http://www.corrientelatina.com/ Article RSS Feed for CorrienteLatina.com en-us Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:39:02 PST Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:39:02 PST http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Kinake 1.0 corrientelatinadotcom@gmail.com (Corriente Latina) corrientelatinadotcom@gmail.com (Corriente Latina) http://www.corrientelatina.com/nacional-records-release-benefit-album-for-earthquake-victims-in-chile.html Nacional Records is proud to announce this weekandrsquo;s release of andlsquo;Fuerza Chile,andrsquo; a digital-only Chile benefit album. The album displays the strength of the countryandrsquo;s thriving music scene with 11 tracks from Chilean artists across Nacionalandrsquo;s catalog. It is available for only $5.99 and all the proceeds are being donated. Nacional founder Tomas Cookman was in Chile with management and label artist Los Fabulosos Cadillacs for the Vina del Mar Festival when the earthquake occurred. Fortunately no one in the band was injured but Cookman suffered a bruised leg. The group ended up taking a van across the Andes Mountains back to Argentina and were able to witness the devastation firsthand. Chilean mixmaster Latin Bitman was DJing a massive party when the earthquake occurred. He escaped but within minutes, Bitman noticed that the ceiling had caved exactly where he had been spinning. andlsquo;FUERZA CHILEandrsquo; TRACK-LISTING 1. Francisca Valenzuela - Run Run Se Fue Pa'l Norte 2. Ana Tijoux - Mar Adentro 3. Gonzalo Yanez - Maldigo De Alto Cielo 4. Primavera De Praga - Pajaro Muerto 5. Los Tres - Cerrar Y Abrir 6. Latin Bitman - Shine 7. Javiera Mena and Diego Morales - Ausencia 8. Los Bunkers - Llueve Sobre La Cuidad 9. RH+ - Curb 10. Senor Coconut - La Vida Es Llena De Cables 11. Angel Parra Trio - La Jardinera Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:39:02 -0800 corrientelatinadotcom@gmail.com (Corriente Latina) http://www.corrientelatina.com/nacional-records-release-benefit-album-for-earthquake-victims-in-chile.html http://www.corrientelatina.com/samuel-genao-wins-peermusic-latin-scholarship-2010.html Porfirio Pina, Director of the BMI Foundation's peermusic Latin Scholarship, has announced that Samuel Genao is the winner of the seventh annual peermusic Latin Scholarship, a competition for original Latin songs and instrumental compositions. Genao, a 22-year-old native of New York City and a student at The City College of New York, received a $5,000 scholarship for his song, Amor Entre Acordes. The award was presented onstage during the BMI Latin Awards ceremony held in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 4th, 2010. Honorable mention goes to Rene G. Boscio from Conservatorio de Musica de Puerto Rico and Edgar I. Barrera from University Texas-Pan American and their respective songs andldquo;El Dia Mas Bello Del Mundoandrdquo; and andldquo;Digaleandrdquo;. The scholarship competition was established through the generosity of Ralph Peer II and the peermusic companies and was open to students between the ages of 16 and 24 attending colleges and universities in the United States and Puerto Rico. The 2010 jury included BMIandrsquo;s Marissa Lopez, peermusic's Julio Bague, Sony ATV Music Publishingandrsquo;s Claribel Cuevas, Universal Music Publishingandrsquo;s Kenny Cordova, Spanish Broadcasting Systemandrsquo;s Elizabeth Paulino, Universal Music Latinoandrsquo;s Pedro Guzman and Latin Grammy and BMI Award winner Daniel Freiberg. Porfirio Pina, Director of the Foundationandrsquo;s peermusic Latin Scholarship and Senior Director of Writer and Publisher Relations-Latin Music at BMI in New York, oversaw the selection and judging process. Founded by Ralph S. Peer in 1928, peermusic is a global network of music publishing companies operating from 33 offices in 27 countries. There are over a quarter of a million titles in the company's catalogue, and songs that vary from country, blues, jazz and pop to Latin, concert and rock. The BMI Foundation, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation founded in 1985 to support the creation, performance and study of music through awards, scholarships, commissions and grants. Tax-deductible donations to the Foundation come primarily from songwriters, composers and publishers, BMI employees and members of the public with a special interest in music. Because both the Foundation staff and the distinguished members of the Advisory Panel serve without compensation, over 95% of all donations and income are used for charitable grants. For more information see www.bmifoundation.org. Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:59:19 -0800 corrientelatinadotcom@gmail.com (Corriente Latina) http://www.corrientelatina.com/samuel-genao-wins-peermusic-latin-scholarship-2010.html http://www.corrientelatina.com/mexican-rock-pioneers-maldita-vecindad-to-release-first-studio-album-in-12-years.html Nacional Records is proud to announce the March 30th release of 'Circular Colectivo,' the long-awaited new album from Mexican rock pioneers Maldita Vecindad y los Hijos del Quinto Patio. While the groundbreaking band continues to be a touring powerhouse, this new release is Maldita's first studio album in 12 years. The group will begin their album release tour with shows across Texas, including a major showcase at SXSW. 'Circular Colectivo' maintains the band's signature high-energy ska/punk style with conscious lyrics that tackle the crisis which Mexican society faces in a rapidly changing global economy. It features guests like Cuban jazz piano great Omar Sosa as well as the band's first instrumental tracks. "'Circular Colectivo,' is like the universal symbol of unity," lead vocalist Roco explains. "The cycle of life, the information that passes from mouth to mouth, the circles of peace and dance, the blood in the body, the movements of the people, of the towns, the hearts of everyone beating together at the same time." 'Circular Colectivo' was produced by Greg Landau in his San Francisco studios. The new album's first single is "Pura Diversion (Fut Callejero)," a fitting anthem in a World Cup year. The track puts Maldita's anti-capitalism approach into a simple soccer metaphor: "futbol negocio no es de nosotros, sin comerciales, pura diversion" ("soccer business is not our game, it's much more fun without commercials"). Basically, soccer is the one place where the poor man can defeat the rich one andndash; in the game of the neighborhood. "Quinto Patio Ska" travels across the band's lengthy catalog of songs andndash; a look back at their history. "Chacahua (El Grito De Luz)" is a tribute to the often-neglected African presence within Mexico. "Corrido Para Digna Ochoa" is a techno corrido that explores the story of the human rights activist who was murdered in 2001. "Expedientes Marcianos" is a Norteno ska track that reflects on global warming. "We've never stopped playing and so throughout this whole time, we've written so much new material," guitarist Pato says. "Finally, we put the songs to tape and we are so pleased with the result." Forming in 1985, Maldita Vecindad began playing in Mexico City's underground circuit, developing an original fusion of rock, ska, and traditional folk rhythms. Their sophomore release, 'El Circo,' was a landmark album for Latin rock, selling a record-breaking 700,000 copies in Mexico alone, which was unheard of for a supposed underground act. 'El Circo' was produced by the renowned Argentine producer, Gustavo Santaolalla. Santaolalla encouraged the group to experiment and embrace the sounds and stories of the streets. The lead track, "Pachuco," quickly became an instant classic and anthem for an entire movement. From there, the band only released several other studio albums, most recently being 'Mostros' in 1998. "After the album, 'Mostros,' our contract was finished with our label [BMG]," Roco says. "At that time, we had other offers on the table but we preferred to stay independent and begin to work with an infrastructure that permitted us to release albums in complete freedom. When we started with Maldita, our vision was pretty clear: to open doors for Mexican rock." "But when we released 'Mostros,' we also realized that our mission wasn't the same anymore," Roco continues. "We had done what we had wanted to help achieve: Mexican rock was known throughout Latin America. But it had also become a total industry, now everyone wanted to be a rocker! So we decided we had to create other goals." Maldita Vecindad paved the way for a generation of Latin rock musicians and fans. With songs that explore narratives and personalities within urban life, they continue to tear down cultural barriers and sell out major venues around the globe. Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:13:39 -0800 corrientelatinadotcom@gmail.com (Corriente Latina) http://www.corrientelatina.com/mexican-rock-pioneers-maldita-vecindad-to-release-first-studio-album-in-12-years.html http://www.corrientelatina.com/review-alice-in-wonderland.html Grade: C+ Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy and Adaptation Roars: 3 Out Of 5 Rated: PG / Run: 1hr 50min Itandrsquo;s without question Tim Burtonandrsquo;s one of our timeandrsquo;s unique and greatest. A film director, screenwriter and set designer, notable for the quirky and often dark, gothic atmosphere pervading his high-profile films. The protagonists are usually misfits or outsiders, physically or emotionally different or scarred. When presenting his work, it is without doubt oneandrsquo;s sense of reality is definilty toyed with. Most of the time when viewing his films, I personally feel itandrsquo;s a drugless high with all of its utopian-like traits. But something about Alice in Wonderland feels a bit different, or off to an extent. With that said, what the hell happened to Burton? It's a strange question because it's not like the man lost any of his ability to direct strange and dark tales, it's just that he became so comfortable in his andldquo;thingandrdquo; that he seems to be confined to the style he created. With Aliceandhellip;, it comes across as simply another Burton flick than it did anything that could be considered "amazing" or "unique.andrdquo; A.I.W is not a remake or rehash; itandrsquo;s a sequel to the actions that take place in both Alice books by Mr. Lewis Carroll all those years ago. Most, if not all, kids are familiar with Disneyandrsquo;s toon version instead of the books, which happen to be irrelevant since Disney toons also borrowed substance from both books. Burtonandrsquo;s choice to avoid remaking Alice from the first books or from Disneyandrsquo;s novel adaptations serves as both a positive and negative regarding the story. (Mia Wasikowska who plays andldquo;Aliceandrdquo;) is currently 19 years old. A pretty impatient person who suffers from nightmares and gets easily distracted. During a garden party, she decides to follow a white rabbit down a hole and begins her journey into andldquo;Wonderland.andrdquo; Has a familiar sound to it, ey? It should on behalf of Aliceandrsquo;s point-of-view. Her night terrors are consequences of adventures she had in Wonderland as a kid. The issue here is that she cannot remember a strip of it. Having reached the bottom of the rabbit hole, curious spectators wonder if they obtained the accurate Alice. Perhaps the astute turn to the story? The characters of Wonderland bringing in the wrong person? But, that isnandrsquo;t the case here. She canandrsquo;t recall what happened to her as a happy skipping little kid. It kind of sucks because Alice is once again meeting up with these cats for the first time, however; this time around as a grown-up. Why not just do an adaptation of the first book then if nothing is going to be risky? She doesnandrsquo;t explore a think on her own due to having guidance throughout the film. This in turn makes her a simple foreigner/tourist who winds up at any NYC subway station. Taking the tour instead of exploring on their ownandhellip; Alice meets the usual Wonderland creatures, only theyandrsquo;re now inhabitants of a place that resembles Dorothyandrsquo;s over-the-rainbow location rather than Wonderland. andldquo;The Red Queenandrdquo; (Helena Bonham Carter who at least seems to be enjoying her role and is the highlight of the picture.) has taken over and yells "Off with their head!" at practically everyone. Itandrsquo;s apparent her ruling reaches out into all of Wonderland because everyone is afraid of even existing. They need Alice to defeat Jabberwocky and Red Queen and restore some order. We already know she'll turn out victorious because history has already been written on a scroll showing Alice fighting the Jabberwocky. Wait, Underland? Here is where screenwriter Linda Woolverton really screws up. Alice, and the audience, learns that the place was never called Wonderland. It's actually called Underland and Alice misunderstood what the people were saying when she was a child. What? That's total cow shit. Why would you even bother messing with the name of Wonderland? It angers me but it actually fits the story because this film doesn't come across as wondrous as it should anyway. What Woolverton and Burton did was take all of the madness and craziness out of Wonderland. It now follows a simple story layer where the hero has to find themselves and realize they have the potential to be more than they actually are and discover their destiny and all that other blah stuff. Talk about cookie cutter tripe. She can't even discover this stuff on her own. Most of her assistance comes from Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, two twins who look more like Down-syndrome children than they do resembling anything crazy or mad in the world of Wonderland. Sorry...Underland. Even worse is andldquo;The Mad Hatterandrdquo; (Johnny Depp). I never thought I'd say this about Depp, but he was mediocre in this role and I think not the right person to play it. He's about as mad as that uncle or aunt the family doesn't like to invite over to holiday gatherings because (s)he gets drunk and says stupid stuff. Depp's Mad Hatter seems to be more of a depressed individual than he is anything mad. And he's in too many scenes. After a while, itandrsquo;s overkill and I was starting to think the story was more about The Mad Hatter instead of Alice. Where are all the fun characters? Why is this version of Alice such a depressing one? Do the goth kids need more things to try and connect with besides Marilyn Manson? (Love andldquo;This is Halloweenandrdquo; by the way.) andhellip; Anyway, I guess that's what annoyed me the most. None of the characters in Underland are as odd as they could be except for andldquo;The Cheshire Catandrdquo; (voiced by Stephen Fry), who is a lot of fun in the movie but isn't in it enough. It's sad when a Disney cartoon's version of a character is weirder than Burton's version. andldquo;The March Hareandrdquo; is a bit off, throwing tea cups at everyone, but thatandrsquo;s about it. In reality everyone just looks strange. They don't actually act strange. At least not strange enoughandhellip; Visually the film looks ok. There are some scenes that are fantastic to look at such as the Red Queen's gardens but most of Underland has a brownish tint that really makes the place look like a dirt field more than a land of amazement and wonder. I didnandrsquo;t see it in 3D and perhaps the effect of it might have been different and a bit more appealing. But, who knows as Iandrsquo;ve heard stories of how at times 3D doesnandrsquo;t enhance shit! Overall, when it was all done I wasn't impressed at all. Itandrsquo;s not Burtonandrsquo;s job to andldquo;impress me,andrdquo; but truth is as a movie viewer, every film I watch has to be felt in some wayandhellip; whether emotionally or mentallyandhellip; I enjoy leaving a theater and having a film resonating within. This is a film made for pre-teens. I also feel despite what weandrsquo;ve known about him and his awesome exhibit at the MoMA in NYC (Which was amazing, educational and quite intriguing), Wonderland looked like another Burton film. How many times do I need to see curled up tree branches in his movies? Can he not give us something new to look at? Is his interpretation of Sleeping Beauty just going to be more of the same? (Opens Friday, March 5th.) Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:23:22 -0800 corrientelatinadotcom@gmail.com (Corriente Latina) http://www.corrientelatina.com/review-alice-in-wonderland.html http://www.corrientelatina.com/review-brooklyns-finest.html Grade: C Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama, Thriller and Crime/Gangster Roars: 2 Out Of 5 Rated: R / Run: 140min Brooklynandrsquo;s Finest, the latest from Director Antoine Fuqua, has been enduring lots of attention these last few weeks. For the most part, I think it relays more towards his masterpiece of Training Day, which granted Denzel Washington with an Oscar nomination and victory as Best Actor, but as I mentioned to a friend of mine the other day, that alone shouldnandrsquo;t really bank in a thought that this latest piece will reach the same rank. In any wayandhellip; and for some odd reason based on the trailer alone, I had this strange feeling (always go with your instinct as they say) that it was just a collage of other good/bad-cop films, sprinkled with a little of some bad-guys as well. To much avail, someone else had mentioned that to me right around the time that inkling generated. Glad to say I wasnandrsquo;t wrong and for what itandrsquo;s worth, Brooklynandrsquo;s Finest has its moments, but it does leave an awkward feeling of ummandhellip; yeah, having seen something like this before. A far cry from the gritty andlsquo;70s policiers it conjures with cock-of-the-walk swagger (Serpico, Prince of the City), Antoine Fuquaandrsquo;s second-rate retread of his own Training Day is a bloated, multithread drama concerning three burnt-out cops at the end of their seemingly unconnected ropes. Just a week away from receiving his pension, spiritually ruined man-in-blues, andldquo;Eddieandrdquo; (Dick andldquo;Dalai Lamaandrdquo; Gere) would rather let crime run rampant and loco than do paperwork; he wakes up each morning to a glass of whiskey (Grandpaandrsquo;s old cough medicine) and a locked and cocked gun in his mouth. (That didnandrsquo;t sound right, but itandrsquo;s true! Watch it and youandrsquo;ll see!) Did you do your taxes? Then thereandrsquo;s Officer andldquo;Tangoandrdquo; (Don andldquo;Iron Man 2andrsquo;s War-Machineandrdquo; Cheadle), whose undercover duty has been so overextended, our troops overseas laugh at him! Nah, just kiddingandhellip; but it is overkillandhellip; and so much that his loyalties and moral compass have shifted to protect his gangland peep andldquo;Cazandrdquo; (Wesley andldquo;The Blackest Man in the Worldandrdquo; Snipes). Yep, weandrsquo;ve seen that type of hot mess before. Oh, and gee, will underpaid narcotics cop andldquo;Salandrdquo; (Ethan andldquo;Down-Syndrome faceandrdquo; Hawke) ditch his few remaining scruples to make the down payment on a new house for his babyandrsquo;s mama, pregnant with twins? (Why is the wife or girlfriend ALWAYS pregnant?) Across the board, the capable cast of Brooklynandrsquo;s Finest works hard to SELL a soulful intensity, which isnandrsquo;t easy considering that each of the leads could proclaim theyandrsquo;re andldquo;getting too old for this bullshitandrdquo; at any given moment. Unsubtly scripted by former NYC transit worker Michael C. Martin (Showtimeandrsquo;s Sleeper Cell - One of my favorite shows ever), the film plays like the inverse of Crash - an intricate exercise in crosscutting fatalism that points fingers at its characters rather than the audience. Rock bottom is never as close as it appears and what goes around comes around (and all that mierda), but for a character-supposed-driven piece digging up old tropes about the strains of humanity buried within corrupted people, the constant threat of violence seems to be its ONLY momentum, aside from one of my favorites of all timeandhellip; my hometown of NYC once again splattered all over the sliver screen. (Opens Friday, March 5th.) Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:32:36 -0800 corrientelatinadotcom@gmail.com (Corriente Latina) http://www.corrientelatina.com/review-brooklyns-finest.html