By Laurie Coker Rating: A+ We need laughter, we need diversions, and we need relevance with a positive twist. First-time feature director Mike Rianda delivers all that and more, with an exciting voice cast in The Mitchells vs. The Machines. Animators have at least one up on traditional filmmakers during the insane pandemic and in… Continue reading THE MITCHELLS VS THE MACHINES
Category: Reviews
REEFA
By Laurie Coker Rating: B A parent should not have to bury a child. In 2013, Israel ‘Reefa’ Hernandez’ parents put their son to rest. Reefa, starring Tyler Dean Flores, chronicles the story of the wrongful, called “accidental,” death of Hernandez at the hands of the Miami police. This relevant tale plays it safe in… Continue reading REEFA
MORTAL KOMBAT
By Laurie Coker Rating: C+ It is probably minorly important to understand the source material for films like the new Mortal Kombat. I am not a gamer and really, except for pinball in my youth, appear to have no skill or propensity for video games. Regardless, I went in with an open mind. Mortal Kombat,… Continue reading MORTAL KOMBAT
MORTAL KOMBAT
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) In the 1990s, the video game Mortal Kombat became one of the hottest fighting video games in the world. With its photo-realistic graphics for the characters and its intense, gory, over-the-top violence, teens and young adults spent loads of money either playing the arcade versions or… Continue reading MORTAL KOMBAT
THE COURIER
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Now available for viewing via Premium Video on Demand, The Courier tells the compelling true story of British businessman Greville Wynne, a mostly unassuming salesman recruited as a spy during the Cold War and how his work with Russian secret agent Oleg Penkovsky helped defuse the… Continue reading THE COURIER
SXSW 2021: JAKOB’S WIFE
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) From producer/director Travis Stevens, the filmmaker behind several genre festival favorites, comes a “biting” dark satire that critiques some of the more archaic conventions of marriage. Horror legend Barbara Crampton stars as the titular character who finds herself trapped in a stale and stagnant marriage where… Continue reading SXSW 2021: JAKOB’S WIFE
VOYAGERS
By Mark Saldana Rating: 2 (Out of 4 Stars) Much like William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, this science fiction thriller depicts what could happen when teenagers/young adults are left to their immature devices when placed in positions of responsibility. The problem with this film, however, is that is comes across as a not-so-great… Continue reading VOYAGERS
SXSW 2021: VIOLATION
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) This dramatic horror film from Canada deals with the very traumatic problem of rape and abuse, but offers a more frightening and disturbing take on the aftermath of such trauma. Written and directed by, and starring Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Violation depicts what can happen when a family’s… Continue reading SXSW 2021: VIOLATION
SXSW 2021: DEAR MR. BRODY
By Mark Saldana Rating: 4 (Out of 4 Stars) In 1970, Michael James Brody Jr. an heir to oleomargarine millions, publicly announced that he would give away all of the money from his $25 million fortune to anyone who needed it. Known as a “hippie angel,” Brody obviously was not prepared for the massive response… Continue reading SXSW 2021: DEAR MR. BRODY
THE KNOT
By Laurie Coker Rating: B+ Indian writer/director Ashish Pant explores disparaging class divides in his freshman, full-feature film effort, The Knot (Uljhan). The film, starring Vikas Kumar and Saloni Batra rolls along at a slow burn and digs deeply into the chasm that exists between the haves and have nots. Pant’s is suspenseful, although sometimes… Continue reading THE KNOT