Author Archives: Melissa Sanchez
Lady Bird – Film Review
Lady Bird is a thoughtful and engaging coming of age story that depicts the melodrama that occurs in some teenager’s lives. It shows a time when most adolescents are self-absorbed, yet still dependent on their relationships with their parents. As much as they think they have it figured out; they don’t at all. The film Lady Bird is actor and screenwriter Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut, and from what I saw this is certainly an entrance into what will one day be a well-versed filmography to look back upon.
Goodbye Christopher Robin – Film Review
The charming character of Winnie-the-Pooh gives way to warm, childhood memories, but the reality is the children’s classic was wrought with the lifeblood of the author. The film Goodbye Christopher Robin, directed by Simon Curtis, tells the true story of how the character and book by A.A. Milne came to fruition. What appears to be a heartfelt and loving story on the outside is actually a quite depressing and sad tale of post-traumatic stress syndrome and childhood abandonment.
The Beguiled – Film Review
In her new film, The Beguiled, Sofia Coppola gives audiences a melancholic and poignant tale of a group of women and their need for or perhaps rejection of men in a post-Civil War era.
Rough Night – Film Review
Rough Night is co-written and directed by Lucia Aniello. The film loosely borrows their plot from the 90’s movie Very Bad Things, the Christian Slater flick where a prostitute is killed at a bachelor party, The Hangover; for obvious reasons, and Bridesmaids for melding in the antics and hilarity of women prepping themselves for their friend’s wedding.
SDLFF Shows Hit After Hit
The San Diego Latino Film Festival featured some wonderful and eye-opening films this year. I had the pleasure of seeing quite a few, here’s a rundown of some of my fave flicks.
24th Annual San Diego Latino Film Festival
The 24th Annual San Diego Latino Film Festival just kicked into gear March 16th and will continue to run through March 26th, 2017. The festival is held at two prime movie-going locations, both the Fashion Valley Mall in Mission Valley and the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.
Table 19 – Film Review
One of the most important details of a wedding is the seating chart. The closer the bride and groom are to the guest, the closer their table is to the action. Now, what happens with guests who sort of know the bride or groom? Those folks get relegated to the back of the room, where no one would notice if they went missing, let alone know if they were having a good time. The film Table 19, is about the ‘forgotten guests’ experiences at a wedding.
Fifty Shades Darker – Film Review
The sequel heard around the world is finally coming to theaters, Fifty Shades Darker, seemingly from the title anticipates the story going deeper (no pun intended) than the last and pushing back the layers around the characters that are Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) and the formidable Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan). The first one directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, served to push the envelope a bit and introduce audiences to the characters and the world of S&M,
La La Land – Film Review
Writer and director Damien Chazelle, brings his musicality as he did in Whiplash to La La Land, creating a film that is as reminiscent of the past as it is unique to the present. La La Land feels like an ode to classical movies without being cliché or a copy of anything else. The unfolding love story was beautiful and exciting to watch.
Manchester by the Sea – Film Review
In Manchester by the Sea, writer and director Kenneth Lonergan shows the realities of dealing with grief and heartbreak, from the decisions one faces when laying someone to rest to the pervasive memories of the past with that person.