Available at Amazon.com
Director
Gregory Nava
Cast
Jennifer Lopez ………. Selena Quintanilla-Pérez
Jackie Guerra ………. Suzette Quintanilla
Constance Marie ………. Marcela Quintanilla
Alex Meneses ………. Sara (as Alexandra Meneses)
Jon Seda ………. Chris Perez
Edward James Olmos ………. Abraham Quintanilla
Jacob Vargas ………. Abie Quintanilla
Pete Astudillo ………. Pete Astudillo – Dinos 1990’s
Rueben Gonzáles ………. Joe Ojeda
The Movie
Sometimes looking back at someone’s rise to fame is as fascinating as their descent from it. For Jennifer Lopez, small roles and a part as a “fly girl” on In Living Color culminated in a once in a lifetime opportunity to portray Selena Quintanilla-Perez. Known professionally just by her first name, Selena’s career ended tragically before she could’ve become the crossover star she seemingly was destined to be. When the Latin explosion of the late 1990s brought a different flavor to pop music, Selena’s death in 1995 at the age of 23 left the movement without one of its biggest stars.
The film follows Selena from her youth, where her father Abraham (Edward James Olmos) set up her siblings with secondhand instruments in a family band. Kind of like the Mexican version of The Partridges, the Quintanillas found success on the powerhouse vocals of Selena. Shot to death by the president of her fan club, the film reflects on her life in a series of flashbacks from the height of her career.
It’s an interesting choice of style, as we get to see Selena go from being a child singer through the early parts of her career in a flashback from her big show in the Astrodome. But it’s more impressive because of Lopez’s sensational performance as the songstress.
Showing the promise that once made her one of the strongest actresses of her generation, it’s an intense and gripping performance. While she looks the part, as Gregory Nava used archival footage and the family to get Lopez to look and perform like Selena, it’s what she does when she isn’t on stage that’s more impressive. She owns the screen in a way that would lead to her ascension as an actress/musician.
It’s a terrific film with plenty of great music about an icon who died well before she should’ have.
A/V QUALITY CONTROL
Presented in a widescreen format in Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, the film looks and sounds terrific. This is a colorful film and the transfer looks terrific. The film also has lots of music and dance numbers that seemingly come alive on through any decent stereo system. It takes full advantage.
The Extras
Selena: Queen of Tejano gathers Selena’s family and former band mates together for a small documentary on their rise in the Latin music world. Combining archival footage together with current interviews, it’s a retrospective on the rise and sudden death of the star.
The Making of Selena: Ten Years Later is a retrospective on why the film was made. In the wake of her death, the family made the film to counter two productions that were trying to get funding without the family’s permission. The piece looks at the events of the movie with the people who lived through them, as well as the actors who played certain parts. It’s a fascinating look at the film’s making and runs 30 minutes.
Additional Scenes are included in the film and were cut for a reason.
The film’s Theatrical Trailer is also included as well. The second disc of the two disc set features an extended cut of the film with even more additional material.
Selena: 10th Anniversary Two-Disc Special Edition |
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