Natalie Martinez Movies
Cuban-American model-turned-actress Natalie Martinez rode the crest of fame in the mid-2000s via the rise of My Network, a sixth national U.S. station dedicated to developing, producing and airing English-language telenovelas, modeled after those in Latin America. Two of the station's programs lifted Martinez into the public spotlight: the 2006 Fashion House and the 2007 Saints and Sinners. In the first, Martinez played Michelle Miller, a housewife who aspired to a career as a fashion designer after discovering her husband's infidelity, and subsequently bore witness to the battle of wills between two rival designers at war with each other -- Maria Gianni (Bo Derek) and Sophia Blakely (Morgan Fairchild). Saints and Sinners constituted an attempt to update William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet to the contemporary setting of Miami Beach, FL. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
The Transporter star Jason Statham takes the wheel in director Paul W.S. Anderson's remake of the Roger Corman classic about a hyper-violent cross-country race that breaks all of the traditional rules of the road. The time is the not-so-distant future, and as America's prisons begin overflowing with violent criminals, the powers that be devise a grisly game that will free up space in the cells and entertain the masses at the same time. Jensen Ames (Statham) is a three-time speedway champion with a dark past. A survival expert and ex-con whose sordid history comes back to haunt him when he is framed for a murder he didn't commit, Ames is forced to choose between donning the metallic mask of a mythical racer known as Frankenstein or languishing away on Terminal Island -- America's most notorious penitentiary. Over the course of the next three days, this unlikely champion will get behind the wheel of a nightmare machine outfitted with machine guns, grenade launchers, and flamethrowers in a desperate attempt to outrun some of the most violent criminals ever imprisoned. Should Ames be the first to cross the checkered flag, he will win his freedom; should he come in second, however, death would be preferable to a grim future in a cramped concrete cell. Co-stars include Joan Allen, Ian McShane, Natalie Martinez, and Tyrese Gibson, who takes over the role of Machine Gun Joe, made famous by Sylvester Stallone in the original. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Statham, Tyrese Gibson, (more)
- 2007
Intended as a five-times-weekly presentation of MyNetwork's "Secret Obsessions" package, the English-language telenova Saints and Sinners was based on the TV Azteca prime-time soaper La Calle de las Novias ("Bride's Avenue"). An updated rehash of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet", the series focused on the bitter rivalry between the Capshaws and the Martins, rival hotel owners in Miami Beach. Widowed Sylvia Capshaw (Mel Harris) was determined to break up the romance between her daughter Julia (Tyler Kain) and young Roman Martin (Scott Bailey), son of unscrupulous hoteliers Diana and August Martin (Maria Conchita Alonso, Charles Shaughnessy). It was not merely hatred of the Martins which motivated Sylvia: Roman had been arrested on the charge of murdering Julia's father. Acquitted of the crime, Roman endeavor to save his family from financial ruin by opening his own nightclub, "The Verona" (!) He also hoped to win back Julia from her current beau Richard Vargas (Chris Engen), the son of shady business mogul Antonio Vargas, who may or may not have actually been the infamous underworld boss known as "The Guerrero." Weaving in and out of the proceedings was the series' "Friar Lawrence" counterpart, a handsome bogus priest named Marcus (Ryan Scott Greene), and New York fashion designer Kelly Mitchell (Robin Givens), who wanted Robin all too herself. This series was originally filmed under the title "A Dangerous Love"; in the early developmental stages, the warring families were named Olivera and Manzini, Kelly Mitchell's name was Kelly Dodd, Maria Conchita Alonso's character had been conceived as the starring role. With the overall ratings for MyNetwork's various "original" telenovas plummeting precipitously, by the time Saints and Sinners debuted on March 14, 2007 the series had been reconfigured as a weekly rather than a nightly offering, with two episodes shown back-to-back each week. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2006
Debuting over MyNetwork TV on September 5, 2006, Fashion House (working title: Secret Obsessions) was one of two nightly hour-long continuing dramas seen over the fledgling network during its first season on the air; both this series and its companion show Desire were inspired by the Spanish-language telenova genre, and both were filmed in San Diego. Fashion House unfolded the tale of two rival fashion designers: Maria Gianni (Bo Derek), beautiful but ruthless owner of Fashion House, and her hated rival, the wealthy Sophia Blakely (Morgan Fairchild), whose mission in life was to put Maria out of business via a hostile takeover. The sinister machinations of these two ladies were seen through the eyes of Michelle Miller (Natalie Martinez), a housewife who aspired to be a top designer, and who began pursuing that goal after discovering that her husband Lance (Mike Begovich) had cheated on her with his vixenish business assistant Gloria (Donna Feldman). For her part, Michelle entered into a torrid affair with Michelle's son Luke (Taylor Kinney), a would-be painter. Weaving and sometimes skulking through the proceedings were sinister dealmaker William Chandler (Joel Berti), who aligned himself with Sophia for the purpose of destroying Maria; and supermodel Nikki Clark (Nicole Pulliam), Michelle's best friend. Telecast on a Monday through Friday basis with a weekend recap, Fashion House was destined for a 13-week, 65-episode run, at which point MyNetwork would replace it with a new nightly soaper, Watch Over Me. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bo Derek, Morgan Fairchild, (more)
