Category: Festivals

By Jan Hamilton In a pleasant exploration of Bill Nye’s story, this documentary follows his life as it leads to the world of science.  After getting a degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell, and working at Boeing, Bill found work in TV as a writer and actor.  His best known work was on the educational… Continue reading SXSW 2017 Review: BILL NYE: SCIENCE GUY

By Jan Hamilton In this dark but hopeful drama, the leading lady is also the writer and director of the film.  Luciana (Ana Asensio) plays a struggling immigrant in New York who is trying to get past the death of her child in Spain.  Tall, beautiful and graceful, Luciana works a series of demanding, low… Continue reading SXSW 2017 Review: MOST BEAUTIFUL ISLAND

By Jan Hamilton Most documentaries have lots of footage from the past, plus interviews with various people important to the subject’s life.  This rather delightful doc is different.  Actors are used to play the scenes from the life of George Lazenby, while George himself is telling his story.  An interesting life unfolds, with modesty, bragging… Continue reading SXSW 2017 Review: BECOMING BOND

By Jan Hamilton Lena Olin plays fictional poet and author Maya Darnel in this film of her last days before she plans to take her own life.  In the story, Maya has gone on NPR to make the announcement that she will leave her money, literary works, and legacy in the hands of the winner… Continue reading SXSW 2017 Review: A CRITICALLY ENDANGERED SPECIES

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) At this year’s festival, I enjoyed two comedies about inter-cultural relationships and their impact on familial relations.  The first is a truly delightful indie film titled Signature Move, while the other is the Festival Favorite Headliner The Big Sick.  Both films deal with Pakistani-Americans from Muslim… Continue reading SXSW 2017 Review & Interview: THE BIG SICK

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) In 1996, the now iconic classic Trainspotting took the world by storm and kick started the careers of director Danny Boyle and actors Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremmer, Jonny Lee Miller, Robert Carlyle and Kelly McDonald.  The film had a huge impact on the world, not only… Continue reading Review: T2 TRAINSPOTTING

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Writer/director Terrence Malick has become one of the more divisive filmmakers of modern cinema.  With recent films To the Wonder and Knight of Cups polarizing audiences and critics alike, it isn’t all that surprising that his latest film has had the same impact on the audience… Continue reading SXSW 2017 Review: SONG TO SONG

By Mark Saldana Source: SXSW After nine days of movies, the 2017 SXSW film festival has come to an end.  For the most part, my festival went well.  I was able to see twenty-one films and participate in five interviews with some of the films’s available talent.  Since 1994, the SXSW film festival and conference… Continue reading SXSW 2017: Mark’s Film Festival Recap