Review: El Cantante
By Robert Waddell

In Marc Anthony’s and Jennifer Lopez’s star vehicle “El Cantante,” Marc Anthony sings and looks like legendary salsero Hector Lavoe; Lopez embodies a 1970s sensibility in portraying the singer’s wife. However, as with the 1970s, Marc Anthony, Lopez and director Leon Ichaso have successfully revived the drug crazed morally deficient characters that demoralized Latinos in films like “Fort Apache, the Bronx” and Ichaso’s “Pinero.”

Marc Anthony’s Hector Lavoe is a great artist who falls victim to drugs and temptation right from the start of the film. As with many musicians’ biographies –“Bird,” “Ray” and “I Walk the Line” – a great artist is thrown into a pit of despair and drugs. The more famous he becomes the worse his vice. In “El Cantante,” Lopez’s character Puchi, Lavoe’s wife, said that the bigger Lavoe became an artist, the less human he became.

To many Puerto Ricans, Lavoe has iconic status. Marc Anthony reproduces all of the familiar Lavoe images on screen, but there’s little depth. On the other hand, Lopez has more to grab onto.

Trouble starts in the ominous moment when Lavoe meets Willie Colon who looks like a mafioso in sepia colors. The scene is dark and the ambiance is menacing and heavy handed for the beginning of a creative collaboration that catapulted the Fania All-Stars into international celebrity.

Lopez looks beautiful as always except for the character she plays. She has a lot to sink her teeth into as the worst kind of manipulative, rapacious, money grubbing, enabling delusional villain. Puchi is simply not likable.

The film is told in flashbacks from the perspective of an unreliable narrator. The flashbacks are based on an interview that the real Puchi did. The interviews are recreated in black and white.

Puchi recalls how her first time with Lavoe was so special and nothing was too good for her. But in the next scene, one sees the exterior of a parked car tossed side to side and Puchi cries, “It hurts.” The couple is in the back seat of the car, having sex. While Puchi tells her interviewers that she never did drugs until she met Lavoe, the movie shows she was the person to introduce Lavoe to marijuana.

As with Ichaso’s “Pinero,” “El Cantante” is true to the drugging 1970s Nuyorican salsa groove. Doing drugs looks sexy. But, like a prude, this reviewer wonders why Hollywood will only bankroll films about Puerto Ricans when we’re seen as drug addicts, pimps, whores and criminals? Isn’t this passé already?

Filmmakers need to think in the vein of Gregory Nava’s “Mi Familia/My Family” or Selma Hayek’s’ “Frida.” In reality, no one is 100% good or 100% evil. So, why must Puerto Ricans consciously be demoralized?

Drugs and crime are a part of life, but there are also uplifting and joyful stories, real and fictional human stories of Puerto Rican life. The problem is reality and perception: the reality is that Hector Lavoe did do drugs, but the perception is that Puerto Ricans seem to be always portrayed this way. An example of a positive story is Sonia Gonzalez’s stickball documentary which showed a firefighter who loved the street game and bravely gave his life on September 11. Stories by Nicholasa Mohr, Junot Diaz, Piri Thomas and Ernesto Quinones would also make interesting and bankable films.

One positive note about “El Cantante” is that Marc Anthony and Lopez have each put their best foot forward in recreating a story based on one point of view, but they forgot how important and iconic Lavoe is to the Puerto Rican community, not unlike Julia de Burgos, Pedro Albizu Campos and Roberto Clemente. They’re heroes.

Still, there are private moments in the acting of raw emotion and real acting in this movie. One forgets about the stars and sees real fleshed out characters in these scenes. One forgets that these superstars are married in real life and one sees true dedication to craft, story and music. If only it weren't all so dark and bleak.

The problem for Marc Anthony is that his portrayal is two-dimensional. He looks and sounds like Hector Lavoe, but there’s no depth. If the actor were to go deep, he would have shown a real, flawed human being who was also a great artist. Marc Anthony’s Lavoe takes no responsibility for his addictions or his demons.

Lopez, on the other hand, has so much to sink her teeth into. She gives her Puchi depth and complexity. It must have been fun for Lopez to play the villain and not the soft girls she usually plays. Puchi is a grown-up, a woman. Lopez is beautiful, stylish, sneaky and corrupting, but she takes no responsibility for her actions in enabling Lavoe’s drug addiction. Every man needs to see Lopez’s Puchi to know this is the type of sexy woman your mama warned you about.

I bet the producers of this film are banking on Oscar nods for Lopez, but the Academy Award should go to sound editing and mixing. The sound vibrates the best of "The Voice."

The problem with this film is truth and reality; the truth hurts and the reality is too undiluted. The situation of drugs is common and the stereotypes too familiar. The music here is amazing; it’s the flawed portraits that need re-mixing.

"El Cantante" is in theaters now.

Robert Waddell is a Bronx-based freelance writer who contributes his articles to Puerto Rico Sun.

Community Calendar

"CLASE APARTE BAND"
SOUND OF YESTERDAY / IN STYLE TODAY
AND THE TAINA'S TOUCH ARTS CONNECTION'S
OUTDOOR SHOWCASE EXTRAVAGANZA
@
LA PLACITA DE LA MARQUETA
115th & 116th Streets/Park Avenue
August 25 (SAT.) 12 - 6 p.m.

ART EXHIBIT
ARTISTS: VITA GIORGIO, FERNANDO SALICRUP, ALEXANDER PERCY, BOB DANIELS, TAFA, RICARDO HERNANDEZ

ARTISAN: TAINO JEWELRY AND OTHER EXQUISITE PIECES:
OLGA AYALA

MUSEUM:
THE HISPANIC HERITAGE STICKBALL & BASEBALL MUSEUM HALL OF FAME (IT WILL HAVE MEMORABILIA).

MINI BOOK FAIR
AUTHORS: DR. LOUIS REYES RIVERA, LONNIE HARRINGTON, FABIAN ARENAS, PRISONERA, CARMEN DE LUCCA, ELENA MARRERO, LINDA ADDISON, CEMI UNDERGROUND, BOBBY GONZALEZ AND ELVIRA & HORTENSIA COLORADO

ENTERTAINMENT
3 - 3:30 p.m. "FENIQUE" LONGEVITY RECORDS RECORDING ARTISTS
THERE WILL BE OTHER GUEST PERFORMERS

3:30 - 4:30 p.m. SALSA AND SWING "CASH PRIZES" DANCE CONTESTS:
WINNERS: $ 100 (ADVANCED) $ 75 (INTERMEDIATE) $ 50 (BEGINNERS)

CONTEST JUDGES: JIMMY DELGADO, JAIME "THE MAESTRO" EMERIC, OLGA AYALA, FERNANDO GONZALEZ, OLA WAYMMAN, RUBY REEVES, CLYDE WILDER, WILLIE HALL, RAY MCKETHAN...,

For an application and questions about the August 25, call Taina Traverso at
917-645-8735.

Community Media

Manhattan Neighborhood Network 2008 Community Media Grants are available to 501c3 nonprofits and community organizations based in Manhattan. The grants fund the innovative production and use of community media and television. For more information, http://www.mnn.org/en/com/grants

el yuenke

el yuenke
Originally uploaded by avpjack.

Paisaje con casita

Paisaje con casita
Originally uploaded by Jorge Rodriguez.

Fishing Pier, Sunset, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico

Fishing Pier, Sunset, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
Originally uploaded by Oquendo.

Bomba y Plena

Bomba y Plena
Originally uploaded by Elaine Puerto Rico.

Check out Elaine Puerto Rico's photos on flickr. She has a nice array of photos from Puerto Rico.

Bomba y Plena

Bomba y Plena
Originally uploaded by rude bwoy.

Artist Opportunity

Press release

Heineken Competition Seeks Talented Hispanic Artist to Spotlight and Design Music-inspired Murals Exhibit

Hispanic Artist Community in New York Invited to Submit Artwork for Finalist Exhibit and Ultimate Prize: $20,000 for Creation of Murals in NY, Miami and LA

White Plains, NY – Heineken taps into the wealth of talented Hispanic artists in the New York tri-state area with a local search to identify one skilled artist for its national murals project themed, “Inspirado por la Música Latina.” Part contest and part exhibit, this search consists of a call for entries which will culminate in a private event and exhibition on September 19th at P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center in Long Island City. The winning artist will be announced at this event and awarded $20,000 to design four large-scale murals for Heineken in New York, Miami and Los Angeles which will be unveiled in the fall.

With this effort, Heineken is celebrating the great contribution Hispanic artists have made and will continue to make on the artistic landscape in the U.S. “For years, the Heineken Murals have displayed the works of several talented Hispanic artists in large cities across the country, providing each local community with an extraordinary piece of art that celebrates Latino culture,” said Paul Smailes, Hispanic Brand Manager for Heineken USA. “With the search and exhibit this year, Hispanic artists will again have an opportunity to showcase their talent to the local art community. We are excited to identify one winning New York artist, and provide them an opportunity to exhibit his/her artistic vision among Latino neighborhoods in New York, Miami & Los Angeles in the fall.”

Heineken Murals Finalists Exhibit
Of the total entries received, up to 50 artists will be selected to showcase their work during an exhibit on September 19, 2007. The exhibit will be on display for one evening during a private event at the cultural epicenter, P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, an affiliate of The Museum of Modern Art. The highlight of the exhibit will be the announcement of the winning artist, who will be selected by a panel of judges.

Heineken Murals Project Contest Submission Guidelines
"Inspired by Latin Music” invites artists to express their passion about Hispanic music and cultural traditions; to capture the energetic vibe of the Latin rhythm, remembering the legends of Latin music, and how it has inspired your life. Original artwork may be submitted by anyone 21 years or older, who is of Hispanic descent and a legal resident living in the New York Tri-State area (New York, New Jersey and Connecticut).

Each entry should represent the theme "Inspirado por la Música Latina” and integrate Heineken imagery into the design (Heineken green and red colors, Heineken star, Heineken bottle or logo).

Submissions are limited to one per person. Artwork should be two-dimensional, in color, minimum size 18” X 24” and maximum size 36” x 48”, sent in an envelope inside a double board (one board for front and one for back). Folded paintings will not be accepted.  Entries will be judged by originality, creativity and adherence to the theme. All entries must include artist’s full name, home address, day and telephone number and email address (if applicable).

Entries should be sent to Heineken Murals Project c/o RLPR 27 West 24th Street, Suite 901 New York, New York, 10010.

All entries must be received by Friday, August 31, 2007.

For more information about the contest and Official Rules go to www.heineken.com or send us an email to: heinekenmurals2007@rlpublicrelations.com

About Heineken USA
Heineken USA Inc., the nation's premier beer importer, is a subsidiary of Heineken International BV, which is the world's most international brewer. Brands imported into the U.S. include: Heineken Lager, the world's most international beer brand; Heineken Premium Light; Amstel Light, a leading imported light beer brand; Heineken Dark; and Buckler non-alcoholic brew. Heineken USA is also the exclusive USA importer for the Tecate, Tecate Light, Dos Equis, Sol, Carta Blanca and Bohemia brands from FEMSA Cerveza of Mexico. Please visit EnjoyHeinekenResponsibly.com.

# # #

Community Calendar

Art and Dance Fest in the Streets of NYC's El Barrio

Community Board 11 and State Senator José M. Serrano will host the fourth annual East Harlem Arts Festival on Saturday, August 18, from noon to 5 p.m. at 106th Street from Third to Park avenues.

Free music, dance and theatrical performances will take place on the Third Avenue stage. This year's headliners include Aurora & Zon Del Barrio who will perform at 4 p.m.; The Jazz Museum in Harlem All-Star Quartet, and the Mexican music and dance troupe Semilla.

This year, local designer Nicole Romano will present a special fashion show on the Third Avenue stage. Romano's work has appeared in "Sex in the City" and a variety of fashion magazines. Celebrities, including Alicia Keys and Eva Mendes, have worn her creations.

The Puerto Rican Intercultural Drama Ensemble (PRIDE) will perform excerpts from playwright Eugene Rodriguez's "Our Times," a mix of Nuyorican poetry and salsa.

For more information, contact Chris Bell at (212) 831-8929 or cbell@cb11m.org .