Category Archives: Movies

‘The Nice Guys’ Review: Why It’s a Hoot

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Set in the ‘70s in Los Angeles, The Nice Guys stars Ryan Gosling as private eye Holland March and Russell Crowe as enforcer Jackson Healy, a mismatched duo who must work together to search for a missing girl and the unrelated death of a porn star. 

The dramedy is written and directed Shane Black and I had the chance to watch it before it was released in theaters. The film will be released this Friday, May 20 and if you’re indecisive about going to watch, let me tell you what I liked and didn’t like about it.

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Cannes Films I’m Looking Forward To: ‘Café Society,’ ‘The Neon Demon’

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With the Cannes Film Festival to start tomorrow, here are a couple of films that I am looking forward to. I’d still love to learn about many more, but so far at my time at Indiewire, these are a handful I’ve written about.

Take a look:

The Neon Demon: Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and starring Elle Fanning, the story follows Jesse, a sweet aspiring model who moves to L.A. to get her big break. Things take a dark turn when her youth and vitality are devoured by a group of beauty-obsessed women, who after she gets exposure, will take any means necessary to keep her where she is. Jena Malone, Keanu Reeves, Desmond Harrington and Abbey Lee are among the additional cast members.

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Exclusive Tour of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter With Production Designer Alan Gilmore [VIDEO]

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Before The Wizarding World of Hary Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood opened to the public, I had the honor of going on a private tour of the magical castle and J.K. Rowling imagined land with “Harry Potter” production designer Alan Gilmore. Thanks to Variety, I got to speak with the art director, that was in charge of “Prisoner of Azkaban” and “Goblet of Fire,” about the newest park attraction. And the experience was unforgettable!

SEE MORE: Eugenio Derbez Conquering Hollywood One Project At A Time [Exclusive]

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Stephanie Sigman, From Miss Bala To Miss Bond [Exclusive]

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“Acting is not instant magic. There’s hard work behind each scene that allows the magic to appear,” admits model turned actress Stephanie Sigman.

Born in Ciudad de Obregón, Sonora, Mexico, Sigman began her career at the age of 16 as a model only then to transition to secondary roles in film and television series such as Cambio de Vida and Los Minodo. Her breakout moment arrived when she was chosen as the lead in the drama Miss Bala. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2011 to positive reviews. It followed the story of an aspiring Mexican beauty queen who upon witnessing drug and gang-related murders was held hostage by the cartel to transport drug money across the U.S. border.

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Super Bowl 50: Coldplay, Beyoncé & Bruno Mars Halftime Show [VIDEO]

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❤️ @coldplay @beyonce @brunomars #SuperBowl #SB50

A photo posted by Liz Calvario (@lizcalvario) on

Coldplay rocked the Super Bowl 50 stage on Sunday, Feb 7. The British ensemble, lead by Chris Martin, kicked off the halftime show singing “Viva La Vida” while hundreds of fans ran on the field and bright colors and kaleidoscope designs took over Levi Stadium.

After Coldplay did their thing, Mark Ronson took over as DJ, busting the beats to “Uptown Funk” and out came Bruno Mars in all black, sporting an MC Hammer look. The most talked about moment came when Beyoncé debuted her newest single “Formation” with her per-usual out of this world choreography. There was an amazing dance-off between Bruno and Bey that made me think that they should go on tour together. The finale came perfectly together when all three artists were on stage to sing “Up & Up” and the crowd held up signs that spelled out “believe in love.”

Check out the set list below and the full performance.

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Jack O’Connell Talks About His Life Changing Role [Exclusive]

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*Original story published on Variety Latino 12.17.14

Your life can change in an instant. That is what’s happening to Jack O’Connell, star of the new Angelina Jolie film, “Unbroken.” The British actor has captured the attention of critics and the hearts of many around the world portraying the Olympic distance runner, Louis Zamperini, whose life changes in a matter of days.

The true story of Zamperini, who died on July 2, 2014, is amazing and miraculous. Known as “Louie,” he was a renowned Olympic athlete, who at the age of 24 became a soldier for the Second World War. At the age of 26, his plane crashed into the sea during a search mission and survived on an inflatable boat for 47 days until the Japanese army captured him and his partner.

For two years Louis was a prisoner of war, brutally beaten daily and tortured by the prison guard, Mutsuhio Watanabe, until the war ended in 1945. This telling tale of physical and spiritual survival shows how strong a person can be under unimaginable circumstances.

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Stephanie Sigman on Working With Daniel Craig and How She Landed the Bond Girl Role [EXCLUSIVE]

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Stephanie Sigman made history becoming the first Mexican Bond girl for the upcoming 007 film, Spectre. The actress plays a mysterious woman named Estrella who gets to rub shoulders with Mr. 007 himself, Daniel Craig, while he makes a stop in Mexico City.

Now as her career continues to bud momentum, and after launching a global Belvedere campaign for the feature, I had the opportunity to speak with Sigman for Variety Latino about how it was working alongside Craig, her favorite memories from filming and how important it was for her to show her native country on the big screen.

“It’s an honor to be a part of this and I think it’s a dream for a lot of girls out there [to be a Bond girl], and a lot of actresses’ dreams too,” stated the Narcos actress about her grand triumph. “I’m living the dream. It feels amazing.”

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‘Our Brand Is Crisis’ Review: What Worked, What Didn’t

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“If you don’t like the road you’re on, start paving a new one,” is what Sandra Bullock says at the end of “Our Brand Is Crisis” as her character Jane ‘Calamity’ Bodine.

The David Gordon Green film depicts the story of a Bolivian presidential candidate who enlists the help of a savvy Bodine, a well versed woman in political campaigns who helps him change his reputation and get him re-elected. Things get down and dirty when Bodine finds out that her nemesis Pat Candy (Billy Bob Thornton) is working for the opposition. This is when winning is all that matters.

The lead role was originally created for George Clooney who also is producer of the film, but after reading the script Bullock knew this part was made for her. And boy did she own that role!

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‘Crimson Peak’ Review: 3 Reasons It’s A Must-See

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I watched “Crimson Peak” twice. Once because I became a huge fan of Guillermo de Toro after I spoke with him at San Diego’s Comic Con 2015 and then secondly when I wanted to attend the Q&A he had at the YouTube Space in Los Angeles.

At CC, all the reporters couldn’t stop saying the nicest thing about the Mexican director and it was refreshing to hear such wonderful comments about someone in Hollywood.

“Crimson Peak” is a Victorian-era Gothic romance, ghost story, that stars Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain and Charlie Hunnam. Mia is Edith, an aspiring writer who falls in love with the mysterious Thomas Sharpe (Hiddleston) and ends up marrying him after a series of unfortunate events. He then takes her to his home on top of a hill where they live with his sister Lucille (Chastain). Though after a couple of days, Mia sees that things are not what they seem.

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10 Latinos To Watch: Behind The Scenes [Photos]

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I had the privilege of co-producing the Variety Latino’s first annual “10 Latinos To Watch” list where we honored the best up and coming Latino actors and actresses in Hollywood. Among the list were Diego Boneta, Karla Souza, Stephanie Sigman and Luis Gerardo Méndez.

It was an amazing experience! We did everything from choosing the ten, contacting them, setting up their interviews, writing all their profiles, galleries and more. My co-worker, Griselda Flores, and I worked diligently to produce content that would really stand out and honor each of their achievements. Each one came in to our studios to talk about their careers, their start in the industry and what they had learned about being in the industry. You can look at all the coverage by clicking HERE and their videos HERE.

While they had their interviews I took behind-the-scenes pictures and now you can take a look at them!

Lorenza Izzo: Chilean actress who was last seen in Eli Roth‘s “The Green Inferno” and “Knock Knock.”

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