Category: Reviews

By Mark Saldana Rating: 2 (Out of 4 Stars) Kate Winslett and Idris Elba star in this survival film which has a few compelling moments, some thrills, and a seemingly forced romance.  Based on the novel by Charles Martin, writers J. Mills Goodloe, Chris Weitz, and director Hany Abu-Assad offer the expected story elements that come with survival… Continue reading Review: THE MOUNTAIN BETWEEN US

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) Introduced in 1982, Hasbro’s My Little Pony line of toys would endure through different iterations and multiple generations of children and fans.  The popularity of the toys inspired some TV movies and a couple of animated series.  The more recent program, My Little Pony: Friendship Is… Continue reading Review: MY LITTLE PONY: THE MOVIE

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Based on the Manga series by Hiroaki Samura, this action-packed, slice and stab samurai fest is not all about the badass violence, it has much heart and lovely character development as well.  Directed by prolific filmmaker Takashi Miike, Blade of the Immortal delivers on so many levels.  The… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2017 Review: BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) To quote actor Thomas Jane, who has starred in three Stephen King adaptations, “We all like Stephen King. It’s a good year for him.”  There’s no denying the popularity of King’s stories or how well they often translate to movies. In 2017, Gerald’s Game is the… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2017 Review: GERALD’S GAME

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Fantastic Fest alum S. Craig Zahler (Bone Tomahawk) returns to the festival with his second feature film, a hardcore, badass and brutal prison movie that features a career-changing performance by Vince Vaughn.  Vaughn stars as Bradley Thomas, a retired boxer struggling to make ends meet for… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2017 Review: BRAWL IN CELL BLOCK 99

By Laurie Coker Rating: A The battle rages on – gender battles that is. While new and unique elements have come to the light in the battle of the sexes this century, the well-known, at least to my generation, tennis match between the arrogant, bizarre, self-professed chauvinist Bobby Riggs and one of the top female… Continue reading Review: BATTLE OF THE SEXES

By Mark Saldana Rating: 4 (Out of 4 Stars) Writer/director Yorgos Lanthimos’s follow up to to the critically acclaimed The Lobster is an equally brilliant film that mixes dark cringe comedy into a psychological horror story that is guaranteed to stay with its audiences.  Lanthimos has a distinctive style that is obviously well-schooled in Stanley… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2017 Review: THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) During her career as a tennis player, Billie Jean King had to fight hard and play well to win respect in a male-dominated sport run by men who often saw women’s tennis as novel entertainment.  King’s battles against male chauvinism would only be one of the… Continue reading Review: BATTLE OF THE SEXES

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) True crime stories have become a dime a dozen in Hollywood.  As long as real people keep making bad decisions and exercising poor judgment for cash prizes, there will always be plenty of material for filmmakers to utilize.  It is up to filmmakers, though, to not… Continue reading Review: AMERICAN MADE

By Mark Saldana Rating: 4 (Out of 4 Stars) Under the pen name Charles Moulton, Dr. William Moulton Marston is best known as the creator of comic book character Wonder Woman and also has received notoriety for inventing the lie detector machine.  Even though Marston did encounter controversy because of his inclusion of bondage and… Continue reading Fantastic Fest Review/Interview: PROFESSOR MARSTON AND THE WONDER WOMEN