diego luna

My friend’s new movie, ‘The Book of Life,’ is lush, hilarious (photos)

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MariachisThe Book of Life opens today in theaters nationwide. This lush and hilarious Day of the Dead-inspired movie is by my friend Jorge Gutierrez and film giant Guillermo del Toro.

I was fortunate enough to be invited to the flick’s “red carpet” premiere Sunday, and I had the time of my life. It was a “bucket list” experience, and I want to share some of the images and sounds from that morning of movie madness.

Highlights included photobombing the stars, taking a selfie with Diego Luna, and making Ice Cube snarl.

Mas…My friend’s new movie, ‘The Book of Life,’ is lush, hilarious (photos)

My Bottom Line: ‘Casa De Mi Padre’ is (1) Funny and (2) Not racist

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Over the weekend I went with two guys to see Will Ferrell’s latest film, Casa De Mi Padre. The film stars several Mexican actors and was produced by a Latino production house.

If you want the bottom line, here it is: I went into the movie with low expectations, but was surprised that it was funny, not racist, and well done.

In the film, Ferrell speaks entirely in Spanish, and I have to give him props for doing so well and not stooping to the level of “look at the funny white guy who can’t speak Spanish” jokes. As a matter fact, the movie was surprisingly devoid of the kinds of jokes where gringos make fun of Mexicans via brownfacing, or doing bad imitations of Mexicans.

Mas…My Bottom Line: ‘Casa De Mi Padre’ is (1) Funny and (2) Not racist