By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) The controversy surrounding this movie does raise questions about both the ethical treatment of animals on movie sets and the sensationalism that often comes with scandalous stories broken by notorious tabloid journalism. However, I am not here to address either issue within the controversy. Though I… Continue reading Review: A DOG’S PURPOSE
Category: Reviews
Review: GOLD
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) The best thing about this latest, “Based on Actual Events,” movie is the earnest and passionate performance Matthew McConaughey gives in it. The worst thing, however, is the somewhat lackluster way that director Stephen Gaghan presents the story. Thankfully, Gold isn’t another Scorsese clone like American Hustle,… Continue reading Review: GOLD
Review: PATERSON
By Mark Saldana Rating: 4 (Out of 4 Stars) Jim Jarmusch’s latest film tells the story of a humble artist who creates his work on his own terms, and seems to relish his struggle to create it regularly. I cannot think of another filmmaker more appropriate for telling this story than Jarmusch, an artist known… Continue reading Review: PATERSON
Review: SPLIT
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) After a bit of a dry spell of uncompelling work, M. Night Shyamalan made a bit of a comeback with his horror-thriller The Visit in 2015, a film that kept the production simple and the story elemental, intriguing, and ultimately frightening. Shymalan is back with another… Continue reading Review: SPLIT
Review: XXX: THE RETURN OF XANDER CAGE
By Mark Saldana Rating: 2 (Out of 4 Stars) As I left the theater following this screening, I had come to the conclusion that this film is ridiculous, dumb, over-the-top, and features some of the worst writing I had seen in a while. At the same time, I also realized that I had an absolute… Continue reading Review: XXX: THE RETURN OF XANDER CAGE
Review: 20TH CENTURY WOMEN
By Mark Saldana Rating: 4 (Out of 4 Stars) As Mike Mills’s life experiences inspired his second film Beginners, such is the case with 20th Century Women, a movie which nearly serves as a spiritual predecessor to the director’s sophomore feature. Mills’s films certainly reflect a fascinating, not-so-traditional life that I’m sure caused him more confusion and… Continue reading Review: 20TH CENTURY WOMEN
Review: SPLIT
By Laurie Coker Rating: C- Night Shyamalan wowed us all with The Sixth Sense, amused us with Signs, and some will say impressed viewers with Unbreakable, but since then, he has failed to offer anything in the way of shock and awe in storytelling. His latest film, Split, starring James McAvoy, does little to improve his… Continue reading Review: SPLIT
Review: 20th CENTURY WOMEN
By Laurie Coker Rating: A Many things delineate a generation – years, decades, the culture and the people. 20th Century Women manages to perfectly depict a period in the past, all the while making its themes feel 21st century relevant. Starring Annette Bening in an award-worthy performance, director Mike Mills’ semiautobiographical story is a showcase… Continue reading Review: 20th CENTURY WOMEN
Review: PATRIOTS DAY
By Laurie Coker Rating: B+ The Boston Marathon bombing is one of those events that embed themselves in the collective memory, like the shuttle explosions (the first in 1986), the Oklahoma City (1994) bombing and the twin towers going down (2001). We remember the good too, but the bad seems to burn far more deeply.… Continue reading Review: PATRIOTS DAY
An Overview: LIVE BY NIGHT
By Liz Lopez Rating: B+ Ben Affleck has had an extensive list of acting credits since the 1980s, and the films he has directed and/or written have found success, including “Good Will Hunting” (an Oscar in 1998), “The Town” (an AFI for best movie in 2011), and then the film “Argo” went on to win… Continue reading An Overview: LIVE BY NIGHT