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By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) Appropriately, my first midnight feature of the festival was a doozy of a horror flick that left me wide-eyed and slack-jawed.  It is also a film that left me with more questions unanswered than any other film of the fest.   Writer/directors Jeremy Gillespie and Steve… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2016 Review & Interview: THE VOID

By Mark Saldana Rating: 4 (Out of 4 Stars) I consider Stanley Kubrick one of my favorite filmmakers of all time.  As many of his films that I and other fans have seen, most of us know so little about the enigmatic filmmaker who created such masterpieces as A Clockwork Orange and 2001: A Space… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2016 Review: S IS FOR STANLEY

By Mark Saldana Rating: 2.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Going into this film, I was filled with anticipation and excitement, since this latest take on the lovable kaiju was produced by Toho, the Japanese company where Godzilla originated.  Following the screening, on the other hand, I left somewhat disappointed.  The newest version of Gojira, titled… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2016 Review: SHIN GODZILLA

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Even with the limitations of budget, and that fact that she makes her movies in a Communist state, director Mattie Do remains undaunted and enthusiastic about her films, and wishes to use the medium to shed light on the real problems of her nation.  At the… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2016 Review: DEAREST SISTER

By Mark Saldana Rating: 2.5 (Out of 4 Stars) I am thinking this movie will not win any “respectable” movie awards this year, but it certainly deserves an award for being the weirdest comedy of the year.  The quotables alone will definitely earn this film a well-deserved cult status.  And though I, in my right… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2016 Review: THE GREASY STRANGLER

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Writer/director Andrea Arnold captures lightning in bottle with her new film American Honey.  The lightning, to which I am referring, is Arnold’s lead actress Sasha Lane.  Lane, who has no previous acting experience, shows that she is a naturally talented actress and has an undeniable screen… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2016 Review: AMERICAN HONEY