NOC Review: ‘Encanto’ is Mostly Enchanting

November 17, 2021January 12, 2022 Mike Manalo

First of all, score one for Walt Disney Animation for putting out two releases in one year that celebrate different stories from different cultures! With the terrific Raya and the Last Dragon earlier this year, and now the charming Encanto, it’s refreshing to see that the House of Mouse has been more proactive in telling stories that aren’t just rooted in Western European fairy tales. I think Moana really opened the door for this, and as far as our site is concerned, we couldn’t be happier.

Animation, Movies

‘Encanto’ Directors and Writers Find Magical Realism in Colombian Culture

November 5, 2021November 8, 2021 Michael Lee

Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Encanto is an animated musical that celebrates Lantine and Latinx culture, specifically everything Colombia offers. The film follows Mirabel Madrigal (Stephanie Beatriz), the only child not blessed with a magical gift. As she struggles to find her place within her multigenerational enchanted family, she finds out that the magic that has helped them and the town is in danger of disappearing. So she sets off on an adventure to prevent that from happening.

Animation, Movies, Music

Lin-Manuel Miranda on the Challenges of Songwriting in ‘Encanto’

November 5, 2021November 5, 2021 Michael Lee

Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Encanto tells a story about family and individuality through the Latin American lens, specifically a Colombian one. The film follows the Madrigal family, where every child was blessed with a magical power that they are to use to help the family and better the community. Well, every child except Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz), who has to face the frustration of being the only one without a blessing.

Reviews, Streaming1 Comment

Padma Lakshmi’s ‘Taste the Nation: Holiday Edition’ is Wonderful and Moving

November 4, 2021November 3, 2021 Swara Salih

We obviously look forward to the holidays for the food. Whether it’s for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Passover, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Diwali, Día De Los Muertos, Seollal (Korean New Year), Nowruz (Persian New Year), or some other holiday, we always enjoy diving into a scrumptious feast with our loved ones to commemorate these occasions. But how exactly did some of these food traditions develop here in the United States, and what were the specific contributions of Immigrant and Indigenous communities?

Marvel, Movies

Enter the ‘Eternals’ Press Conference

November 1, 2021November 1, 2021 Mike Manalo

The Eternals are here! This coming Friday, sees the release of Marvel Studios’ Eternals! And while the film has been drawing mixed reviews so far, I’m happy to report I personally enjoyed and admired it. It is a gutsy, daring movie anchored by bold direction from Chloé Zhao and beautiful, rich themes.

Art, Crowdfunding, Interview

Kickstart This: Robert Liu-Trujillo Discusses His New Art Book

October 31, 2021November 2, 2021 Swara Salih

Robert Liu-Trujillo is an artist looking to craft change.

He knows how powerful art can be to inspire and make social change, especially for younger consumers of his and others’ work. With a new Kickstarter project out now, we sat down with Robert to talk about his art, how social justice informs his work, navigating the picture book industry, and so much more.

Horror, Movies, Streaming

‘Madres’ Star Ariana Guerra on How Film Can Tell Stories to Inspire Change

October 20, 2021October 20, 2021 Bray Lawrence

Madres is a bit of an enigma as a film. Billed as a horror movie about a Mexican American couple in 1970 who move to California for better opportunities as the due date for their first born approaches, the film takes inspiration from a very real historical tragedy. In the years post WWII, California farm workers were subjected to hazardous working conditions which poisoned them with the deadly pesticides that were being sprayed over the crops. Madres aims to bring awareness to a forgotten disaster and Ariana Guerra wanted to make sure she was apart of this important story when she accepted the role of the film’s protagonist, Diana.

Horror, Interview, Streaming

Gigi Saul Guerrero on Campy Horror and Respecting Your Elders in ‘Bingo Hell’

October 15, 2021October 15, 2021 Bray Lawrence

In Bingo Hell, co-writer and director Gigi Saul Guerrero creates a world of horror that harkens to the campiness of early ’80s schlock with a tale that feels as old as time itself. But it’s also a labor of love and reverence for the people in our lives that came before but are often never the protagonist of our stories — our elders.

Animation, Movies

How the Magical Casita in ‘Encanto’ is a New Kind of Disney Castle

September 30, 2021September 29, 2021 Michael Lee

Encanto follows three generations of family, of which everyone but Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz) has magical powers. Despite being ordinary and spending her entire life trying to measure up to the rest of the Madrigals, Mirabel discovers that the magic that defines her family’s legacy is in danger and that she may be the only one who can save it and them.

Animation, Interview, Movies

‘Encanto’ Directors Talk Representation and Working with Lin-Manuel Miranda

September 29, 2021November 5, 2021 Michael Lee

Walt Disney Animation Studios gave a group of selected journalists their first look at their upcoming musical, Encanto. The film centers on the Madrigals, a magical family who live in an enchanted casita in the mountains of Colombia. At the age of five, the home gifts a Madrigal child a unique magical power, who then uses it to help the family and neighboring town. Everyone except, Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz). However, she when she discovers that the magic is in danger, she sets off on a journey to save it from being extinguished.

Animation, Interview, Movies

How Colombian Culture, Music, and Dance Tell a Magical Story in ‘Encanto’

September 29, 2021September 29, 2021 Michael Lee

Making an animated film at Walt Disney Animation Studios is a tremendous undertaking. It takes years of development, not to mention countless rewrites to perfect the script, numerous in-house screenings, and so much more. Encanto, Disney’s 60th animated feature, brings music and dance together to tell the story of Mirabel Madrigal (Stephanie Beatriz), a Colombian teenager facing the fact that she is the only one who doesn’t have any magical abilities in her family. But when she discovers that magic is in danger, she sets off on a journey to save it.

Interview, Movies, Music

NOC Interview: Matt Dillon on His Documentary Film, ‘El Gran Fellove’

September 22, 2021September 23, 2021 Sophia Soto

Matt Dillon’s film career has spanned over three decades. The actor has starred in over 50 films such as The Outsiders, Drugstore Cowboy, There’s Something about Mary, Crash, and The House that Jack Built. In 2003, he co-wrote and made his directorial film debut with City of Ghosts. Dillon’s new documentary El Gran Fellove recently had its North American Premiere Screening at the Telluride Film Festival.

Art, Comics

‘La Borinqueña’ Returns with Issue #3 and New Heroes

August 10, 2021February 28, 2023 Jamal Michel

Eisner Award-winning graphic novelist and philanthropist Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez has released La Borinqueña #3, the long-awaited third issue in the creator-owned independently published graphic novel series. La Borinqueña #3 completes the first major story arc for Miranda-Rodriguez’s series with a new story with plot twists, revelations, and the introduction of the new superhero team The Nitainos.

Interview, Movies

Veronica Falcón on Playing Trader Sam in ‘Jungle Cruise’

August 7, 2021August 8, 2021 Sabina Graves

The surprising reveal of a Disney Parks icon in the Jungle Cruise film paves a lot of potential for fan-favorite character Trader Sam. Mexican actress Veronica Falcón (Queen of the South, Ozark) plays the re-imagined character known for their history on the attraction and popular themed bars on both coasts. However, in Jungle Cruise, she is introduced as a long-time friend of Dwyane Johnson’s Frank, whose relationship with Sam and her people goes way back.

DC Comics, Movies

Just Breathe: Leslie Grace is the New Batgirl

July 21, 2021July 21, 2021 Keith Chow

Warner Bros. and DC Films have found the lead for their upcoming Batgirl film. After a series of names were leaked the other day, the studio just announced that one of the breakout stars from In the Heights, Leslie Grace, will be moving from Washington Heights to Burnside to take on the role of Barbara Gordon.

Reviews, Streaming

‘Frankie Quinones: Superhomies’ is a Must-Watch Comedy Special Experiment

July 16, 2021July 20, 2021 Bray Lawrence

Internet sensation Frankie Quinones arrives in a low rider with two of his most well known characters Creeper and Juanita in his first sketch and stand up comedy special on HBO in Entre Nos Presents: Frankie Quinones: Superhomies. Frankie takes us through musings and anecdotes of his life, his family, and the community he grew up in with a lovely celebration of how far he has come; however, he has a hard time withstanding the weight of sharing the stage with three strong personas.

Cognitive Dissonance, Movies4 Comments

The ‘Heights’ of Anxiety and the Color Line: Racial Ambiguity in a Culture of Absolutes

July 9, 2021 Lara Stapleton

I once heard the great political philosopher and activist Angela Davis argue that Americans are so obsessed with race as an identifying feature that when we meet racially ambiguous people, we are anxious until we know on which side of the color line they fall. Upon hearing this, I was relieved by the articulation of something I had suspected was at the heart of my experience. It was like experiencing great art, that rush of adrenaline that comes with recognizing what we’ve known all along presented as fantastically new.

Animation, Movies

Get Excited for Walt Disney Animation Studios’ New Original Film ‘Encanto’

July 8, 2021July 8, 2021 Sophia Soto

Walt Disney Animation Studios has just released the teaser trailer, new posters, and cast for Encanto. The film will open in theaters on November 24 and tell “the tale of an extraordinary family, the Madrigals, who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia in a magical house, in a vibrant town, in a wondrous, charmed place called an Encanto.”

Comics, Marvel

Marvel Celebrates Miles Morales’ 10th Anniversary with Variant Covers

June 23, 2021June 23, 2021 Adonis Gonzalez

Like most folk, I’m not too keen on reminders of my ever-increasing age. But this one, well, it’s not too bad of a milestone reminder.

Miles Morales, Marvel’s best Spider-Man, debuted nearly 10 years ago! You read that right, it’s been almost a decade since Miles inherited the Spidey title from Peter Parker and immediately one upped the kid from Queens.

Movies, Streaming

‘Growing Fangs’ Director Anne Marie Pace on Finding Your Place in the World

June 17, 2021June 18, 2021 Laura Sirikul

Growing up Mexican American and bisexual in a family of anthropologists, Pace wanted to showcase what it meant to be an outsider and finding your place. She also is a huge fan of the supernatural. So, why not put the two and two together? That’s exactly what she did.

Interview, Streaming

Frankie Rodriguez Represents on ‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series’

June 13, 2021June 14, 2021 Adonis Gonzalez

If you have Disney+, you might have heard of a little show called High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. That tongue twisting title, which will be abbreviated to HSMTMTS from now on, headlines the story of the next generation of Disney’s premiere high school musical group.

Comics, Interview

‘Home’ Comics Creator, Julio Anta

June 11, 2021June 11, 2021 Patrick Strange

Yo! Yo! Yo! It’s Kuya P back again with another interview for my friends here at the NOC! I recently sat down for a conversation with Comics Creator, Julio Anta to discuss his project with Image Comics’ Home which I’ve previously highlighted here on The NOC as a series that you should be picking up! Check out our conversation and then head over to your LCS so that you can give it a read!

Interview, Movies, Streaming

NOC Interview: Gina Rodriguez Discusses Netflix’s ‘Awake’

June 11, 2021June 11, 2021 Sophia Soto

Gina Rodriguez stars as Jill Adams in Awake, which premiered on June 9. The new Netflix film will take you on an intense journey with an incredible performance from Rodriguez, who plays a mother that will do anything to save her children. The actress is best known for playing the title role on Jane The Virgin, which earned her a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Television Series Musical or Comedy.