An Unquiet Grave - 2020 Nightstream Film Festival Movie Review

The Movie: An Unquiet Grave

The Director: Terence Krey

The Cast: Jacob A. Ware, Christine Nyland

The Story: A year after the death of his wife, a man enlists her sister to help him bring her back.

Dinner in America - 2020 Nightstream Film Festival Movie Review

The Movie: Dinner in America

The Director: Adam Rehmeier

The Cast: Kyle Gallner, Emily Skeggs, Griffin Gluck, Pat Healy, Mary Lynn Rajskub, David Yow, Hannah Marks, Nick Chinlund, Lea Thompson

The Story: An on-the-lam punk rocker and a young woman obsessed with his band unexpectedly fall in love and go on an epic journey together through America's decaying Midwestern suburbs.

Anything for Jackson - 2020 Nightstream Film Festival Movie Review

The Movie: Anything for Jackson

The Director: Justin G. Dyck

The Cast: Sheila McCarthy, Julian Richings, Konstantina Mantelos, Josh Cruddas, Yannick Bisson

The Story: A bereaved Satanist couple kidnap a pregnant woman so they can use an ancient spellbook to put their dead grandson's spirit into her unborn child but end up summoning more than they bargained for.

Bloody Hell - 2020 Nightstream Film Festival Movie Review

The Movie: Bloody Hell

The Director: Alister Grierson

The Cast: Ben O'Toole, Caroline Craig, Matthew Sunderland, Travis Jeffery, Jack Finsterer, Meg Fraser, Ashlee Lollback

The Story: A man with a mysterious past flees the country to escape his own personal hell - only to arrive somewhere much, much worse.

The War with Grandpa - Movie Review

The Movie: The War with Grandpa

The Director: Tim Hill

The Cast: Oakes Fegley, Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, Uma Thurman, Rob Riggle, Cheech Marin, Laura Marano, Jane Seymour

The Story: Upset that he has to share the room he loves with his grandfather, Peter decides to declare war in an attempt to get it back.

Spontaneous - Movie Review

The Movie: Spontaneous

The Director: Brian Duffield

The Cast: Katherine Langford, Charlie Plummer, Hayley Law, Piper Perabo, Rob Huebel, Yvonne Orji.

The Story: Get ready for the outrageous coming-of-age love story about growing up...and blowing up. When students in their school begin exploding (literally), seniors Mara and Dylan struggle to survive in a world where each moment may be their last.

Yellow Rose - Movie Review and Podcast Interview

The Movie: Yellow Rose

The Director: Diane Paragas

The Cast: Eva Noblezada, Princess Punzalan, Dale Watson, Libby Villari and Lea Salonga

The Story: Rose, an undocumented 17 year old Filipina, dreams of one day leaving her small Texas town to pursue her country music dreams. Her world is shattered when her mom suddenly gets picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The Verdict:

Yellow Rose is a beautiful movie that has a ton of heart, is filled with memorable songs, and features a knock out performance from Eva Noblezada. Diane Paragas' message of hope and resilience strikes right into the heart of our current political climate while taking nothing away from the experience of great cinematic storytelling.

Black Box (2020) - Movie Review

The Movie: Black Box

The Director: Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour

The Cast: Mamoudou Athie, Phylicia Rashad, Amanda Christine, Tosin Morohunfola, Charmaine Bingwa, Troy James 

The Story: After losing his wife and his memory in a car accident, a single father undergoes an agonizing experimental treatment that causes him to question who he really is.

The Lie - Movie Review

The Movie: The Lie

The Director: Veena Sud

The Cast: Mireille Enos, Peter Sarsgaard, Joey King, Cas Anvar, Devery Jacobs, Brittany

Nicholas Lea, Patti Kim

The Story: A father and daughter are on their way to dance camp when they spot the girl's best friend on the side of the road. When they stop to offer the friend a ride, their good intentions soon result in terrible consequences.

TwoOhSix Podcast - S02/E05 - New Directions in Film with So Yun Um

Welcome to New Directions in Film, a TwoOhSix Podcast Series.

Season 02, Episode 05 featuring filmmaker So Yun Um

TwoOhSix Picks - Nightstream Film Festival

The Nightstream virtual film festival will take place October 8th through the 11th and is the combined efforts of five different film festivals that have been unable to enjoy their normal festival experience due to 2020 being a big pile of poo. Everyone is hoping that film festivals will be able to resume the in person experience at some point next year although for now, we can still gather virtually to enjoy some wonderful genre films.

The Devil All the Time - Movie Review

The Movie: The Devil All the Time

The Director: Antonio Campos

The Cast: Tom Holland, Bill Skarsgård, Riley Keough, Jason Clarke, Sebastian Stan, Haley Bennett, Eliza Scanlen, Mia Wasikowska, Robert Pattinson

The Story: Sinister characters converge around a young man devoted to protecting those he loves in a postwar backwoods town teeming with corruption and brutality.

The Trial of the Chicago 7 - Movie Review

The Movie: The Trial of the Chicago 7

The Director: Aaron Sorkin

The Cast: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Sacha Baron Cohen, Daniel Flaherty, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Keaton, Frank Langella, John Carroll Lynch, Eddie Redmayne, Noah Robbins, Mark Rylance, Alex Sharp, Jeremy Strong

The Story: The story of 7 people on trial stemming from various charges surrounding the uprising at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.

12 Hour Shift - Movie Review

The Movie: 12 Hour Shift

The Director: Brea Grant

The Cast: Angela Bettis, Chloe Farnworth, Nikea Gamby-Turner, David Arquette, Kit Williamson,
Mick Foley

The Story: Bodies start to pile up when a drug-user nurse and her cousin try to find a replacement kidney for an organ trafficker.

The Antenna - Movie Review

The Movie: The Antenna

The Director: Orçun Behram

The Cast: Ihsan Önal, Gül Arici, Levent Ünsal, Isil Zeynep, Murat Saglam, Elif Çakman, Mert Toprak Yadigar, Eda Özel

The Story: In a dystopian Turkey, the Government installs new networks throughout the country to monitor information. The installation goes wrong in a crumbling apartment complex and Mehmet, the building intendant, will have to confront the evil entity behind the inexplicable transmissions that threaten the residents.

TwoOhSix Podcast - S02/E04 - New Directions in Film with Nick Naveda

Welcome to New Directions in Film, a TwoOhSix Podcast Series.

Season 02, Episode 03 featuring filmmaker Nick Naveda

And here's the first half of the interview

where we discuss Words on Bathroom Walls

The Glorias - Movie Review

The Movie: The Glorias

The Director: Julie Taymor

The Cast: Julianne Moore, Alicia Vikander, Bette Midler, Janelle Monáe, Lorraine Toussaint, Lulu Wilson, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Kimberly Guerrero

The Story: The story of feminist icon Gloria Steinem's itinerant childhood's influence on her life as a writer, activist and organizer for women's rights worldwide.

The Legend of Tomiris - Movie Review

The Movie: The Legend of Tomiris

The Director: Akan Satayev

The Cast: Almira Tursyn, Aizhan Lighg, Adil Akhmetov, Erkebulan Dairov, Berik Aytzhanov, Satybaldy Azamat, Ghassan Massoud

The Story: Based on historical heroine Queen Tomiris of Massagetae and her cadre of female warriors (the real-life 6th century BCE Amazonians who inspired the mythical tales), The Legend of Tomiris recounts the tale of the nomadic ruler who overcame great personal tragedy to repel the powerful Persian empire and unite the Great Steppe. - Well Go USA

Shortcut - Movie Review

The Movie: Shortcut

The Director: Alessio Liguori

The Cast: Jack Kane, Zak Sutcliffe, Andrei Claude, Sophie Jane Oliver, Terence Anderson, Zander Emlano, Emma Giua, Molly Dew

The Story: A group of five classmates is trapped inside their school bus after a mysterious creature invades the road. Time runs and every passing minute decreases their survival chances against the constant threats of that unknown entity.

Warning: Do Not Play / 암전 - Movie Review

The Movie: Warning: Do Not Play / 암전

The Director: Kim Jin-won

The Cast: Seo Ye-ji Jin Sun-kyu Kim Mi-kyeong Narendra Singh Dhami

The Story: A struggling director makes a desperate bid to dig into the urban legend about a film shot by a ghost, at the risk of her own life.

All Roads to Pearla - Movie Review

The Movie: All Roads to Pearla

The Director: Van Ditthavong

The Cast: Alex MacNicoll, Addison Timlin, Corin Nemec, Nick Chinlund, Dash Mihok

The Story: A Texas town awakes when a high school wrestler gets entangled with a drifter and her psychopathic lover. Lives then intertwine and spiral violently out of control once he becomes her escort driver.

TwoOhSix Picks - 2020 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival

It is time for the 2020 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival virtual edition and my first year covering what looks like a super fun event. The festival programmers have put together an amazing list of virtual experiences including feature films, short film programs, and several themed interactive online events and gatherings. My coverage will focus on feature films so take a look at the ones I have selected as the ones you do not want to miss.

Kajillionaire - Movie Review

The Movie: Kajillionaire

The Director: Miranda July

The Cast: Evan Rachel Wood, Gina Rodriguez, Richard Jenkins, Debra Winger

The Story: A woman's life is turned upside down when her criminal parents invite an outsider to join them on a major heist they're planning.

TwoOhSix Podcast - S02/E03 - New Directions in Film with Diane Paragas

Welcome to New Directions in Film, a TwoOhSix Podcast Series.

Season 02, Episode 03 featuring filmmaker Diane Paragas

The New Mutants - Movie Review

The Movie: The New Mutants

The Director: Josh Boone

The Cast: Maisie Williams, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, Alice Braga, Blu Hunt, Henry Zaga

The Story: Five young mutants, just discovering their abilities while held in a secret facility against their will, fight to escape their past sins and save themselves.

The Nest - Movie Review

The Movie: The Nest

The Director: Sean Durkin

The Cast: Jude Law, Carrie Coon, Charlie Shotwell, Oona Roche

The Story: Life for an entrepreneur and his American family begin to take a twisted turn after moving into an English country manor.

Possessor (2020) - Movie Review

The Movie: Possessor

The Director: Brandon Cronenberg

The Cast: Christopher Abbott, Andrea Riseborough, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Sean Bean, Rossif Sutherland, Tuppence Middleton

The Story: Possessor follows an agent who works for a secretive organization that uses brain-implant technology to inhabit other people's bodies - ultimately driving them to commit assassinations for high-paying clients.

Antebellum - Movie Review

The Movie: Antebellum

The Directors: Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz

The Cast: Janelle Monáe, Eric Lange, Jena Malone, Jack Huston, Kiersey Clemons, Gabourey Sidibe, Marque Richardson, Robert Aramayo, Lily Cowles, Tongayi Chirisa

The Story: Successful author Veronica Henley finds herself trapped in a horrifying reality and must uncover the mind-bending mystery before it's too late.

No Escape - Movie Review

The Movie: No Escape

The Director: Will Wernick

The Cast: Keegan Allen, Holland Roden, Denzel Whitaker, Ronen Rubinstein, Pasha Lychnikoff, George Janko, Siya

The Story: A social media star travels with his friends to Moscow to capture new content for his successful VLOG. Always pushing the limits and catering to a growing audience, he and his friends enter a cold world of mystery, excess and danger.

Spiral (2020) - Movie Review

The Movie: Spiral

The Director: Kurtis David Harder

The Cast: Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, Ari Cohen, Jennifer Laporte, Lochlyn Munro, Chandra West, Ty Wood, Thomas Elms

The Story: Male mixed race couple moves to the suburbs and encounter evil cult of white people.

All In: The Fight for Democracy - Documentary Review

The Documentary: All In: The Fight for Democracy

The Directors: Lisa Cortes and Liz Garbus

The Story: The documentary takes a look at the history, and current activism against voter suppression; barriers to voting that most people don't even know is a threat to their basic rights as citizens of the United States.

TwoOhSix Podcast - S02/E02 - New Directions in Film with Bao Tran

Welcome to New Directions in Film, a TwoOhSix Podcast Series.

Season 02, Episode 02 featuring filmmaker Bao Tran

#Alive / #살아있다 - Movie Review

The Movie: #Alive / #살아있다

The Director: Cho Il-hyung

The Cast: Yoo Ah-In, Park Shin-Hye, Lee Hyun-Wook

The Story: The rapid spread of an unknown infection has left an entire city in ungovernable chaos, but one survivor remains alive in isolation.

Nekrotronic - Movie Review

The Movie: Nekrotronic

The Director: Kiah Roache-Turner

The Cast: Ben O'Toole, Monica Bellucci, Caroline Ford, David Wenham, Tess Haubrich

The Story: A man who discovers that he is part of a secret sect of magical beings who hunt down and destroy demons in the internet.

TwoOhSix Podcast - S02/E01 - New Directions in Film with Isabel Sandoval

Welcome to New Directions in Film, a TwoOhSix Podcast Series.

Greyhound (2020) - Movie Review

The Movie: Greyhound

The Director: Aaron Schneider

The Cast: Tom Hanks, Elisabeth Shue, Stephen Graham, Matt Helm, Craig Tate, Rob Morgan, Travis Quentin, Jeff Burkes, Matthew Zuk

The Story: Several months after the U.S. entry into World War II, an inexperienced U.S. Navy commander must lead an Allied convoy being stalked by a German submarine wolf pack.

Evil Boy - Movie Review

The Movie: Evil Boy

The Director: Olga Gorodetskaya

The Cast: Elena Lyadova, Vladimir Vdovichenkov, Sevastian Bugaev, Evgeniy Tsyganov, Roza Khayrullina

The Story: After their son disappears, a couple decides to adopt although the decision they make may not have been ideal.

My Prince Edward / 金都 - Movie Review

The Movie: My Prince Edward / 金都

The Director: Norris Wong

The Cast: Stephy Tang, Pak Hon Chu, Hee Ching Paw, Jin Kai Jie

The Story: A thirty something year old woman living in Hong Kong discovers, just as her boyfriend of seven years proposes, that she was never divorced from a sham marriage she agreed to for money ten years prior.

TwoOhSix Podcast: Guest Announcements - New Directions in Film

Welcome to season two of the TwoOhSox.com Podcast! This series features interviews with directors about their latest projects and also about how both the pandemic and the recent protests have changed what it means to make movies. 2020 has been nothing but change so far and I wanted to find out what the impact has been on making movies. I am thankful to have been able to schedule a lineup filled with extremely talented directors just as each of their careers are set to take off. Check out the full lineup below and thank you for listening!

Mulan (2020) - Movie Review

The Movie: Mulan

The Director: Niki Caro

The Cast: Liu Yifei, Donnie Yen, Jason Scott Lee, Yoson An, Gong Li, Jet Li, Tzi Ma, Rosalind Chao, Pei-Pei Cheng, Xana Tang, Ron Yuan

The Story: A young Chinese maiden disguises herself as a male warrior in order to save her father.

The Paper Tigers - 2020 Fantasia Movie Review

The Movie: The Paper Tigers

The Director: Bao Tran

The Cast: Joziah Lagonoy, Matthew Page, Jae Suh Park, Mykel Shannon Jenkins, Alain Uy, Ron Yuan, Ken Quitugua

The Story: Three Kung Fu prodigies have grown into washed-up, middle-aged men, now one kick away from pulling their hamstrings. But when their master is murdered, they must juggle their dead-end jobs, dad duties, and old grudges to avenge his death.

The Interview:

Entwined - Movie Review

The Movie: Entwined

The Director: Minos Nikolakakis

The Cast: Prometheus Aleifer, Anastasia Rafaella Konidi and John De Holland 

The Story: 

A doctor relocates to a small village and falls for a mysterious woman who lives in isolation due to a strange skin condition. As he falls deeper for the woman, he also falls deeper into a forest the surrounding forest that somehow refuses to let him escape.

A Witness Out of the Blue / 犯罪現場 - 2020 Fantasia Movie Review

The Movie: A Witness Out of the Blue / 犯罪現場

The Director: Chi-Keung Fung

The Cast: Louis Koo, Louis Cheung, Jessica Hsuan, Cherry Ngan, Philip Keung, Fiona Sit, Patrick Tam, Andy On, Ling Man-lung, Sam Lee, Evergreen Mak, Power Chan

The Story: A Hong Kong crime thriller about a detective who discovers that a parrot can help him to solve a case.

Detention / 返校 - 2020 Fantasia Movie Review

The Movie: Detention / 返校

The Director: John Hsu

The Cast: Gingle Wang, Tseng Chin-Hua, Fu Meng-Po, Cecilia Choi

The Story: A high school student in 1960's Taiwan during the period of White Terror and martial law must deal with the consequences of her actions against a secret book club.