Category: Reviews

By Mark Saldana  Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars)  During the financial crisis of the late 2000s, the housing market collapsed due to highly questionable practices by financial institutions offering mortgages to under and unqualified creditees.  As a result, these financial institutions nearly collapsed and the government had to step in and bail them out… Continue reading Review: THE BIG SHORT

By Mark Saldana  Rating: 4 (Out of 4 Stars)  After seeing Far from Heaven and I’m Not There, I became rather impressed with director Todd Haynes.  He is definitely a visionary artist who knows not only how to compose a gorgeous looking film, but a filmmaker who knows how to make his story and characters… Continue reading Review: CAROL

By Liz Lopez Rating: A Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne is incredibly mesmerizing in his performance as illness transforms Steven Hawking’s body in The Theory of Everything. Now, he stars in The Danish Girl, portraying Einar Wegener who undergoes gender-reassignment to fulfill his desire to live like a woman named Lili Elbe. I have no doubt… Continue reading Review: THE DANISH GIRL

By Mark Saldana  Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars)  If one loves when Tina Fey and Amy Poehler host the Golden Globe awards, then have I got an awesome recommendation!  The witty and hilarious comedy duo portrays totally opposite siblings going through a midlife crisis, and their vain attempts at recapturing their excitement and energy… Continue reading Review: SISTERS

By Mark Saldana  Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars)  Earlier this year, for his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, Eddie Redmayne won both a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Best Actor.  After watching his phenomenal performance in The Danish Girl, I believe that Redmayne has a strong chance at… Continue reading Review: THE DANISH GIRL

By Mark Saldana Rating: 2.5 (Out of 4 Stars) I have only seen one cinematic versiib of Shakespeare’s acclaimed play, but it is a bit of a loose adaptation of the Bard’s work.  The 1957 Akira Kurosawa film Throne of Blood takes Shakespeare story and sets it in feudal Japan.  Because this film is a Japanese… Continue reading Review: MACBETH

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) First published in 1851, Herman Melville’s Moby Dick would go on to make a huge impact on English Literature.  Not only would the novel find its critical acclaim, but it would make its way on the required reading lists for high school and college-level literature classes.… Continue reading Review: IN THE HEART OF THE SEA

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) Spike Lee’s newest film, like several of his previous ones, has a message, and in light of the amount of violence in the news this year, it is a highly relevant and important one.  Chi-raq keeps its commentary on violence closer to home and in the… Continue reading Review: CHI-RAQ