2015 Recap - Performances

2015 was filled with great acting performances from both festival films and mainstream releases so it was pretty difficult to narrow it down to what I considered to be the most entertaining out of the bunch. The crowd was filled with recognizable leading men and it was also nice to see so many strong roles for women, it looks like more and more are coming over the next several years. For now, let's take a look at my list of the most entertaining acting performances of 2015.

Southbound - Movie Review

Southbound is a horror anthology put together by the creative team of Roxanne Benjamin, David Bruckner, Patrick Horvath, and Radio Silence. This collection of films features performances by Kate Beahan, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Susan Burke, Zoe Cooper, Gerald Downey, Karla Droege, Larry Fessenden, Dana Gould, Hassie Harrison, Davey Johnson, Nathalie Love, Hannah Marks, Tipper Newton, Maria Olsen, Kristina Pesic, Matt Peters, Anessa Ramsey, Fabianne Therese, Tyler Tuione, Chad Villella, Justin Welborn, David Yow, and Mather Zickel.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - Movie Review

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, directed by Burr Steers, is a movie based off and and adapted from classic the novel by Jane Austen. The film features acting performances by Lily James, Sam Riley, Bella Heathcote, Ellie Bamber, Millie Brady, Suki Waterhouse, Douglas Booth, Sally Phillips, Charles Dance, Jack Huston, Lena Heady, Matt Smith, and Emma Greenwell.

The Revenant - Movie Review

The Revenant, directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, is a movie based on and inspired by real events. The film features acting performances by Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter, Forrest Goodluck, Paul Anderson, Kristoffer Joner, Lukas Haas, and Grace Dove.

The Big Short - Movie Review

The Big Short, a movie based on things that actually happened, is directed by Adam McKay and is based off of a book written by Michael Lewis. The film features acting performances by Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt, Marisa Tomei, Carrie Lazar, Adepero Oduye, Rafe Spall, Hamish Linklater, Jeremy Strong, Jeffry Griffin, Stanley Wong, Finn Wittrock, and Melissa Leo.

Trumbo - Movie Review

Trumbo, directed by Jay Roach (The Campaign), is an historical drama based off of a book written by Bruce Cook. The movie stars Bryan Cranston, Diane Lane, Helen Mirren, James DuMont, Alan Tudyk, Louis C.K., Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Elle Fanning, and John Goodman.

Monster Hunt - Movie Review

Monster Hunt is a Chinese fantasy film directed by Raman Hui and is currently playing in Seattle at the AMC Pacific Place 11 theater. The movie stars Baihe Bai, Boran Jing, Wu Jiang, Elaine Jin, Wallace Chung, Eric Tsang, Sandra Kwan Yue Ng, Wei Tang, and Chen Yao.

2015 Recap - Film Festivals

Photo: Killing June

2015 was a big year for TwoOhSix.com as I was able to provide coverage for a total of six different film festivals as well as two conventions before it was all said and done. As we gear up for what lies ahead in 2016, let's take a look back at all of those awesome memories including my "Festival Favorite" movie from each of last year's film festivals.

The 5th Wave - Movie Review

The 5th Wave is a film directed by J Blakeson and is based off of a young adult novel written by Rick Yancey. The film stars Chloë Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson, Ron Livingston, Maggie Siff, Zackary Arthur, Tony Revolori, Liev Schreiber, Maria Bello, Maika Monroe, and Alex Roe.

Dirty Grandpa - Movie Review

Dirty Grandpa is a raunchy comedy starring Zac Efron, Robert De Niro, and Aubrey Plaza. De Niro plays Dick Kelly, an elderly man who has just lost his wife to cancer. Efron plays the straight laced, soon to be married grandson Jason who is asked to spend some quality time with the man he used to be close to as a kid but hasn't spent much time with for several years. Their trip takes a few unexpected turns and the pair end up surrounded by spring break parties where anything can and will happen.

Concussion - Movie Review

Concussion, written and directed by Peter Landesman, is based off of a GQ article by Jeanne Marie Laskas called Brain Game. The film features acting performances by Will Smith, Albert Brooks, Alec Baldwin, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, David Morse, Arliss Howard, Mike O'Malley, Paul Reiser, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, and Luke Wilson.

Joy - Movie Review

Joy is a film by David O. Russell and is inspired by the true story of an inventor and founder of a very successful business empire. The movie features acting performances by Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Édgar Ramírez, Diane Ladd, Virginia Madsen, Isabella Rossellini, Dascha Polanco, Elisabeth Röhm, and Jimmy Jean-Louis.

The Hateful Eight - Movie Review

The Hateful Eight is the eighth motion picture created by celebrated director Quentin Tarantino.
The film features acting performances by Samuel L Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demian Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, James Parks, Dana Gourrier, and Zoë Bell.

2015 Recap - Horror

This year, I had the good fortune of watching a whole bunch of different horror movies, a lot of them during the various film festivals I covered. There's a lot of good, a lot of decent, and a fair amount that were not quite as good, but definitely a great mix of styles and sub genres which made for a really fun year.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Movie Review

Star Wars: The Force Awakens, directed by J.J. Abrams, continues the epic space saga originally created by George Lucas. The film stars Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Lupita Nyong'o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Max Von Sydow, Gwendoline Christie, and Peter Mayhew.

Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension - Movie Review

Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension, directed by Gregory Plotkin, continues the story originally created by Oren Peli. The movie stars Chris J Murray, Brit Shaw, Ivy George, Dan Gill, Olivia Taylor Dudley, Chloe Csengery, Don Mcmanus, and Michael Krawic.

2015 Recap - Animation

Even with two releases from Pixar studios, this was not a banner year for animated films as there really just wasn't that much out there. Maybe next year will be better but, in the meantime, here is what I saw and which was my favorite for 2015.

In the Heart of the Sea - Movie Review

In the Heart of the Sea is based off of the true story that inspired Herman Melville to write Moby Dick, one of American literature's greatest achievements. The film was directed by Ron Howard (Rush, Apollo 13) and stars Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson, Tom Holland, Ben Whishaw, and Charlotte Riley.

Legend - Movie Review

Legend, written and directed by Brian Helgeland, is based off of a true story and  is adapted from the book written by author John Pearson. The film features Tom Hardy in a dual role as well as Emily Browning, David Thewlis, Christopher Eccleston, Tara Fitzgerald, Taron Egerton, Adam Fogerty, and Chazz Palminteri.

2015 Hawaii International Film Festival Recap

While I wasn't able to attend the 2015 Hawaii International Film Festival, I was able to check out a few of the films and what I saw was pretty darn good. The festival took place at several venues between November 12th and 22nd and featured a very diverse schedule filled with feature films, short films, and documentaries, all of which were in some way connected to regions around the Pacific Rim.

The Night Before - Movie Review

The Night Before is a very unique take on the holiday comedy genre and was directed by Jonathan Levine who's previous efforts include Warm Bodies and All the Boys Love Mandy Lane. The movie stars Seth Rogan, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anthony Mackie, Jillian Bell, Lizzy Caplan, Michael Shannon, Ilana Glazer, Tracy Morgan, Randall Park, Mindy Kaling, and Lorraine Toussaint.

Krampus - Movie Review

Krampus is a holiday horror comedy written and directed by Michael Dougherty. The film stars Adam Scott, David Koechner, Toni Collette, Allison Tollman, Conchata Ferrell, Emjay Anthony, Stafania LaVie Owen, and Krista Sadler.

The Good Dinosaur - Movie Review

The Good Dinosaur, paired with the short film Sanjay's Super Team, is the latest animated feature from Disney and Pixar Studios. The movie features the voice talents of Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, Marcus Scribner, Raymond Ochoa, Jack Bright, Peter Sohn, Steve Zahn, A.J. Buckley, Anna Paquin, and Sam Elliott.

Une Libération - Short Film Spotlight

Une Libération is an award winning short film written by and starring Marion Kerr and was directed by Brian Crewe (Far). The film also features acting performances by Ross Marquand, Matthew Temple, and mark Jaeger.

Spotlight - Movie Review

Spotlight is a feature film directed by Tom McCarthy and is based on actual events regarding how the Boston Globe uncovered a scandal that rocked the world. The film stars Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci, Billy Crudup, Brian d'Arcy James, Jamey Sheridan, and Neal Huff.

The Peanuts Movie - Movie Review

The Peanuts Movie, directed by Steve Martino, brings the classic franchise that features Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and friends to a new generation of movie goers. The movie features the voice talents of Noah Schnapp, Kristin Chenowith, Rebecca Bloom, Noah Johnston, Hadley Bell Miller, Venus Schultheis, and Mariel Sheets.

Creed - Movie Review

Creed, directed by Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station), continues the story of fictional boxing champion Rocky Balboa made famous by Sylvester Stallone. The movie stars Michael B. Anthony in the title role as well as Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Tony Bellew, Ritchie Coster, Graham McTavish, Malik Bazille, and Wood Harris.

Trailer Debut - Captain America: Civil War

The first official teaser trailer for Captain America: Civil War has been released and it looks just as bad ass as Winter Soldier was, if not more! This is sure to be one of the biggest movies of the year. Hit up the comments and let me know what you think.

Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong (HIFF 2015) - Movie Review

Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong, written and directed by Emily Ting, is an official selection of the 2015 Hawaii International Film Festival. The movie stars Jamie Chung, Bryan Greenberg, Richard Ng, Zach Hines, and Jaeden Cheng.

Brooklyn (HIFF 2015) - Movie Review

Brooklyn, directed by John Crowley, is an official selection of the 2015 Hawaii International Film Festival. The movie features a cast that includes Saoirse Ronan, Emory Cohen, Domhnall Gleeson, Jim Broadbent, Julie Walters, Emily Bett Rickards, Eve Macklin, Fiona Glascott, Jessica Paré, and Jenn Murray.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 - Move Review

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2, directed by Francis Lawrence, is the final installment in the Hunger Games saga which is based off the best selling novels written by Suzanne Collins. The movie features a star filled cast which includes Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julianne Moore, Sam Claflin, Elizabeth Banks, Jena Malone, Jeffrey Wright, Stanley Tucci, Natalie Dormer, and Gwendoline Christie.

The Coffin Maker / Magkakabaung (HIFF 2015) - Movie Review

The Coffin Maker, an award winning film directed by Jason Paul Laxamana, is an official selection of the Hawaii International Film Festival. The movie stars Allen Dizon, Gladys Reyes, Emilio Garcia, Chanel Latorre, Bor Ocampo, and Felixia Dizon.

2015 Seattle Shorts Film Festival Recap

Wow, what a weekend of amazing films! The 2015 Seattle Shorts Film Festival is definitely becoming one of the can't miss festivals of the Pacific Northwest and I had a great time watching as many of the films as I could that were available over the two days of sold out programming.

TwoOhSix Interviews (SSFF 2015) - Shannon Maree Walsh

During the 2015 Seattle Shorts Film Festival, I was able to sit down with actress Shannon Maree Walsh who was participating as a member of the festival's jury panel. We discuss her transition from championship gymnast to a budding career in film making as well as working with people like Wes Craven, Mark Ruffalo, Keira Knightley, and Susan Sarandon.

This is an audio recording. Images have been added to help you follow along with the interview.

The 2015 Seattle Shorts Film Festival was held at the SIFF Film Center during the weekend of November 14th and 15th and featured over 30 films from around the world. CLICK HERE to see all of my reviews and a recap of the festival including the TwoOhSix Festival Favorite award.

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The 33 - Movie Review

The 33, directed by Patricia Riggen, is based off of real life events from Deep Down Dark, a novel written by Hector Tobar. The movie stars Antonio Banderas, Rodrigo Santoro, Juliette Binoche, James Brolin, Lou Diamond Phillips, Mario Casas, Jacob Vargas, Juan Pablo Raba, Oscar Nuñez, Adriana Barraza, Kate del Castillo, Cote de Pablo, Elizabeth De Razzo, Naomi Scott, and Gabriel Byrne.

Seattle Shorts Film Festival - Preview Reviews (Part 4)

And now, the fourth and final installment of my Seattle Shorts Film Festival "Preview Reviews" which I will be releasing over the two weeks leading up to the actual film festival weekend. Each installment of this review series will feature a few of the short films that I have selected as my "TwoOhSix Picks" which can be seen by clicking HERE. The reviews you are about to read have been typed out immediately after watching each film so you are getting an honest and immediate reaction.

TwoOhSix Picks - 2015 Hawaii International Film Festival

Hello again! I am very excited to be providing press coverage for the Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF) as it features a very unique perspective on film making while focusing on movies that come from all over the world with a heavy influence from the Asia/Pacific regions. After perusing this year's festival schedule, I have hand picked a selection of the films that I personally would not want to miss and I hope you have a chance to enjoy them as well.

Seattle Shorts Film Festival - Preview Reviews (Part 3)

Here it is, the third installment of my Seattle Shorts Film Festival "Preview Reviews" which I will be releasing over the two weeks leading up to the actual film festival weekend. Each installment of this review series will feature a few of the short films that I have selected as my "TwoOhSix Picks" which can be seen by clicking HERE. The reviews you are about to read have been typed out immediately after watching each film so you are getting an honest and immediate reaction.

Spectre - Movie Review

Spectre, directed by Sam Mendes, is the latest installment in the 007 series which features Ian Fleming's international spy, the one and only James Bond. The film once again stars Daniel Craig in the lead role as well as Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes, Monica Bellucci, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Dave Bautista, Andrew Scott, Rory Kinnear, Stephanie Sigman, and Jesper Christensen.

Bridge of Spies - Movie Review

Bridge of Spies, written by Matt Charman and the Coen Brothers and directed by Steven Spielberg, is set during the cold war and is based off of real events. The movie stars Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Domenick Lombardozzi, Alan Alda, Amy Ryan, Austin Stowell, Michael Gaston, Scott Shepherd, Will Rogers, and Sebastian Koch.

Burnt - Movie Review

Burnt is a film by John Wells whose previous work includes The Company Men and August: Osage County. The cast for the movie includes Bradley Cooper. Sienna Miller, Daniel Brühl, Riccardo Scamarcio, Omar Sy, Emma Thompson, Uma Thurman, Sarah Greene and Alicia Vikander.

Seattle Shorts Film Festival - Preview Reviews (Part 2)

Hello and welcome to the second installment of my Seattle Shorts Film Festival "Preview Reviews" which I will be releasing over the next couple weeks leading up to the actual film festival weekend. Each installment of this review series will feature a few of the short films that I have selected as my "TwoOhSix Picks" which can be seen by clicking HERE. The reviews you are about to read have been typed out immediately after watching each film so you are getting an honest and immediate reaction.

The Keeping Room - Movie Review

The Keeping Room, directed by Daniel Barber, is a film set during the Civil War and was written by Julia Hart. The movie stars Brit Marling, Hailee Steinfield, Sam Worthington, Muna Otaru, Kyle Soller, Ned Dennehy, Amy Nuttall, and Nicholas Pinnock. In the Seattle area, you can catch The Keeping Room at the SIFF Film center through November 5th.

Spectre - IMAX or Cinerama?

Do you plan on seeing Spectre, the new James Bond movie, when it comes out on November 6th? Do you know where you are going to see it and which theater will give you the best experience? My comparison of Seattle area theaters will help you make that oh so important decision!

Seattle Shorts Film Festival - Preview Reviews (Part 1)

Hello and welcome to the first installment of my Seattle Shorts Film Festival "Preview Reviews" which I will be releasing over the next couple weeks leading up to the actual film festival weekend. Each installment of this review series will feature a few of the short films that I have selected as my "TwoOhSix Picks" which can be seen by clicking HERE. The reviews you are about to read have been typed out immediately after watching each film so you are getting an honest and immediate reaction.