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
Category: Film Reviews
DON’T LOOK UP
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
SING 2
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
THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS
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
THE KING’S MAN
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
SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME
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
NIGHTMARE ALLEY
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) To preface this review, I must disclose that I have never once seen the 1947 film adaptation, nor have I ever read the book that inspired both that movie and this new adaptation by acclaimed filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro. That said; I have watched and enjoyed… Continue reading NIGHTMARE ALLEY
THE HAND OF GOD
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) From acclaimed Italian director Paolo Sorrentino, comes a film that very well feels like a very personal fictionalized depiction of the filmmaker’s life during his teen years. Much like Roma does for Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron and Belfast is to Irish filmmaker Kenneth Branagh, The Hand… Continue reading THE HAND OF GOD
RED ROCKET
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Both Harmony Korine (Spring Breakers, The Beach Bum) and Sean Baker love representing and depicting characters best described as social outcasts on the fringe. However their styles of storytelling certainly differ in that Korine tends to blend realism with cartoonish, over-the-top elements while Baker is much… Continue reading RED ROCKET
AMERICAN SICARIO
Rating: B – Filmmaker RJ Collins, with a long history of being a producer, makes his directorial debut based on the script written by Rich Ronat (The Rising Hawk, Grand Isle, While We Sleep). American Sicario is about the real-life story of Erik Vasquez, also known as La Munequita, a Texas -born United States American who… Continue reading AMERICAN SICARIO