As of May 2022, GIRL, INTERRUPTED is streaming on NETFLIX and PlutoTV. Upon first look, GIRL, INTERRUPTED (1999) appears to be the sister film of the critically acclaimed ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST (1975). The way Lisa (Angelina Jolie) enters the ward, kicking and screaming, marks her as GIRL, INTERRUPTED’s McMurphy and the force […]
GIRL, INTERRUPTED (1999): A Gap Year at the Psych Ward Read More »
DONBASS, an absurd, political satire that takes place during the wake of Russia’s 2014 invasion of the Eastern European region actually was released stateside in 2019 (after its debut at Cannes 2018). Watching it now as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is unspooling on our TV screens on a daily basis, lends an unnerving, heightened resonance
DONBASS (2018): WHY WE LIKE THIS FILM // HIFF Selects Read More »
WATCH A TALE OF LOVE AND DESIRE ON HIFF SELECTS DURING THE MONTH OF MARCH Lust is always a major factor in the typical coming-of-age story. It’s a tired trope that always falls into the usual cliches. Been there, done that. But rarely are they outlined with the same sincerity and sweetness as in
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NIGHTMARE ALLEY: A Time-Ambitious Trip Into Film Noir Camp As of February, 2022, NIGHTMARE ALLEY is streaming on HBOmax and HULU. NIGHTMARE ALLEY (2021) is a monster of a movie standing at 150 minutes long. Despite being longer than most audiences are comfortable with – even fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have mixed feelings
NIGHTMARE ALLEY /// A Review by Kanani Sato Read More »
WATCH ESCAPE FROM MOGADISHU ON HIFF SELECTS DURING THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY Anderson Le /// February 1, 2022 When cineastes discuss South Korean cinema, especially in the context of hallyu (Korean wave), auteur names like Bong Joon-ho, Kim Jee-woon and Park Chan-wook are ubiquitously brought up. In 2021, Hwang Dong-hyuk, the creator of SQUID GAME
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Alika Tengan’s Every Day in Kaimukī (2022) is the first narrative feature by a Kānaka Maoli filmmaker to premiere at Sundance, but it arrives as part of a cohort of similarly unconventional features from Hawaiʻi, including Christopher Makoto Yogi’s August at Akiko’s (2018) and I Was a Simple Man (2021), and Christopher Kahunahana’s Waikiki (2020).
Sundance 2022 Review: EVERY DAY IN KAIMUKĪ Read More »
For the past two years, I lived on Zoom. I watched films on streaming platforms. The death knell of cinemas was and still is looming. My livelihood and the fate of the Hawai‘i International Film Festival was in jeopardy with a lot of unknowns on the fate of cinema. Then, movie theaters eventually reopened, albeit
HIFF Artistic Director’s Top 10 Films of 2021 Read More »
HIFF41’s TOP STAFF PICKS We asked our HIFF staff to pick their favorite films from this year’s festival program. Here’s our top films, that you need to check out before online access closes on November 28. Watch these films now at watch.hiff.org and check out our official TOP FILMS list on LETTERBOXD at https://letterboxd.com/hiff/list/hiff41s-top-films/ MAD GOD MAD
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Timothée Chalamet (pictured) as Paul Atreides Not even the dunes of Arrakis could smother the massive-scale retelling of Frank Herbert’s 1965 DUNE and psychedelic-inducing spice pales in comparison to the vision Denis Villeneuve achieves. But with that, we still have to ask: Is Dune a “white-savior” story? Note from the author: In an attempt
Notes on DUNE from a Native Hawaiian / by Kanani Lyons Read More »
A Sweet Transgender Story Drowned in Motor Oil and Wrapped in Titanium Body Horror // This review DOES contain spoilers for TITANE – I do believe this movie is most effective without having any idea what will happen before going in. With that being said, it feels next to impossible to write about it without
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