Cristina Escobar
Alice Braga Talks About New Film ‘Hypnotic’ (VIDEO)
“I’ve always wanted to work with (writer-director) Robert (Rodriguez),” Brazilian actress Alice Braga told Latino Rebels. “He’s a Latino director that really, really believes in representation. And he supports a lot the Latin community. He brings Latin actors like myself to work on his films.”
‘Chile ’76’: Writer-Director Manuela Martelli Centers Anonymous Women Who Made History (INTERVIEW)
“I wanted to write my own history, add a piece, and make it from the point of view of a woman, the anonymous woman,” says Manuel Martelli, co-writer and director of ‘Chile ‘76,’ which offers up a slice of bourgeoisie life under the infamous dictator Augusto Pinochet.
‘No Borders, Just Flavors’: Your New Favorite Cooking Show (INTERVIEW)
Produced by the largest grassroots immigrant youth rights group, United We Dream, ‘No Borders, Just Flavors’ features young immigrants battling it out in the kitchen to see who has the better dish while sharing what their recipe means to them.
Netflix’s ‘Florida Man’ Highlights Hollywood’s Problem With Latino Accents
A lot of people have accents. And with a little more respect and knowledge, Hollywood might finally portray them that way.
‘Chupa’ Director Jonás Cuarón Defends the Film’s Title (INTERVIEW)
In ‘Chupa,’ a fun family film with an awkward title, we see a Mexican American boy go from shame to triumph, and all it takes is a little magic and a lot of love.
Puerto Rican Director Kris Mercado Premieres First Feature Film, ‘If You Were the Last,’ at SXSW (INTERVIEW)
Puerto Rican director Kristian Mercado calls his sci-fi rom-com ‘If You Were the Last,’ which premiered at this year’s South by Southwest festival in Austin, a rare opportunity for a Latino filmmaker “to do things that are really outside the box.”
At 95th Oscars, Academy Shows Their Racist Behinds… Again (OPINION)
People of color being recognized for their artistic achievements shouldn’t be an outlier, and we shouldn’t still be celebrating “firsts” at awards shows.
Melissa Barrera on Having Two Latinas Star in ‘Scream VI’ (INTERVIEW)
“For the longest time, we were only thought of as side characters, the best friend, or the one that gets killed off first,” Melissa Barrera, who stars as co-lead Sam in the latest installment in the ‘Scream’ series, told Latino Rebels. “To have two final girls that are Latinas is powerful.”
Latinas Get an ‘Ocean’s 11’ With ‘Righteous Thieves’ Starring Lisa Vidal (INTERVIEW)
Premiering March 10, ‘Righteous Thieves’ is essentially a Latino ‘Ocean’s 11,’ with our clever burglars stealing back paintings from Nazis that stole them from Jewish families during the Holocaust. There’s power and joy in this silly heist film that puts Latinos at its center but doesn’t spend time on their identity.
Pedro Pascal Is Having a Moment
The Chilean American actor is currently starring in two of the biggest shows: HBO’s ‘The Last of Us,’ which has topped the charts every week since premiering in January, and Disney’s ‘The Mandalorian,’ now in its third season. But that doesn’t quite explain how he became the internet’s favorite obsession.
What Is Salma Hayek Doing in the New ‘Magic Mike’? (REVIEW)
Essentially, Salma Hayek Pinault is in ‘Magic Mike’s Last Dance’ to give feminist cover to a debatable enterprise—while enjoying every minute of the spectacle. And there is something satisfying about watching Hayek Pinault take on the Richard Gere role in ‘Pretty Woman.’
Let’s All Go Back to Ignoring George Lopez’s Podcast (OPINION)
During a recent episode of his podcast, Chicano icon George Lopez insulted up-and-coming comedian Ralph Barbosa by saying “nobody knows who he is.” Now that Lopez has apologized to Barbosa privately, can we go back to seeing him as the lovable TV dad who helps fellow Latinos?
Netflix’s ‘Against the Ropes’ Is a Refreshing Take on Mexicana Toughness (REVIEW)
Netflix’s ‘Against the Ropes’ is an unlikely love story. We’re talking a woman-centered wrestling show that’s primarily about the relationship between a mother and her 12-year-old daughter, plus a maximalist show that combines not just lucha libre wrestling, but also a drug ring, a bridal shop workplace, multiple romance plots, and more.
‘Huesera: The Bone Woman’ Exposes the Horror in Mexican Expectations Around Motherhood (INTERVIEW)
Writer-director Michelle Garza Cervera’s feature debut, ‘Huesera: The Bone Woman,’ exposes the Mexican cult of motherhood as a site of horror. The film follows Natalia Solián as Valeria, a young Mexican woman who’s convinced herself that she wants what society wants of her.
‘Freeridge’ Keeps Netflix’s ‘On My Block’ Story Going (REVIEW)
The Netflix series ‘On My Block’ was one of the rare high-school shows to center people of color. Now the show’s creators are back with a spinoff, ‘Freeridge.’ Set in the same L.A. neighborhood and the same school, the show follows a new set of friends, still four in number, still mixed gender, all people of color, and still fast-talking and mystery-solving.
This Latina Goes to Sundance (OPINION)
Latino Rebels’ entertainment correspondent Cristina Escobar gives an account of her first covering the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah last month and discusses the gains made by Latinos in occupying such spaces and the need for more.
In ‘Sorcery,’ Chilean Writer-Director Christopher Murray Takes On Colonialism (INTERVIEW)
Latino Rebels speaks with Chilean filmmaker Christopher Murray, co-writer and director of ‘Sorcery,’ which is set on Chile’s Chiloé Island in 1880 and follows a 13-year-old Huilliche girl, Rosa, as she seeks revenge after a white man kills her father.
‘Mamacruz’ a Kind, Funny Film About Abuela’s Sexual Awakening (INTERVIEW)
Latino Rebels speaks with Venezuelan director and co-writer Patricia Ortega, whose ‘Mamacruz’ is a subtle, complex comedy that never makes its aging protagonist the butt of its jokes, but instead invites us to sympathize with a woman who is finally learning how to be the hero of her own story in her third act.
Tear-Jerker ‘Radical’ a Sundance Favorite (INTERVIEW)
Latino Rebels speaks with actor and producer Eugenio Derbez, who opened this year’s Sundance Film Festival with ‘Radical,’ which stars Derbez as a middle school teacher in Matamoros who rejects the discipline-based instruction favored by his colleagues.
Sundance: ‘Going Varsity in Mariachi’ Brims With Cultural Pride (INTERVIEW)
Latino Rebels speaks with the directors of ‘Going Varsity in Mariachi,’ a documentary that follows a high school’s mariachi band in South Texas as it attempts to win the state championship. The film was shown at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
Ramón Rodríguez, Star of ABC’s ‘Will Trent,’ on Opening New Doors (INTERVIEW)
Even though he’s not playing a Latino, Ramón Rodríguez, star of ABC’s new show ‘Will Trent,’ is still advocating for Latinx communities, saying “it is important to at least do my best to try to push the needle, open new doors, try to create opportunities.”