HispanicVista Columnists

By Juvencio González, Jr

You know what bothers me about certain diseases the most is recognizing a cancer but calling it something else. And many issues we face in society are like those malignant diseases - especially if we ignore the symptoms.

When it comes to the lack of Latino representation in the entertainment industry, it bothers me knowing when we are perturbed by what we see but prefer to remain silent because maybe someone else will speak up about it.

Well, I'm like a little drop of water that hopes to turn in to a pond, river or even into an ocean. And, at this stage of my life, I really don't care who joins me or speaks out as long as I don't keep my mouth shut.

Chupacabras: Dark Seas is a total disgrace for us hard working Latinos. And please don't tell me that I don't understand that all Latino roles cannot be about the good guy - because with this particular story - it's totally one sided and it does not do any justice to either role.

The portrait of the Latinos in this movie is just another version of what we have been talking about for so many years. And, in my opinion, Chupacabras: Dark Seas happens to be just an addition to the Latino disappointment archives.

Call it an obsession but when it comes to the way I am portrayed as a Latino on television I become obsessed. If I am portrayed as a noble, hard working professional, patriotic, and legal abiding citizen then I am obsessed to praise the entertainment industry, its powerbrokers and everyone involved.

But if I am portrayed as a villain, lazy person, criminal and the most horrific human being on this planet - then I have no other alternative but to be obsessed at shutting down the operation and setting the story straight.

Don’t get me wrong. I am old enough to know that the Entertainment Industry’s job is to entertain us and Latino talent need to play the good and the bad.

So to set the record straight, when I criticize a movie, I am not criticizing the role Latino talents play in a movie but the overall message of the movie and the impact of that message – that may last for generations.

And if a Latino appears to be part of the movie I am criticizing, then “ponte el sello si se te aplica” (wear the stamp if it applies to you) because you should have read the script before accepting the part. Then once again, welcome again to the topic of social responsibility and being a role model to our people – particularly the youth generation.

See, that is the bottom line, movie producers, writers and Hollywood brokers have a social responsibility and the public needs to hold them accountable. Even Federal agencies like the FCC – overlooking what they do needs to be held accountable because many of these agencies may not be aware of how the public perceives them. (Until recently, the FCC had a Latina on the board and I understand she was an asset to the Commission).

Recently, when I started speaking against this movie I started getting mixed messages from other Latino colleagues in the film industry. Surprisingly, when I exposed my question and elicited their opinion of what I thought, I got the silent treatment or they advised me to turn off the television if I didn’t like the television program.

Ok, I thought about it and I ultimately arrived with a response - sorry but that’s not going to do it. Maybe I should turn it off but it is not going to turn me off. And practically speaking, if I turn off the television program, I may be turning off more than a channel but my voice, the way it makes me feel inside and the values that makes up our people into such wonderful and beautiful human beings.

Believe me when I say that I was feeling hurt inside when I attacked the “Kingpin” episodes. Hurt because when it came to the performances of our Latino talent – I could only feel pride and joy for their performance. But I had to think beyond their performance. Following my instinct, I had to see the real message behind a brilliant masterpiece. It portrayed Mexicans and other Latinos as savages and criminals and horrific creatures.

So yes, contrary of those Hollywood Latino masterminds, I need to speak against the Sci Fi addition which aired on Saturday, October 1, at 9/8 c. It’s no less than Chupacabra: Dark Seas.

Let me give you some pointers about the movie. It was written by Steve Jankowski and John Shepphird and the main “Latino Character” happens to be a well known actor by the name of Giancarlo Esposito who is originally from Copenhagen, Denmark. In this particular movie, Mr. Esposito plays a Dr. Peòa who is described as a “cryptozoolist trying to make his name in the scientific community.” Of course, needless to say, his mission is to trap the legendary Chupacabras on a remote Caribbean Island.

My first negative impression begins at the beginning of the scene when the actor enters the scene accompanied by what appeared (my opinion) a team of hardcore guerillas driving jeeps savagely through a South American Jungle. They are dressed in military fatigues and carrying rifles at hand (I should have paid attention to the rifles they were holding). But basically speaking, we take the title of Chupacabras: Dark Seas away and we have a bunch of drug traffickers chasing one of their rivals throughout the jungle.

Anyway, from the beginning of the scene, these supposed group of Latinos act mean, cold and ruthless. And, the doctor himself is so cold blooded and callous individual with his squad – that at one point - he orders the team to abandon one of the members falling behind from a serious foot injury (it gave me the impression that he was leaving him behind for the Chupacabras).

But as the movie unfolds, it gets better. This Doctor Peòa smuggles the bloodthirsty Chupacabras on board a cruise ship named the Regent Queen commanded by a Captain Randolph (John Rhys-Davies) who firmly refers to Peòa as the “bastard.”

The unexpected happened, the “alien” like indestructible creature breaks loose and makes a “smorgasbord out of the passengers and crew.” And, when Navy Seals are called to hunt the Chupacabras, people are ordered to evacuate the ship – while Doctor Peòa makes every attempt to interfere with the operation by cramming fire extinguishers between the ship’s vault doors.

Here comes my second most disheartening scene, the doctor is so evil minded that he devises the most evil idea of the 21st Century. Because he is an expert at capturing the ferocious beast, he chooses to “kidnap the Captain’s daughter Jenny (Chelan Simmons) and use her as the bait and justifiable sacrifice for the Chupacabras.”

Wow, what a brilliant idea – I certainly want to nominate the writers, producers and actors for a Latino Heritage Academy Award – better yet -just deliver the award to them.

My dear friends and colleagues, I think that you get my point. But let me tell you why I am writing this article. When I first saw the movie, I was so upset that I wrote an e-mail to as many colleagues as possible because I wanted to share my perception. I wrote to colleagues in Arizona, Brazil, California, Chicago, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, New York, Mexico, Texas, and Puerto Rico. And in the end, I got two interesting responses. One advised me to “pick your battles carefully,” and the other suggested for me to “turn off the television,” - and of course - the rest was just “silent treatment.”

Something that you should know about me is that I love to be advised and getting a response from these individuals translated into a ton of gold because they took the time to share their opinion –even if it differed from mine. On the other hand, silence is something that makes me feel uneasy - and at this point - I rather keep the opinion to myself.

But nevertheless, about the two opinions I received from my colleagues, I thought about it and I decided to “go ahead and pick my battle” and “not to turn off the television.” I rather point all Latinos and the public to the television programs so they can decide for themselves what not to endorse or sponsor.

Taking into consideration the wisdom of one my colleagues at the Pennsylvania Statewide Latino Conference in Harrisburg, Mr. Angel Medina said “it’s time to stop talking about the drop out rate and do something about it. ”I like it and I whole heartily agree.” We need to do a lot more than watch the programs portraying us negatively. We need to bring it to the attention of the creators and those who monitor the films so they know how we feel. And if you think that they will not listen, then think twice because you already have lost the battle. And if we don’t try – how do we know that someone will not listen?

In a review by a Matt Paprocki, he criticized the Chupacabras: dark Seas as the type of movie reviewers hate to review because it is awful. I am not a critic and will not pretend to be one either. But my gut feeling is that “awful” is a gentle way to describe this movie. If the authors had added a Latino (a) Co Captain, passengers, crew members and key Navy Seals, maybe I would have not felt so critical because then I could see the equity in the film.

But enough said, don’t take my word for it – see it and tell me how you feel. And if it bothers you the way it bothered me, why not direct your letters to the Sci-Fi Channel and the FCC as follows:

Sci-Fi : * Bonnie Hammer, President, Sci-Fi Channel (e-mail: bhammer@usanetworks.com)
* Mark Stern, Head of Programming (e-mail: mark.stern@unistudios.com)
* Michael Jackson, Chairman and CEO (e-mail: michael.jackson@unistudios.com)
Address: The Sci-Fi Channel, USA Networks, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020-1215
Switchboard: 212 413-5000
Programming: 212 413-5821
Fax: 212 413-6522
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Kevin J. Martin, Chairman of FCC (e-mail: KJMWEB@fcc.gov)
Address: Federal Communications Commission, 445 12th Street, SW, Washington, D.C. 20554
Phone: 1-866-225-5322
Fax: 1-866-418-0232
Website: www.fcc.gov