Sasha Calle – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

WARDRIVER – Review by Sarah Ward

March 15, 2026March 16, 2026 Sarah Ward Dane DeHaan, Jeffrey Donovan, Mamoudou Athie, Rebecca Thomas, Sasha Calle, wardriver

Knowing how to hold a moment for a character who is realising that their world is changing forever is an underrated directorial skill. Let the time fly by and the emotional impact won’t land. Linger too long and subtlety drains. Rebecca Thomas’ two feature films, 2012’s coming-of-age drama Electrick Children and new thriller Wardriver, might clock in at less than 100 minutes apiece, but they both demonstrate the filmmaker’s talent for doing a Goldilocks and getting these moments just right.

Reviews

THE RIP – Review by Susan Granger

January 27, 2026January 25, 2026 Susan Granger ben affleck, Catalina Sandino Moreno, matt damon, netflix, Sasha Calle, Steven Yuen, Teyana Taylor, The RIP

As one of 2026’s first Netflix releases, The RIP is supposed to be a heist thriller – using cop parlance for stealing cash, drugs and/or weapons – but those initials really signify “repetitive informant procedural” since there’s obviously corruption on the Miami/Dade police force. An elite narcotics unit is under investigation after the death of Capt. Jackie Velez (Lina Esco) whose murder seems to be tied to robberies at local stash houses, known as a “RIP.” When Lt. Dane Dumars (Matt Damon) gets a tip that could reveal Jackie’s killer, he assembles his team – Det. Sgt. JD Byrne (Ben Affleck), Det. Mike Ro (Steven Yuen), Det. Numa Baptiste (Teyana Taylor), and Det. Lolo Salazar (Catalina Sandino Moreno) – to raid a nondescript house on a cul-de-sac in a quiet Hialeah neighborhood.

Reviews

ON SWIFT HORSES – Review by Liz Braun

April 15, 2025April 16, 2025 Liz Braun Bryce Kass, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Daniel Minahan, diego calva, Jacob Elordi, Luc Montpellier, On Swift Horses, Sasha Calle, Shannon Pufahl., Will Poulter

A pack of good-looking people explore their sexual orientation in On Swift Horses, a ‘50s-set drama about hidden desire and awakening from director Daniel Minahan. While their stories are about self-discovery and trying to lead an authentic life — and, obviously, representation is crucial — On Swift Horses is kind of fluffy and romantic and Hollywood-like. It verges on melodrama and is eventually tedious; this is R-rated fare that might mostly appeal to adolescents. It doesn’t seem intended for grown-ups. Above all, it is frustrating to see 1950s “olde timey” responses to anything regarded, at the time, as illicit love — as if somehow homophobia has vanished and things have changed dramatically in the generations that followed. Which they have not.

Reviews

IN THE SUMMERS – Review by Diane Carson

September 11, 2024September 14, 2024 Diane Carson Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio, In the Summers, Lio Mehiel, René Pérez Jogla, Residente, Sasha Calle, semi-autobiographical drama

Writer/director Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio’s first feature, In the Summers, is nothing short of masterful filmmaking. The title signals summer break visits in Las Cruces, New Mexico, by two very different sisters with their estranged father Vincente. He’ll struggle to bond with the more confrontational, less traditional Violeta and subdued, sweeter Eva. The story follows them as children, teenagers, and then young adults, their connections developing, evolving, and maturing as Vincente conquers or succumbs to his demons.