By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) Most people know about the movie Rocky, but not all of these same people know that the first Rocky film was inspired by a real boxer and his lucky shot at the heavyweight title. The new film by Canadian film director Philippe Falardeau (Monsieur Lazhar), tells… Continue reading Review: CHUCK
Category: Reviews
Review: ALIEN: COVENANT
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) After receiving mixed critical responses for his Alien prequel, Prometheus, filmmaker Ridley Scott has returned to the franchise with a follow-up prequel that plays more like a traditional Alien film, but also bridges the gap between its more cerebral and experimental predecessor and the franchise fans know and love.… Continue reading Review: ALIEN: COVENANT
Review: THE LOVERS
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) As “Old Blue Eyes” used to sing, love and marriage go well together, but as most adult people know by now, traveling that road together has its share of speed bumps, obstacles and hazzards. As another pop song goes, “Love is strange.” Love often has no… Continue reading Review: THE LOVERS
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