Tag: Fantastic Fest 2016

By Mark Saldana Rating: 4 (Out of 4 Stars) Paul Verhoeven, the mad, ingenious Dutch filmmaker who directed such films as Robocop, Total Recall (1990), Basic Instinct, and Starship Troopers, is back with a very controversial  thriller which deals with rape, psychological trauma, and how one woman copes with these intense issues.  Isabelle Huppert stars as… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2016 Review: ELLE

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3 (Out of 4 Stars) Appropriately, my first midnight feature of the festival was a doozy of a horror flick that left me wide-eyed and slack-jawed.  It is also a film that left me with more questions unanswered than any other film of the fest.   Writer/directors Jeremy Gillespie and Steve… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2016 Review & Interview: THE VOID

By Mark Saldana Rating: 4 (Out of 4 Stars) I consider Stanley Kubrick one of my favorite filmmakers of all time.  As many of his films that I and other fans have seen, most of us know so little about the enigmatic filmmaker who created such masterpieces as A Clockwork Orange and 2001: A Space… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2016 Review: S IS FOR STANLEY

By Mark Saldana Rating: 2.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Going into this film, I was filled with anticipation and excitement, since this latest take on the lovable kaiju was produced by Toho, the Japanese company where Godzilla originated.  Following the screening, on the other hand, I left somewhat disappointed.  The newest version of Gojira, titled… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2016 Review: SHIN GODZILLA

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Even with the limitations of budget, and that fact that she makes her movies in a Communist state, director Mattie Do remains undaunted and enthusiastic about her films, and wishes to use the medium to shed light on the real problems of her nation.  At the… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2016 Review: DEAREST SISTER

By Mark Saldana Rating: 2.5 (Out of 4 Stars) I am thinking this movie will not win any “respectable” movie awards this year, but it certainly deserves an award for being the weirdest comedy of the year.  The quotables alone will definitely earn this film a well-deserved cult status.  And though I, in my right… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2016 Review: THE GREASY STRANGLER

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) Writer/director Andrea Arnold captures lightning in bottle with her new film American Honey.  The lightning, to which I am referring, is Arnold’s lead actress Sasha Lane.  Lane, who has no previous acting experience, shows that she is a naturally talented actress and has an undeniable screen… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2016 Review: AMERICAN HONEY

By Mark Saldana Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars) It would not be a Fantastic Fest without any scary movies and this particular one turned out to be my favorite horror film of the festival.  Written by Ian B. Goldberg, Richard Naing, and directed by Andre Øvredal (Troll Hunter), The Autopsy of Jane Doe is… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2016 Review: THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE

By Mark Saldana Rating: 4 (Out of 4 Stars) For a festival started by a movie theater company who has a division dedicated to cinema art and posters (Mondo), I cannot think of a more appropriate movie that honors the art and discipline of movie banners.  In keeping with the Bollywood theme of this year’s… Continue reading Fantastic Fest 2016 Review: ORIGINAL COPY