Hispanic Heritage Month may be coming to a close soon on Oct. 15, but Marcus Theatres is sending it out with quite the splash with the return of its CineLatino Film Festival.

Running today through Sunday, Oct. 9, across four area Marcus Theatres locations, the annual cinema extravanganza will bring a wide range of movies – from big of-the-moment blockbusters to terrific timeless throwbacks and incredible indies from near and far – with an even wider range of stories to tell. The local theater chain is really rolling out the red carpet for this year's edition, though, as the film festival will also feature a number of starry special guests from in front of and behind the camera of their selections.

For the full schedule of CineLatino selections – and to buy tickets – check out Marcus Theatres' website. But to help guide your film festival feast, here are five películas that you should particularly make time for over the weekend.

"The Last Out"

The Brewers' season may be done, but baseball is still in the spotlight thanks to "The Last Out," an accomplished tense, twisty and painfully human documentary about three Cuban baseball players hoping to make it to the majors. What starts as a seemingly simple sports story, however, turns into a remarkable immigration saga as co-directors Michael Gassert and Sami Khan get incredible access following their subjects' off-field quests to get access to training outside their native country and far from home. A very good documentary worth cheering about – even if the exploitative systems dramatically detailed within are very much not.

Plus, as an added bonus, Gassert will actually be in attendance for the 4 p.m. showing on Saturday, Sept. 8 at the Marcus South Shore. 

"Selena"

"Selena," the iconic 1997 musical biopic about the beloved Latin music singer played by Jennifer Lopez on the brink of superstardom, is always worth catching – especially on the big screen with an even bigger sound system to really get the feet moving in your movie theater seat. But the CineLatino Film Festival's 25th anniversary showings on Sunday, Oct. 9 at the South Shore are even more of a must-see because co-star Edward James Olmos will be in attendance for the evening screenings, complete with meet-and-greet photograph sessions before the feature presentation. It's sure to be a special night for any "Selena" fan ... or "Battlestar Galactica" fan or "Blade Runner" fan or "Stand and Deliver" fan or "Mayans M.C." fan or honestly the list could go on for ages. 

"Pepe Serna: Life Is Art"

Pepe Serna may not be a household name, but his resume of performances is full of them, playing notable roles in "Scarface," "Postcards from the Edge," "The Jerk," "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai" and more. With the help of copious footage across his career and interviews with fellow trailblazing icons like Edward James Olmos, Cheech Marin and Eva Longoria, director Luis Reyes' documentary aims to give this modest groundbreaker the ovation his on-screen and off-screen work deserves. And Milwaukee can even give him that ovation in person as Serna himself will be in attendance at the 7 p.m. screening at the South Shore on Friday, Oct. 7. 

"Real Women Have Curves"

While we're on the topic of modest groundbreakers, the box office for "Real Women Have Curves" might not have Marvel shaking in its superboots, but the small indie dramedy made a heroic impact upon its original 2002 release. Patricia Cardoso's film scored numerous awards and even more buzz at the Sundance Film Festival and beyond, helped launch then-unknown America Ferrera into a star and further pushed for movies centering diverse leads and stories. Twenty years later, its influence can still be felt – and its story, about a young woman trying to balance her personal ambitions with her family, can very much still charm and choke up the emotions. See for yourself – complete with screenwriter Josefina Lopez in attendance for Thursday night's 7 p.m. showing at the South Shore. 

"Without Prescription"

In addition to cherished classics and current Hollywood hits subbed or dubbed for Hispanic audiences, the CineLatino Film Festival often shines a spotlight on smaller foreign releases that otherwise might not make it to Milwaukee screens – but are more than worthy of a spot on them. For instance, this year's lineup includes "Santa Clara," a gorgeously shot modern Western from Bolivia about a rancher forced to confront his brutal past thanks to his new gig – perfect for fans of "Yellowstone" looking for another fresh take on the genre. 

The selection I'm most intrigued by, though, is "Without Prescription," an intense Puerto Rican drama about a young woman trying to deal with her OCD symptoms amidst a high-pressure family gathering, eventually resorting to getting pills from a neighborhood dealer. The film was a hit at the most recent South By Southwest Festival, scoring the Global Audience Award – and the trailer sells a very intense experience, a mix of family drama, character intrigue and even seemingly some horror craft getting in the increasingly strained mind of our main character. For adventurous CineLatino attendees, "Without Prescription" is definitely my prescription.