Category: MAIN

By Laurie Coker Rating: D+ Rarely does a film host six directors. But Hopeless Romantic, a film about treading through the ups and downs of romance does.  Directed by a group of women from the East Coast of Canada, Deanne Foley, Martine Blue, Stephanie Clattenburg, Latonia Hartery, Ruth Lawrence, and Megan Wennberg, Hopeless Romantic has… Continue reading HOPELESS ROMANTIC

By Laurie Coker Rating: A An exceptional cast can make almost any movie good, but when given a remarkable and timely story in which to play, the result can be near perfection. Such is the case with Judas and the Black Messiah, a Vietnam Era biopic that shines a glaring light on racial issues as… Continue reading JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH

By Laurie Coker Rating: F There is nothing blissful about Bliss, a convoluted sci-fi drama starring Salma Hayek and Owen Wilson. Writer/director Mike Cahill’s overly dark – thematically and visually – story of one man’s life in and out of reality plays out like a bad LSD trip and a messy rom-com simultaneously. A truly… Continue reading BLISS

By Laurie Coker Rating: A Doing effective wickedly dark comedy takes talent and writer-director, Emerald Fennell does it with a devilish flourish. Starring Carrey Mulligan, a Promising Young Woman, is a provocative, bleakly realistic revenge tale that digs deeply into serious issues. A clearly passionate lead actress and an excellent ensemble cast, coupled with Fennell’s… Continue reading A PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN

By Mark Saldana Rating: 1.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Bliss’s tagline, “Chase Something Real,” invites the audience to follow its protagonist on a soul-searching journey as he attempts to define what is very real to him. However, the film unintentionally has the audience trying to make sense of a poorly developed concept, ambiguously confusing plot… Continue reading BLISS

By Laurie Coker Rating: A- Justin Timberlake has talent and in Palmer, his latest dramatic venture, he creates a brilliant blend of damaged, hardened, and compassionate. Director Fisher Steven brings out the best in his cast in the story of mistakes, redemption, acceptance, and love. Written by Cheryl Guerriero, Palmer draws up rich characters in… Continue reading PALMER

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) Justin Timberlake stars as the titular Eddie Palmer, a former football superstar whose life takes a hard detour after he makes a costly mistake. The movie might be a familiar redemption story, but is one with a more modern twist. Though the story obvious retreads similar… Continue reading PALMER

By Mark Saldana Rating: 2 (Out of 4 Stars) From writer/director John Lee Hancock, comes a dark crime thriller that, at one point, tries to set itself apart from other similar films, but fails miserably to do so. Hancock goes through some very familiar motions, borrowing elements from other better detective stories and tries to… Continue reading THE LITTLE THINGS

By Liz Lopez Rating: B The new IFC movie, No Man’s Land, is by Texas filmmakers Conor Allyn (Walk.Ride.Rodeo) who directed, based on the script written by his brother, Jake Allyn (protagonist in this film) and co-writer David Barraza (Spanish TV series writer and executive producer for this film). This is not the first film… Continue reading NO MAN’S LAND

By Mark Saldana Rating: 4 (Out of 4 Stars) With war as a background, many love stories have enchanted and enthralled audiences in the world of cinema. 1982 works its magic in a similar fashion, but does so within the context of the 1982 Lebanon War and focuses on the love stories of two different… Continue reading 1982