Category: Reviews

By Mark Saldana Rating: 4 (Out of 4 Stars) Opening in NYC and LA on September 15, documentary film Red Trees tells the powerful and poignant story of Holocaust survivor Alfred Willer as he and his filmmaker daughter Marina take audiences through their family history as Jews living in Czechoslovakia during Germany’s occupation during World… Continue reading Review: RED TREES

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) Writer/director Darren Aronofsky is one of Hollywood’s most unique filmmakers.  With movies Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, The Wrestler, Black Swan, and Noah in his filmography, one never knows what to expect from the talented, but enigmatic artist.  If The Wrestler is Aronofsky’s most accessible and… Continue reading Review: mother!

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) In 1951, author J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye was published to instant critical acclaim and became a massive best seller, launching the relatively unknown author into legendary status.  The author would continue writing and would become more withdrawn from the public eye, but… Continue reading Review: REBEL IN THE RYE

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) Late author Vince Flynn’s Mitch Rapp book series serves as the inspiration for what movie producers hope is the first installment of another successful film franchise.  Directed by Michael Cuestra (Kill the Messenger), American Assassin offers an origin story for Rapp, a young, skilled, but naive… Continue reading Review: AMERICAN ASSASSIN

By Mark Saldana Rating: 2 (Out of 4 Stars) After reviewing great movies such as The Big Sick, Signature Move, and Band Aid,  it seems like the romantic comedy genre was on the rise.  However, as most film critics know, it is only a matter of time before a not-so-great movie sets things back again.… Continue reading Review: HOME AGAIN

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) For many years, the number of incarcerated Black Americans has outnumbered that of white people and other ethnic groups.  In more recent times, many wrongful imprisonments have been uncovered; however, these cases often get revealed after these prisoners have already served years, even decades.  Several films… Continue reading Review: CROWN HEIGHTS

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) In 1986, Stephen King’s epic horror novel, IT, hit books stores, and through the following decades, the book has become one of the acclaimed author’s more celebrated stories.  The novel received an ambitious, albeit weak,  TV miniseries treatment in 1990. Fans would have to wait, though, for… Continue reading Review: IT

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) I have always been interested in different cultures of the world and have learned much through cinema.  Though I have viewed and reviewed several films about Jewish people, I cannot recall one that focusses on the Hasidic sect.  A new independent film titled Menashe offers an… Continue reading Review: MENASHE

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) When it comes to this comedy film series, either one likes it or one doesn’t.  At least that seems to be my take from the mixed responses I get whenever mentioning it.  I can totally get why these films aren’t one’s proverbial “cup of tea.”  They… Continue reading Review: THE TRIP TO SPAIN

By Laurie Coker Rating: C+ Generally, Steve Coogan and Rob Bryden are extremely funny men. Coogan oscillates nicely between comedy and drama and his name draws fans from both sides of the pond. Bryden and Coogan traveled together to Northern England and to Italy in previous “trips” and now embark on a journey to Spain.… Continue reading Review: THE TRIP TO SPAIN