Category Archives: Movies & Multimedia

Film Review: Heaven is for Real

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I see myself more of a spiritual person more than religious one. Not that I don’t believe there’s a God or that there’s a higher power, I just feel myself being drawn to spirituality and the stories and tales behind it. My opinion and outlook on that has never really changed because I believed in it so strongly. Although it doesn’t make me narrow minded (that at least I’d like to believe). Because of my open mind, my sister convinced me to watch Heaven is for Real directed by Randall Wallace and written by Wallace and Christopher Parker.

The story begins with a young boy around age of 5 who goes into a risky surgery with a small chance of survival. During his surgery he tells of his near death experience and how he visited heaven and met Jesus Christ himself along with the Angels. Throughout the movie his father, the pastor of their town church attempts to convince others that his child really did see heaven and that Jesus is real.

To me, the movie portrayed hope and that a strong belief can do wonders for you. After watching the film, it made me look at religion differently and has changed my opinion heavily. It was a wonderful and eye opening movie and I would really recommend it to anyone.

-Leann D.

Heaven is for Real is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. 

Opera, Opera, Opera!

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Would you pay $26 to see Lin-Manuel Miranda in Hamilton on Broadway, live?

I know few Orange County friends who love opera, let alone are willing to see one. This may be because Orange County has few operas. I’ve been looking! The Segerstrom Center for the Arts has some performances, but Costa Mesa is pretty far. Moreover, it only has concert performances (full shows done without staging or costumes in front of an orchestra).

Recently, I discovered my favorite opera, Carmen, broadcasted live for free on the Santa Monica Pier from the LA Opera. The LA Opera is the grandest local opera house, and witnessing something this professional live was moving. Dancers were hired from the depths of Spain for a genuine Spanish vibe, and costumes shimmered and poofed in all their Spanish glory. Tickets are at least $90 for a “cheap” theatre seat, in which performers can barely be seen or heard; free showings are unheard of!

My friends and I zoomed to the pier and fangirled over the huge stage and thick French accents. The music can be found in our playlists; we hummed along the whole time. The opera is risqué, funny, and dazzling. If more people had access to opera in Orange County, I’m sure we could love and appreciate it the way this crowd did on the Santa Monica Pier. It was so enjoyable!

The Live at the Met series is broadcasting full operas live from the Metropolitan Opera House in most Regal movie theatres. This is the best opera house in the country! I’ve never seen a bigger stage, and the cameras show so much detail I can see reflections in the characters’ eyes. Tickets are around $26, with over 10 operas this year! More than the average movie ticket, but very cheap compared to live tickets, often at Hamilton prices ($855+). Only internationally famous and experienced singers have been cast! If you’re an opera fan like me or are ready to behold these regal performances, please come and support the art by attending. Few people know about it, but more should.

This is the same as $26 to see Lin-Manuel Miranda in Hamilton live on Broadway, in the movie theatre!

The Orange County School of the Arts is also doing L’Enfant et Les Sortilèges in the spring, so look out for that!

Meanwhile, I will be hunting down local operas. I’m determined to find performances in Mission Viejo! Operas can be expensive, but I’m working on finding deals so teens can experience this difficult and powerful art form at an accessible price. I’ll keep you updated!

What local opera productions do you know of? Please comment to let me know!

-Jessica F.

The Vampire Diaries

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The teen drama Vampire Diaries was developed by Williamson and Julie Plec and is exactly what you need if you’re looking for thrills, drama, lust, love, and danger. I could go on and on!

The TV show begins with Elena Gilbert, an average high schooler with a little less than average problems. Losing both her parents in a car accident off Wickery Bridge in the town of Mystic Falls she feels that her struggles are over. That his, until new boy Stefan Salvatore begins to attend Mystic High the same class as Elena. It’s love at first sight and they soon get to know each other. Eventually secrets are unveiled and Elena comes to learn that her boyfriend, along with his brother Damon, are vampires–but not the only ones in Mystic Falls.

Their relationships is unsteady at first because of Elena’s fear and curiosity of the unknown. Which is understandable, it’s not every day your lover tells you they crave flesh and blood. She eventually learns how to cope although things are always kept interesting.

The teen drama keeps on your toes always questioning what’s around the corner in the scene to come. If you’re searching for something to crank up your day and your heart rate, I really suggest watching vampire diaries. You will not be disappointed.

-Leann D.

Pretty Little Liars

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You’ve never seen any nastier fights or heard crazier drama than those done by girls. Lying, manipulative, and persuasive, we get away with pretty much anything. Which leads me to present one of my most favorite TV shows, Pretty Little Liars. The series was developed by I. Marlene King (based on the book series by Sara Shepard) that premiered June 8, 2010.

The main characters of the series are four best friends living in the small town of Ravenswood, Pennsylvania. The young women are connected to Alison Dilaurentis, the popular girl of them all. When she goes missing, the five girls split up at the same time the town is whipped  into a frenzy. Local papers and news channels go wild as they all ask the question, “Where is Alison’s body?” Almost two years after the disappearance, the girls reunite after Alison’s body is found and the signs pointing to murder. Everything but peace has settled on Ravenswood and the girls.

To make matters worse, an unknown stalker known only as “A” begins to torment the girls with secrets they only thought they knew through blackmail. “A” also harrasses them with information of Alison’s death and her killer. “A” is known only to the four girls because going to the police would only make matters worse, leaving them to be the only ones to figure out the murder of their beloved friend Alison.

Pretty Little Liars is a TV show is full of teen drama, crime thrillers, and most of all, mystery.

-Leann D.

Grey’s Anatomy

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Having the power to cure someone of a disease or illness has always been something of interest to me. Whether it’s listening to their problems or putting a Band-Aid on a cut, the role doctors and nurses play drew me to the TV series, Grey’s Anatomy. The series stars Ellen Pompeo as Meredith Grey and Patrick Dempsey as Dereck Sheperd along with many other important cast members. They begin the show as interns at Seattle Grace Hospital and compete to be the best surgeon. They start off watching, assisting, and observing all different medical tasks such as procedure, paper work, and surgeries completed by the best surgeons in the country.

Relationships that begin as rivalries turn into every lasting friendships, with some growing more than just friendly, such as Meredith and Dereck who met for an anonymous one night stand only to discover that they work at the same hospital where Dereck already has his foot in the door as the hospital’s top neurosurgeon. An awkward and puzzled Meredith does her best to ignore the last night events and act professional in her environment, trying her best not to slip up her first day as an intern. Not to forget Meredith has been surrounded by hospitals, surgeries, and medical talk due to the fact her mother was a doctor before her with the reputation as one of the best. Being surrounded her whole life Meredith has a pretty good idea how to win the game. I mean she already has the last name of a winner.

Grey’s Anatomy is full of love, lust, romance, gore, curiosity, and learning. A tad extreme it gives you a good idea what surgeons deal with on a day to day basis. The television series was well put together and keeps the viewers wanting more.

-Leann D.

White Chicks by Keenen Ivory Wayan

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Among all comical movies I think my favorite would have to be White Chicks starring the Wayan brothers. The story begins with Shawn and Marlon portraying characters Kevin and Marcus as under cover cops. The two are inseparable and the best of friends always having each others backs no matter what the situation maybe. As the plot continues the boys get themselves into a case believing their only job was to pick up two rich white girls from the airport names Brittany and Tiffany Wilson, also known as the Wilson sisters.

The sisters had always received what they wanted in exchanged for nothing. They are both snotty, bratty, conceited, and spoiled. On the way to the hotel from the airport, a small incident happens where the girls are unable to show up the events they planned for due to facial cuts and scratches, creating a huge and disastrous situation where both Kevin and Marcus can loose their jobs. With so much at stake they take matters into their own hands and devise a plan to pretend to be the Wilson sisters while continuing to be under cover cops on the low. Throughout there experience playing as different people they come to learn unexposed information, create new friendships, and become better police. The movie is funny, full of action, and great for a night with the girls.

Endless Love

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Endless Love is a tale about an intelligent and beautiful girl who just graduated high school. Always with her head in a book and no time to chit chat, Jade never really got out to live the high school experience or create any friendships. Constantly surrounded by her parents, mentors, and elders, Jade’s goal in life was to become a doctor. With plenty of schools and scholarships on her mind, there really was no time for fun. Until she meets what seems to be the light of her life, David. Coming from such a rich and well structured family, David is a bit out of the ordinary for Jade. David grew up with a father, low income, and a small house, but he is well put together. Sparks fly the second they meet eyes and the story goes from there. David brings the joy and happiness out of Jade that nobody had ever seen before. All are thrilled to hear Jade finally getting out and actually acting like a kid for once, except her father. Such a narrow-minded man does all that he can to keep the two apart. Although it seems to just fuel the teen love even more. Other than the intention of rebellion, Jade and David were really meant to be together. Throughout the movie their actions will display determination and that love could never be broken no matter what boundaries are created to separate them. True love never dies, as they all say.

 

TV Review: Riverdale

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I’m not going to lie, when I originally heard of the T.V series Riverdale, I thought it was going to be lame. I thought it would be one of those typical high school dramas where teens from the popular and non-popular groups fall in love. I was wrong.

My friend and I were bored one day and we decided to watch it and within the first 10 minutes, I was hooked. The show is about a small town called Riverdale, a seemingly average town with average adults and average high school kids. The death of a rich and popular teen rocks the town and initiates a fraught murder mystery.

There is so much action, drama, mystery, and of course romance. Not only does Riverdale keep you on your toes wondering what crazy event will happen next, but the show also does a great job of showing all the different kinds of people. The singers, the jocks, the “geeks”, the rich, the poor, and also the LGTBQ community. My friend and I both  finished the first season in only a few days, and cannot wait for season two which airs in October. If you haven’t yet watched Riverdale, I definitely recommend you watch it, before season two comes out.

-Kyndle W.

Film Review: Spider-Man Homecoming

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I’ve always been a fan of superhero movies and Spider-Man Homecoming defiantly did not disappoint. It was, yet again, another great Spider-Man movie.

The movie starts off where Captain America: Civil War ended and Peter Parker just wants to be a big time hero and help save the world again. But he keeps waiting and waiting for Tony Stark to call him back and let him fight with the Avengers again. He wants to be more than a a friendly neighborhood superhero. But Stark doesn’t call him. So he goes off on his own, without permission from Tony.

Tom Holland did an amazing job as Spider-Man and in general I really liked how Spider-Man was portrayed in this movie. The movie really brought back the fact that Peter Parker is still just a high school student and really treated him like a teenager which is something, that I had always thought the other Spider-Man movies had been lacking.

I also personally though it was really cool how they tied this movie into Captain America: Civil War. Though I could see how if you hadn’t watched Civil War certain small parts of the movie might had not made as much sense.

The movie overall, was great. It was really funny and full action that kept you at the edge of your seat. I would totally suggest this movie to anyone who has any interest in the world of superheros.

-Ava G.

Film Review: Ocean’s Eleven

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I love this movie so much! I’ve probably seen it over ten times, and would gladly watch it again. Sometimes, I’m just not in the mood to watch something dark and intense and ominous. I know there are countless other movies out there that aren’t dark and intense and ominous, but Ocean’s Eleven is always my default. It’s just so funny and clever! It’s actually a remake of the original Ocean’s Eleven (with Frank Sinatra). But when they released the remake, it did really well, so they made two more movies (Ocean’s Twelve and Ocean’s Thirteen) which are equally as good and humorous. 

The movie starts out with Danny Ocean (played by George Clooney) who has just been released from prison (he was in for robbery). He immediately seeks out his friend, Rusty (played by Brad Pitt), and together, they begin formulating a plan to rob a a group of casinos in Las Vegas owned by a man named Terry Benedict. 

Although there are so many different characters (eleven on the team), I love all of their individual personalities and qualities. It’s actually really impressive that each character is developed so well as there are so many of them so props to the director! The plot of this movie is also really clever and well thought out. I love the twists and turns, and even though what they’re doing is pretty serious, the characters still seem to keep a light and humorous demeanor. 

This is definitely one of my favorite movies, and if you like funny heist movies, you should totally check it out!

-Elina T.

Oceans Eleven is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library.