By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Leave it to Fantastic Fest to conclude their film extravaganza with a Christmas movie. Of course, this is not the typical, feel-good holiday fare one comes to expect from the season. What is served up is a pitch-black comedy that takes place during Christmas, but during… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2021 Review: SILENT NIGHT
Category: MAIN
Fantastic Fest 2021 Review: BENEDETTA
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
C’MON C’MON
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
ENCANTO
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
JURASSIC WORLD DOMINION
Jurassic World Dominion arrives in theaters June 10, 2022. The Prologue, a new, five-minute special prologue to Jurassic World Dominion, directed by Dominion director and co-writer Colin Trevorrow, is not featured in the film itself but is separate, original content. The Prologue serves as the beginning of a story that will be continued in theaters… Continue reading JURASSIC WORLD DOMINION
HOUSE OF GUCCI
By Liz Lopez Rating: B+ Directed by Ridley Scott, House of Gucci is a very entertaining (albeit very long) story about the Gucci empire and the family drama full of greed, backstabbing – oh and I cannot forget to mention murder. Scott works from a script by Becky Johnston and Roberto Bentivegna, based on Sara… Continue reading HOUSE OF GUCCI
JULIA
Rating: A Julie Cohen and Betsy West’s feature-length documentary, Julia, appealed to me so much more than any other previous film about Julia Child’s life and career. I did not anticipate feeling quite so satisfied with this story about a very well known and often written about celebrity cookbook writer and TV cooking show pioneer.… Continue reading JULIA
SURVIVING SUPERCON
Rating: B+ SYNOPSIS: Surviving Supercon is a zany behind the scenes look at how a rag-tag Mom & Pop organization pulls off one the biggest pop culture conventions in the United States. Directed and edited by Steven Shea, Surviving Supercon is an insider look at convention production, following husband and wife owners Mike Broder and… Continue reading SURVIVING SUPERCON
GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Jason Reitman has obviously chosen a career that follows in his father’s footsteps in cinema. This has never been more apparent until he chose to make a sequel to his father’s (Ivan Reitman) iconic Ghostbusters movies. Though not as overtly comedic as his Ivan Reitman’s first… Continue reading GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE
TICK, TICK…BOOM!
By Mark Saldanay Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Now playing in some theaters, as well as available for streaming via Netflix is a wonderful musical that tells the story about the humble beginnings of the acclaimed late playwright Jonathan Larson. Larson, who is best known for his successful musical play Rent, struggled as a… Continue reading TICK, TICK…BOOM!