Author: Heather Medina

Movies adapted from novels Pantoja covers in class Veronica Pantoja has been teaching at Del Mar College since 2009 and has offered what I consider to be one of the most enjoyable classes on campus. A lifelong horror movie enthusiast, her passion for the genre is shared with students in her English 1302 class-Vampires, Monsters and Madmen. Her experience teaching this class goes back 17 years to when she taught at Chandler-Gilbert Community College in Arizona. This class examines the foundational texts that have inspired countless years of film adaptations. With Halloween right around the corner, I decided to reach…

Chances are it has happened to you or someone you know — The Eras Tour. Taylor Swift’s most recent tour took the world by storm and, whether you are a “Swiftie” or simply an innocent bystander, I can just about guarantee that you heard about it. Avoiding news about the Ticketmaster site crash or the extreme ticket prices was nearly impossible. It was recently announced that a filmed version of the show would be hitting the big screen Oct. 13, and not wanting a repeat of the Ticketmaster fiasco, theaters amped up their websites and prepared for the attack. Now…

Banned Books Week started in 1982 and has since worked toward promoting open access to books in libraries and schools. Many of the books once banned or challenged have gone on to be considered classics and are staples of American literature. As often happens with great novels, Hollywood has adapted many of these stories to film. While in print they received lots of pushback, ironically, the film versions of these books were often met with great praise and nominated for prestigious awards. These three suggestions represent just a small sampling of the movies that give a new life to banned…

Representation for Hispanics in film, as is the case with many ethnicities, has not always been easy to find. Major Hollywood stars like Rita Hayworth, whose birth name was Margarita Carmen Hayworth Cansino, had to veil their ethnic roots in order to find success in their careers. With the start of Hispanic Heritage Month beginning on September 15th, I thought this was the perfect time to compile a list of films representing the five areas of the world traditionally celebrated during this time. You’ll find that these movies all feature artists and filmmakers from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean as well…

With the start of the new semester upon us, what better way to escape the stress of back-to-school than kicking back and watching some movies? All these films deal with the dilemmas of life in college. From a silent film era comedy to an animated family classic and something scary for those looking for a thrill, there is something to fit any mood. ‘The Freshman’ – 1925 Although he may not be as often discussed as Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd was one of the biggest stars of silent film era comedies. “The Freshman” follows Speedy, played by…