Television

                                   MOVIE TITLE
 
2001 
 
Beyond the fact that it was seen on PBS, the dramatic series American Family bore no relation to the classic docudrama series of the 1970s. Created by filmmaker Gregory Nava, the series focused on a "typical" Latino family in East L.A., and as such was the only program on "regular" TV to feature an almost exclusively Latino cast. Edward James Olmos starred as patriarch Jess Gonzalez, a Korean war veteran, barber, and staunch conservative. Jess often found himself at ideological war with his daughter Nina (Constance Marie), a feminist attorney who'd returned to the family home in the wake of a personal tragedy. Also on hand was Jess' semi-estranged wife Berta (Sonia Braga); his older son Esteban (Esai Morales), a recent prison parolee who struggled to maintain custody of his own son Pablito (Austin Noah Marques); younger offspring Cisco, who incessantly videotaped his family and posted his handiwork on his own website; and the family's zany Aunt Dora (Raquel Welch), who, perhaps inevitably, lived next door. According to Gregory Nava, the series' dramatic thrust was that the Gonzalezes were "trying to deal with their identity -- who they are, where they came from, and where they are now." American Family began its 12-episode run on January 23, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Edward James OlmosRaquel Welch, (more)
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2001 
 
Fidel Castro is one of the world's best known and most recognizable political leaders, but he is also among the most mysterious. While Castro became a household name after overthrowing the rule of Fulgenico Batista and became the head of Cuba's new socialist government, little is known of his private life or the man behind the façade of his shaggy beard and omnipresent cigar. Fidel is a documentary by filmmaker Estela Bravo, who combines vintage newsreel footage with exclusive recent interviews which offer an insight into both Castro the leader, struggling to face the political and economic realities of the post-Soviet global environment, and Castro the man, as he tours his childhood home, goes swimming, and visits with his friends. Fidel also includes interviews with people who know or have met Castro, including Nelson Mandela, Muhammed Ali, Harry Belafonte, Alice Walker, Ted Turner, and Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Vlasta Vrana
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$20.99
2003 
 
Take a trip to an educational fantasy land where youngsters sing along with stuffed animals while learning the alphabet and playing exciting games in this release of the popular, Spanish-language children's series. Donalù is an eight-year old girl who possesses a magical cube with amazing powers. When Donalù ventures into the cube, the colorful adventures that follow will have children captivated with wonder and getting an head start in their education. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

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2002 
 
Actress Salma Hayek makes her directorial debut with this heartwarming drama based on the novel by Theodore Taylor. José (Eddy Martin) is a young boy from Mexico who sneaks into the United States in search of his father, a migrant worker. On the run with an injured arm and looking for a place to rest, José sneaks into a church in San Ramos, CA, and hides in a scaffolding above the pulpit. Blood from José's arm drips onto a statue of Christ, and the next morning when Josephina (Soledad St. Hilaire), a devoted member of the congregation, arrives for her daily prayers, she's convinced that the plaster figure is weeping tears of blood. Father Russell (Peter Fonda), the parish priest, isn't sure if this is a genuine miracle or not, though given the town's financial woes and his own waning faith, the timing would be good for one. As Father Russell tries to determine just what has happened, Josephina begins spreading word of the miracle, as and the story spreads, it becomes increasingly embellished. Soon curious believers and intrigued skeptics flood San Ramos, boosting the town's sagging economy, with Maisie (Mare Winningham), proprietor of the local cafe, one of the prime beneficiaries. Maisie, however, has also discovered and taken in José, and when she and her friend Cruz (Ruben Blades) learn the truth about the weeping statue, they're unsure if they should tell the townspeople just what has happened. The Maldonado Miracle was produced for cable television broadcast in a partnership between Hallmark Productions and the Showtime premium cable network. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Peter FondaMare Winningham, (more)
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2003 
Widely touted as NBC's answer to The Sopranos, the six-episode series Kingpin also drew heavily from the British mini-series Traffik. The nominal protagonist in this seamy, violent tale of a Mexican drug-trading family was Yancey Arias as Miguel Cadena, the Stanford-educated heir apparent to the Cardena criminal dynasty. Together with his icy, coke-addicted wife, Marlene (Sheryl Lee), Miguel coolly guided the destinies of his worldwide family business, eliminating enemies, friends, and loved ones alike to maintain his empire. Others in the cast included Bobby Cannavale as Miguel's vicious "enforcer" brother, Chato; Ruben Carbajal as Miguel and Marlene's disillusioned eight-year-old son, Joey; Angela Alvarado Rosa as relentless DEA agent Delia Flores; Brian Benben as the Cardenas' personal plastic surgeon, Dr. Heywood Klein; and Shay Roundtree as Texas-born torpedo Junie Gatling, who acted as a sounding board for the other characters. Among the creative contributors to the series was Allen Coulter, who direct several episodes of The Sopranos. Originally slated for a March 2003 debut, Kingpin was moved up to February 2, 2003 to take advantage of a traditional network "sweeps week." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Yancey AriasSheryl Lee, (more)
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$9.99
2001 
 
The south-of-the-border equivalent of Saturday Night Live, Mexico's La Hora Pico offers sketch comedy served up with a dash of celebrity and a heaping helping of irreverence. Now stateside audiences can witness all the hilarity firsthand as La Hora Pico makes its way to the U.S. for the first time. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

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A six-year old orphan seeks solace from her evil uncle and the cold reality of her depressing boarding school through the power of imagination in this release of the popular Hispanic children's television series. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

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2001 
 
One of Brazil's leading singer/songwriters, Caetano Veloso, pays homage to the traditions of Latin American music in this concert video. Caetano Veloso: Un Caballero de Fina Estampa features Veloso and an acoustic ensemble performing a set of classic Brazilian songs during a 1995 show in Rio de Janeiro. Selections include "O Samba e o Tango," "Cucurrucucú Paloma," "Fina Estampa," "Soy Loco Por Ti, América," "Rumba Azul," and many more. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

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2003 
 
Antonio Banderas plays the title role in this cable-TV reenactment of a little-known chapter in the life of Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa. The year is 1914: With Villa's war of rebellion against the Huerta forces going badly, he hits upon a brilliant method to finance his crusade. Actually, the idea is brought to him: American filmmakers D.W. Griffith (Colm Feore) and Harry Aiken (Jim Broadbent), then busy at work on The Birth of a Nation, approach Villa with a request that he sell them the movie rights to his revolution. Acting as Griffith and Aiken's representative, junior executive Frank Thayer (Eion Bailey) tags along with Villa as the rebel leader willingly "directs" the film of his campaign, even going so far as to delay mass executions until early morning so that the cameramen won't "lose the sun." Ultimately, Villa's dreams of cinematic glory are dashed when the American public, goaded on by certain special interest groups, turns against Pancho and his noble cause. By turns comic, tragic, gruesome, and ironic, And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself was first telecast by HBO on September 7, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Antonio BanderasEion Bailey, (more)
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2004 
 
Lo Mejor de Derbez en Cuando, Vol. 1 features a number of skits from the comedy show made famous by the versatile comic performer Eugenio Derbez. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

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2004 
 
Bienvenidos is a popular sketch comedy show in Spanish-speaking countries, and has been a ratings winner for American Spanish-language cable and satellite stations. Bienvenidos en el Restaurant contains a sampling of sketches from the show, all of which transpire in public eateries. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

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2004 
 
Bienvenidos is a popular sketch comedy show in Spanish-speaking countries, and has been a ratings winner for American Spanish-language cable and satellite stations. Bienvenidos en la Oficina contains a sampling of episodes from the show that deal primarily with everyday situations familiar to anyone who works in a typical business office environment. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

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2000 
 
One man's success brings out the evil instincts in his enemy in this drama from Mexico. Don Pancho Murguia is an honest man who has built a successful business making tequila, which is regarded as the best Mexico has to offer. But he has a bitter rival in Mateo San Juan, whose corruption matches Don Pancho's skills. Determined to overtake Don Pancho in the marketplace, Mateo and his men set out to steal the elusive formula to his tequila, and when this proves difficult, Mateo declares that human lives are not too high a price to get what he wants. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Mario AlmadaMarisol Santacruz, (more)
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$3.99
2003 
 
The wildly successful Mexican telenovela Amor Real charts the lifelong, on-again, off-again romance between pampered aristocrat Matilde (Adela Noriega) and the man who was kept from her by her parents, the dashing peasant Adolfo (Mauricio Islas). Set against the backdrop of 19th century Mexico, the series followed the forbidden lovers through war, poverty, pregnancy, and other tumultuous plot twists over the course of its two-year run. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Adela NoriegaMauricio Islas, (more)
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$9.99
 
 
Known to his fans as "El Polivoz," Enrique Cuenca was one of Mexico's most beloved funnymen, best remembered for such hilarious characters as the threadbare Frenchman Monsieur, short-tempered opera singer Fasolasi, and Alpaca Echo, a man with a bad habit of saying things over and over again. Lo Mejor Del Show De Enrique el Polivoz Cuenca is a collection of classic sketches from his long-running television series, capturing this comic at his very best. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

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2000 
 
The drama Mi Destino Eres Tu tells the story of Andrea, a widow who avoids the pain of loss by throwing herself into her professional life as a lawyer. She soon makes the acquaintance of two very different men who each bring her out of her shell and end up competing for her heart. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

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