http://www.corrientelatina.com/ Article RSS Feed for CorrienteLatina.com en-us Mon, 8 Feb 2010 4:58:26 PST Mon, 8 Feb 2010 4:58:26 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/review-frozen.html Grade: D+ Genre: Drama and Thriller Roars: 1.75 Too many times I come across a film where I always say to myself "I would never do that!" And you know what? I wouldn't! Is it the norm for some people to be complete idiots and do away with common-sense? Yes! It's been proven time and time again. All I can say after watching this film is "If they would have listened to Bear Grylls (Discovery's Man vs. Wild), their chances of survival would have been a bit better." I saw some slips that could have been vital to their survival, but who caresandhellip; sometimes dumb people need to suffer the consequencesandhellip; especially young college kids who feel they know it all. Yet another reason to stay inside the lodge, Frozen turns the irksome circumstance of a stalled ski lift into a semi-nightmarish test of survival. Like the '04 actors-as-bait shark shocker Open Water (another Sundance sensation), this new movie portrays low-budget creditability onto a high-concept premise that wouldn't raise an eyebrow in Hollywood. A trip of fun-loving collegians andndash; blowhard Dan (Unknown Actor #1), his blond-bunny girlfriend Parker (Unknown Actor #2) and third wheel Joe (Coincidentally/Ironically X-Men's Iceman) andndash; bribe a distracted attendant into letting them take one final night run. Halfway to the top of the mountain, they're stranded high above the ground on the swinging bench, the park shut down and hungry wolves gather below. (Grr... Did I say hungry wolvesandhellip;? Wow andndash; that would make Trigger-crazed Sarah Palin cum!) Larry, Moe and Curly When writer-director Adam Green sticks to the calculations of urgency, his movie has a compelling gruesomeness: How long before someone jumps? Is that a ladder up ahead? What does frostbite really look like? But Green certainly gets what he pays for regarding his performers, a uniformly bland bunch not talented enough to strike ironic notes of vapidity. Lengthy monologues about favorite breakfast cereals, dating, puppies and the most horrible way to die test the endurance of all involved; a crackerjack screenwriter like Larry Cohen (Phone Booth) would have been more inventive between the lines. Better to defrost Alive or The Edge from the video icebox. It's a film one can have fun with considering it's unique premise, but other than thatandhellip; lots of logical mistakes, which drops it's stock value. I guess now I know why this film was snubbed by Big-Willy Execs. Sorry, but who in their right mind goes skiing without a cell?!? Dumb-asses! Sat, 06 Feb 2010 16:44:43 -0800 corrientelatinadotcom@gmail.com (Corriente Latina) http://www.corrientelatina.com/review-frozen.html http://www.corrientelatina.com/banda-de-turistas-release-us-debut-set-to-open-for-coldplay.html Just as Banda de Turistas have released their U.S. debut album, andlsquo;Magical Radiophonic Heart,andrsquo; the group has been invited to open for Coldplay at Buenos Airesandrsquo; 60,000-capacity River Plate stadium. The Argentine retro rock band will also showcase at SXSW 2010 in Austin next month. Banda de Turistas won the andldquo;LAMC Artist Discovery Awardandrdquo; at last summerandrsquo;s 10th Annual Latin Alternative Music Conference in New York City. With previous winners like Kinky and Pacha Massive, the group was awarded the special distinction following their U.S. debut performance at Lower East Side hotspot, the Mercury Lounge. Jon Pareles of the New York Times praised the bandandrsquo;s Mercury set, saying they andldquo;harked back to mid-1960s garage rock and psychedelic.andrdquo; Forming in 2006, Banda de Turistas quickly turned heads across their hometown of Buenos Aires despite the band membersandrsquo; young age of 18. The retro rock group soon caught the ear of local rock icon Babasonicos frontman Adrian Dargelos and the vocalist praised them as one of his favorite new acts. Pulpandrsquo;s legendary vocalist Jarvis Cocker even expressed his support for the band before they released their debut EP, asking them to open several shows in Buenos Aires. Banda de Turistas is part of a generation of musicians in Buenos Aires that grew out of a scene that was transformed following a major club fire in 2005. andldquo;We met in high school and we originally had two bands,andrdquo; says drummer Guido Colzani. andldquo;One was called Berline, it was more instrumental, ambient and krautrock-influenced. The other was called Palmeta, it was more conventional, simple pop songs. So we ended up making a fusion between the two.andrdquo; Rolling Stone Argentina ended up hailing the group as 2008andrsquo;s andldquo;Best New Artistandrdquo; and MTV Latin America named Banda de Turistas as one of South Americaandrsquo;s andldquo;Best Artistsandrdquo; of the year. They took their sound to the road, quickly developing fanbases across Chile and then Mexico, with a performance at the influential Vive Latino festival in 2009. andldquo;We like to create songs that we enjoy listening to andndash; plain and simple,andrdquo; explains guitarist Luis Balcarce. andldquo;We keep the music fresh. For us, the concept of andlsquo;popandrsquo; is important andndash; music that is accessible, digestible and likeable. And that, mixed with psychedelia, which is something more ethereal, hopefully helps develop a truly original sound.andrdquo; Nacionalandrsquo;s new album combines a variety of tracks from Banda de Turistasandrsquo; two previous full-length releases in Argentina, andlsquo;Magico Corazon Radiofonicoandrsquo; (mixed by Mario Caldato Jr., known for his work with Beastie Boys and Manu Chao) and their most recent, andlsquo;El Retornoandrsquo; (mixed by Peter Mew, Abbey Road Studio's longtime engineers). With andlsquo;El Retorno,andrsquo; the band submerged itself in ultra psychedelic sounds, from underground disco to avant-garde, which is particularly evident in the albumandrsquo;s keyboard textures. andldquo;The idea was to create a sound out there; with German oscillator sequencers, analog polyphonic synthesizers and a variety of filters that gave the sound plenty of character,andrdquo; says keyboardist Patricio Troncoso. On both albums, andlsquo;Magico Corazon Radiofonicoandrsquo; and andlsquo;El Retorno,andrsquo; the primary vocalist and lyricist is bassist Bruno Albano. With a mysterious imagination, Brunoandrsquo;s songs follow the stories of strange characters. andldquo;Some are more profound and others are daring and realistic,andrdquo; Balcarce says. Banda de Turistas have a contrasting songwriting approach with Albano and vocalist/guitarist Tomas Putruele, whose songs are much more direct. andldquo;Tomas arranges his songs with much more simple word structures and much more accessible concepts in general,andrdquo; Albano says. andldquo;We like that our music can be stimulating for a variety of people,andrdquo; Balcarce says. andldquo;For example, if you read a book quickly without much context, you can understand it to a certain point. If you dedicate more time and learn more background, hopefully you will notice more things and get more out of the art. But the important thing is that everyone gets something out of it. Thatandrsquo;s how we feel about our songs.andrdquo; For more information about Banda de Turistas and 'Magical Radiophonic Heart', please contact Paul Dryden or Jennifer Sarkissian at Nacional Records andndash; 818.763.1397 Thu, 04 Feb 2010 17:37:18 -0800 corrientelatinadotcom@gmail.com (Corriente Latina) http://www.corrientelatina.com/banda-de-turistas-release-us-debut-set-to-open-for-coldplay.html http://www.corrientelatina.com/tweaponz-debut-music-video-at-release-party-february-9th.html Billboard Top Ten Indie group T-Weaponz and DJ Tony Touch will debut their new music video andldquo;Put Soul In Itandrdquo; at a special release event on Tuesday, February 9th at the Sutra Lounge, located at: 16 1st Avenue New York, NY 10009-7906 (212) 677-9477 www.sutranyc.com andldquo;Put Soul In Itandrdquo; pays homage to the roots of New York hip hop and the music video. Directed by Johnny Rose, it is a black and white tribute to good times; fusing new and old dance themes and handclaps to create something future retro. andldquo;Can I get a soul clap? Can we take what they stole back?andrdquo; Audiences are impressed by T-Weaponz's intellectual lyrics, their ability to interweave street scenarios and anecdotes with historical and literary references. They achieved Billboard Top Ten status with the RandB/Hip-Hop single "Dem Boyz" and received The Underground Music Award for Most Dynamic Group or Duo. Their past video andldquo;Xtraordinaryandrdquo; debuted on Mun2 and was added to MTV Tr3s, among other networks. From Ark's precise flow to Izreal's blunt lyrics and Psalmz's flair for metaphors and wordplay, the MCs have formed a perfect triangle, complementing one another and ushering in a new sound. DJ Tony Touch, is an icon in Hip-Hop and in the Urban Hispanic genre, a seasoned player in the game, and continues to be in demand globally. He has toured over 30 countries including Japan, Australia, Puerto Rico, London, France, Greece, Russia, Brazil, Germany, Columbia, Switzerland, Italy and Cuba, and has toured with Cypress Hill, Gurusandrsquo;s Jazzmatazz, Rock Steady and the Beatnuts. DJ Tony Touch has also appeared on andldquo;Saturday Night Liveandrdquo; and andldquo;The Dave Chapelle Showandrdquo; spinning for Eminem and can be heard every Tuesday night, 8:00pm andndash; 12am, on his own radio show, TOCA TUESDAYS on SiriusXM Radioandrsquo;s Shade 45. Thu, 04 Feb 2010 17:35:48 -0800 corrientelatinadotcom@gmail.com (Corriente Latina) http://www.corrientelatina.com/tweaponz-debut-music-video-at-release-party-february-9th.html http://www.corrientelatina.com/review-from-paris-with-love.html Grade: C+ Genre: Action/Adventure, Foreign and Thriller Roars: 3 Other than Transporter 3 and Taken, Iandrsquo;m not familiar with any other films directed by Pierre Morel. However; I will say thisandhellip; if thereandrsquo;s something appealing about the-man-behind-the-curtain is that he gets straight to the point. Wastes no time with any dull dragged out development(s) and gives the audience what theyandrsquo;re expecting. Please donandrsquo;t misunderstand my comments in any way, because Iandrsquo;m one who enjoys a little of everything. Itandrsquo;s great to have a well paced out film, itandrsquo;s just that some directors have a different approach on it and periodically leads to disaster(s). To each his own, and with From Paris with Love, Morel kept continuity to a flow and with great intention I feel delivered a pretty decent action-packed film. From Paris with Love presents a personal aide to U.S. Ambassador in France, James Reece (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) with an envious life in Paris, a HOT French girlfriend (Kasia Smutniak), an admiring wit for Chess, however; his real passion is his side gig as a low-level operative for the CIA. All James wants is to become a bona fide agent and see some real action! So when he's offered his first senior-level assignment, he can't believe his good luck until he meets his new partner, special agent Charlie Wax (John Travolta). Whoandrsquo;s a trigger-happy, foul-mouthed, wisecracking, loose cannon thatandrsquo;s been sent to Paris to stop a terrorist attack. Wax leads James on a hot trailing shooting spree through the Parisian underworld that has James praying to go back to his desk job. But when James discovers heandrsquo;s a target of the same crime ring they're trying to bust, he realizes there's no turning backandhellip; and that Wax himself might be his only hope of survival for the next forty-eight hours. Acting-wise all characters seemed to have been simple. Perhaps I may be coming off a bit naive or delusional, however; there was nothing demanding from anyone, nor was it needed. andldquo;Reeseandrdquo; was a very prim and proper, always micro-managing every job and extremely anal type that learns to slowly adjust from shifting his embassy blank day-to-day job, to a more up-front and raw approach upon his job and personal life, which was portrayed by Rhys Meyers pretty well. Travolta wasnandrsquo;t bad as andldquo;Wax.andrdquo; Even bald, glowering, and goateed, he couldnandrsquo;t do away with his sensitive side, so heandrsquo;s never entirely convincing as a stone-cold government assassin. This took me by surprise as recalling his performances as a bad-ass in films like The Taking of Pelham 1,2,3 and Face Off were pretty good. However; heandrsquo;s still pretty hilarious when placed alongside Rhys Meyersandrsquo;s nerdy andldquo;James Reece.andrdquo; SHUT UP AND FOLLOW MY LEAD! YOU GOT THAT?!? Overall, the film has a lot to deliver. For the most part, the storyandrsquo;s pretty simple to follow and with lots of action that pretty much goes hand in hand as the film goes along, it doesnandrsquo;t allow you to lose out on any understanding or interest - especially during an unexpected twist, which always comes in handy. Yes, itandrsquo;s violently exaggerated, but pretty engaging. I said earlier how Morel just gets straight to the point and he does. Itandrsquo;s a fast paced piece, but I found it pretty interesting how he tied in some pretty decent character development as all the shooting is going on. From the typical boss and employee talk, to a seductive girlfriend in-demand of moves, to planting hearing devices all through that ONE and ONLY call that sets off the paceandhellip; all tight, detailed and right to the point. Perhaps the establishment was clearly defined in the scriptandhellip; and with such a speedy story that goes from 0 to 100mph in a matter of minutes (25/30 at best), he had a precise vision on how to display it. I wonder if his brain was smoking during reading the script. I also wonder what that meeting with the D.P. must have been like.... andldquo;Okay, this andndash; that andndash; here andndash; there and BANG! THE END! GOT IT?!!?andrdquo; Setting all that asideandhellip; when it came down to casting the film, what exactly led to Rhys Meyers and Travolta? Hmmandhellip; something I guess weandrsquo;ll have to wait for when the filmandrsquo;s released on DVD which Iandrsquo;m sure will be in the andlsquo;Special Featuresandrsquo; section. Truth is a lot in this film makes me (at least) wonder about how deep government operatives really go to get the bad guys? I constantly see documentaries on CIA / Special Op agents out in Afghanistan for example and the brain that goes into making sure a job is carried out whether it be by eliminating someone or just infiltrating a crowd to which they know are extremely dangerous and hold no punches, turns out to be pretty intense. Quite enjoyable, but also hits a nerve as complexities are inevitable and precise/detailed studies must go into playandhellip; with very little - close to NO mistakes if possible. Out there somewhere there has to be a andldquo;James Reeceandrdquo; and andldquo;Charlie Waxandrdquo; working with one another and providing some of the most unique intelligence ever pertaining to all sorts of crimes and corruption. Too bad theyandrsquo;re not Travolta or Rhys Meyers because if you think of itandhellip; it would be cool in some ways to know that theyandrsquo;re not only kicking ass in movies, but in real life as well. But only in an ideal world I guess, but much recognition and respect comes from my part. Given theyandrsquo;re DOING the right thing and NOT abusing their power of course. (Cough) Okay, well, enough with the politics. All I can say is that From Paris with Love is quite entertaining and I think Morel has a winner here. A good pop-corn flick if I may add, doesnandrsquo;t disappoint anyone looking for a good action flick and be warnedandhellip; itandrsquo;s pretty loud. (Starts Friday, February 5th.) Thu, 04 Feb 2010 10:09:53 -0800 corrientelatinadotcom@gmail.com (Corriente Latina) http://www.corrientelatina.com/review-from-paris-with-love.html http://www.corrientelatina.com/big-bolo.html Jorge Neira better known as "Big Bolo" was born in Santo Domingo on July 3, 1985. When I turned 4 yrs old we moved and headed for Miami, Florida to start our new life in the states. When I got here I had to learn how to talk the new language and a new lifestyle. I was born with a speech impediment. I stutter sometimes but I found out that by rapping I can truly express myself the way I feel and what I am thinking. Growing up I was inspired by hip hop artists like Cypress Hill, Tupac, Biggie , Big L. The list goes on and through the years I developed a passion for hip hop and our Latin music. I now live in New Jersey with my family and we had the chance to meet with N-TUNE PRODUCTIONS, INC. I, along with my brother Chico and Nikky Crema are now part of the N-TUNES FAMIILY. I have performed at Lauraandrsquo;s Night Club in New Jersey along with the rest of the N-TUNES FAMILY. I have also performed at The Puerto Rican Parade festival in the Bronx and in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. I have also been on the ROLOWORLD mixtapes and JOKERBRAND and done songs with July Franqui, Illfamed, the Female MC, Big Adept a/k/a the Monster and Mal Hablado from the west coast and Chino Brown from the Soul Assassins and Bimbo .I also have one of my songs from my up n coming album on Latin hip hop compilation called (las Battales de las calles 2) by the Urban Kings and I also have been featured on corrientelatina.com a premier urban Latin music web site and am also in livewire magazine from the westcoast . So as you can see I am starting to establish myself as an artist. Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:50:50 -0800 corrientelatinadotcom@gmail.com (Corriente Latina) http://www.corrientelatina.com/big-bolo.html