By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) In 1941, Disney studios, in an attempt to recuperate from their financial losses from Fantasia, released a simple, but winning crowd pleaser. Dumbo went on to achieve great success, and at the time, some critical praise. However, the original film is definitely a product of its… Continue reading Review: DUMBO
Category: Reviews
Review: THE HUMMINGBIRD PROJECT
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Tech wars is the material of modern legend, but at its core, the song remains the same. Money talks and b.s. walks. These are tge central themes of this indie drama by Kim Nguyen starring Jesse Eisenberg and Alexander Skarsgård. Not only does greed corrupt, but… Continue reading Review: THE HUMMINGBIRD PROJECT
SXSW 2019 Review: THE BEACH BUM
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) Six years after Harmony Korine wowed and probably offended audiences at 2013’s SXSW with Spring Breakers, the rebellious director chose the Austin festival to debut his latest offering. Much like the director and the characters in some of his previous films, the titular protagonist of The… Continue reading SXSW 2019 Review: THE BEACH BUM
Film Review: Decades Later, the WW II Story Seen in “The Aftermath” Still Hits the Heart
By Liz Lopez Rating B – It is never easy to watch scenes of war – in any country or any era – and the opening scenes of “The Aftermath” shows the viewers what Hamburg, Germany looks like after the World War II bombing. The first part of the city we see is destroyed and… Continue reading Film Review: Decades Later, the WW II Story Seen in “The Aftermath” Still Hits the Heart
SXSW 2019 Review: US
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) After impressing audiences and critics with his directorial debut Get Out, Jordan Peele is back with a new horror entry which was selected as the opening night film for this year’s SXSW Film Festival. Though I would hardly call his second feature indicative of a sophomore… Continue reading SXSW 2019 Review: US
Review: THE MUSTANG
By Mark Saldana Rating: 4 (Out of 4 Stars) In the US, there is a program where wild Mustang horses are captured for their own protection and sent to prisons to be trained and auctioned. This program has been proven to be very therapeutic for inmates incarcerated for terrible crimes and allows them to find… Continue reading Review: THE MUSTANG
Review: GLORIA BELL
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) As with all remakes, this movie begs the question of whether or not a remake is absolutely necessary. Well, I suppose if a remake is to be accomplished , it should be done by the same writer and director. In 2013, Chilean filmmaker Sebastian Lelio released… Continue reading Review: GLORIA BELL
Review: RUBEN BRANDT, COLLECTOR
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) From the moment I experienced the opening sequence of this animated movie, I knew that I was about to enjoy something very special. From the gorgeous animation and action sequences to the humor and the utter strangeness of it all, I never realized how gorgeous and… Continue reading Review: RUBEN BRANDT, COLLECTOR
SXSW 2019 Review: THE HIGHWAYMEN
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) From director John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side, The Founder) comes this supposed historically accurate portrait of the lawmen who stopped infamous criminals Bonnie and Clyde. This movie, which screened at this year’s SXSW Film Festival, gets an Austin theatrical run on March 22 and will… Continue reading SXSW 2019 Review: THE HIGHWAYMEN
SXSW 2019 Review: I AM RICHARD PRYOR
By Mark Saldana Rating: 4 (Out of 4 Stars) Richard Pryor is arguably the greatest comedian of all time. From his early, more family friendly style in the early sixties through his raw, honest and profane material in the seventies and eighties, Richard could make people laugh. However, he could also make people think seriously… Continue reading SXSW 2019 Review: I AM RICHARD PRYOR