Ski Bum: The Warren Miller Story - 2019 Slamdance Documentary Review

The Documentary: Ski Bum: The Warren Miller Story

The Director: Patrick Creadon

The Story: The life and times of the legendary filmmaker who, through his annual ski films and national tours which began in the early 1950’s, was a driving force in the development and promotion of the ski industry in America and throughout the world.

Replicas - Movie Review

The Movie: Replicas

The Director: Jeffrey Nachmanoff

The Cast: Keanu Reeves, Alice Eve, Emily Alyn Lind, Thomas Middleditch, John Ortiz, Emjay Anthony, Amber Townsend, Aria Lyric Leabu

The Story: A scientist becomes obsessed with bringing back his family members who died in a traffic accident.

Lost Holiday - 2019 Slamdance Move Review

The Movie: Lost Holiday

The Directors: Michael Kerry Matthews & Thomas Matthews

The Cast: Kate Lyn Sheil, Thomas Matthews, Keith Poulson, William Jackson Harper, Ismenia Mendes, Tone Tank, Joshua Leonard, Isiah Whitlock Jr.

The Story: A New York social worker finds herself embroiled in the kidnapping of a Washington DC socialite.

Desolation Center - Slamdance 2019 Documentary Review

The Documentary: Desolation Center

The Director: Stuart Swezey

The Story: Desolation Center is the untold story of Reagan-era guerrilla punk rock desert happenings that are now recognized as inspirations for Burning Man, Lollapalooza and Coachella.

TwoOhSix Picks - Slamdance 2019

2019 marks the 25th Anniversary of Slamdance as well as my second year of covering the festival. Slamdance always features a fresh and original slate of programming making it the perfect way to kick off the new year. After digging into the roster of available films, I was very excited to once again see a true independent spirit embedded throughout making it no easy task to compile my list of the 10 films (narrative, documentary, and short) that stood out from the pack as this year's "TwoOhSix Picks.".

Escape Room (2019) - Movie Review

The Movie: Escape Room

The Director: Adam Robitel

The Cast: Taylor Russell, Logan Miller, Jay Ellis, Tyler Labine, Deborah Ann Woll, Nick Dodani

The Story: Six strangers find themselves in circumstances beyond their control, and must use their wits to survive.

MAL-MO-E: The Secret Mission / 말모이 - Movie Review

The Movie: MAL-MO-E: The Secret Mission / 말모이

The Director: Eom Yoo-na

The Cast: Yoo Hae-jin, Yoon Kye-sang, Kim Hong-pa, Woo Hyun, Kim Tae-hoon, Kim Sun-young-III, Min Jin-woong, Lee Sung-wook-I, Cho Hyun-chul, Jo Hyun-do, Park Ye-na

The Story: During the Japanese occupation, two men travel across the country compiling the first Korean language dictionary.

Glass - Movie Review

The Movie: Glass

The Director: M. Night Shyamalan

The Cast: Bruce Willis, James McAvoy, Samuel L. Jackson, Anya Taylor-Joy, Sarah Paulson, Spencer Treat-Clark, Charlayne Woodard, Luke Kirby, Adam David Thompson

The Story: Security guard David Dunn uses his supernatural abilities to track Kevin Wendell Crumb, a disturbed man who has twenty-four personalities.

2018 Recap - Asian Cinema

While I don't necessarily consider Asian Cinema to be a genre, it is quite often the source for some of my favorite movies each year and 2018 was definitely no exception. Out of the twenty three movies watched and I have chosen six of them as my nominees for the 2018 TwoOhSix.com Favorite Asian Film Award.

Project Gutenberg (無雙) - Movie Review

The Movie: Project Gutenberg (無雙)

The Director: Felix Chong

The Cast: Chow Yun-Fat, Aaron Kwok, Jingchu Zhang, Catherine Chau, David Yao-Qing Wang, Kai Chi Liu

The Story: Cops chase counterfeiters while counterfeiters make fake stuff in big action spectacle.

2018 Recap - The Documentaries

Normally, documentaries aren't in my wheelhouse when it comes to movie watching, but whenever I have a chance to check one out, I am usually glad I did and quite often very impressed. In 2018 most of my documentary viewing (14 total) came from film festivals and there were a couple gems that really stuck with me. Out of the 14, I have picked six to be this year's nominees for TwoOhSix 2018 Favorite Documentary.

2018 Recap - The Horror Movies

2018 was a great year for horror and featured a ton of variety, from the revival of the classic Halloween franchise to the emergence of the Christmas Zombie Musical, there was so much to like. Film festivals filled their slates with some truly innovative gems while mainstream Hollywood got into the act with several bonafide hits. After much struggle, contemplation, and deliberation, I have narrowed down the 42 horror movies I have had the privilege of watching over the course of the year to the ten finalists you will see below.

Halloween (2018) - Movie Reiew

The Movie: Halloween

The Director: David Gordon Green

The Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, James Jude Courtney, Nick Castle, Haluk Bilginer, Will Patton, Rhian Rees, Jefferson Hall, Toby Huss, Virginia Gardner, Dylan Arnold

The Story: Laurie Strode confronts her long-time foe Michael Myers, the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago.

2018 Recap - The Film Festivals

2018 was my busiest year yet covering film festivals with an assortment of events that literally spanned the entire country from New York to Hawaii. Of course, the Seattle International Film Festival is my proverbial home base when it comes to festivals but I love being able to cover events from all over the place so I can better find those hidden gems and indie film makers from around the world. Some of my favorite movies each year come from film festivals and this year was no different.

Shoplifters (万引き家族) - Movie Review

The Movie: Shoplifters (万引き家族)

The Director: Kore-eda Hirokazu

The Cast: Lily Franky, Sakura Andô, Mayu Matsuoka, Kairi Jō, Miyu Sasaki, Kirin Kiki

The Story: A family of small-time crooks take in a child they find outside in the cold.

Roma (2018) - Movie Review

The Movie: Roma

The Director: Alfonso Cuarón

The Cast: Yalitza Aparicio, Marina de Tavira, Diego Cortina Autrey, Nancy García García, Verónica García, Fernando Grediaga, Jorge Antonio Guerrero

The Story: A story that chronicles a year in the life of a middle-class family's maid in Mexico City in the early 1970s.

Ant Man and the Wasp - Movie Review

The Movie: Ant-Man and the Wasp

The Director: Peyton Reed

The Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Peña, Walton Goggins, Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer, T.I., David Dastmalchian, Hannah John-Kamen, Abby Ryder Fortson, Randall Park, Michelle Pfeiffer, Laurence Fishburn, Michael Douglas

The Story: As Scott Lang balances being both a Super Hero and a father, Hope van Dyne and Dr. Hank Pym present an urgent new mission that finds the Ant-Man fighting alongside The Wasp to uncover secrets from their past.

Ralph Breaks the Internet - Movie Review

The Movie: Ralph Breaks the Internet

The Directors: Phil Johnston, Rich Moore

The Cast: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Gal Gadot, Taraji P. Henson, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, Alan Tudyk, Alfred Molina, Ed O'Neill

The Story: Ralph breaks the internet and then tries to fix it.

Mary Queen of Scots - Movie Review

The Movie: Mary Queen of Scots

The Director: Josie Rourke

The Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, Jack Lowden, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn, Gemma Chan, David Tennant

The Story: Mary Stuart's attempt to overthrow her cousin Elizabeth I, Queen of England, finds her condemned to years of imprisonment before facing execution.

Aquaman - Movie Review

The Movie: Aquaman

The Director: James Wan

The Cast: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Nicole Kidman, Patrick Wilson, Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Temuera Morrison, Ludi Lin, Randall Park, Michael Beach, Graham McTavish,

The Story: Arthur Curry learns that he is the heir to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, and must step forward to lead his people and be a hero to the world.

Mary Poppins Returns - Movie Review

The Movie: Mary Poppins Returns

The Director: Rob Marshall

The Cast: Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Pixie Davies, Nathanael Saleh, Joel Dawson, Julie Walters, Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Jeremy Swift, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Dick Van Dyke, Angela Lansbury, David Warner, Jim Norton, Noma Dumezweni

The Story: Decades after her original visit, the magical nanny returns to help the Banks siblings and Michael's children through a difficult time in their lives.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom - Movie Review

The Movie: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

The Director: J.A. Bayona

The Cast: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rafe Spall, Justice Smith, Daniella Pineda, James Cromwell, Toby Jones, Ted Levine, Jeff Goldblum, BD Wong, Geraldine Chaplin, Isabella Sermon,

The Story: When the island's dormant volcano begins roaring to life, Owen and Claire mount a campaign to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from this extinction-level event.

Incredibles 2 - Movie Review

The Movie: Incredibles 2

The Director: Brad Bird

The Cast: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, Huck Milner, Catherine Keener, Bob Odenkirk, Samuel L. Jackson, Sophia Bush, Isabella Rossellini, Jonathan Banks, Barry Bostwick,

The Story: Bob Parr (Mr. Incredible) is left to care for Jack-Jack while Helen (Elastigirl) is out saving the world.

Bumblebee - Movie Review

The Movie: Bumblebee

The Director: Travis Knight

The Cast: Hailee Steinfeld, John Cena, Dylan O'Brien, Megyn Price, Justin Theroux, Angela Bassett, Peter Cullen, Kenneth Choi, John Ortiz, Jorge Lendeborg Jr.

The Story: On the run in the year of 1987, Bumblebee finds refuge in a junkyard in a small Californian beach town. Charlie, on the cusp of turning 18 and trying to find her place in the world, discovers Bumblebee, battle-scarred and broken.

The Favourite - Movie Review

The Movie: The Favourite

The Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

The Cast: Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, Nicholas Hoult, James Smith, Mark Gattis, James Melville, Joe Alwin,

The Story: In early 18th century England, a frail Queen Anne occupies the throne and her close friend, Lady Sarah, governs the country in her stead. When a new servant, Abigail, arrives, her charm endears her to Sarah.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse - Movie Review

The Movie: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse

The Directors: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman

The Cast: Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali, Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Valez, Zoë Kravitz, John Mulaney, Kimiko Glenn, Nicolas Cage, Kathryn Hahn, Liev Schreiber, Chris Pine

The Story: Miles Morales becomes the Spider-Man of his reality and crosses paths with his counterparts from other dimensions to stop a threat to all reality.

Mortal Engines - Movie Review

The Movie: Mortal Engines

The Director: Christian Rivers

The Cast: Hera Hilmar, Robert Sheehan, Hugo Weaving, Jihea, Ronan Raftery, Leila George, Patrick Malahide, Stephen Lang, Colin Salmon

The Story: In a post-apocalyptic world where cities ride on wheels and consume each other to survive, two people meet in London and try to stop a conspiracy.

Green Book - Movie Review

The Movie: Green Book

The Director: Peter Farrelly

The Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali, Linda Cardellini, Sebastian Maniscalco, Dimiter D. Marinov, Mike Hatton,

The Story: A working-class Italian-American bouncer becomes the driver of an African-American classical pianist on a tour of venues through the 1960s American South.

I Am Paul Walker - Documentary Review

The Documentary: I Am Paul Walker

The Director: Adrian Buitenhuis

The Story: Documentary examining the life of the late actor Paul Walker.

TwoOhSix Recap - 2018 Hawaii International Film Festival

This was my third year covering the Hawaii International Film Festival remotely from my home in Seattle, Washington and each year has been such a blast I am determined to actually attend in 2019. The lineup is always filled with gems, some hidden and some more the blockbuster variety, and they come from all over the world, mostly from countries in the pacific rim. Each of the ten feature films I was able to watch during the festival were entertaining in their own way although, as always, only one was given the title of "TwoOhSix Festival Favorite."

Widows - Movie Review

The Movie: Widows

The Director: Steve McQueen

The Cast: Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, Liam Neeson, Colin Farrell, Robert Duvall, Jon Bernthal, Carrie Coon, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Brian Tyree Henry, Daniel Kaluuya, Kevin J. O'Connor, Jon Michael Hill

The Story: Set in contemporary Chicago, amid a time of turmoil, four women with nothing in common except a debt left behind by their dead husbands' criminal activities, take fate into their own hands, and conspire to forge a future on their own terms.

Bad Times at the El Royale - Movie Review

The Movie: Bad Times at the El Royale

The Director: Drew Goddard

The Cast: Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson, Chris Hemsworth, Jon Hamm, Lewis Pulman, Cailee Spaeny

The Story: Seven strangers, each with a secret to bury, meet at Lake Tahoe's El Royale, a rundown hotel with a dark past. Over the course of one fateful night, everyone will have a last shot at redemption - before everything goes to hell.

The Possession of Hannah Grace - Movie Review

The Movie: The Possession of Hannah Grace

The Director: Diederik Van Rooijen

The Cast: Shay Mitchell, Grey Damon, Kirby Johnson

The Story: When a cop who is just out of rehab takes the graveyard shift in a city hospital morgue, she faces a series of bizarre, violent events caused by an evil entity in one of the corpses.

The Review:
This is not a good movie. I tried to like it but it failed on just about every front. The worst is the CGI demon girl that looks like a CGI demon girl from 10 year old video game cut scenes. If I had a choice between watching this movie or smacking myself in the face with a fish for 90 minutes, I would actually choose the movie because the fish option sounds real gross. That being said, don't bother watching this movie. These are the things I do so you don't have to.

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The Prey - 2018 HIFF Movie Review

The Movie: The Prey

The Director: Jimmy Henderson

The Cast: Gu Shangwei, Vithaya Pansringarm, Byron Bishop, Sahajak Boonthanakit, Nophand Boonyai, Rous Mony, Dy Sonita, Vandy Piseth, Hun Sophy

The Story: After years of tracking down international criminals, a trip to a remote jungle prison will force Chinese cop Xin to become human prey to fight for his freedom - and to save his own life.

Robin Hood (2018) - Movie Review

The Movie: Robin Hood

The Director: Otto Bathurst

The Cast: Taron Egerton, Jamie Foxx, Ben Mendelsohn, Eve Hewson, Jamie Dornan, Tim Minchin, F. Murray Abraham, Ian Peck, Cornelius Booth

The Story: A retelling of the classic tale that has been retold many times.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - Movie Review

The Movie: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

The Director: David Yates

The Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Johnny Depp, Katherine Waterston, Zoë Kravitz, Callum Turner, Carmen Ejogo, Cornell John, Ezra Miller, Jude Law, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Claudia Kim

The Story: The second installment of the "Fantastic Beasts" series set in J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World featuring the adventures of magizoologist Newt Scamander.

The Hungry Lion / 飢えたライオン - 2018 HIFF Movie Review

The Movie: The Hungry Lion / 飢えたライオン

The Director: Takaomi Ogata

The Cast: Urara Matsubayashi, Atomu Mizuishi, Mariko Tsutsui, Nanami Hidaka, Sakiko Kato

The Story: A high school teacher is fired when a video of him having sex with a teenage girl is exposed on the internet and one of his students suffers from being falsely pegged as the girl in the video.

Suspiria (2018) - Movie Review

The Movie: Suspiria

The Director: Luca Guadagnino

The Cast: Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton, Doris Hick, Malgorzata Bela, Chloë Grace Moretz, Angela Winkler, Vanda Capriolo, Alek Wek, Mia Goth

The Story: A darkness swirls at the center of a world-renowned dance company, one that will engulf the artistic director, an ambitious young dancer, and a grieving psychotherapist. Some will succumb to the nightmare. Others will finally wake up.

For Love's Sake / 恋のしずく - HIFF 2018 Movie Review

The Movie: For Love's Sake / 映画「恋のしずく」

The Director: Naoki Segi

The Cast: Chizuru Azuma, Rina Kawaei, Mantaro Koichi, Mao Miyaji, Yuichi Nakamura, Atsushi Nishida, Ren Ohsugi, Hayato Onozuka, Kanji Tsuda, Tomoya Warabino

The Story: An agricultural student who has a passion for wine is sent to a sake brewery on an internship she wanted no part of. While there, she begins to learn about how the creation of sake runs parallel to life and she begins to see the world in different ways.

Overlord - Movie Review

The Movie: Overlord

The Director: Julius Avery

The Cast: Jovan Adepo, Wyatt Russell, Mathilde Ollivier, Pilou Asbæk, John Magaro, Iain De Caestecker, Jacob Anderson, Dominic Applewhite, Erich Redman, Bokeem Woodbine, Marc Rissmann

The Story: During a World War II mission, American soldiers drop into enemy territory and discover that the horrors of war can be much scarier than they ever imagined.

Gatao 2: Rise of the King / 角頭2：王者再起 - HIFF 2018 Movie Review

The Movie: Gatao 2: Rise of the King / 角頭2：王者再起

The Director: Yen Cheng-Kuo

The Cast: Collin Chou, Shih-Sian Wang, Jack Kao, Peng Sun, Hsin Shao, Ying Di, Jen-Shuo Cheng, Shang-Ho Huang

The Story: A gang lord in Taipei runs into trouble when an old friend returns to force a drug trade into the markets he controls causing chaos and disorder among an otherwise organized and honorable criminal enterprise.

50 First Kisses - HIFF 2018 Movie Review

The Movie: 50 First Kisses

The Director: Yûichi Fukuda

The Cast: Takayuki Yamada, Masami Nagasawa, Taiga, Jiro Sato, Myhraliza Aala, Tsuyoshi Muro, Katsuya, Hiroyasu Yamasaki

The Story: Meeting the woman of your dreams in Hawaii is a blessing until you discover she has short-term memory loss and forgets everything the very next day.

Bohemian Rhapsody - Movie Review

The Movie - Bohemian Rhapsody

The Director: Bryan Singer

The Cast: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Joseph Mazzello, Aiden Gillan, Allen Leech, Tom Hollander, Mike Myers, Aaron McCusker, Meneka Das, Ace Bhatti, Priya Blackburn, Dermot Murphy

The Story: A chronicle of the years leading up to Queen's legendary appearance at the Live Aid (1985) concert.

TwoOhSix Picks - 38th Annual Hawaii International Film Festival Presented by Halekulani

This is my fourth year covering the 38th Annual Hawaii International Film Festival Presented by Halekulani and, after looking at the lineup the organizers have put together, this may be their best event yet. You would think that a lineup of amazing movies from around the world would be enough but there are also several other types of events that attendees won't want to miss including a special night honoring the one and only Awkwafina!