It's Saturday morning and I'm going over my list of things to do, which always includes movies that I want to see with Rico. While I anxiously await Maldeamores, Garcia Girls and August Evening to come to our small Mexican town (aka Los Angeles), I thought I’d put together a list of movies that have contributed to my love of film and to the careers of a few of my favorite Latinas in film.

#1 Mi Vida Loca (1994)
This is a film that actually changed my life. Written and directed by Allison Anders and released by HBO pictures. MVL was one of the first auditions I went on after moving to LA from NYC. I fell in love with the project on so many levels. It enjoyed the privilege of being an art house gem so we traveled the world film festival circuit. Hey did you know that the even had copies of MVL in the Middle East? I always found that interesting…With the tagline: “Mothers. Warriors. Sisters. Survivors.” How could Mi Vida Loca be anything but, interesting!

Selena (1997)
Jennifer Lopez has been a superstar for a while. OK! I’ll admit, at one point in my life I used to compete with her for parts and I simply had NO LOVE for her. After Selena, however, my view of JLo changed. Say what you will about her singing or acting…(haters!) She took on this role with remarkable passion, and a performer emerged. Passion is something that I think she shared with the beloved protagonist in the film and as a result the work was wonderful. JLo has gone on to countless roles, some less honorable than Selena but what she has done for Latina power in Hollywood is extraordinary.

Do the Right Thing (1989)
Not only was this a movie a brave statement about racism and intolerance, it introduced the world to Rosie Perez! With that piercing voice and killer bod, Rosie quickly became a go to gal for comedic female roles. This is not a review or commentary on her acting but an observation of what her role in cinema was at the time (at least by my account ;-) In Rosie, America found a safe love interest for male characters of any ethnicity. She was the prototype for Jlo and Selma. Some of us have always known that brown is beautiful but Do The Right Thing gave Rosie Perez further opportunity to cash in on it.

I Like It Like That (1994)
A character driven film about a young couple learning to “work it out!” I haven’t seen this movie in a while but I remember thinking it was great because (much like members of my own family) it walked the fine line between camp and reality. This film launched the careers of Lauren Velez and Lisa Vidal and also starred the brilliant Jesse Borrego.

Como Agua Para Chocolate (1992)
Laura Esquivel wrote an amazing book and then penned the screenplay that was directed by her husband Alfonso Arau…That, in itself sounds like a romance novel. I love food and film and this movie brilliantly ties the two together. The cast is awesome and includes a favorite actress of mine Yareli Arizmendi, along with the beautiful Marco Leonardi and Lumi Cavazos. Mexican cinema has been tremendous for almost a century but I think this movie introduced it to a new generation of film fans, I most certainly was blown away.

Desperado (1995)
Following the success of El Mariachi, Robert Rodriguez made Desperado. I had the great privilege of being in this film but who paid attention? All eyes were on the positively GORGEOUS female lead, Selma Hayek. I had worked on Mi Vida Loca with Selma and she had recommended me for the part of Zamira. While on set, I knew immediately that this film was going to propel her to stardom. We called Antonio and Selma the Latino Ken and Barbie, they were just so perfect. Great film, great direction and great casting!

Mujeres Al Borde De Un Ataque De Nervios (1988)
I jumped on the Almodóvar bandwagon when this movie came out. Campy films may not be your thing and I fully respect that but I found this movie completely HILARIOUS. The women in this cast were amazing.
Julieta Serrano as the crazy wife continues to be a model of absolute commitment to a role and it’s no wonder Carmen Maura is a European fave. Some people might argue that Spaniards are not Latinos. I say…whatever.

Real Women Have Curves (2002)
Ok, this movie takes the cake: wonderful breakout role for America Ferrer, beautiful direction by Patricia Cardoso and based on a play written by Josefina Lopez. This story was particularly powerful for me because it dealt with issues that I feel existed at a certain level in my own life. Ana had to struggle to find herself in spite of her family’s expectations. My family was the polar opposite; in our neighborhood, we were the weird ones. But I always felt like people judged me because I didn’t live up to what they expected a good “Latina” should be.

Fantastic Four (2005)
I can just hear the teeth gritting from people who hate Jessica Alba because she doesn’t claim to be a “Latina actress.” I have my own opinions on this matter and will share them on another blog BUT I will spill on what made Fantasic 4 pivotal for me. She’s brown. I don’t care what she says, how she was raised- which btw, is very common these days. When you look at her you can tell she’s brown. They bleached her hair, gave her some blue contacts and Chris Evans for a brother; and guess what? People watched it! I’ve seen it a billion times with my own kids. Commercial successes only improve the chances of other Latina actresses having the chance to work on parts not specifically written for the “HOLLYWOOD HISPANIC.”

Maria Full of Grace (2004)
A powerful movie about the use of poor people to transport drugs to the U.S. Unfortunately the filmmakers could have easily replaced the Columbian location with any number of places where young people dream of better life only to be disappointed and worse.Catalina Sandino Moreno was amazing in this film. Sandino's role in this movie made her the 3rd Latin American Actress nominated for an Academy Award.


This is not a complete list, by any means. I am a film fanatic and as you see, always have a ton to say. If you into Latino Film and interesting movie blogs check these out too:
http://www.nylatinofilm.blogspot.com/
http://www.latinaviva.com/50226711/latin_movies.php
http://www.ahorre.com/weblogs/bitacoras/bolivia/raquel_welch_found_her_bolivian_identity/

…coming up my 2 cents on La Misma Luna