By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Opening on April 28, 2017 in New York City is a truly remarkable film about Russian-Jewish immigrants living in Canada. Written and directed by David Bezmozgis, Natasha is a coming-of-age story about an intelligent, and somewhat assimilated, Russian-Jewish teenager dealing with familial problems while trying to… Continue reading Review: NATASHA
Category: Film Reviews
Review: HOW TO BE A LATIN LOVER
By Mark Saldana Rating: 2.5 (Out of 4 Stars) The name Eugenio Derbez is pretty well known among the citizens of Mexico, as well as Latino-Americans. The comedic actor has starred in many Spanish language films, and has made a few appearances in some English language ones. With How to Be A Latin Lover, Derbez… Continue reading Review: HOW TO BE A LATIN LOVER
Review: THE LOST CITY OF Z
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) During the first three decades of the twentieth century, British military officer and renowned explorer Percival Harrison Fawcett led multiple expeditions through Brazil to discover the lost cities of legend, but achieved only moderate successes and never uncovered any cities of gold. His courage and tenacity… Continue reading Review: THE LOST CITY OF Z
Review: UNFORGETTABLE
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) Going into this movie, I was expecting something a little different from what I actually watched. The main trailer for the film comes across more melodramatic and fantastical, like a feature-length soap opera. The preview actually misleads, as the drama and thrills in Unforgettable are actually… Continue reading Review: UNFORGETTABLE
SXSW 2017 Review: FREE FIRE
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) Acclaimed British director Ben Wheatley (Kill List, Sightseers, High Rise) brought his latest film to this year’s SXSW. Free Fire, which features an extraordinary cast portraying a motley mix of colorful characters, is a classic “shoot ’em up” flick that delivers plenty of great lines and… Continue reading SXSW 2017 Review: FREE FIRE
Review: THEIR FINEST
By Renee’ Collins Rating: 4.5 (Out of 5 Reels) A British film crew attempts to boost morale during World War II by making a propaganda film after the Blitzkrieg (IMDB). Imagine what it is like to live in a place that is bombed daily and running into a bomb shelter or the tube in London… Continue reading Review: THEIR FINEST
Review: THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) Who would’ve thought that after sixteen years, and seven films, the Fast & Furious movie franchise would still be racing along and having excited fans race to the cinemas for a dose of adrenaline-fueled fun and utter craziness? What is even more incredible is that after… Continue reading Review: THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS
Fantastic Fest 2016/SXSW 2017 Review: COLOSSAL
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
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