Author: Mark Salcido

“Let me give you a tip. If you want to make some money here, use your white voice.” I’ll be honest with you, I had never of heard of Boots Riley before seeing this film. Riley has a lengthy music career—which I have yet to check out. Sorry To Bother You is his directorial debut, a film for which he also wrote. It premiered at 2018’s Sundance with critics and audience members calling it one of the most original comedies in years. I would have to agree with that sentiment because I had no idea what was in store for…

“Suit up! It might get weird.” The Incredibles came out in 2004 when superhero films were always hyped to be amazing but faltered when released. Sam Rami’s 2002 Spider-Man and 2004’s Spider-Man 2 were the exception. Some misguided people would argue that the first two X-Men films were also exceptions. The reason 2004’s The Incredibles was so successful was that it took the family dynamic and made it into the Fantastic Four film we never got. So, it’s understandable that adults would melt into superhero fan boys or girls after fourteen years of anticipations for a sequel. That level of…

Ari Aster’s work is an acquired taste; his shorts – which you can find on YouTube – are evidence of that. The director has slowly built himself to his first film, Hereditary, and is already making his presence known in the horror genre. The movie’s unsettling nature works towards grief and generational trauma with the backdrop of supernatural elements. What Aster does with these is combine them into an elevated horror film that will leave a mark on anyone viewing it. Hereditary, directed by Aster and written by him, follows the story of a family dealing with a serious and…

“Can I have everybody’s attention. I’m looking for the guys who murdered my wife.” It’s easy to have a narrow mindset when it comes to the trailers for Blumhouse’s latest film Upgrade, and rightfully so. The film’s story follows vengeful killing machine Grey Trace (Logan Marshall-Green, or Great Value Tom Hardy) as he navigates his way through the not too distant dystopian future to kill the thugs that murdered his wife–a wife that was just a great plot device.  The only possible way for Trace to do this after becoming a quadriplegic is to sign up for an experimental procedure…

“I know that nothing can change, and I know there is no hope.” I’ve never been a fan of religious films. The idea of watching a story where the power of God gets our characters through their endeavors always seemed full of it, like the Bible. If I do watch a film with religious undertones, it’s normally a movie that showcases the brutality of the subject like The Last Temptation of Christ and Silence. I’m also more inclined to watch a religious film if it has realistic discussions, like Dogma and The Seventh Seal—Dogma and The Seventh Seal in the…

“Let me give you some advice. Assume everyone will betray you and you will never be disappointed” The Star Wars train that Disney has purchased and upgraded keeps chugging along each year. With a new film in the in the ever-growing franchise, many audience members question if spinoffs are necessary. It can work surprisingly well like in Rogue One, or it can crash and burn before the film reaches pre-production, like Josh Trank’s Bobba Fett. Thankfully, James Mangold is in the pilot seat for the latter and is set to write and direct the film. Lucas Films’ next installment in…

“Dread it, run from it, destiny arrives all the same. And now, it’s here. Or should I say, I am.” Very few film franchises can do what Marvel has done. They’ve taken an idea that had a million ways to fail, but to the surprise of everyone, has continued to succeed with hit after hit – culminating in Avengers: Infinity War.  Sure, there were several hiccups in the form of The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Thor: The Dark World, but Marvel always recalibrated and knocked it out of the park with their other films. Audience members have…

Solo: A Star Wars Story has been making a lot of news since the film was first announced. Most of it bad news involving original directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller unceremoniously being fired from the project when 80 percent of the film had completed principle photography and rumors of Alden Ehrenreich’s atrocious acting. Many fans and non-fans of the Star Wars franchise are already calling the film a failure before it even hits theaters and bringing in Ron Howard to finish the film, along with a few reshoots – doesn’t seem to sway the naysayers either. Well, Lucasfilm is hoping…

Lynne Ramsay is one of those directors whose films has always received critical acclaim. Though she is known in the film industry as a heavy hitter when it comes to thought provoking films and amazing storytelling, the general audience is unfamiliar with her work. Yet, she keeps coming back with amazing works of art and her latest film, You Were Never Really Here, shows that Ramsay is here to stay no matter what and deserves every bit of recognition that she will get. Let’s go ahead and find why you need to watch this piece of cinema art ASAP. You Were…

2018 WonderCon has passed, and it was an interesting year for studios, filmmakers, and comic book creators to showcase their latest work. Attending this year’s WonderCon was Doug Liman, director of The Bourne Identity and Edge of Tomorrow, along with Maddie Hasson. The two were at the con to spread the word on their new show, Impulse, (which Hasson is the lead star of) set to be released on the streaming service YouTube Red. The show Impulse is based off the Jumper novel series and I had the chance to sit down and talk to the director and his lead…