The new trailer for “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” was launched last night and comic and film geeks are now spending a very productive day at work watching the trailer over and over again and lending their comments and…
I’ll be honest. When I heard that Hollywood was making “Creed,” I assumed it was yet another greed machine idea to squeeze out whatever life and money were left in the well-loved Rocky franchise. Boy, was I wrong. Well, not…
We really enjoyed the Korean coming-of-age flick “Seoul Searching” — so much so that we feel that you should get to see it, too. Fans of John Hughes classics such as “The Breakfast Club” and “Sixteen Candles” will surely appreciate…
Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 8:15 p.m., Dole Sunday, Nov. 22 at 5:00 p.m., Dole I’m a huge fan of teen films. Tales of awkward high schoolers finding themselves, hanging out with their friends and trying to get laid really appeal…
Noi Thai Cuisine recently opened at Royal Hawaiian Center, offering traditional Thai dishes with modern touches. Fans of Noi Thai’s Oregon restaurant or the Bai Tong chain in Seattle might recognize the cuisine. Both chains are owned by JJ Chaiseeha…
Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 4:00 p.m., Dole I felt a lot of shame and anger watching “Dear Thalia.” Not at society or at the homeless issue, but at myself. Living near Kakaako, I have driven by the tents of the…
I remember when the story of trapped Chilean miners went global back in 2010. I wasn’t much of a news watcher back then, but I found myself fascinated by the story of 33 men trapped thousands of feet underground, fighting…
Friday, Nov. 13, 6 p.m., Dole Friday, Nov. 20, 8:30 p.m., Hilo Palace Theater Saturday, Nov. 21, 6 p.m., Dole After watching the trailer for “How to Win at Checkers (Every Time)” on the HIFF website, I expected a very…
Koreans are fascinated with their own history. Some of the country’s biggest hits in TV and cinema are set centuries ago. It’s easy to see why, given the family and political struggles for power that define Korea’s past, but it’s…
Can’t decide what films to catch at the Hawaii International Film Festival? Ed Morita and I will be posting our reviews of upcoming HIFF films in this blog post. We’ll be adding new reviews daily, so keep checking in for…
Director Sam Mendes and star Daniel Craig had a huge challenge in filming “Spectre” because it had to follow up their own previous work on the fantastic “Skyfall.” “Spectre” starts with an amazing long tracking shot that follows Bond from…
University of Hawaii football fans demanded a change and with Norm Chow’s recent firing, they got it. Now fans agree that the best thing for the program is to build toward the future. So why are so many looking in…
I’ve been a fan of the Hawaii International Film Festival for a while now, but this year’s lineup of films and guest appearances honestly looks like the best yet. Making appearances are Japanese superstar Ryoko Hirosue, Korean A-list actor Ha…
Steven Spielberg just directed a two and half hour movie about a global scale “who has the biggest penis” contest. That’s pretty much what “Bridge of Spies,” Spielberg’s latest, comes down to. Inspired by true events during the Cold War,…
I was born in Korea and have gone back to visit, but I hadn’t been to the motherland for about nine years. For my girlfriend it had been much longer — she left when she was just six and hadn’t…
Hawaii is a melting pot of different cultures, and yet local Koreans do not have a cultural center to share their history and traditions. Polynesians have one. Japanese, Okinawans and Filipinos all have one. Local Chinese have an entire plaza.…
A naïve boy leaves home and is thrown into the middle of a rebellion against an evil empire. The rebels are led by a brave and beautiful young woman who regards the boy a savior to help end the war.…
“Sicario” is the Spanish word for “hitman.” It’s also the title of the best movie of 2015 — so far. I’ve only seen two of director Denis Villeneuve’s films prior to “Hitman”: the criminally overlooked “Prisoners” and the severely twisted…
I just came back from a trip to Korea where the flight from Honolulu took more than nine hours. The flight was full, the food was awful and I couldn’t get a wink of sleep. I must’ve looked at my…
I generally hate 3D films. Only a small handful of films have done it right (“Avatar” and “Hugo”), but most just tend to irritate me with the needless gimmick and burdensome glasses. But “The Walk” is an excellent showcase of…
Filmmaker Nancy Meyers has a real knack for writing about rich white folk. The talent behind films such as “Father of the Bride,” “Something’s Gotta Give” and “It’s Complicated” loves to engage audiences with stories involving privileged white people whose…
Hey, did you know the University of Hawaii football season kicks off tomorrow against Colorado? Judging by the ever-dwindling season ticket sales, it doesn’t appear that people are aware. Or worse, and likely more accurate, they don’t care. Head coach…
I love urban movies. I love rap. I love N.W.A. In fact, their CD is still in rotation in my car stereo. That’s why “Straight Outta Compton” was my No. 1 most anticipated movie of the year. So did the…
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to go to the theater and watch “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation,” one of the best films to come out this summer. This message will self-destruct at the end of this…
Is America ready for another Griswold adventure? Does America even remember who the Griswolds are? Let’s take a look at five questions for Hollywood’s latest reboot, “Vacation.” What’s it about? It’s been 18 years since the last Griswold family vacation…
To paraphrase male model extraordinaire Derek Zoolander, “What is this? A movie made for ants?!” No, it’s a movie made for not just comic book fans, but also all movie fans in general. Marvel continues to bring on the hits…
I’m on the board of the Hawaii Korean Chamber of Commerce, which is putting on Saturday’s Korean Festival at Magic Island, so I may be a bit biased when I say it’s one of the most fun festivals of the…
Channing Tatum and his bunch of merry men are back for another go-round in “Magic Mike XXL.” You’d think that would mean more thongs, more skin and more fun. No such luck. Here’s five questions for “Magic Mike XXL.” What’s…
It’s a comedy about a talking teddy bear. No need to read too much into it. Her are five questions for “Ted 2.” What’s it about? After experiencing some marital problems, Ted (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) and Tami-Lyn decide to…
Animated films always work best when they speak to both kids and adults, and Pixar has always been one of the best at doing just that. After a few money-grabbing, sub-par sequels (“Cars 2” and “Monsters University”) it’s really refreshing…
I love urban stories. I love high school coming-of-age films. I love hip-hop culture. I should have loved “Dope.” Nope. Here are five questions for “Dope.” What’s it about? Malcolm, Diggy and Jib are three best friends who are perfectly…
Filmmaker Cameron Crowe is known for classic films like “Jerry Maguire” and “Say Anything.” So when he gathers an awesome A-list cast and sets his latest film right here in our backyard, of course interest will be high, so let’s…
As Hawaii residents, we love to see our island home featured on the big screen. We like to catch the visual clues of places we’ve been to, restaurants we’ve eaten at and even cultural aspects that are unique to Hawaii.…
Between director Brad Bird’s creativity and Disney’s proven track record for family-friendly films (not to mention deep pockets), I had high expectations for “Tomorrowland,” especially after watching its amazing trailer. I went in wanting to become entranced by an amazing…
To paraphrase my favorite line from “Mad Max: Fury Road” – “Oh what a film! What a lovely film!” Recently I’ve started to bemoan the death of the classic action flick. The intricacies of a mind-blowing action scene have been…
One’s straight and narrow. The other’s wild and exotic. When they’re not too busy fighting each other, they have to fight off the Colombian drug lords. Sound cheesy? How about nacho cheesy? Here’s 5 questions about “Hot Pursuit.” What’s it…
Quick — what films are you most looking forward to watching this summer? Now how many of these are not sequels, reboots or based on comic books? The answer is very likely none. Fortunately, summer is not all about big…
Last week “Avengers: Age of Ultron” officially kicked off what potentially could be the biggest summer movie season ever. Summer is always a time when studios roll out their big money franchise films where to quote a huge summer movie…
I’ll readily admit that I wasn’t as enamored with “The Avengers” as the rest of the world. I thought it was too talky and that the whole process of assembling the team took too long and that there was too…
Film geeks like myself are counting the days (nine, to be exact) until “Avengers: Age of Ultron” opens a huge summer movie season. But the release of some exciting and even controversial trailers this past week triggered endless internet chatter.…
People with disabilities are out there just like everyone else, working for their money and contributing to society. Abilities Unlimited, a local non-profit that provides community-based support for them, is holding its 2nd annual Abilities Unlimited Film Festival (AUFF) tomorrow.…
Sometimes you just have to go watch a movie because your significant other says so. With most guys that would mean being dragged to a sappy, saccharine Nicholas Sparks movie. For me, it means going to “Paul Blart: Mall Cop…
Frolic is pleased as punch to be a first-time community co-presenter for two highly anticipated films at the Hawaii International Film Festival Spring Showcase: “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” and “Steak (R)evolution.” We pegged both as personal and…
Each entry of the “Fast and Furious” franchise has gotten bigger and better and movie fans including myself have eaten them up. The rag tag crew of street racers has gone from fighting street gangs, to drug lords, the Yakuza,…
Let’s face it. 2015 hasn’t been a stellar years for movies so far. Outside of a cool young British spy and some whips and chains, the films this year have been pretty (yawn!) forgettable. That’s why I’m super pumped about…
I was hoping for a crazy, over-the-top season finale for “Empire,” the water cooler show of the year, and wow, did it deliver. There were so many OMG moments that I gasped, sat up in shock, yelled at my TV…
I’ve only seen six movies at the theaters this year and Liam Neeson starred in two of them. Forget James Brown. Liam Neeson is the new hardest-working man in show business. I give all the credit in the world to…
After watching the film’s trailer, I thought I was going to hate “McFarland, USA.” I really did. I already knew that the underdog group of minority kids would overcome some sort of adversity to succeed in dramatic fashion with their…
The Oscars still represent the finest achievement in annual cinema. But with a months-long awards season leading up to it, including the Golden Globes and SAG awards, they have become predictable — almost a formality. Rarely have Academy voters surprised…
Comic book geeks were in nerdvana the other day with the news that Spider-Man will be joining the Marvel Comics Universe (MCU) films. That means the popular web slinger will now be both butting heads and joining forces with the…
From plantation towns to planned communities, Central O‘ahu has its share of secret spots, a bumper crop of bowling alleys and neighborhood eats.
We celebrated National Take a Hike Day (Nov. 17), with a round up of our top picks for the best hikes on the Island.
Not willing to change her identity to be part of the industry, Mahina Florence is at the height of her career because of her flawless Hawaiian complexion, strong athletic build, and friendly aloha spirit.
These restaurants and cafés hold themselves to a higher eco-standard that make deciding where to eat for ocean-minded people an easy decision.
