Category: Banner

By Mark Saldana Rating: 4 (Out of 4 Stars) Steven Spielberg reimagines one of Hollywood’s and Broadway’s most beloved musicals and delivers another masterful film. I am sure there are plenty of people who absolutely adore either the 1961 version of West Side Story or experienced a stage production of the musical that is near… Continue reading WEST SIDE STORY (2021)

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) Based on the tumultuous relationship between television sweethearts Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz and a scandal regarding Ball’s political leanings, writer/director Aaron Sorkin depicts a particularly rough week for everyone working on the I Love Lucy sitcom. Sorkin, who is known for his dialogue-heavy scripts, delivers… Continue reading BEING THE RICARDOS

Rating: B The moment I learned that the film Encounter stars Oscar-nominated actor Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal), I was game to watch it without looking at the trailer. Directed by Michael Pearce (Beast) based on a script he co-wrote with Joe Barton (My Days of Mercy, The Ritual), the film is listed as a… Continue reading ENCOUNTER

Rating: B+ Wolf by writer/director Nathalie Biancheri (Nocturnal) is a dramatic narrative film that most certainly is thought provoking. A young man named Jacob (George MacKay, 1917) is taken by his parents to a “clinic” because he has identified himself as a wolf that was born as a human being. There aren’t many details about… Continue reading WOLF

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Always an evocateur, Dutch filmmaker Paul Verhoeven takes on Catholicism in a film that empowers women and challenges its audience to think critically about the conventions that often prevent Christian religions from remaining relevant to the people they are supposed to serve. Verhoeven, who utilizes exploitation… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2021 Review: BENEDETTA

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Life, as seen through the perspectives of adults and children, are usually very different things. While grownups are more knowledgeable and often jaded by what the world has to offer, the youth sometimes have more hopeful and promising outlooks on their future. This new film by… Continue reading C’MON C’MON

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Lin-Manuel Miranda has worked with Disney previously in multiple ways. He has previously contributed songs, and has made different appearances in some of their movies, and his latest contribution to “The House of the Mouse” once again proves to be a great success. In Encanto, Miranda… Continue reading ENCANTO