SCREEN | Ballet 'Dreams' – Jessica Chastain Crosses Borders

"I'll never abandon you."

Greenwich Entertainment / Vortex Media

Actress/producer Jessica Chastain and Mexican writer/director Michel Franco reteam for their harsh but erotic drama of romantic obsession, simply titled Dreams. Chastain, controlled as ever, plays a wealthy San Francisco philanthropist who becomes obsessed with a much younger Mexican ballet dancer played by accomplished newcomer Isaac Hernández, whom she convinces to come and stay in the U.S. illegally as a means of control.

SCREEN | Daisy Edgar-Jones Gambles 'On Swift Horses'

"Everything's looking real prosperous around here."

Sony Pictures Classics / Mongrel Media

Rising stars Daisy Edgar-Jones and Jacob Elordi play in-laws, Muriel and Julius, on similar paths apart in veteran television director Daniel Minahan's monochromatic, mid-'50s period queer romantic drama about post-Korean War relocation in the still unconquered American West. On Swift Horses' dual parallel romances represent the constrained and repressed cultural identity of the time, based on Kansas author Shannon Pufahl's novel of the same name, as adapted by screenwriter Bryce Kass.

REEL | Daniel Craig Feels 'Queer' for Longing x WFF 2024

"I want to talk to you without speaking."

Whistler Film Festival

Former James Bond superstar Daniel Craig makes his prestige gay indie film turn for Italian auteur Luca Guadagnino's transfixing screen adaptation of William S. Burroughs' mid-century novella, Queer, a 1950s Mexico City-set period romance written in 1952 and published in 1985. It's a heartbreakingly raw portrait of unrequited expat "junkie" love between two men.

VIFF 2024 | 'Emilia Pérez' Finds A Musical Crime Odyssey

"I want a new skin."

Vancouver International Film Festival

VIFF 2024—No one can accuse Emilia Pérez, French filmmaker Jacques Audiard's Spanish-language transgender musical crime thriller based on his opera libretto of the same name and loosely adapted from Boris Razon's 2018 novel Écoute, of not taking bold risks. His film collects different genres, from its Mexican gangster setup to some telenovela melodrama, crisscrossing with a surreal queer family tragedy and full-on choreographed musical odyssey, for mostly triumphant results thanks to its talented female lead cast that commits to the strange tone.

REEL | 'Wakanda Forever' Young – Back to 'Black Panther'

"Only the most broken people can be great leaders."

Marvel Studios

Director Ryan Coogler returns to the titular fictional African kingdom from Black Panther after the tragic passing of its original star Chadwick Boseman from colon cancer in 2020. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever grieves and mourns its protector, T'Challa and the actor who portrayed him, just as a secret threat emerges from beneath the sea in another thrilling but messy blockbuster superhero sequel action spectacle.

GETAWAY | Long Weekend x Pearl Hotel x San Diego x California

Point Loma—(May 19 to 22, 2022) On a May long weekend "bachelorette party" trip, our group ventured to the Southern California coastal city of San Diego—known for both its large naval fleet next to the Pacific Ocean and proximity to the Mexican border to the South.

FEAST | Alimentaria Mexicana x Cantina & Mercado x Granville Island

"We're proud to present a truly authentic Mexican taste of place here."

Granville Island—(September 28, 2021) From the team behind Chancho and Nuba restaurants and spearheaded by Mexican-Canadian chef/restaurateur Ernesto Gomez, Alimentaria Mexicana opened its authentic cantina eatery over the summer in the former Edible Canada location to much delight and early acclaim.

GRUB | Marukatsu Cuisine Pop-Up x Gyoza Bar x Downtown

teishoku (meal set served with miso soup, endless cabbage and steamed rice)

Downtown—(July 22, 2020) For the summer, Aburi Restaurants is offering a new Japanese-Mexican concept in the form of their limited-time Marukatsu Cuisine pop-up and specialty menu at Gyoza Bar.

GRUB | Takeout Tacos x Four Winds Brewing Co. x Delta

Delta—Like many other Lower Mainland bars and BC craft breweries, Four Winds Brewing Co.'s tasting room has radically transformed itself into a purely takeout/delivery joint and beer-to-go operation for the time being due to physical distancing protocols to prevent further impact from the coronavirus (COVID–19) pandemic.

REEL | Alfonso Cuarón Remembers 'Roma' on Netflix

"We women are always alone."

Celebrated filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón beautifully dramatizes the intimate semi-autobiographical stories of his childhood growing up in the titular Mexico City neighbourhood in 1971 through the lens of his family's live-in caretaker, who helped raise him. Through observations of daily life and struggles, Roma paints a sumptuously vivid portrait of true-life experiences.

REEL | Pixar and 'Coco' Celebrate the Dead

"Seize your moment."

Pixar Animation uses elements of Mexican culture and the Día de Muertos ("Day of the Dead") festivities to tell a tale of family in Coco. The animated feature's colourful expression of skeleton imagery, Mexican folk music, and aspects of Latin familial ties highlight its imaginative story, fully realizing a visual Land of the Dead.

GRUB | Tacofino Oasis x Bentall Opening x Financial District

duck taco (with dried apricot, jalapeños, cilantro, roasted corn, soy shiitake, and back chili mayo)

Financial District—(August 29, 2017) Tacofino's fifth brick-and-mortar taco outpost has officially opened its doors behind Bentall Centre, this one called Tacofino Oasis, in the Coal Harbour office district.

GRUB | La Taqueria Pinche Taco Shop x Hornby Opening

Financial District—(May 11, 2017) The newest La Taqueria Pinche Taco Shop location is now on Hornby Street right in the thick of the Downtown Vancouver core with its 3,000-square-foot space—the largest one yet—formerly occupied by Steamrollers.

GRUB | La Taqueria Pinche Taco Shop x Fairview Slopes

Fairview Slopes—La Taqueria Pinche Taco Shop, and the Vancouver taco brand in general, has been a steady staple in the Cambie Village neighbourhood along with the original Gastown location, newer ones in North Vancouver and Victoria in addition to their two upscale La Mezcaleria sister restaurants.

GRUB | Tacofino Burrito Bar x Opening x Yaletown

Yaletown—(July 26, 2016) Tacofino is opening up its latest west coast meets Mexican eatery, Tacofino Burrito Bar,  located downtown on Mainland Street very soon. They gave media and guests a sneak peek at their new digs.

BEERFEST | Tacos x Four Winds Brewing Co. x Delta

Delta—Four Winds Brewing Co.'s tasting room is now offering fresh tacos made in-house in addition to their refreshing lineup of craft ales.

GRUB | Tequila Dinner x Tacofino Commissary

Grandview–Woodland—(March 29, 2016) Hot on the heels of celebrating their first Tacoversary in Gastown, Tacofino Commissary hosted a one-night only tequila tasting and four-course pairing dinner at their East Hastings location this past week with unsurprisingly delicious results.

GRUB | Tacoversary x Tacofino Taco Bar x Gastown

Gastown—Tacofino Taco Bar, the latest in Tacofino's line of Mexican meets west coast eateries, is already a reliable fixture in the east end of the downtown's bustling dining scene along with its fast and easy attached Burrito Bar. The taco dispensary and restaurant is celebrating the flagship location's first anniversary (or "Tacoversary") in the historic Blood Alley heritage building after opening early last year.

REEL | Emily Blunt Delivers – 'Sicario' Hits

Prisoners director Denis Villeneuve continues his string of interesting, moody dramas with the drug war thriller, Sicario. It's a tense, often viscerally brutal film about law enforcement and duelling senses of justice on the American-Mexican border. What the film ultimately captures is the human toll and emotional cost of constantly battling the drug trade.

GRUB | Tacos and Horchata x La Taqueria x Fairview Slopes

Fairview Slopes—La Taqueria Pinche Taco Shop is a quick and easy but still very delicious eat-in or takeout meal option in the bustling Cambie meets West Broadway neighbourhood. Always friendly and full of Mexican spirit, La Taqueria is already on its third location (four if you count La Mezcaleria on Commercial Drive) for good reason. As the name suggests, it's all about tacos with a healthy dose of variety while maintaining a no-nonsense appeal.