Tag: MelissaBarrera

Abigail

Published on by DanielaLeave a comment

From the team that brought us Ready or Not comes a new take on the vampire genre. When a group of misfits are brought together to kidnap the ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure in order to collect a very handsome cash prize, they think it’ll be a piece of cake. But as they spend more time in an isolated mansion, they start to realize that the little girl is not as innocent as she originally seemed.

I know that I am very late to the party, but in my defense I had prior arrangements the weekend that this hit theatres. Now that it’s available on Demand, I couldn’t wait to finally check it out. Lo and behold it was exactly as I was hoping it would be!

Locked room stories are always a good call; without the distractions of jumping from place to place, it is so much more intimate. The audience gets the chance to really know the different players that are involved.

Another reason why this film worked so well was because of its talented cast. Leading the tribe of kidnappers is Melissa Barrera as Joey who proves that she is still one of the best Scream Queens around. Her mysterious past and unexpected connection to Abigail was interesting to watch unfold. Kathryn Newton, who has also proven herself as quite the Scream Queen lately, was brilliant as hacker Sammy while Angus Cloud truly brought the goofy Dean to life, may he rest in peace. Kevin Durand made me laugh as Peter while Dan Stevens was absolutely perfect as the douchey know it all Frank. I didn’t know whether to love him or hate him sometimes because he was just so convincing. All that being said, it was Alisha Weir who stole the show as our titular character Abigail. Going from playing Matilda in the musical version of the stage show to this? The girl has range!

The best part of all is that Abigail never took itself too seriously. Parodying past movies of the genre was such a smart move. It was laugh out loud funny with every joke landing and filled with lots of blood and gore. I was worried that part would be overkill, but I actually loved it. This was just the type of horror film that I can vibe with and I would very much be onboard with some more in this universe. Let’s make it happen!

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️

Scream VI

Published on by DanielaLeave a comment

The four survivors of the previous Ghostface killings Sam (Melissa Barrera), Tara (Jenna Ortega), Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) and Chad (Mason Gooding) leave Woodsboro behind for a fresh start in New York City. Their hopes of life returning to normal are quickly dashed when a new foe dons the Ghostface mask. Once again, it is up to the gang to find out who it is and put a stop to them before it’s too late.

As someone who only recently got into the Scream franchise, I was beyond excited to watch the newest instalment in cinemas. There are some movies that deserve to be seen on the big screen and this is one of them. With early critics boasting that this is the strongest entry to date, I knew I had to witness it for myself; and I have to say that I agree!

The story kicked off rather quickly and with it the blood, gore and jump scares. It’s like they were all amped up to a million and at times I could barely hold my breath at what was unfolding in front of me. Just when I thought the situation was going to calm down, something else would happen that would completely throw me off again.

While I was initially concerned over the fact that our beloved scream queen Neve Campbell would not return for the film, I have to admit that the way in which they explained her absence worked well. Sidney does deserve a happy ending and I’m glad she finally got one. I’ve become quite attached to our new ‘core four’ – Barrera has proven herself as a worthy leading lady and I love everything and anything that Ortega does. It was so great having Kirby (Hayden Panettiere) back as well as Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) who really shined this time around.

Scream VI had big shoes to fill. As a new fan, my expectations were sky high and I’m so glad they were exceeded. There were a lot of thrills, chills and unexpected moments and while part of the big reveal was predictable, I still enjoyed the shit out of it. You don’t expect franchise films to get better over time, but this one is constantly surprising me and I hope we have many more instalments to come in the future.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️.5

In The Heights

Published on by DanielaLeave a comment

Washington Heights, New York City. A vibrant community of individuals from all walks of life who have known each other for forever. Usnavi (Anthony Ramos), a bodega owner, saves whatever he can in hopes of a better life back in the Dominican Republic.

The storyline of In The Heights may not give a lot away, but trust me when I say that you NEED to watch this movie. It is the standout of the summer and I guarantee that it will put a giant smile on your face. Based on the stage musical by mastermind Lin Manuel Miranda of Hamilton fame, the movie is a colorful array of catchy songs, breathtaking cinematography, a blast of culture and an amazing ensemble cast.

Anthony Ramos helms the troupe as protagonist Usnavi. His charisma, good looks and beautiful voice make him easy to root for throughout. Well knowns Jimmy Smits as Kevin Rosario, Olga Merediz as Abuela Claudia, Daphne Rubin-Vega as Daniela and Stephanie Beatriz as Carla are a joy to watch. Then there are the newcomers who perfectly round out the cast: Melissa Barrera as Vanessa, Leslie Grace as Nina Rosario, Corey Hawkins as Benny and my personal favorite Gregory Diaz IV as Sonny. He stole every single scene he was in!

And of course, who could forget Lin Manuel Miranda himself as Piraguero? His little cameos were everything.

I’ll be completely honest when I say that I was worried this wouldn’t live up to the hype, or to my expectations. I have become such a fan of Miranda in just one year and I was worried that this just wouldn’t compare to Hamilton. Luckily I soon realized that that wasn’t the case. The two are polar opposites in their plot, but there are similarities in the music styles that I appreciated.

In The Heights really was everything that I hoped it would be and more. It was lively, it was fun, it was emotional and it was heartwarming. It had everything you could want from a movie and yes, I did cry. If you haven’t seen it yet, you are seriously missing out!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥