Passengers - Movie Review

The Movie: Passengers

The Director: Morten Tyldum (The Imitation Game)

The Cast: Chris Pratt, Jennifer Lawrence, Laurence Fishburne, Michael Sheen, and Andy Garcia

The Story: A malfunctioning spacecraft heading to a colonization planet causes two people to be woken up from cryosleep 90 years too soon and they need to figure out why before disaster strikes.

Now You See Me 2 - Movie Review

The Movie:
Now You See Me 2 brings back the Four Horseman and their bag of tricks to match up against an unknown foe who seems to have their number.The film was directed by Jon M. Chu (G.I. Joe: Retaliation) and features Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Mark Ruffalo, Lizzy Caplan, Daniel Radcliffe, Sanaa Lathan, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Jay Chou, and Tsai Chin.

La La Land - Movie Review

The Movie:
La La Land is a comedic musical drama about a musician and an actress who inadvertently and inexplicably cross paths on their way to fame. The film was written and directed by Damien Chazelle (Whiplash) and features acting performances from Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, J.K. Simmons, Rosemarie DeWitt, Callie Hernandez, Finn Wittrock, and John Legend.

Office Christmas Party - Movie Review

The Movie:
Office Christmas Party is a holiday comedy about an office Christmas party. The movie was directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck and features a star studded cast that includes Jason Bateman, Olivia Munn, TJ Miller, Jennifer Aniston, Jillian Bell, Kate McKinnon, Rob Corddry, Sam Richardson, Randall Park, Jamie Chung, Abbey Lee, and Karan Soni.

Hacksaw Ridge - Movie Review

The Movie:
Hacksaw Ridge is based on the true story about a young man who enlisted into the army during World War II and became one of America's greatest heroes without ever holding a gun. The film was directed by Mel Gibson and features acting performances from Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Vince Vaughn, Luke Bracey, Hugo Weaving, and Teresa Palmer.

Hell or High Water - Movie Review

Hell or High Water was directed by David MacKenzie from a screenplay written by Taylor Sheridan (Sicario). The film, starring Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Jeff Bridges, and Gil Birmingham, follows two brothers as they execute a scheme to keep from losing their family ranch and the pair of Texas Rangers who are hot on their trail.

Nocturnal Animals - Movie Review

The Movie:
Nocturnal Animals, written and directed by Tom Ford, is a dramatic thriller about a writer whose violent novel has his ex wife wondering if he may be seeking revenge for their failed marriage. The film features acting performances from Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Michael Shannon, Isla Fisher, Armie Hammer, Karl Glusman, Robert Aramayo, and Laura Linney.

Sky on Fire (Chongtian huo) - Movie Review

Sky on Fire is an action thriller that follows a security lead of a high tech pharmaceutical company who must keep top secret stem cell research from falling into the wrong hands. The movie was written and directed by Ringo Lam and features acting performances from Daniel Wu, Simon Yam, Hsiao-chuan Chang, Amber Kuo, Ka Tung Lam, Leon Lai, and Jingchu Zhang.

Manchester by the Sea - Movie Review

Manchester by the Sea, written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan, follows a man who must deal with his brother's death, the will that leaves him as the guardian of his 16 year old nephew, and a return to the hometown that he had to get away from. The film features acting performances from Casey Affleck, Kyle Chandler, Michelle Williams, and Lucas Hedges.

Bleed for This - Movie Review

Bleed for This, written, produced, and directed by Ben Younger, is based on the true story of boxer Vinny Pazienza and his struggle to return to the ring after a near fatal car crash. The film features Miles Teller in the starring role as well as Aaron Eckhart, Amanda Clayton, Christine Evangelista, Ciarán Hinds, Ted Levine, and Katey Segal.

Loving - Movie Review

Loving, written and directed by Jeff Nichols (Midnight Special, Mud), reveals the true story of an interracial couple living in 1950's Virginia who are arrested simply for being married. The film features acting performances from Ruth Negga, Joel Edgerton, Will Dalton, Terri Abney, Sharon Blackwood, Marton Csokas, Nick Kroll, Jon Bass, and Michael Shannon.

Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned (가려진 시간) - Movie Review

Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned tells the story of a legendary object that has the ability to stop time for those who find it and how it affects their lives for better or worse. The film, written and directed by Tae-hwa Eom, features acting performances from Hyo-je Lee, Eun-soo Shin, Dong-won Gang, and Hee-won Kim.

Moana - Movie Review

Moana, created by Walt Disney Animation Studios, introduces audiences to a young girl who will be chief of her island tribe and a demigod who must help her save the world. The film features vocal performances from Auli'i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Rachel House, Temuera Morrison, Jemaine Clement, Sina, and Alan Tudyk.

Allied - Movie Review

Allied, written by Steven Knight and directed by Robert Zemeckis, is a dramatic story of espionage and romance set in Morocco and London during World War II. The film features acting performances from Brad Pitt, Marion Cotillard, Jared Harris, Lizzy Caplan, Simon McBurney, and Matthew Goode.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - Movie Review

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, directed by David Yates, is the most recent cinematic adaptation of the wizarding world found in the best selling J.K. Rowlings novels. The film features performances from Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Colin Farrell, Ezra Miller, Carmen Ejogo. Jon Voigt, Alison Sudol, Ron Perlman, Zoë Kravitz, and Dan Fogler.

Inferno - Movie Review

Inferno, directed by Ron Howard, continues the adventures of professor Robert Langdon originally made famous by the best selling Dan Brown novels. The film's cast includes Tom Hanks in the starring role along with Felicity Jones, Omar Sy, Irrfan Khan, and Ben Foster.

The Bodyguard (超级保镖) (HIFF 2016) - Movie Review

The Bodyguard, an official selection of the 2016 Hawaii International Film Festival, is an action packed kung fu film that pits super powered brothers against each other. Written and directed by Yue Song, the film stars Wai Man Chan, Collin Chou, Yue Song, Xing Yu, and Li YuFei.

Arrival - Movie Review

Arrival, directed by Denis Villeneuve (Sicario, Prisoners), follows a linguist and a physicist as they attempt to figure out how to understand and translate the communications of a recently arrived alien species. The film features acting performances from Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker, Michael Stuhlbarg, Mark O'Brien, and Tzi Ma.

Shut In - Movie Review

Shut In, directed by Farren Blackburn, is a thriller that takes us into the secluded home of a woman who is desperately trying to find a missing boy as a snowstorm approaches. The film features acting performances from Naomi Watts (The Impossible), Oliver Platt (Chef), Charlie Heaton (Stranger Things), and Jacob Tremblay (Room).

Seoul Station (서울역) (HIFF 2016) - Movie Review

Seoul Station, an official selection of the 2016 Hawaii International Film Festival, is an animated feature and predecessor to the smash hit Korean zombie action film, Train to Busan, both of which were written and directed by Sang-ho Yeon. The film, which shows the original zombie outbreak that leads the events of Train to Busan, features voice acting contributions from Seung-ryong Ryu, Franciska Friede, and Joon Lee.