Students and faculty attend ‘Book’ event

The Los Medanos College Puente Club hosted a special screening of the Day of the Dead themed animated film “The Book of Life” Oct. 17 at Maya Cinemas in Pittsburg. This comes at an appropriate time since Day of the Dead or Dia de Los Muertos is only weeks away.
Among the attendees were LMC President Bob Kratochvil, Art Instructor Lucy Snow, Financial Aid Coordinator Eva Monteverde and Puente Counselor Elizabeth Abril.
At the beginning, the lobby inside Maya Cinemas was nearly empty. As faculty, staff and Puente members from LMC began to arrive, they purchased popcorn and other snacks as they chatted with their peers. Some club members stood outside and talked with Puente Instructor/Coordinator Stacey Miller, who co-hosted the event.
About a half hour away from show time, the excited herd of people began to make their way to theater seven, which was filled, as some struggled to find an available seat.
“We had 99 seats to fill so we’re glad everyone came out,” said Abril. Only a week before the event, there were and abundance of tickets left available to anyone interested in attending the screening.
Before the movie started, she announced the results of a raffle for attendees. With the help of Gio, her special helper, three prizes were given away. Lucy Snow won a poster from student life. Morgan Rogers won a miniature Spanish guitar and Eva Monteverde won a Book of Life poster donated by the theater.
“I am interested in Day of the Dead and in animation…a little,” said Snow. She also heard Maya Cinemas was “good,” so she wanted to check it out for herself.
“It’s nice to see everyone come together as a community,” said Abril as she stood to make a small speech and express her gratitude toward the people who showed. The General Manager of the theater had just enough time to make a short statement and wish everyone a good time.
The previews garnered appropriate responses, as people whispered about what they thought were the most anticipated feature films, but as the opening credits began, the audience quieted and they leaned back in their reclining seats in anticipation for what they were about to see.
Throughout the movie, you could hear the audience’s reactions as scene after exciting scene played out on the screen. There were appropriate whimpers during the sad scenes and laughter during the humorous moments.
The film featured traditional Mexican marionettes and stuck to Mexican traditions of the Day of the Dead, from the musical instruments to the marionette animation-style.
Instructional Assistant Eric Sanchez, who also attended the screening, remarked the film was “all right but wished they would have used original music rather than contemporary classics like “Creep” by Radiohead.”
Many people walked out with wide smiles on their faces as they repeated lines from the film to one another.