Saturday, December 30, 2023

Insidious: The Red Door - Movie Review


The Movie: Insidious: The Red Door

The Director: Patrick Wilson

The Cast: Ty Simpkins, Patrick Wilson, Sinclair Daniel, Hiam Abbass, Andrew Astor, Rose Byrne

The Story: The Lamberts must go deeper into The Further than ever before to put their demons to rest once and for all.

The Moon / 더 문 - Movie Review


The Movie: The Moon / 더 문

The Director: Kim Yong-hwa

The Cast: Sol Kyung-gu, Doh Kyung-soo, Kim Hee-ae, Jo Han-chul, Park Byung-eun, Choi Byung-mo, Hong Seung-hee

The Story: A man is left in space due to an unfortunate accident while another man on Earth struggles to bring him back safely.

Wednesday, December 27, 2023

Wonka - Movie Review


The Movie: Wonka

The Director: Paul King

The Cast: 
Timothée Chalamet, Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key, Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, Jim Carter, Natasha Rothwell, Olivia Colman, Hugh Grant

The Story: With dreams of opening a shop in a city renowned for its chocolate, a young and poor Willy Wonka discovers that the industry is run by a cartel of greedy chocolatiers.

Monday, December 25, 2023

Poor Things - Movie Review


The Movie: Poor Things

The Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

The Cast: Cast: Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, Christopher Abbott, Suzy Bemba, Jerrod Carmichael, Kathryn Hunter, Vicki Pepperdine, Margaret Qualley, Hanna Schygulla

The Story: The fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter; a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist, Dr. Godwin Baxter.

Wednesday, December 20, 2023

The Iron Claw - Movie Review


The Movie: The Iron Claw

The Director: Sean Durkin

The Cast: Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Stanley Simons, Maura Tierney, Holt McCallany, Lily James

The Story: The true story of the inseparable Von Erich brothers, who made history in the intensely competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s.

Wednesday, December 13, 2023

Concrete Utopia / 콘크리트 유토피아 - Movie Review


The Movie: Concrete Utopia / 콘크리트 유토피아

The Director: Um Tae-hwa

The Cast: Lee Byung-hun, Park Seo-joon, Park Bo-young, Kim Sun-young, Park Ji-hu

The Story: Survivors from a massive earthquake struggle for a new life in Seoul.

Sunday, December 10, 2023

Ballerina / 발레리나 - Movie Review


The Movie: Ballerina발레리나

The Director: Lee Chung-hyun

The Cast: Jun Jong-seo, Kim Ji-hun, Park Yu-rim

The Story: Grieving the loss of a best friend she couldn't protect, an ex-bodyguard sets out to fulfill her dear friend's last wish: sweet revenge.

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Godzilla Minus One / ゴジラマイナスワン - Movie Review


The Movie: Godzilla Minus One / ゴジラマイナスワン

The Director: Takashi Yamazaki

The Cast: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada, Munetaka Aoki, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Sakura Ando, Kuranosuke Sasaki

The Story: Post war Japan is at its lowest point when a new crisis emerges in the form of a giant monster, baptized in the horrific power of the atomic bomb.

Monday, November 27, 2023

Eye For an Eye: The Blind Swordsman / 目中无人1 - Movie Review


The Movie: Eye for an Eye: The Blind Swordsman / 目中无人1

The Director: Bingjia Yang

The Cast: Xie Miao, Gao Yi, Zhang Haosen, Gao Weiman, Xiang Hao, Liu Ben, Zhang Di 

The Story: After stumbling into the aftermath of a brutal attack that resulted in an innocent man’s murder, a highly trained and exceptionally deadly swordsman temporarily sets aside life as a bounty hunter to investigate.

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Wish - Movie Review


The Movie: Wish

The Director: Chris Buck, Fawn Veerasunthorn

The Cast: Ariana DeBose, Chris Pine, Alan Tudyk, Angelique Cabral, Victor Garber, Natasha Rothwell, Jennifer Kumiyama, Harvey Guillén, Evan Peters, Ramy Youssef, Jon Rudnitsky

The Story: Wish will follow a young girl named Asha who wishes on a star and gets a more direct answer than she bargained for when a trouble-making star comes down from the sky to join her.

Monday, November 20, 2023

The Marvels - Movie Review


The Movie: The Marvels

The Director: Nia DaCosta

The Cast: Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, Zawe Ashton, Gary Lewis, Seo-Jun Park, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, Saagar Shaikh, Samuel L. Jackson

The Story: Carol Danvers gets her powers entangled with those of Kamala Khan and Monica Rambeau, forcing them to work together to save the universe.

Tuesday, November 14, 2023

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes - Movie Review


The Movie: The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

The Director: Francis Lawrence

The Cast: Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer, Josh Andrés Rivera, Viola Davis

The Story: Coriolanus Snow mentors and develops feelings for the female District 12 tribute during the 10th Hunger Games.

Monday, November 6, 2023

Wineville - Movie Review


The Movie: Wineville

The Director: Brande Roderick

The Cast: Brande Roderick, Carolyn Hennesy, Texas Battle, Casey Lott, Keaton Roderick Cadrez, Will Roberts

The Story: A woman who escaped her abusive father as a teen must return to settle the affairs of the family vineyard upon his death. She finds that the dark secrets she left behind have only festered and blackened over the decades, fermenting into violence and death.

Wednesday, October 18, 2023

Killers of the Flower Moon - Movie Review


The Movie: Killers of the Flower Moon

The Director: Martin Scorsese

The Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Jesse Plemons, Lily Gladstone, Tantoo Cardinal, John Lithgow, Brendan Fraser, Cara Jade Myers, JaNae Collins, Jillian Dion, William Belleau, Louis Cancelmi, Tatanka Means, Michael Abbot Jr., Pat Healy, Scott Shepard, Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson

The Story: An epic western crime saga, where real love crosses paths with unspeakable betrayal.

Tuesday, October 3, 2023

Mercy Road - Movie Review


The Movie: Mercy Road

The Director: John Curran

The Cast: Luke Bracey, Toby Jones

The Story: It tells the story of a flawed everyman who commits a crime. He soon learns how far he is willing to go to save his child.

Creepy Crawly - Movie Review


The Movie: Creepy Crawly

The Directors: Chalit Krileadmongkon & Pakphum Wongjinda

The Cast: Pirat Nitipaisalkul, Chanya McClory , Benjamin Joseph Varney, David Asavanon

The Story: While quarantining at a Thailand hotel, guests begin disappearing with no explanation from staff, leaving the group to wonder whether there may be some truth to local urban legends about a terrifying creature rumored to possess its victims.

Saturday, September 30, 2023

Mortal Kombat (2021) - Movie Review


The Movie: Mortal Kombat

The Director: Simon McQuoid

The Cast: Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Tadanobu Asano, Mehcad Brooks, Ludi Lin, Chin Han, Joe Taslim, Hiroyuki Sanada, Max Huang, Sisi Stringer, Matilda Kimber, Laura Brent

The Story: It's a movie about the video game.

Friday, September 29, 2023

Fair Play - Movie Review


The Movie: Fair Play

The Director: Chloe Domont

The Cast: Phoebe Dynevor, Alden Ehrenreich, Eddie Marsan

The Story: When a coveted promotion at a cutthroat financial firm arises, once supportive exchanges between lovers Emily and Luke begin to sour into something more sinister.

Wednesday, September 27, 2023

The Creator - Movie Review


The Movie: The Creator

The Director: Gareth Edwards

The Cast: John David Washington, Gemma Chan, Ken Watanabe, Sturgill Simpson, Madeleine Yuna Voyles, Allison Janney

The Story: Against the backdrop of a war between humans and robots with artificial intelligence, a former soldier finds the secret weapon, a robot in the form of a young child.

Sunday, September 24, 2023

A Million Miles Away - Movie Review


The Movie: A Million Miles Away

The Director: Alejandra Márquez Abella

The Cast: Michael Peña, Rosa Salazar, Bobby Soto, Sarayu Blue, Veronica Falcón, Julio César Cedillo, Garret Dillahunt, Eric Johnson, Michelle Krusiec

The Story: A biopic about José M. Hernández and his path from a farm worker to becoming an engineer and an astronaut. A tale of perseverance, community and sacrifice to accomplish a seemingly impossible dream.

Monday, September 18, 2023

Cassandro - Movie Review


The Movie: Cassandro

The Director: Roger Ross Williams

The Cast: Gael García Bernal, Roberta Colindrez, Perla De La Rosa, Joaquín Cosío, Raúl Castillo, El Hijo del Santo, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio

The Story: Follows the true story of Cassandro, the ''exotico'' character created by Saúl Armendáriz, gay amateur wrestler from El Paso who rose to international stardom.

Wednesday, August 30, 2023

#ChadGetsTheAxe - Movie Review


The Movie: #ChadGetsTheAxe

The Director: Travis Bible

The Cast: Spencer Harrison Levin, Michael Bonini, Taneisha Figueroa, Cameron Vitosh, Brandon Doyle, Shun Hagins

The Story: Four social media influencers live stream their trip to Devil's Manor, former home to a satanic cult.

Sunday, July 23, 2023

Oppenheimer - Movie Review


The Movie: Oppenheimer

The Director: Christopher Nolan

The Cast: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey, Jr., Matt Damon, Rami Malek, Florence Pugh, Benny Safdie, Michael Angarano, Josh Hartnett and Kenneth Branagh

The Story: The story of American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer and his role in the development of the atomic bomb.

Wednesday, July 19, 2023

Shortcomings - Movie Review


The Movie: Shortcomings

The Director: Randall Park

The Cast: Justin H. Min, Sherry Cola, Ally Maki, Debby Ryan, Tavi Gevinson, Sonoya Mizuno, Jacob Batalon, Timothy Simons

The Story: A trio of young Bay Area urbanites--Ben Tanaka, Miko Hayashi, and Alice Kim--as they navigate a range of interpersonal relationships, traversing the country in search of the ideal connection.

Tuesday, July 18, 2023

Barbie - Movie Review


The Movie: Barbie

The Director: Greta Gerwig

The Cast: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Simu Liu, America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Rhea Perlman, Will Ferrell

The Story: Barbie and Ken are having the time of their lives in the colorful and seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land. However, when they get a chance to go to the real world, they soon discover the joys and perils of living among humans.

Tuesday, July 11, 2023

Liquor Store Dreams - Documentary Review


The Documentary: Liquor Store Dreams

The Director: So Yun Um

The Story: The autobiographical documentary follows two Korean American children of liquor store owners in Los Angeles who must reconcile their own dreams with those of their immigrant parents.

Monday, July 10, 2023

Joy Ride (2023) - Movie Review


The Movie: Joy Ride

The Director: Adele Lim

The Cast: Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu, Sabrina Wu, Ronny Chieng, Meredith Hagner, David Denman, Annie Mumolo, Timothy Simons, Desmond Chiam, Baron Davis, Lori Tan Chinn, Alexander Hodge, Chris Pang

The Story: Follows four Chinese-American friends as they bond and discover the truth of what it means to know and love who you are, while they travel through China in search of one of their birth mothers.

Tuesday, July 4, 2023

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1 - Movie Review


The Movie: Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1

The Director: Christopher McQuarrie

The Cast: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Mariela Garriga, Henry Czerny, Shea Whigham, Greg Tarzan Davis, Charles Parnell, Frederick Schmidt, Cary Elwes, Mark Gatiss, Indira Varma, Rob Delaney

The Story: Ethan Hunt and his IMF team embark on their most dangerous mission yet: To track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity before it falls into the wrong hands.

Monday, July 3, 2023

The Childe / 귀공자 - Movie Review


The Movie: The Childe / 귀공자

The Director: Park Hoon-jung

The Cast: Kim Seon-ho, Kang Tae-ju, Kim Kang-woo, Go Ara

The Story: In a desperate attempt to secure funds for his mother’s surgery, an amateur boxer searches for the wealthy estranged father he’s never met. But after a lead takes him from the Philippines to Korea, he is relentlessly pursued by a quirky yet highly dangerous man.

Monday, June 19, 2023

Mad Heidi - Movie Review


The Movie: Mad Heidi

The Director: Johannes Hartmann, Sandro Klopfstein

The Cast: Alice Lucy, David Schofield, Casper Van Dien, Katja Kolm, Kel Matsena, Almar G. Sato, Max Rüdlinger, Werner Biermeier, Pascal Ulli, Rebecca Dyson-Smith, Milo Moiré, Yves Wüthrich

The Story: Swiss mountain girl Heidi is abducted by brutal government troops and must defend herself and fight a war against a cheese-fueled machinery of hate.

Thursday, June 15, 2023

Past Lives - Movie Review


The Movie: Past Lives

The Director: Celine Song

The Cast: Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, John Magaro, Moon Seung-ah, Leem Seung-min

The Story: Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrest apart after Nora's family emigrates from South Korea. 20 years later, they are reunited for one fateful week as they confront notions of love and destiny.

Thursday, June 8, 2023

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


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

The Directors: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson

The Cast: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Vélez, Jake Johnson, Jason Schwartzman, Issa Rae, Karan Soni, Daniel Kaluuya, Mahershala Ali, Oscar Isaac

The Story: Miles Morales catapults across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. When the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles must redefine what it means to be a hero.

Wednesday, June 7, 2023

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts - Movie Review


The Movie: Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

The Director: Steven Caple Jr.

The Cast: Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback, Luna Lauren Velez, Dean Scott Vazquez, Tobe Nwigwe, Peter Cullen, Ron Perlman, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh, Liza Koshy, John DiMaggio, David Sobolov, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Pete Davidson, Cristo Fernández, Tongayi Chirisa

The Story: During the '90s, a new faction of Transformers - the Maximals - join the Autobots as allies in the battle for Earth.

Wednesday, May 31, 2023

The Boogeyman (2023) - Movie Review


The Movie: The Boogeyman

The Director: Rob Savage

The Cast: Sophie Thatcher, Chris Messina, Vivien Lyra Blair, Marin Ireland, Madison Hu, LisaGay Hamilton, David Dastmalchian

The Story: Adapted from a short story by Stephen King.

Sunday, May 28, 2023

Fast X - Movie Review


The Movie: Fast X

The Director: Louis Leterrier

The Cast: Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Jason Momoa, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jordana Brewster, John Cena, Jason Statham, Sung Kang, Alan Ritchson, Daniela Melchior, Scott Eastwood, with Helen Mirren, Charlize Theron, Brie Larson, Rita Moreno

The Story: Dom Toretto and his family are targeted by the vengeful son of drug kingpin Hernan Reyes.

Saturday, May 27, 2023

Guardians of the Galaxy volume 3


The Movie: Guardians of the Galaxy volume 3

The Director: James Gunn

The Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Sean Gunn, Chukwudi Iwuji, Will Poulter, Maria Bakalova

The Story: Still reeling from the loss of Gamora, Peter Quill rallies his team to defend the universe and one of their own - a mission that could mean the end of the Guardians if not successful.

Monday, May 22, 2023

The Little Mermaid (2023) - Movie Review


The Movie: The Little Mermaid

The Director: Rob Marshall 

The Cast: Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina, Jacob Tremblay, Noma Dumezweni, Javier Bardem, Melissa McCarthy

The Story: A young mermaid makes a deal with a sea witch to trade her beautiful voice for human legs so she can discover the world above water and impress a prince.

Saturday, May 20, 2023

Next Sohee / 다음 소희 - 2023 SIFF Capsule Review


The Movie: Next Sohee다음 소희

The Director: Jung Ju-ri

The Cast: Bae Doona, Kim Si-eun

The Story: High school student Sohee starts job training at a call center, but she faces pressure of greedy company which leads to her death. Detective Oh Yu-jin, who has something in common with Sohee starts to follow traces to reveal the truth.

Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Adolfo - SIFF 2023 Capsule Review



The Movie: Adolfo

The Director: Sofia Auza

The Cast: Juan Daniel Garcia Treviño, Rocio de la Mañana

The Story: When Momo, Hugo and his cactus, Adolfo meet one night, they are heading in opposite directions. Their encounter will not only magically change the course of their lives, but also encourage them to embrace the beauty of the unexpected.

Sunday, May 14, 2023

Chile ‘76 - 2023 SIFF Capsule Review



The Movie: Chile '76

The Director: Manuella Martelli

The Cast: Aline Küppenheim, Nicolás Sepúlveda, Hugo Medina, Alejandro Goic

The Story: Chile, 1976. Carmen heads off to her beach house. When the family priest asks her to take care of a young man he is sheltering in secret, Carmen steps onto unexplored territories, away from the quiet life she is used to.

Irati - 2023 SIFF Capsule Review



The Movie: Irati

The Director: Paul Urkijo Alijo

The Cast: Eneko Sagardoy, Edurne Azkarate, Itziar Ituño, Elena Uriz, Kepa Errasti

The Story: Follows Irati, a young girl who will guide a group of christian and muslim warriors through a journey in an ancient mythological world where everything that has a name exists, in an attempt to recover a lost treasure.

Saturday, May 13, 2023

A Disturbance in the Force - 2023 SIFF Capsule Review



The Documentary: A Disturbance in the Force

The Directors: Jeremy Coon, Steve Kozak

The Story: Investigating the infamous The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978) with the behind-the-scenes story of how it got made.

Friday, May 12, 2023

Year of the Fox - 2023 SIFF Capsule Review




The Movie: Year of the Fox

The Director: Megan Griffiths

The Cast: Sarah Jeffery, Jane Adams, Jake Weber, Balthazar Getty

The Story: The story follows Ivy, a teenager navigating Aspen's party scene amidst her adoptive parents' bitter divorce. As she watches her community provide cover for predatory behavior, Ivy struggles to find her path without losing herself.

Egghead & Twinkie - 2023 SIFF Capsule Review



The Movie: Egghead & Twinkie

The Director: Sarah Kambe Holland

The Cast: Sabrina Jie-A-Fa, Louis Tomeo, Asahi Hirano, Ayden Lee

The Story: After coming out to her parents, an Asian American teenage girl takes off on a road trip to meet her online crush with the help of her nerdy best friend.

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