Longoria to Star in the Horror Film “Visions”

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Eva Longoria is having horrific visions…

The Mexican American actress and former Desperate Housewives star has been added to the cast of the Blumhouse Productions horror film Visions.

Longoria joins Isla Fisher and Community‘s Gillian Jacobs in film, with The Big Bang Theory‘s Jim Parsons in talks to co-star.

Fisher stars as a pregnant woman who moves with her husband to the countryside where she’s plagued by visions of a sinister hooded figure.

Longoria will portray Fisher’s fashionable, acerbic and funny city gal pal who disapproves of her friend’s life choices.

Directed by Kevin Greutert, Visions was written by Lucas Sussman.

Longoria most recently directed Episode 1 of Lifetime’s Devious Maids, the Marc Cherry dramedy that she also executive-produces.

On the big screen Longoria is set to star in the upcoming pics Frontera with Michael Pena and Ed Harris, Refugio from Demian Bichir, and Any Day opposite Sean Bean and Kate Walsh.

Peña to Star in the Heist Thriller “Triple Nine”

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Michael Peña is heading back to the force…

The 36-year-old Mexican American actor, who earned a Spirit Award nomination for his performance in the police drama End of Watch, will star in the heist thriller Triple Nine.

Directed by John Hillcoat, the drama centers on a crew of dirty cops that is blackmailed by the Russian mob to execute a virtually impossible heist. The only way to pull it off is to manufacture a 999, police code for “officer down.” Their plan is turned upside down when the unsuspecting rookie officer they set up to die foils the attack, triggering a breakneck, action-packed finale filled with double-crosses, greed and revenge.

In addition to Peña, the film’s all-star cast includes Fruitvale Station’s Michael B. Jordan, Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul, Warm Bodies’ Teresa Palmer and Gal Gadot, 12 Years A Slave‘s Chiwetel Ejiofor, Casey Affleck and Kate Winslet.

Open Road Films, which just completed a deal to pre-buy domestic distribution rights on Triple Nine, plans to release the film in 2015.

Luna’s Cesar Chavez Biopic to Premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival

Posted on January 25, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Diego Luna’s latest directorial effort is set to premiere in Germany…

The 34-year-old Mexican actor/director’s biopic Cesar Chavez: An American Hero will have its world premiere next month at the Berlin International Film Festival, according to the movie’s production company.

The film about Latino icon Cesar Chavez (1927-1993) will be entered into the festival’s official program in the Berlinale Special section, which presents recent works by contemporary directors, as well as cinematic portraits of renowned personalities, Canana Films, which Luna co-owns with fellow Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal, said in a statement.

The cast of the biopic is led by Michael Peña, who portrays the late migrant farmworkers’ leader and civil rights activist.

Golden Globe winning actress America Ferrera portrays Chavez’s wife, while Rosario Dawson plays Dolores Huerta, Chavez’s partner in founding the National Farmworkers Association (later renamed to the United Farm Workers).

“Cesar Chavez represents the largest non-violent protest movement in U.S. history; his goal was to achieve basic human rights for the more than 50,000 farm workers in California,” said the production company’s statement.

“We think the film will send the message that change is in our hands. Chavez did something that everyone thought was impossible with courage that inspired an entire nation.”

Cesar Chavez, which will hit U.S. theaters on March 28 and arrive in Mexico on May 2, was filmed in the United States and the northern Mexican state of Sonora.

It marks Luna’s second foray into directing, after his hit 2010 comedy/drama Abel.

Cuarón Earns Two Critics Choice Movie Award Nominations

Posted on December 16, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Alfonso Cuarón is getting some serious love from the Broadcast Film Critics Association…

The 52-year-old Mexican director has earned two Critics Choice Movie Awards from the organization for his smash Sandra Bullock-starrer Gravity.

Cuarón is up for Best Director for his critically acclaimed work behind the lens of the 3D sci-fi thriller. He’s also nominated alongside Mark Sanger in the Best Editing category.

Meanwhile, the film’s Mexican cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki received a nomination in the Best Cinematography category.

In all, Gravity earned 10 Critics Choice Movie Award nominations, including a Best Picture nod.

Other Latino nominees include Daniel Brühl, who earned a nod in the Best Supporting Actor category for his performance in Ron Howard’s Formula One drama Rush, as well as Louis C.K. and Michael Peña in the Best Acting Ensemble for their work in David O. Russell’s American Hustle.

The Critics Choice Movie Awards, hosted by Aisha Tyler, will air live for the second year on the CW network on January 16th.

Here’s the complete list of nominees:

BEST PICTURE
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club
Gravity
Her
Inside Llewyn Davis
Nebraska
Saving Mr. Banks
12 Years a Slave
The Wolf of Wall Street

BEST ACTOR
Christian Bale – American Hustle
Bruce Dern – Nebraska
Chiwetel Ejiofor – 12 Years a Slave
Tom Hanks – Captain Phillips
Matthew McConaughey – Dallas Buyers Club
Robert Redford – All Is Lost

BEST ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett – Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock – Gravity
Judi Dench – Philomena
Brie Larson – Short Term 12
Meryl Streep – August: Osage County
Emma Thompson – Saving Mr. Banks

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Barkhad Abdi – Captain Phillips
Daniel Bruhl – Rush
Bradley Cooper – American Hustle
Michael Fassbender – 12 Years a Slave
James Gandolfini – Enough Said
Jared Leto – Dallas Buyers Club

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Scarlett Johansson – Her
Jennifer Lawrence – American Hustle
Lupita Nyong’o – 12 Years a Slave
Julia Roberts – August: Osage County
June Squibb – Nebraska
Oprah Winfrey – Lee Daniels’ The Butler

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
Asa Butterfield – Ender’s Game
Adele Exarchopoulos – Blue Is the Warmest Color
Liam James – The Way Way Back
Sophie Nelisse – The Book Thief
Tye Sheridan – Mud

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
American Hustle
August: Osage County
Lee Daniels’ The Butler
Nebraska
12 Years a Slave
The Wolf of Wall Street

BEST DIRECTOR
Alfonso Cuaron – Gravity
Paul Greengrass – Captain Phillips
Spike Jonze – Her
Steve McQueen – 12 Years a Slave
David O. Russell – American Hustle
Martin Scorsese – The Wolf of Wall Street

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Eric Singer and David O. Russell – American Hustle
Woody Allen – Blue Jasmine
Spike Jonze – Her
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen – Inside Llewyn Davis
Bob Nelson – Nebraska

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Tracy Letts – August: Osage County
Richard Linklater & Julie Delpy & Ethan Hawke – Before Midnight
Billy Ray – Captain Phillips
Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope – Philomena
John Ridley – 12 Years a Slave
Terence Winter – The Wolf of Wall Street

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Emmanuel Lubezki – Gravity
Bruno Delbonnel – Inside Llewyn Davis
Phedon Papamichael – Nebraska
Roger Deakins – Prisoners
Sean Bobbitt – 12 Years a Slave

BEST ART DIRECTION
Andy Nicholson (Production Designer), Rosie Goodwin (Set Decorator) – Gravity
Catherine Martin (Production Designer), Beverley Dunn (Set Decorator) – The Great Gatsby
K.K. Barrett (Production Designer), Gene Serdena (Set Decorator) – Her
Dan Hennah (Production Designer), Ra Vincent (Set Decorator) – The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Adam Stockhausen (Production Designer), Alice Baker (Set Decorator) – 12 Years a Slave

BEST EDITING
Alan Baumgarten, Jay Cassidy, Crispin Struthers – American Hustle
Christopher Rouse – Captain Phillips
Alfonso Cuarón, Mark Sanger – Gravity
Daniel P. Hanley, Mike Hill – Rush
Joe Walker – 12 Years a Slave
Thelma Schoonmaker – The Wolf of Wall Street

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Michael Wilkinson – American Hustle
Catherine Martin – The Great Gatsby
Bob Buck, Lesley Burkes-Harding, Ann Maskrey, Richard Taylor – The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Daniel Orlandi – Saving Mr. Banks
Patricia Norris – 12 Years a Slave

BEST MAKEUP
American Hustle
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Lee Daniels’ The Butler
Rush
12 Years a Slave

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Gravity
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Iron Man 3
Pacific Rim
Star Trek into Darkness

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
The Croods
Despicable Me 2
Frozen
Monsters University
The Wind Rises

BEST ACTION MOVIE
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Iron Man 3
Lone Survivor
Rush
Star Trek into Darkness

BEST ACTOR IN AN ACTION MOVIE
Henry Cavill – Man of Steel
Robert Downey Jr. – Iron Man 3
Brad Pitt – World War Z
Mark Wahlberg – Lone Survivor

BEST ACTRESS IN AN ACTION MOVIE
Sandra Bullock – Gravity
Jennifer Lawrence – The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Evangeline Lilly – The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Gwyneth Paltrow – Iron Man 3

BEST COMEDY
American Hustle
Enough Said
The Heat
This Is the End
The Way Way Back
The World’s End

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Christian Bale – American Hustle
Leonardo DiCaprio – The Wolf of Wall Street
James Gandolfini – Enough Said
Simon Pegg – The World’s End
Sam Rockwell – The Way Way Back

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Amy Adams – American Hustle
Sandra Bullock – The Heat
Greta Gerwig – Frances Ha
Julia Louis-Dreyfus – Enough Said
Melissa McCarthy – The Heat

BEST SCI-FI/HORROR MOVIE
The Conjuring
Gravity
Star Trek into Darkness
World War Z

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Blue Is the Warmest Color
The Great Beauty
The Hunt
The Past
Wadjda

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
The Act of Killing
Blackfish
Stories We Tell
Tim’s Vermeer
20 Feet from Stardom

BEST SONG
Atlas – Coldplay – The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Happy – Pharrell Williams – Despicable Me 2
Let It Go – Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez – Frozen
Ordinary Love – U2 – Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Please Mr. Kennedy – Justin Timberlake/Oscar Isaac/Adam Driver – Inside Llewyn Davis
Young and Beautiful – Lana Del Rey – The Great Gatsby

BEST SCORE
Steven Price – Gravity
Arcade Fire – Her
Thomas Newman – Saving Mr. Banks
Hans Zimmer – 12 Years a Slave

Brühl Earns His First SAG Award Nomination

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Life’s a SAG for Daniel Brühl…

The 35-year-old half-Spanish actor has earned the first SAG Award nomination of his career.

Brühl earned his nod in the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role category for his portrayal of real-life racing legend Niki Lauda in Ron Howard‘s Formula One racing drama Rush, which centers on the rivalry between drivers James Hunt (portrayed by Chris Hemsworth) and Lauda.

But Brühl isn’t the only Latino nominee this year…

Michael Peña and Louis C.K. have earned a nomination in the Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture category, along with their co-stars from David O. Russell‘s fictional film based on the 1970s Abscam scandal American Hustle.

Mariah Carey has earned the second Screen Actors Guild Awards nod of her career. The 44-year-old singer/actress and her co-stars from Lee Daniels’ The Butler, including Oprah Winfrey and Forest Whitaker, are nominated in the Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture category. Carey had previously been nominated in the same category for being part of the cast of Precious.

Sofia Vergara and Rico Rodriguez will be gunning for their fourth straight Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. The onscreen mother and son and their Modern Family cast mates will face off against the casts of 30 Rock, Arrested Development, The Big Bang Theory and Veep.

Morena Baccarin, meanwhile, is nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series with her Homeland co-stars.

The nominations for the 20th annual SAG Awards were announced this morning at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood by Rizzoli & Isles’ Sasha Alexander and Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s Clark Gregg.

Winners will be revealed at the SAG Awards ceremony on January 18 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, which will be simulcast live on TNT and TBS.

Here are the nominations featuring Latinos:

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
Daniel Brühl, Rush
James Gandolfini, Enough Said
Michael Fassbender, 12 Years A Slave
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
12 Years A Slave
American Hustle
August: Osage County
Dallas Buyers Club
Lee Daniels’ The Butler

Television Programs

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
BOARDWALK EMPIRE (HBO)
BREAKING BAD (AMC)
DOWNTON ABBEY (PBS)
GAME OF THRONES (HBO)
HOMELAND (Showtime)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
30 ROCK (NBC)
ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT (Netflix)
THE BIG BANG THEORY (CBS)
MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
VEEP (HBO)

Peña, Louis C.K. & Their “American Hustle” Co-Stars Earn Palm Springs Film Fest Award

Posted on December 8, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Michael Peña and Louis C.K. will be spending the New Year in Palm Springs.

The 37-year-old Mexican American actor, 46-year-old Mexican American actor and their American Hustle co-stars will be feted on January 4 during an awards gala at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

Peña, Louis C.K. and the cast of David O. Russell‘s fictional film based on the 1970s Abscam scandal will receive the Ensemble Performance Award.

In addition to Peña and Louis C.K., the film’s talented ensemble cast includes Amy Adams, Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Jeremy Renner, Lis Rohm and Alessandro Nivola.

“David O. Russell has created a viscerally powerful film,” said PSIFF Chairman Harold Matzner. “American Hustle grabs you from the start and is populated by a group of eminently believable characters as brought to life by this brilliant cast.” The 25th edition of the Palm Springs International Film Festival runs January 3-13.

Magnolia Pictures Acquires U.S./Canada Rights to Longoria’s “Frontera”

Posted on November 18, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Eva Longoria’s latest project will be released in the United States and Canada…

Magnolia Pictures has acquired the U.S. and Canada rights to Frontera, starring the 38-year-old Mexican American actress, Michael Peña and Ed Harris.

Directed by Michael Berry from his script with Luis Moulinet III, the drama follows Miguel (Peña), a hardworking father and devoted husband who crosses the border illegally and is wrongfully accused of murdering the wife of a former sheriff (Harris). Miguel’s pregnant wife (Longoria) lands in the hands of corrupt coyotes as she tries to help her husband, while the ex-lawman investigates his wife’s death and unearths evidence that could destroy one family’s future.

Magnolia is reportedly planning for a 2014 theatrical release.

The deal was sealed in Los Cabos, Mexico, during the second annual Baja International Film Festival.

Myriad Pictures to Handle Worldwide Sales of Peña’s Drama “Frontera”

Posted on November 10, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Michael Peña’s U.S-Mexico border-themed film may see life beyond the United States.

Myriad Pictures has announced plans to handle worldwide sales outside the U.S. and Canada on the dramatic thriller Frontera.

Starring the 37-year-old Mexican American actor, Eva Longoria and Ed Harris, the film follows the events that take place after a former U.S. sheriff’s wife (portrayed by Amy Madigan) is fatally injured while riding on her ranch property in the dangerous border area between the U.S. and Mexico.

Michael Berry directed the film, which he co-wrote with Luis Moulinet III.

Currently in post-production, Frontera is expected to be released in 2014.

Lopez Invited to Become a Member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Posted on June 30, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

It looks like Jennifer Lopez has a permanent date with Oscar…

The 43-year-old Puerto Rican actress/singer has been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Lopez and the 275 other artists and executives invited to join AMPAS were selected for having distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures. New members will be welcomed into the Academy at an invitation-only reception in September.

“These individuals are among the best filmmakers working in the industry today,” said Academy president Hawk Koch. “Their talent and creativity have captured the imagination of audiences worldwide, and I am proud to welcome each of them to the Academy.”

In addition to Lopez, other Latino invitees include Rosario Dawson, Michael Peña, Danny Trejo, Paco Delgado, José Padilha and Cliff Martinez.

The 2013 Latino invitees include:

Actors
Miriam Colon – “City of Hope,” “Scarface”
Rosario Dawson – “Rent,” “Frank Miller’s Sin City”
Jennifer Lopez – “What to Expect When You’re Expecting,” “Selena”
Alma Martinez – “Born in East L.A.,” “Under Fire”
Michael Peña – “End of Watch,” “Crash”
Geno Silva – “Mulholland Drive,” “Amistad”
Danny Trejo – “Machete,” “Heat”

Cinematographers
Reed Morano – “Little Birds,” “Frozen River”
Checco Varese – “Girl in Progress,” “The Aura”

Costume Designers
Paco Delgado – “Les Misérables,” “Biutiful”

Directors
Pablo Larraín – “No,” “Tony Manero”

Documentary
Eduardo Coutinho – “As Canções,” “Cabra Marcado Para Morrer (Twenty Years Later)”
Patricio Guzmán – “Nostalgia for the Light,” “The Battle of Chile”
José Padilha – “Secrets of the Tribe,” “Bus 174 (Ônibus 174)”

Music
Cliff Martinez – “Drive,” “Traffic”

Sound
Jose Antonio Garcia – “Argo,” “Babel”
Edward J. Hernandez – “Real Steel,” “Basic Instinct”

Peña to Star in the Demonic Thriller “The Vatican Tapes”

Posted on June 28, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Michael Peña is headed to the priesthood…

The 37-year-old Mexican American actor has joined the cast of Lakeshore Entertainment and Lionsgate’s The Vatican Tapes.

Peña, who earned a Spirit Award nomination for his performance in the police drama End of Watch, will portray Father Lozano in the demonic thriller directed by Mark Neveldine.

Filming is expected to begin next month with Djimon Hounsou, Dougray Scott, Kathleen Robertson, Peter Andersson, John Patrick Amedori, Alex Sparrow and Olivia Dudley part of the cast.

Dudley plays a twentysomething who seems to cause death and destruction to those around her. Peña’s character is the local priest who first tries to help.

It’s the latest project for Peña, who will next appear in DreamWorks Animation’s Turbo.

He recently signed on to star in David O. Russell’s next film alongside Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner and Jennifer Lawrence.

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