By Mark Saldana Rating: 2.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Actor/comedian Chris Rock writes,directs, and stars in this film which comes across like a reflection on his career and some of the questionable choices he has made as an actor. With a handful of genuinely funny moments, Top Five does offer some entertainment and smart insight… Continue reading Review: TOP FIVE
Category: Film Reviews
Review: HORRIBLE BOSSES 2
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, and Charlie Day are back and the results are not that bad. I am not a huge fan of the first film, but I do like it. I feel that the first movie delivers fun laughs, but ultimately doesn’t use some of… Continue reading Review: HORRIBLE BOSSES 2
Review: PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) This spin-off movie, featuring the lovable characters from the Madagascar series, is cute and funny, but often too cartoonish for its own good. Much like the Mr. Peabody and Sherman feature film, Penguins of Madagascar has plenty of old school, cartoon humor with all of its… Continue reading Review: PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR
Review: THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) This biopic/romance story of physicist Stephen Hawking and his love Jane Wilde Hawking may have a formulaic structure, but that doesn’t make their true story any less compelling. The fact that this film is written directed and performed with much heart makes it that much more… Continue reading Review: THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING
Review: THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY – PART 1
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
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