Entertainment

You Have To Check Out These Spanish-Language Movies On Netflix

By February 15, 2019 at 11:55 am

There is no question about it: streaming, like Netflix, has revolutionized the entertainment industry. All of a sudden, we have hundreds of movies within reach. Navigating the Netflix catalog can sometimes be overwhelming and frustrating, especially if you are looking for very specific content.

Want to watch something in Spanish? No hay bronca, te ayudamos. Here’s a list of 21 films that are totally worth watching and that span horror, action, romance, drama, and every single genre imaginable. Going through this list is a good chance to get acquainted both with the cinema of Latin America and Spain, and the movies that are being produced by Netflix itself. So dig in.

These titles are available on Netflix in the United States as of February 2019.

“Pickpockets” (Carteristas)

Country: Colombia

Director: Peter Webber

Year released: 2018

Credit: Pickpockets / Netflix

A sort of modern-day Oliver Twist-like tale. This film set in Bogota tells the story of two teens who wish to become successful pickpockets. Of course, we can see how trickery and deception can lead to tragedy.

“Perdida”

Country: Argentina

Director: Alejandro Montiel

Year released: 2018

Credit: Perdida / Netflix

Give us a strong female lead anytime. The story of an Argentinian cop who tries to solve the mystery of her best friend’s murder is pure horror. The snowy background of Patagonia gives the film an uncanny feeling that is hard to shake off.

“A Twelve-Year Night” (La noche de 12 años)

Country: Uruguay

Director: Alvaro Brechner

Year released: 2018

Credit: A Twelve-Year Night / Netflix

A claustrophobic but ultimately inspiring biopic about Pepe Mujica, a political activist who was imprisoned for more than a decade during the military dictatorship, but who would eventually become president. Our own Latino Nelson Mandela.

Remastered “Massacre at the Stadium” (Masacre en el estadio)

Country: Chile

Director: Bent-Jorgen Perlmutt

Year released: 2019

Credit: Massacre at the Stadium / Netflix

Victor Jara was one of the most beloved singer-songwriters in Latin America, as well as a fierce leftist. He died or perhaps was killed on the eve of the Pinochet years in Chile. This documentary delves into his disappearance.

“How to Get Over a Breakup” (Soltera Codiciada)

Country: Peru

Directors: Bruno Ascenzo, Joanna Lombardi

Year released: 2018

Credit: How to Get Over a Breakup / Netflix

Peruvian cinema is quite scarce. Few films get funded and when they do they are generally brainy arthouse movies. This is why Netflix is changing the rules of the game, producing genre pieces like this funny, if average, romantic comedy. A copywriter in Lima searches for answers in a blog written for single women and becomes an online celeb.

“Residente”

Country: United States

Director: Residente

Year released: 2017

Credit:  Residente / Paraiso Pictures

The front singer of the iconic Puerto Rican duo Calle 13 takes a DNA test and then embarks on a worldwide trip in search of his roots. A poignant and hopeful film about what makes us alike, rather than what makes us different.

“Even the Rain” (También la lluvia)

Country: Spain / Bolivia

Director: Icíar Bollaín

Year released: 2010

Credit: Even the Rain / Alebrije Cine y Video

This film is an intense look at the past and present processes of colonization. A film crew is shooting a movie about the arrival of Christopher Columbus to the Americas. They are shooting it in Bolivia, where corporations are trying to steal people’s access to water. Past and present oppression collide in this Oscar-nominated film.

“Ayotzinapa, el paso de la tortuga”

Country: Mexico

Director: Enrique Garcia Meza

Year released: 2018

Credit: Ayotzinapa, el paso de la tortuga / Salamandra Producciones

Produced by Guillermo Del Toro, this documentary tells the story of the disappearance of the 43 students in Guerrero, Mexico. Was it the army, was it the cartels? No one seems to know a definite answer.

“Verónica”

Country: Spain

Director: Paco Plaza

Year relased: 2017

Credit: Verónica / Netflix

This Spanish horror film is truly shocking and this comes as no surprise as the director is a longstanding figure in the genre. Ay, nanita!

“The Skin of the Wolf” (Bajo la piel del lobo)

Country: Spain

Director: Samu Fuentes

Year released: 2017

Credit: The Skin of the Wolf / Netflix

The plot line is as problematic as it sounds: a lonesome hunter buys a wife so he can feel less alone. Damn, some pretty wrong stuff here. The movie, however, is an interesting study on human relations and the eternal struggle of man vs. nature.

“The Perfect Dictatorship” (La dictadura perfecta)

Country: Mexico

Director: Luis Estrada

Year released: 2014

Credit: The Perfect Dictatorship / Bandidos Films

Luis Estrada has built a career of offering us comedies that seem like reality. Here, he spares no bullets in denouncing corruption in the Mexican government.

“The Desert Bride” (La novia del desierto)

Country: Argentina

Directors: Cecilia Atán, Valeria Pivato

Year released: 2017

Credit: The Desert Bride / Ceibita Films

The story of a woman in her mid-50s who was a domestic worker in Buenos Aires and basically had no life of her own beyond servicing her employers. What does life have in store for her in her hometown in the country?

“Pizza, Beer, and Cigarettes” (Pizza, Birra, Faso)

Country: Argentina

Director: Bruno Stagnaro

Year released: 1998

Credit: Pizza, Beer, and Cigarettes / Instituto Nacional de Cine y Arte Audiovisuales

A heist movie, a genre that was pretty much in fashion during the late 1990s after the release of indie films in the U.S. like Reservoir Dogs. This crime drama set in Buenos Aires tests the limits of friendship and loyalty.

“México Bárbaro”

Country: Mexico

Directors: Isaac Ezban, Laurette Flores Bornn, Jorge Michel Grau, Ulises Guzman, Edgar Nito, Lex Ortega, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Aaron Soto

Year released: 2014

Credit: México Bárbaro / LuchaGore Production.

Eight tales of horror and the supernatural that take place in Mexico. The directors are skillful in providing chills while dealing with the violence that is affecting the country.

“Patria”

Country: Mexico

Director: Matías Gueilburt

Year released: 2019

Credit: Patria / Netflix

Writer Paco Ignacio Taibo II explores a key moment in Mexico’s political history: the mid to late nineteenth century. Yes, sounds like a snoozefest, but it isn’t: the commentary is lively and it makes history quite entertaining, just like the best documentaries.

“Pan’s Labyrinth” (El laberinto del fauno)

Country: Mexico / Spain

Director: Guillermo Del Toro

Year released: 2006

Credit: Pan’s Labyrinth / Wild Bunch, Tequila Gang

Perhaps Guillermo Del Toro’s best movie. Set in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, the story mixes the horrors of war with the soothing fantasy world imagined by a girl.

“Time Share” (Tiempo compartido)

Country: Mexico

Director: Sebastian Hofmann

Year released: 2018

Credit: Time Share / Netflix

One of Netflix’s best Spanish-language originals. The film follows a father who brings his family to a resort where things are much more macabre than they seem. An allegory of the problems of corporate culture, which can be so similar to religious cults.

“Black Snow” (Nieve negra)

Country: Argentina

Director: Martin Hodara

Year released: 2017

Credit: Black Snow / Pampa Films

A family thriller set in the magnificent landscape of the Argentinian Patagonia, with one of the world’s best actors, Ricardo Darin, at the helm. What could go wrong?

“Y tu mamá también”

Country: Mexico

Director: Alfonso Cuarón

Year released: 2001

Credit: Y tu mamá también / Twentieth Century Fox

Diego, Gael, Maribel. The three amazing actors and gorgeous humans embark on a road trip that will make them explore their emotional and sexual limits. A true classic of New Mexican Cinema.

“City of God” (Cidade de Deus)

Country: Brazil

Director: Fernando Meirelles

Year released: 2002

Credit: City of God / O2 Filmes

One of the best movies ever made, according to numerous film critics. This epic portrayal of the Rio favelas has been compared to Scorsese’s best crime grand narratives. Truly exceptional.

“Roma”

Country: Mexico

Director: Alfonso Cuarón

Year released: 2018

Credit: Roma / Netflix

What else can we say about this instant classic? Ten Oscar nominations are just fair for this film of motherly love, historical magnitude, and tender artistry.


READ: 21 Reasons Why You Simply Must Watch Alfonso Cuaron’s Oscar-Nominated ‘Roma’

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Gabriel Fernandez’s Mother, Pearl Fernandez, Is Trying to Have Her Murder Conviction Thrown Out

Things That Matter

Gabriel Fernandez’s Mother, Pearl Fernandez, Is Trying to Have Her Murder Conviction Thrown Out

By April 9, 2021 at 9:47 pm
BY  | April 9, 2021 AT 9:47 pm
Photos: State of California, Gabriel’s Justice/Facebook

Gabriel Fernandez’s mother, Pearl Fernandez, is trying to have her murder conviction thrown out. The 37-year-old woman has been in jail since 2018 for the murder and torture of her eight-year old son.

Pearl Fernandez is petitioning the court for resentencing, hoping to have her first-degree murder and/or second-degree murder charges thrown out.

Fernandez is hoping to have her sentence vacated based off of new changes to the California state penal code. “I think that she feels that somehow maybe, you know, the special circumstance will be dismissed or maybe she’ll have a chance that the D.A. will agree with the petition,” Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Hatami said to CBSLA.

In June 2018, a judge sentenced Pearl Fernandez to life without parole. The judge charged Pearl Fernandez with the 2013 torture and killing of her eight-year-old son, Gabriel Fernandez.

On May 22, 2013, Gabriel Fernandez died after suffering a fatal beating from his mother. Pearl Fernandez was allegedly angry that he didn’t clean up his toys.

The details of Pearl and her boyfriend’s lengthy torture campaign against Gabriel Fernandez are both gruesome and numerous. Over the course of his eight-month stay with Isauro Aguirre, the couple broke his bones, burned him with cigarettes, pepper-sprayed him, and forced him to eat his own vomit as well as animal feces. And that is just a short-list of what they did.

The case came to national attention after the release of the 2020 Netflix documentary, “The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez“. The documentary shone a spotlight on the insidious nature of child abuse. It also highlighted the systematic failures of the social services system that fails to protect children.

Elected officials have expressed their disgust at Pearl Fernandez for trying to escape justice by taking advantage of updated laws.

“The policies and directives from my office and these new laws created by the Legislature are emboldening murderers of children to apply to be re-sentenced,” said Deputy DA Hatami to City News Service. “This is completely unfair to the surviving families and their loved ones.”

He continued: “Families now have to relive all the horror that was perpetrated upon a small and helpless child. Based upon all the evidence presented at the grand jury, which was made public, and the jury trial, Pearl Fernandez was a major participant in the torture and murder of little Gabriel.”

It seems obvious by the fact that Pearl Fernandez is trying to get out of jail after torturing her son to death, that she isn’t remorseful about her actions.

Any other mother who killed her son would probably want to spend the rest of her life in jail instead of trying to find a way to get out of it.

If you believe someone you know is experiencing–or committing–child abuse, there are resources to help. Call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. Staying vigilant could help save a child like Gabriel Fernandez.

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child abuseGabriel FernandezNetflix

Here Are 9 Salsas From Across Latin America That You’ll Carry In Your Bag Every Day Of The Week

Culture

Here Are 9 Salsas From Across Latin America That You’ll Carry In Your Bag Every Day Of The Week

By April 7, 2021 at 12:53 pm
BY  | April 7, 2021 AT 12:53 pm

I guarantee that since Beyonce’s hit anthem ‘Formation’ hit the airwaves, we’ve all been wanting to channel our inner Bey and carry some hot sauce in our bags. But which one would you choose?  

Whether you prefer sweet and sour, ranch, spicy, or mild, when it comes to options, the possibilities are endless!

A sauce’s beauty is that every country has its famous creation that usually accompanies their traditional dishes. Every Latin American country has its mouth-watering sauce that was created using recipes passed down from ancestors.

AJILIMOJILI

In Puerto Rico, this sauce is quite popular because of its ají dulce flavor – a mix of sweet and sour notes. The green salsa is the Caribbean’s version of hot sauce and is added to recipes, such as seafood and boiled vegetables.

VALENTINA

Few of us don’t know about the magic that is Valentina. Pour that sauce all over your papas, pizza, jicama, elotes, and so much more. And it’s great because it’s available in a variety of heat levels so everyone can enjoy. 

TIÁ LUPITA HABANERO SAUCE

This Habanero Hot Sauce is an original family recipe of the brand and combines just the right amount of heat with each fruit’s natural sweetness. It is handmade in small batches, using only habanero peppers, dates, mangos, and spices. All ingredients are sourced from local farms and are non-GMO and gluten-free certified.

The sauce can be used as a condiment with breakfast burritos, eggs, sandwiches, tacos, pulled pork, steak, chicken, fish, quesadillas, and more.

CHIMICHURRI

Chimichurri is mostly tied to Argentina, even though other countries also serve the herb-based salsa. To achieve the perfect chimichurri, mix parsley, oregano, garlic, onion, pepper, vinegar, and olive oil. Pair with meat cuts like churrasco and watch the magic happen.

CHIRMOL

In Central America, chismol or chirmol is made of tomatoes, onion, peppers and other ingredients. It’s similar to pico de gallo and is used in a variety of dishes.

RICANTE

Sauce, dressing, dip, marinade… Ricante does it all and with no sugar or salt added and with just the right amount of approachable spice. Ricante is not only Non-GMO, Gluten-Free, and Keto Friendly, but tiá approved!

Ricante launched with five incredibly unique hot sauces, marrying non-traditional essences like apples, mangos, carrots, and habaneros.

SALSA ROSA

Pastas are enjoyed all across Latin America, especially in Argentina and Uruguay, which pair the dishes with salsa rosa, a tomato-based sauce mixed with heavy cream. Together, they create a pink paste that blankets a variety of pasta dishes.

TACTICAL TACOS

Wait, so not all taco bases are citrus?! Tactical Tacos knows how to do taco sauce right with their notes of orange, lime, and cilantro to start your bite out just right, followed up with a perfect hint of Jalapeno and Cayenne pepper in the background. That’s just their mild sauce, Snafu. The Fire Fight and Ghost Protocol give you a similar ride with the citrus kick but with a much bigger spice hit for those that are brave enough to try it out!

MOLE

Mole is a spicy-and-sweet sauce made from chocolate that translates. The dark brown sauce gets its heat from chiles, but also has a touch of sweetness from the cacao, almonds, and peanuts often added. The sauce is topped with sesame seeds.

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Hot SauceLatin AmericaMexican foodSalsa