Clockwise from top left: Uncharted (Sony Pictures Releasing), The Baker (Darius Films/Productivity Media), Deliver Us (Magnet Releasing)Image: The A.V. Club
To begin the new year with something new, Hulu has added some under-the-radar movies as well as a few big-budget favorites from the past few years to its streaming library.
To begin the new year with something new, Hulu has added some under-the-radar movies as well as a few big-budget favorites from the past few years to its streaming library.
- 1/1/2024
- by Robert DeSalvo
- avclub.com
Benita (Julia Mayorga), the young woman at the center of “Rare Objects,” the third feature directed by Katie Holmes, has been through a transformative trauma. In the film’s opening moments, she’s discharged from a mental ward, where she’s been dealing with Ptsd; a series of charged flashbacks show us what happened to her. In Manhattan, where she was a university student majoring in economics, she was approached at a bar by a seemingly nice guy, who had a drink with her, and when she went to the restroom he attacked her, shoving her inside and sexually assaulting her.
She emerges from this crime a shell of her former self, and Holmes shoots the rape so that we experience how the shock and horror of it could undermine someone’s identity. Benita, out of the hospital, shows up at the home of her doting but quietly stern mother (Saundra Santiago) in Astoria,...
She emerges from this crime a shell of her former self, and Holmes shoots the rape so that we experience how the shock and horror of it could undermine someone’s identity. Benita, out of the hospital, shows up at the home of her doting but quietly stern mother (Saundra Santiago) in Astoria,...
- 4/17/2023
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
The problems with Rare Objects, Katie Holmes’ limp third directorial feature, aren’t immediately apparent. The film, which the actress also co-wrote and stars in, lures you with the potential of the biographical details revealed in the first scene. Benita, played by Julia Mayorga, sits before an attending doctor (Matthew Lawler) at the unnamed hospital from which she is being discharged. He recounts a mix of mundane and distressing facts: Benita was previously a student at the City University of New York; she had an abortion; and she checked herself into the hospital for Ptsd and anxiety. These notes do not define a life, but they do promise a story far more involving than what Rare Objects ultimately offers.
Holmes and her co-writer Phaedon A. Papadopoulos adapted their screenplay from Kathleen Tessaro’s novel of the same name. Tessaro’s Rare Objects takes place in Depression-era Boston, where its main character,...
Holmes and her co-writer Phaedon A. Papadopoulos adapted their screenplay from Kathleen Tessaro’s novel of the same name. Tessaro’s Rare Objects takes place in Depression-era Boston, where its main character,...
- 4/12/2023
- by Lovia Gyarkye
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“Rare Objects” is a new feature directed by Katie Holmes, based on the book by Kathleen Tessaro, starring Holmes, Jimi Stanton, Derek Luke and Saundra Santiago, opening April 14, 2023 in theaters:
“…’Maeve’ wants to be more than just the child of Irish immigrants – something made more difficult by the ‘Great Depression’.
“But desite her besr efforts Maeve cannot keep herself away from the fast men and easy alcohol that ends up landing her in a mental asylum. It's there that she meets ‘Diana’, a young woman with an equally large hunger for freedoms not usually allowed women of the era.
“After she leaves Maeve manages to pick up the pieces of her life and begins working at an antiques shop, where she runs into Diana, who Maeve discovers is a socialite.
“Still eager to improve herself, Maeve lets Diana and her brother ‘James’ draw her into their world, something that might...
“…’Maeve’ wants to be more than just the child of Irish immigrants – something made more difficult by the ‘Great Depression’.
“But desite her besr efforts Maeve cannot keep herself away from the fast men and easy alcohol that ends up landing her in a mental asylum. It's there that she meets ‘Diana’, a young woman with an equally large hunger for freedoms not usually allowed women of the era.
“After she leaves Maeve manages to pick up the pieces of her life and begins working at an antiques shop, where she runs into Diana, who Maeve discovers is a socialite.
“Still eager to improve herself, Maeve lets Diana and her brother ‘James’ draw her into their world, something that might...
- 2/23/2023
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
1979: Guiding Light's Diane uncovered revealing information.
1981: Another World's Mac didn't care about Sandy's past.
1987: Diana Colville (Genie Francis) arrived on Days of our Lives.
1992: All My Children's Janet found a Lamaze coach."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into d ifferent and unexpected images."
― Anselm Kiefer
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1939: On radio soap opera Backstage Wife, Mary (Vivian Fridell) received a call from a gossip columnist who questioned her about her separation from Larry. Katharine Monroe criticized Peter Dillon for being interested in Sandra Page, and Dillon exited enraged. Mary and Larry discussed their separation.
1981: Another World's Mac didn't care about Sandy's past.
1987: Diana Colville (Genie Francis) arrived on Days of our Lives.
1992: All My Children's Janet found a Lamaze coach."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into d ifferent and unexpected images."
― Anselm Kiefer
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1939: On radio soap opera Backstage Wife, Mary (Vivian Fridell) received a call from a gossip columnist who questioned her about her separation from Larry. Katharine Monroe criticized Peter Dillon for being interested in Sandra Page, and Dillon exited enraged. Mary and Larry discussed their separation.
- 4/14/2019
- by Roger Newcomb
- We Love Soaps
In honor of her wedding to Richard Gere, Alejandra Silva had not one, but two romantic custom gowns for her special day. Last week, the activist and actor celebrated their nuptials with a party for loved ones in New York, including chef Eric Ripert, composer Bette Sussman and actress Saundra Santiago. Silva dressed for the milestone occasion in two custom creations by Israeli designer Yaniv Persy—one for the ceremony and another for the party. As Persy described, the first dress was a "solstice floral lace" wedding gown with an empire waistline. "It is very romantic and bohemian, yet elegant. It seamlessly balances the spiritual nature of the event alongside...
- 5/10/2018
- E! Online
1979: Guiding Light's Diane uncovered revealing information.
1981: Another World's Mac didn't care about Sandy's past.
1987: Diana Colville (Genie Francis) arrived on Days of our Lives.
1992: All My Children's Janet found a Lamaze coach."All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."
― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1939: On radio soap opera Backstage Wife, Mary (Vivian Fridell) received a call from a gossip columnist who questioned her about her separation from Larry. Katharine...
1981: Another World's Mac didn't care about Sandy's past.
1987: Diana Colville (Genie Francis) arrived on Days of our Lives.
1992: All My Children's Janet found a Lamaze coach."All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."
― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"
"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.
On this date in...
1939: On radio soap opera Backstage Wife, Mary (Vivian Fridell) received a call from a gossip columnist who questioned her about her separation from Larry. Katharine...
- 4/13/2018
- by Roger Newcomb
- We Love Soaps
Shamus Kelley Kirsten Howard Aug 3, 2017
It looks like the iconic 80s cops of Miami Vice will be back, with Vin Diesel’s production company making it happen....
Can you feel it calling in the air tonight? A reboot of Miami Vice is in the works at NBC, according to Variety.
The reboot is being brought to us by Vin Diesel's production company, One Race Television, and Chris Morgan productions. Morgan has penned six of the Fast & Furious movies. Considering the Fast & Furious franchise started with a cop and 2 Fast 2 Furious took place in Miami, it's not a bad fit.
Peter Macmanus, known for writing TV series such as Satisfaction and The Mist, will be writing the script. No executive producers have been announced but Variety muses that "it’s more than likely Macmanus, Morgan, and Diesel will all serve as EPs".
The original Miami Vice series ran on NBC...
It looks like the iconic 80s cops of Miami Vice will be back, with Vin Diesel’s production company making it happen....
Can you feel it calling in the air tonight? A reboot of Miami Vice is in the works at NBC, according to Variety.
The reboot is being brought to us by Vin Diesel's production company, One Race Television, and Chris Morgan productions. Morgan has penned six of the Fast & Furious movies. Considering the Fast & Furious franchise started with a cop and 2 Fast 2 Furious took place in Miami, it's not a bad fit.
Peter Macmanus, known for writing TV series such as Satisfaction and The Mist, will be writing the script. No executive producers have been announced but Variety muses that "it’s more than likely Macmanus, Morgan, and Diesel will all serve as EPs".
The original Miami Vice series ran on NBC...
- 8/2/2017
- Den of Geek
Recently, CBS released the new,official synopsis/description for their upcoming "Blue Bloods" episode 13 of season 6. The episode is entitled, "Stomping Grounds," and it turns out that we're going to see some pretty interesting and high drama stuff go down as Frank catches major fallout after the actions of an NYPD lieutenant leaves potential muggers shot dead on a subway, and more! In the new, 13th episode press release: Frank Must Deal With The Fallout When A Newly Retired NYPD Lieutenant Is Accused Of A Crime, On "Blue Bloods," Friday, Jan. 22. Press release number 2: When a well-regarded, newly retired NYPD lieutenant is accused of shooting a group of potential muggers on the subway and then disappears, Frank will have to deal with the fallout. Also, when a drug dealer returns to Baez's old neighborhood, she and Danny are going to have to find out how to arrest him for...
- 1/15/2016
- by Chris
- OnTheFlix
Recently, Fox served up the new,official synopsis/spoilers for their upcoming "Gotham" episode 4 of season 2. The episode is entitled, "Rise of the Villains: Strike Force," and it turns out that we're going to see some pretty interesting stuff go down as Gordon helps out a new captain that arrives, and more. In the new, 4th episode press release: A New Captain Is Called To Action On An All-new "Gotham" Monday, October 12, On Fox. Press release number 2: Captain Barnes (Michael Chiklis) is going to get called to duty to create a law-abiding task force, with the help of Gordon. In the meantime, Penguin will get caught up in a favor for Galavan, and Nygma is going to ask Kringle out on a date. Guest stars feature: Carol Kane as Gertrud Kapelput, Anthony Carrigan as Victor Zsasz, Chelsea Spack as Kristin Kringle, Saundra Santiago as Janice Caulfield, Michael Mulheren as Randall Hobbs,...
- 10/5/2015
- by Andre Braddox
- OnTheFlix
Second Stage Theatre has announced the addition of Alice Ripley, Gina Gershon, Henry Alford, Ilana Levine, and Sandra Santiago to the line-up for Annabelle Gurwitch's I See You Made An Effort on March 10th, 2014. This one-night only benefit event is a part of the 35th Anniversary Season at Second Stage Theatre. I See You Made An Effort will also feature the previously announced Amy Brenneman, Judy Gold, Jessica Hecht, Tonya Pinkins, and Annabella Sciorra.
- 2/27/2014
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Review by Dana Jung
Families have a way of defining us. Who we are, what we feel, the choices we make; all these things can be traced to the quality (or lack thereof) in our family life. The new film The House That Jack Built tells heartfelt and sometimes humorous story that reverberates throughout with themes on the impact and importance of the people we call family.
To all the world, Jack (E.J. Bonilla) has it all. He runs a successful business, has a pretty girlfriend (Melissa Fumero), and owns the nice high rise apartment building that his extended family and friends live in. However, Jack’s idealistic dreamworld is beginning to crumble down around him: his parents (Saundra Santiago and John Herrera) constantly fight, mostly because his father is an alcoholic; his sister is about to come out as lesbian; his girlfriend is starting to pressure him to get...
Families have a way of defining us. Who we are, what we feel, the choices we make; all these things can be traced to the quality (or lack thereof) in our family life. The new film The House That Jack Built tells heartfelt and sometimes humorous story that reverberates throughout with themes on the impact and importance of the people we call family.
To all the world, Jack (E.J. Bonilla) has it all. He runs a successful business, has a pretty girlfriend (Melissa Fumero), and owns the nice high rise apartment building that his extended family and friends live in. However, Jack’s idealistic dreamworld is beginning to crumble down around him: his parents (Saundra Santiago and John Herrera) constantly fight, mostly because his father is an alcoholic; his sister is about to come out as lesbian; his girlfriend is starting to pressure him to get...
- 11/18/2013
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Film to Premiere at a special one-night, invitation-only, engagement sponsored by HBO(R) on October at the AMC Empire 25 on 42nd Street
New York, NY – September 25, 2013 – (Hispanicize Wire) – ProyectoNEXT, a new showcase for emerging Latino and Urban talent sponsored by HBO, will debut next month with the New York premiere of director Henry Barrial’s “The House That Jack Built.” The one-night, invitation-only feature presentation will take place October 2 in Manhattan at the AMC Empire 25.
Hailed by The Hollywood Reporter as a “convincing portrait of a neighborhood and its Nuyorican culture,” and “a majestic journey of crime, family drama, and redemption” by The Awards Circuit, “The House That Jack Built” stars Bronx native E.J. Bonilla and features an all-Latino cast of Caribbean descent from New York, including Melissa Fumero, Leo Minaya, Flor De Liz Perez, Saundra Santiago, John Herrera, and Rosal Colon.
“HBO is extremely excited to partner in the...
New York, NY – September 25, 2013 – (Hispanicize Wire) – ProyectoNEXT, a new showcase for emerging Latino and Urban talent sponsored by HBO, will debut next month with the New York premiere of director Henry Barrial’s “The House That Jack Built.” The one-night, invitation-only feature presentation will take place October 2 in Manhattan at the AMC Empire 25.
Hailed by The Hollywood Reporter as a “convincing portrait of a neighborhood and its Nuyorican culture,” and “a majestic journey of crime, family drama, and redemption” by The Awards Circuit, “The House That Jack Built” stars Bronx native E.J. Bonilla and features an all-Latino cast of Caribbean descent from New York, including Melissa Fumero, Leo Minaya, Flor De Liz Perez, Saundra Santiago, John Herrera, and Rosal Colon.
“HBO is extremely excited to partner in the...
- 9/26/2013
- by El Mayimbe
- LRMonline.com
Miami Vice
Season 1, Episode 1: “Brother’s Keeper” (Pilot)
Directed by Thomas Carter
Written by Anthony Yerkovich
Original air date: Sept. 16, 1984
Hey, Tubbs…ever consider a career in Southern law enforcement?” – Crockett
Miami Vice premiered on September 16, 1984 with a two-hour season premiere. The episode titled “Brother’s Keeper” garnered critical acclaim, and the series went on to become a symbol of the times. Legend has it that NBC President Brandon Tartikoff started the ball rolling after he scribbled “MTV Cops” on a napkin, and then went looking for someone at NBC to produce the show. However the series was actually the brainchild of scriptwriter-turned-director Michael Mann (coming off the critical success of Manhunter), and Hill Street Blues writer-producer Anthony Yerkovich, who was already drafting the idea based by news stories about the thriving drug trade in Florida. But regardless what Yerkovich brought to the table, the show’s most dominant creative force was Michael Mann.
Season 1, Episode 1: “Brother’s Keeper” (Pilot)
Directed by Thomas Carter
Written by Anthony Yerkovich
Original air date: Sept. 16, 1984
Hey, Tubbs…ever consider a career in Southern law enforcement?” – Crockett
Miami Vice premiered on September 16, 1984 with a two-hour season premiere. The episode titled “Brother’s Keeper” garnered critical acclaim, and the series went on to become a symbol of the times. Legend has it that NBC President Brandon Tartikoff started the ball rolling after he scribbled “MTV Cops” on a napkin, and then went looking for someone at NBC to produce the show. However the series was actually the brainchild of scriptwriter-turned-director Michael Mann (coming off the critical success of Manhunter), and Hill Street Blues writer-producer Anthony Yerkovich, who was already drafting the idea based by news stories about the thriving drug trade in Florida. But regardless what Yerkovich brought to the table, the show’s most dominant creative force was Michael Mann.
- 7/4/2013
- by Ricky da Conceição
- SoundOnSight
Miami Vice
Season 1, Episode 1: “Brother’s Keeper” (Pilot)
Directed by Thomas Carter
Written by Anthony Yerkovich
Original air date: Sept. 16, 1984
Hey, Tubbs…ever consider a career in Southern law enforcement?” – Crockett
Miami Vice premiered on September 16, 1984 with a two-hour season premiere. The episode titled “Brother’s Keeper” garnered critical acclaim, and the series went on to become a symbol of the times. Legend has it that NBC President Brandon Tartikoff started the ball rolling after he scribbled “MTV Cops” on a napkin, and then went looking for someone at NBC to produce the show. However the series was actually the brainchild of scriptwriter-turned-director Michael Mann (coming off the critical success of Manhunter), and Hill Street Blues writer-producer Anthony Yerkovich, who was already drafting the idea based by news stories about the thriving drug trade in Florida. But regardless what Yerkovich brought to the table, the show’s most dominant creative force was Michael Mann.
Season 1, Episode 1: “Brother’s Keeper” (Pilot)
Directed by Thomas Carter
Written by Anthony Yerkovich
Original air date: Sept. 16, 1984
Hey, Tubbs…ever consider a career in Southern law enforcement?” – Crockett
Miami Vice premiered on September 16, 1984 with a two-hour season premiere. The episode titled “Brother’s Keeper” garnered critical acclaim, and the series went on to become a symbol of the times. Legend has it that NBC President Brandon Tartikoff started the ball rolling after he scribbled “MTV Cops” on a napkin, and then went looking for someone at NBC to produce the show. However the series was actually the brainchild of scriptwriter-turned-director Michael Mann (coming off the critical success of Manhunter), and Hill Street Blues writer-producer Anthony Yerkovich, who was already drafting the idea based by news stories about the thriving drug trade in Florida. But regardless what Yerkovich brought to the table, the show’s most dominant creative force was Michael Mann.
- 7/4/2013
- by Ricky da Conceição
- SoundOnSight
Jack Be Simple: Barrial’s New York Story Buoyed by Strong Performances
For his fifth feature film, indie filmmaker Henry Barrial takes to the Bronx for a familial relations drama examining notions of family, marriage, and the forced archaic notion of patriarchal authority. While The House That Jack Built is unable to completely sidestep some well-worn clichés, both of a universal nature and those particular to the community within which it is set, Barrial is able to conjure a compelling level of engagement that makes you invested in the eventual outcome. Even better, he manages to do so even with an almost wholly unlikeable lead protagonist.
Jack (E.J. Bonilla) is a hot headed and handsome young patriarchal head of his extended family, and it has long been his life’s goal to provide for them all. Still a very young man, he has purchased an entire apartment complex for his whole family to live in,...
For his fifth feature film, indie filmmaker Henry Barrial takes to the Bronx for a familial relations drama examining notions of family, marriage, and the forced archaic notion of patriarchal authority. While The House That Jack Built is unable to completely sidestep some well-worn clichés, both of a universal nature and those particular to the community within which it is set, Barrial is able to conjure a compelling level of engagement that makes you invested in the eventual outcome. Even better, he manages to do so even with an almost wholly unlikeable lead protagonist.
Jack (E.J. Bonilla) is a hot headed and handsome young patriarchal head of his extended family, and it has long been his life’s goal to provide for them all. Still a very young man, he has purchased an entire apartment complex for his whole family to live in,...
- 6/16/2013
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Upon the Los Angeles Film Festival announcing their 2013 roster I was excited to see a title familiar to me that would be having its world premiere there. That film is 'The House That Jack Built' – from a screenplay written by Joseph B. Vasquez (Hangin' With The Homeboys) that I'd read close to 15 years earlier as an intern and it was rumored that it would be a Spike Lee/John Leguizamo collaboration. The film itself is a 20 year old journey in the making for the producers. The story revolves around Jack, a Puerto Rican drug dealer who yearns for those long gone memories of what was once a happy, united family where he remembers everything as ethereal-like. So he decides to buy a tenement where they can all be under the same roof in hopes of re-creating that joy, when in reality it will never be the same again as his well intentioned gesture tests the families bond to the point of irreparable dysfunction.
The joy for me at the time was reading the last screenplay written by Joe before he passed away in 1995. My friends and I used to quote the hell out of 'Hangin' With The Homeboys' and laugh at the way he wrote these richly drawn urban characters that could walk a very fine line and he was never afraid to push a few buttons when it came to sex, race and class. He knew the comedy in tragedy. The melancholy in reading his last screenplay was that it was his last screenplay.
Born to drug addicted parents in the South Bronx, Joseph started making movies on a Super 8mm camera at the age of 12. Eventually this would lead him to study film at City College in New York where he honed his craft and would later make a low budget, gritty, if not unwatchable film called 'Street Story' (later barely released as 'Street Hitz') where according to Joe, he was writer, director, cinematographer, editor, sound editor, gaffer, negative cutter and music editor. Working with a slightly larger budget and a little more experience his next film would be 'The Bronx War' (which I own on DVD courtesy of a spot on 125th st). It was another film with a story line firmly cemented in the street life that he was familiar and comfortable with. 'The Bronx War' would be the one to catch the attention of New Line Cinema. After all, there weren't many Puerto Rican/Black filmmakers coming out of the Bronx, especially ones that spoke to the surging urban market like he did. They would decide to finance a semi-autobiographical screenplay he wrote in about three days called 'Hangin' With The Homeboys' about an epic, odyssey-like guys night out in New York City with four friends. Each of the four characters represented a different part of Vasquez. He was now making a film for a studio and not paying for it out of his own pocket. But Joseph's life played out much like one of his screenplays. During the shoot, he was slashed down the middle of his forehead to his nose by a homeless man as he took the subway to the set, ending what he believed could have been another career as an actor. The tension on the set was unbearable according to his leads. Still, the film was completed and premiered at the '91 Sundance Film Festival to great success and even walked away with a best screenwriting award. Joseph, suffering from severe Bi-polar disorder started to grow wary of studios like New Line Cinema, the very studio that helped him achieve the success he had enjoyed and started turning down projects such as 'House Party 2', citing that the films had gotten too big and were slipping away from his creative and artistic grasp. Instead he opted to do things his own way as before. A result was 'Manhattan Merengue'. This film, understandably failed to move his career to the next level and Joseph began suffering from manic depression when the offers that once presented themselves to him stopped coming in. Once thought to be the next Spike Lee (a comparison he didn't care for), he alienated those around him and at some later point claimed to be Jesus. His behavior became increasingly erratic and drew great concern from those around him as his health deteriorated. At the time no one knew he had AIDS, to which he would succumb to far from the South Bronx he loved and wrote about. At aged 33 he passed away in San Diego, CA. penniless but with his mother, who got clean, by his side.
Producer Mike Lieber, who had known Joe for many years including during his tumultuous times, held on to the script of 'The House That Jack Built', hoping that one day he could finally get it made. It was something he promised Joseph on his death bed that he would do. After attaching Cuban-American, Henry Barrial (Pig) to direct, they raised a budget that was enough to cover a shoot on HD and raised the rest on Kickstarter to bring it home. Casting was primarily done in the Bronx with E.J Bonilla (Four, Mamitas) cast to play 'Jack' and joined by an all Latino cast that includes Melissa Fumero, Leo Minaya, Saundra Santiago, John Herrera, Flor De Liz Perez and Rosal Colon.
Mike Lieber fulfilled his promise and Joseph Benjamin Vasquez' new film will premiere at The Los Angeles Film Festival which runs June 13-23. Tickets can be bought at http://www.lafilmfest.com . Give them a “Like”: https://www.facebook.com/thehousethatjackbuiltmovie.
Written by Juan Caceres and Vanessa Erazo, LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook.
The joy for me at the time was reading the last screenplay written by Joe before he passed away in 1995. My friends and I used to quote the hell out of 'Hangin' With The Homeboys' and laugh at the way he wrote these richly drawn urban characters that could walk a very fine line and he was never afraid to push a few buttons when it came to sex, race and class. He knew the comedy in tragedy. The melancholy in reading his last screenplay was that it was his last screenplay.
Born to drug addicted parents in the South Bronx, Joseph started making movies on a Super 8mm camera at the age of 12. Eventually this would lead him to study film at City College in New York where he honed his craft and would later make a low budget, gritty, if not unwatchable film called 'Street Story' (later barely released as 'Street Hitz') where according to Joe, he was writer, director, cinematographer, editor, sound editor, gaffer, negative cutter and music editor. Working with a slightly larger budget and a little more experience his next film would be 'The Bronx War' (which I own on DVD courtesy of a spot on 125th st). It was another film with a story line firmly cemented in the street life that he was familiar and comfortable with. 'The Bronx War' would be the one to catch the attention of New Line Cinema. After all, there weren't many Puerto Rican/Black filmmakers coming out of the Bronx, especially ones that spoke to the surging urban market like he did. They would decide to finance a semi-autobiographical screenplay he wrote in about three days called 'Hangin' With The Homeboys' about an epic, odyssey-like guys night out in New York City with four friends. Each of the four characters represented a different part of Vasquez. He was now making a film for a studio and not paying for it out of his own pocket. But Joseph's life played out much like one of his screenplays. During the shoot, he was slashed down the middle of his forehead to his nose by a homeless man as he took the subway to the set, ending what he believed could have been another career as an actor. The tension on the set was unbearable according to his leads. Still, the film was completed and premiered at the '91 Sundance Film Festival to great success and even walked away with a best screenwriting award. Joseph, suffering from severe Bi-polar disorder started to grow wary of studios like New Line Cinema, the very studio that helped him achieve the success he had enjoyed and started turning down projects such as 'House Party 2', citing that the films had gotten too big and were slipping away from his creative and artistic grasp. Instead he opted to do things his own way as before. A result was 'Manhattan Merengue'. This film, understandably failed to move his career to the next level and Joseph began suffering from manic depression when the offers that once presented themselves to him stopped coming in. Once thought to be the next Spike Lee (a comparison he didn't care for), he alienated those around him and at some later point claimed to be Jesus. His behavior became increasingly erratic and drew great concern from those around him as his health deteriorated. At the time no one knew he had AIDS, to which he would succumb to far from the South Bronx he loved and wrote about. At aged 33 he passed away in San Diego, CA. penniless but with his mother, who got clean, by his side.
Producer Mike Lieber, who had known Joe for many years including during his tumultuous times, held on to the script of 'The House That Jack Built', hoping that one day he could finally get it made. It was something he promised Joseph on his death bed that he would do. After attaching Cuban-American, Henry Barrial (Pig) to direct, they raised a budget that was enough to cover a shoot on HD and raised the rest on Kickstarter to bring it home. Casting was primarily done in the Bronx with E.J Bonilla (Four, Mamitas) cast to play 'Jack' and joined by an all Latino cast that includes Melissa Fumero, Leo Minaya, Saundra Santiago, John Herrera, Flor De Liz Perez and Rosal Colon.
Mike Lieber fulfilled his promise and Joseph Benjamin Vasquez' new film will premiere at The Los Angeles Film Festival which runs June 13-23. Tickets can be bought at http://www.lafilmfest.com . Give them a “Like”: https://www.facebook.com/thehousethatjackbuiltmovie.
Written by Juan Caceres and Vanessa Erazo, LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook.
- 5/15/2013
- by Juan Caceres
- Sydney's Buzz
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
The NYPD’s investigation into a gang shooting sheds some light on the mysterious and illusive Elias, while Reese and Finch try to protect the crimes only witness. Person of Interest is back to it’s best after last weeks minor slump. The episode opens with Carter (Taraji P. Henson) and Fusco (Kevin Chapman) at the investigation of the late night grocery store shooting. The Organised Crime unit is also there because the victim was a la Cosa Nostra lieutenant, executed as part of an escalating gang war with the Russians over the territory of Brighton Beach. It is also revealed that the lieutenant’s boss is none other than Elias, the faceless threat behind several crimes so far.
Reese and Finch enter the fray after the machine delivers them the number of high school history teacher Charlie Burton (Enrico Colantoni), the only witness to the gang shooting.
The NYPD’s investigation into a gang shooting sheds some light on the mysterious and illusive Elias, while Reese and Finch try to protect the crimes only witness. Person of Interest is back to it’s best after last weeks minor slump. The episode opens with Carter (Taraji P. Henson) and Fusco (Kevin Chapman) at the investigation of the late night grocery store shooting. The Organised Crime unit is also there because the victim was a la Cosa Nostra lieutenant, executed as part of an escalating gang war with the Russians over the territory of Brighton Beach. It is also revealed that the lieutenant’s boss is none other than Elias, the faceless threat behind several crimes so far.
Reese and Finch enter the fray after the machine delivers them the number of high school history teacher Charlie Burton (Enrico Colantoni), the only witness to the gang shooting.
- 11/4/2011
- by Emile K. Lewis
- Obsessed with Film
It’s another jam packed edition of Gays Of Our Lives, with our round the world coverage of everything that’s gay in the world of soap, starting with Gool Theater.
We’ve got several clips you simply do not want to miss including The Young and the Restless where we see the two different looking Adams (including and a romantic scene that has daytime audiences talking!) as well as EastEnders clips of Syed and Christian setting off some serious heat, and Hollyoaks’ bisexual Ravi getting some really bad news.
Gool Scoops And Spoilers gives you all the dish on the latest drama caused by Noah’s homophobic killer dad on As The World Turns and the return of gay characters to Good Times, Bad Times and River City.
Also, find out why a One Life To Live actor was fired over yet another controversy about a gay storyline plus...
We’ve got several clips you simply do not want to miss including The Young and the Restless where we see the two different looking Adams (including and a romantic scene that has daytime audiences talking!) as well as EastEnders clips of Syed and Christian setting off some serious heat, and Hollyoaks’ bisexual Ravi getting some really bad news.
Gool Scoops And Spoilers gives you all the dish on the latest drama caused by Noah’s homophobic killer dad on As The World Turns and the return of gay characters to Good Times, Bad Times and River City.
Also, find out why a One Life To Live actor was fired over yet another controversy about a gay storyline plus...
- 6/30/2009
- by Anthony D. Langford
- The Backlot
Patricia Mauceri is out, Saundra Santiago is in ... and younger
This weekend soap boards were abuzz with news that U.S. daytime television apparently lost another actor due to a gay storyline. (Chris Engen left The Young and the Restless earlier this month, reportedly in part over having to kiss another man.) This time it is One Life to Live's Patricia Mauceri who is being replaced by Saundra Santiago.
To nutshell it for you, Maureci's character (Carlotta Vega) was to have a "comedic" storyline in which she mistakenly believed her womanizing son Cristian (David Fumero, pictured below) was gay. Daytime Confidential reported that Mauceri personally objected to a gay-positive storyline while SoapCentral says not only was the actress already unhappy with the show, but the show might have deliberately provoked her into quitting.
Would you object if this man was gay?
Both sites, as well as Nelson Branco's The Suds Report,...
This weekend soap boards were abuzz with news that U.S. daytime television apparently lost another actor due to a gay storyline. (Chris Engen left The Young and the Restless earlier this month, reportedly in part over having to kiss another man.) This time it is One Life to Live's Patricia Mauceri who is being replaced by Saundra Santiago.
To nutshell it for you, Maureci's character (Carlotta Vega) was to have a "comedic" storyline in which she mistakenly believed her womanizing son Cristian (David Fumero, pictured below) was gay. Daytime Confidential reported that Mauceri personally objected to a gay-positive storyline while SoapCentral says not only was the actress already unhappy with the show, but the show might have deliberately provoked her into quitting.
Would you object if this man was gay?
Both sites, as well as Nelson Branco's The Suds Report,...
- 6/29/2009
- by michael
- The Backlot
Spanish Moss Prods.
NEW YORK -- Demonstrating more of an insider's knowledge of the fashion industry than filmmaking expertise, this shaky satire set in New York's garment district is consistently undone by an inconsistency of tone and less-than-assured directing and acting.
Previously showcased at the SXSW and Hollywood film festivals, "Garmento" is playing an exclusive theatrical engagement at New York's Village East Cinemas.
Writer-director Michele Maher spent several years working in the garment industry, and her debut feature displays more than a few personal details that give the film needed texture. Unfortunately, the story line, which uneasily combines comedy with melodrama, fails to sustain interest. The central character is Grindy Malone (Katie MacNichol), a naive young woman who lands a job as an assistant to Ronnie Grossman (David Thornton), the president of a fashion design label. The label, Poncho Ramirez Inc., is in danger of bankruptcy thanks to such questionable products as men's underwear with hugely padded cups.
When a competing company, Romeo Jeans, led by a shady former business partner (Jerry Grossman) of Ronnie's father, proposes a merger, Ronnie reluctantly agrees. The resulting product, PR Jeans, promoted with a sexually exploitative ad campaign that recalls Calvin Klein's use of teen models in the '70s, is a smash success. So much so that the company is unable to keep up with the demand, and Ronnie, desperate for an IPO, resorts to illegal methods to stay in business.
While the film's stereotypical characters, including the egomaniacal fashion designer (Juan Hernandez) and his gratingly shrill Italian business partner (Saundra Santiago), provide some knowing laughs, the film doesn't take full advantage of its subject matter's opportunities for humor, and its attempts at seriousness generally fall flat. The schematic characterizations, flat dialogue and choppy narrative style are further detriments, and the cast of skilled New York theater performers generally don't seem to know whether to pitch their performances more in the direction of parody or seriousness. The result is far too uneven to be successful, though "Garmento", shot on location in New York's garment district, should at least provide some chuckles to those in the business.
NEW YORK -- Demonstrating more of an insider's knowledge of the fashion industry than filmmaking expertise, this shaky satire set in New York's garment district is consistently undone by an inconsistency of tone and less-than-assured directing and acting.
Previously showcased at the SXSW and Hollywood film festivals, "Garmento" is playing an exclusive theatrical engagement at New York's Village East Cinemas.
Writer-director Michele Maher spent several years working in the garment industry, and her debut feature displays more than a few personal details that give the film needed texture. Unfortunately, the story line, which uneasily combines comedy with melodrama, fails to sustain interest. The central character is Grindy Malone (Katie MacNichol), a naive young woman who lands a job as an assistant to Ronnie Grossman (David Thornton), the president of a fashion design label. The label, Poncho Ramirez Inc., is in danger of bankruptcy thanks to such questionable products as men's underwear with hugely padded cups.
When a competing company, Romeo Jeans, led by a shady former business partner (Jerry Grossman) of Ronnie's father, proposes a merger, Ronnie reluctantly agrees. The resulting product, PR Jeans, promoted with a sexually exploitative ad campaign that recalls Calvin Klein's use of teen models in the '70s, is a smash success. So much so that the company is unable to keep up with the demand, and Ronnie, desperate for an IPO, resorts to illegal methods to stay in business.
While the film's stereotypical characters, including the egomaniacal fashion designer (Juan Hernandez) and his gratingly shrill Italian business partner (Saundra Santiago), provide some knowing laughs, the film doesn't take full advantage of its subject matter's opportunities for humor, and its attempts at seriousness generally fall flat. The schematic characterizations, flat dialogue and choppy narrative style are further detriments, and the cast of skilled New York theater performers generally don't seem to know whether to pitch their performances more in the direction of parody or seriousness. The result is far too uneven to be successful, though "Garmento", shot on location in New York's garment district, should at least provide some chuckles to those in the business.
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