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
Category: Film Reviews
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
Review: GHOST IN THE SHELL
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) The original Ghost in the Shell manga series and the the 1995 anime film have strongly inspired science fiction storytellers and filmmakers and obviously form the basis of this American adaptation. Without the original Japanese comics and movie, The Wachowskis’ Matrix Trilogy probably wouldn’t exist, or… Continue reading Review: GHOST IN THE SHELL
Guest Review: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
By Taylor Harris We all were curious to how the characters would come to life in a convincing manner, and it is a testament to how far technology has come. Every character was beautiful and realistic. The effects are so life like, that it’s almost a little odd watching a beast slowly fall for a… Continue reading Guest Review: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
SXSW 2017 Review: INHERITANCE
By Mark Saldana Rating: 4 (Out of 4 Stars) No one ever truly enjoys returning home to bury a parent. This is especially true when doing so re-opens old painful wounds and releases some inner demons from the past. Written and directed by Laura E. Davis and Jessica Kaye, the bold and powerful film Inheritance… Continue reading SXSW 2017 Review: INHERITANCE