How to Train Your Dragon (2025) - Movie Review

The Movie: How to Train Your Dragon

The Director: Dean DeBlois

The Cast: Mason Thames, Gerard Butler, Nico Parker, Nick Frost, Julian Dennison, Gabriel Howell, Bronwyn James, Harry Trevaldwyn, Ruth Codd, Peter Serafinowicz, Murray McArthur

The Story:  As an ancient threat endangers both Vikings and dragons alike on the isle of Berk, the friendship between Hiccup, an inventive Viking, and Toothless, a Night Fury dragon, becomes the key to both species forging a new future together.

Ballerina (2025) - Movie Review

The Movie: Ballerina

The Director: Len Wiseman

The Cast: Ana de Armas, Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, Lance Reddick, Norman Reedus, Ian McShane, Keanu Reeves

The Story: An assassin trained in the traditions of the Ruska Roma organization sets out to seek revenge after her father's death.

Wick is Pain - Documentary Review

The Documentary: Wick is Pain

The Director: Jeffrey Doe

The Story: The never-before-seen footage and story behind the John Wick phenomenon, from independent film to billion-dollar franchise.

Bring Her Back - Movie Review

The Movie: Bring Her Back

The Directors: Danny and Michael Philippou

The Cast: Sally Hawkins, Billy Barrat, Sora Wong, Jonah Wren Phillips, Sally-Anne Upton

The Story: A brother and sister uncover a terrifying ritual at the secluded home of their new foster mother.

SIFF 2025 Capsule Reviews: Episode Three - Revenge of the SIFF

Welcome to the third installment of my 2025 Seattle International Film Festival powered journey through the world of cinema. This time around, I traveled through Spain, France, Argentina, and even the modest yet delightful Cat Town, USA. All three films seemed to have something really special to offer so I was pretty excited to see each one. Read below for the results!

Capsule Reviews:

• Undercover
• Cat Town, USA
• The Wailing

SIFF 2025 Capsule Reviews: Episode Two - WTF Did I Just Watch?

Part two of my 2025 Seattle International Film Festival capsule review series takes a leap into the wilder and wackier side of the selection of movies that are available as the festivities unfold. This, of course, has lead to some truly jaw dropping, "WTF" type moments over the years but there's also a real danger of films falling flat or not meeting overhyped expectations. With that in mind, I definitely had some thoughts about the three films listed below.

Capsule Reviews:

• Spermageddon
• New Jack Fury
• Time Travel is Dangerous

SIFF 2025 Capsule Reviews: Episode One - The Festival Awakens

Welcome to Part One of what will be an epic saga that chronicles and collates my thoughts on the feature films I have been watching during the 2025 Seattle International Film Festival. One of the most intriguing things about SIFF is the endless amount of diverse voices creating just about any type of movie you can think of and telling every type of story imaginable.

Capsule Reviews:

• Ka Whawhai Tonu: Struggle Without End
• Four Mothers
• 40 Acres

TheTwoOhSix Picks - 2025 Seattle International Film Festival

Yes, it's once again time for the Seattle International Film Festival which means I get to spend way too much time analyzing the lineup of films, there are 245 films from 74 countries/regions around the world, and narrowing it down to the ones I feel are the can't miss picks of the year. I've been covering SIFF since 2012 and this is always one of my favorite times of the year so here we go. See below for this year's "TheTwoOhSix Picks" list.

Thunderbolts* - Movie Review

The Movie: Thunderbolts*

The Director: Jake Schreier

The Cast: Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, Chris Bauer, Wendell Pierce, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, Julia Louis-Dreyfus

The Story: After finding themselves ensnared in a death trap, an unconventional team of antiheroes must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts.

The Legend of Ochi - Movie Review

The Movie: The Legend of Ochi

The Director: Isaiah Saxon

The Cast: Helena Zengel, Finn Wolfhard, Emily Watson, Willem Dafoe

The Story: In a remote village on the island of Carpathia, a shy farm girl named Yuri is raised to fear an elusive animal species known as Ochi. But when Yuri discovers a wounded baby Ochi has been left behind, she escapes on a quest to bring him home.

The Wedding Banquet - Movie Review

The Movie: The Wedding Banquet

The Director: Andrew Ahn

The Cast: Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, Han Gi-Chan, Bobo Le, Camille Atebe, with Joan Chen, and Youn Yuh-Jung

The Story: A gay man makes a deal with his lesbian friend: a green-card marriage for him, in exchange for in vitro fertilization treatments for her. Plans evolve as Min's grandmother surprises them with a Korean wedding banquet.

Sinners (2025) - Movie Review

The Movie: Sinners

The Director: Ryan Coogler

The Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, Jack O'Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Omar Miller, Li Jun Li, Delroy Lindo

The Story: Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.

The Amateur (2025) - Movie Review

The Movie: The Amateur

The Director: James Hawes

The Cast: Rami Malek, Rachel Brosnahan, Caitríona Balfe, Jon Bernthal, Michael Stuhlbarg, Laurence Fishburne

The Story: When his supervisors at the CIA refuse to take action after his wife is killed in a London terrorist attack, a decoder takes matters into his own hands.

Freaky Tales - Movie Review

The Movie: Freaky Tales

The Director: Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden

The Cast: Pedro Pascal, Ben Mendelsohn, Jay Ellis, Normani, Dominique Thorne, Jack Champion, and Tom Hanks

The Story: Set in 1987 Oakland, Freaky Tales is a multi-track mixtape of colorful characters — an NBA star, a corrupt cop, a female rap duo, teen punks, neo-Nazis, and a debt collector — on a collision course in a fever dream of showdowns and battles.

My Love Will Make You Disappear - Movie Review

The Movie: My Love Will Make You Disappear

The Director: Chad Vidanes

The Cast: Kim Chiu, Paulo Avelino, Wilma Doesnt, Lovely Abella, Benj Manalo, Nico Antonio, Rocco Gonz, Martin Escudero, Karina Bautista, Jeremiah Lisbo, Melai Cantiveros

The Story: A woman who believes she's cursed meets a troubled landlord while fighting community displacement. As they grow closer, her fear that all her lovers disappear threatens their connection.

A Working Man - Movie Review

The Movie: A Working Man

The Director: David Ayer

The Cast: Jason Statham, Jason Flemyng, Merab Ninidze, Maximilian Osinski, Cokey Falkow, Michael Peña, David Harbour

The Story: Levon Cade left his profession behind to work construction and be a good dad to his daughter. But when a local girl vanishes, he's asked to return to the skills that made him a mythic figure in the shadowy world of counter-terrorism.

Hood Witch - Movie Review

The Movie: Hood Witch

The Director: Saïd Belktibia

The Cast: Golshifteh Farahani, Amine Zariouhi, Denis Lavant, Alexis Manenti, Karim Belkhadra, Issaka Sawadogo

The Story: A woman earns a living by smuggling exotic animals and illegal goods, developing a mobile app that links users with mystical marabout healers, but one of the user's consultations takes a tragic turn facing a violent backlash.

Jaibreak - Movie Review

The Movie: Jailbreak

The Director: Jimmy Henderson

The Cast: Celine Tran, Laurent Plancel, Tharoth Sm, Jean-Paul Ly, Dara Our

The Story: What started as a simple escort mission will soon turn to chaos as the prisoners of Koh Kla take over the prison grounds. A special task force gets trapped in the prison will have to fight their way out for survival, to protect a key witness.

Changing Directions Filmmaker Interview Series: Season 3 Premiere featuring Jhett Tolentino, Director of Asian Persuasion

Episode 3.1

Welcome to season three of the Changing Directions filmmaker interview series! We're starting the year off with Jhett Tolentino, a Tony and Grammy award winning producer who has taken on the challenge of directing his first feature film, Asian Persuasion. After a successful film festival run, the movie is set for both theatrical and digital releases.

Asian Persuasian (2025) - Movie Review

The Movie: Asian Persuasion

The Director: Jhett Tolentino

The Cast: Dante Basco, KC Concepcion, Kevin Kreider, Paolo Montalban, Geneva Carr, Scarlet Sherr, Celia Au, Jax Bacani

The Story: An underachiever comes up with an outlandish plan to avoid alimony obligations to his fashion executive ex-wife.

Novocaine - Movie Review

The Movie: Novocaine

The Directors: Dan Berk & Robert Olsen

The Cast: Jack Quaid, Amber Midthunder, Ray Nicholson, Betty Gabriel, Matt Walsh, Lou Beatty Jr., Van Hengst, Conrad Kemp, Jacob Batalon

The Story: When the girl of his dreams is kidnapped, everyman Nate turns his inability to feel pain into an unexpected strength in his fight to get her back.

Customs Frontline / 海關戰線 - Movie Review

The Movie: Customs Frontline / 海關戰線

The Director: Herman Yau

The Cast: Nicholas Tse, Jacky Cheung, Karena Lam, Yase Liu, Francis Ng, Brahim Chab

The Story: Hong Kong customs officers discover illegal weapons on a cargo ship and trace them back to an international conflict. Elite agents go undercover, uncovering a transnational operation with roots closer to home.

Daredevil: Born Again - TV Series Review

The TV Series: Daredevil: Born Again

Showrunner: Dario Scardapane

The Cast: Charlie Cox, Vincent D'Onofrio, Margarita Levieva, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Wilson Bethel, Zabryna Guevara, Nikki M. James, Genneya Walton, Arty Froushan, Clark Johnson, Michael Gandolfini, Ayelet Zurer, Jon Bernthal

The Story: Matt Murdock finds himself on a collision course with Wilson Fisk when their past identities begin to emerge.

Superboys of Malegaon - Movie Review

The Movie: Superboys of Malegaon

The Director: Reema Kagti

The Cast: Adarsh Gourav, Shashank Arora, Vineet Singh Kumar, Anuj Singh Duhan, Muskkaan Jaferi

The Story: The journey of an aspiring filmmaker as he bands together his group of friends to make a film for his town, Malegaon.

Captain America: Brave New World - Movie Review

The Movie: Captain America: Brave New World

The Director: Julius Onah

The Cast: Anthony Mackie, Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Carl Lumbly, Xosha Roquemore, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Giancarlo Esposito, Tim Blake Nelson, Harrison Ford

The Story: Sam Wilson, the new Captain America, finds himself in the middle of an international incident and must discover the motive behind a nefarious global plan.

Companion - Movie Review

The Movie: Companion

The Director: Drew Hancock

The Cast: Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, Lukas Gage, Megan Suri, Harvey Guillén, Rupert Friend

The Story: A weekend getaway with friends at a remote cabin turns into chaos after it's revealed that one of the guests is a robot companion.

Heart Eyes - Movie Review

The Movie: Heart Eyes

The Director: Josh Ruben

The Cast: Olivia Holt, Mason Gooding, Gigi Zumbado, Michaela Watkins, Devon Sawa, Jordana Brewster

The Story: For the past several years, the “Heart Eyes Killer” has wreaked havoc on Valentine’s Day by stalking and murdering romantic couples. This Valentine’s Day, no couple is safe.

Presence - Movie Review

The Movie: Presence

The Director: Steven Soderbergh

The Cast: Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan, Callina Liang, Eddy Maday, West Mulholland, Julia Fox

The Story: A family becomes convinced they are not alone after moving into their new home in the suburbs.

Grafted - Movie Review

The Movie: Grafted

The Director: Sasha Rainbow

The Cast: Joyena Sun, Jess Hong, Eden Hart, Jared Turner, Sepi To’a, Xiao Hu

The Story: A bright but socially awkward exchange student takes her craving for popularity to horrifying heights.