By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) For this second-to-the-last installment of the Hunger Games saga, director Francis Lawrence and writers Peter Craig, Danny Strong, and Suzanne Collins have taken a much more serious and dramatic approach. In fact this movie feels more real-world than the hyper-stylized world established in the first two… Continue reading Review: THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY – PART 1
Category: Reviews
Review: HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY
By Laurie Coker Rating: B+ Cliff hangers make viewers come back and monetarily, for filmmakers and networks, they make bank. Splitting a novel adaptation into two different films (like the final Harry Potter) makes sense, because it makes money, but to fans a year gap annoys more than it excites. The latest installment of the… Continue reading Review: HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY
Review: LOW DOWN
By Laurie Coker Rating: C Oscilloscope’s new film Low Down’s exceptional cast delivers impressively in this cliché ridden, true story of drug addiction and the damage it does. Based on the memoir of Any-Jo Albany, Low Down: Junk, Jazz, and Other Fairy Tales From Childhood, the film follows a young girl though the rabbit hole… Continue reading Review: LOW DOWN
AFF 2014 Review: ROSEWATER
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) The shocking true story, that inspired Jon Stewart’s directorial debut, sounds so absurd that one could easily think someone concocted it for a Daily Show comedy sketch. As absurd as the circumstances surrounding the abduction of journalist Maziar Bahari sound, they are factual. Bahari and his… Continue reading AFF 2014 Review: ROSEWATER
AFF 2014 Review: 21 YEARS: RICHARD LINKLATER
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) As a fan of the Austin director’s work, this documentary was a must-see for me and is certainly a must-see for all of his other fans. Writer/directors Michael Dunaway and Tara Wood have made a loving tribute to Linklater, the man mainly responsible for the resurgence… Continue reading AFF 2014 Review: 21 YEARS: RICHARD LINKLATER
Review: DUMB AND DUMBER TO
By Mark Saldana Rating: 2.5 (Out of 4 Stars) It has been twenty years since Harry (Jeff Daniels) and Lloyd (Jim Carrey) went on their hilarious and eventful road trip to Aspen and introduced the world to the writing/directing Farelly brothers. During this extensive time period, the Farelly brothers, Carrey, and Daniels have all had… Continue reading Review: DUMB AND DUMBER TO
AFF 2014 Review: 3 STILL STANDING
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) This documentary by directors Robert Campos and Donna LoCicero examines the San Francisco comedy club scene during the 1980s and some of the comedians who have gone on to greater success. The late Robin Williams, Dana Carvey, and Rob Schneider, emerged from the club scene there… Continue reading AFF 2014 Review: 3 STILL STANDING
Review: BIG HERO 6
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) Stop me if you’ve heard this one. A highly intelligent teenager suffers a major loss and hopes to right this wrong. He uses his intelligence towards defeating his enemy and assembles a rag-tag team of heroes to accomplish this goal. This simplified plot synopsis for Big Hero… Continue reading Review: BIG HERO 6
Review: BIG HERO 6
By Laurie Coker Rating: B+ With Big Hero 6, Disney gives us creative, loving characters, who don’t have the broad shoulders, perfects pecs and whittled waistlines of typical Disney heroes. Instead we get Baymax a puffy, marshmallowy robot with a knack for subtle wit and making people feel better. Wicked animation more than makes up… Continue reading Review: BIG HERO 6
Movie News: LONDON HAS FALLEN
“LONDON HAS FALLEN” BEGINS FILMING GERARD BUTLER, AARON ECKHART, MORGAN FREEMAN, ANGELA BASSETT, MELISSA LEO REPRISE STARRING ROLES LONDON – Principal photography has begun on Millennium Films’ and Focus Features’ London Has Fallen, the sequel to the worldwide smash hit “Olympus Has Fallen.” Gerard Butler again stars as Secret Service agent Mike Banning, alongside Aaron Eckhart as… Continue reading Movie News: LONDON HAS FALLEN