when Mickey is at her worst, she’s relatable. Instead of hating the character for her flaws, I find myself rooting for her to overcome them. This is quite an accomplishment, because for most audiences, frustrating characters can ruin a show. In this case, Mickey improves it.

Also, I would like to state for the record that I think a series about Calista Flockhart as a park ranger detective sounds hilarious and amazing.

I’ll probably check in with this one again when I’ve finished the season, but what did everyone else think of Love? Does anyone actually like Randy? Am I totally off-base about Mickey and she’s actually the worst?

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Talia Al Guhl Returning to Arrowverse in Present Day Star City?

By

Devon Kenney

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March 12, 2017

Talia Al Guhl Returns to Star City.

The history with Oliver Queen and the Al Guhl family is a long, messy one. Executive Producer Marc Guggenheim stepped up to talk about the long awaited return of one of our favorite villains.

“We will see her in the present day,” Guggenheim teased to Entertainment Weekly. “What she wants from Oliver in the past is very different from what she wants from him in the present.”

For the time being, Oliver is unaware of Talia’s distinguished lineage because Oliver never learned Talia’s last name. “Oliver couldn’t have heard it, because if he had, when Ra’s talked about his daughter he’d be like, ‘Yeah, the other daughter, I met her back in Russia,’” Guggenheim says. “We were very cognizant not to retcon anything. So yes, she is Talia al Ghul, but Oliver obviously doesn’t know that.”

Synopsis:

After a violent shipwreck, billionaire playboy Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) was missing and presumed dead for five years. Before being discovered alive on a remote island in the North China Sea. Oliver returned home to Star City, bent on righting the wrongs of his family and fighting injustice. As the Green Arrow, he protects his city with the help of former soldier John Diggle (David Ramsey), computer science expert Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards), his vigilante-trained sister Thea Queen (Willa Holland), former police captain Quentin Lance (Paul Blackthorne) and brilliant inventor Curtis Holt (Echo Kellum).

Newly appointed Mayor Oliver Queen finds himself challenged as he fights on two fronts for the future of Star City. With Diggle back in the military and Thea adamant about hanging up her hood as Speedy, Team Green Arrow is down to just Oliver and Felicity. But they’re no longer the only vigilantes in town. Green Arrow’s public defeat of Damien Darhk at the end of Season Four has inspired a new crop of masked heroes to step up and defend the city. Their painful inexperience makes them obstacles, rather than allies, in the field. The arrival of a deadly new adversary will force Oliver to confront questions about his own legacy, both as mayor and as the Green Arrow

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‘Flash’/’Supergirl’ Musical Crossover Character Details Revealed!

By

Devon Kenney

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March 12, 2017

‘The Flash’ and ‘Supergirl’ cross over musical event is just weeks away!

Good news for the fans, we get new and exciting details about the singing characters we love so much! Flash and Supergirl take on a musical villain, which means musical action!

A recent interview from Entertainment weekly gave us, “In a nod to Kara’s favorite film, Wizard of Oz. Everyone else in the vocally impressive cast is playing a character within this movie, from Jesse L. Martin, Victor Garber, and John Barrowman as rival mob bosses to Jeremy Jordan’s club pianist and Carlos Valdes’ aspiring artist busboy.”

The amount of musical talent in this episode is going to be bananas. Almost everyone involved has some sort of history in the musical world, including Rent star Jesse L. Martin, who plays Detective West. Most surprisingly, Grant Gustin, Flash himself even sings!

According to my source, inspiration pulled from Guys and Dolls, Singing in the Rain, and West Side Story.

We have to wait until March 21st for this epic musical, but until then we get all the insider details.

DARREN CRISS (“GLEE”) GUEST STARS AS THE MUSIC MEISTER IN THE FLASH AND SUPERGIRL MUSICAL CROSSOVER – Barry (Grant Gustin) and team are surprised when Mon-El (guest star Chris Wood) and Hank Henshaw (guest star David Harewood) arrive on their Earth carrying a comatose Supergirl (guest star Melissa Benoist) who was whammied by the Music Meister (guest star Darren Criss). Unable to wake her up, they turn to Team Flash to save her.

However, the Music Meister surprises The Flash and puts him in a similar coma, one that Team Flash can’t cure. Kara and Barry wake up without their powers in an alternate reality where life is like a musical and the only way to escape is by following the script, complete with singing and dancing, to the end.

The Flash airs Tuesday Nights at 8/7c on The CW.

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