Genre:  Comedy, Family

Creators:  Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit

Showrunners: Leo Chu, Eric Garcia

Cast:  Scarlet Estevez, J. R. Villareal, Marianna Burelli, Juan Alfonso, Zelia Ankrum, Lorena Jorge

REVIEW

Oh, the growing pains of a teenage apprentice Latina superhero. When Violet (Scarlet Estevez) discovers a magic luchador mask has “chosen” her to wear it and become a superhero, it sets her off on a journey to become a crime fighter. However, being the typical rebellious teenager, Violet needs adult guidance

Luckily for her, the well-known local crime fighter, Black Scorpion, just happens to be her uncle, Cruz (J.R. Villareal) which she did not know. Black Scorpion becomes her mentor and takes Ultra Violet under his wing and teaches her the time-honored ethical ways of a superhero crime-fighter in a continuing effort to suppress the irrepressible, rambunctious teen’s tendency to think and act “outside the box” of a superhero’s sacred code of conduct.

In this first season, Ultra Violet’s rite of passage, into a budding Latina superhero is bolstered by the show’s clever light, fast-paced tongue-in-cheek comedic approach to the storyline and the positively charming and winning performance of Estevez as Ultra Violet.

The show is also enhanced by a good supporting cast, great special effects and the exceptional and imaginative cinematography of Rafael Leyva. Ultra Violet and Black Scorpion is a thoroughly enjoyable Disney production action-adventure comedy family TV series that will no doubt inspire young Latinas to discover and unleash the superhero within themselves.

Producers: Ian Watermeier, Nelson soler, Lisa Parsons, Leo Chu

Production Company: Chu Garcia

Distributor: Disney Channel

Available: Disney+

Rating:

TV Series:  Gordita Chronicles

Genre: Comedy, Family

Creator: Claudia Forestieri 

Showrunner:  Brigitte Muñoz-Liebowitz

Cast: Diana Maria Riva, Juan Javier Cardenas, Olivia Goncalves, Savannah Nicole Ruiz, Cosette Hauer, Noah Cottrell, Noah Rico

REVIEW

Is there a DR in the house? Happily, yes, four of them recently arrived from the DR (Dominican Republic) to Miami, Florida in search of the elusive American Dream and into our homes in this delightfully nostalgic semi-autobiographical good-natured family comedy by the creator, Claudia Forestieri.

The Castelli family is comprised of Adela, the mother, (Diana Maria Riva), the father, Victor (Juan Javier Cardenas), his older sister, Emilia (Savannah Nicole Ruiz), and la gordita, Cucu (Olivia Goncalves). Set in the 80s, the story is narrated by the adult Cucu recalling the family’s trials and tribulations of adjusting to their new life in the United States.

The Castelli’s immediately find out their illusions of America are in stark contrast to the reality of life back home in the DR to those in the good old USA. The Gordita Chronicles has some good fun with the Castelli’s coming to grips with such unknown things as taxes, coupons, Halloween, and Sadie Hawkins dances. Adela’s misadventure with coupons is an especially funny episode.

Victor who works in the marketing department of an airline is expected by his boss to be a great softball player because “all the great baseball players come from the Dominican Republic.” Well, that’s mostly true, but not about Victor who went to an expensive European boarding school and never learned how to play baseball.

Emilia tries to fit in at school by joining up with the popular girls known as the Bubble Gums.  The Bubble Gums make the Mean Girls look like Girl Scouts.  Emilia is in the drama class and has a crush on Rigo (Noah Cottrell).

But the story principally revolves around Cucu who is trying to navigate her way through school and social life with best friends, Ashley (Cosette Hauer) and Yoshi (Noah Rico). Cucu meets every obstacle and challenge confronting her with characteristic plucky determination and an innate intelligence beyond her young years. 

Gordita Chronicles is a madcap, zany look at an immigrant family’s adjusting to life in the states through the eyes of Cucu and her battle with body image in a world where “gordita” is no longer a Latin American term of endearment. You can’t help rooting for Cucu and her family as they struggle with joyous funky spunk and good humor to realize that all too often elusive American Dream.

Producers: Brigette Muñoz-Leibowitz, Claudia Forestieri, Dan signer

Production Company: Cinestar Pictures, Unbelievable

Distributor: HBO Max

Available: HBOMax

Rating:

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Ultra Violet & Black Scorpion revolves around a U.S. Latino family.  It’s about superheroes, family with they their beautiful culture at the centerpiece.  The cast is headed by Scarlett Estevez (Bunk’s Lucifer) who plays Violet Rodriguez AKA  Ultra Violet and her Uncle Black Scorpion played by J.R. Villareal (United We Fall).

After reading the first script of the show, Leyva’s mind raced back to the 90s films he grew up watching. “I automatically thought of the Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, 1989 Batman,” he explained.  “All movies that I idolized, all with a specific look.”   

Leyva went in for his first interview with Disney with his ideas on how he would shoot the show.  “I turn words into pictures. I told them that this was something that had to be stylized, single-camera as much as possible.”  

After shooting UltraViolet, he was off to Atlanta to shoot a project for the multi-hyphenate, entertainment disrupter, Tyler Perry.  Although Leyva has shot several movies of the week and several TV shows including Crackle’s The Oath and Deadly Affair, working with the Disney Channel and now with Perry could prove to be the breakthrough Leyva has been waiting for.  Shooting another project for Perry, in the works could be the clue.

“I just returned from Atlanta where I shot something for Academy Award-winning filmmaker Tyler Perry that was really incredible.” Leyva said but when asked about it, he had to explain, “I signed an NDA so I can’t talk about it.”

However, he did share the news that he felt that he had “passed the test” because he was asked to collaborate on a second feature film with Perry, which is in the works, and this one he could talk about.  “We’re up for a feature film for Netflix.  It’s a big one, a suspense thriller,” Leyva recounted excitedly.  “I am already in talks with the studio.”

Leyva’s is after all the ASC’s American Rising Star.

CAST:  Marianna Burelli as Nina, Violet’s mother; Juan Alfonso as Juan Carlos, Violet’s father, Brandon Rossel as Santiago, Violet’s brother; Zelia Ankrum as Maya Miller-Martinez, Violet’s best friend; Bryan Blanco as Luis León, Violet’s goody-two-shoes classmate

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Not only is actor/comedian Eugenio Derbez beloved in his home country of Mexico, he has also become a box office name in the U.S. and by extension, the world, recently appearing in the Oscar-winning film CODA.  Next, the world gets to experience his comedic talent in the English-language remake of the French hit The Valet, when it premieres as a  Hulu Original (May 20) in the U.S. and Internationally on Disney+ as a Star Original. Richard Wong is set to direct.

The Valet centers around a movie star Olivia (Samara Weaving) who enlists a parking valet (Derbez) at a Beverly Hills restaurant to pose as her lover to cover-up her relationship with a married billionaire (Max Greenfield). As a valet, hard-working Antonio usually flies under the radar but his ruse with Olivia thrusts him into the spotlight and brings him to see himself more clearly than ever before. “Its message of unity, seeing each other and human connection, is something the world could use right now and no one does that better than Hulu and Disney+,“ said Wong.  

Derbez’s “crossover success” from television and film star in Mexico to the U.S. was sealed when he started appearing in films that were slanted with U.S. Latinos in mind.  One of the first films he made for the U.S. market was Bajo La Misma Luna/Under The Same Moon (2007) which was a Mexico/U.S. co-production written by Lijiah Villalobos and directed by Patricia Riggen.  Derbez had a small but pivotal role in this film, but it was enough for him to realize that he had millions of fans in the U.S. 

Mexican-Americans are 66% of all U.S. Latinos and they are familiar, or their parents are familiar with the show Derbez co-created, co-directed, and starred in, the family sitcom La familia P. Luche, as they watched it on U.S. Spanish language networks.  He realized that there was a substantial audience that would support his content in the U.S.

This notion was put to the test when he produced his first film marketed in the U.S., Instructions Not Included (2013) which he directed, co-wrote, and starred in.  It became the most successful Spanish-language film in the U.S. and worldwide broke numerous box-office records, earning more than $100 million worldwide. $44.4 million of that was earned in the U.S., with the help of the U.S. Latino market with MPAA has noted purchase 26% of all movie tickets.

Derbez produced and starred in a string of films beginning with Instructions Not Included which was followed by How To Be A Latin Lover (2017), and Overboard (2018).  In between producing his films he took on co-starring roles in high-profile studio films like Miracles From Heaven (2016) for Columbia Pictures, Dora and the Lost City of Gold for Paramount, and recently CODA for Apple TV+.  He has solidified his role in the U.S. as an actor that can “carry” a movie, meaning it will make a return on investment at the box office. 

Some would say that Derbez has found a winning formula. The one thing his films have in common is the casting, mixing known general market actors in the U.S. and Mexican actors.  This winning combination has worked for his previous films and it is the same formula in play with The Valet.  Betsy Brandt (Life in Pieces), Marisol Nichols (Riverdale, Criminal Minds), Noemi Gonzalez (Selena: The Series), Carmen Salinas (legendary Mexican actress who recently died), Ravi Patel (Wonder Woman), Tiana Okoye, Diany Rodriguez (The Blacklist), Mexican actor Armando Hernández, Carlos Santos (Gentefied), Amaury Nolasco (Hightown, Prison Break), John Pirucello (Godzilla vs. Kong) and Alex Fernandez (Mayans MC) round out the rest of the cast with Reggaeton superstar Lunay set to make his film acting debut. 

“The Valet is a multi-generational, multicultural comedy in which people from two different worlds discover the humanity in each other, Derbez and his 3Pas production company partner Benjamin Odell said in a joint statement. “ At 3pas studios we tell stories that try to unite us all and we love partnering with Hulu+ and Disney+ to bring this to the largest global audience possible.”

For the most part, in the domestic film world, Derbez has established himself as an actor that can carry, as well as produce a film that delivers box office numbers.  He is now looking to conquer the international market.

The Valet is written by Rob Greenberg & Bob Fisher, the team that penned Derbez’s hit film Overboard, which took in $95 million worldwide. Derbez and Odell’s 3Pas Studios banner is currently producing the television series Acapulco, which recently got picked up for a 2nd season by Apple TV.  

The post Eugenio Derbez Stars in Upcoming Rom-Com ‘The Valet’ first appeared on .

The English-language film is a remake of the 2006 French feature La Doublure, directed and written by Francis Veber, who got an Oscar nod for writing the 1978 La Cage aux Folles (The Birdcage).

The Valet is helmed by Richard Wong (Come as You Are) produced by Derbez and his partner Ben Odell (Overboard, How to Be a Latin Lover) through their 3Pas Studios banner. Jeremiah Samuels (X-Men: First Class) executive produces. The film is written by Bob Fisher (Overboard) and Rob Greenberg (Frasier).

Co-starring with Derbez are Samara Weaving (Ready or Not), Max Greenfield (New Girl), Marisol Nichols (Riverdale), and Betsy Brandt (Breaking Bad). 

In the film, Weaving plays Olivia, a movie star who enlists parking valet Antonio (Derbez) to pose as her lover to cover for a relationship with a married man (Greenfield). As a valet, the hard-working Antonio usually flies under the radar but his ruse with Olivia thrusts him into the spotlight and brings him to see himself more clearly than ever before.

“The Valet is a multi-generational, multicultural comedy in which people from two different worlds discover the humanity in each other,” say Derbez and Odell in a joint statement. “At 3pas studios we tell stories that try to unite us all and we love partnering with Hulu and Disney+ to bring this to the largest global audience possible.” 

The film also features several other stars Amaury Nolasco (Prison Break), Alex Fernandez (American Crime Story), Noemi Gonzalez (Selena: The Series), Wilmer Calderon (Fast & Furious), Carmen Salinas (Man on Fire), Diany Rodriguez (The Outsider), Carlos Santos (Gentefied), Milena Rivero (Sweet Girl) and Dariana Alvarez (Diary of a Future President).

The latest actor to join the cast is reggaeton singer Lunay, who is reportedly set to make his feature film debut in The Valet. The Puerto Rican artist previously appeared on the TV film Tiempos de Aguinaldo.

Director Wong says the rom-com feels personal to him. “What struck me most about The Valet is how closely my family resembled Antonio’s family and telling their story was like telling mine,” he says. “It’s message of unity, seeing each other and human connection, is something the world could use right now and no one does that better than Hulu and Disney+.”

Already in post-production, The Valet is set to premiere in the summer of 2022.

The post Eugenio Derbez’s ‘The Valet’ Picked up by Hulu and Disney+ first appeared on .

Actor Oscar Isaac of Star Wars, X-Men and Ex-Machina fame is negotiating to lead the Marvel series Moon Knight for Disney+.

Moon Knight is a fictional hero of the Marvel Universe that appeared for the first time back in 1975 but which has never made it as the Avengers in television nor the big screen.

That’s about to change. With Issac as Moon Knight, the superhero who displays multiple personalities will be joining the so-called “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.” Moon Knight is a mercenary-turned-crime-fighter whose real name is Marc Spector. As he faced death in an adventure in the Land of the Pharaohs, Spector is brought back by the Egyptian moon god Khonshu.

Isaac’s negotiations were first reported by the trade publication The Hollywood Reporter.  

If the deal is signed, Moon Knight could become one of the few superheroes played by a Latino actor. Isaac is Guatemalan-American. In fact, it has been reported that Marc Spector, a Jewish-American character, would be presented instead as a Latino. As Mr. Knight, Spector dresses in an all-white business suit, gloves, and mask and collaborates with New York police to fight crime in the Big Apple. The superhero is often compared to Batman, the Dark Knight as he is also a millionaire and uses gadgets in his fight for justice.

Isaac is an award-winning actor with more than 40 acting credits under his belt, including the dramatic film Inside Llewyn Davis (2013), for which he received a Golden Globe Award nomination and and the HBO miniseries Show Me a Hero (2015) that which earned him the Golden Globe Award for best actor in a miniseries or television film.

The post Oscar Isaac Might Be Marvel’s Superhero Moon Knight first appeared on .

Originally from Miami Florida, Pena received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Northwestern University.  Moving to California she began working as a production assistant.  She soon landed an assistant position to Rachel Bloom, the creator and showrunner of the CW’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.  That is when her writing career stepped into gear. She was promoted to a writing assistant and then writer where she wrote a few episodes for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Peña then created and pitched Diary of a Future President and the rest, as they say, is history.

This past May Disney+ announced that Diary of a Future President would get a second season.  The executive producing team which, aside from Pena includes Gina Rodriguez n(also makes cameo appearances as the President of the United States) includes Robin Shorr, Emily Gipson, Brad Silberling and Lewis Abel.

“Since day one on Diary, CBS Studios has been so supportive of my vision and voice,” said Peña. “I am incredibly grateful to the team for giving me a creative home to tell meaningful, inclusive stories.”

With a hit show and a production deal in place, Peña is creating worlds through her writing that resonate among Latinos and beyond.

Peña is represented by Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller.

The post Ilana Peña’s Overall Deal Production Deal At CBS TV first appeared on .

The much-anticipated new Hulu series Love, Victor, premieres on Wednesday, June 17, 2020, starring Michael Cimino as Victor. Love, Victor, is an LGBT+ teen drama premiering in June, recognized as Pride Month. It also comes at a time when LGBT+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, +) representation has dropped on streaming sites.

While following the basic formula of the teen drama programs centering on the challenges of coming of age in the modern era, Love, Victor also highlights the challenges that young LGBT+ POC people face. It integrates the impact that ethnicity, race, cultural practices, and religion can have on a young LGBT+ POC, which can drastically impact their ability to explore, gain support, and come out, compared to their white LGBT+ counterparts.

According to GLADD’s “We are on TV” Report for the 2019-2020 season, there has been an increase of LGBT+ people of color (POC) represented on both broadcast and cable television. Last year, LGBT+ POC outnumbered white LGBT+ characters on broadcast television at 52%. While cable television had 48% percent of LGBT+ characters as POC. This increase also includes LGBT+ Latinx characters, with shows such as Vida and Pose.

Unfortunately, streaming shows have seen a drop in LGBT+ POC representation, at 7%, most notably among LGBT+ Latinx characters. After the departure of One Day at a Time from Netflix to the cable channel Pop TV, there is just a handful of programs with LGBT+ Latinx characters, including Gentefied.

Love, Victor is an original spin-off series, based on the successful book tuned film Love, Simon (2018). Love, Simon broke new ground as the first LGBT+ teen romantic comedy film to be released by a major Hollywood studio, 20th Century Fox. The film follows Simon (Nick Robinson) a closeted white gay high school student, afraid of coming out to his family and friends, begins to communicate with another closeted gay student from his high school via the internet. When faced with the possibility of being outed, Simon goes on a journey of coming to terms with his identity and facing his biggest fear, coming out of the closet.

The writers for Love, Simon Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger will serve as co-showrunners and executive producers for Love, Victor . They keep many similarities between the movie and show, including it being set in the same time period and at the same high school, Creekwood High. However, with Love, Victor Aptaker and Berger wanted to take a different route exploring the LGBT+ POC experience, specifically the Latinx experience.

In Love, Victor, a nearly 16-year-old Victor Salazar (Cimino) and his family have recently moved from Texas to Atlanta, Gregoria. Though the reason for their movie is initially unclear, we see there is a strain of mysterious origin in his parent’s marriage having an impact on the children. As Victor begins to become situated at Creekwood High he develops a crush on his fellow student Benjie (George Sear), who’s openly gay. He also develops a close bond with his new friend Mia (Rachael Hilson), making him wonder what his true orientation is.

Cimino has been acting since 2015, most notably in Annabelle Comes Home (2019), the third installment of the popular Warner Bros. Pictures Annabelle horror series. This is Cimino’s first major series leading role. Victor’s parents Isabel and Armando are portrayed by seasoned television actors Anna Ortiz (Ugly Betty and Devious Maids) and James Martinez (House of Cards and One Day at a Time). While Victor’s younger siblings Pilar and Adrian will be played by Isabella Ferreira (Orange Is the New Black and Joker) and newcomer Mateo Fernandez. Other notable appearances in Love, Victor include Robinson reprising his role as Simon and popular drag queen Katya Zamolodchikova (RuPaul’s Drag Race).

Originally, Love, Victor was going to be a Disney+ show. However, due to content on the show having adult themes, such as marital issues, underage alcohol use, and sexual exploration, the show was moved Hulu. Hulu has a greater focus on young adult programming, whereas Disney+ focuses more on family content, especially families with smaller children. Disney has 77% controlling interest, with 33% co-owned by Comcast/NBC Universal in Hulu, after acquiring Hulu from 21st Century Fox, in March 2019 (Variety).

Now more than ever, audiences both white and of color, as well as straight and LGBT+ are looking for programs reflective of diverse real-life situations. Among the numerous comments to the Love, Victor youtube trailer by young adults, especially among LGBT+ Latinx reviewers, there is a universally positive and hopeful reaction. At times some reviewers became emotional, because many are experiencing for the first-time seeing is a leading character like them going through similar challenges, like them.

With Hulu’s library including an extensive amount of LGBT+ and Latino programming, Love, Victor, with its optimistic and relatable story will be a wonderful addition to their platform.

The post Hulu’s LGBT+ Teen Drama Starring Latinx Family first appeared on .