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Arts & Culture, Diane Lee

The 10 Best Gifts for the Ultimate “Star Wars” Fan on Your Christmas List

“Star Wars” fans around the world will be celebrating the release of the new movie, “The Force Awakens” this week. You don’t need to travel to a galaxy far, far away to find the perfect present for the “Star Wars” geek on your Christmas list. In no particular order, here’s your guide to the best “Star Wars” gifts around Honolulu.
Diane Lee,

You don’t need to look far, far away to find the perfect present for the “Star Wars” geek on your Christmas list.

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Drinks

Modern kaiseki this Sunday at Hale Ohuna

Melissa Chang,

Denise Luke and Lee Anne Wong of Hale Ohuna have been busy prepping for a special kaiseki this coming Sunday, featuring hand-picked sake pairings from award-winning Kikusui Brewery — three of which you can’t even get. When brewer Richard Priest got into town, they asked if I wanted to drop by and taste … I mean, talk about the sakes, I headed…

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Frolic Travels

Tripping from Tokyo: The Nakaminato fish market

Melissa Chang,

Everyone has heard of Tsukiji Market in Tokyo, the largest fish market of its kind, with rows and rows of vendors selling the freshest catch of the day in every form. There are rules. They are tired of tourists. You can’t talk to the fishmongers, much less make eye contact. But what if you just want to gorge on a…

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Frolic Travels

Touring the Hitachino Nest beer brewery

Melissa Chang,

Deb’s route took us north toward the coast, to Hitachinaka. Yes, Hitachi brand is the primary employer in this area, so pretty much everything bears its name. These towns are cute, but really small, so it was appropriate that I was wearing my Route 99 tank top on this day. (Route 99 is out in Wahiawa.) This is how deserted…

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Offbeat

‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’ trailer reaction

Myong Choi,

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 reactions online. Coming a week after the exciting trailer for “Captain America: Civil War,” “Dawn of Justice” had a very…

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Offbeat

Q&A: new ‘Mystery Science Theater 3000’ host Jonah Ray

Brian Watanabe,

They say the journey is the destination. But for comedian Jonah Ray, the destination is pretty damned sweet too. I first heard of Ray as a regular listener of the “Nerdist Podcast,” not knowing he was actually a local boy from Kailua. Ray met Nerdist host Chris Hardwick (“The Talking Dead”) doing stand up at the Westwood Brew Co. They…

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Photo Galleries

Behind-the-Scenes Look at Making the Mauka to Makai Cover

Get a behind-the-scenes look at the making of HONOLULU Magazine’s November 2015 cover, which features a dress printed with photography by Cameron Brooks and Zak Noyle, by designer Allison Izu.
HONOLULU Magazine Team,

Get a behind-the-scenes look at the making of HONOLULU Magazine’s November 2015 cover, which features a dress printed with photography by Cameron Brooks and Zak Noyle, by designer Allison Izu.

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Offbeat

Win tickets to early screening of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”

Frolic Hawai‘i,

Hey all you “Star Wars” fans, we’re giving away 10 pairs of tickets to an advance screening of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” That’s right, you’ll be among the first in Hawaii to see this hugely anticipated film, which by all estimations will bust box office ticket sales. To say this is hot ticket is definitely an understatement. The screening…

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Frolic Travels

Tokyo day trip: The Hakushu distillery

Melissa Chang,

You know it’s a nice day in Tokyo when you can see Mt. Fuji. The view from Hotel Metropolitan Ikebukuro. We had originally planned to visit the Yamazaki whisky distillery in Osaka, but found that it would be closed in November for renovations. Deb — who knows Japan well — did some quick reconfiguration, and determined that Suntory’s Hakushu distillery…

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Offbeat, Video

‘Creed’ gives a powerful one-two combo

Myong Choi,

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 totally wrong. I’m sure Hollywood was looking to make some money, but I had no idea that the end product…

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Offbeat, Video

HIFF review: ‘Seoul Searching’

Myong Choi,

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 to me. The golden era of teen films, of course, was the ’80s, with classics such as “The Breakfast Club,”…

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Offbeat

Win tickets to advance screening of ‘The Good Dinosaur’

Frolic Hawai‘i,

We’re giving five people a family 4-pack of tickets to an advance VIP screening of “The Good Dinosaur,” an epic journey into the world of dinosaurs where an Apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend. Pixar Animation Studios takes you on a journey where Arlo learns the power of confronting his fears and discovers what he is truly capable…

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Offbeat, Video

‘The 33’ is feel good by the numbers

Myong Choi,

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 for survival. My remote control started exploring rarely watched cable news channels just to see if progress had been made…

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Offbeat, Video

HIFF review: ‘How to Win at Checkers (Every Time)’

Myong Choi,

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 different movie from the one I watched. I went in to the film thinking that it would be about the…

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Offbeat, Video

HIFF: 11 picks by 11 film pros

Brian Watanabe,

It happens every year at the Hawaii International Film Festival. So many choices. To help, we asked Hawaii’s top filmmakers, producers and curators to share the movies and events they’re most excited about at HIFF 35. So here are 11 picks for 11 days of HIFF (Nov. 12 to 22 at Regal Dole Cannery unless noted). Time to pack a…

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Video

HIFF review: Food docs to whet your appetite

Ed Morita,

Food always features prominently at HIFF. This year is no different: There are a trio of food documentaries that will have you planning your next meal before the credits start rolling. “Foodies” Friday, Nov. 13, 5:45 p.m., Dole Sunday, Nov. 22, 4:00 p.m., Dole I’ve always said that foodies don’t take trips, they go on food pilgrimages. But the food…

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Did this: Gudetama feast at Plan Check in LA

Thomas Obungen,

Being an adult is pretty fantastic. The thought never crossed my mind that I would be so invested in a cartoon, let alone one from the Sanrio universe. So now that I have the means and independence to do what makes me happy, like traveling to eat a meal inspired by Sanrio’s lazy cartoon egg Gudetama, I realize that being…

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Drinks

Watch a sake movie, then drink the sakes

Mari Taketa,

In a crowded izakaya recently I found myself sitting next to Anderson Le, who flies to film fests all over the world in search of good picks for the Hawaii International Film Festival. “You!” he said. “There’s something I want to talk to you about. I’m about to choose a sake film for HIFF.” Good convo opener. And for a…

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Offbeat, Video

HIFF Review: 5 movies to start with

Myong Choi,

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 our picks and pans. HIFF runs from Nov. 12 to 22. For tickets and information check out their website at…