“Lava’s” writer and director James Ford Murphy (far right), with HIFF’s Anderson Le, producer Andrea Warren and Napua Greig. Hawaii film fans were fortunate to get a sneak peek last week of the new Pixar-animated short film “Lava,” at the Hawaii International Film Festival. The Hawaii-centric film, about a volcano looking for love, is only seven minutes. But after the…
Missed the Live Aloha runway show? Watch this video.
How filmmaker Ann Marie Kirk found the missing piece to her film puzzle, online
Museum theater showcases quality and quirky films throughout the year.
Jimmy Buffett’s Beachcomber Burger, using as many local ingredients as possible. As you know, Jimmy Buffett’s at the Holiday Inn Waikiki Beachcomber Resort recently went through some changes — and actually, since I first blogged about it, the menu has gone through another round of tweaking. This Saturday, they’re having a re-grand opening with a huge “Buffett Fest,” with live,…
After 35 years in Kailua, Hungry Ear records moved to metro Honolulu and had its grand opening this weekend. I had never been to the original store, although it is well known with people my age and has a loyal cult following. Now that it’s in town, I thought I’d check it out and see what the buzz is about….
Artists taking selfies during the Project Kuleana 2 shoot Have you heard the word kuleana before? Literally translated from Hawaiian to English, in its most simple form, it means “right” or “responsibility.” Project Kuleana is a statewide musical project created by three local men in 2011, then launched last year. The organization is aimed at perpetrating the Hawaiian culture, music…
The Hawaii International Film Festival kicks off Thursday, Oct. 30 and runs through Nov. 9 on Oahu and from Nov. 13-16 on Hawaii Island and Kauai. Once again, there’s a great lineup of films in all genres. If you didn’t see my earlier post about my must-see films, here it is. For the full HIFF lineup, visit HIFF.org We’ll be reviewing…
Hawaii’s first Summit Fest — a weekend celebration of arts, culture and ideas — kicked off last night on the rooftop of the IBM Building on Ala Moana Boulevard. Attendees enjoyed a cocktail reception with a “post modern luau” created by Christina and Jennifer Hee; music by Lucie & The Perfect Wave; and previews of the weekend from Summit Magazine’s Ikaika Hussey,…
The inaugural Summit Fest — a celebration of fashion, music, culinary arts, and ideas — happens this weekend. Presented by Summit Magazine and Ward Village, the three-day event highlights Hawaii as an innovation hub with networking events and speakers that will share culture and promote discussion or collaboration on current issues. If you look at the schedule of events, it’s heady…
Ty Sanga wants to tell you a story. It starts in Kalihi where he grew up. His mother was first-generation Filipino and his father was Hawaiian-Chinese. They worked hard, so Ty did too. He worked room service at the Ihilani and studied ethnic studies at the University of Hawaii, where local documentaries like Victoria Keith’s “The Sand Island Story” deeply…
Today’s Hollywood is all about franchise films, comic book heroes, sequels and reboots. They’re fun to watch, but I miss the variety of films that I grew up watching. “Movies I Miss” will be blog series where I reminisce about the film genres that Hollywood has apparently forgotten. Gangster films As far back as I can remember I always wanted…
Recently, we got our hands on some fried chicken and bribed chef Lee Anne Wong to sit down with us to talk about all things whiskey and chicken, her love for them both and just about everything else under the sun (that we could fit into a 5-minute video anyways). On Thursday, Oct. 23, Wong and Koko Head Cafe will be…
Chef Mavro with his new chef de cuisine Jeremy Shigekane. Throughout the year, Chef Mavro changes his menu to match the season’s freshest ingredients. I got to try his latest fall menu offerings recently, which are always spectacular (with or without wine). This time, though, was a little more special: I got to meet his new chef de cuisine, Jeremy…
It’s a project long overdue: Amy Hanaiali‘i and Willie K. have reunited to again create beautiful music together. Hawaii’s powerful musical duo have spent the past year in Willie’s Maui recording studio, crafting lyrics, writing music and collaborating on a completely new original album titled, “Reunion.” The CD officially drops on Nov. 11, but Melissa Chang and I last night celebrated…
Space in Hawai‘i is scarce. Interior designer Lauren Makk gives some easy tips for keeping the clutter out.
Photo courtesy of Bao Nguyen. Anderson Le has your dream job. As programming director of the Hawaii International Film Festival since 2002, Le travels the world watching movies. While it’s more fun than typing TPS reports, his work is far from easy. He also programs documentaries for the Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy, as well as international…
Here’s how we’d wear these eight awesome cover looks.
Fall is right around the corner, and for me, that means football, festivities and best of all, films. I always look forward to the Hawaii International Film Festival, and once again, HIFF, which runs from Oct. 30 to Nov. 9 on Oahu and Nov. 13-16 on Hawaii Island and Kauai, has a great lineup. Here are the movies on my…
We’re giving away 10 pairs of VIP tickets to the new Brad Pitt and Shia LaBeouf film, “Fury,” which screens at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 15 at Ward 16 Consolidated Theatres. The VIP ticket access will allow our winners (and their guests) priority seating for the movie. Pitt plays a battle-hardened army sergeant named Wardaddy and commands a Sherman…
Today’s Hollywood is all about franchise films, comic book heroes, sequels and reboots. They’re fun to watch, but I miss the variety of films that I grew up watching. “Movies I Miss” will be blog series where I reminisce about the film genres that Hollywood has apparently forgotten.Buddy Cop FilmsBuddy cop films have launched some very impressive careers, including those…
The field outside our cabin in the mornings.Our visit to Furano — the middle of Hokkaido, and one of the most agricultural areas — continued with a very interactive tour to various farms. Although it’s a famously popular area for Japanese people to visit, tourists from outside Japan didn’t know much about it.Our group with Mr. and Mrs. Asakura of…
NDWHI: Hip-Hop Culture DayHip-Hop Culture Day at Ward Warehouse Amphitheatre was the final big event for National Dance Week, which winds up tomorrow. Starting with a day of workshops, from beatboxing to cypher etiquette (aka how to conduct yourself in a b-boy circle), the big event was a cypher (dance circle) and one-on-one b-boy competition with the winner representing Hawaii…
I headed to Sapporo with four friends because we won a tour from Hokkaido Treasure Island Travel — we just had to provide our own air fare. What fun! After a full day in the city, the Treasure Island bus picked us up and whisked us out to the country.Although it’s a mellow farm town, Furano is known to Japanese…
Alfred Hitchcock directed over 52 films. To put that into perspective, that’s roughly the number of films directed by Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, combined. Over his 50-year career, Hitch was an innovator, an icon and one of the most influential filmmakers in cinema history. But don’t take my word for it. Every Thursday in October, Consolidated Theatres Ward is…
