By Mark Saldana Rating: 4 (Out of 4 Stars) I first watched this truly unique and amazing film at Fantastic Fest last year, and when I heard that it would play SXSW 2017, I just had to make time to watch it again. Leave it to bold and brilliant filmmaker Nacho Vigalando (Timecrimes, Extraterrestrial) to take… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2016/SXSW 2017 Review: COLOSSAL
Category: Film Reviews
Review: GIFTED
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) Cinema has tackled the drama of a child custody battle for decades now. As this type of case is rather common in reality, filmmakers have used this scenario and its variations multiple times with results ranging from excellent to melodramatic. Writer Tom Flynn and director Marc… Continue reading Review: GIFTED
Review: GOING IN STYLE
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) In 1979, Going in Style, a brash and exciting comedy about senior citizens boldly thumbing their noses at old age hit theaters to mostly critical acclaim. The film, which starred legendary actors George Burns, Art Carney, and Lee Strasberg, is actually a bit of a punk… Continue reading Review: GOING IN STYLE
Review: SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE
By Mark Saldana Rating: 2 (Out of 4 Stars) Unlike the previous Smurf films produced by Sony/Columbia Pictures, this latest blue adventure gets a completely animated treatment and doesn’t have any live-action scenes with actors. However, like the previous films, this new movie has very little to offer any grown-up fans of the miniature, cobalt… Continue reading Review: SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE
Review: GOING IN STYLE
By Laurie Coker Rating: B- It just feels good to watch Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Alan Arkin interact, even if the story in their new Going in Style, feels familiar, forced and a bit muddled. These charming veteran actors fill the screen with their palpable personalities, and we are the luckier for it. Director… Continue reading Review: GOING IN STYLE
Review: THE BOSS BABY
By Laurie Coker Rating C+/B- I skipped all of The Boss Baby screenings offered for critics so that I could take my grandkids to the film when we all had time. I paid for three tickets on opening day and posted on Facebook that I was sure my grandkids should know how much I love… Continue reading Review: THE BOSS BABY
SXSW 2017 REVIEW: SIGNATURE MOVE
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) I must say that this year’s festival was a pretty good year for diversity in cinema. Director Jennifer Reeder’s Signature Move features a Muslim Pakistani-American, lesbian protagonist trying to pursue a romantic relationship with a Mexican-American girlfriend, but without revealing the complete truth to her uber-traditional… Continue reading SXSW 2017 REVIEW: SIGNATURE MOVE
SXSW 2017 Review: THE LIGHT OF THE MOON
By Mark Saldana Rating: 4 (Out of 4 Stars) Actress Stephanie Beatriz might be best known as for her intensity and comic chops on TV’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine, but the talented actress shows that she can handle the genuine drama and vulnerability that comes with portraying a victim of sexual assault in the outstanding film The… Continue reading SXSW 2017 Review: THE LIGHT OF THE MOON
Review: A BRONX GIRL
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) Three years ago at Austin’s Cine Las Americas International Film Festival, I enjoyed the debut feature film from New York director Adrian Manzano. The film, Sex, Love & Salsa turned out to be one of my favorite entries of the festival and introduced me to the… Continue reading Review: A BRONX GIRL
Review: THE BOSS BABY
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) It is often difficult for a young child to accept or welcome the birth of a new sibling. Newborn babies obviously demand more attention that had been previously dedicated to only the older child or children and this usually proves to be a difficult adjustment. The… Continue reading Review: THE BOSS BABY