By Liz Lopez Rating: B+ Leaving the comfort of your family home for the first time, for whatever reason – education and work, among many others – is not an easy feat for many who have various adjustments to make. It is one thing to make the move in the city you are born in… Continue reading Austin Film Festival 2015 Review: BROOKLYN
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Review: BY THE SEA
By Liz Lopez Rating: C If it is an action and a fast pace film you seek this weekend, By the Sea, Angelina Jolie Pitt’s third feature as director, is not one you may choose. Jolie Pitt also wrote and produced the film with her real life spouse, Brad Pitt, plus they have the leading… Continue reading Review: BY THE SEA
Review: SPOTLIGHT
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Much like Woodward and Bernstein brought out the truth behind the Watergate scandal, the Boston Globe’s Spotlight team revealed the truth behind the Boston sexual abuse scandal within the Catholic Church. Writer/director Tom McCarthy, who co-wrote with Josh Singer, does an outstanding job recreating these events… Continue reading Review: SPOTLIGHT
Review: BROOKLYN
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Starting a new life in a foreign land can be both frightening and exciting. It is more frightening for those who have had to do it alone. Whether done legally or illegally, immigrants attempt this in our country all the time and have done so for… Continue reading Review: BROOKLYN
Review: THE NIGHT BEFORE
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) My biggest complaint with Love the Coopers had to do with how formulaic it really is. I also get somewhat annoyed with how wholesome holiday movies often are. I do realize that holiday films usually have the goal of appealing to the entire family, and that’s… Continue reading Review: THE NIGHT BEFORE
Review: THE 33
By Mark Saldana Rating: 2.5 (Out of 4 Stars) The 2010 Copiapo mining accident was a frightening ordeal that should have killed the thirty-three miners trapped underground for over two months. During the course of their cave-in and rescue attempts, the world was captivated by this story and sat on edge the entire time, hoping… Continue reading Review: THE 33
Review: MY ALL AMERICAN
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) The legendary story of Freddie Joe Steinmark is one with which most Texas Longhorn football fans are familiar. During the late 1960s, Steinmark played for the team under the venerable Coach Darrell Royal. He played safety during his career at the University and was a part… Continue reading Review: MY ALL AMERICAN
Review: LOVE THE COOPERS
By Mark Saldana Rating: 2 (Out of 4 Stars) Almost every single modern, ensemble holiday movie seems to have the same structure. Characters have problems. The holiday, whichever one it is, seems to magnify the character’s woes. Characters have to face their problems. Characters develop new relationships or reinforce established ones and this helps with… Continue reading Review: LOVE THE COOPERS
Austin Film Festival 2015 Review: A SINGLE FRAME
By Mark Saldana Rating: 4 (Out of 4 Stars) During the late 1990s while covering the Kosovo War, acclaimed photojournalist Alexandra Boulat took a powerful and emotional photo of Albanian refugee Sadik Kadrijaj. The now deceased photographer probably realized how incredible the image was, but neither she nor Sadik probably ever thought that the photo would… Continue reading Austin Film Festival 2015 Review: A SINGLE FRAME
Austin Film Festival 2015 Interview: A SINGLE FRAME
By Mark Saldana While preparing my schedule for this year’s Austin Film Festival, this particular documentary really stood out for me. Reading its synopsis, I was instantly touched by the subject and how it promised to show the impact of art, particularly within the media of photography and film. Brandon Dickerson’s film delivers as it… Continue reading Austin Film Festival 2015 Interview: A SINGLE FRAME