By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) Disney’s movie about the Patel/Singh baseball success story does make for some mostly benign family entertainment, but doesn’t really bring anything new or dynamic to sports movies. Nonetheless, the story of how two Indian young men from humble backgrounds came to play major league baseball is a… Continue reading Review: MILLION DOLLAR ARM
Category: Reviews
Review: LOCKE
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) A movie that solely takes place in a driving car, featuring only one actor in the flesh may sound like a potential recipe for disaster. With a first rate script and stupendous direction by Steven Knight, and a brilliant performance by Tom Hardy, Locke is no disaster… Continue reading Review: LOCKE
Review: GOD’S POCKET
By Mark Saldana Rating: 2.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Actor John Slattery’s (Mad Men) directorial debut is definitely an interesting piece, reminiscent of Martin Scorsese’s earlier films (Who’s That Knocking at My Door, Mean Streets), capturing the day to day lives of the blue collar workers and low rent criminals of an old rough and tumble… Continue reading Review: GOD’S POCKET
Review: The Truth About – NEIGHBORS (SXSW 2014)
By Laurie Coker Rating: F- I wish I had time to write a longer more PASSIONATE review about Seth Rogen and Zac Efron’s film Neighbors, but I don’t. I like to consider myself fairly open minded, accepting person, knowing that I don’t represent the demographic for every film, and I did the same with Neighbors,… Continue reading Review: The Truth About – NEIGHBORS (SXSW 2014)
Cine Las Americas 17: PANORAMA SHORT FILMS
By Mark Saldana One of the things I really enjoy about Cine Las Americas is that before most of the feature films, they screen a short film. With other film festivals, shorts usually get their own showcases, but for me, this presents other screenings to squeeze into my already chaotic schedule. If it were not… Continue reading Cine Las Americas 17: PANORAMA SHORT FILMS
Review: NEIGHBORS (SXSW 2014)
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) I’m not going to make any pretenses that this film offers a story that is particularly smartly written or well conceived. In fact, I am willing to admit that the story embraces absurdity, is rather silly, and often ignores most notions of reality. However, any movie… Continue reading Review: NEIGHBORS (SXSW 2014)
Cine Las Americas 17 Review: PELO MALO (BAD HAIR)
By Mark Saldana Rating: 4 (Out of 4 Stars) My final feature film of the 17th annual Cine Las Americas International Film Festival closed the event on a somewhat somber, but important and relevant note. Another import from Venezuela, Pelo Malo tells the story of Junior (Samuel Lange Zambrano), a young impoverished child with much internal… Continue reading Cine Las Americas 17 Review: PELO MALO (BAD HAIR)
Cine Las Americas 17: LA CASA DEL RITMO, A FILM ABOUT LOS AMIGOS INVISIBLES (THE HOUSE OF RHYTHM)
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Prior to watching this film, I had never heard of Los Amigos Invisibles, and now, after having enjoyed this documentary/concert film, I want to seek out their discography. With infectious, danceable grooves, skillful musicianship, and often amusing lyrics, this disco/funk group from Caracas, Venezuela have quite… Continue reading Cine Las Americas 17: LA CASA DEL RITMO, A FILM ABOUT LOS AMIGOS INVISIBLES (THE HOUSE OF RHYTHM)
Cine Las Americas 17 Review: MEMORIAS DE UN SOLDADO (A SOLDIER’S MEMORIES)
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) The country of Venezuela was well represented at Cine Las Americas this year, especially on the last day of the festival where I saw three films from Venezuela, back-to-back. This period piece based on the actual memoirs of soldier fighting in the Venezuelan War of Independence… Continue reading Cine Las Americas 17 Review: MEMORIAS DE UN SOLDADO (A SOLDIER’S MEMORIES)
Cine Las Americas 17 Review: MIRANDAS MULTIPLES, LA MAQUINA LOCA (MULTIPLE VISIONS, THE CRAZY MACHINE)
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3,5 (Out of 4 Stars) This Mexican documentary about legendary cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa is a must see for all cinephiles. With a career of over 200 films, the images of Figueroa have been witnessed and admired by many people. His awe-inspiring work has inspired the work of several modern cinematographers including… Continue reading Cine Las Americas 17 Review: MIRANDAS MULTIPLES, LA MAQUINA LOCA (MULTIPLE VISIONS, THE CRAZY MACHINE)