Author: Mark Saldana

THE HOLDOVERS Is Alexander Payne’s Love Letter to 1970s Cinema

After filmmaker Alexander Payne successfully worked with actor Paul Giamatti in the critically acclaimed Sideways, it was inevitable that this pairing would reunite at some point. Well, that time has finally arrived, and cinephiles are all the better for it. With Payne’s latest movie, The Holdovers, casting Giamatti proves to be a no-brainer, as this… Continue reading THE HOLDOVERS Is Alexander Payne’s Love Letter to 1970s Cinema

FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S May Be A Great Game, But Is Not A Good Movie

Based on the video game series created by Scott Cawthon, this movie adaptation attempts to translate the popular game franchise for cinema. Still, it needs to catch up when it comes to story development. Going into this screening, I knew little about this game’s lore but hoped the filmmakers would deliver an exciting and fun… Continue reading FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S May Be A Great Game, But Is Not A Good Movie

THE KILLER Marks a Return to Form For Actor Michael Fassbender

After a string of movies that were either misses or bombs and a three-year hiatus from acting, Michael Fassbender is finally back with a riveting, intriguing, and, sometimes, very amusing movie courtesy of director David Fincher. Based on the French comic book series by Alexis “Matz” Nolent and Luc Jacamon, The Killer gives the beloved… Continue reading THE KILLER Marks a Return to Form For Actor Michael Fassbender

FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S Featurette

Can you survive five nights? The terrifying horror game phenomenon becomes a blood-chilling cinematic event, as Blumhouse— the producer of M3GAN, The Black Phone and The Invisible Man— brings Five Nights at Freddy’s to the big screen.             The film follows a troubled security guard as he begins working at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. While spending his first night on the job, he… Continue reading FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S Featurette

DICKS: THE MUSICAL Is a Hysterical Farce

Warning: this wildly ridiculous and uproarious musical comedy is not for the faint of heart. It is not for you if you tend to clutch your pearls while watching unfiltered and subversive humor! You have been warned! Based on the off-broadway musical, F*cking Identical Twins, by Josh Sharp and Aaron Jackson, Dicks: The Musical takes… Continue reading DICKS: THE MUSICAL Is a Hysterical Farce

KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON Reflects in Shocking Detail a Very Dark and Disturbing History of America

At this point in America, most people are well aware of the horrendous treatment of Native Americans that colonists and settlers had on the native people of our country. However, this ugly aspect of our history often gets overlooked, glossed over, or even justified as a necessary evil for our nation’s benefit. Based on the… Continue reading KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON Reflects in Shocking Detail a Very Dark and Disturbing History of America

Fantastic Fest 2023: PET SEMATARY: BLOODLINES Raises One Important Question

One question remains for those familiar with the lore of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. Why would anyone use the power of the burial ground if they already know the results are evil? I had hoped that this prequel installment would include the answer to this question, but alas, this was not the case. Even though… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2023: PET SEMATARY: BLOODLINES Raises One Important Question

THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER Attempts The Impossible

After attempting to deliver sequels to Halloween (1978), filmmakers David Gordon Green and Danny McBride tried to do the same with The Exorcist franchise. Though their Halloween installments met mixed reactions, the filmmakers remained undaunted in their attempt to enrich the cinematic world, first launched by writer William Peter Blatty and director William Friedkin in… Continue reading THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER Attempts The Impossible