Seattle Gay News
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Issue 13, Volume 42, March 28, 2014
Pantelion Films / Participant media
Michael Peña
It’s hard to believe there hasn’t been a movie made about the life of renowned 1960s union organizer and human rights crusader Cesar Chavez. Granted, sad to say, I’m one of the many who know the name, but know precious little about the man himself, his accomplishments as to how they related to the civil rights movement in the United States, especially as they pertained to California farm workers, not exactly ones I was even minutely acquainted with. With that in mind, and realizing I’m probably one of a countless throng working from the same poor base of knowledge, maybe it isn’t so surprising after all that Diego Luna’s Cesar Chavez is the first film to document portions of this man’s remarkable life. Using the formation of the United Farm Workers and the subsequent Delano, California grape strike and boycott of the 1960s as its jumping off point, the film showcases many of the major reasons why Chavez is still held in such high regard five decades after the fact. It is an
ambitious undertaking, to be sure, and for newcomers to this particular bit of vital American history, more than a little fascinating. But not essential. As strong as much of this is, and at times it is very strong indeed, so much time passes and so many events are covered, it’s almost too much for the 101-minute film to be able to easily contain. The vignette atmosphere is omnipresent and it’s sometimes difficult to keep track of just how long it is taking things to come to pass. More, working from a script by Keir Pearson (Hotel Rwanda) and Timothy J. Sexton (Children of Men), Luna wants to juxtapose Chavez’s work amongst the Delano farmers with his unintentional shirking of his familial duties, especially as it related to his eldest son. But that relationship stays frustratingly ephemeral, the emotional complexities making up their father-son dynamic never coming to life as I kept feeling like they needed to. At the same time it is readily apparent Luna has learned a thing or two in his time working see Cesar page 16
Aaron Gilbert / WENN
David Belisle
Dina Martina
by Sara Michelle Fetters SGN A&E Writer
by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor DINA MARTINA: HER GREATEST VIDEOS … AND MORE! RE-BAR March 28-April 27 Dina Martina sings really badly. But somehow we love her for it. And Dina Martina dresses like your crazy aunt that nobody has the heart to tell her that she has a camel toe, she is wearing her dress backwards and that her makeup is well … truly something that looks like she made it up. But, dammit if we don’t love her for that, too. Still, regardless of what aspect of a Dina Martina Christmas Show or in this case her Spring show there are two things that audiences can’t get enough of when Dina comes to town: gifts (pronounced ‘jifts’ for all you Dina Martina virgins) and the video clips/commercials played when she is changing from one horrible outfit into another.
Tyler Green
by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor
Ricky Martin. There wasn’t a Gay man around who didn’t (at least) think they knew all along that he was family before he came out in 2010. In fact, in some cases, the news coverage of Martin see Dina page 4 coming out when people already
thought they knew, became the story. The fact that he had actually come out was almost overlooked. But that was 2010. That was before the lightning fast pitch in which the movement has accelerated with marriage equality, parts of the federal DOMA disqualified and more. Nobody can see Tyler page 4