Category: Reviews

By Liz Lopez Rating: B – Hostage is the feature directorial debut of filmmaker Eddie Augustin after work on several short films. He and his long-time collaborator, Laura Polisena co-wrote and produced a story about a character, Ashley (Nicole Henderson, “Bizarre Murders” TV Series”). The pre-teen has a life altering change and some people who… Continue reading HOSTAGE

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) From director Martin Campbell (Goldeneye, Casino Royale), comes a new action-thriller that displays his filmmaking skills when it comes to the genre, but is definitely limited by the weaknesses of the screenplay. Writer Richard Wenk penned said script, and though the movie does have some rather… Continue reading THE PROTEGE

By Mark Saldana Rating: 2.5 (Out of 4 Stars) From director David Bruckner (The Signal) comes a mostly captivating and utterly unnerving horror film that ultimately disappoints when it fails to stick the landing. Starring Rebecca Hall, the movie has an amazing, relatable set-up, and has uses a lot of fascinating concepts, but the imagination… Continue reading THE NIGHT HOUSE

By Laurie Coker Rating: C- Our memories, good or bad, often drive us and guide our lives. Still, some events are better forgotten, like the over two hours spent watching ‘Reminiscence’ starring Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson, and Thandie Newton. Writer/director Lisa Joy bites off a lofty challenge of playing with time and memories and ends… Continue reading REMINISCENCE

By Liz Lopez Rating: B+ Sean Penn (The Crossing Guard, (1995); The Pledge (2001); Into the Wild (2007) returns to the director’s seat for the film Flag Day. The deeply flawed individuals in the screenplay, written by Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth, are characters in the 2005 memoir “Flim-Flam Man: The True Story of My… Continue reading FLAG DAY

By Laurie Coker Rating: B+ Director Shawn Levy with a crisp, although not particularly fresh, script by Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn, creates a wild world where gaming and reality intersect in an action-packed, hilarious character-driven romp. ‘Free City’ creators don’t draw from a single video game, or a sitcom, or any other source material,… Continue reading FREE GUY

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) The acronym CODA stands for Child Of Deaf Adults. And the main character of this winning movie is exactiy that. In fact, the protagonist Ruby Rossi (Emilia Jones) is the only one in her family with the ability to hear. Ruby is a high school senior… Continue reading CODA

By Mark Saldana Rating: 2.5 (Out of 4 Stars) A child shows signs of musical talent at a young age. Her parents encourage her to develop that talent. She eventually become a massive star and must face the demons of her past. Now, I know that this plot sounds all too familiar. And such is… Continue reading RESPECT

By Liz Lopez Rating: B+ In “Free Guy”, Ryan Reynolds’ character is a bank teller named Guy who lives in a world that doesn’t change day to day and that is because his world isn’t real. Guy is a video game character, but a non-playable one (known as an NPC, or “non-playable character”), which means… Continue reading Free Guy