Category: Reviews

Review: BURNING ANNIE

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Winner of the 1977 Academy Award for Best Picture, Woody Allen’s Annie Hall has not only had a profound impact on pop culture, but has also inspired filmmakers of many generations that have followed it.  During the late 1990s, Allen’s iconic film inspired writers Randy Mack,… Continue reading Review: BURNING ANNIE

Cine Las Americas 20: Recap And Award Winners

By Mark Saldana Source: CineLasAmericas.org The twentieth annual Cine Las Americas International Film Festival concluded Sunday night (May 8) with a reception, awards ceremony and screening of the film Sueño En Otro Idioma at the Blanton Museum of Art.  After presenting a total of 172 films (both short and feature length) in six different Austin venues,… Continue reading Cine Las Americas 20: Recap And Award Winners

Cine Las Americas 20 Review: DE CHICA EN CHICA

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) On Friday night of the festival, I enjoyed this zany LGBT comedy from Spain.  De Chica en Chica (Girl Gets Girl) follows the comic misadventures of Inés (Celia Freijeiro), a lesbian philanderer who has burned too many bridges in Miami, Florida.  She decides to escape the wrath… Continue reading Cine Las Americas 20 Review: DE CHICA EN CHICA

Review: SNATCHED

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn team up for a risque’ action-comedy and even though the results are amusing, they fall considerably short of extraordinary.  Written by Katie Dippold (The Heat, 2016 version of Ghostbusters) and directed by Jonathan Levine (50/50, The Night Before), Snatched matches Schumer’s brand of… Continue reading Review: SNATCHED

Review: NORMAN: THE MODERATE RISE AND TRAGIC FALL OF A NEW YORK FIXER

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Who is Norman Oppenheimer? What exactly does he do and why?  The title of this film labels Norman as a “New York Fixer,” and the amiable, but pushy character can help fix things, but his meddling eventually gets him into trouble.  After all, this a rise… Continue reading Review: NORMAN: THE MODERATE RISE AND TRAGIC FALL OF A NEW YORK FIXER

Cine Las Americas 20 Review: EL CIUDADANO ILUSTRE

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) My Cine Las Americas film festival continued the next night with this hilarious gem from Argentina.  El Cidudano Ilustre/The Distinguished Citizen tells a rather amusing tale about Daniel Mantovani, a man who left his humble small town in Argentina to achieve both critical and financial success as… Continue reading Cine Las Americas 20 Review: EL CIUDADANO ILUSTRE

Review: SNATCHED

By Laurie Coker rating: B- Amy Schumer can be worrisome. Her devil may care attitude and trash talking potty mouth works for some, but is offing putting for others. Her new film, co-starring the delightful Goldie Hawn, Snatched allows her to be funny without too much over-the-top nastiness. Her pairing with Hawn is what makes… Continue reading Review: SNATCHED

Review: RISK

By Liz Lopez Rating: B- Academy Award-winning director Laura Poitras (‘Citizenfour’) has had incredible access to WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, who has been under political asylum at London’s Ecuadorian embassy for several years. The documentary she directed and produced, “Risk”, arrives in United States theaters after the 2016 Cannes Film Festival (Directors’ Fortnight). Filmed over… Continue reading Review: RISK

Cine Las Americas 20 Review: ME ESTAS MATANDO SUSANA

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) On Wednesday, May 3, Austin’s 20th annual, Cine Las Americas International Film Festival began with this hilarious relationship comedy from Mexico.  Every year, the film festival highlights mostly Spanish language films from Mexico, Spain, the United States, and nations of Latin America.  The festival also features… Continue reading Cine Las Americas 20 Review: ME ESTAS MATANDO SUSANA