Author: Mark Saldana

Review: THE HEAT

By Mark Saldana  Rating: 2.5 (Out of 4 Stars)   Bridesmaids director Paul Feig tackles a buddy-cop comedy bringing back his Bridesmaids break-out star Melissa McCarthy, but the results are a bit mixed. Actually, this comes as a relief to me as I felt somewhat burned by how bad McCarthy’s Identity Thief turned out. On… Continue reading Review: THE HEAT

Movie Spotlight: Scene Stealers From PRINCE AVALANCHE

While David Gordon Green’s PRINCE AVALANCHE (opening on August 9th) is largely a two-hander between stars Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch, the performances many people walk away from the film remembering is from non-professional Joyce Payne and veteran character actor Lance LeGault. In just a handful of scenes, Joyce gives the film its real emotional core, and… Continue reading Movie Spotlight: Scene Stealers From PRINCE AVALANCHE

Review: MONSTERS UNIVERSITY

By Mark Saldana  Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) Disney/Pixar’s prequel to Monsters Inc. surely delivers laughs and makes for an adorably fun time at the cinema, but lacks the creative imagination of its predecessor. Using a typical “underdogs’ triumph over adversity” plot doesn’t offer adult audiences anything fresh to enjoy, but it does teach… Continue reading Review: MONSTERS UNIVERSITY

Review: WORLD WAR Z

By Mark Saldana  Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) When a film gets delayed for rewrites and re-shoots, it becomes difficult to not lower one’s expectations. With World War Z, it didn’t help that friends, who have read the novel on which it is based, kept telling me that the trailers indicated that the movie… Continue reading Review: WORLD WAR Z

Review: THE BLING RING

By Mark Saldana  Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) Between 2008 and 2009, a group of troubled teenagers sought out and burglarized the houses of celebrities living in the Hollywood Hills. Dubbed the Hollywood Hills Burglars and The Bling Ring, these kids broke into the homes of Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom, Lindsay Lohan, and several… Continue reading Review: THE BLING RING