As a Social Justice Scholar, I Refuse to Watch “Melania”
Sometimes, the most honest review is declining to participate in the spectacle at all. That is my position on Amazon Prime’s “Melania.”
Denise Zubizarreta
Denise Zubizarreta is the Director of Engagement and Development at Latina Media Co. She is a mixed media interdisciplinary artist, journalist, and cultural strategist of Puerto Rican and Cuban descent. Denise holds a B.F.A. in Fine Art from Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design, an M.A. in Arts Leadership and Cultural Management from Colorado State University, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Applied Social Justice at Dominican University. Her work amplifies underrepresented voices and examines the intersections of colonialism, identity, and media.
Latest Posts:
“The Rip” Wants Miami’s Soul Without Paying Miami Rent
The Affleck-Damon reunion “The Rip” is just another story where a Latin city becomes a backdrop for white male moral collapse.
“Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass” Is Delightfully Unhinged
“Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass” is a dumb, strangely hopeful comedy about agency and the ways women are taught to compromise.
“The Gallerist” and the Art of Selling Emptiness
A dead body is impaled on a sculpture at Art Basel Miami, and instead of calling the police, a desperate gallerist decides to sell it. That’s not a metaphor. That’s the actual logline of Cathy Yan’s The Gallerist, which premiered at Sundance 2026. They bill it as a “comic thriller” and “ironic fever dream” about […]
“Eternity” Asks What If Forever Love Isn’t So Simple?
A24’s “Eternity” sneaks serious, uncomfortable questions into a story that looks, at first glance, like a charming rom-com.
“Regretting You” Is Quietly Cathartic
“Regretting You” offers a grounded, emotionally resonant story with a dash of dark humor and a lot of empathy for women.
Movies I Somehow Missed in 2025
I don’t know how this happened. I watch film for work. I make watchlists like it’s a personality trait. And yet I missed these movies.
“Members Only: Palm Beach” is Accidentally Revealing
Netflix’s latest Real Housewives knock-off, “Members Only: Palm Beach” is about what happens when status replaces substance.
“Mickey 17” Exposes The System We’re Already In
“Mickey 17” leaves you feeling that the film isn’t speculative fiction so much as a documentary shot five minutes into the future.
Netflix Caved to Authoritarianism and Canceled “Boots”
After the Pentagon criticized Netflix for making “woke garbage,” the streaming giant canceled its successful LGBTQ+ military drama, “Boots.”