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Bella (2006 film)

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Bella
Directed byAlejandro Gomez Monteverde
Written byAlejandro Gomez Monteverde
Patrick Million
Leo Severino
Produced bySean Wolfington
Eduardo Verástegui
Leo Severino
Alejandro Gomez Monteverde
Denise Pinckley
StarringEduardo Verástegui
Tammy Blanchard
Manny Perez
Ali Landry
Ewa Da Cruz
CinematographyAndrew Cadelago
Edited byJoseph Gutowski
Fernando Villena
Distributed byLionsgate
Release date
Oct 26th, 2007Nov 9th
Running time
91 minutes
Country United States
LanguagesEnglish
Spanish
Budget$3,300,000

Bella is a 2006 film directed by Alejandro Gomez Monteverde starring actor Eduardo Verastegui and Tammy Blanchard. Set in New York City, the film is about how one moment changed the lives of three people forever. Described by some as a pro-life movie,[1] Bella appears on Yahoo's list of the 25 top user-rated films of all time, and was rated the #1 movie of 2007 by users of RottenTomatoes.com.[2][3]

Plot synopsis

Bella tells the story of Nina, a New York City waitress, and her co-worker Jose, a cook.

"The energy in the kitchen of an elegant Mexican restaurant in Manhattan is cranking up steadily, as the staff braces for the noon rush. One waitress, Nina, is running late, which is becoming a habit. She dashes in at the last minute, but Manny, the owner, tells her this is one time too many, and fires her on the spot. As Nina storms out, the head chef, Manny's brother José (a mysteriously tragic guy, peeking out through a forest of beard and hair), follows her outside to make sure she's OK. When he learns that she is pregnant, he walks away from the restaurant and spends the day at her side, compelled for unknown reasons to try to help her. Over the course of the day, their conversations, encounters, and decisions will send changes rippling through many lives, over many years."[4]

Production

Bella marks the feature directorial debut for Alejandro Gomez Monteverde, who co-wrote its original screenplay with Patrick Million. Bella features Manuel Perez, Angelica Aragon, Jaime Terelli, Ali Landry and Ewa Da Cruz. The film was produced by Sean Wolfington, Eduardo Verastegui, Leo Severino, Alejandro Gomez Monteverde and Denise Pinckley and executive produced by J. Eustace Wolfington, Sean Wolfington, Ana Wolfington and Stephen McEveety. It was financed by producers Sean Wolfington and Eustace Wolfington.

Stephen McEveety, (producer of Braveheart and The Passion of the Christ), consulted on the script and after the film was finished he signed on as an Executive Producer to help market it. Bella is McEveety's first release under his new company Mpower Pictures.

Bella was produced by Metanoia Films.[5]

Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions acquired United States distribution rights to the film and released the film on October 26th, 2007, according to The Hollywood Reporter.[6]

Reception

The film received mixed critical reviews, scoring 46% at review site Rotten Tomatoes and 47 at Metacritic,[7][8] but fared better with audiences, winning the Golden Tomato award from Rotten Tomatoes with a user rating of 96.5, the highest of any film released in 2007. [9]

Bella resonated with pro-life organizations, who gave the movie high marks for its life-affirming, pro-adoption themes.[10]

Awards and honors

Bella took the "People's Choice Award" at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival.[11]

Bella won the Heartland Film Festival's Grand Prize Award Winner for Best Dramatic Feature and the Crystal Heart Awards for Monteverde as writer/director/producer.[12]

Bella's filmmakers received the Smithsonian Institute's "Legacy Award" for the film's positive contribution to Latino art and culture.[13].[14] "This movie depicts the culture but also transcends it," said Pilar O'Leary, executive director of the Smithsonian Institute's Latino Center. "It has universal appeal."[15]

Bella received the Tony Bennett Media Excellence Award.[11] Bennett said Bella is "a perfect film, an artistic masterpiece that will live in peoples hearts forever."[16]

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Office for Film and Broadcasting rated Bella as the second-best film of 2007 (with Juno)[17] noting that Bella presents an "affirmative pro-life message," along with "themes of self-forgiveness, reconciliation and redemption that should resonate deeply."[18]

The director of the Department of Citizenship gave the director of Bella, Alejandro Monteverde, the "American by Choice" award at a White House reception, for Bella's positive contribution to Latino art and culture in the United States.[19] Monteverde was also invited to join the first lady in her private box to watch the State of the Union address.[20]

The Mexican Embassy honored the film and gave Bella a screening at their annual Cinco De Mayo celebration.[15]

Bella broke the record for a Latino themed films in total Box Office earnings and Box Office average per screen for films released in 2007. It was the top rated movie on the New York Times Readers' Poll, Yahoo and Fandango.[21] The Wall Street Journal said Bella was "the fall's biggest surprise" and stated that "after only four weeks in release Bella has total sales of $5.2 million".[22] Bella ended its U.S. theatrical release with more than $8 million in domestic box office, finishing the year in the top 10 grossing independent films of 2007.[11]

Cast

References

This article incorporates text from the official site, licensed under GNU Free Documentation license.

  1. ^ http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=10263
  2. ^ "Top Rated Movies of All Time". Yahoo. Retrieved 2008-06-25.
  3. ^ "9th Annual Golden Tomato Awards". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
  4. ^ http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/reviews/2007/bella.html
  5. ^ http://www.bellafanclub.com/metanoia.html
  6. ^ Gregg Goldstein (2007-08-30). "Roadside takes Bella on US Trip; First Pickup after Lionsgate deal". TheHollywoodReporter.com. Retrieved 2007-09-21.
  7. ^ Bella at Rotten Tomatoes
  8. ^ "Bella (2007): Reviews". MetaCritic. MetaCritic. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
  9. ^ "9th Annual Golden Tomato Awards". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
  10. ^ http://www.bpnews.net/printerfriendly.asp?ID=26890
  11. ^ a b c Robert W. Welkos (2007-12-04). "Bella is a Rallying Point". LATimes.com. Retrieved 2007-12-06.
  12. ^ Lynda Dorf (2007-10-20). "Heartland Film Festival Announces Top Winners". HeartlandFilmFestival.com. Retrieved 2007-12-06.
  13. ^ Aaron Glickman (2007-03-13). "SmithsonianHonorsBella". SocialMiami.com. Retrieved 2007-03-16.
  14. ^ Isabel Lara (2007-08-30). "Smithsonian Legacy Awards". Smithsonian Institute. Retrieved 2007-12-06.
  15. ^ a b William Triplett (May 7, 2007). Buoyant 'Bella' bow. Variety. Retrieved on 2007-10-11.
  16. ^ Tony Bennett (2007-10-22). "Tony Bennett Sings Bella's Praises". YouTube.com. Retrieved 2007-12-06.
  17. ^ "Ten Best List for the Year 2007". USCCB. Retrieved 2008-10-20. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  18. ^ "Bella Full Review". USCCB. Retrieved 2008-10-20. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  19. ^ Aaron Glickman (2007-03-01). "Bella Producer Sean Wolfington". SocialMiami.com. Retrieved 2007-03-16.
  20. ^ Tomas C (2007-01-27). "President invites Mexican Director to sit in first lady's box". HispanicTips.com. Retrieved 2007-12-06.
  21. ^ publisher (2007-11-03). "Bella Rockets into #1". WorldNetDaily.com. Retrieved 2007-12-06.
  22. ^ Anthony Kaufman (2007-11-18). "Stat Snapshot". WallStreetJournal.com. Retrieved 2007-12-06.
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