Robert Rodriguez’s superhero, adventure filmWe Can Be Heroes premieres on Netflix on Christmas day. It is a sweet, feel-good family film starring some of Hollywood’s top talent.

Texan native, Rodriguez’s directorial debut film El Mariachi earned the distinction of being the lowest-budget movie to make $1 million at the US box office and launched his career in 1993. His cutting-edge visual style seen in his horror (From Dusk till Dawn) and action (Sin City) films, has made Rodriquez one of the most famous, influential, and beloved directors in contemporary American cinema. For We Can Be Heroes Rodriguez, once again takes on multiple roles including director, writer, producer, editor, and director of photography.

We Can Be Heroes is the stand-alone sequel to Rodriguez’s 2005 film The Adventures of Lavagirl and Sharkboy – 3D which follows a young boy named Max as he’s recruited by two imaginary superhero friends, Sharkboy and Lavagirl, to save their home planet, Planet Drool.

In We Can Be Heroes, Sharkboy and Lavagirl are now adults in the real world. They’re a part of a team of elite Earth superheroes called The Heroics led by Marcus Moreno (Pedro Pascual). When the earth is threatened by a massive alien invasion, The Heroics have their super children sent to safety, under the care of the strict government babysitter, Ms. Granada (Priyanka Chopra Jonas).

However, when The Heroics are kidnaped by the aliens, the superkids, led by Moreno’s daughter Missy (YaYa Gosselin,) escape from Ms. Granada. Together they go on an adventure learning to use their strengths and unique powers, as a team to save both their parents and the world.

Throughout the film, there is an emphasis on the importance of teamwork among the diverse group of people, including gender, race, and physical ability. Every superkid, despite what limitations others put on them, is able to use their individual power to excel both in the group and individually. This is especially evident in Missy who must overcome her own insecurities and believe in herself, in order to effectively learn to lead.

Intent on making We Can Be Heroes as true an authentic family film, Rodriguez collaborated with four of his five children, Racer Max, Rebel, Rogue, and Rhiannon. For instance, Racer Max who initially created the characters of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, was also a co-producer on We Can Be Heroes. While Rebel wrote the film’s score. The film’s music references rock icon David Bowie’s hit song Heroes, which can be heard throughout the film. The phrase, “We can be heroes”, is one of the most recognizable lyrics of the song.

Rodriguez shared how he wanted We Can Be Heroes to be a children’s version of The Avengers. Expressing how, “The genre is a great way to present a mythology, but grounded in family values and messages for children,” he said and added “If kids are going to watch a film over and over, you want to give them something that teaches them about family, working together, inspiring others, and using all of their personal power to change the world for the better”.

In these turbulent times when adults don’t seem to have all of the answers and with so much infighting among them, children are left to feel unsure about their futures. We Can Be Heroes gives children positive encouragement. It gives hope that with each new generation comes the opportunity to rebuild and go further than the generation before them.

We Can Be Heroes premiers on Friday, December 25, 2020.

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Written By Luis Reyes

The Mandalorean, the Star Wars spin off hit series starring Pedro Pascual as the titular bounty hunter has been renewed for a second season on the new Disney + streaming service. The series, which ended its first season run last Friday, has been a most watched hit since its streaming service debut with record 10 million subscribers on its first day.  Along with Pascual, the series also stars Carl Weathers, Gina Carano and Nick Nolte and has caused a sensation with the introduction of the character of BabyYoda. Disney+ The Mandalorean Season 2 will begin airing in the fall of 2020.  

 Then more Star Wars content is coming in the months ahead as this streaming service is in production on a Rogue One prequel series starring Diego Luna reprising his role of Cassian Andor from the 2016 film.

Narcos: Mexico Cast and Ready To Go

Over at Netflix, Luna returns as Guadalajara’s head Narco Felix Gallardo in season 2 of Narcos: Mexico on February 13, 2020. 

Widely sought after Casting Director Carla Hool has cast the new season to include actors Scoot McNairy as DEA agent Walt Breslin, Mayra Hermosillo (Falco) as Enedina Arelano Felix, Sosie Bacon (Here and Now) as Mimi Webb Miller, Andres Londono (Fear The Walking Dead) as Enrique Clavel Alex Knight (legion) as Kenny Moss, Miguel Rodarte (Time Share) as Danilo Garza, Jesse Garcia (From Dusk Till Dawn) as Sal Orozco, Matt Biedel  (Altered Carbon) as Daryl Petski, Jesus Ochoa (Overboard) as Juan Guerra, Flavio Medina  (The House of Flowers) as Juan Garcia Abrego, Alberto Zeni (The Noble Family) as Amat Palacios, Jero Medina (Belle De Jour) as Ossie Mejia, Jose Julian (The Society) as Javier Arellano Felix, Noe Hernandez (We are The Flesh) as Rafael Aguilar and Nat Faxon (Family Guy) as Ted Kaye. Gaumont Television produces Narcos: Mexico for Netflix and is executive produced by Eric Newman and Jose Padilha.

Hawaii Five-O Crosses Over To Hawaii Five-O

Last week CBS Television, for the first time did some cross-over with their Friday night hit shows Hawaii Five-0 and Magnum P.I. On January 3rd their aired a two episode, two hour (8-10 p.m.) event in which Jay Hernandez’s Magnum P.I. is enlisted by Hawaii Five-0 to help in an investigation.  In the subsequent episode Magnum must use all of his resources when the CIA prevents Five-0 from aiding him in rescuing a close friend held hostage.  

The 41 year old Hernandez, was born and raised in Montebello, California is completing his second season playing the iconic character of Magnum P.I. portrayed by Tom Selleck in the 80’s. 

Hernandez is CBS’s “diversity in a major dose” in a time where broadcast television representation of leading Latinx roles are still infrequent. Last year 2019 CBS brought us Jimmy Smits in the short lived series Bluff City Law and over at ABC Nicholas Gonzalez is in his third season on the hit show The Good Doctor. 

“ There needs to be representation and there needs to be diversity on television,” said Hernandez in a recent interview. “if you’re telling an honest story about America, you need to have shows that represent what the country looks like today. We’re a very diverse place and media should represent that.”

Latinos In Hollywood Trivia

I Love Lucy Still Brings In 4.9 Million Viewers With 0.5 Nielsen Ratings.

The classic I Love Lucy comedy series of the 1950s’ starring Lucille Ball and Cuban American Desi Arnaz  (1917-1986) is still drawing audiences after all these years and creating new generations of fans as the annual colorized Christmas episode dominated the ratings with 4.9 million total viewers on CBS television last Friday Dec 19. 

It’s an amazing accomplishment for a 70-year-old television series that was groundbreaking for its time, about a struggling Cuban–American bandleader Ricky Ricardo and his wacky American housewife Lucy. It shot up to number one in its heyday and became a national obsession on the CBS run (1951-1957) and continues to entertain to this day.

Up to that time, Arnaz was known primarily as a musician and performer who pioneered and popularized Afro-Cuban music to mainstream American audiences.  He proved himself an innovative producer and savvy businessman being instrumental in the development and use of the three-camera system for filming television comedy programs in front of a live audience. He retained the right of filmed TV series ownership through his Desilu productions and created the television syndication business model

He became the first Latino studio head when he used the profits from I Love Lucy to purchase the former RKO studios facilities, which he ran. Arnaz and Ball through their production company Desilu developed such television series as Star Trek and Mission Impossible.

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