By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) The summer movie season has begun and so has “Phase 2” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For those unfamiliar with this description or terminology, the imaginative people at Marvel Studios dubbed their franchise of films leading to The Avengers, Phase 1 and the next series of… Continue reading Review: IRON MAN 3
Category: Reviews
Review: IRON MAN 3
By Laurie Coker Rating: B While certainly not perfect, Iron Man 3 is, plain and simple, FUN! Most of which can be attributed to Robert Downey Jr.’s playful, wit-ridden delivery and wild antics. Director (and co-writer with first-timer Drew Pierce) Shane Black who is better known behind the pen (Lethal Weapon) than in front, gives… Continue reading Review: IRON MAN 3
Cine Las Americas 16 Reviews: Narrative/Panorama Shorts
By Mark Saldana One the things I really like about Cine Las Americas is the fact that before most feature films, they present one of the shorts submitted to the festival. Because my coverage involves mostly feature length films at festivals, I rarely get the opportunity to view shorts showcases. This year I was able… Continue reading Cine Las Americas 16 Reviews: Narrative/Panorama Shorts
Review: MUD
By Laurie Coker Rating: A+ Matthew McConaughey is on fire. He’s made more movies in the past two years than most actors dream of and his characters are wide and varied. Regardless of the role, he seems to rise up and make it his own. In his most recent film MUD, he plays the title… Continue reading Review: MUD
Cine Las Americas 16 Review: 7 CAJAS/7 BOXES
By Mark Saldana Rating: 4 (Out of 4 Stars) For the piece de resistance, Jean Laurer and her programmers picked an awesome gem of a film to close out the festival. This import from Paraguay had me thoroughly engaged and invested in its story and characters from start to finish. Of all the films I… Continue reading Cine Las Americas 16 Review: 7 CAJAS/7 BOXES
Review: THE COMPANY YOU KEEP
By Laurie Coker Rating: B- “The company you keep is a direct reflection on how people perceive you.” These words, from my mother, resonate in my mind, and I have passed them on to my son and my students. Robert Redford’s new movie The Company you Keep demonstrates the very notion of my mother’s (and… Continue reading Review: THE COMPANY YOU KEEP
Cine Las Americas 16 Review: Panorama Double Feature
By Mark Saldana As part of their Panorama Short Films line up, this year’s Cine Las Americas festival had a double feature of two, hour long, short films on Saturday night (April 20th). The Panorama section celebrates Narrative and Documentary films which “represent innovative and independent filmmakers in complement to the rest of the program;… Continue reading Cine Las Americas 16 Review: Panorama Double Feature
Cine Las Americas 16: NOS VEMOS, PAPA/SEE YOU, DAD
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) From Mexico, writer/director Lucia Carreras tells an affecting and even disturbing tale of a young woman’s painful struggles in coping with the loss of her father. Pilar (Cecilia Suarez) has remained very close to her father and has taken care of him up until his death.… Continue reading Cine Las Americas 16: NOS VEMOS, PAPA/SEE YOU, DAD
Cine Las Americas 16 Review: PATH OF SOULS
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) Every year, Cine Las Americas has maintained a commitment not only to promoting Hispanic/Latino themed and Spanish/Portuguese language films, but also to films dedicated to indigenous and Native American peoples. This year, CLAIFF had two Native American films in their lineup which I had the pleasure… Continue reading Cine Las Americas 16 Review: PATH OF SOULS
Cine Las Americas 16 Review: HASTA NUNCA/SEE YOU NEVER
By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Exactly twenty four hours after watching The Last Time I Saw Macao, I watched another ambitious film which has a similar approach to storytelling. Only this time, the experimental technique pays off. Director Mark Street tells the story of Uruguayan talk radio host Mario Ligetti (Rufo… Continue reading Cine Las Americas 16 Review: HASTA NUNCA/SEE YOU NEVER