Category: Reviews

Austin Film Festival 2019 Short Film Review: IT’S ME (ERA YO)

By Liz Lopez Rating: B+ Andrea Casaseca has written and directed the family drama short film, “It’s Me” (Era Yo), and in the 11 minute 30 seconds that I viewed the film, I could not help but want to know more of this family’s story. The three main characters are created such that the audience… Continue reading Austin Film Festival 2019 Short Film Review: IT’S ME (ERA YO)

Parasite

By Laurie Coker Rating: A+ Admittedly, I prefer to watch films with no subtitles. I become extremely distracted by them and miss things happening on the screen, but the film Parasite holds interest so intensely, that, like seeing a train wreck, it is impossible to look away. Director/ co-writer Bong Joon Ho and writer Han… Continue reading Parasite

Review: PAIN AND GLORY

By Mark Saldana Rating: 4 (Out of 4 Stars) Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar has returned with what seems to be his most personal film yet. Starring Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory features a retired filmmaker coping with aging, loneliness, and a life away from creating art. The film is a moving and reflective portrait of… Continue reading Review: PAIN AND GLORY

Fantastic Fest 2019 Review: PARASITE

By Mark Saldana Rating: 4 (Out of 4 Stars) On the final day of this year’s festival, the newest film from South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho screened and wowed its audiences including me. Though the movie was not the official closing feature, it rightfully should have been. Bong’s darkly comedic thriller is not only one… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2019 Review: PARASITE

Review: BLACK AND BLUE

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) In recent years, the subject of racial discrimination by police has been an inevitably prominent topic in cinema. Most of the films which tackle this matter do so with much gravity (as they should), but this particular film uses the material within an action-thriller. Now, I… Continue reading Review: BLACK AND BLUE

Review: THE LIGHTHOUSE

By Laurie Coker Rating: A Art is relative. Who would have thought that art, especially funny art came in black and white celluloid-style in the 21st century? The Lighthouse starring Willem Defoe and Robert Pattinson is a surprising mix of masterfully woven madness and manic melancholy. They are souls trapped in a tower of solitude.… Continue reading Review: THE LIGHTHOUSE

Review: MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL

By Laurie Coker Rating: D+/C- Sequels, sequels and more sequels. Angelina Jolie reprises her role from the 2014 film Maleficent, a live-action twist on Sleeping Beauty, in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. Jolie along with Michelle Pfeiffer add class and charisma to an otherwise dull and predictable story of good versus evil. Disney, director Joachim Rønning,… Continue reading Review: MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL