Oscar Colon Movies
Miguel Pinero became a leading figure in New York's art scene during the 1970s as a poet, actor, and playwright whose vibrant, often pointed, work spoke directly to the lower classes and to disenfranchised minorities. As a founder of the influential Nuyorican Poets Cafe, his poetry soon became recognized as a forerunner to rap and hip-hop music. TV screenwriter turned director Leon Ichaso spins this impressionistic biographical look at this artist. Raised in an abusive family, Pinero (Benjamin Bratt) turns to streets for solace. Soon he is engaging in petty crime, drug dealing, and addiction. When he finds himself in Sing-Sing, he turns his experiences in prison into the play Short Eyes, which eventually garners him seven Tony awards in 1974. Uncomfortable with his new fame, he clings to his girlfriend, Sugar (Talisa Soto), and his childhood buddy, Miguel Algarin (Giancarlo Esposito), who is a literature professor and who co-founded the Nuyorican Cafe. Though Pinero makes cameos on such shows as Kojak, his art begins to suffer as he starts to succumb to his drug addictions. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Benjamin Bratt, Giancarlo Esposito, (more)
- 2001
An analyst hits the road -- both to answer her emotional needs and to beat the rent -- in this quirky comedy-drama. Dr. Rebecca Kaplan (Leonor Benedetto) is a psychiatrist who left behind an unpleasant past in Buenos Aires to come to America and set up a practice in New York City. Over the course of two decades, Dr.Kaplan has established a loyal if somewhat eccentric clientele in the Big Apple's multiethnic boroughs, but when a new landlord takes over the building where she keeps her office, she's informed that her rent will be increased -- by 2,000 percent. Unwilling to pay the punishing tariff, Dr. Kaplan comes up with a better idea. With the help of Mike (Santiago Douglas), the doctor moves her practice to a mobile home, with Mike driving and checking in patients while she interviews her clients in the back. Dr. Kaplan's new mobile office only improves her practice, but in time she decides it's time to go back to Argentina to pay a visit and take care of some old business that's been troubling her. While directed by Chilean filmmaker Cecilia Barriga and produced by a Spanish concern, Time's Up was primarily filmed on location in New York City, using digital video equipment to stretch the independent production's lean budget. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leonor Benedetto
- 2000
Detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) investigate when a prostitute is found strangled to death. The trail of clues leads to a brothel where illegal immigrants are being exploited as sex slaves. Eventually, the law comes knocking at the door of a "happy" family -- and things are never quite the same again. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
In this rare Sunday-night telecast of Law & Order, the detectives investigate when a woman is shot in her sleep. The clues lead to Lonnie "Nacho" Rickman (Adam B. Zolotin), the son of crack addict Cassie Rickman (Karen Young). An additional layer is added to the mystery when it is learned that Cassie left Nacho in the "tender" care of her drug dealer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Childhood dance lessons lead to the journey of a lifetime in this touching tale of friendship from director Ryu Murakami. Upon learning that the man who inspired her passion for Latin dance is currently living in New York City, Kyoko (Saki Takaoka) opts to purchase a plane ticket and depart from Japan to visit her old friend. Dismayed to discover upon her arrival that her old friend, Jose (Carlos Osorio), has developed a devastating case of AIDS and cannot even recognize her, sympathetic Kyoko offers to drive her dying friend to his home in Florida. Soon, the unlikely duo is embarking on an unforgettable journey that will define a lifetime for one and forever change the heart of another. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1990
- R
In this actioner, Eddie Baker is brutally murdered by drug dealers. Later expatriate, reformed drug-dealer Superfly is conned into returning to the US from Paris by federal drug agents. He then must let his former cronies know that he wants back into the drug business. Superfly hasn't been a dealer for over twenty-years, and doesn't realize that drug dealing has become a deadly game. His sudden reappearance rouses the suspicion of the two crooked cops controlling the city's drug flow. They are unsure which side of the law he is on and are not anxious to allow him a piece of the action. Fortunately for "Fly" a good buddy fills him in on modern drug trafficking. He decides to go back to Paris, but then the US agents force him to change his plans. Later Superfly is beaten by the drug lord's men and his lady friend is shot. Now nothing will prevent the enraged hero from getting his revenge. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nathan Purdee, Margaret Avery, (more)
