Nina Wu / 灼人秘密 - 2019 Hawaii International Film Festival Movie Review

The Movie: Nina Wu / 灼人秘密

The Director: Midi Z

The Cast: Wu Ke-Xi, Sung Yu-Hua, Hsia Yu-Chiao and Shih Ming-Shuai

The Story: Struggling actress gets dream role and the experience comes with unexpected consequences.

Kampai! Sake Sisters - 2019 Hawaii International Film Festival Documentary Review

The Movie: Kampai! Sake Sisters

The Director: Mirai Konishi

The Cast: Miho Imada, Rebekah Wilson-Lye and Marie Chiba

The Story: Once forbidden to set foot into sake breweries, today women are the ones driving the most exciting changes within the sake industry in Japan. This documentary delves into the passionate lives of three pioneering women.

Doctor Sleep - Movie Review

The Movie: Doctor Sleep

The Director: Mike Flanagan

The Cast: Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson, Kyliegh Curran,

The Story: Years following the events of "The Shining," a now-adult Dan Torrance meets a young girl with similar powers as he tries to protect her from a cult known as The True Knot who prey on children with powers to remain immortal.

The White Storm 2: Drug Lords / 掃毒2天地對決 - 2019 Hawaii International Film Festival Movie Review

The Movie: The White Storm 2: Drug Lords / 掃毒2天地對決

The Director: Herman Yau

The Cast: Andy Lau, Louis Koo, Michael Miu and Karena Lam

The Story: A wealthy businessman tries to take down a drug kingpin that he used to work with, while a policeman tries to find justice without breaking the law.

Dark Place - 2019 Hawaii International Film Festival Movie Review

The Movie: Dark Place

The Directors: Kodie Bedford, Perun Bonser, Rob Braslin, Liam Phillips, Bjorn Stewart

The Cast: Tasia Zalar, Katherine Beckett, Luka May Glynn-Cole, Leonie Whyman and Clarence Ryan

The Story: Australian genre cinema takes an exciting leap forward with a quintet of tales that approach postcolonial Indigenous history through the lenses of horror and fantasy, all made by filmmakers of Aboriginal origin.

Ford v Ferrari - Movie Review

The Movie: Ford v Ferrari

The Director: James Mangold

The Cast: Christian Bale, Matt Damon, Caitriona Balfe, Jon Bernthal, Josh Lucas, Noah Jupe, Tracy Letts, Ray McKinnon

The Story: American car designer Carroll Shelby and driver Ken Miles battle corporate interference, the laws of physics and their own personal demons to build a revolutionary race car for Ford and challenge Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966.

Midway (2019) - Movie Review

The Movie: Midway

The Director: Roland Emmerich

The Cast: Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, Luke Evans

The Story: The story of the Battle of Midway, told by the leaders and the sailors who fought it.

Last Christmas - Movie Review

The Movie: Last Christmas

The Director: Paul Feig

The Cast: Emilia Clarke, Henry Golding, Emma Thompson, Michelle Yeoh,

The Story: Kate's latest bad decision is taking a job as a Santa's elf in a department store although meeting Tom while on the job might just be the turn of luck she's been looking for.

Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool - Documentary Review

The Movie: Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool

The Director: Stanley Nelson

The Story: Miles Davis: Horn player, bandleader, innovator. Miles was a singular force of nature, the very embodiment of cool. The central theme of Miles Davis' life, and of this film is Davis' restless determination to break boundaries and live life on his own terms.

Countdown - Movie Review

The Movie: Countdown

The Director: Justin Dec

The Cast: Elizabeth Lail, Jordan Calloway, Talitha Eliana Bateman, Peter Facinelli, Tichina Arnold, Matt Letscher, P.J. Byrne

The Story: When a nurse downloads an app that claims to predict the moment a person will die, it tells her she only has three days to live. With the clock ticking and a figure haunting her, she must find a way to save her life before time runs out.

TwoOhSix Picks - 2019 Hawaii International Film Festival Presented by Halekulani

This is now my fifth year covering the Hawaii International Film Festival and I am so excited for this year's lineup of films, I wasn't sure how I was going to narrow it down for my TwoOhSix Picks selections. Well, here we are, I've done the work, and the list is complete. Check out the twenty films that have been chosen to be this year's TwoOhSix Picks.

Terminator: Dark Fate - Movie Review

The Movie: Terminator: Dark Fate

The Director: Tim Miller

The Cast: Linda Hamilton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, Diego Luna, Diego Boneta, Fraser James

The Story: Sarah Connor and a hybrid cyborg human must protect a young girl from a newly modified liquid Terminator from the future.

TwoOhSix Picks - 2019 Romanian Film Festival

In case you weren't aware, the city of Seattle has non stop schedule of film festivals throughout the year thanks to SIFF, the Northwest Film Forum, and many other film related organizations, most of which are in business as non profits. The 2019 Romanian Film Festival is organized by the American Romanian Cultural Society in partnership with the SIFF Cinemas Uptown Theatre and, thanks to crowdfunding efforts, will be enjoying their largest version of the festival ever.

Parasite (기생충) - Movie Review

The Movie: Parasite (기생충)

The Director: Bong Joon-ho

The Cast: Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik and Park So-dam

The Story: All unemployed, Ki-taek's family takes peculiar interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks for their livelihood until they get entangled in an unexpected incident.

Motherless Brooklyn - Movie Review

The Movie: Motherless Brooklyn

The Director: Edward Norton

The Cast: Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Bobby Cannavale, Cherry Jones, Michael Kenneth Williams, Leslie Mann, Ethan Suplee, Dallas Roberts, Josh Pais, Robert Ray Wisdom, Fisher Stevens, Alec Baldwin, Willem Dafoe

The Story: Set against the backdrop of 1950s New York, Motherless Brooklyn follows Lionel Essrog, a lonely private detective afflicted with Tourette's Syndrome, as he ventures to solve the murder of his mentor and only friend, Frank Minna.

Harriet - Movie Review

The Movie: Harriet

The Director: Kasi Lemmons

The Cast: Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr., Joe Alwyn, Clarke Peters, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Omar J. Dorsey, Henry Hunter Hall, Tim Guinee, Nick Basta, Joseph Lee Anderson, Antonio J. Bell, CJ McBath, Janelle Monáe

The Story: The extraordinary tale of Harriet Tubman's escape from slavery and transformation into one of America's greatest heroes, whose courage, ingenuity, and tenacity freed hundreds of slaves and changed the course of history.

Knives Out - Movie Review

The Movie: Knives Out

The Director: Rian Johnson

The Cast: Christopher Plummer, Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana De Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, Toni Collette, LaKeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford and Jaeden Martell

The Story: A detective investigates the death of a patriarch of an eccentric, combative family.

Asako I & II 『寝ても覚めても』 - Movie Review

The Movie: Asako I & II 『寝ても覚めても』

The Director: Ryûsuke Hamaguchi

The Cast: Masahiro Higashide, Erika Karata, Sairi Itô, Kôji Nakamoto, Kôji Seto, Misako Tanaka, Daichi Watanabe, Rio Yamashita

The Story: Asako lives in Osaka. She falls in love with Baku, a free-spirit. One day, Baku suddenly disappears. Two years later, Asako now lives in Tokyo and meets Ryohei. He looks just like Baku, but has a completely different personality.

First Love / 初恋 - Movie Review

The Movie: First Love / 初恋

The Director: Takashi Miike

The Cast: Masataka Kubota, Nao Omori, Shôta Sometani, Sakurako Konishi, Becky, Jun Murakami

The Story: A young boxer and a call girl get caught up in a drug-smuggling scheme over the course of one night in Tokyo.

Human Lost 「人間失格」 - Movie Review

The Movie: Human Lost 「人間失格」

The Director: Fuminori Kizaki

The Cast: Mamoru Miyano, Kana Hanazawa, Takahiro Sakurai

The Story: Osamu Dazai’s masterpiece of Japanese literature re-imagined into a hyper-kinetic deep dive into human consciousness.

Girl on the Third Floor - 2019 BHFF Movie Review

The Movie: Girl on the Third Floor

The Director: Travis Stevens

The Cast: C.M. Punk, Trieste Kelly Dunn, Sarah Brooks,

The Story: Don Koch tries to renovate a rundown mansion with a sordid history for his growing family, only to learn that the house has other plans.

The Lighthouse - Movie Review

The Movie: The Lighthouse

The Director: Robert Eggers

The Cast: Willem Dafoe, Robert Pattinson, Valeriia Karaman

The Story: Two lighthouse workers in the 1890's drink, fart, argue, and fantasize about mermaids.

A Night Of Horror: Nightmare Radio - 2019 BHFF Movie Review

The Movie: A Night Of Horror: Nightmare Radio

Segment Directors: Jason Bognacki, A.J. Briones, Joshua Long, Sergio Morcillo, Adam O'Brien, Luciano Onetti, Nicolás Onetti, Pablo S. Pastor, Matthew Richards, Oliver Park

The Cast: Clara Kovacic, James Wright, Kera Obryon, Ian Costello, Michelle Costello

The Story: An overnight radio DJ tells tall tales and urban legends of horrific happenings and finds himself in the middle of a frightening fable while at the studio he is broadcasting from.

2019 Hawaii International Film Festival Presented by Halekulani - Lineup Announcement

Hard to believe this will be my fifth year covering the Hawaii International Film Festival and yet here I am perusing the press release for the 2019 rendition of one of my favorite film festivals of the year. This might be the best year yet as the curators of this cinematic extravaganza have put together a roster of films that make me wish I could be there for all of it.

Opening night will feature Taika Waititi's latest offering Jojo Rabbit which is a great way to kick things off and then the festivities will come to a glorious conclusion as Weathering with You, Makoto Shinkai’s follow up to the crazy popular Your Name, hits the screen. Keep on reading to get the full lowdown from the recently unveiled press release.

1BR - 2019 BHFF Movie Review

The Movie: 1BR

The Director: David Marmor

The Cast: Naomi Grossman, Taylor Nichols, Alan Blumenfeld, Giles Matthey, Andrea Gabriel, Curtis Webster, Nicole Brydon Bloom, Celeste Sully, Jerry Ying, Hailey Giles, Jay Pennick, Clayton Hoff

The Story: Young woman moves into apartment building to escape her family only to find another, more dangerous one hiding in plain sight.

The Shed - 2019 BHFF Movie Review

The Movie: The Shed

The Director: Frank Sabatella

The Cast: Jay Jay Warren, Cody Kostro, Sofia Happonen, Frank Whaley, Timothy Bottoms, Siobhan Fallon Hogan, Chris Petrovski, Francisco Burgos, Uly Schlesinger, Mu-Shaka Benson

The Story: A group of bullied teenagers turn the tide when they discover a a sinister secret hidden away inside a backyard shed.

Gemini Man (2019) - Movie Review

The Movie: Gemini Man

The Director: Ang Lee

The Cast: Will Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen

The Story: An over-the-hill hitman faces off against a younger clone of himself.

TwoOhSix Picks - 2019 Brooklyn Horror Film Festival

Horror fans! If you're in New York between October 17th and 24th, this is where you want to be. Year four of the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival looks like it is going to be the best one yet and The TwoOhSix has uncovered the scariest, bloodiest, creepiest, and most scream inducing-est movies that you will be able to see. Without further ado, here are my TwoOhSix Picks for this year's festivities.

Line Walker 2: Invisible Spy (使徒行者2: 谍影行动) - Movie Review

The Movie: Line Walker 2: Invisible Spy (使徒行者2: 谍影行动)

The Director: Jazz Boon

The Cast: Louis Koo, Nick Cheung, Francis Ng, Peiyao Jiang, Yichi Zhang, Zhi-zhong Huang, Jacky Cai, Joe Tak-Chung Ma

The Story: After they uncover evidence that there is corruption in the police force, three police officers in Hong Kong try to discover which of them can be trusted.

Joker - Movie Review

The Movie: Joker

The Director: Todd Phillips

The Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Brett Cullen, Frances Conroy, Shea Whigham, Bill Camp,

The Story: Super serious and super artistic super villain origin story.

Tazza: One Eyed Jack (타짜: 원 아이드 잭) - Movie Review

The Movie: Tazza: One Eyed Jack (타짜: 원 아이드 잭)

The Director: Kwon Oh-kwang

The Cast: Park Jung-min, Ryoo Seung-bum and Choi Yu-hwa

The Story: After losing everything, a young expert poker player raises the stakes by joining a crew for a job that may be a bigger gamble than any of them are ready for.

TwoOhSix Picks - 2019 Tacoma Film Festival

The TwoOhSix is heading back to the 253 to give you the 411 on the 2019 Tacoma Film Festival. This eight day extravaganza runs from October 3rd through the 10th and includes so many feature films, short films, special events, and industry workshops, I'm amazed at how much there is to see and do. Check out my "TwoOhSix Picks" which includes eight movies and one special event.

Ad Astra - Movie Review

The Movie: Ad Astra

The Director: James Gray

The Cast: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Liv Tyler, Donald Sutherland, Kimberly Elise, Loren Dean, Donnie Keshawarz, John Ortiz, John Finn

The Story: Astronaut Roy McBride undertakes a mission across an unforgiving solar system to uncover the truth about his missing father and his doomed expedition that now, 30 years later, threatens the universe.

Hustlers - Movie Review

The Movie: Hustlers

The Director: Lorene Scafaria

The Cast: Constance Wu, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Stiles, Lili Reinhart, Keke Palmer, Wai Ching Ho, Mette Towley, Trace Lysette, Mercedes Ruehl, Cardi B, Lizzo

The Story: Inspired by the viral New York Magazine article, Hustlers follows a crew of savvy former strip club employees who band together to turn the tables on their Wall Street clients.

Le Chocolat de H - Movie Review

The Movie: Le Chocolat de H

The Director: Takashi Watanabe

The Story: Explore the world of Hironobu Tsujiguchi and his award-winning artisanal chocolates.

Depraved - Movie Review

The Movie: Depraved

The Director: Larry Fessenden

The Cast: David Call, Joshua Leonard, Alex Breaux

The Story: A disillusioned field surgeon suffering from PTSD makes a man out of body parts and brings him to life in a Brooklyn loft.

One Cut of the Dead (カメラを止めるな！) - Movie Review

The Movie: One Cut of the Dead (カメラを止めるな！)

The Director: Shin'ichirô Ueda

The Cast: Hamatsu Takayuki, Harumi Shuhama, Nagaya Kazuaki, Yuzuki Akiyama, Takuya Fujimura, Ayana Gôda

The Story: A film crew gets attacked by zombies while making a zombie movie in a 37 minute single shot sequence. The rest of the movie just gets crazier and more fun all the way to the very end.

It Chapter Two - Movie Review

The Movie: It Chapter Two

The Director: Andy Muschietti

The Cast: Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Bill Hader, Bill Skarsgård, Isaiah Mustafa, Jay Ryan, James Ransone, Andy Bean

The Story: Twenty-seven years after their first encounter with the terrifying Pennywise, the Losers Club have grown up and moved away, until a devastating phone call brings them back.

Pokemon Detective Pikachu - Movie Review

The Movie: Pokemon Detective Pikachu

The Director: Rob Letterman

The Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton, Bill Nighy, Ken Watanabe, Chris Geere, Suki Waterhouse, Josette Simon, Rita Ora, Karan Soni

The Story: In a world where people collect Pokémon to do battle, a boy comes across an intelligent talking Pikachu who seeks to be a detective.

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum - Movie Review

The Movie: John Wick 3 - Parabellum

The Director: Chad Stahelski

The Cast: Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry, Ian McShane, Lance Reddick, Anjelica Huston, Laurence Fishburne, Mark Dacascos, Asia Kate Dillon, Saïd Taghmaoui, Jerome Flynn, Randall Duk Kim, Margaret Daly, Jason Mantzoukas,

The Story: Super-assassin John Wick is on the run after killing a member of the international assassin's guild, and with a $14 million price tag on his head - he is the target of hit men and women everywhere.

Happy Face - FrightFest 2019 Movie Review

The Movie: Happy Face

The Director: Alexandre Franchi

The Cast: E.R. Ruiz, Cindy Nicholsen, David Roche, Dawn Shaw

The Story: Desperate to become less shallow, a handsome teenage boy deforms his face with bandages and attends a support group for disfigured people.