Category: MAIN

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Impressing writing, skillful dlrection and an incredible, transcendent performance by Mahershala Ali make Swan Song a must-see science fiction drama. Written and directed by Benjamin Cleary, the film tells the tragic story of a loving and good-hearted man facing his untimely demise due to a terminal… Continue reading SWAN SONG

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Well, as we have witnessed and experienced during 2020 and 2021, we all know how the people of the world, our leaders, and America have responded to an international pandemic. Filmmaker Adam McKay applies this experience to a fictional scenario involving a comet headed to our… Continue reading DON’T LOOK UP

Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) Much like the first installment of this animated, juke box musical franchise, Sing 2 is simply good, sacharine fun through and through. Both films do not have complex stories or plotting, but that’s okay. The Sing movies just want people to sing, tap their feet and maybe even dance… Continue reading SING 2

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) It would seem that, after the events of The Matrix Revolutions, there would be no way to relaunch this movie franchise. However, thanks to the creativitiy and visionary mind of Lana Wachowski, there is always a way to reboot a movie saga that both celebrates and… Continue reading THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS

By Mark Saldana Rating: 2 (Out of 4 Stars) After Kingsman: The Secret Service and Kingsman: The Golden Circle, director Matthew Vaughn decided to give his latest movie franchise a prequel, which tells the origins of this particular movie universe. I do not know what exactly Vaughn is drinking or consuming, but his ideas for… Continue reading THE KING’S MAN

Rating: 4 (Out of 4 Stars) Immediately following the events of Spider-Man: Far From Home, Jon Watts’ latest addition to the MCU’s/Sony’s live-action Spiderverse challenges Peter Parker in new ways that will eventually threaten his moral code. I must admit that there was a part of me that feared that this movie, and all that… Continue reading SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME

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