Rubén BladesFilmography

Spin

Actors: Ryan Merriman, Stanley Tucci, Dana Delany, Paula Garcés, Rubén Blades

Synopsis: James Redford, the son of actor and filmmaker Robert Redford, made his directorial debut with this independent coming-of-age drama set in the 1950s. After his parents are killed in the wreck of a light plane, young Eddie Haley (Max Madore) is left in the care of his uncle Frank (Stanley Tucci), an Read More

Imagining Argentina

Actors: Antonio Banderas, Emma Thompson, Rubén Blades, Maria Canals, Leticia Dolera

Synopsis: Accomplished British screenwriter Christopher Hampton directs the political drama Imagining Argentina, based on the novel by Lawrence Thornton. Set during the unsettling disappearances in Buenos Aires during the dictatorship of the 1970s, the film involves theater director Carlos Rueda (Antonio Banderas Read More

Bernie Williams: The Journey Within

Actors: Bernie Williams

Synopsis: Bernie Williams: The Journey Within features the artist performing over a half dozen songs including "Enter the Bond," "Just Because," and "Stranded on the Bridge." The video also contains an interview with the performer. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide Read More

Lo Mejor de la Salsa en Grande, Vol. 1

Synopsis: This program features musical performances by 14 artists such as Albita and Luis Enrique. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide Read More

Once Upon a Time in Mexico

Actors: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Johnny Depp, Mickey Rourke, Eva Mendes, Danny Trejo, Enrique Iglesias, Marco Leonardi, Cheech Marin, Rubén Blades, Willem Dafoe

Synopsis: Director Robert Rodriguez returns to the characters of his breakthrough hits El Mariachi and Desperado in this grand scale south-of-the-border action-adventure saga. Sands (Johnny Depp) is a rogue CIA agent who is working in cahoots with Mexican officials who've caught wind of a plan by corrupt Read More

Assassination Tango

Actors: Robert Duvall, Rubén Blades, Kathy Baker, Luciana Pedraza, Julio Oscar Mechoso

Synopsis: Leading man Robert Duvall writes and directs his third feature, the romantic thriller Assassination Tango. John J. (Duvall) is an aging hit man who has settled down into family life in New York with teacher Maggie (Kathy Baker). After he is offered a good sum of money, he accepts a job to kill an Read More

Quiero My DVD! Latin Magic, Vol. 1

Synopsis: Eight of the most renowned artists in Latin music are featured in this release from Beverly Wilshire Filmworks. Quiero My DVD! Latin Magic, Vol. 1 includes "Sonadores" by Julio Iglesias and Plácido Domingo, "Bailame" by Gipsy Kings, "Sopa De Caracol" by Banda Blanca, "Caminando" by Rubén Blades Read More

Empire

Crew: Composer (Music Score)

Actors: John Leguizamo, Peter Sarsgaard, Denise Richards, Vincent Laresca, Delilah Cotto

Synopsis: A man who has made good in an illegal business discovers going straight is a more complicated matter than he imagined in this urban drama. Victor Rosa (John Leguizamo) is a drug dealer who has made a small fortune selling a heroin-based drug cocktail he's concocted called "Empire." Victor doesn't Read More

The Maldonado Miracle

Actors: Peter Fonda, Mare Winningham, Rubén Blades, Eddy Martin, Bill Sage

Synopsis: Actress Salma Hayek makes her directorial debut with this heartwarming drama based on the novel by Theodore Taylor. José (Eddy Martin) is a young boy from Mexico who sneaks into the United States in search of his father, a migrant worker. On the run with an injured arm and looking for a place to Read More

All the Pretty Horses

Actors: Matt Damon, Henry Thomas, Lucas Black, Penélope Cruz, Rubén Blades, Bruce Dern, Sam Shepard

Synopsis: Director Billy Bob Thornton explores coming of age in this Western based on Cormac McCarthy's prize-winning novel of the same name. John Grady Cole (Matt Damon) and Lacey Rawlins (Henry Thomas) are young Texan men who seek a more fulfilling life as cowboys in the slowly fading Old West, circa Read More

Gideon's Crossing [TV Series]

Actors: Andre Braugher, Rubén Blades, Eric Dane, Russell Hornsby, Ravi Kapoor, Sophie Keller, Hamish Linklater

Cradle Will Rock

Actors: Hank Azaria, Rubén Blades, Joan Cusack, John Cusack, Cary Elwes, Cherry Jones, Angus MacFadyen

Synopsis: The sometimes rocky relationship between art and politics in America in the 1930s -- as well as the gulf between the wealthy and the struggling -- sets the stage for Tim Robbins' ambitious comedy-drama Cradle Will Rock. Pulling together a variety of threads from actual events, Robbins examines the Read More

Chinese Box

Actors: Jeremy Irons, Gong Li, Maggie Cheung, Michael Hui, Rubén Blades

Synopsis: Hong Kong emigrant Wayne Wang directed and co-wrote (with Paul Theroux, Jean-Claude Carriere and Larry Gross) this story set in "the Pearl of the Orient" as the British government prepared to hand over the city to China in 1997. John (Jeremy Irons) is an English journalist who has lived in the Read More

The Devil's Own

Actors: Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt, Margaret Colin, Rubén Blades, Treat Williams

Synopsis: A policeman plays Good Samaritan to a visitor from Ireland, only to discover that he has a potentially deadly secret. Belfast-born Frankie McGuire (Brad Pitt) saw his father gunned down by enemy soldiers at the age of eight, and when he grew up he joined the Irish Republican Army, determined that Read More

Roots of Rhythm, Vol. 1: Across the Ocean

Actors: Harry Belafonte, Gloria Estefan, Dizzy Gillespie, Rubén Blades

Synopsis: In this first tape of the three-tape documentary Roots of Rhythm, host Harry Belafonte traces the roots of the musical form that has come to be called Latin music. From its origins in Africa and Spain, Belafonte details the evolution of the rhythms that would eventually be carried across the sea Read More

Roots of Rhythm, Vol. 3: To the Top of the Charts

Actors: Harry Belafonte, Gloria Estefan, Dizzy Gillespie, Rubén Blades

Synopsis: In this final volume of the three-tape documentary Roots of Rhythm, host Harry Belafonte chronicles the rise to fame and fortune of Latin-influenced performers. As in the first two volumes, Roots of Rhythm, Vol. 3: To the Top of the Charts features the performances of some of the leading lights in Read More

Roots of Rhythm, Vol. 2: The Fiery Romance

Actors: Gloria Estefan, Dizzy Gillespie, Rubén Blades

Synopsis: In the second tape of the three-tape documentary Roots of Rhythm, host Harry Belafonte leads the viewer on a tour of the blossoming of Latin music in the Cuban and Caribbean cultures. Featuring performances by some of the best known Latin performers including Tito Puente, Desi Arnaz, and Ruben Blades Read More

Scorpion Spring

Actors: Alfred Molina, Patrick McGaw, Esai Morales, Angel Aviles, Rubén Blades

Synopsis: This violent crime drama has its dramatic roots in old spaghetti westerns. It is set in a small southwestern town on the US-Mexican border. The ordeal begins as a lone Frenchman hitchhikes. He is boorish, misogynistic actor Denis Brabant who was dumped there by his lover after he informed her of Read More

A Million to Juan

Actors: Paul Rodriguez, Polly Draper, Pepe Serna, Bert Rosario, Jonathan Hernandez

Synopsis: This comedy, set in the barrios East L.A. is loosely based upon Mark Twain's parable The Million Pound Bank Note. The new version tells the tale of Juan Lopez a nice, but uneducated hombre trying to earn enough money to support his little boy. Though Juan was born in the States, he lacks proper Read More

Color of Night

Actors: Bruce Willis, Jane March, Rubén Blades, Lesley Ann Warren, Scott Bakula

Synopsis: When New York psychiatrist Bill Capa (Bruce Willis, in an uncharacteristically un-smirking performance) visits Los Angeles to take over his murdered colleague's therapy group, he finds himself embroiled in the thick of a mystery when he bumps into (literally) Rosa (Jane March) and begins a torrid Read More

Life with Mikey

Actors: Michael J. Fox, Christina Vidal, Nathan Lane, Cyndi Lauper, David Krumholtz

Synopsis: James Lapine, whose Broadway credits as a writer/director includes work with Stephen Sondheim, made his Hollywood debut with this comedy. Michael J. Fox plays Michael Chapman, who once upon a time was a wise-cracking child star on a situation comedy called "Life With Mikey." Now in his thirties Read More

Miracle on I-880

Synopsis: Based on the 1989 earthquake that rocked San Francisco, this is the true story of the rescue workers who at their own peril tried to free the people trapped under a collapsed highway. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide Read More

The Super

Actors: Joe Pesci, Vincent Gardenia, Madolyn Smith Osborne, Rubén Blades, Stacey Travis

Synopsis: Joe Pesci stars as Louie Kritski, a heartless landlord who has been so negligent in keeping up his ghetto apartment that he is threatened with jail time. The judge gives him another option, which he accepts -- he must live in his rat-infested hell hole until he brings it up to liveable standards. Read More

Crazy from the Heart

Actors: Christine Lahti, Rubén Blades, William Russ, Mary Kay Place, Tommy Muniz

Synopsis: In this frothy romantic comedy set in a small Texas town, a never-married high school principal starts a scandal when she falls in love with the handsome school janitor. Unfortunately, he is Mexican and she Anglo. The local community frowns on such relationships and ultimately, their new love Read More

Predator 2

Actors: Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Rubén Blades, Maria Conchita Alonso, Bill Paxton

Synopsis: This special effects-heavy science fiction sequel moves the action from the first film's Amazon forest to the urban jungle of L.A. Danny Glover stars as Lt. Mike Harrigan, an LAPD detective baffled by his latest case, the ritualistic slaughter of several drug dealers by a devastating killer who Read More

The Lemon Sisters

Actors: Diane Keaton, Carol Kane, Kathryn Grody, Elliott Gould, Aidan Quinn

Synopsis: Diane Keaton, Carol Kane and Kathryn Grody are the title "siblings," three unrelated women who perform as a lounge trio and struggle to come up with the money to buy their own club. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide Read More

The Two Jakes

Actors: Jack Nicholson, Harvey Keitel, Meg Tilly, Madeleine Stowe, Eli Wallach

Synopsis: The Two Jakes is the much-delayed and rather convoluted sequel to the 1975 classic Chinatown. Released in 1990 after an abortive stab at shooting that began in the mid-'80s, the film was the subject of a creative feud between its principals, star Jack Nicholson, producer Robert Evans, and Read More

Mo' Better Blues

Actors: Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Wesley Snipes, Joie Lee, Cynda Williams

Synopsis: Spike Lee's 1990 directing effort is a jazz film, the story of a fictional trumpeter named Bleek Gilliam (Denzel Washington). He leads a quintet at the Beneath the Underground club with a flashy saxophonist named Shadow Henderson (Wesley Snipes). Though Shadow takes a few too many solos Read More

Q & A

Crew: Composer (Music Score)

Actors: Nick Nolte, Timothy Hutton, Armand Assante, Patrick O'Neal, Lee Richardson

Synopsis: Following Serpico (1973) and Prince of the City (1981), veteran urban crime film director Sidney Lumet completed a thematic trilogy about New York City police corruption with this noir drama. When New York City cop Mike Brennan (Nick Nolte) shoots an unarmed Hispanic drug dealer in cold blood, he Read More

The Josephine Baker Story

Actors: Lynn Whitfield, Rubén Blades, David Dukes, Craig T. Nelson, Louis Gossett, Jr.

Synopsis: Brian Gibson's made-for-cable biography of the famed singer Josephine Baker stars Lynn Whitfield as the black American who found stardom and scandal as the toast of the Paris night-life during the 1920s and '30s. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide Read More

From Chile: An Embrace of Hope

Synopsis: Though this Amnesty-sponsored concert was held in 1990, it took almost 30 years for the two-day show to be seen by those who missed its impressive roster of artists. After the departure of the dictator General Pinochet from the Chilean government, Amnesty hosted this live music event featuring Read More

Routes of Rhythm with Harry Belafonte

Synopsis: Afro-Cuban music throughout the world is profiled in this video tracing its path from African and Spain into the Caribbean, the United States and onto the rest of the world. ~ All Movie Guide Read More

One Man's War

Actors: Anthony Hopkins, Norma Aleandro, Rubén Blades

Synopsis: In this made-for-cable docudrama, Anthony Hopkins stars as Joel Filartiga, a Paraguayan doctor battling against human rights abuses and political corruption in his native land. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide Read More

Disorganized Crime

Actors: Hoyt Axton, Corbin Bernsen, Rubén Blades, Fred Gwynne

Synopsis: When a conniving Montana thief (Corbin Bernsen) decides to rob the local bank, he organizes a gang of four to meet at a remote cabin to initiate the crime. The ringleader is delayed, however, by a pair of ineffective cops. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide Read More

Dead Man Out

Actors: Danny Glover, Rubén Blades

Synopsis: Danny Glover and Ruben Blades costar in this made-for-cable death row thriller. Blades plays a condemned prisoner, while Glover plays his psychiatrist. The prisoner's behavior is so violent and erratic that he may be too sick to execute. Glover is brought in to calm Blades down--and if he does so Read More

Salsa: Latin Pop Music in the Cities

Synopsis: Born in New York in the '60s, salsa is a hip grooving fusion of jazz, pop, and traditional Latin melodies. Filmed in 1979, this video offers a documentation of the scene as it existed then, featuring performances by such stars as Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri, and Celia Cruz. Besides being a Read More

Oliver and Company

Crew: Songwriter

Actors: Joey Lawrence, Billy Joel, Cheech Marin, Bette Midler

Synopsis: This animated musical retells Dickens's Oliver Twist amongst animals in New York City, with Oliver as an innocent kitten who joins a gang of law-breaking dogs. When Oliver is adopted by a wealthy young woman, the gang's evil human owner hatches a kidnapping scheme to tap into the girl's fortune. Read More

The Milagro Beanfield War

Actors: Rubén Blades, Richard Bradford, Sonia Braga, Julie Carmen, James Gammon, John Heard, Chick Vennera

Synopsis: It's advisable to know from the beginning of The Milagro Beanfield War that "milagro" is the Spanish word for "miracle". The scene is a rundown Hispanic community in New Mexico, bordering a posh housing development. In full control of the local water rights, the powers-that-be are secure in the Read More

Homeboy

Actors: Mickey Rourke, Christopher Walken, Debra Feuer, Thomas Quinn, Kevin Conway

Synopsis: Johnny Walker (Mickey Rourke) is a punch-drunk and alcoholic cowboy pugilist who gives boxing one last shot in Asbury Park, New Jersey. He meets Wesley Pendergrass (Christopher Walken), the smooth-talking hood who tries to talk Johnny into helping in the heist of a jewelry store. Johnny considers Read More

Romance da Empregada

Crew: Composer (Music Score)

Actors: Betty Faria, Daniel Filho, Brandad Filho, Cristina Pereira, Antonio Pedro

Synopsis: This Brazilian feature lifts a few elements from the old, oft-filmed erotic chestnut The Woman and the Puppet. Fausta (Betty Faria) is fed up by her shabby treatment at the hands of her boorish husband. She seeks out more rewarding male companionship, finding it in the form of a wealthy but lonely Read More

Fatal Beauty

Actors: Whoopi Goldberg, Sam Elliott, Rubén Blades, Harris Yulin, John Ryan

Synopsis: Rita Rizzoli (Whoopi Goldberg) is a crusading narcotics cop assigned to track down the source of some killer crack cocaine in this pretentious and preachy anti-drug crime drama. Rita poses as a prostitute and is soon hot after two small-time hoods (Brad Dourif and Mike Jolly) who murder their way Read More

Critical Condition

Actors: Richard Pryor, Rachel Ticotin, Rubén Blades, Joe Mantegna, Bob Dishy

Synopsis: When a small-time businessman (Richard Pryor) needs a loan, he goes to a loan shark and ends up in jail on false pretenses. After feigning madness to get out, he is tossed into the mental ward of a hospital. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide Read More

Crossover Dreams

Crew: Screenwriter

Actors: Rubén Blades, Shawn Elliott, Tom Signorelli, Elizabeth Peña, Frank Robles

Synopsis: Ruben Blades stars in this low-budget independent salsa musical (filmed in Spanish Harlem at a cost of $600,000), chronicling the rise and fall of a salsa artist who wants to hit the big time. Blades plays Rudy Veloz, a salsa musician who grabs one-night gigs in Latino nightclubs. He idolizes Julio Iglesias Read More

Ruben Blades: The Return of Ruben Blades

Actors: Linda Ronstadt, Rubén Blades

Synopsis: Native Panamanian singer, actor, politician, and lawyer (with a Harvard degree in International Law) Ruben Blades performs, talks, and travels around in this documentary on his triumphant return to Panama City. Alternating between interviews with Blades and segments from his music (with his band Read More

When the Mountains Tremble

Crew: Composer (Music Score)

Actors: Shawn Elliott, Eddie Jones, Shelly Desai

Synopsis: This documentary on human rights abuses in Guatemala is narrated by Rigoberta Menchú, winner of the 1992 Nobel Peace prize for her courageous struggle against the military regime in her country. Menchú is a Native American and in this documentary, it is explained that three of her family members Read More

Por Los Caminos Verdes

Crew: Composer (Music Score)

Synopsis: Columbian refugees enter Venezuela illegally hoping for a better life in this tragic drama. The group encounters political and economic problems as they try to adjust to life in a new land. A love triangle and a drug deal that result in death are included in the film debut for director Marilda Vera Read More

The Last Fight

Crew: Songwriter

Actors: Rubén Blades, Fred Williamson, Joe Spinell, Darlanne Fluegel

Synopsis: Fred Williamson produced and directed The Last Fight, but he didn't take the starring role. That honor is reserved for singer Ruben Blades, playing a chronic gambler who turns to prizefighting to pay off his debts. He rises to the top of the pugilistic world, disregarding the warnings of his Read More

Rabbit Ears: Joseph & His Brothers

Synopsis: This program is part of the Rabbit Ears series that seeks to share the different beliefs of people from all over the world with children. During this episode, kids will learn all about young Joseph who was betrayed by his brothers. It's an important story that talks about forgiveness and the way Read More