The Great War of Archimedes / アルキメデスの大戦 - Movie Review

The Movie: The Great War of Archimedes / アルキメデスの大戦

The Director: Takashi Yamazaki 

The Cast: Suda Masaki, Emoto Tasuku, Hamabe Minami, Shofukutei Tsurube, Kobayashi Katsuya

The Story: Pre-WWII, the Japanese Navy commissioned the creation of impressive “supership” Yamato, strongly opposed by a top official insisting on more strategic and battle-ready warships. After being ignored without cause, Admiral Yamamoto recruits a math genius to help uncover what he soon suspects is a massive conspiracy.

Red Post on Escher Street / エッシャー通りの赤いポスト - 2021 AAAFF Movie Review

The Movie: Red Post on Escher Street / エッシャー通りの赤いポスト

The Director: Sion Sono

The Cast: Mala Morgan, Taro Suwa, Tetsu Watanabe, Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Tomoko Fujita, Jun Toba

The Story: It follows a filmmaker who holds auditions for his next project. Several of the actors who fail to win roles participate as extras.

Fan Girl - 2021 AAAFF Movie Review

The Movie: Fan Girl

The Director: Antoinette Jadaone

The Cast: Charlie Dizon, Paulo Avelino, Bea Alonzo

The Story: Fan Girl is about a fanatical Paulo Avelino fan who meets her onscreen idol  in less than ideal circumstances after stowing away in the back of his pickup truck.

The Interview:

TwoOhSix Picks - 2021 Austin Asian American Film Festival

The 2021 Austin Asian American Film Festival kicks off on Friday June 4th and runs through Sunday the 20th with a roster of films that made me want to cover the festivities from all the way up here in the Pacific Northwest. See below for my list of the films you do not want to miss. A few I have already seen and a few more I am excited to check out.

Cruella - Movie Review

The Movie: Cruella

The Director: Craig Gillespie

The Cast: Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Joel Fry, Paul Walter Hauser, Emily Beecham, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Mark Strong

The Story: A live-action prequel feature film following a young Cruella de Vil.

Changing Directions Podcast Series: Leslie Alejandro and Dani de Jesus - Creators of Gold

The filmmaking dynamic duo of Leslie Alejandro and Dani de Jesus joins the Changing Directions interview series to discuss their latest project called Gold, a music video featuring Ella Jay Basco and Ruby Ibarra. The video was screened as part of the 2021 CAAMFest programming and has been receiving critical acclaim from media outlets all across the country.

The Fabulous Filipino Brothers - 2021 CAAMFest Capsule Review

The Capsule Movie: The Fabulous Filipino Brothers

The Director: Dante Basco

The Cast: Arianna Basco, Cheryl Tsai, Dante Basco, Darion Basco, Derek Basco, Dionysio Basco, Joe Jitsukawa, Liza Lapira, Solenn Heussaff, Tirso Cruz III

The Story: In the lead-up to a family wedding, four brothers experience shenanigans of a wide range, as captured in a series of vignettes.

Deliver Us From Evil / 다만 악에서 구하소서 - Movie Review

The Movie - Deliver Us From Evil / 다만 악에서 구하소서

The Director: Hong Won-chan

The Cast: Hwang Jung-min, Lee Jung-jae, Park Jung-min, Choi Hee-seo

The Story: An assassin goes to Thailand in order to solve a kidnapping case linked to him, and finds himself chased by a man whose sibling he killed.

Changing Directions Podcast Series: Mei Makino - Director of Inbetween Girl

Mei Makino joins the Changing Directions podcast series to talk about her debut feature film Inbetween Girl which premiered at SXSW and is an official selection of CAAMFest. When it comes to representation,  Inbetween Girl is a genuinely fun coming of age comedy refreshingly told from an Asian American perspective.

Army of the Dead - Movie Review

The Movie: Army of the Dead

The Director: Zach Snyder

The Cast: Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera, Theo Rossi Matthias Schweighöfer, Nora Arnezeder, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tig Notaro, Raúl Castillo, Huma Qureshi, Garret Dillahunt

The Story: Following a zombie outbreak in Las Vegas, a group of mercenaries take the ultimate gamble, venturing into the quarantine zone to pull off the greatest heist ever attempted.

Snakehead - 2021 CAAMFest Capsule Review

The Movie: Snakehead

The Director: Evan Jackson Leong

The Cast: Celia Au, Devon Diep, Jade Wu, Perry Yung, Shuya Chang, Sung Kang

The Story: A Chinese immigrant gets caught up in an international crime ring of human smuggling while attempting to make a better life for her family.

Drive All Night - 2021 CAAMFest Movie Review

The Movie: Drive All Night

The Director: Peter Hsieh

The Cast: Johnny Gilligan, Lexy Hammonds, Sarah Dumont, Yutaka Takeuchi

The Story: Drive All Night follows Dave, a reclusive swing-shift taxi driver, whose night takes an unexpected turn after he picks up a mysterious passenger, Cara, a young woman hiding a dark secret. 

P!nk: All I Know So Far - Documentary Review

The Documentary: P!nk: All I Know So Far

The Director: Michael Gracey

The Story: A behind-the-scenes look at P!NK as she balances family and life on the road, leading up to her first Wembley Stadium performance on 2019's "Beautiful Trauma" world tour.

Undercover Punch and Gun - Movie Review

The Movie: Undercover Punch and Gun

The Directors: Koon-Nam Lui and Frankie Tam

The Cast: Phillip Ng, Vanness Wu, Andy On, Yinsheng Li, Joyce Wenjuan Feng, Luxia Jiang, Nicholas Tse, Carrie Ng, Susan Yam-Yam Shaw, Suet Lam

The Story: Undercover police Wu teams up with unlikely allies in order to fight a major drug dealer and take down a drug smuggling ring.

Inbetween Girl - 2021 CAAMFest Movie Review

The Movie: In Between Girl

The Director: Mei Makino

The Cast: Emily Garrett, Emma Galbraith, Liz Waters, William Magnuson

The Story: Teen artist Angie Chen turns to secret hook-ups with the heartthrob of her private school after her parents' sudden divorce.

The Interview:

Changing Directions Podcast Series: Mari Walker and Lynn Chen - Director and Star of See You Then

Mari Walker and Lynn Chen join the Changing Directions podcast series to talk about their new movie See You Then which premiered at SXSW and is an official selection of CAAMFest. When it comes to representation, See You Then is a very necessary movie and it's so important to move these types of conversations forward.

Spiral: From the Book of Saw - Movie Review

The Movie: Spiral: From the Book of Saw

The Director: Darren Lynn Bousman

The Cast: Chris Rock, Samuel L. Jackson, Max Minghella, Marisol Nichols, Morgan David Jones, Richard Zeppieri

The Story: A criminal mastermind unleashes a twisted form of justice in Spiral, the terrifying new chapter from the book of Saw.

Profile (2021) - Movie Review

The Movie: Profile

The Director: Timur Bekmambetov

The Cast: Valene Kane, Shazad Latif, Christine Adams

The Story: An undercover British journalist infiltrates the online propaganda channels of the so-called Islamic State, only to be sucked in by her recruiter.

Riders of Justice - Movie Review

The Movie: Riders of Justice

The Director: Anders Thomas Jensen

The Cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Andrea Heick Gadeberg, Lars Brygmann, Nicolas Bro,

Gustav Lindh, Roland Møller

The Story: Markus, who has to go home to his teenage daughter, Mathilde, when his wife dies in a tragic train accident. It seems like an accident until a mathematics geek, who was also a fellow passenger on the train, and his two colleagues show up.

The Djinn - Movie Review

The Movie: The Djinn

The Directors: David Charbonier and Justin Powell

The Cast: Ezra Dewey, Rob Brownstein, Tevy Poe, Donald Pitts, John Erickson

The Story: A mute boy is trapped in his apartment with a sinister monster when he makes a wish to fulfill his heart’s greatest desire.

TwoOhSix Picks - CAAMFest 2021

CAAMFest 2021 is a (mostly virtual) Asian and Asian American focused film festival based in San Francisco with live virtual film screenings, on-demand screenings, and some in person screenings at the Fort Mason FLIX drive in theater. This will be my first year covering the festival and I am excited to watch what looks like some really amazing films. See below for my TwoOhSix Picks, the movies you do not want to miss.

Wrath of Man - Movie Review

The Movie: Wrath of Man

The Director: Guy Ritchie

The Cast: Jason Statham, Holt McCallany, Jeffrey Donovan, Josh Hartnett, Laz Alonzo, Raúl Castillo, Deobia Oparei, Eddie Marsan, Scott Eastwood, Andy Garcia

The Story: A mysterious and wild-eyed new cash truck security guard surprises his coworkers during a heist in which he unexpectedly unleashes precision skills.

Boss Level - Movie Review

The Movie: Boss Level

The Director: Joe Carnahan

The Cast: Frank Grillo, Mel Gibson, Naomi Watts, Will Sasso, Annabelle Wallis, Sheaun McKinney, Selina Lo, Michelle Yeoh, Ken Jeong, Meadow Williams

The Story: A retired Special Forces officer is trapped in a never-ending time loop on the day of his death.

Changing Directions Podcast Series: Yung Chang - Director of Wuhan Wuhan

Award winning director Yung Chang joins the Changing Directions podcast interview series to talk about Wuhan Wuhan, a powerful new documentary about the early days of the pandemic. The director has crafted a compelling and inspiring story out of footage compiled at the onset of one of the worst natural disasters we have ever seen.

Wuhan Wuhan - Documentary Review

The Documentary: Wuhan Wuhan

The Director: Yung Chang

The Story: In a time when the world needs greater cross-cultural understanding, Wuhan Wuhan is an invaluable depiction of a metropolis joining together to overcome a crisis.

Cliff Walkers / 悬崖之上 - Movie Review

The Movie: Cliff Walkers / 悬崖之上

The Director: Zhang Yimou

The Cast: Zhang Yi, Yu Hewei, Qin Hailu, Liu Haocun, Zhu Yawen, Li Naiwen, Ni Dahong

The Story: In the puppet state of Manchukuo in the 1930s, four Communist party special agents, after returning to China, embark on a secret mission. Sold out by a traitor, the team find themselves surrounded by threats on all sides.

Four Good Days - Movie Review

The Movie: Four Good Days

The Director: Rodrigo García

The Cast: Glenn Close, Mila Kunis, Stephen Root, Joshua Leonard, Sam Hennings

The Story: A mother helps her daughter work through four crucial days of recovery from substance abuse.

The Virtuoso - Movie Review

The Movie: The Virtuoso

The Director: Nick Stagliano

The Cast: Anson Mount, Abbie Cornish, Eddie Marsan, Richard Brake, Diora Baird, David Morse, and Anthony Hopkins

The Story: A lonesome stranger, secure, nerves of steel, must track down and kill a rogue Hitman to satisfy an outstanding debt.

Without Remorse - Movie Review

The Movie: Without Remorse

The Director: Stefano Sollima

The Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Jodie Turner-Smith, Jamie Bell, Guy Pearce, Lauren London, Todd Lasance, Jacob Scipio, Colman Domingo, Alexander Mercury, Brett Gelman, Merab Ninidze

The Story: A Navy SEAL goes on a path to avenge his wife's murder only to find himself inside of a larger conspiracy.

Changing Directions Podcast Series: Brad Bennett and Chris Haley - Directors of Unmarked

Directors Brad Bennett and Chris Haley join the Changing Directions to talk about Unmarked, their documentary short film. Unmarked marks its place in history by literally uncovering historical remnants of American slavery and black history.

Unmarked - Documentary Review

The Documentary: Unmarked

The Directors: Brad J. Bennett, Chris Haley

The Story: The final resting places of many deceased African Americans, both enslaved and free, have been lost or left in shambles. Some are dedicated to righting this wrong.

The Interview:

Boys from County Hell - Movie Review

The Movie: Boys from County Hell

The Director: Chris Baugh

The Cast: Jack Rowan, Nigel O’Neill, Louisa Harland, Fra Fee, John Lynch, Michael Hough

The Story: A crew of hardy road workers, led by a bickering Father and Son, must survive the night when they accidentally awaken an ancient Irish vampire.

Bloodthirsty - Movie Review

The Movie: Bloodthirsty

The Director: Amelia Moses

The Cast: Lauren Beatty, Greg Bryk, Katharine King So, Judith Buchan, Michael Ironside

The Story: Grey is an indie singer who is having visions that she is a wolf. When she gets an invitation to work with notorious music producer Vaughn Daniels at his remote studio in the woods she begins to find out who she really is.

All Those Small Things - SIFF 2021 Movie Review

The Movie: All Those Small Things

The Director: Andrew Hyatt

The Cast: James Faulkner, Kerry Knuppe, Aaron Dalla Villa, Gloria Laino, Lacy Hartselle, Cliff Parisi, David Robb, Nigel Betts, Jim Meskimen, Andrew Bicknell, Obadiah Freeman

The Story: Longtime British game show host, Jonathan Robbins, finds himself questioning his mortality and legacy after the recent death of a close friend. When he comes across an unexpected letter from a young fan, he heads to rural Spokane, WA in search of deeper meaning for his life.

Changing Directions Podcast Series: Rick Castaneda & Greena Park - Director and Star of All Sorts

Director Rick Castaneda and actress Greena Park join the Changing Directions podcast series to talk about their movie All Sorts which world premiered during the 2021 Seattle International Film Festival. The story is a mix of offbeat antics, creative fantasy, and heartwarming rom-comedy all brought to life by a perfectly put together cast of characters and a talented director who is a true hometown hero.

The Banishing - Movie Review

The Movie: The Banishing

The Director: Christopher Smith

The Cast: Jessica Brown Findlay, Sean Harris, John Lynch, and John Heffernan

The Story: A young reverend and his wife and daughter move into a manor with a horrifying secret. When a vengeful spirit haunts the little girl and threatens to tear the family apart, the reverend and his wife are forced to confront their beliefs.

When I'm Done Dying - SIFF 2021 Movie Review

The Movie: When I'm Done Dying

The Director: Nisan Dağ

The Cast: Oktay Çubuk, Hayal Köseoglu, Ushan Çakir

The Story: An aspiring young rapper living in the Istanbul slum of Karacinar is addicted to a cheap drug, bonzai, which threatens his career ambitions and his relationship with an upper class DJ.

Beast Beast - Movie Review

The Movie: Beast Beast

The Director: Danny Madden

The Cast: Shirley Chen, Will Madden, Jose Angeles, Courtney Dietz, Daniel Rashid, Anissa Matlock, Stephen Ruffin, Chip Carriere, Kron Moore, Susan Gallagher

The Story: A look at the lives and trauma surrounding three people living in a southern town.

Reefa - Movie Review

The Movie: Reefa

The Director: Jessica Kavana Dornbusch

The Cast: Tyler Dean Flores, Clara McGregor, Cinthya Carmona, Ricardo Chavira, José Zúñiga, George Sear, Margarita Rosa de Francisco, Ezana Alem

The Story: A fatal encounter with a police officer leaves Israel "Reefa" Hernandez Jr's family and friends devastated, the Miami community outraged, and the country reeling from another case of police brutality.