01/31/2012

La Última Muerte, Newest Scifi Film From Mexico

La Última Muerte (The Last Death) is a Mexican science fiction film from writer/director David Ruiz released this month in Mexico and soon to have a limited release in the United States (February 10 according to IMDB). According to a post on Filmeweb, Ruiz is a fan of science fiction and wanted to explore the theme of futuristic medicine.

La Última Muerte is set in the near future. The story begins when a young man, ‘Christian’ (Kuno Becker), is found injured in the woods by Dr. Jaime Alexanderson (Álvaro Guerrero). Christian has amnesia and apparently has been the subject of experimentation, possibly having to do with cloning. Once at the hospital, Christian fails to register in the global identity database. This raises a huge red flag with the authorities and Christian becomes persecuted by the feds, with Dr. Alexanderson helping him out.

Star of the movie Becker reportedly lost 20 pounds, shaved his head and eyebrows, and endured uncomfortable colored contacts that covered the white of his eyes for the role.

La Última Muerte was filmed in Mexico and Argentina. Find more information (in Spanish) and photos at the official website.

Here’s the trailer:

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01/03/2012

SyFy’s ‘Three Inches’ Pilot: Well, at least it had Latinos

No thanks for the memories, 'Three Inches'

Carlos uses his power. After this "Stink On!" scene I knew I could have no love for "Three Inches"

Three Inches, a mutant heroes team story, debuted recently on SyFy. Originally intended as a series, only its pilot was aired and for that I am thankful. There was no way this story could have survived a season. There are good genre actors in it, but the writing made the characters seem like they belonged in a sitcom, not an action show. There are a couple of Latino actors in this pilot from what I could tell. Anthony Del Río’s character Carlos, a.k.a. ‘The Human Smell,’ can emit a powerful odor from his pores while talking about himself in the third person.

Security guard Mel on his way to get whacked (again)

There’s also a minor role by Pedro Miguel Arce, who plays a security guard called Mel that discusses sports and Alicia Keys with his coworkers. They both did excellent jobs, as did most of the cast, but the overly witty dialogue and the lack of anything new in the unlikely-superhero theme made it hard to like Three Inches, much as I wanted to.

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01/02/2012

‘Gil’s All Night Fright Diner’ by A. Lee Martinez (Book Review)

Gil’s All Fright Diner by A. Lee Martinez is a fun, quick read I recommend for those of us that enjoy fantasy stories that don’t take themselves too seriously. It begins with the unlikely (in other universes) pairing of a vampire and a werewolf.

While passing through the town of Rockwood, rough werewolf Duke and self-doubting vampire Earl end up in an out-of-the-way diner. They find out that this is no ordinary diner- it has a recurring zombie attack problem. Earl and Duke help the diner’s owner Loretta work together to fend off an attack and stay on as workers to help solve the undead issue. The zombies, however, are only a symptom of the real problem; local teenager Tammy is hell-bent on bringing the old gods back to this dimension and ruin things for everyone.

Gil’s All Fright Diner is a simple story written with plenty of humor. I really enjoyed the character development of Duke and Earl, but was a bit disappointed in the female characters. For example, I was left trying to figure out why Tammy felt the need to destroy the world besides the fact that she’s a teenager. I suppose evil doesn’t need an excuse, but I felt it needed more. Also, the constant reference to Tammy’s hotness (and her using sex to get anything) and Loretta’s ugliness (she was fat and therefore, undesirable) was over the top.

Thankfully, to balance out Tammy, there is a ghost called Cathy who I at first thought was there to be rescued but ended up being a strong character in the fight against evil. Also, “ugly” Loretta is a strong woman that takes no bullshit from zombies or any other creature even with her limited human body. While Duke and Earl can heal themselves, Loretta can not, so her bravery kicked ass.

I have a few A. Lee Martinez books I’ll review here; he’s a fun fantasy author to read.

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01/01/2012

Happy Apocalyptic New Year! Web Series 2012

Since it’s 2012, year of the end of the world or some kind of apocalypse anyway, check out one possible chain of events in the web series 2012. The web series follows a group of characters that are directly involved in the events of December 2012: long time buddies and fellow hired assassins on a job, a corrupt politician, a journalist couple and a genetic scientist.

The 2012 web series was created and written by Julio Ponce Palmieri (born in Guatemala) and produced and directed by Palmieri and Alex Freitas (of Portuguese heritage).

The complete first season of this Canadian production is available on YouTube. I recommend not reading the descriptions because they spoil the episodes. Here’s a teaser. Be safe in 2012!

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05/10/2011

Kaisen Infinity Convention of Puerto Rico

Kaisen Infinity poster

The Kaisen Infinity convention was held this past Saturday May 7th at the Fernando (Rube) Hernández coliseum in Gurabo, Puerto Rico. This is the main event of Paquines, a nonprofit organization of fans of comics, anime, science fiction and other hobbies on the island. (Paquines are the same people behind the Karibukai Animation Festival.) The main attractions of Kaisen (besides local retailers of fandom goodies) are the cosplay contests, gaming tournaments, model exhibits, live music, and fan skits.

Welcome to Nana Cafe

Kaisen attracts people of all ages and fandoms, although most of the cosplaying (and merchandise) I saw was inspired in anime.

This was the first time Kaisen was held in Gurabo, a town in the central eastern part of Puerto Rico. The relatively new coliseum was an ideal place for this event. It was spacious, fully air-conditioned, with ample parking and a great location. People came from all over the island to enjoy the festivities.

Some highlights of the day:

  • Furries represent!

    An impromptu dance based on the Caramelldansen meme everybody seemed to know and I had to look up later. A lion furry started it as a solo dance and people just jumped in behind him. It was definitely a great moment of the Con. Here is a video I found on YouTube.

  • Nana Cafe, a new local maid cafe, offered food and entertainment. I look forward to their restaurant opening soon to see them in their element. They even danced during skits time after being crazy busy all day.
  • The huge detailed World War II and Iraq War dioramas from Museo de Figuras y Dioramas. I did find the Nazi flag and cosplay jarring however.
  • Rock band Back Seat Driver gave a crowd-pleasing performance.

  • Quickly helping Captain America

    Another local band present that I didn’t see perform but were lovely to chat with (in spite of their name!) was Death Arrangement.

  • Being amused at the innocent/sexy feel of the anime cosplay and merchandise.
  • The Flash and Captain America chasing each other around the coliseum. All those who were having fun with their outfits were also fun for us to watch.

I was part of the volunteer crew; it was great to talk with fellow genre fans while we attended our duties. A shout out to Paola of Hogwarts Puerto Rico, Aiko, Lavinia, Victor, Karlo, and Alchemist for your Japanese lessons and general camaraderie!

I posted my photos in a Facebook album. Also here’s a slide show with even more pictures- another YouTube find:

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