Author: Mark Saldana

Movie Review: MATERIALISTS

Writer/director Celine Song is back with a new film about relationships. Her feature film debut, Past Lives, made it into my top five movies of 2023 (at number 5). Her examination of relationships, past and present, and the various feelings, emotions, and troubles people face when still longing for past love despite having moved on,… Continue reading Movie Review: MATERIALISTS

CLAIFF 27 Movie Review: QUERIDO TROPICAL (BELOVED TROPIC)

On my third night of the festival, I watched a film that hit a little close to home. From Panamanian director Ana Endara comes a film that examines the challenges of caring for an older adult whose mental state is declining due to dementia. The movie also portrays the challenges that undocumented immigrants may face… Continue reading CLAIFF 27 Movie Review: QUERIDO TROPICAL (BELOVED TROPIC)

CLAIFF 27 Movie Review: LA INFILTRADA (UNDERCOVER)

Last month in Austin, Texas, the Cine Las Americas International Film Festival kicked off its 27th year on May 14. TVR’s Liz Lopez and I attended the fest. For anyone unfamiliar with CLAIFF, the festival organization programs and screens films over five days every year. The event showcases films from Spanish-speaking countries and Portuguese-speaking countries,… Continue reading CLAIFF 27 Movie Review: LA INFILTRADA (UNDERCOVER)

CLAIFF 27 Movie Review: EL LADRON DE PERROS (THE DOG THIEF)

From Bolivia comes a film about an impoverished orphan boy haunted by the death of his mother and the desire to seek revenge against the man he believes is his father, who abandoned him and his mother before he was born. Working as a shoeshine boy, Martin (Franklin Aro Huasco) begins to observe and learn… Continue reading CLAIFF 27 Movie Review: EL LADRON DE PERROS (THE DOG THIEF)

Movie Review: THE LIFE OF CHUCK Is One of the Year’s Top Movies

When most people hear or read the name Stephen King, the first word that comes to mind is horror. However, let us not forget that the prolific author has written several stories that have nothing to do with that genre. Several of these stories have already been adapted into movies. The films Stand by Me,… Continue reading Movie Review: THE LIFE OF CHUCK Is One of the Year’s Top Movies

Movie Review: FROM THE WORLD OF JOHN WICK: BALLERINA

For anyone jonesing for more John Wick action and kills, Lionsgate presents Ballerina. The John Wick franchise has never given its fans a complete origin story of its infamous and legendary “Baba Yaga.” Instead, the creative minds behind the franchise and this new spin-off film have decided to tell the origin story of a different… Continue reading Movie Review: FROM THE WORLD OF JOHN WICK: BALLERINA

BRING HER BACK Is The Most Disturbing Horror Film This Year

From Danny and Michael Philipou, the filmmakers who brought us the horror sensation Talk to Me, comes a masterstroke of a movie that ups the ante when it comes to disturbingly dark cinema. Although Bring Her Back is not exactly an enjoyable film, it is a movie that deserves respect for its dedication to delivering… Continue reading BRING HER BACK Is The Most Disturbing Horror Film This Year

KARATE KID: LEGENDS Has A Lot Of Heart And Puts A New Spin On The Underdog Story

As someone who grew up during the 1980s, I watched both The Karate Kid and The Karate Kid: Part II multiple times. Although these movies have their corny, schmaltzy moments, the heart at their core always resonated with me. Forty-one years after the release of the first Karate Kid movie, and after two sequels, an… Continue reading KARATE KID: LEGENDS Has A Lot Of Heart And Puts A New Spin On The Underdog Story