Author: Mark Saldana

Even when I thought I had seen this type of story before (Bound), writer/director Rose Glass proves that this isn’t a formulaic type of movie. Love Lies Bleeding has no real heroes or villains. In fact, everyone in this story is flawed, and even the love story is far from perfect. Nevertheless, Glass’s great storytelling… Continue reading LOVE LIES BLEEDING: Steroids and Lust Prove To Be A Volatile Mix

Based on the non-fiction book Arthur – The Dog Who Crossed the Jungle to Find a Home, Arthur The King tells the story of an adventure racing team that encounters a stray dog during their competition, which eventually becomes their mascot and inspiration. The movie is of the feel-good variety, and though I have not… Continue reading ARTHUR THE KING Tells an Interesting True Story, But is a Bit Heavy-Handed

With this second installment of the Dune saga, Denis Villeneuve gives his audience a further glimpse into the life of Paul Atreides, the protagonist of the Dune story. When Villeneuve’s first film concluded, we witnessed Paul (Timothée Chalamet) and the beginnings of his adaptation to the life of the Fremen on the planet of Arrakis… Continue reading DUNE: PART TWO – With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

From Wim Wenders (Paris, Texas, Wings of Desire) and collaborator Takuma Takasaki comes a beautiful film about a quiet, unassuming public toilet cleaner in Tokyo, Japan, who enjoys simple pleasures and has the time, heart, and mind to appreciate beauty in this world in various forms. Writer/director Wenders and co-writer Takasaki do an excellent job… Continue reading PERFECT DAYS Celebrates The Joys of A Simple Life

To borrow a hilarious quote from the musical artist’s biopic spoof, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, “Dewey Cox has to think about his entire life before he plays.” Well, apparently, so did Bob Marley, or at least that is how this cinematic biopic of the legendary Reggae artist portrays it. To clarify why I… Continue reading BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE Never Completely Stirs Up Passion For Its Subject

Zelda Williams makes her feature film directorial debut with a movie that delivers some fun but feels a bit forced regarding its dark humor. As I experienced this movie, I smiled often and laughed heartily at one joke. However, the movie’s tendency to resort to over-the-top antics doesn’t always work and sometimes irritated me. Nevertheless,… Continue reading LISA FRANKENSTEIN Amuses, But Its More Excessive Elements Tend to Grate

For several months last year, every single time I would pay to see a movie in a theater, I was inundated with the same trailer for Matthew Vaughn’s new film, Argylle. Not only did I find this oversaturation of promotion irritating, but it also made me wonder why the studios plugged this movie so hard.… Continue reading ARGYLLE Is Wild and Crazy Fun, But Not Particularly Original

Journalist Isabel Wilkerson had taken a hiatus from her work to deal with some personal matters but was inspired by the killing of Trayvon Martin to further examine racism in America and how it was influenced by and influenced other forms of prejudice in the world. Director Ana DuVernay directs this adaptation of Wilkeson’s book,… Continue reading ORIGIN Is An Intiguing Film, But Would’ve Been A Better Television Mini-Series