Meatball Machine Kodoku (蠱毒 ミートボールマシン) (SIFF 2017) - Movie Review

The Movie: Meatball Machine Kodoku (蠱毒 ミートボールマシン)

The Director: Yoshihiro Nishimura

The Cast: Yoji Tanaka, Yurisa, Takumi Saito

The Story: A long-awaited sequel to the internationally acclaimed full-throttle splatter sci-fi action horror "Meatball Machine".

TwoOhSix Interviews: Creating Time Trap with Directors Mark Dennis and Ben Foster (SIFF 2017)

The day after Time Trap's world premiere at the 2017 Seattle International Film Festival, I had a chance to sit down with directors Mark Dennis and Ben Foster for an in depth discussion on everything it took to put this film together. An hour later, I felt like these guys were the type of film makers who love making movies at least as much as I love watching them and that enthusiasm made for a very entertaining and informative interview.

Landline (SIFF 2017) - Capsule Review

The Movie: Landline

The Director: Gillian Robespierre

The Cast: Jenny Slate, John Turturro, Edie Falco, Abby Quinn, Jay Duplass, and Finn Wittrock.

TwoOhSix Picks: SIFF at Shoreline!

The Seattle International Film Festival is celebrating its second year of screening films at Shoreline Community College. From May 26th to June 3rd, 26 different movies will be screened at the college's recently refurbished theater and I've picked the ones you do not want to miss.

The Last Animals (SIFF 2017) - Documentary Review

The Movie: The Last Animals

The Director: Kate Brooks

The Story: The Last Animals follows the conservationists, scientists and activists battling poachers and criminal networks to save elephants and rhinos from the edge of extinction.

RIP Roger Moore

R.I.P. Roger Moore

Moonraker is one of my very first all time favorite movies. It was my introduction to James Bond. It had anything and everything you could ever want in a movie. There was action, suspense, shooting, explosions, car chases, boat chases, nefarious villains, beautiful women, evil henchmen, expendable extras, space battles, laser guns, comedy, romance, spies, gadgets, weapons, animals, space shuttles, and so much more.

Roger Moore will always be my favorite James Bond. His run as the character is one of the most entertaining in so many ways, but mostly because he added a certain comedic flair that edged just a little towards parody, but never strayed far from the essence of being the iconic super spy who had a knack for saving the world...and getting the girl in the process. He was a hero and a Hollywood superstar.

Thank you Mr. Moore for helping to instill a love of watching movies that goes deep into my heart and soul.

RIP

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Small Town Killers (Dræberne fra Nibe) (SIFF 2017) - Movie Review

The Movie: Small Town Killers (Dræberne fra Nibe)

The Director: Ole Bornedal

The Cast:  Nicolas Bro, Ulrich Thomsen, Mia Lyhne, Lene Maria Christensen, Marcin Dorocinski, Gwen Taylor. Soren Malling

The Story: Two men decide to end their marriages, but when their wives decide to take them for all their money, they decide to hire a hit man to take them out once and for all.

TwoOhSix Interviews (SIFF 2017) - The Farthest Director Emer Reynolds

During the first weekend of the 2017 Seattle International Film Festival, I had an opportunity to sit down with Emer Reynolds to discuss her new documentary film, The Farthest, which is an in depth and entertaining exploration of the ongoing Voyager spacecraft mission. After watching the film, I was very excited to find out more about what went into creating this project and Ms. Reynolds was more than happy to tell me all about her latest passion project.

Time Trap (SIFF 2017) - Movie Review

The Movie: Time Trap

The Director: Mark Dennis and Ben Foster

The Cast: Andrew Wilson, Cassidy Gifford, Brianne Howey, Reiley McClendon, Olivia Draguicevich, Max Wright, Hans Marrero

The Story: A group of students become trapped inside a mysterious cave where they discover time passes differently underground than on the surface.

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.