By Liz Lopez Rating: B+ Slowly but surely, changes are being made to create and produce more films that tell the real life stories of success from unexpected places around the world. Biopic films may not appeal to all fans of cinema, but some are especially engaging when the script is good and the performance… Continue reading Review: QUEEN OF KATWE
Category: Reviews
Fantastic Fest 2016: END REPORT
By Mark Saldana Photos by Mark Saldana After eight days of film screenings, special events, parties and other fun and games, the 2016 Fantastic Fest has come to end. This end-of-the fest piece is always bittersweet for me. After spending a week at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar getting reacquainted with old friends and getting… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2016: END REPORT
Fantastic Fest 2016 Review: MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) The young adult novel which inspires Tim Burton’s newest movie seems tailor-made for Burton’s creative and imaginative mind and his artistic sensibilities for creating a visually vibrant cinematic experience. The material also has the right amount of abberance for Fantastic Fest audiences. I have not read… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2016 Review: MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN
Review: DEEP WATER HORIZON
By Laurie Coker Rating: A- Few who watched the news about the huge oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, especially those affected by the disaster, will ever forget the catastrophe on the off-shore oil rig the Deepwater Horizon. Director Peter Berg (Lone Survivor) gives viewers a taut, tense tale of that fateful day when… Continue reading Review: DEEP WATER HORIZON
Fantastic Fest 2016: OVER THE HUMP REPORT
By Mark Saldana Photos by Mark Saldana As Monday comes to an end and Tuesday begins, some Fantastic Festers might be feeling the lack of sleep right about now. I know I am feeling slightly fatigued, but with so much to do and so little time to do it, it is rather difficult not to… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2016: OVER THE HUMP REPORT
Review: THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
By Laurie Coker Rating: B+ Riding gallantly into theatres is the newest Magnificent Seven, starring Denzel Washington, Haley Bennett , Chris Pratt, Vincent D’Oonfrio, Lee Byung-hun, Ethan Hawke, Peter Sarsgaard, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo and an entertaining ensemble cast. When a film follows the likes of a cult classic, iconic actors like Yul Brenner, Eli Wallach and… Continue reading Review: THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
Review: STORKS
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) The new movie by the Warner Animation Group (The Lego Movie) delivers laughs, but also might have a tendency to grate on one’s nerves with some of its over-the-top cartoonishness and some jokes that are just plain duds. Judging from the reactions of the audience at… Continue reading Review: STORKS
Review: THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (2016)
By Liz Lopez Rating: B- The Magnificent Seven is anything but original, as the first feature made by the same name was in 1960, and is a Western enjoyed to this day by the elders who are familiar with that version of it. Even that feature is a remake of 1950s Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai. The… Continue reading Review: THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (2016)
Review: STORKS
By Liz Lopez Rating: C+ Storks is the new animated comedy feature film that includes what the birds used to do back in the day and what they have since been doing when that industry was shuttered. Instead of delivering babies, they deliver consumer packages. While it is not the best animated comedy film this… Continue reading Review: STORKS
Review: THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (2016)
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) Released in 1954, Akira Kurosawa’s The Seven Samurai tells a story about a group of Ronin (masterless samurai) who selflessly defend a village of farmers from bandits who constantly steal crops. This film as well as its American Western remake The Magnificent Seven (1960) share the… Continue reading Review: THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (2016)