Lives with Flavor / Vidas con Sabor (SIFF 2017) - Documentary Review

The Movie: Lives with Flavor / Vidas con Sabor

The Director: Pablo Gasca Gollas

The Story: World renowned Mexican Chef Ricardo Muñoz Zurita takes us on a mouthwatering experience to discover the origins and struggles of Mexican cuisine to become one of the most important cuisines in the world.

Bad Black (SIFF 2017) - Movie Review

The Movie - Bad Black

The Director: Nabwana I.G.G.

The Cast: Nalwanga Gloria, Alan Hofmanis, Bisaso Dauda

The Story: A mild-mannered doctor is trained in the art of ass-kicking commando vengeance by a no-nonsense ghetto kid named Wesley Snipes.

The Farthest (SIFF 2017) - Documentary Review

The Movie: The Farthest

The Director: Emer Reynolds

The Story: This celebration of NASA’s Voyager space missions, which have traveled farther than anyone could ever have hoped, explores the magnificent machines’ designs, the men and women who built them, and the vision that propelled them into the future.

Interview with director Emer Reynolds.

Crazywise (SIFF 2017) - Documentary Review

The Movie: Crazywise

The Directors: Phil Borges, Kevin Tomlinson

The Story: Crazy…or wise? The traditional wisdom of indigenous cultures often contradicts modern views about a mental health crisis. Is it a ‘calling’ to grow or just a ‘broken brain’? This documentary explores what can be learned from people around the world who have turned their psychological crisis into a positive trans-formative experience.

Entanglement (SIFF 2017) - Movie Review

The Movie: Entanglement

The Director: Jason James

The Cast: Thomas Middleditch, Jess Weixler, Nicole LaPlaca, Diana Bang, Johannah Newmarch

The Story: While recovering from a suicide attempt, Ben Layton accidentally falls in love with a girl who was very nearly, almost his sister - and then things start to get weird.

Fermented (SIFF 2017) - Documentary Review

The Movie: Fermented

The Director: Jonathan Cianfrani

The Host: Chef Edward Lee

The Story: Celebrated chef Edward Lee travels the globe on a flavorful mission to discover how and why the fermentation process is a staple of world cuisine, including how it adds “culture” to cheese, beer, bread, pickles, kombucha, miso, and more.

Born In China - Movie Review

The Movie: Born In China

The Director: Chuan Lu

The Cast: John Krasinski, Xun Zhou (Narrators)

The Story: Venturing into the wilds of China, "Born in China" captures intimate moments with a panda bear and her growing cub, a young golden monkey who feels displaced by his baby sister, and a mother snow leopard struggling to raise her two cubs.

The Wall (2017) - Movie Review

The Movie: The Wall

The Director: Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow)

The Cast: Aaron Taylor Johnson, John Cena, Laith Nakli

The Story: Two American Soldiers are trapped by a lethal sniper, with only an unsteady wall between them.

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword - Movie Review

The Movie: King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

The Director: Guy Ritchie (Snatch, Sherlock Holmes)

The Cast: Charlie Hunnam, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Jude Law, Djimon Hounsou, Eric Bana, Aiden Gillan

The Story: Robbed of his birthright, Arthur comes up the hard way in the back alleys of the city. But once he pulls the sword from the stone, he is forced to acknowledge his true legacy - whether he likes it or not.

TwoOhSix Picks for SIFF 2017 Part 4 - Midnight Movies

25 Films for 25 Days of SIFF!

Over the course of nearly four weeks, the Seattle International Film Festival will feature 400 films from around the world and, since it would be physically impossible to watch them all, I am giving you a starting point with this list of the films that I am most looking forward to watching. The entire roster of films comes from 80 different countries and features 36 world premieres and 20 US premieres screening at venues all around the greater Seattle area.

TwoOhSix Picks for SIFF 2017 Part 3 - Documentaries

25 Films for 25 Days of SIFF!

Over the course of nearly four weeks, the Seattle International Film Festival will feature 400 films from around the world and, since it would be physically impossible to watch them all, I am giving you a starting point with this list of the films that I am most looking forward to watching. The entire roster of films comes from 80 different countries and features 36 world premieres and 20 US premieres screening at venues all around the greater Seattle area.

TwoOhSix Picks for SIFF 2017 Part 2 - Around the World

25 Films for 25 Days of SIFF!

Over the course of nearly four weeks, the Seattle International Film Festival will feature 400 films from around the world and, since it would be physically impossible to watch them all, I am giving you a starting point with this list of the films that I am most looking forward to watching. The entire roster of films comes from 80 different countries and features 36 world premieres and 20 US premieres screening at venues all around the greater Seattle area.

TwoOhSix Picks for SIFF 2017 Part 1 - Star Power

25 Films for 25 Days of SIFF

Over the course of nearly four weeks, the Seattle International Film Festival will feature 400 films from around the world and, since it would be physically impossible to watch them all, I am giving you a starting point with this list of the films that I am most looking forward to watching. The entire roster of films comes from 80 different countries and features 36 world premieres and 20 US premieres screening at venues all around the greater Seattle area.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - Movie Review

The Movie: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

The Director: James Gunn

The Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Vin Diesel, Kurt Russell, Michael Rooker, Sean Gunn, Pom Klementieff, Elizabeth Debicki, Sylvester Stallone

The Story: Set to the backdrop of Awesome Mixtape #2, 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' continues the team's adventures as they unravel the mystery of Peter Quill's true parentage.

The Circle (2017) - Movie Review

The Movie: The Circle

The Director: James Ponsoldt (The Spectacular Now)

The Cast: Emma Watson, Tom Hanks, John Boyega, Ellar Coltrane, Karen Gillan, Patton Oswalt, Bill Paxton, Nate Corddry, Glenne Headley, Mamoudou Athie, Smith Cho, Amir Talai, Poorna Jagannathan

The Story: A woman lands a dream job at a powerful tech company, only to uncover a nefarious agenda that will affect the lives of her friends, family and that of humanity.

Free Fire - Movie Review

The Movie: Free Fire

The Director: Ben Wheatley

The Cast: Brie Larson, Sharlto Copley, Armie Hammer, Cillian Murphy, Jack Reynor

The Story: Set in Boston in 1978, a meeting in a deserted warehouse between two gangs turns into a shootout and a game of survival.

Tommy's Honour - Movie Review

The Movie: Tommy's Honour

The Director: Jason Connery

The Cast: Jack Lowden, Peter Mullan, Ophelia Lovibond, Therese Bradley, Sam Neill, Peter Ferdinando

The Story: This is the story of Tommy Morris, the world's first golf prodigy, and his father who revolutionized the game of golf in the late 1800's.

Colossal - Movie Review

The Movie: Colossal

The Director: Nacho Vigalondo

The Cast: Anne Hathaway, Jason Sudeikis, Austin Stowell, Tim Blake Nelson, Dan Stevens

The Story: A woman discovers that severe catastrophic events are somehow connected to the mental breakdown from which she's suffering.

Gifted - Movie Review

The Movie: Gifted

The Director: Marc Webb

The Cast: Chris Evans, McKenna Grace, Lindsay Duncan, Jenny Slate, Octavia Spencer

The Story: Frank, a single man raising his child prodigy niece Mary, is drawn into a custody battle with his mother.

Your Name (君の名は。) - Movie Review

The Movie: Your Name (君の名は。)

The Director: Makoto Shinkai

Voice Cast: Ryûnosuke Kamiki, Mone Kamishiraishi, Ryô Narita, Aoi Yuki, Nobunaga Shimazaki, Kaito Ishikawa

The Story: Two strangers find themselves linked in a bizarre way. When a connection forms, will distance be the only thing to keep them apart?

4DX Comes to Seattle!

On Thursday, April 13th, 4DX will be making its Pacific Northwest debut at the Regal Meridian 16 theater in downtown Seattle, Washington. The night before this special day, I was able to attend a special presentation of The Fate of the Furious hosted by Regal Cinemas and representatives from 4DX and they were very excited to show off this "Absolute Cinema Experience".

The Fate of the Furious - Movie Review

The Movie: The Fate of the Furious

The Director: F. Gary Gray

The Cast: Vin Diesel, Jason Statham, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Charlize Theron, Kurt Russell, Nathalie Emmanuel, Luke Evans, Elsa Pataky, Kristofer Hivju, and Scott Eastwood

The Story: When a mysterious woman seduces Dom into the world of terrorism and a betrayal of those closest to him, the crew face trials that will test them as never before.

The Belko Experiment - Movie Review

The Movie: The Belko Experiment

The Director: Greg McLean

The Cast: John Gallagher, Jr, Tony Goldwin, Adria Arjone, John C. McGinley, Melonie Diaz, Owain Yeoman, Sean Gunn, Brent Sexton, David Dastmalchian, Gregg Henry, and Michael Rooker.

The Story: In a twisted social experiment, 80 Americans are locked in their high-rise corporate office in Bogotá, Colombia and ordered by an unknown voice coming from the company's intercom system to participate in a deadly game of kill or be killed.

Recap: 2016 Seattle International Film Festival

2016 was an interesting year for me covering the Seattle International Film Festival as I was out of the country for the first two weeks of the month long festival. Still, I was able to watch a decent amount of movies and even got in a few interviews which really turned out to be the highlight of my festival experience.

Sand Storm (SIFF 2016) - Movie Review

The Movie: Sand Storm
Official selection of the 2016 Seattle International Film Festival

The Director: Elite Zexer

The Cast: Lamis Ammar, Ruba Blal, Hitham Omari, Khadija Al Akel, and Jalal Masrwa

The Story: When their entire lives shatter, two Bedouin women struggle to change the unchangeable rules, each in her own individual way.

The Interview: TwoOhSix.com interviews director Elite Zexer.

Assassin's Creed - Movie Review

The Movie: Assassin's Creed

The Director: Justin Kurzel

The Cast: Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Brendan Gleeson, Callum Turner, Essie Davis, Jeremy Irons, and Michael K Williams

The Story: When Callum Lynch explores the memories of his ancestor Aguilar and gains the skills of a Master Assassin, he discovers he is a descendant of the secret Assassins society.

Ghost in the Shell (2017) - Movie Review

The Movie: Ghost in the Shell

The Director: Rupert Sanders (Snow White and the Huntsman)

The Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Pilou Asbæk, Takeshi Kitano, Juliette Binoche, Michael Pitt, Chin Han, Danusia Samal, Lasarus Latuere, Yutaka Izumihara, Peter Ferdinando, and Anamaria Marinca

The Story: In the near future, Major is the first of her kind: A human saved from a terrible crash, who is cyber-enhanced to be a perfect soldier devoted to stopping the world's most dangerous criminals.

Chips - Movie Review

The Movie: Chips

The Director: Dax Shepard

The Cast: Michael Peña, Dax Shepard, Jessica McNamee, Adam Brody, Ryan Hansen, Kristen Bell, Ben Falcone, Jamie Bock, and Vincent D'Onofrio

The Story: A rookie officer is teamed with a hardened pro at the California Highway Patrol, though the newbie soon learns his partner is really an undercover Fed investigating a heist that may involved some crooked cops.

Life (2017) - Movie Review

The Movie: Life

The Director: Daniel Espinosa (Safe House)

The Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Ryan Reynolds, Rebecca Ferguson, Hiroyuki Sanada, Olga Dihovichnaya, Ariyon Bakare, and Naoko Mori

The Story: A team of scientists aboard the International Space Station discover a rapidly evolving life form, that caused extinction on Mars, and now threatens the crew and all life on Earth.

Power Rangers (2017) - Movie Review

The Movie: Power Rangers

The Director: Dean Israelite

The Cast: Dacre Montgomery, Naomi Scott, RJ Cyler, Ludi Lin, Becky G., Elizabeth Banks, Bryan Cranston, Bill Hader, and David Denman

The Story: A group of high-school kids, who are infused with unique superpowers, harness their abilities in order to save the world.

The Lure (SIFF 2016) - Movie Review

The Movie: The Lure aka Córki dancingu

The Director: Agnieszka Smoczynska

The Cast: Marta Mazurek, Michalina Olszanska, Kinga Preis, Andrzej Konopka, Jakub Gierszal, Zygmunt Malanowicz, Magdalena Cielecka, Katarzyna Herman, and Marcin Kowalczyk

The Story: In Warsaw, a pair of mermaid sisters are adopted into a cabaret. While one seeks love with humans the other hungers to dine on the human population of the city.

Complete Unknown (SIFF 2016) - Movie Review

The Movie: Complete Unknown

The Director: Joshua Marston

The Cast: Rachel Weisz, Michael Shannon, Michael Chernus, Condola Rashad, Kathy Bates, and Danny Glover

The Story: As a man contemplates moving to a new state with his wife for her graduate program, an old flame - a woman who often changes identities - reenters his life at a birthday dinner party.

Transpecos (SIFF 2016) - Movie Review

The Movie: Transpecos

The Director: Greg Kwedar

The Cast: Johnny Simmons, Gabriel Luna, Clifton Collins Jr, David Acord, Oscar Avila, Luis Bordonada, Will Brittain, Jake Lockett, and Lora Martinez-Cunningham

The Story: For three US Border Patrol agents, the contents of one car reveal an insidious plot within their own ranks. The next 24 hours could cost them their lives.

Beauty and the Beast (2017) - Movie Review

The Movie: Beauty and the Beast

The Director: Bill Condon

The Cast: Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Josh Gad, Kevin Kline, Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellan, Emma Thompson, Audra McDonald, Stanley Tucci, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw

The Story: A tale as old as time.

Get Out - Movie Review

The Movie: Get Out

The Director: Jordan Peele

The Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener, Marcus Henderson, Betty Gabriel, Lakeith Stanfield, Stephen Root, and LilRel Howery

The Story: A young African-American man visits his white girlfriend’s family estate, he becomes ensnared in a more sinister real reason for the invitation.

Kong: Skull Island - Movie Review

The Movie: Kong: Skull Island

The Director: Jordan Vogt-Roberts (The Kings of Summer)

The Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, John C. Reilly, John Goodman, Corey Hawkins, John Ortiz, Tian Jing, Toby Kebbel, and Jason Mitchell

The Story: A team of scientists explore an uncharted island in the Pacific, venturing into the domain of the mighty Kong, and must fight to escape a primal Eden.

Moonlight - Movie Review

The Movie: Moonlight

The Director: Barry Jenkins

The Cast: Mahershala Ali, Alex R. Hibbert, Janelle Monáe, Naomie Harris, Ashton Sanders, Trevante Rhodes, and André Holland

The Story: A chronicle of the childhood, adolescence and burgeoning adulthood of a young black man growing up in a rough neighborhood of Miami.

Logan - Movie Review

The Movie: Logan

The Director: James Mangold

The Cast: Hugh Jackman, Dafne Keen, Patrick Stewart, Boyd Holbrook, Stephen Merchant, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Richard E. Grant, Eriq LaSalle, and Elise Neal

The Story: In the near future, a weary Logan cares for an ailing Professor X in a hide out on the Mexican border. But Logan's attempts to hide from the world and his legacy are up-ended when a young mutant arrives, being pursued by dark forces.

Kedi - Domumentary Review

The Movie: Kedi

The Director: Ceyda Torun

The Cast: Sari, Bengü, Aslan Parçası, Psikopat, Deniz, Gamsiz, and Duman.

The Story: A profile of an ancient city and its unique people, seen through the eyes of the most mysterious and beloved animal humans have ever known, the Cat. - imdb.com

2016 Recap - The Movies

For me, 2016 was a pretty incredible year for movies with such a diverse mix of styles, genres, and countries represented. Indie films, festival films, foreign films, animated films, horror films, and big budget blockbuster films all filled movie theaters in a seemingly endless stream of talent and creativity. Of course, not all of them turn out as good as you hope they might (Independence Day: Resurgence, X-Men: Apocalypse) and others seemingly come out of nowhere to shine above all the rest (Train to Busan, Sing Street).