Grinchmas In Universal Studios Hollywood

By José Alberto Hermosillo

A Merry Grinchmas Celebration. Photo Jose Alberto Hermosillo. Copyright © 2014 Festival in LA

Universal Studios Hollywood Celebrates Grinchmas.

A Merry Grinchmas Celebration. Photo Jose Alberto Hermosillo. Copyright © 2014 Festival in LA

A Merry Grinchmas Celebration. Photo Jose Alberto Hermosillo. Copyright © 2014 Festival in LA

 

Welcome to Grinchville at Universal Studios Hollywood. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti inaugurated the Holiday Festivities at the Theme Park.

 

A Merry Grinchmas Celebration. Photo Jose Alberto Hermosillo. Copyright © 2014 Festival in LA

A Merry Grinchmas Celebration. Photo Jose Alberto Hermosillo. Copyright © 2014 Festival in LA

Grinchmas. Photo José Alberto Hermosillo. Copyright © 2014 Festival in LA

 The presence of the Grinch was delightful. His acid and grumpy humor was remarkable.

 

A Merry Grinchmas Celebration. Photo José Alberto Hermosillo. Copyright © 2014 Festival in LA

Mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, spoke about the benefits of the Grinchmas celebration for the city regarding international tourism and local visitors.

Carlos and Alexa PenaVega. Grinchmas. Photo José Alberto Hermosillo. Copyright © 2014 Festival in LA

On that memorable night, we had the presence of the famous actors Carlos PenaVega ("Big Time Rush," "The Penguins of Madagascar") and Alexa PenaVega ("Nashville," "Spy Kids") with The Grinch.

Grinchmas. Photo José Alberto Hermosillo. Copyright © 2014 Festival in LA

Grinchmas. Photo José Alberto Hermosillo. Copyright © 2014 Festival in LA

Grinchmas. Photo José Alberto Hermosillo. Copyright © 2014 Festival in LA

Grinchmas. Photo José Alberto Hermosillo. Copyright © 2014 Festival in LA

Grinchmas. Photo José Alberto Hermosillo. Copyright © 2014 Festival in LA

A Merry Grinchmas Celebration. Photo José Alberto Hermosillo. Copyright © 2014 Festival in LA

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 Copyright ©2014 Festival in LA

Festival in LA - Best Films of 2014

By José Alberto Hermosillo

      1.     Birdman

      2.     Leviathan

      3.     The Tribe

      4.     Haemoo/Sea Fog

      5.     Goodbye Language 3D

      6.     Ida

      7.     Love is Strange

      8.     The Grand Budapest Hotel

      9.     Violette

     10.  Song of the Sea.

    By Country of Origin:

          1.     “Birdman,” USA.

          2.     “Leviathan,” Russia.

          3.     “The Tribe,” Ukraine.

          4.     “Haemoo/Sea Fog,” South Korea.

          5.     “Goodbye Language 3D,” Switzerland, Fra.  

          6.     “Ida,” Poland, Denmark, France, UK.

          7.     “Love is Strange,” USA, France, Bra., Gr.

          8.     “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” USA, Ger., UK.

          9.     “Violette,” France, Belgium.

        10.  “Song of the Sea,” Ireland, Lux., Bel., Fra., Den.

      Copyright © 2014 Festival in LA

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9 FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILMS ADVANCE IN OSCAR® RACE

By Jose Alberto Hermosillo.

9 Foreign Language Films Advance:

Argentina, "Wild Tales," Damián Szifrón, director;

Estonia, "Tangerines," Zaza Urushadze, director;

Georgia, "Corn Island," George Ovashvili, director;

Mauritania, "Timbuktu," Abderrahmane Sissako, director;

Netherlands, "Accused," Paula van der Oest, director;

Poland, "Ida," Paweł Pawlikowski, director;

Russia, "Leviathan," Andrey Zvyagintsev, director;

Sweden, "Force Majeure," Ruben Östlund, director;

Venezuela, "The Liberator," Alberto Arvelo, director.

Estonia, "Tangerines," Zaza Urushadze, director; Photo by Jose Alberto Hermosillo

Foreign Language Film nominations for 2014 are being determined in two phases.

The Phase I committee, consisting of several hundred Los Angeles-based Academy members, screened the original submissions in the category between mid-October and December 15.  The group’s top six choices, augmented by three additional selections voted by the Academy’s Foreign Language Film Award Executive Committee, constitute the shortlist.

The shortlist will be winnowed down to the category’s five nominees by specially invited committees in New York, Los Angeles and, for the first time, London.  They will spend Friday, January 9, through Sunday, January 11, viewing three films each day and then casting their ballots.

The 87th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 15, 2015, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

The Oscars® will be held on Sunday, February 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network.  The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

Still Alice: Raises Awareness for Alzheimer’s

By José Alberto Hermosillo

“Still Alice” is a sublime, elegant, compassionate film about Alzheimer's. Julianne Moore's performance is brilliant and enduring. A major Oscar® contender. 

 

Dr. Alice Howland (Julianne Moore: “Boogie Nights,” “Children of Men,” “Short Cuts”) is a prominent linguistics professor who is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Because she has “A Beautiful Mind,” her sickness advances faster than in others.

 

Her journey runs in three stages: denial, diagnosis, and decline. She will meet doctors, nurses, and caregivers who help her confront her symptoms' challenges and evolution.

Photo by Jose Alberto Hermosillo © 2014  Festival in LA

 

At a Q&A hosted by Variety in Hollywood, someone asked why Doctor Alice Howland does not return to work? Straightforward and a little controversial, the panel responded that many patients with other illnesses. After being diagnosed, she gets fired; in the movie, why she doesn't go back to work is understandable. There is no need to explain because the story focuses on Alice’s behavior, not on her job, like the critically acclaimed film “Philadelphia.” Julianne Moore said, “This is a movie about life, joy, and mortality.”

During treatment, her loving family - a son, two daughters, and her husband – all care for her, but the conflict soon arises as they keep going with their lives, and she feels powerless on her own. Her emotions' intensity evolves as she struggles to connect with her family, the neighborhood, and the world.

The film is carefully depicted from Alice’s perspective while she tries to convince herself and others: “I am not suffering; I am struggling.” The message is to remember Alzheimer’s patients whose awareness and quality of life can be maintained, though it may seem to those around them losing themselves.

Directors and husbands Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland (“Quinceañera,” “The Last of Robin Hood”) researched and prepared meticulously to overcome some filming challenges such as a short shooting schedule, limited budget, and the fiercely cold weather in New York. Despite these challenges, they made an accurate and conscious adaptation of this best-selling novel by Lisa Genova without falling into melodrama.

The drama is kept to a minimum due to Moore's subtle performance and thanks to the perfect evolution of the dialogue. 

Alice’s husband (Alec Baldwin) and daughter (Kristen Stewart) keep their dialogs with her simple. Later, those conversations and actions turned deep, with a great sense of understanding and tolerance. Her daughter becomes her confidant, companion, and a reminder of her past. 

Everybody knows their lives will be different as Alice's disease progresses, but they maintain their love for her and do what they can to make her time easier.

 

“Still Alice” reminds us of how Alzheimer's patients begin forgetting things, themselves, and the people around them, and they are still people who need to be loved, emphasizing the values of compassion and respect.

“Still Alice” offers a humanistic approach to the illness, providing viewers with awareness and tolerance. This motion picture's message taught us to be more patient with the elderly, especially our mothers.

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Copyright © 2014 Festival in LA

“Ice Poison” Is a Dangerous Drug

By José Alberto Hermosillo.

 

“Ice Poison” is an eye-opening, beautifully realistic, and hypnotic love story. The filmmakers tackle many critical global issues, such as migration, poverty, youth, and drug consumption.  

“Ice Poison” is a well-directed personal project by Midi Z (“Return to Burma,” “Poor Folk”). Filmed in an exquisite documentary style, the drama impressively sticks to the spectator’s mind for a while.

“Ice Poison” is Taiwan’s 2015 Best Foreign Language Film Official Entry. The Best Picture Award winner at the Edinburgh Film Festival, Best Director at the Taipei Film Festival, the Official Selection at Tribeca, and part of the Panorama Section at the Berlin International Film Festival. 

 

 

In farmland, people struggle to make ends meet. There are a few options for the young: emigrate to a nearby country or a metropolitan area. Work in a jade mine. Those marginalized communities live in absolute poverty, and it is nearly impossible to borrow money from a family member because they have nothing to give.

An older man decides to sell his cow to buy a scooter and send his son to work in the city as a taxi driver. But everybody in the town lives in severe poverty, and many compete for the same jobs. 

After a while, the young driver picks up a Chinese girl on her way to her grandfather’s funeral – since this is wartime in her home region, her son and her brother couldn’t join her, leaving her alone in sadness and despair.  

 

 

One event harmoniously takes us to the following experience: the film’s seamless editing and impeccable structure. “Ice Poison” both storylines blend in perfectly.

Ice poison is a powerful synthetic stimulant drug that looks like crystal methamphetamine and gives users the courage and strength to do things they are afraid of doing when they are sober.

Suddenly, things like singing karaoke, falling in love, selling drugs, and making money seem easy until they eventually collapse into a delirious state of mind.

 

 

Desperation and impoverishment can push ordinary citizens to do the unthinkable, such as selling and consuming drugs despite the fatal consequences. This film reminds the audience of the dangers of the drug business that prevails in Asia and worldwide. 

“Ice Poison” vividly shows a reality that many people worldwide are experiencing right now. 

 

“Ice Poison” or “Bing Du” is a co-production between Taiwan and Myanmar. Its humanistic approach shows how people cope and survive when few options are left and how society has decomposed itself by using and trafficking drugs. 

Despite the complicated subject matter, “Ice Poison” is a beautiful and truthful film for its well-defined hyper-reality. A must-see movie!

 

TRAILER

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Festival in LA ©2014