Search - Pinero on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Adult Language, Sexual Situations, Drug Content Movie Release: 2001 DVD Release: 07/16/2002 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV - Closed Captioned Edition: Dual Layered Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 34 mins Studio: Miramax Total Copies: 2 Genres: Drama, Biopic [feature]

Miguel Piñero became a leading figure in New York's art scene during the 1970s as a poet, actor, and playwright whose vibrant, often pointed, work spoke directly to the lower classes and to disenfranchised minorities. As a founder of the influential Nuyorican Poets Cafe, his poetry soon became recognized as a forerunner to rap and hip-hop music. TV screenwriter turned director Leon Ichaso spins this impressionistic biographical look at this artist. Raised in an abusive family, Pinero (Benjamin Bratt) turns to streets for solace. Soon he is engaging in petty crime, drug dealing, and addiction. When he finds himself in Sing-Sing, he turns his experiences in prison into the play Short Eyes, which eventually garners him seven Tony awards in 1974. Uncomfortable with his new fame, he clings to his girlfriend, Sugar (Talisa Soto), and his childhood buddy, Miguel Algarin (Giancarlo Esposito), who is a literature professor and who co-founded the Nuyorican Cafe. Though Pinero makes cameos on such shows as Kojak, his art begins to suffer as he starts to succumb to his drug addictions. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

Benjamin Bratt - Miguel
Giancarlo Esposito - Miguel Algarin
Talisa Soto - Sugar
Nelson Vasquez - Tito
Mandy Patinkin - Joseph Papp
Michael Irby - Reinaldo Povod

Benjamin Bratt stars in the seething drama Piñero. Buena Vista's work on this 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer is very nice, save for a few instances of muted colors and a bit of grain in a few key scenes. Otherwise, this is a very pleasing image that sports solid black levels and dark, rich colors. The soundtrack is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround in English. This 5.1 mix is exceptionally clear and concise without any distortion in the dialogue, music, or effects. While there aren't a ton of directional effects to be found on this mix, overall, it's a pleasant and apt soundtrack for the movie. Also included on the disc are English closed captions and Spanish subtitles. The extra features on this disc include a very short and uninformative making-of featurette titled "A Look at Miguel Pinero, the Man," and a theatrical trailer for the film. ~ Patrick Naugle, All Movie Guide