Category: Reviews

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) On the second night of Cine Las Americas, Edward James Olmos and his son, director Michael D. Olmos presented this film which offers a fictional, but honest portrait of immigrant life in the United States amidst the backdrop of the 9-11 atracks in 2001. The movie… Continue reading Cine Las Americas 22 Review: WINDOWS ON THE WORLD

By Mark Saldana Rating: 4 (Out of 4 Stars) The 22nd annual Cine Las Americas International Film Festival began with a wondrous, beautiful and heartbreaking documentary which details the life and career of Chicano artist and activist Carlos Almaraz. During the early nineteen sixties, Almaraz left his home in Los Angeles to study art and… Continue reading Cine Las Americas 22 Review: CARLOS ALMARAZ: PLAYING WITH FIRE

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with romantic comedies. There are those that I love dearly and the ones I simply cannot stand. Even the mediocre entries frustrate me to the point of hatred because at this point in Hollywood’s history, they are usually… Continue reading SXSW 2019 Review: LONG SHOT

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) Going into this movie, I couldn’t help, but think, ” You’ve seen one movie about an obsessive psychopath, then you’ve seen them all.” To be fair, that is not always the case. In the case of The Intruder, the movie does have much in common with… Continue reading Review: THE INTRUDER

By Liz Lopez  Rating: B “El Chicano” premiered during the opening weekend of the Los Angeles Film Festival in September of last year, followed by a screening in the Marquee Features category of the Austin Film Festival. If you missed it at the one – time screening in Austin last October, here is your chance… Continue reading Review and Interview: AFF’s “El Chicano” opens Theatrically featuring Raul Castillo in the Lead

By Mark Saldana Rating: 2.5 (Out of 4 Stars) From writer/director László Nemes, the filmmaker who made the critically acclaimed of Saul, comes a different type of story that follows a female protagonist during an era of much prejudice and sexism. The appropriately titled Sunset is a historical drama that entails a lost woman’s quest… Continue reading Review: SUNSET

By Mark Saldana Rating: 4 (Out of 4 Stars) After eleven years and twenty-one movies, the Marvel Cinematic Universe reaches a major turning point with Avengers: Endgame. Not only does the film serve as an end to the Thanos/Infinity Stones story arc, it also serves as a bridge to new adventures ahead. I won’t get… Continue reading Review: AVENGERS: ENDGAME

By Mark Saldana Rating: 2.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Even though this latest installment in The Conjuring Universe premiered at this year’s SXSW Film Festival, I simply wasn’t quite that interested in the film to attend the festival screening. It was just a gut feeling, but at the time, I felt that this movie would… Continue reading Review: THE CURSE OF LA LLORONA

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) From Disneynature comes another gorgeously shot documentary which showcases the life and trials of a particular species. The subject, this time, is a family of Adélie penguins as they go through their regular seasonal routines. This actually proves to be much more exciting than it sounds.… Continue reading Review: PENGUINS