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
Category: Reviews
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
Review: ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) It has been ten years since the first Zombieland hit theaters and maybe that was just the right amount of time to give fans the sequel they deserve. The first movie gave audiences a witty and inventive take on the genre, and though the sequel doesn’t… Continue reading Review: ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP
Review: MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL
By Mark Saldana Rating: 2.5 (Out of 4 Stars) This is the same exact rating that I gave the first Maleficent movie. And it is for mainly the same reasons, that I found this second installment somewhat dull. Maleficent, the “evil” fay from the Sleeping Beauty story just isn’t developed or portrayed in any truly… Continue reading Review: MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL
Review: GEMINI MAN
By Mark Saldana Rating: 2.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Though it has taken a long journey to get here, Gemini Man, for better or worse is now in theaters. On the plus side, the film features an inventive science fiction premise, but on the negative end, also features a somewhat predictable plot. In addition director… Continue reading Review: GEMINI MAN
Review: WHERE’S MY ROY COHN?
By Liz Lopez Rating: A Matt Tyrnauer, the director of “Studio 54,” now presents the documentary, “Where’s My Roy Cohn?” about the New York lawyer who was known to reach for all the power he can while rising in his career. It did not matter to him if it was legal or not. He was… Continue reading Review: WHERE’S MY ROY COHN?
Fantastic Fest 2019 Review: DOLEMITE IS MY NAME
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) As always, the Fantastic Fest lineup this year featured two secret screenings for their eager attendees. Given that Netflix had such a formidable presence at the film festival this year, it wasn’t too surprising that one of their more highly anticipated entries was the first secret… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2019 Review: DOLEMITE IS MY NAME