By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Retro sci fi meets indie, character/dialogue-driven drama in this exciting and riveting thriller. Though that might sound like an unusual mix to some people, cinephiles and science fiction enthusiasts should already know that some of the best genre movies and shows have exceptional writing and compelling… Continue reading THE VAST OF NIGHT
Author: Mark Saldana
REWIND
By Mark Saldana Rating: 4 (Out of 4 Stars) Filmmaking and videography has become a family tradition in Sasha Joseph Neulinger’s family for a few decades now. It began with Sasha’s father Henry who has a career as a film producer/videographer. At home, Henry definitely bought into home video movement when he purchased his first… Continue reading REWIND
SXSW 2020 Review: I’M GONNA MAKE YOU LOVE ME
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Brian Belovitch has lived a rather fascinating life. Through his childhood, he endured physical and verbal abuse by his father, in addition to feeling uncomfortable in his own skin, and feeling completely unloved and out of place. Brian would later spend his young, adult years in… Continue reading SXSW 2020 Review: I’M GONNA MAKE YOU LOVE ME
SXSW 2020 Review: GUNPOWDER HEART
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) From Guatemala comes this tremendously powerful film from writer/director Camila Urrutia who makes her feature film debut here. Urrutia tells the story of two girlfriends enjoying life and love in an impoverished country with few opportunities for prosperity. On one life-changing night, Claudia (Andrea Henry) and… Continue reading SXSW 2020 Review: GUNPOWDER HEART
SXSW 2020 Review: MY DARLING VIVIAN
By Mark Saldana Rating 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) For multiple decades, much has been said about the oft romanticized relationship between Johnny Cash and June Carter. James Mangold’s Johnny Cash biopic, Walk the Line, portrays the love affair as a fairy tale romance. Even I have to admit that I became a sentimental “sucker”… Continue reading SXSW 2020 Review: MY DARLING VIVIAN
SXSW 2020 Review: CAT IN THE WALL
By Mark Saldana Rating 2.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Among the few SXSW 2020 narrative features available for streaming now, this European import makes for an interesting, though not thoroughly satisfying, watch. Writers/directors Vezela Kazakova and Mina Milena hope to shed much light upon the Bulgarian immigration experience in London while presenting and critiquing the… Continue reading SXSW 2020 Review: CAT IN THE WALL
Blu-Ray/DVD Release: THE WAY BACK
Source: Warner Bros Home Entertainment Burbank, CA– Follow the road to redemption when “The Way Back” arrives on Blu-ray and DVD on May 19. Academy Award winner Ben Affleck (“Argo,” “The Accountant”) stars in “The Way Back,” directed by Gavin O’Connor (“The Accountant,” “Warrior,” “Miracle”). The film also stars Al Madrigal (“Night School”), Michaela Watkins (“Wanderlust,”… Continue reading Blu-Ray/DVD Release: THE WAY BACK
SELAH AND THE SPADES
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Available on April 17, 2020 for streaming through Amazon is an intriguing high school drama that features an assortment of new, young acting talent and marks the feature film debut of gifted filmmaker Tayarisha Poe. Selah and the Spades doesn’t necessarily reinvent the high school drama,… Continue reading SELAH AND THE SPADES
ReelAbilities Film Festival 2020: BEDLAM
By Mark Saldana Rating: 4 (Out of 4 Stars) The issue of mental healthcare has been a heated and controversial subject of discussion for the past couple of decades, with a rise of public shootings and other types of homeland terrorism in the United States. It even has become a rather contentious issue in the… Continue reading ReelAbilities Film Festival 2020: BEDLAM
WHAT LOVE LOOKS LIKE
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) Now available for streaming through Amazon Prime is an amiable and heartwarming romantic comedy that should help pass your quarantine time quite gently. As what happens to a lot of indie films, What Love Looks Like deserves more attention than what it is getting. Writer/director Alex… Continue reading WHAT LOVE LOOKS LIKE