The Golden Age of Hollywood gave us smash hit classics such as ON THE WATERFRONT to REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE. This year we are celebrating these Hollywood gems with our monthly curated series, where we play one Golden Age Classic, introduced by our film historian, John Sittig.

Here’s a peek at each film coming soon:

April 15: THE AFRICAN QUEEN

Golden Age stars, Katherine Hepburn and Humphrey Boggart, embark on a glorious adventure on The African Queen escaping World War II through rough waters and exotic animals. Filmed almost entirely outdoor, this technical masterpiece features glorious scenes of sunlight shimmering on calm water paired with terrifying scenes of tumultuous watery suspense.

May 20: ON THE WATERFRONT

Commiserate with Marlon Brando in his electrifying Academy Award winning performance that transports you to the Hoboken waterfront.

June 17: IMITATION OF LIFE

Pushing the boundaries of social justice, IMITATION OF LIFE chronicles two widows and their troubled daughters as they struggle to find true happiness amidst racial prejudice. Featuring Juanita Moore and Susan Kohner’s Academy Award winning performances.

July 15: REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE

Get what you deserve. Watch James Dean explode with teenage angst in his iconic performance, featuring Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo in powerful performances that earned them both Oscar nominations. REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE follows the realistic journey through a turbulent teenage universe of violence and delinquency.

August 19: HIS GIRL FRIDAY

This golden age classic features Rosalind Russell as a working divorcee, pushing the bounds of 1930s portrayal of women on screen. The film keeps it spicy, with its sexual tension, fast paced dialogue and kaleidoscopic action, making it the fastest comedy of a the 1930s.

September 16: THE MISFITS

Film legends Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable contemplate the meaning of life in their final performances in this American classic beautifully written by Arthur Miller.

October 21: GILDA

Celebrate the wondrous Rita Hayword, in this iconic film that features her legendary striptease to “Put the Blame on Mame” – an unforgettable moment in one of the greatest of all film noirs, and the peak of her career–not to mention a searing depiction of one of the most erotic and tortured relationships on film.

November 18: NOW, VOYAGER

Join Bette Davis sail into her sixth best actress Oscar nomination. Davis magically plays Charlotte Vale, a spinster who defies her domineering mother (fellow Oscar nominee Gladys Cooper) to discover love, heartbreak and eventual contentment. Including the classic cinematic moment where Paul Henreid lights two cigarettes at once and hands one to Davis, this award-winning classic is the ultimate romantic melodrama.

December 16: MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS

Judy Garland stars in this classic musical that takes place at the turn of the 20th century right before the World’s Fair in St. Louis. With unforgettable numbers like “The Boy Next Door,” “The Trolley Song” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” this family drama musical is a wonderful holiday treat!

Enjoy all of these Golden Age Classics the third Monday every month at Kahala Theatres!

515 films in the last 35 years.

Renowned actor Anupam Kher is best known for his work in SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, M.S. DHONI: THE UNTOLD STORY, BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM and THE BIG SICK; the “excellent, white-knuckle thriller” (Guardian) HOTEL MUMBAI is sure to be added to that list of his most memorable roles.

When Kher arrived in Mumbai with dreams of becoming an actor, the first thing he wanted to see was the Taj Hotel. Years later, on November 26, 2008, the hotel was attacked while he was filming just 8 kilometers away. Now, he plays Chef Oberoi in HOTEL MUMBAI, and has a true, personal appreciation for the film, specifically as it is a tribute to the hotel staff whose fearlessness and dedication was so incredibly heroic in getting through this unspeakable tragedy.  “Heroes are ordinary people,” says Kher; “the difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.”

Here, Kher describes the real Chef Oberoi’s reaction after seeing the film’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival:

Kher was actually recommended for the role of Chef Oberoi by fellow actor Dev Patel, who plays Arjun in the film. “Dev Patel has very good taste,” says Kher. Here, he describes his “love at first sight” relationship with Patel:

Click here to visit our YouTube channel and see the full Q&A!

About the film:

HOTEL MUMBAI tells the astonishing true story of the victims and survivors of the devastating attacks on Mumbai in 2008. A story which fearlessly tackles the defining global issues of our time. A story about ordinary people. Real people. People of all races, all colours, all creeds, binding together in a grueling fight for survival. A story that celebrates humanity’s highest ideals – compassion, courage, resilience and an unwavering desire to live.

View the trailer:

Where to see it:

HOTEL MUMBAI opens Friday 3/29 at Consolidated Ward & Kahala Theatres.

Stanley Kubrick was one of the most innovative directors of all time, who pushed the boundaries of film through his dynamic storytelling, and use of visuals elements, including color, lighting and framing. To honor this cinematic genius, we’re holding our second annual Heeere’s Kubrick film series. This curated series celebrates Kubrick’s innovative story-telling through four Kubrick films playing Wednesday in April. To continue the celebration, we dove into some of the visual innovations featured in these cinematic masterpieces:

Check out this series every Wednesday in April, and celebrate the innovation of Kubrick!

Innovation # 1: An Explosion of Color:

Whenever you watch a Kubrick film, you are bombarded with vibrant color. Whether it’s the bright red HAL’s eye in 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, or the electric blue light of the Sonata Jazz Club in EYES WIDE SHUT, Kubrick places color precisely on screen in order to propel the story visually. In 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, color is placed in contrast to the colorless, lifeless spacecraft, creating an explosion of passion, life and humanity, against a desolate, stark, mechanical background. In EYES WIDE SHUT, Kubrick contrasts shots of bright, lustrous red with shots of cool, smooth blue. This contrast is so prevalent, viewers have developed a theory, speculating that red symbolizes sex while blue symbolizes money, two tropes throughout the adventure.

Regardless of the exact meaning behind this color, Kubrick’s specific use of color transports us into the world by creating a vibrant mood that propels his films visually. See if you can resist getting pulled into his world, through this compilation of Kubrick’s use of color:

Innovation #2: Kubrick is lit!

The Hollywood standard for lighting is based off of a three-point lighting system, where scenes are lit with three off-stage lights: one key light in front, one fill on the side and one back-light in the back. This technique reduces shadows and allows the subject of each shot to pop from the background. Although this lighting gives us a clean standard, it is not very realistic.

Kubrick broke from this standard and added practical lights within his frames. Instead of clean perfectly lit actors, Kubrick’s shots include dark shadows contrasted with bright light. In 1975, Kubrick pushed his lighting to a new level by lighting Barry Lyndon entirely by candles and natural light. This hyper-realistic lighting creates a shadowy, almost suffocating world that traps protagonist Raymond Barry, while also paying homage to the gorgeous 18^th Century paintings that inspired each shot.

Innovation #3: I’ve been framed

Another tool Kubrick played with was framing. From his wide shots of the countryside in BARRY LYNDON, to the close up shots of the Lolita’s toenails being painted, Kubrick framed each shot with precision to create a specific narrative and point of view that propelled the story. This can be seen in his adaptation of the controversial novel, LOLITA. Using medias res, Kubrick starts the story at the end and makes the predator Humbert our third-person narrator who guides us through his story. As Humbert explains his actions, Kubrick’s swift camera work and specific framing glides from one object to the other carefully capturing certain moments, and cutting past others.

Celebrate the innovation of film, and don’t miss these cinematic Kubrick masterpieces on screen every Wednesday in April at Kahala Theatres!

It was a good night for GREEN BOOK, who beat out ROMA and THE FAVOURITE (both of which had 10 nominations), to take home the win for Best Picture at the 2019 Academy Awards. Mahershala Ali, who had taken home the Golden Globe, won for Best Supporting Actor.

In what was likely one of the most transformative performances of the year, Rami Malek took home the Best Actor nod for his performance as Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury in BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY. This win was no surprise, especially following his Golden Globe win for the same, and the critical acclaim his portrayal received. Rolling Stone raves, “there’s only praise to heap on Rami Malek whose tour de force performance as Freddie Mercury will definitely rock you.” BOHEMIAN also took home wins for Best Film Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Sound Editing.

With Malek’s win, alongside Ali’s and Regina King’s Best Supporting Actress win for IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK, it was the first time that 3 of the 4 actor/actress wins went to non-white actors.

THE FAVORITE’s Olivia Colman took home the Best Actress win, like Malek, following her Golden Globe win for the same. This was another that the critics predicted, with rave reviews from the New York Times, who said, “Colman’s performance is nothing short of sublime;” and Rolling Stone, “Expect Oscar to bow down to… the mighty Olivia Colman as Queen Anne for bringing a #MeToo punch to 18th-century British politics.”

Netflix’s ROMA took home wins for Best Director (Alfonso Cuaron), Best Foreign Language Film and Best Cinematography. In fact, it is the fist Mexican film to win in the Best Foreign Language category.

Marvel Studios made history tonight with their first ever Oscar wins, as BLACK PANTHER took home wins for Best Costume Design and Best Production Design.

View the full list of winners & nominees here:

Best Picture
“Black Panther”
“BlacKkKlansman”
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“The Favourite”
“Green Book”
“Roma”
“A Star Is Born”
“Vice”

Best Director
Spike Lee (“BlacKkKlansman”)
Pawel Pawlikowski (“Cold War”)
Yorgos Lanthimos (“The Favourite”)
Alfonso Cuaron (“Roma”)
Adam McKay (“Vice”)

Best Actor 
Christian Bale (“Vice”)
Rami Malek (“Bohemian Rhapsody”)
Bradley Cooper (“A Star Is Born”)
Willem Dafoe (“At Eternity’s Gate”)
Viggo Mortensen (“Green Book”)

Best Actress
Yalitza Aparicio (“Roma”)
Glenn Close (“The Wife”)
Olivia Colman (“The Favourite”)
Lady Gaga (“A Star Is Born”)
Melissa McCarthy (“Can You Ever Forgive Me?”)

Supporting Actor
Mahershala Ali (“Green Book”)
Richard E. Grant (“Can You Ever Forgive Me?”)
Sam Elliott (“A Star Is Born”)
Sam Rockwell (“Vice”)
Adam Driver (“BlacKkKlansman”)

Supporting Actress
Regina King (“If Beale Street Could Talk”)
Amy Adams (“Vice”)
Marina De Tavira (“Roma”)
Rachel Weisz (“The Favourite”)
Emma Stone (“The Favourite”)

Adapted Screenplay
“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”
“BlacKkKlansman”
“Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
“If Beale Street Could Talk”
“A Star Is Born”

Best Original Screenplay
“The Favourite”
“First Reformed”
“Green Book”
“Roma”
“Vice”

Animated Feature
“Incredibles 2”
“Isle of Dogs”
“Mirai”
“Ralph Breaks the Internet”
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”

Foreign Language Film
“Capernaum” (Lebanon)
“Cold War” (Poland)
“Never Look Away” (Germany)
“Roma” (Mexico)
“Shoplifters” (Japan)

Best Documentary
“Free Solo”
“Hale County This Morning This Evening”
“Minding the Gap”
“Of Fathers and Sons”
“RBG”

Best Cinematography 
“Cold War”
“The Favourite”
“Never Look Away”
“Roma”
“A Star Is Born”

Best Costume Design
“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”
“Black Panther”
“Mary Poppins Returns”
“The Favourite”
“Mary Queen of Scots”

Film Editing
“BlacKkklansman”
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“The Favourite”
“Green Book”
“Vice”

Makeup and Hairstyling
“Border”
“Mary Queen of Scots”
“Vice”

Original Score
“Black Panther”
“BlacKkKlansman”
“If Beale Street Could Talk”
“Isle of Dogs”
“Mary Poppins Returns”

Original Song
“All the Stars” (“Black Panther”)
“I’ll Fight” (“RBG”)
“The Place Where Lost Things Go” (“Mary Poppins Returns”)
“Shallow” (“A Star Is Born”)
“When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings” (“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”

Production Design
“Black Panther”
“The Favourite”
“First Man”
“Mary Poppins Returns”
“Roma”

Sound Editing
“Black Panther”
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“First Man”
“A Quiet Place”
“Roma”

Sound Mixing
“Black Panther”
“A Star Is Born”
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“Roma”
“First Man”

Visual Effects
“Avengers: Infinity War”
“Christopher Robin”
“First Man”
“Ready Player One”
“Solo: A Star Wars Story”

Documentary (Short Subject)
“Black Sheep”
“End Game”
“Lifeboat”
“A Night at the Garden”
“Period. End of Sentence.”

Short Film (Animated)
“Animal Behaviour”
“Bao”
“Late Afternoon”
“One Small Step”
“Weekends”

Short Film (Live Action)
“Detainment”
“Skin”
“Marguerite”
“Fauve”
“Mother”

Stephen Merchant, known primarily for being the creator of The Office, never thought he’d direct a film about wrestling, but when the opportunity presented itself by way of his friend Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, he could not pass it up.

The film’s star Florence Pugh (LADY MACBETH, upcoming LITTLE WOMEN) was not the person who Merchant originally imaged as Paige, but his choice in casting her proved nothing short of fantastic. Critics are describing her performance as “electrifying” and The Playlist says, “you simply cannot praise her enough.” The real-life Paige seemed to concur as well. In this clip, Merchant describes how the actual family on which the film is based reacted to seeing it:

Merchant has the talent for writing deep, three-dimensional characters, and used the research of meeting the real people the film is based on to mold his characterizations and tap into each perspective. “It’s as much a showbiz, Star is Born kind of story as it is a sports film,” Merchant states.

Merchant wanted to make the film feel organic, and not contrived or over-thought, and he took that attitude into everything including it’s score. The film’s musicians included the drummer from The Cure, and Graham Coxon from Blur, who were able to “underscore the emotion without layering it on too heavy.” Merchant elaborates on that here:

Click here to visit our YouTube channel and see the full Q&A!  And make sure to subscribe so you can remain up to date on all our exclusive content!

About the film:

Based on a true story, FIGHTING WITH MY FAMILY follows reformed gangster Ricky, wife Julia, daughter Paige and son Zak as they make a living wrestling together in tiny venues. When Paige and Zak get the opportunity to try out for WWE, the family grabs a once-in-a-lifetime chance to turn their wildest dreams into a dazzling future. However, brother and sister quickly discover that to become superstars, both their talent and their relationship will be put to the test.

View the trailer:

Where to see it: 

FIGHTING WITH MY FAMILY opens with advance screenings tonight (2/21) at Consolidated Ward, Mililani, Pearlridge, Kapolei 16, Olino, Kahala, Koko Marina, Ko’olau and Kaahumanu Theatres.

Academy Award nominated for both Best Foreign Language Film and Best Cinematography, NEVER LOOK AWAY is being heralded by critics as “a marvel” (Hollywood Reporter) and “an epic, intergenerational tale of art, love, tragedy and politics.” The film’s Director, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (THE LIVES OF OTHERS) graced the NYC’s Paris Theatre with a Q&A on opening night.

The film follow’s a 30 year span amid the life of a great artist, and is loosely based Gerhard Richter. Donnersmarck was able to actually spend time with Richter, which he describes here:

Donnersmarck is incredibly passionate about his work. The first film he ever watched, at age 5, was at the Museum of Modern Art, and was definitely not something that his father expected to be showing him… here, he describes that unusual experience:

Director of Photography Caleb Deschanel’s first turn in that role was THE BLACK STALLION, which also happened to be the second film that Donnersmarck ever saw. From there, he saw that film could be art, and he followed Deschanel’s work in the same way we, as fans, would follow our favorite actor or director.

Click here to visit our YouTube channel and see the full Q&A! And make sure to subscribe so you can remain up to date on all our exclusive content!

About the film:

A sweeping romantic historical drama, Germany’s Official submission to the Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film, NEVER LOOK AWAY follows thirty years in the life of a great artist – loosely based on Gerhard Richter (Tom Schilling, WOMAN IN GOLD). The film goes from a childhood witnessing Nazi Germany, to post-war East Berlin, where he falls in love with a young woman (Paula Beer, FRANTZ, TRANSIT) whose father is an ex-Nazi murderer in hiding (Sebastian Koch, THE LIVES OF OTHERS), to escaping to the West at the time of the Berlin Wall, and ultimately being part of the exciting new movement in contemporary art.

View the trailer:

Where to see it:

NEVER LOOK AWAY opens Friday 2/22 at Kahala Theatres.

The morning’s announcement of the 2019 Academy Award nominations showed that The Favourite is certainly a film favorite among academy voters. It is leading the way with an incredible 10 nominations, alongside Netflix’s Roma. Yorgos Lanthimos received a nod for Best Director, with each of the film’s stars – Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone – each receiving nominations as well. The film also picked up a nomination for Best Picture, as did Golden Globe winners Vice and Bohemian Rhapsody, as well as A Star is Born, Roma, Black Panther, Green Book and BlacKkKlansman.

A Star is Born was an early front-runner, having received non-stop acclaim from audiences and critics alike since its initial screenings. The musical love story received a total of 8 nominations, tied with Adam McKay’s Vice. Both films received Best Actor nominations – for Bradley Cooper and Christian Bale, respectively – and Lady Gaga received a nod for Best Actress.

Marvel’s Black Panther received an incredible 7 nominations, marking the first time that a superhero film has ever received a Oscar nomination for Best Picture.

Green Book received 5 nominations, including Best Supporting Actor for Mahershala Ali, who won the Golden Globe in that category; as well as nods for Best Picture, Best Actor – Viggo Mortensen, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing.

Golden Globe winners Glenn Close for The Wife and Rami Malek for Bohemian Rhapsody were both nominated in their respective categories. For Close, this marks her 7th nomination, while it is a first for Malek.

Spike Lee received a Best Director nod for BlacKkKlansman, along with nominations for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor – Adam Driver, Best Film Editing and Best Original Score.

View the full list of nominees here: