Alaska is a Drag is now available on Netflix and Shaz Bennett's feature film debut puts
her on the map as a director to keep an eye on. I was thankful to have an
opportunity to speak with Shaz about the movie and about working with Ava
DuVernay and Array Releasing.
Thursday, December 31, 2020
Wednesday, December 30, 2020
Alaska is a Drag - Movie Review
The Movie: Alaska is a Drag
The Director: Shaz Bennett
The Cast: Martin L. Washington Jr., Maya Washington, Matt Dallas, Margaret
Cho, Jason Scott Lee, Chris O'Shea, Kevin Daniels, Nia Peeples, Adam Tomei
The Story: Aspiring drag queen working at a fish cannery in Alaska struggles
with bullying while caring for a twin sister who has cancer.
The Interview:
Labels:
2020 Movie Reviews
,
Margaret Cho
Tuesday, December 29, 2020
Another Round / Druk - Movie Review
The Movie: Another Round / Druk
The Director: Thomas Vinterberg
The Cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Magnus Millang, Lars Ranthe
The Story: Four friends, all high school teachers, test a theory that they will improve their lives by maintaining a constant level of alcohol in their blood.
Monday, December 28, 2020
The Donut King - Documentary Review
The Documentary: The Donut King
The Director: Alice Gu
The Story: This documentary tells Ted Ngoy's story that is one of fate, love,
survival, hard knocks, and redemption.
The Interview:
Labels:
2020 Movie Reviews
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Documentary
Sunday, December 27, 2020
The Dark and the Wicked - Movie Review
The Movie: The Dark and the Wicked
The Director: Bryan Bertino
The Cast: Marin Ireland, Michael Abbott Jr., Julie Oliver-Touchstone, Lynn Andrews, Tom Nowicki, Michael Zagst, Xander Berkeley
The Story: On a secluded farm in a nondescript rural town, a man is slowly dying. His family gathers to mourn, and soon a darkness grows, marked by waking nightmares and a growing sense that something evil is taking over the family.
Over the Moon - Movie Review
The Movie: Over the Moon
The Director: Glen Keane and John Kahrs
The Cast: Cathy Ang, Phillipa Soo, Ken Jeong, John Cho, Ruthie Ann Miles, Margaret Cho, Sandra Oh
The Story: In this animated musical, a girl builds a rocket ship and blasts off, hoping to meet a mythical moon goddess.
Labels:
2020 Movie Reviews
,
Artt Butler
,
Clem Cheung
,
John Cho
,
Ken Jeong
,
Margaret Cho
,
Sandra Oh
One Night in Miami - Movie Review
The Movie: One Night in Miami
The Director: Regina King
The Cast: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, Leslie Odom Jr., Joaquina Kalukango, Nicolette Robinson, Beau Bridges, Lance Reddick
The Story: One Night in Miami is a fictional account of one incredible night where icons Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown gathered discussing their roles in the civil rights movement and cultural upheaval of the 60s.
Labels:
2020 Movie Reviews
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Aldis Hodge
,
Beau Bridges
,
Eli Goree
,
Kingsley Ben-Adir
,
Lance Reddick
,
Leslie Odom Jr.
Saturday, December 26, 2020
News of the World - Movie Review
The Movie: News of the World
The Director: Paul Greengrass
The Cast: Tom Hanks, Steve Boyles, Helena Zengel
The Story: A Civil War veteran agrees to deliver a girl, taken by the Kiowa people years ago, to her aunt and uncle, against her will. They travel hundreds of miles and face grave dangers as they search for a place that either can call home.
Labels:
2020 Movie Reviews
,
Ray McKinnon
,
Tom Hanks
The Croods: A New Age - Movie Review
The Movie: The Croods: A New Age
The Director: Joel Crawford
The Cast: Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Cloris Leachman, Clark Duke, Leslie Mann, Peter Dinklage, Kelly Marie Tran
The Story: The prehistoric family the Croods are challenged by a rival family the Bettermans, who claim to be better and more evolved.
Labels:
2020 Movie Reviews
,
Catherine Keener
,
Clark Duke
,
Cloris Leachman
,
Emma Stone
,
Kelly Marie Tran
,
Leslie Mann
,
Nicolas Cage
,
Peter Dinklage
,
Ryan Reynolds
Friday, December 25, 2020
Promising Young Woman - Movie Review
The Movie: Promising Young Woman
The Director: Emerald Fennell
The Cast: Carey Mulligan, Bo Burnham, Alison Brie, Clancy Brown, Jennifer Coolidge, Connie Britton, Laverne Cox
The Story: A young woman, traumatized by a tragic event in her past, seeks out vengeance against those who cross her path.
Wonder Woman 1984 - Movie Review
The Movie: Wonder Woman 1984
The Director: Patty Jenkins
The Cast: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal, Robin Wright, Connie Nielsen
The Story: Rewind to the 1980s as Wonder Woman's next big screen adventure finds her facing two all-new foes: Max Lord and The Cheetah.
Labels:
2020 Movie Reviews
,
Amr Waked
,
Asim Chaudhry
,
Chris Pine
,
Connie Nielsen
,
Ed Birch
,
Gal Gadot
,
Kristen Wiig
,
Lilly Aspell
,
Pedro Pascal
,
Robin Wright
Thursday, December 24, 2020
Soul - Movie Review
The Movie: Soul
The Director: Pete Docter, Kemp Powers
The Cast: Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Graham Norton, Rachel House, Alice Braga, Richard Ayoade, Phylicia Rashad, Donnell Rawlings, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Angela Bassett, Daveed Diggs, Wes Studi
The Story: A musician who has lost his passion for music is transported out of his body and must find his way back with the help of an infant soul learning about herself.
Labels:
2020 Movie Reviews
,
Alice Braga
,
Angela Bassett
,
Daveed Diggs
,
Jamie Foxx
,
Phylicia Rashad
,
Richard Ayoade
,
Tina Fey
Tuesday, December 22, 2020
Sylvie's Love - Movie Review
The Movie: Sylvie's Love
The Director: Eugene Ashe
The Cast: Tessa Thompson, Nnamdi Asomugha, Aja Naomi King, Jemima Kirke, Tone Bell, Alano Miller, Erica Gimpel, Lance Reddick, Wendi McLendon Covey, Eva Longoria
The Story: A woman working at her father's record store in Harlem in the late 1950s meets an aspiring saxophone player.
Labels:
2020 Movie Reviews
,
Aja Naomi King
,
Alano Miller
,
Eva Longoria
,
John Magaro
,
Lance Reddick
,
MC Lyte
,
Ron Funches
,
Tessa Thompson
Sunday, December 20, 2020
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom - Movie Review
The Movie: Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
The Director: George C. Wolfe
The Cast: Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Glynn Turman, Colman Domingo, Michael Potts
The Story: Chicago, 1927. A recording session. Tensions rise between Ma Rainey, her ambitious horn player and the white management determined to control the uncontrollable "Mother of the Blues".
Labels:
2020 Movie Reviews
,
Chadwick Boseman
,
Colman Domingo
,
Glynn Turman
,
Jeremy Shamos
,
Jonny Coyne
,
Taylour Paige
,
Viola Davis
Saturday, December 19, 2020
Tenet - Movie Review
The Movie: Tenet
The Director: Christopher Nolan
The Cast: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine, Kenneth Branagh
The Story: I have no idea.
Thursday, December 17, 2020
Greenland - Movie Review
The Movie: Greenland
The Director: Ric Roman Waugh
The Cast: Gerard Butler, Morena Baccarin, Roger Dale Floyd, Scott Glenn ,David Denman, Hope Davis
The Story: A family struggles for survival in the face of a cataclysmic natural disaster.
Wednesday, December 16, 2020
Funny Boy - Movie Review
The Movie: Funny Boy
The Director: Deepa Mehta
The Cast: Rehan Mudannayake, Arush Nand, Brandon Ingram, Nimmi Harasgama, Ali Kazmi, Agam Darshi, Seema Biswas, Shivantha Wijesinha
The Story: Explores Arjie's sexual awakening from a young boy to a teenager who falls in love with a male classmate, just as political tensions escalate between the Sinhalese and Tamils in the years leading up to the 1983 uprisings.
Labels:
2020 Movie Reviews
,
Agam Darshi
Monday, December 14, 2020
TwoOhSix Podcast - Interview with Dana Nachman for Dear Santa
Dear Santa follows the United States Postal Service’s Operation Santa program over the course of a holiday season. Director Dana Nachman sat down virtually to spend some time talking about her documentary, her career, and how the generosity of Operation Santa has restored hope to a year that most of us are happy to see come to a close.
Labels:
2020 Podcast
,
Interviews
Sunday, December 13, 2020
To the Ends of the Earth / 旅のおわり世界のはじまり - Movie Review
The Movie: To the Ends of the Earth / 旅のおわり世界のはじまり
The Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
The Cast: Atsuko Maeda, Shota Sometani, Tokio Emoto, Adiz Rajabov, Ryo Kase
The Story: A young Japanese woman finds her cautious and insular nature tested when she travels to Uzbekistan to shoot the latest episode of her travel variety show.
Labels:
2020 Movie Reviews
,
Atsuko Maeda
,
Shôta Sometani
Max Cloud - Movie Review
The Movie: Max Cloud
The Director: Martin Owen
The Cast: Scott Adkins, Tommy Flanagan, Lashana Lynch, Elliot Langridge, Sally Collett, Franz Drameh, John Hannah
The Story: Retro gamer movie that features 16-bit action her Max Cloud with teenage gamer Sarah getting pulled into an adventure that could see her saving the day or getting lost in the game forever.
Labels:
2020 Movie Reviews
,
Franz Drameh
,
Lashana Lynch
,
Scott Adkins
Thursday, December 10, 2020
Songbird - Movie Review
The Movie: Songbird
The Director: Adam Mason
The Cast: K.J. Apa, Sofia Carson, Craig Robinson, Bradley Whitford, Peter Stormare, Demi Moore, Alexandra Daddario, Paul Walter Hauser, Lia McHugh
The Story: In 2024 a pandemic ravages the world and its cities. Centering on a handful of people as they navigate the obstacles currently hindering society: disease, martial law, quarantine, and vigilantes.
Parallel - Movie Review
The Movie: Parallel
The Director: Isaac Ezban
The Cast: Martin Wallstrom, Georgia King, Aml Ameen, Mark O'Brien, Alyssa Diaz, Shannon Chan-Kent, Kathleen Quinlan
The Story: A group of friends stumble upon a mirror that serves as a portal to a "multiverse", but soon discover that importing knowledge from the other side in order to better their lives brings increasingly dangerous consequences.
Labels:
2020 Movie Reviews
,
Alyssa Diaz
,
Aml Ameen
,
Georgia King
,
Mark O'Brien
Tuesday, December 8, 2020
Proxima - Movie Review
The Movie: Proxima
The Director: Alice Winocour
The Cast: Eva Green, Zélie Boulant-Lemesle, Matt Dillon, Lars Eidinger, Sandra Hüller, Aleksey Fateev
The Story: An astronaut prepares for a one-year mission aboard the International Space Station.
Labels:
2020 Movie Reviews
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Eva Green
,
Matt Dillon
Monday, December 7, 2020
76 Days - Movie Review
The Documentary: 76 Days
The Director: Hao Wu, Weixi Chen, Anonymous
The Story: Raw and intimate, this documentary captures the struggles of patients and frontline medical professionals battling the COVID-19 pandemic in Wuhan.
Labels:
2020 Movie Reviews
,
Documentary
Friday, December 4, 2020
Sound of Metal - Movie Review
The Movie: Sound of Metal
The Director: Darius Marder
The Cast: Riz Ahmed, Olivia Cooke, Paul Raci, Lauren Ridloff and Mathieu Almaric
The Story: A heavy-metal drummer's life is thrown into freefall when he begins to lose his hearing.
Labels:
2020 Movie Reviews
,
Hillary Baack
,
Lauren Ridloff
,
Mathieu Amalric
,
Olivia Cooke
,
Riz Ahmed
Dear Santa - Documentary Review
The Documentary: Dear Santa
The Director: Dana Nachman
The Story: Dear Santa shines a light on the 100- year-old Operation Santa Program of the United States Postal Service. Each year, hundreds of thousands of letters to Santa arrive at Post Offices around the country.
Labels:
2020 Movie Reviews
,
Documentary
Thursday, December 3, 2020
Ammonite - Movie Review
The Movie: Ammonite
The Director: Francis Lee
The Cast: Kate Winslet, Saoirse Ronan, Gemma Jones, James McArdle, Alec Secareanu, Fiona Shaw
The Story: 1840s England, acclaimed but overlooked fossil hunter Mary Anning and a young woman sent to convalesce by the sea develop an intense relationship, altering both of their lives forever.
Labels:
2020 Movie Reviews
,
Fiona Shaw
,
James McArdle
,
Kate Winslet
,
Saoirse Ronan
Wednesday, December 2, 2020
Monsoon - Movie Review
The Movie: Monsoon
The Director: Hong Khaou
The Cast: Henry Golding, Parker Sawyers, Molly Harris, David Tran
The Story: Kit, a British Vietnamese man, returns to Saigon for the first time in over 30 years, after fleeing during the Vietnam-American War.
Labels:
2020 Movie Reviews
,
Henry Golding
,
Parker Sawyers
Black Bear - Movie Review
The Movie: Black Bear
The Director: Lawrence Michael Levine
The Cast: Aubrey Plaza, Sarah Gadon, Christopher Abbott
The Story: A filmmaker at a creative impasse seeks solace from her tumultuous past at a rural retreat, only to find that the woods summon her inner demons in intense and surprising ways.
Labels:
2020 Movie Reviews
,
Aubrey Plaza
,
Christopher Abbott
,
Jennifer Kim
,
Lindsay Burdge
Miss Juneteenth - Movie Review
The Movie: Miss Juneteenth
The Director: Channing Godfrey Peoples
The Cast: Nicole Beharie, Liz Mikel, Marcus M. Mauldin, Kendrick Sampson, Alexis Chikaeze, Mikayla Rivers, Jaime Matthis, Phyllis Cicero, Lisha Hackney, Deborah Peoples, Don Mooney, Tj Foster, Shelly Jones, Keyon Ivory, Akron Watson
The Story: A former beauty queen and single mom prepares her rebellious teenage daughter for the "Miss Juneteenth" pageant.
Labels:
2020 Movie Reviews
,
Liz Mikel
,
Nicole Beharie
Tuesday, December 1, 2020
What Lies Below - Movie Review
The Movie: What Lies Below
The Director: Braden R. Duemmler
The Cast: Ema Horvath, Trey Tucker, Mena Suvari
The Story: A 16 year-old girl returns home from camp and learns that her mother has a new boyfriend, one she intends to marry to, a man whose charm, intelligence and beauty make him look like he's not human at all.
Labels:
2020 Movie Reviews
,
Ema Horvath
,
Mena Suvari
Half Brothers - Movie Review
The Movie: Half Brothers
The Director: Luke Greenfield
The Cast: Luis Gerardo Méndez, Connor Del Rio, José Zúñiga, Vincent Spano, Pia Watson, Juan Pablo Espinosa, Jwaundace Candece
The Story: Renato, a Mexican aviation exec, is shocked to learn he has an American half-brother he never knew about, the free-spirited Asher. They are forced on a road trip together, tracing the path their father took from Mexico to the US.
Labels:
2020 Movie Reviews
,
Alma Sisneros
,
Connor Del Rio
,
José Zúñiga
,
Luis Gerardo Méndez
Sunday, November 29, 2020
Belushi - Documentary Review
The Documentary: Belushi
The Director: R.J. Cutler
The Story: Using previously unheard audiotapes recorded shortly after John Belushi's death, director R.J. Cutler's documentary examines the too-short life of once-in-a-generation talent who captured the hearts and funny bones of devoted audiences.
Labels:
2020 Movie Reviews
,
Documentary
Saturday, November 28, 2020
Friday, November 27, 2020
Collective - Documentary Review
The Documentary: Collective
The Director: Alexander Nanau
The Story: Director Alexander Nanau follows a crack team of investigators at the Romanian newspaper Gazeta Sporturilor as they try to uncover a vast health-care fraud that enriched moguls and politicians and led to the deaths of innocent citizens.
Labels:
2020 Movie Reviews
,
Documentary
Monday, November 23, 2020
Uncle Frank - Movie Review
The Movie: Uncle Frank
The Director: Alan Ball
The Cast: Paul Bettany, Sophia Lillis, Peter Macdissi, Judy Greer, Steve Zahn, Lois Smith, with Margo Martindale, Stephen Root
The Story: In 1973, when Frank Bledsoe and his 18-year-old niece Beth take a road trip from Manhattan to Creekville, South Carolina for the family patriarch's funeral, they're unexpectedly joined by Frank's lover Walid.
Labels:
2020 Movie Reviews
,
Judy Greer
,
Margo Martindale
,
Paul Bettany
,
Sophia Lillis
,
Stephen Root
,
Steve Zahn
Sunday, November 22, 2020
Happiest Season - Movie Review
The Movie: Happiest Season
The Director: Clea DuVall
The Cast: Kristen Stewart, Mackenzie Davis, Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, Daniel Levy, Mary Holland, Burl Moseley, Victor Garber, Mary Steenburgen
The Story: A holiday romantic comedy that captures the range of emotions tied to wanting your family's acceptance, being true to yourself, and trying not to ruin Christmas.
Labels:
2020 Movie Reviews
,
Alison Brie
,
Aubrey Plaza
,
Dan Levy
,
Jake McDorman
,
Kristen Stewart
,
Mackenzie Davis
,
Mary Holland
,
Mary Steenburgen
,
Victor Garber
Koshien: Japan's Field of Dreams - Documentary Review
The Documentary: Koshien: Japan's Field of Dreams
The Director: Ema Ryan Yamazaki
The Story: Baseball is life for the die-hard competitors in the 100th annual Koshien, Japan's wildly popular national high school baseball championship, whose alumni include U.S. baseball star Shohei Ohtani and former Yankee Hideki Matsui. But for Coach Mizutani and his players, cleaning the grounds and greeting their guests are equally important as honing their baseball skills.
Labels:
2020 Movie Reviews
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Documentary
Wednesday, November 18, 2020
The Twentieth Century - Movie Review
The Movie: The Twentieth Century
The Director: Matthew Rankin
The Cast: Dan Beirne, Sarianne Cormier, Catherine St-Laurent , Mikhaïl Ahooja, Brent Skagford, Seán Cullen, Louis Nigen, Trevor Anderson, Kee Chan
The Story: Determined to become the leader of the Dominion of Canada, a young W.L. Mackenzie King rises to power.
Labels:
2020 Movie Reviews
,
Brent Skagford
,
Kee Chan
Tuesday, November 17, 2020
Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on the Exorcist - Documentary Review
The Documentary: Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on the Exorcist
The Director: Alexandre O. Philippe
The Story: A lyrical and spiritual cinematic essay on The Exorcist, exploring the depths of William Friedkin's mind's eye, the nuances of his filmmaking process, and the mysteries of faith and fate that have shaped his life and filmography.
Labels:
2020 Movie Reviews
,
Documentary
Coded Bias - Documentary Review
The Documentary: Coded Bias
The Director: Shalini Kantayya
The Story: An exploration of the fallout of MIT Media Lab researcher Joy
Buolamwini's startling discovery of racial bias in facial recognition
algorithms.
Director Interview:
Labels:
2020 Movie Reviews
,
Documentary
Monday, November 16, 2020
Run (2020) - Movie Review
The Movie: Run
The Director: Aneesh Chaganty
The Cast: Sarah Paulson, Kiera Allen, Pat Healy, Sarah Sohn
The Story: A homeschooled teenager begins to suspect her mother is keeping a dark secret from her.
Labels:
2020 Movie Reviews
,
Pat Healy
,
Sara Sohn
,
Sarah Paulson
Ainu Mosir / アイヌモシㇼ - 2020 HIFF Movie Review
The Movie: Ainu Mosir / アイヌモシㇼ
The Director: Takeshi Fukunaga
The Cast: Lily Franky, Kanto Shimokura, Riwka Shimokura, Debo Akibe, Tôko
Miura
The Story: A coming of age tale about Kanto, a 14 year old boy, and a
descendant of Japan's indigenous Ainu people, who struggles to come to terms
with the recent loss of his father.
Labels:
2020 Movie Reviews
,
HIFF 2020
,
Lily Franky
Saturday, November 14, 2020
Make Up - Movie Review
The Movie: Make Up
The Director: Claire Oakley
The Cast: Molly Windsor, Joseph Quinn, and Stefanie Martini
The Story: On a remote holiday park in Cornwall, a young woman is drawn into a mysterious obsession when she suspects her boyfriend has cheated on her.
Labels:
2020 Movie Reviews
,
Joseph Quinn
Friday, November 13, 2020
I Am Greta - Documentary Review
The Documentary: I Am Greta
The Director: Nathan Grossman
The Story: Documentary follows teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg on her international crusade to get people to listen to scientists about the world's environmental problems.
Labels:
2020 Movie Reviews
,
Documentary
Wednesday, November 11, 2020
Fatman - Movie Review
The Movie: Fatman
The Directors: Eshom Nelms, Ian Nelms
The Cast: Mel Gibson, Walton Goggins, Marianne Jean-Baptiste
The Story: To save his declining business, Chris Cringle, also known as Santa Claus, is forced into a partnership with the U.S. military. Making matters worse, Chris gets locked into a deadly battle of wits against a highly skilled assassin, hired by a precocious 12-year-old after receiving a lump of coal in his stocking.
Tuesday, November 10, 2020
Come Away - Movie Review
The Movie: Come Away
The Director: Branda Chapman
The Cast: David Oyelowo, Jordan Nash, Keira Chansa, Reece Yates, Anna Chancellor, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Angelina Jolie, Derek Jacobi, Michael Caine
The Story: When their eldest brother dies, Peter and Alice seek to save their parents from despair until they are forced to choose between home and imagination, setting the stage for their iconic journeys into Wonderland and Neverland.
Labels:
2020 Movie Reviews
,
Angelina Jolie
,
Clarke Peters
,
David Gyasi
,
David Oyelowo
,
Derek Jacobi
,
Gugu Mbatha-Raw
,
Michael Caine
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