Saw it in the theater. Too much J.Lo/not enough music.
True. It seemed like music throughout the film never evolved yet it spaned 15+ years.
willie colon hates this waste of celluloid/$$$$$ Once again Fuck J Lo with a road cone till she dies
EL CANTANTE
The Creators of El Cantante missed an opportunity to do something of relevance for our community. The real story was about Hector fighting the obstacles of a non-supportive industry that took advantage of entertainers with his charisma and talent. Instead they did another movie about two Puerto Rican junkies. The impact of drugs in the entertainment industry is nothing new; look at Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Whitney Houston today.
I think Hector deserves the recognition the movie pretended to give him. However, as someone who advised the producers, it's painfully obvious that they didn't understand what made him so important. It was the music. It was his talent. They didn't understand or respect the true importance of our music to people around the world. It's difficult to comprehend how two individuals who are in the music business like Marc and Jennifer are not aware of the damage and the consequences of promoting only the negative side of our Latin music culture.
I was disappointed that there wasn't a minimal effort to correct what I felt were serious chronological and factual errors. This tells me that they expeditiously crafted the simplest clich?? script in order to just make a film quickly.
After the premier of El Cantante in Puerto Rico there were several statements of protest by people who had supported and participated in the project until they saw it. Their complaints were not about sour grapes or J-lo and Marc bashing but from a sense of betrayal and disappointment.
We are all invested in the world that this movie represents. For many of us the hope of our story finally being told sank into the horizon with the final version of this film.
Saw it in the theater. Too much J.Lo/not enough music.
True. It seemed like music throughout the film never evolved yet it spaned 15+ years.
willie colon hates this waste of celluloid/$$$$$ Once again Fuck J Lo with a road cone till she dies
EL CANTANTE
The Creators of El Cantante missed an opportunity to do something of relevance for our community. The real story was about Hector fighting the obstacles of a non-supportive industry that took advantage of entertainers with his charisma and talent. Instead they did another movie about two Puerto Rican junkies. The impact of drugs in the entertainment industry is nothing new; look at Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Whitney Houston today.
I think Hector deserves the recognition the movie pretended to give him. However, as someone who advised the producers, it's painfully obvious that they didn't understand what made him so important. It was the music. It was his talent. They didn't understand or respect the true importance of our music to people around the world. It's difficult to comprehend how two individuals who are in the music business like Marc and Jennifer are not aware of the damage and the consequences of promoting only the negative side of our Latin music culture.
I was disappointed that there wasn't a minimal effort to correct what I felt were serious chronological and factual errors. This tells me that they expeditiously crafted the simplest clich?? script in order to just make a film quickly.
After the premier of El Cantante in Puerto Rico there were several statements of protest by people who had supported and participated in the project until they saw it. Their complaints were not about sour grapes or J-lo and Marc bashing but from a sense of betrayal and disappointment.
We are all invested in the world that this movie represents. For many of us the hope of our story finally being told sank into the horizon with the final version of this film.
Willie Col??n
Same mofos who would have been mad if they did some Hollywood happy ending shit. It was told thru the eyes of the wife/JLo. It was really their story. Not the story of Salsa/Fania & Hector. It did seem like a long ass video though.
Have u seen it Kala or are you blindly co-signing Colon' assessment?
I got a decent quality boot of it for 5.99 at fulton the week it came out I thought it sucked ass before I knew willie hated it it was just cut and paste trash,poorly scripted and an overall hackneyed attempt at summing up someone's life in 90 minutes. J low has 0 credibility with regard to music-the only thing she has in common with the film was that she is or once was an urban PR from one of the 5.
she has no real right to this territory except thru cash and god forbid her power of draw at the box office . mind you I am a total film buff/ snob who would rather watch wenders,felleni, ,Truffaut,etc. I also possess a taste for crap-I also like schlock grindhouse horror and piss poor 0 budget Black action flicks from the 70s but honestly it was a typical hollywood smegma job.They had a shot at making a historical document about the scene in the L.E.S/FANIA family -a proverbial bittersweet realistic slice of life. A bronx tale would have sufficed as an indirect example/model/mo ,but alas they failed miserably by glorifyig the drug thing and not enough emphasis on the most important part-the music.
I got a decent quality boot of it for 5.99 at fulton the week it came out I thought it sucked ass before I knew willie hated it it was just cut and paste trash,poorly scripted and an overall hackneyed attempt at summing up someone's life in 90 minutes. J low has 0 credibility with regard to music-the only thing she has in common with the film was that she is or once was an urban PR from one of the 5.
she has no real right to this territory except thru cash and god forbid her power of draw at the box office . mind you I am a total film buff/ snob who would rather watch wenders,felleni, ,Truffaut,etc. I also possess a taste for crap-I also like schlock grindhouse horror and piss poor 0 budget Black action flicks from the 70s but honestly it was a typical hollywood smegma job.They had a shot at making a historical document about the scene in the L.E.S/FANIA family -a proverbial bittersweet realistic slice of life. A bronx tale would have sufficed as an indirect example/model/mo ,but alas they failed miserably by glorifyig the drug thing and not enough emphasis on the most important part-the music.
The "music" aspect is what i think cats are wishing for, but not realizing that it wasnt like it was his drummers story. It was the wife's story. If u copped the real version and not the bootleg, u would have seen the doc where JLo discusses the audio tapes of the wifes interview that she later went on to duplicate in the flick. That's the basis really. You know they gathered mad info of the scene and all that, but it wasnt suppossed to be a Fania celebration. And thru all of JLo terrible movie roles this role was her best IMO. She played a str8 up NuyoRican and knows what thats about. As well as Anthony and Jlo Love story/acting debut as a couple. Its her production company that birthed the project. Maybe she could have gotten better actors to replace their roles but intesad they knew placing themselves in the leads that would get more money. Either way maybe this will open the doors to the Tito Puente movie starring Robert DeNiro..... And a project like that would probably get the same Happy ending bullshit like Ray/Ali/Cash. And peeps can feel like it was some cultural achievement cause they suffer from "Shinny New Toy" Syndrome. Dont get wrong like I think the flick was all that, but Im glad some light was shed on an era/culture not given light at all.
Okay okay...I know I might get shot for mentioning this.... bear with me.
One idea that i think would be helpful/educational is this. Any chance they can upload the ENTIRE Fania catalogue on a website, and allow ppl. to hear it at will, and also maybe select a certain amount of songs and get those songs burnt onto a cd and mailed (for a price) or download the MP3 for a minimal price??
Now before you all cut my throat with a pacheco 45.... im a vinyl head. I love latin. I know fanis has the shit. I would like the chance to hear it all and then choose what I purchase ON VINYL. I could learn more about artist, thus fuel my desire to get their vinyl. Plus alot of new school djs are intot eh whole MP3/serrato vibe (non vinyl) this would give V2 ppl. a chance to hit that market too.
Just a thought. It might not be economical/practical or popular idea. But I mean the technology is there, the interest is there, the opportunity is there....
How much would the catalouge be worth anyways? Or how many songs would it contain?
This may be of interest to folks but Fania/Emusica is putting together a 2-disc anthology on Joe Bataan (due out early spring). I think fans will be really into this because it features a few unreleased songs, including one from the "lost" "San Frantasia" album that got mentioned earlier in the thread, as well as an earlier version of "Gypsy Woman" that, I think, predates the Fania recording.
I will say this though: the anthology is heavy on the soul singing parts of his career and, from what I can tell, doesn't include much (if any) of the Spanish-language songs he recorded with a different vocalist nor his band's excellent instrumental dance numbers either. For that, I guess it's still worth coping the Vampi Soul "Latin Soul Brother" comp from a few years back (even though that anthology excludes tracks like "Fuego" which I find surprising).
I also confirmed with Joe that he's getting some ends off this; Fania still owes him a slew of back pay but at least Emusica has come correct, which is good to hear.
Added bonus - guess who's writing the liners?
Also, I thought it's worth sharing: the story that I was told - that "San Frantasia" ended up becoming the "Salsoul" LP - seems to be incorrect. The original tracklisting for "San Frantasia shares a few songs with the eventual "Salsoul" LP, namely "Mi Nube," and "Sunny Gets Blue" but otherwise, the rest of "San Frantasia" had other songs that have never seen the light of day, including two tracks called "Drug Story Pt. 1 and 2"
Alas, from what I was told, the original tapes are missing.
They're still managing to include "Latin Soul Square Dance" on the anthology (presumably mastered from 45).
Correction: looks like "San Frantasia" was never recorded, at least, not with Fania. Only the single was and luckily, they still have masters for that and "Call Me" (the flipside of "Latin Soul Square Dance") will likely get comped down the road.
Saw it in the theater. Too much J.Lo/not enough music.
Yeah, they fucked up on this one. J lo couldn't put her massive ego aside and let the story be told properly. The movie was all about her character, which wasn't shit in the grand scheme of things. Too bad... Marc Anthony was the perfect choice to play Lavoe.
It's like making a movie about John Lennon's life from Yoko Ono's perspective. Bullshit...
Comments
I hear ya,but "Feeling" can always be translated in good music.
Yeah, it's cool that they're singing in a language other than English, but it all starts with the music...
Ill even say u can get the "feel" even when u dont know the language. Ive been moved by plently "Spanish" singers w/out know what their sayin.
I can imagine what "extra' dimension knowing brings but i approach the vocals like another instrument.
willie colon hates this waste of celluloid/$$$$$
Once again Fuck J Lo with a road cone till she dies
EL CANTANTE
The Creators of El Cantante missed an opportunity to do something of relevance for our community. The real story was about Hector fighting the obstacles of a non-supportive industry that took advantage of entertainers with his charisma and talent. Instead they did another movie about two Puerto Rican junkies. The impact of drugs in the entertainment industry is nothing new; look at Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Whitney Houston today.
I think Hector deserves the recognition the movie pretended to give him. However, as someone who advised the producers, it's painfully obvious that they didn't understand what made him so important. It was the music. It was his talent. They didn't understand or respect the true importance of our music to people around the world. It's difficult to comprehend how two individuals who are in the music business like Marc and Jennifer are not aware of the damage and the consequences of promoting only the negative side of our Latin music culture.
I was disappointed that there wasn't a minimal effort to correct what I felt were serious chronological and factual errors. This tells me that they expeditiously crafted the simplest clich?? script in order to just make a film quickly.
After the premier of El Cantante in Puerto Rico there were several statements of protest by people who had supported and participated in the project until they saw it. Their complaints were not about sour grapes or J-lo and Marc bashing but from a sense of betrayal and disappointment.
We are all invested in the world that this movie represents. For many of us the hope of our story finally being told sank into the horizon with the final version of this film.
Willie Col??n
Same mofos who would have been mad if they did some Hollywood happy ending shit.
It was told thru the eyes of the wife/JLo. It was really their story. Not the story of Salsa/Fania & Hector.
It did seem like a long ass video though.
Have u seen it Kala or are you blindly co-signing Colon' assessment?
I thought it sucked ass before I knew willie hated it
it was just cut and paste trash,poorly scripted and an overall hackneyed attempt at summing up someone's life in 90 minutes.
J low has 0 credibility with regard to music-the only thing she has in common with the film was that she is or once was an urban PR from one of the 5.
she has no real right to this territory except thru cash and god forbid her power of draw at the box office
.
mind you I am a total film buff/ snob who would rather watch wenders,felleni, ,Truffaut,etc.
I also possess a taste for crap-I also like schlock grindhouse horror and piss poor 0 budget Black action flicks from the 70s
but honestly it was a typical hollywood smegma job.They had a shot at making a historical document about the scene in the L.E.S/FANIA family -a proverbial bittersweet realistic slice of life.
A bronx tale would have sufficed as an indirect example/model/mo ,but alas they failed miserably by glorifyig the drug thing and not enough emphasis on the most important part-the music.
The "music" aspect is what i think cats are wishing for, but not realizing that it wasnt like it was his drummers story. It was the wife's story.
If u copped the real version and not the bootleg, u would have seen the doc where JLo discusses the audio tapes of the wifes interview that she later went on to duplicate in the flick. That's the basis really.
You know they gathered mad info of the scene and all that, but it wasnt suppossed to be a Fania celebration.
And thru all of JLo terrible movie roles this role was her best IMO. She played a str8 up NuyoRican and knows what thats about. As well as Anthony and Jlo Love story/acting debut as a couple. Its her production company that birthed the project. Maybe she could have gotten better actors to replace their roles but intesad they knew placing themselves in the leads that would get more money.
Either way maybe this will open the doors to the Tito Puente movie starring Robert DeNiro.....
Dont get wrong like I think the flick was all that, but Im glad some light was shed on an era/culture not given light at all.
the lyricks beautifully tell the tale of this tragic dichotomy of a life super famous yet lonely and depressed inside...
It will give you an idea of the talent,music and passion I like colon wish would have been the focus of the movie
Peruvian press.
One idea that i think would be helpful/educational is this. Any chance they can upload the ENTIRE Fania catalogue on a website, and allow ppl. to hear it at will, and also maybe select a certain amount of songs and get those songs burnt onto a cd and mailed (for a price) or download the MP3 for a minimal price??
Now before you all cut my throat with a pacheco 45.... im a vinyl head. I love latin. I know fanis has the shit. I would like the chance to hear it all and then choose what I purchase ON VINYL. I could learn more about artist, thus fuel my desire to get their vinyl. Plus alot of new school djs are intot eh whole MP3/serrato vibe (non vinyl) this would give V2 ppl. a chance to hit that market too.
Just a thought. It might not be economical/practical or popular idea. But I mean the technology is there, the interest is there, the opportunity is there....
How much would the catalouge be worth anyways? Or how many songs would it contain?
It'd be pretty frickin' massive. I'm guessing...what? At least 200 titles? 300?
Folkways Records (via the Smithsonian) has a system similar to what Loko One just mentioned (burning albums to CD)...
or
The former just arrived @ my Local Latin Exp wreka/video sto'.
I will say this though: the anthology is heavy on the soul singing parts of his career and, from what I can tell, doesn't include much (if any) of the Spanish-language songs he recorded with a different vocalist nor his band's excellent instrumental dance numbers either. For that, I guess it's still worth coping the Vampi Soul "Latin Soul Brother" comp from a few years back (even though that anthology excludes tracks like "Fuego" which I find surprising).
I also confirmed with Joe that he's getting some ends off this; Fania still owes him a slew of back pay but at least Emusica has come correct, which is good to hear.
Added bonus - guess who's writing the liners?
Also, I thought it's worth sharing: the story that I was told - that "San Frantasia" ended up becoming the "Salsoul" LP - seems to be incorrect. The original tracklisting for "San Frantasia shares a few songs with the eventual "Salsoul" LP, namely "Mi Nube," and "Sunny Gets Blue" but otherwise, the rest of "San Frantasia" had other songs that have never seen the light of day, including two tracks called "Drug Story Pt. 1 and 2"
Alas, from what I was told, the original tapes are missing.
They're still managing to include "Latin Soul Square Dance" on the anthology (presumably mastered from 45).
Yeah, they fucked up on this one. J lo couldn't put her massive ego aside and let the story be told properly. The movie was all about her character, which wasn't shit in the grand scheme of things. Too bad... Marc Anthony was the perfect choice to play Lavoe.
It's like making a movie about John Lennon's life from Yoko Ono's perspective. Bullshit...