Johnny Moreno

Future Flicks: Pacific Rim by Guillermo Del Toro

July 30, 2012 by Johnny Moreno Leave a Comment

For those that would love to find out more about Pacific Rim, Del Toro won’t tell! He shows us a bit of a trailer clip followed by some Q and A, and he leaves everything else up to our imagination.

Comic-Con was the director’s last and only sneak peek of what is to come for his upcoming film. He’s promising Clash of the Titans-type massive beasts that emerge from the sea against armored humans piloting gigantic robots into an apocalyptic battle for the human race.

The film will be Guillermo Del Toro’s most accomplished Sci-Fi work, with a whole city built to mimic urban Japan and a wardrobe production from human battle armor suits to enormous juggernaut robots to sea beasts over 25 stories high. And just like he has done for his past films, he will integrate only the necessary visual detail to every physical aspect of the film. So every film location will have layers of disaster elements and dust and every giant tank robot will have battle scars from past encounters.

Trending Artist: Gaby Moreno

July 27, 2012 by Johnny Moreno 1 Comment

Gaby Moreno is an eclectic singer and songwriter playing anything from the blues to ragtime jazz songs to Latin pop.

From Guatemala, Gaby is a very versatile and talented Latin alternative-rock artist that has been in the United States for over 10 years. She’s also won the John Lennon songwriting contest, sang the Charlie Chaplin song “Smile” for the Academy Award winning documentary The Cove, and wrote the theme song for the NBC comedy, Parks and Recreation.

Gaby can be compared to having the sweet soulful sounds of Etta James and Édith Piaf, whether she sings in English or in Spanish!

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Music, Videos Tagged With: Gaby Moreno, Guatamala, Jazz, latin, Parks and Recreation, rock, Singer, Songwriter, The Cove

Future Flicks: Gravity by Alfonso Cuarón

June 18, 2012 by Johnny Moreno Leave a Comment

Gravity will be the newest movie from Alfonso Cuarón, the director known to visually create the “rawer than life” moment on the screen, just as he has done for Y Tu Mamá También and Children of Men. This sci-fi film stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney and it seemingly mimics the mesmerizing sound and tone of the film 2001: A Space Odyssey, which created intense emotional scenes with wonderful spatial sound and beautiful imagery.

However, Gravity is a little more unique in that there is a number of long, one-take shots with heavy visual orchestration. The film itself is reported to have 156 shots with a two hour runtime which would come out to an average of 46 seconds per shot. But that’s not entirely the case because the opening sequence is a 17 minute shot alone, followed by many other scenes that are 6 to 10 minutes in length for a single take.

Future Flicks: Zorro Reborn

June 8, 2012 by Johnny Moreno 2 Comments

Gael García Bernal is attached to the new film Zorro Reborn as Zorro!

Since the independent hit film, Y Tu Mama Tambien, he has taken on some of the most fascinating character roles in films like: Walter Salles’s Motorcycle Diaries, Pedro Almodóvar’s Bad Education, and Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Babel. He is considered as one of today’s most well known and talented actors from Mexico… and without a doubt, he can play Zorro!

The history of Zorro on the silver screen dates back to 1920 with the original The Mark of Zorro, played by Douglas Fairbanks. Since then there has been a number of Zorro adventures and remakes, and even a television series done by Disney with Guy Williams as the masked man from 1957 to 1959. And this is just in American films! Zorro has also been featured in Mexican and European films since the 1920s.

Though I have marked Gael García Bernal as part of the cast of Zorro Reborn, things may change due to the nature of Hollywood’s business handling in production timing, finances, the movie’s popularity sway for another masked hero in theaters, or even a change in the actor’s availability for the project.

The Zorro Reborn script is ready and production should begin in 2013 once 20^th Century Fox picks up a director to set things in motion.

Filed Under: Movies Tagged With: Alain Delon, Antonio Banderas, Gael Garcia Bernal, Guy Williams, Mexican, Mexico, Tyrone Powers, Zorro, zorro reborn

Drink: A Refreshing Drink – Beergarita

May 25, 2012 by Johnny Moreno 2 Comments

Okay, I got ahead start on my Memorial Day weekend. Last night I met up with some friends at a Mexican restaurant in Porterville, California, called El Tapatio. I really needed a drink that would beat the heat, so I had what they called a beergarita. Nothing new here but it’s new to me…

Ingredients for the Beergarita/Beer-rita

6.4 oz Coronita or 11 oz Corona bottles if you can’t find the Coronita size.
8 oz Tequila Blanco… or a bit more if you prefer, like myself.
1 can Frozen Limeade Concentrate
8 wedges Lime
1/2 Cup Salt
15 cubes Ice

Let the frozen limeade defrost on kitchen counter for approximately 5 min to soften. Open and pour limeade into 2 qt pitcher. Fill limeade can with 8 oz Tequila and pour into pitcher. Stir Tequila and limeade until thoroughly mixed. Slowly pour 24 oz of beer. Let the foam from the beer subside and add enough ice to fill the pitcher. Slowly mix ingredients and serve over ice.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Drink Tagged With: beer, beergarita, beerita, margarita, refreshing drink, tequila blanco

Indie Filmmaking – Do it Yourself Car Rig Mount

May 23, 2012 by Johnny Moreno Leave a Comment

In my ultimate endeavor to make a film, I found myself problem solving the technical needs for filming car scenes before walking into them; the rig type, the construction, the weight load and solid support are only a few of the things I considered when wanting to get those fantastic car driving shots. So I did my research and came across a couple of car mount systems that I liked, but they were just way out of my price range and involved way too many accessorizing tools, so I decided to build my own bare essentials heavy duty car rig mount that was very versatile!

Drink: A Taste of Tequila

May 18, 2012 by Johnny Moreno Leave a Comment

Now I don’t claim to be a professional tequila drinker, but when it came to sipping tequila out of a snifter at my friend Pedro’s house warming party, I was a bit taken by the smoothness, the sensual sting and the light taste of oak from a brand, that I wasn’t too familiar with, called Galindo Reposado. Not too many people’s taste buds can detect this, but if you can, you’ve just tasted something organically created for drinking, not shooting my friend.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Drink Tagged With: drinker, Galindo, Jalisco, Mexico, Reposado, tequila

Film: Woody Allen’s To Rome with Love

May 17, 2012 by Johnny Moreno

From Barcelona to Paris and now To Rome with Love, Woody Allen has gravitated to a new canvas of success in Europe by making elaborate films where he complicates the lives of his characters through nostalgic temptations in romance, art, and of course, love. As a matter of fact, all his films are about love, indirectly or directly, because it’s the one thing that keeps us wondering, attracts us to a person or a place, and as much as it opens our eyes, it unravels our hearts.

Music: Geek Chic Bands

April 14, 2012 by Johnny Moreno Leave a Comment

I’ve come across a new band I like and they’re from Beijing, China. They emerged from the college scene and are beginning to stand out. I have always been attracted to the sounds and melody of a geek band or singer whether they’re rock or pop because, with their lyrics and unforeseen array of kitsch fashion, they tend to express what I call “the poetry of being unique” and leaving us with a new musical and fashion statement. Here is Mr Graceless followed by a few popular videos of my favorite geek chic bands from the present to the past. Feel free to post me your favorite geek band!

Mr Graceless debut album “The Tree Ever Green” from Beijing, China.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Music, Videos Tagged With: bands, Belanova, Devo, Mr Graceless, The Tree Ever Greeen, Weezer

Exit Through the Gift Shop – Documentary

April 1, 2012 by Johnny Moreno Leave a Comment

I’m sure many of you have heard about the infamous street artist Banksy, but if you haven’t, this is a fantastic documentary that will slowly creep into your psyche and desire to know more about him and the world of Street Artists that challenge us to open our eyes.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Art, Movies Tagged With: Banksy, documentary, film, Shepard Fairey, Street Artists, Thierry Guetta

Mexican Inspired Beachwear Hitting the Runway

March 20, 2012 by Johnny Moreno 1 Comment

With vibrant colors against fabrics of earthy tones, the fashion designer Emanuela Corvo has brought the art of Frida Kahlo’s everyday clothing into this year’s spring fashion. Frida Kahlo, an iconic painter from Mexico in the 20th century, was inspired by the colors and textiles of indigenous Mexican culture with the fusion of European influences for her clothing. Her choice of what she wore and how she wore her dresses reflected the specific folk culture of Mexico in its time, and not to mention, her choice of personal style.