The Kid Mero is estimated to have a net worth in the range of $1 million – $5 million USD. He had a desire to finally create work that represented him on a personal level: “I wanted to tell a story that reflected me, my friends, my people, and my culture with diversity on screen.” From that thorny soul-searching moment bloomed the seed for the recently released horror comedy Vampires vs. the Bronx. Online shopping from a great selection at Movies & TV Store. “With horror and comedy you’re able to discuss themes in a way that doesn’t seem preachy because you’re using metaphors,” says Rodriguez. If you don’t know what I’m talking about then please: get yourself a Showtime subscription and watch Desus & Mero. Saldana would coincidentally be in NYC while production took place. The end. They aren’t white adjacent, they just are geeky kids, because geeky kids can come from anywhere whether it be the Bronx, Baltimore, Chicago, Atlanta, or Detroit. So go watch Vampires vs. the Bronx. Other noteworthy performances were from Method Man and The Kid Mero. He made it happen basically. In the Bronx, these communities are together, similar to how they are back on the island. The young protagonists see Tony almost like an extended family member—a cool uncle that lets them play Xbox and watch Blade. All that said I’m glad I stuck with it. “It’s a one-stop shop for purchasing things, but it’s also a sort of community center where people hang out and communicate with each other. Do you have advice for working with (or for) friends? The Bronx? When he's not writing or pestering his loved ones, he's usually playing video games, binging anime, or updating this site. He wrote her a letter profusely stating, as a Dominican himself, how meaningful her presence would be. Through her friendship with Miguel, the director made an unassuming nod at the turbulent history between Haiti and the Dominican Republic, countries inextricably tied on the island of Hispaniola. Three gutsy kids from a rapidly gentrifying Bronx neighborhood stumble upon a sinister plot to suck all the life from their beloved community. Watch the film and you’ll find out. That movie meant so much to me. Which, I need more movies placed in realities where they actually understand and have movies for the monster they’re facing. Page 1 of 2 1 2 ... @THE KID MERO I didn't know you were on the site, wow. “SNL changed my whole life,” he notes. 2020 | PG-13 | 1h 25m | Horror Movies. Rodriguez pitched him the idea with a short logline and Michaels quickly got things moving. Tales of Berseria: The Years Too Late Review, Diversity in Video Games Can Be So Much More. And it’s more than chopped cheese being on croissants or your favorite bodega now selling oat milk. The Kid Mero: Desus & Mero | Star vs. the Forces of Evil | Neo Yokio . Many will be surprised to hear that principal photography for the horror-comedy began two years ago in August 2018. That top-shelf support afforded Rodriguez enough resources to conceive the movie as he had envisioned it. Then I saw that The Kid Mero was in the film and it was an instant watch. Just like that,” says Rodriguez. Casting was just as precise for the three bright leads who assemble a tapestry of the community: prolific Dominican-American, Afro-Latinx star Jaden Michael is Miguel; Gregory Diaz IV, who is of Puerto Rican descent, plays Luis; while Gerald Jones III, a young Black actor, embodies Bobby. In December 2016, a month after the fateful U.S. election, New York-based Dominican director Oz Rodriguez was understandably ridden with unease about the future of his adoptive country. Komplette Handlung und Informationen zu Vampires vs. the Bronx It’s a great movie, and we need more support for movies about minorities, written and directed by minorities, that aren’t focused on the trauma of minorities. Vampires Vs. The story itself was centered around minorities who are nerdy misfits. He’d written the part specifically for him, so there was no margin of error to recast. Is it better to keep business separate from friendship? I never wanted the kids to even say the word gentrification.”. Outsiders might dismiss them, but they’ve got each other’s backs. The bodega is their second home; a home base where they feel safe. “I was at a crossroads in my professional life,” he tells The Daily Beast. The vampire’s reasoning is that the Bronx is a “forgotten” place, where no one would care if people from there went missing (apparently the reality of this film does not have Desus & Mero airing on Showtime at 11pm on Thursdays and Sundays). I’m not gonna lie, I was pretty butthurt when I fired up “Vampires vs. the Bronx” on Netflix only to discover it’s PG-13. And it’s a perfect spot to place vampires who don’t want to be found. Vampires vs. the Bronx is a 2020 American comedy horror film directed by Oz Rodriguez and written by Oz Rodriguez and Blaise Hemingway. JOIN NOW. Whether it be the jokes that remind me of childhood or the visual gags regarding gentrification, such as chopped cheese on croissant or Chris Redd just being Chris Redd, there was rarely a moment I wasn’t laughing. And these kids carry the film on their backs. The film focuses on a group of young teen boys tracking newcomers who they believe vampires intent on buying up all the local properties—and making local residents who stand in their way disappear. Part of that was shooting as much as possible on location. Back in 2002, Marte starred in Raising Victor Vargas, a beloved indie film centered on a Dominican-American family in the Lower East Side. It’s gotta stop, cultures need to stay intact, and the forgotten people are still people–they’re worth it. The brand was already brolic, and it continues to prove itself Emmy and Oscar worthy. Similarly, as of season 5, he is a cast member of ‘Guy Code’ with Desus Nice. The Kid Mero is estimated to have a net worth in the range of $1 million – $5 million USD. The movie follows three boys fighting off a pack of blood-sucking creatures trying to take over their borough. DESUS & MERO spent a day in the BX getting advice on their new show. Some of his filmographies are Guy Code, Joking Off, Uncommon Sense, Desus & Mero, Neo Yokio, and Vampires vs. the Bronx. Vampires vs. the Bronx shows the gentrifiers not only as white people, but also as vampires, draining minorities of their lives and forcing marginalized people from their neighborhoods. Vampires vs. the Bronx (2020) 36 of 56 The Kid Mero and Gerald Jones III in Vampires vs. the Bronx (2020). Although home will always be the Dominican Republic, where his family still lives, he feels the experiences of American-born individuals with Dominican roots demand to be further explored. “It was essential for us to be there to just capture that energy.”. Vampires vs the Bronx Discussion in 'Streaming TV' started by Dragon PoTATUM, Sep 28, 2020. I already mentioned this in the beginning of this piece, but I love that the young protagonists are young geeky misfits, from a minority neighborhood. A slew of New York natives make their acting debut alongside the more-established careers of Zoe Saldana, Method Man, and The Kid Mero of Desus & Mero. It also led him to get his movie produced. He estimates that 90 percent of the scenes were filmed in the Bronx. No more calling zombies “walkers” or some other dumb terminology as if the world they live in didn’t have horror movies please. The use of the character Vivian also nails the head on the concept of white women using their innocence and weaponizing it for the sake of white supremacy, but not in the usual, expected means. And the setting is in a community of minorities, in this case quite obvious from the title: the Bronx. It’s definitely a complicated relationship, but this was sort of my first step at uniting both cultures, at least in New York City.”. Or can it … I wish he had more screen time though. I definitely identify as Dominican and I’m just so proud of it, but also sometimes you just want to be you and be accepted as a person,” he says. For the character of Tony, the bodeguero (grocer), Rodriguez chose comedian The Kid Mero, co-host of Showtime’s late-night program Desus & Mero. “I felt like those three kids were a reflection of the Bronx,” says Rodriguez. Soon, that emotional cocktail of loss and uncertainty coalesced into an impetus to challenge himself. Watch all you want. Vampires vs. the Bronx' follows a group of teenagers who are forced to protect their neighborhood in the Bronx when a gathering of vampires invades. Gentrification destroys neighborhoods and kills cultures, invasive yuppies attempting to manifest destiny marginalized communities for condominiums and uppity restaurants. Born in Cuba and raised in the Dominican Republic, he moved to L.A. to attend film school and eventually settled in NYC. It’s unclear when filming came to an end, but after post-production, it appears the film struggled to find a distributor. 1) If you and Desus ain't in this movie, yall gotta be in the sequel 2) Whenever your wife don't wanna put out, hit me. While dealing with vampires and gentrification, he’s steadily approaching a lifestyle I’ve seen quite a few of my childhood friends succumb to. But he shined the brightest when taking the role of a father figure to the kids. For Rodriguez, showing the diasporas of both nations come together was vital. Unfortunately, we see that she becomes a meal right after she signs over her shop. Every time she pops up, she’s there to recap what had happened and give commentary on the film so far or open up scene via livestream (think Insta-live). Though he admits that his allegory—using vampires as a gentrifying force—isn’t exactly subtle, the genre combination provided a space where the approach was valid. x 3; Sad x 1; Sep 28, 2020 #9. The near-impossible demands of such a high-profile position doing live television prepared him to be in charge of a larger set. Enter your email address to subscribe to this site and receive notifications of new posts by email. He rose to prominence alongside fellow Bronx native Desus Nice with their Complex TV 46-episode podcast Desus vs. Mero, which first premiered on December 18, 2013. He describes the experience as attending “comedy Hogwarts” where his instructors were seasoned writers, famous actors, and A-list hosts. Later days. Three gutsy kids from a rapidly gentrifying Bronx neighborhood stumble upon a sinister plot to suck all the life from their beloved community. JP is a weeb and video game nerd with an MFA. “Miguel can be into Rita. “I spent over seven years there and learned so much about how to treat comedy intelligently,” he offers. He’s desperate. We even got Dominican food that night,” says the director. When Vampires vs. the Bronx was announced on Netflix’s Con Todo account, I felt the need to watch it because it seemed interesting due to a number of reasons. The Bronx is a horror-comedy film from director Oz Rodriguez about teens fighting to save the Bronx from a vampire invasion. PG-13 horror?!!! “It was important for me that for this generation this [conflict] is not something they have at the forefront of their minds,” he notes. If you couldn’t figure out what Vampires vs. the Bronx is about, quick synopsis: vampires attempt to gentrify the Bronx, it’s up to three teens to try and stop them. Vampires vs. the Bronx. And I just love how delicately that struggle is handled, and how fleshed out his character is. Open your third eye. I’m not gonna lie, I was pretty butthurt when I fired up “Vampires vs. the Bronx” on Netflix only to discover it’s PG-13. But while legitimate comparisons to the 2011 British film Attack the Block will abound, the filmmaker points to 1980s Amblin Entertainment productions as his most direct inspiration. Vampires vs. the Bronx isn’t some life-changing, genre-defining, icon of 21 st-century filmmaking, and it doesn’t need to be.It’s a fun, wholesome “horror” story for kids that dwells on the importance of friendship, family, and community while throwing in a socio-economic message about the dangers of … Vampires vs. the Bronx. Vampires vs. the Bronx is a American comedy horror film directed by Osmany Rodriguez. Despite the show’s reputation as a difficult environment where people easily lose their jobs, he found his feet there. “I wanted to flip that on its head and make people heroes to showcase how this community has life and vibrancy,” he adds. Stories that deal with identity demand Rodriguez’s attention, especially those related to immigration and how first- and second-generation U.S. Latinos see themselves. And while we’re at it, let’s make actual progress against the vampires of our society: gentrification. Gentrification is a hot-word in politics, but a reality for minorities and the poor/working class. Yeah, that’s gonna be a no from me, dawg. A block party in Vampires vs. the Bronx also prominently displays Haitian and Dominican flags. Rodriguez was elated to have her join. Method Man very much pulls off the vibe of a priest that will snatch you up if you’re acting up. “I feel from all kinds of places. “They’re sucking the life away from the neighborhood,” the locals repeatedly told Rodriguez, who was immediately clued to vampires. You know the vibes. Showing the topic of gentrification, something that’s ravaging marginalized neighborhoods in the US at an alarming rate, and escalating it, ramping up the stakes with the hyperbolic existence of vampires does a good job of showing what a force gentrification can be. “It was so exciting to work with her who obviously we know from so many movies, but to see her play a Dominican character and say things in Spanish was a dream come true. https://artescollective.com/author/arteseditor/, Godzilla vs Kong is more than what was advertised, D3: The Mighty Ducks, The Oft Forgotten One. How much of a role do you guys play in picking out your show outfits? First off, let me talk about how the film pays attention to old theater tradition all while modernizing it. Those stories have been told ad nauseam, he believes, and are sometimes the only ones coming out of these places. Determined to portray the Bronx realistically, yet in a positive light, the director refused to dwell on any negative aspects. Rodriguez had been working at Saturday Night Live as a segment director for several years when he started working on Vampires vs. the Bronx, his debut feature. I can’t wait to see what future projects they’ll be in, because they bodied their roles and they deserve praise. Vampires vs. the Bronx ist ein Horrorfilm aus dem Jahr 2020 von Osmany Rodriguez mit Jaden Michael, Gregory Diaz und Coco Jones. “Everybody has their favorite bodega and you end up having a relationship with the people there,” maintains Rodriguez. “ In Vampires vs. the Bronx, the block’s bodega is in danger of succumbing to gentrification. The end. What I really enjoyed about Vampires vs. the Bronx was one of the main cast’s, Bobby’s, subplot. It was also awesome to put Zoe Saldaña with the ‘ñ’ in the movie.”. His best friend and creative partner Matt Villines, with whom he’d formed the Matt & Oz comedy-directing duo, had passed away just a few moths prior. Speaking to people in Washington Heights, where a large population of Dominican-Americans reside, Rodriguez heard countless accounts about the neighborhood losing its identity to gentrification. It’s American. I had to see Mero, the thespian, in action. “I never wanted to have a moment where the movie stops for the kid to deliver an anti-gentrification speech. Starring: Jaden Michael, Gerald W. Jones III, Gregory Diaz IV. It’s real. The themes that Vampires vs. the Bronx approach are very prominent in modern society and I applaud the film for how it expresses them. “Vampires vs. the Bronx” is a comedic horror movie directed by Osmany Rodriguez and co-written by Rodriguez and Blaise Hemingway. “I had to be there. Amazon Music Stream millions of songs: Amazon Advertising Find, attract, and But outside of all of the themes and performances, the movie was just plain hilarious. You won’t regret it. At the heart of that neighborhood culture is the bodega: small, often independently owned convenience stores synonymous with New York City life. I knew my guy was multifaceted, but his acting meshed so well with the kids and given how much he impersonates a owner on his show and podcast it made sense for him to be spot on as a bodega owner. Quick rundown: making a cameo we see Zoe Saldana “giving us a Scream/Drew Barrymore moment”, talking up her last customer of the night, only to learn that she’s selling the shop and dippin out of the neighborhood. They shot her brief appearance over one night. As stated earlier, the plot deals with the Bronx being gentrified by vampires. x 10; WTF! Written and directed by Oz Rodriguez, the film stars Jaden Michael, Gerald W. Jones III, Gregory Diaz IV, Sarah Gadon, Method Man, Shea Whigham, Coco Jones, Chris Redd, Zoe Saldana, and The Kid Mero (co-host of the #1 show in late night, Desus & Mero). “My goal was to make a movie like the ones I saw growing up, The Goonies and The Lost Boys, about kids who go on an adventure and chase impossible odds,” he explains. 2020 | PG-13 | 1h 25m | Horror Comedies. For Becky, the nail salon owner ready to sell her property to the mysterious new real estate capitalists in the Bronx, Rodriguez thought of asking Zoe Saldana—who is also of Dominican descent. His other objective was to address some of those issues facing economically disadvantaged Black and brown people. “I was extremely lucky to have him being into that idea and help me produce it. Bobby (portrayed by Gerald W. Jones III) is thinking of joining a gang, not for the sake of the lifestyle as an inferior film would attempt to show, but rather for the sake of his family. 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