Hawaii Archives – CULTURE MIX

Review: ‘Primate’ (2026), starring Johnny Sequoyah, Jessica Alexander, and Troy Kotsur, Victoria Wyant, Gia Hunter, Benjamin Cheng, Charlie Mann and Tienne Simon

January 16, 2026

by Carla Hay

Miguel Torres Umba and Johnny Sequoyah in “Primate” (Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures)

“Primate” (2026)

Directed by Johannes Roberts

Some language in American Sign Language with subtitles

Culture Representation: Taking place in Hawai’i, the horror film “Primate” features a predominantly white cast of characters (with a few Asians and black people) representing the working-class and middle-class.

Culture Clash: A chimpanzee named Ben, who lives with a human family in a cliffside home, gets rabies and goes on a deadly rampage.

Culture Audience: “Primate” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of horror movies about animals that turn homicidal.

Benjamin Cheng, Victoria Wyant, Jessica Alexander, Johnny Sequoyah and Miguel Torres Umba in “Primate” (Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures)

“Primate” is exactly what you might expect from a horror movie about a beloved pet that gets rabies and turns into a raging killer. It’s schlocky and suspenseful, but it doesn’t pretend to be a groundbreaking movie. This is the type of horror flick that relies on lapses in logic from the main characters, but some of these illogical actions can be forgiven because they’re done while people are panicking. People have done a lot stupider things in real life-or-death situations.

Directed by Johannes Roberts (who co-wrote the “Primate” screenplay with Ernest Riera), “Primate” had its world premiere at the 2025 edition of Fantastic Fest. The movie takes place in Hawai’i but was actually filmed in the United Kingdom and on Portugal’s Madeira Island. Much of the movie’s horror comes from the fact that the Hawai’i does not have indigenous rabies, so when the pet chimpanzee in the story gets infected with rabies, it’s a massive surprise to the people in the household.

“Primate” begins by showing the pet chimpanzee doing his first human killing, which happens at night. The chimp’s name is Ben (played by Miguel Torres Umba), and he’s kept in a large cage in the backyard of the home of a scientist named Adam Pinborough (played by Troy Kotsur), who has raised Ben since Ben was an infant. Adam is a widower who happens to be deaf. His wife, who was a linguistics professor, raised orphaned Ben as part of an academic study on primates learning human forms of communication.

Adam had asked his veterinarian colleague Doug Lambert (played by Rob Delaney) to check on Ben because Adam had noticed that Ben has a recent bite mark from a mongoose. Doug brings some snacks to entice Ben, who comes from out of the shadows and drags Doug into the cage. The sounds that are heard after that make it obvious that Doug has been slaughtered by Ben.

“Primate” then flashes back to 36 hours earlier, to show the characters who will later be trapped in the house with rampaging Ben. Lucy Pinborough (played by Johnny Sequoyah), who is about 18 or 19 years old, is on an airplane flight to go back to her home state of Hawai’i for a summer vacation after her first year in college. She is accompanied on this trip by her longtime best friend Kate Hodges (played by Victoria Wyant) and Kate’s friend Hannah (played by Jessica Alexander), who is a rival to Lucy for Kate’s attention. Lucy and Hannah don’t really like each other, and Kate is caught in the middle trying to keep the peace among them.

Lucy is also envious of Hannah because Hannah is a confident “party girl,” while Lucy is a straight-laced introvert who is insecure when it comes to dating. Hannah thinks Lucy is a nerdy and sheltered misfit. Lucy has had a crush for years on Kate’s brother Nick Hodges (played by Benjamin Cheng), who still lives in the same Hawai’i hometown where they all grew up. Nick doesn’t feel the same way about Lucy and treats Lucy like she’s his younger sister. You can easily predict the love triangle that happens after Nick meets seductive Hannah.

On the airplane, Hannah and Kate flirt with two guys who are about the same age: Drew (played by Charlie Mann) and Brad (played by Tienne Simon), who are good pals with each other. Lucy, Hannah and Kate tell Drew and Brad that they will be staying at Lucy’s cliffside house and hint that they’d like to meet up with the guys later to party with them at the house. They all exchange phone numbers.

When the three women arrive at the house, Lucy finds out that her younger sister Erin Pinborough (played by Gia Hunter), who’s about 14 or 15 years old, has a lot of resentment toward Lucy because Lucy cut off communication with Erin for several months because Lucy was too caught up in her new life away from home. Erin feels abandoned and neglected by Lucy. Lucy tells Erin that she’s sorry, and the two sisters begin to mend their estranged relationship.

Hannah is very frightened when she first sees Ben, but everyone assures her that Ben is a harmless family pet. Ben can communicate in limited ways by using a soundboard. One of the things that Adam’s wife was trying to do when she was alive was find ways to improve communication between primates and humans. You can bet that this soundboard will be featured prominently in the movie.

Adam is a published author who has to travel to promote his most recent book. He will be away for a few days, and the teens use his absence as an opportunity to party. Before Adam leaves, he makes arrangements for Doug to do a medical check-up of Ben about the mongoose bite. This check-up results in Doug’s death that is shown in the beginning of the movie. Doug’s visit happens after Adam has left for his trip. The mongoose has been found dead and is being tested for rabies.

The rest of “Primate” is about what happens when Ben goes on a rampage that leaves Lucy, Erin, Kate, Hannah and Nick trapped in the house. The only place where Ben is afraid to go is in the swimming pool, because animals infected with rabies have a fear of water. Predictably, when the rampage happens, the terror victims run away in a panic and leave their phones in areas that are hard to get to without getting past Ben.

The terror scenes in “Primate” can get over-the-top with how Ben, even in his demented and rabid state, has the presence of mind to do things that you would see a human do to prevent captive people from leaving. In real life, rabies causes animals to become disoriented. The movie doesn’t skimp on the gore because there are multiple scenes of Ben killing people by forcing open a victim’s mouth and ripping out the lower jaw.

“Primate” does a good job of incorporating Adam’s deafness into the movie. (Kotsur, who won an Oscar for his supporting actor performance in 2021’s “CODA,” is deaf in real life.) When Adam is in a scene, the movie switches to his perspective by having silence in the scenes so that hearing viewers experience what Adam is experiencing. The sound design then switches back to audio noises to give to demonstrate what the hearing characters are experiencing.

The cinematography (by Stephen Murphy) in “Primate” is above-average, making good use of the cliffside location, mood lighting throughout the house, and the swimming pool that turns into a prison. Some parts of the movie will be very hard to watch for people who don’t like to see any cruelty involving animals. But if you go into a movie like “Primate” expecting the rabid chimp to be treated like a helpless pet, you probably shouldn’t be watching “Primate” in the first place, unless you want to be very disturbed. The performances in “Primate” are on par with what this movie is: nothing spectacular but delivering exactly what a slasher flick is supposed to deliver.

Paramount Pictures released “Primate” in U.S. cinemas on January 9, 2026.

Review: ‘Lilo & Stitch’ (2025), starring Maia Kealoha, Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Billy Magnussen, Tia Carrere, the voice of Chris Sanders, Courtney B. Vance and Zach Galifianakis

May 20, 2025

by Carla Hay

Stitch (voiced by Chris Sanders) and Maia Kealoha in “Lilo & Stitch” (Photo courtesy of Disney Enterprises Inc.)

“Lilo & Stitch” (2025)

Directed by Dean Fleischer Camp

Culture Representation: Taking place in Hawai’i and in outer space, the live-action/animated film “Lilo & Stitch” (a remake of the 2002 animated film) features a predominantly Pacific Islander cast of characters (with some white people and African Americans) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: A mischievious outer-space alien crash lands on Earth, where he is adopted by a 6-year-old girl and her guardian 18-year-old sister, while outer-space officials hunt for the alien to bring it back to captivity.

Culture Audience: “Lilo & Stitch” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the 2002 “Lilo & Stitch” movie, the movie’s headliners, and family-friendly entertainment that delivers a good mix of comedy and drama.

Billy Magnussen and Zach Galifianakis in “Lilo & Stitch” (Photo Zach Dougan/Disney Enterprises)

The good news is that “Lilo & Stitch” is a worthy remake of the 2002 animated film, with an ending that’s arguably better. The bad news is that the hunt for fugitive alien Stitch is worse than the original movie. That’s because the 2025 version of “Lilo & Stitch” clumsily adds a body-transformation aspect to the story’s two space-alien hunters that makes them impersonate buffoonish humans who just aren’t very funny. Fortunately, these two bozos are not the movie’s main characters. The main characters in 2025’s “Lilo & Stitch” are endearing, doing justice their counterparts in 2002’s “Lilo & Stitch,” while bringing their own admirable qualities to these characters.

Directed by Dean Fleischer Camp, the 2025 version of “Lilo & Stitch” was written by Chris Kekaniokalani Bright and Mike Van Waes. Camp received an Oscar nomination (Best Animated Feature Film) for directing and producing 2021’s “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On,” a quirky live-action/animation hybrid that he also co-wrote. Because the 2025 version of “Lilo & Stitch” is a remake of a Disney classic, there isn’t much room to be offbeat, but 2025’s “Lilo & Stitch” mostly strikes the right balance of energetic comedy and heartfelt drama. The movie also has perfect casting of the two sisters who are the main human characters of the story.

The 2025 version of “Lilo & Stitch” begins in the same way as the 2002 “Lilo & Stitch” movie: In outer space, on the fictional Planet Turo, a rogue scientist named Jumba (voiced by Zach Galifianakis) has gotten into trouble for inventing a creature through illegal experimentation. The male creature, which looks like a blue koala with antennae, is called Experiment 626, and will later be named Stitch when the creature lands on Earth and impersonates a dog. Chris Sanders, who co-directed and co-wrote 2002’s “Lilo & Stitch,” returns as the voice of Stitch/Experiment 626, a character that Sanders is credited with creating.

Jumba is facing punishment before a committee led by the Grand Councilwoman (voiced by Hannah Waddingham), the leader of the Galactic Federation. The Grand Councilwoman decides that Experiment 626 (who is hyper, mischievous and very intelligent) must be exiled on a desert asteroid. However, Experiment 626 causes havoc on the spaceship carrying him. The ship crashes instead on Earth, on the Hawaiian island of Kaua’i. (The 2025 version of “Lilo & Stitch” was actually film on the Hawaiian island of O’ahu.)

A horrified Grand Councilwoman orders Jumba to retrieve Experiment 626 from Earth and send him to the original asteroid destination. Jumba admittedly doesn’t know much about Earth. But an eager law enforcement official named Agent Pleakley (voiced by Billy Magnussen), a self-proclaimed Earth expert, offers to accompany Jumba on this mission. Pleakley (who has a cheerful and goofy personality) explains that he’s been doing extensive research of Earth, which he and his colleagues have been using as a planet to repopulate mosquitos.

Grand Councilwoman allows Pleakley to go on this mission. Jumba, who is gruff and impatient, isn’t pleased about this situation because he’s somewhat of a loner who likes to be the “alpha male” of everything. Predictably, Jumba thinks Pleakely is annoying, and thier conflicts sometimes hinder their mission. It’s a familiar story formula of two beings with opposite personalities who are forced to work together for a common goal.

In the original “Lilo & Stitch,” Jumba and Pleakley kept their original alien bodies but were under strict orders not to reveal themselves to humans. Jumba and Pleakley had the ability to make themselves invisible. In the 2025 version of “Lilo & Stitch,” Jumba and Pleakley can still make themselves invisible, but this time, they decided to disguise themselves as humans, to make it easier to interact with people.

How do Jumba and Pleakley disguise themselves as humans? Jumba and Pleakley are at a Hawaiian airport and take photos of two male companion travelers (played by Galifianakis and Magnussen), who are outside of a terminal on their way to getting checked in for their flight. Jumba and Pleakley then use those photos to transform themselves into looking like these two human travelers. There’s some not-that-funny sitcom-ish slapstick where Jumba and Pleakley both have problems adjusting to walking and dressing like humans.

Meanwhile, the two main human characters of the story are introduced: Lilo (played by Maia Kealoha) is an energetic and curious 6-year-old girl, who lives with her bright but overwhelmed 18-year-old sister Nani (played by Sydney Elizebeth Agudong) in a modest Kaua’i house. Nani is Lilo’s guardian because their parents died in a car accident a few months ago. Nani has been juggling child-raising responsibilities with her job as a server at a resort restaurant called Jimmy’s Luau, which has live entertainment.

A new aspect to the story is Nani had plans to study marine biology at her first-choice college: the University of California at San Diego, where she had a full academic scholarship. But because Nani has to take care of Lilo, Nani has put her college plans on indefinite hold. Nani has to deal with a lot because Lilo has a tendency to get into trouble. Viewers have to assume that this story takes place during the summer because Lilo is never seen in school.

In both “Lilo & Stitch” movies, Lilo is treated like a weird outcast by her peers. Just like in both movies, an early scene shows Lilo is late for a hula dancing performance at the resort because she was busy feeding a sandwich to some fish in the sea. Lilo also says she can communicate with the fish. She gets teased about it by some “mean girls” in the group.

In both “Lilo & Stitch” movies, Lilo gets kicked out of the dance group because of a conflict with a “mean girl” in the group who insulted Lilo. In the 2002 “Lilo & Stitch.” Lilo punches the girl and gets in a brawl with her. The 2025 “Lilo & Stitch” tones down Lilo’s violence and just has Lilo pushing the mean girl off of the dance stage.

Nani is understanding but exasperated by Lilo’s rebellious antics. Lilo asks Nani, “Am I a bad person?” Nani replies, “No, but sometimes you do bad things.” Just like in both movies, the concept of ‘ohana (family) is repeated as “no one gets left behind.”

And just like in both movies, Lilo is lonely and wants a best friend. She loves animals and is a big fan of Elvis Presley’s music, which is played throughout the movie. The Presley songs include “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Hound Dog,” Suspicious Minds,” “Stuck on You,” “(You’re the) Devil in Disguise” and a Bruno Mars cover version of “Burning Love.” Hawaiian music is also part of the movie’s soundtrack, including songs written for the movie (such as “He Lei Pāpahi No Lilo a me Stitch” and “Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride”) and Hawaiian music classics, such as “Aloha ‘Oe” and “Henehene Kou ‘Aka.”

In both “Lilo & Stitch” movies, Nani’s guardianship of Lilo is under scrutiny by a social worker, who does home visits and is concerned about the sisters’ living situation and Nani’s ability to properly take care of Lilo. In the 2002 “Lilo & Stitch” movie, Tia Carrere was the voice of Nani. In the 2025 “Lilo & Stitch” movie, Carrere has the role of social worker Mrs. Kekoa, who is assigned to monitor Nani’s guardianship of Lilo.

Mrs. Kekoa’s first visit to the home is a disaster. The place is a mess. There’s not enough food in the refrigerator. And she finds out that Nani sometime leaves Lilo by herself, which is something that Nani lies about by denying it. Mrs. Kekoa tries to give Nani some leeway by telling Nani that Nani has three tasks to complete before Mrs. Kekoa’s next visit: (1) stock the fridge; (2) clean up the house; (3) and get health insurance for Nani and Lilo.

Later, Mrs. Kekoa is aided by a CIA operative named Cobra Bubbles (played by Courtney V. Vance), who is also looking for Experiment 626, but Cobra fools Mrs. Kekoa by going posing as the director of the social services agency. In the 2002 “Lilo & Stitch” movie, the Cobra Bubbles character (voiced by Ving Rhames) was much more menacing and imposing than the Cobra Bubbles in 2025’s “Lilo & Stitch.” Cobra was the only social services worker in 2002’s “Lilo & Stitch,” and his CIA identity was revealed much later in the movie.

It just so happens that on the night that Experiment 626 crash-landed on Earth, it looked like a falling star that Lilo and Nani could see from Lilo’s bedroom window. Just like in both movies, Lilo pushes Nani out of the room so that Lilo can be alone to wish on the falling star. Nani eavesdrops and sees that Lilo’s wish is to find a best friend who loves her unconditionally and will never abandon her.

It doesn’t take long for Experiment 626 to cause chaos on Earth. He crashes and runs all over a wedding reception, where people scream, fall down and hurt themselves when they see this creature. Experiment 626 is then taken by animal care control workers to a local animal rescue shelter called Na Me Ola, where he is put in the section for dogs.

Lilo’s introduction to Experiment 626 is slightly different in both movies, but the end results are the same. In 2002’s “Lilo & Stitch,” it’s Nani’s idea to bring Lilo to the shelter so that Lilo can find an animal friend. In 2025’s “Lilo & Stitch,” an elderly neighbor friend named Tūtū (played by Amy Hill) suggests that Lilo go to the animal shelter and accompanies Lilo to this visit. In 2002’s “Lilo & Stitch,” Hill had a different elderly woman role: Mrs. Hasagawa, the owner of a fruit stand.

Tūtū lives with her grandson David (played by Kaipo Dudoit), a surfer who has a crush on Nani, who is also an avid surfer. David asks Nani to go on surfing dates, but she politely turns down his invitations. It’s in contrast to 2002’s “Lilo & Stitch,” where Nani’s romance with David was already established. Jason Scott Lee was the voice of David in 2002’s “Lilo & Stitch.” In 2025s “Lilo & Stitch,” Lee portrays the manager of Jimmy’s Luau.

The workers at the animal shelter don’t know what type of animal Experiment 626 is, so they plan to have the creature stay at the shelter until some local scientists can take this creature for evaluation. Experiment 626 sees dogs and photos of dogs at the shelter, and he is intelligent enough to transform himself to look as much like and act as much like a dog as possible. That includes make his antennae and extra feet hide inside his body. In 2002’s “Lilo & Stitch” the other dogs are so frightened of Experiment 626, they hide on top of their cages. But in 2025’s “Lilo & Stitch,” the dogs in the shelter aren’t bothered by Experiment 626.

When Lilo meets Experiment 626, she’s immediately interested in him because he looks so different from other animals in the shelter. Even when she’s told that this animal is not up for adoption, Lilo insists that this is the pet that she wants. Just like in both movies, Experiment 626 sees a poster of a girl hugging a dog, so he hugs Lilo to ensure that she will want to adopt him. The tactic works.

Of course, once Experiment 626 is in Lilo’s home, it acts like an unruly dog. One day, while he’s in Nani’s truck with Nani and Lilo, Experiment 626 rips the upholstery on a car seat. Nani is annoyed and says that she’ll now have to get the seat stitched up. And that’s how Lilo gets the idea to name this pet Stitch.

The rest of “Lilo & Stitch” is delightful to watch when Lilo, Nani and Stitch are in the scenes. Kealoha and Agudong (who are both native Hawaiians) are completely believable as sisters. Agudong gives a likable and relatable performance, even though she looks like she’s in her mid-20s instead of the 18-year-old character she’s supposed to be.

And although Stitch is the cute creature of the movie, precocious Kealoha as Lilo is an equal star of the show. Kealoha has great comedic timing and performs convincingly in the dramatic scenes. “Lilo & Stitch” is Kealoha’s first movie. And it’s a very impressive debut for her. The rest of the human characters in the movie are serviceable or fairly bland.

Where 2025’s “Lilo & Stitch” falters is in showing Jumba and Pleakley’s pursuit of Stitch/Experiment 626. In the 2002 “Lilo & Stitch” movie, there was more suspense for this hunt because Jumba and Pleakley actually seemed to be dangerous. In the 2025 “Lilo & Stitch” movie, Jumba and Pleakley are just bickering clowns in cartoonish human form, wearing garish tourist clothing. Pleakley’s wardrobe choices are especially cringeworthy because he dresses like a 5-year-old boy and often acts like one.

The 2025 “Lilo & Stitch” movie also doesn’t seem to know how to deal with Jumba and Pleakley, whose hunt is so inept, it feels like the stakes are diminished because of how Jumba and Pleakley are presented as screw-ups in this version of “Lilo & Stitch.” The Cobra character is brought in the middle of the film and is more fatherly than scary. In other words, the villains in this movie needed act more like villains.

Despite these flaws, 2025’s “Lilo & Stitch” retains the warmth and playfulness of the 2002 movie. The live-action visuals are an obvious improvement from the 2-D animation of the 2002 version of “Lilo & Stitch.” Best of all, 2025’s “Lilo & Stitch” gives a more realistic view of the world from the perspectives of Lilo and Nani, particularly in how Nani’s guardianship of Lilo is handled. The movie gives an important lesson that life doesn’t always work out as originally planned but it can work out for what’s best at that particular time.

Walt Disney Pictures will release “Lilo & Stitch” in U.S. cinemas on May 23, 2025.

Four Seasons launches private jet tour inspired by the HBO award-winning series ‘White Lotus’

February 25, 2025

The following is a press release from Four Seasons:

Get ready to board the Four Seasons Private Jet Experience for an exclusive opportunity to explore some of the iconic settings of the HBO® Original Series The White Lotus with a new World of Wellness journey. Building on the recently announced global partnership between Four Seasons and HBO, the unforgettable 20-day itinerary will be offered for one exclusive journey, touching down in Maui, Taormina and Koh Samui— filming locations of the first three seasons of acclaimed series—along with five additional intriguing destinations that will allow guests to create their very own memorable storylines.

“We’ve experienced firsthand how The White Lotus has fuelled the set-jetting trend, inspiring travellers to explore the breathtaking Four Seasons properties that served as backdrops for this beloved series,” says Marc Speichert, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, Four Seasons. “Now, with the third season captivating audiences, we are thrilled to provide guests with the opportunity to experience their own version of The White Lotus aboard the Four Seasons Private Jet Experience, blending their love of the series with the bucket-list journeys we offer in the sky.”

The World of Wellness itinerary will take flight for one journey and is designed to celebrate the cultural phenomenon of The White Lotus and some of the iconic settings of its storylines, along with other compelling global destinations. With wellbeing playing its own role in the third series, guests aboard the Four Seasons Private Jet Experience can explore wellness their way, with fully personalized itineraries to enrich mind, body and soul as they travel from one captivating destination to the next. Whether indulging in a spa treatment, looking for an adrenaline rush, or simply lounging with a cocktail in hand, guests can dream up their own wellness itinerary suited to their wishes.

“The World of Wellness itinerary was crafted to meet the desire of guests, knowing that more and more, travellers are influenced by the locations they enjoy on their screens,” continues Speichert. “This new journey is perfectly curated to meet this demand, while personalizing offerings for each guest at every step of the way. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and we can’t wait to take flight in 2026.”

Let Your Story Unfold: The White Lotus x The World of Wellness

The Four Seasons Private Jet Experience offers a seamless end-to-end journey aboard a custom-designed Airbus A321 with stops in some of the world’s most fascinating destinations, this time with a focus on personalized wellness. On the ground and in the air, guests will enjoy Four Seasons legendary service, access to local adventures and experiences, and personalized care from a dedicated team.

World of Wellness will take 48 guests to eight iconic destinations from May 7 to 26, 2026. Travelling aboard the custom-designed Four Seasons Private Jet, guests will take off from Singapore, before journeying onwards to Koh Samui, the Maldives, Taormina, Marrakech, Nevis, Mexico City, and completing the journey in Maui—all with stays exclusively at Four Seasons hotels and resorts.

Highlights include three nights at Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui in Thailand, a backdrop in the recently premiered third season of The White Lotus. Guests will have the opportunity to snorkel with guidance from an expert marine biologist, take part in Muay Thai training at the property’s iconic boxing ring set in the hills with 240-degree views of the ocean and jungle, and enjoy spa treatments inspired by the Resort’s tropical surroundings and rooted in Thai traditions.

In Taormina, Sicily, which served as a setting in season two, guests will enjoy three nights at San Domenico Palace, Taormina, A Four Seasons Hotel, cycling to picturesque wineries around Mount Etna, morning yoga in the Belvedere Gardens, and creating one’s own TV-worthy scenes strolling through the pebble stone streets and back alleys of the historic town, enjoying the many culinary delights at every corner.

Along the way, each destination is ripe for discovery to suit each guest’s own needs, starting with a welcome dinner in Singapore, where guests will taste firsthand why the country is known as a culinary paradise. In the Maldives, discover the magic of a Night Spa ritual performed under the stars, snorkel the coral reef, and embark on a turtle safari, or spend the day lounging amid the turquoise waters surrounding the Resort. Spend a day discovering the cultural secrets of Marrakech amid the ancient medinas, followed by a relaxing private hammam bath experience with a clay scrub from the Atlas Mountains for full-body exfoliation and soothing. In Nevis, rejuvenate at the island’s natural hot springs, and in Mexico City, take part in a traditional temazcal (house of heat) ceremony, take in sunrise views from a hot-air balloon or enjoy a cocktail in the hotel’s world-renowned bar, Fifty Mils.

The trip will conclude where the The White Lotus began, with two nights at Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, offering guests the opportunity to explore the coast on an outrigger canoe and unwind at the end of a memorable journey through the traditions of deep-rooted Hawaiian culture in a lomi lomi massage.

Beyond enjoying the wonders of the journey on the ground, travellers will jet-set between each location aboard the custom-designed Four Seasons Jet, featuring 48 handcrafted seats constructed of Italian leather and 6.5 feet (2 metres) of personal space including extended legroom and a plush ottoman. The Jet also features an interactive social space – the “lounge in the sky” – where guests can relax and connect with each other and learn from Four Seasons craftspeople on the brand’s exceptional artistic, wellness and culinary offerings.

The World of Wellness Jet Experience is one of many ways Four Seasons and Max have partnered to create immersive experiences and activations to celebrate The White Lotus around the globe. To learn more, please see here.

About Four Seasons
Four Seasons opened its first hotel in 1961 and since that time has become a global leader in luxury hospitality and branded residential, with a focus on genuine and unparalleled service experiences. Four Seasons currently operates 133 hotels and resorts and 55 residential properties in major city centres and resort destinations in 47 countries. The company continues to grow with a guest-centric mindset, including a global pipeline of more than 60 projects under planning or in development. In addition to its hotels and resorts, Four Seasons experiential offerings include more than 600 restaurants and bars globally, the Four Seasons Private Jet Experience, Four Seasons Drive Experience, and the upcoming Four Seasons Yachts. Four Seasons consistently ranks among the world’s best hotels, resorts, restaurants and bars, and most prestigious luxury hospitality brand in reader polls, traveller reviews and industry awards. For more information and reservations, visit fourseasons.com. For the latest news, visit press.fourseasons.com.

About the Four Seasons Private Jet Experience
All Four Seasons Private Jet itineraries travel aboard the custom-configured Four Seasons Private Jet. Designed by the same team that conceives the style and character of our hotels and resorts, the reimagined Airbus A321neo-LR offers exceptional, multi-destination journeys for 48 globetrotting travellers. All Four Seasons Private Jet itineraries include accommodations in Four Seasons hotels and resorts or, in remote locations, in accommodations carefully selected by Four Seasons. Additionally, guests travel with an expert Four Seasons journey team and onboard concierge who handle all trip logistics. To learn more about the Four Seasons Private Jet Experience and to continue exploring the custom-designed Four Seasons Private Jet, click here. For those looking to travel in 2025 and earlier in 2026, more upcoming itineraries can be found here.

The Four Seasons Private Jet Experience is operated by TCS World Travel, dedicated to delivering immersive, worry-free travel experiences for the globally curious luxury traveller. The aircraft is operated by Titan Airways Limited. For more information from the industry leader in Private Jet Journeys, click here.

About Max
Max is the premiere global streaming platform from Warner Bros. Discovery that delivers the most unique and captivating stories, ranging from the highest quality in scripted programming, movies, documentaries, true crime, adult animation, and live sports and news (where available). Max is the destination for prestigious entertainment brands such as HBO, Warner Bros., Max Originals, DC, Harry Potter, as well as iconic shows like Friends and The Big Bang Theory, all in one place.

About The White Lotus
New episodes of HBO’s Emmy®-winning series The White Lotus, from Mike White, debuts new episodes every Sunday on HBO and Max and follows a new group of guests at another White Lotus property. The series is created, written and directed by Mike White and executive produced by White, David Bernad and Mark Kamine.

Review: ‘Paradise’ (2024), starring Patricia Allison, Tate Donovan, Bashir Salahuddin, Adam Lustick, Arjun Gupta, Myles Evans, CJ Hoff and Tia Carrere

March 21, 2024

by Carla Hay

Patricia Allison in “Paradise” (Photo courtesy of Tubi)

“Paradise” (2024)

Directed by Max Isaacson

Culture Representation: Taking place in the fictional city of Paradise, Hawaii, the action film “Paradise” features a racially diverse cast of characters (white, African American and Asian) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: A rebellious misfit goes on a killing spree against the people whom she blames for the murder of her police sheriff father.

Culture Audience: “Paradise” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the movie’s headliners and action movies that don’t do anything innovative or exciting.

Tate Donovan and CJ Hoff in “Paradise” (Photo courtesy of Tubi)

“Paradise” is trying to be a “Kill Bill” type of action movie, with a female protagonist out for deadly revenge, but the screenplay is so messy and moronic, it just ends up being another forgettable, substandard flick with bloody violence. Patricia Allison has charisma in the starring role, but “Paradise” is a failure of imagination and just drowns in stupid dialogue and a cesspool of clichés.

Directed by Max Isaacson and written by Tony Borden, “Paradise” is their feature-film debut. The movie (which takes place and was filmed in Hawaii) has some eye-catching and somewhat stylish-looking cinematography. However, the movie’s story is so amatuerish, you have to wonder why the fairly well-known actors in the cast agreed to do this movie. Maybe the appeal of filming in Hawaii was too tempting to pass up.

“Paradise” is named for the fictional city in Hawaii where the story takes place. (“Paradise” was actually filmed in Hilo, Hawaii, which is about 13 miles northwest of Hawaiian Paradise Park.) The movie’s central character is Ella Patchet (played by Allison), who is supposed to be about 18 or 19 years old. Ella has a reputation for being a rebellious misfit.

Ella works in a gun shop and is the type of person who gets thrown out of places for getting into physical fights. That’s what happens in the movie’s opening scene that shows Ella racing off on her bicycle after getting into an altercation at a seedy-looking place. The altercation is not shown on camera, but there will be plenty of other scenes in the movie that show how Ella fights.

Why does Ella has a very angry streak to her personality? It has a lot to do with the fact that her mother and brother were shot to death by unnamed drug dealers, who were not brought to justice. To make matters worse, Ella’s father Dan Patchett (played by Bashir Salahuddin) is the sheriff of Paradise, so Ella puts a lot of blame on him for not being able to catch the killers. The movie never explains if Ella was always this violent and angry, or if the bitterness of her family members’ murders caused her to be this violent and angry.

Ella has a sidekick friend named Townes (played by Myles Evans), who apparently has nothing better to do in his life than hang out with Ella and participate in whatever troublemaking she gets involved with or instigates. Ella and Townes both dislike Giles Whitney (played by CJ Hoff), the spoiled and obnoxious teenage son of Paradise’s smarmy mayor Calvin Whitney (played by Tate Donovan), who is the type of phony-acting politician who pretends to be an upstanding citizen in public but is obviously unethical behind the scenes.

Mayor Whitney, who is the wealthy owner of the Whitney Water and Power company, is in the midst of negotiating a lucrative deal to bring a solar farm to Paradise. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out who will personally profit the most from this deal. Much of “Paradise” tries to come across as being a mystery thriller, but everything about this poorly conceived movie treats viewers like idiots. “Paradise” has so many glaringly obvious clues, there is no real mystery to solve.

At a party with other young people, Giles taunts Ella over her father not being able to solve the murders of Ella’s brother and Ella’s mother. Ella’s response is to shoot a gun at Giles. Luckily for Giles, the bullets miss Giles, and there are no injuries to anyone else. Later, Ella goes over to the mayor’s house and demands that more should be done to investigate the murders of her brother and mother. Calvin promises Ella that he will get justice for her murdered family members.

An early scene in the movie shows Calvin visiting the local police station to meet with Dan. Calvin shows Dan a newspaper article reporting that a crime boss named Lee Paige (played by Tia Carrere) and her group of thugs have returned to the area. Calvin asks Dan, “Did you really think that they wouldn’t come back?” Dan replies, “After 10 years? Yeah.”

One of Dan’s subordinates is a police officer named Troy Hobbes (played by Arjun Gupta), who is very eager to please the mayor. “Paradise” makes it too easy to see early on in the movie where loyalties might lie and who is most likely be corrupt. The mayor also has a henchmen/fixer named Sam Mayo (played by Adam Lustick), who is a typically generic lackey enforcer.

It should come as no surprise that Ella doesn’t want to wait for the mayor to get justice. The stakes get even higher for her when her father Dan ends up being murdered. The rest of “Paradise” then just becomes one shooting spree/murder scene after another, often clumsily staged. The people responsible for the murder of Dan are exactly who you think they are. The people who die in the movie are exactly those you expect to die.

The dialogue is bad enough in “Paradise,” but a lot of the acting isn’t much better. Gupta is very over-the-top (and not in a good way) in many of his scenes, while Donovan gives a very lackluster “I’m just here for the salary” type of performance. Carrere (who really has a cameo role, not a starring role) acts like she’s in a campy comedy, not a gritty action flick. Allison as the Ella Patchet character could have been iconic with a clever screenplay and skillful direction. As it stands, “Paradise” can only describe some of the Hawaiian locations in the movie, not the soulless junk that is the actual movie.

Tubi premiered “Paradise” on March 21, 2024.

Review: ‘Diving With Dolphins,’ starring Roger Horrocks, Didier Noirot, Tad Luckey, Joe Mobley, Laura Engelby, Angela Zillener and Paul Atkins

April 3, 2020

by Carla Hay

“Diving With Dolphins”

Directed by Keith Scholey

Culture Representation: This Disneynature documentary is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the Disneynature documentary “Dolphin Reef,” with an all-white crew of filmmakers who worked in French Polynesia, Hawaii and Florida to make the documentary.

Culture Clash: The film crew sometimes had to battle the weather and unpredictable nature of ocean life.

Culture Audience: “Diving With Dolphins” will appeal mostly to people interested in documentaries about ocean animals, but it’s not essential viewing for people who see the “Dolphin Reef” documentary.

Didier Noirot in “Diving With Dolphins” (Photo courtesy of Disney+)

Disneynature’s “Diving With Dolphins” is a “making of” documentary about the Disneynature documentary “Dolphin Reef.” And just like “Dolphin Reef,” the movie gives almost as much screen time to humpback whales as it does to dolphins. People who’ve seen “Dolphin Reef” don’t really need to see “Diving With Dolphins” because it seems more like a series of outtakes strung together by narration rather than a documentary with a fascinating storyline.

Directed by Keith Scholey (who co-directed “Dolphin Reef”) and narrated by Celine Cousteau (granddaughter of Jacque Cousteau) has a lot of the same gorgeous cinematography that “Dolphin Reef” has, but the movie doesn’t really give much insight into the filmmakers’ personalities. It’s kind of a tedious repeat of “get to a location, set up cameras, shoot some film, and then go to the next location.”

The documentary takes place in three main areas: French Polynesia, Hawaii and Florida. There are also separate shoots for the dolphins and the humpback whales. “Dolphin Reef” focuses on two bottlenose dolphins bottlenose dolphin mother named Kumu her 3-year-old son Echo), as well as two humpback whales (a mother named Moraya and her newborn female calf Fluke.

The people on the film crew include cinematographers Roger Horrocks, Paul Atkins, Didier Noirot and Jamie McPherson. They are accompanied by scientists Angela Zillener, Laura Engelby and Joe Mobley. And there are some skippers shown in the movie, such as Tad Luckey (whose Luckey Strike boat is in a lot of the humpback whale footage), Carl Ellington and Paris Basson, who’s a jet ski skipper.

Horrock has a clear preference for dolphins, which he’s been filming for decades. He says, “Dolphins are the probably most charismatic mammals that you can get in the ocean. They have a mammalian conscious, so we feel a kinship to them.” Horrock believes that dolphins are the “most welcome” animals he’s ever filmed and adds, “filming dolphins is the most physical because they’re constantly on the move.”

Meanwhile, Noirot, who used to be part of Jacque Cousteau’s crew, is described as someone who’s has more than 30 years of experience of ocean filming. He’s shown in the humpback whale film shoots. Noirot comments, “Hawaii is a good location to film humpback whales because of the whale population. You’re sure to see whales [and] crystal-clear water.”

Most of the filming was underwater, and the scenes that were film outside the water was done mainly by bot, by jet ski and by helicopter. Underwater, a scooter was used with a torpedo-like propeller to get some of the fast-moving shots. But there was a lot of down time during the film shoots, since it took several weeks to get close enough to a humpback whale and a calf to film for the movie.

Although scientist Zillener says that the crew got to know amore than 200 dolphins during the film shoot and that “to understand the animals, you have to be one of them,” there’s no effort made to single out any of the other animals (besides the four main stars) by describing their personalities in “Diving With Dolphins.” The movie would have benefited from more anecdotes about some of the animals who had standout personalities. In the movie, all of the animals appear to be generic. In “Dolphin Reef,” the some of animal personalities of the “supporting characters” seem to be crafted through creative editing.

The narration of “Diving With Dolphins” also tends to take on dramatic, hyperbolic tones, such as the description of the humpback whale courtship competition to become a female humpback’s chief protector: “It’s the most spectacular battle in nature.” Given all the wild animals in the world, that statement seems a bit too broad and subjective for a nature documentary.

One of the strengths of “Diving With Dolphins” is that it calls attention to the coral-reef crisis that desperately needs protection from human plundering and pollution that can cause climate change. The ocean is the foundation of almost every animal’s food chain, so it’s alarming that so much of the essential coral reef is disappearing due to climate change. “Diving With Dolphins” mentions that in the three years it took to make this documentary, one-third of the film locations’ coral reef died. (More on this subject can be found in the excellent 2017 Netflix documentary “Chasing Coral.”)

“Diving With Dolphins” places a lot of emphasis on tiger sharks toward the end of the film, by saying tiger sharks are “misunderstood” and have an “overblown reputation as frightening and deadly predators.” One of the reasons why French Polynesia was chosen as a location to film was because it’s one of the few countries that have laws protecting sharks, which are necessary for the food chain.

And cinematographer Atkins, who has more than 30 years of experience filming in the ocean, calls sharks “extraordinarily beautiful and graceful.” Atkins shows through a demonstration while being surrounded by tiger sharks, that giving them a gentle nudge on the face should do the trick in preventing them from attacking you. (It’s a lot easier said than done, and there should’ve been a caveat that only professionals with animal experience should try this tactic.)

Overall, “Diving With Dolphins” is kind of a scattered film that doesn’t reveal anything surprising about the making of “Dolphin Reef.” And the movie is much more than about diving with dolphins, since the filmmakers’ interactions with humpback whales and tiger sharks also take up a great deal of screen time.

Disney+ premiered “Diving With Dolphins” on April 3, 2020.

Review: ‘Dolphin Reef,’ narrated by Natalie Portman

April 3, 2020

by Carla Hay

“Dolphin Reef”

Directed by Keith Scholey and Alastair Fothergill

Culture Representation: This Disneynature documentary chronicles some of the coral-reef life in French Polynesia, Hawaii and Florida, with an emphasis on dolphins and humpback whales.

Culture Clash: The dolphins and humpback whales are in danger of being killed by orcas.

Culture Audience: “Dolphin Reef” will appeal primarily to people who like movies about ocean animals.

Disneynature’s “Dolphin Reef” is a beautifully filmed and unevenly edited documentary about coral-reef life in oceans. Viewers should know in advance that the movie isn’t just about dolphins. Humpback whales get almost as much as screen time in the movie as the dolphins, but since dolphins are “cuter,” that might be why dolphins are made the selling point in the movie’s title. The documentary is a pretty good lesson on the ocean’s ecosystem, but it also serves as a warning that much of the ecosystem is in danger of becoming extinct by the end of the 21stcentury if environmental protections aren’t implemented.

Narrated by Oscar-winning actress Natalie Portman, “Dolphin Reef” focuses on a bottlenose dolphin mother and child, as well as a humpback whale mother and child. (They’re the only animals in the movie that have names.) Kumu is the dolphin mother of 3-year-old son Echo, a mischievous, playful child with a short attention span. Echo has reached a point in his life when he has to learn to be independent from his mother, but he lets other things easily distract him. Echo becomes fascinated with Moraya, a 40-foot humpback whale and her newborn female calf Fluke. The dolphins and the whales sometimes cross paths with each other, as they mingle with other ocean life and try to dodge the deadly jaws of orcas.

Without question, the best thing about “Dolphin Reef” is the gorgeous, immersive cinematography, which is usually the case with Disneynature documentaries. (And the atmosphere of “Dolphin Reef” might look kind of like a real-life version of the Pixar animation classic “Finding Nemo,” but without animals talking like humans, of course.) The vibrancy of the colors and animal life in the documentary’s coral reefs will give viewers the feeling of experiencing the beauty and dangers of the ocean firsthand.

However, unlike Disneynature films, which tends to focus on only one kind of animal, the story in “Dolphin Reef” isn’t as focused and could have benefited from tighter editing. Soon after viewers are introduced to dolphins Kumu and Echo, it veers into an educational narrative about other ocean life. The corals are the foundation, and they are kept from overgrowing by the ocean’s “gardeners”—the animals that feed on the corals. The gardeners are food for meat-eating ocean “predators” (such as dolphins, humpback whales and sharks), who are in turn eaten by “superpredators,” such as orcas.

The movie explains that Moraya the humpback whale has arrived from a cold polar location to give birth in warmer, tropical climate of the Pacific Ocean. A good deal of the documentary then shows how her whale calls attract the attention of male humpback whales, who sing and dance and then compete to become her protector. One only whale can emerge victorious.

There’s also a lot of screen time given to some of the memorable ocean residents who come in contact with the dolphins and whales. Razorfish are popular dining options for dolphins, which look for food by using a highly sophisticated sonar called echo location. It’s a skill that takes dolphins years to develop. Even though razorfish can hide in the sand, they can be detected if a dolphin has a highly attuned echo location.

Other fish who get a spotlight in the movie are humphead parrotfish, which are described as “the single most important protectors of the reef,” since they are essentially the “garbage collectors” of the ocean. In turn, the humphead parrotfish, whose enormous teeth can start to rot if not cleaned enough, are groomed smaller fish and other animals, in a ritual that goes back eons. If you ever wanted to know that humphead parrotfish excrement looks like sand, and they excrete about five tons a year, then you have this documentary to thank.

Cuttlefish are cast as the mysterious “villains” to smaller creatures, since cuttlefish have the ability to disguise themselves by changing the appearance of its scales. Cuttlefish can also transfix its prey by making its scales glow in the dark. It sounds like the kind of villain that you’d see in a Disney cartoon movie.

Also part of this ocean community are peacock mantis shrimp (notable for their obsessive grooming), crabs and sting rays. The editing of “Dolphin Reef” is clearly inspired by “Finding Nemo,” since these different ocean animals are sometimes made to look like they have cartoonish personalities, such as when the camera focuses on a wide-eyed fish that looks around and ducks when predators get into a fight. That footage might not actually be of the fish reacting to the fight, but it’s edited to look that way.

There’s even a “Finding Nemo” moment in the movie when Echo gets separated from his mother, is stuck with a friendly turtle in a very deep crevice. There’s a race against time for the Echo and the turtle to try to find an opening in the crevice, so they can rise to the ocean surface to breathe in much-needed oxygen. Moraya and her daughter Fluke also have a scary moment when they’re surrounded by orcas. Viewers can watch the the movie to find out what happened in both situations.

“Dolphin Reef” (directed by Keith Scholey and Alastair Fothergill) gives the impression that it was filmed mainly in the Pacific Ocean (including French Polynesian islands and in Hawaii), but Disneynature’s behind-the-scenes documentary “Diving With Dolphins” shows that filming of the movie spread all the way to the Atlantic Ocean coast of Florida. Therefore, there’s a lot of editing that looks manipulated to appear that things are happening in the same general location, when in fact they are not.

Portman’s narration is much like a the conversational tone of an elementary school teacher when she has to say lines describing the Polynesian islands’ as providing a “backdrop of an amazing story, with characters as fantastical as a fairy tale, but as real as you and me.” And she has a dramatically ominous tone when she says of the ocean: “This world operates under a different set of rules.”

Because the movie spreads the storyline across two types of ocean mammals—dolphins and humpback whales—as well as various “supporting characters” of ocean life, a more accurate title for the movie would be “Coral Reef,” even though it’s not as eye-catching as “Dolphin Reef.” Although dolphins and humpback whales are very different in many ways, they both have striking similarities, since they are each very intelligent, group-oriented animals that have distinctive languages and show affection through touching.

“Dolphin Reef” is not the best Disneynature documentary, but it can be enjoyed by people looking for a family-friendly film that gives some eye-popping views of ocean life.

Disney+ premiered “Dolphin Reef” on April 3, 2020.

Westin Nanea Ocean Villas in Maui set to open in April 2017

January 25, 2017

The Westin Nanea Ocean Villas, located on 16 oceanfront acres of North Kā’anapali Beach in Maui, Hawaii, will open on April 15, 2017, and is currently confirming reservations for stays that begin on May 1, 2017. The resort, whose name “nanea” means relaxation in Hawaiian, will reach this milestone two-and-a-half months ahead of schedule.

The Westin Nanea Ocean Villas have villas with one, two or three bedrooms. The master bedrooms will include king-size signature Westin Heavenly Beds and Westin Heavenly Baths with showers, bathtubs and vanities. The living areas will offer armoires, queen-size sofa sleepers and private furnished lanais. Villas will also come with fully equipped kitchens and washers and dryers.

The Pu’uhonua o Nanea Cultural Center at the heart of the resort has educational cultural offerings that will honor local history, language, art, crafts, music and dance. The resort also has a lagoon-style swimming pool, children’s beach pool and play area, oceanfront cabanas and a WestinWorkout Fitness Studio.

Mauka Makai Restaurant (mauka: toward the mountains; makai: toward the ocean), the resort’s full-service restaurant, will pay tribute to the farming and fishing cultures of ancient Hawaii. With an emphasis on farm-to-table, Mauka Makai will utilize indigenous plants and vegetables grown on-site and from local farms to complement popular local dishes. It will also feature the Westin® brand’s signature SuperFoodsRX menu with nutrient-rich and delicious options to tempt every palate.

Additionally, the Inu (Drink) Pool Bar will provide a relaxing setting to enjoy oceanfront views, cocktails and lighter fare. Guests will also enjoy access to resort amenities at the Westin Kā’anapali Ocean Resort Villas located next door, including Spa Helani, a Heavenly Spa by Westin.

UPDATE: The Westin Nanea Ocean Villas Kaanapali is now part of Marriott International. More information can be found at the resort’s current website.

Wailea Beach Resort – Marriott, Maui unveils $100 million transformation

December 6, 2016

Wailea Beach Resort – Marriott, Maui has revealed its $100 transformation. The changes to the Hawaii resort include a re-imagined arrival experience; six new dining options, including Humble Market Kitchin by Roy Yamaguchi; three new distinct pool environments; and 547 redesigned rooms and suites; and the modernization of all indoor/outdoor meeting and event spaces, fitness center and spa.

Here are details about the changes at the resort:

Redesigned Rooms

Each room now has new furnishings and enhanced in-room technology, including personal device mirror-casting, custom music streaming, and personalized Netflix and Hulu content. Every room has an outdoor lanai (balcony), while 62 ground floor rooms feature extended lanais, offering guests a seamless indoor/outdoor living experience.

Dining Destinations

Humble Market Kitchin by Roy Yamaguchi has an internationally influenced, Hawaiian-inspired menu. Perched on one of the highest points at the property, the resort’s signature restaurant offers indoor/outdoor dining, panoramic ocean views and a design influenced by the surrounding mountains and enchanting sea.

Kapa Bar & Grill is for guests who want to gather poolside with captivating views of the ocean. The menu, is inspired by Hawaii’s natural and sustainable resource. The vibrant bar and lounge features entertainment amenities such as billiards, shuffleboard, gaming stations and large screen TVs.

Whale’s Tale is a casual beach bar that offers morning and afternoon refreshments and evening craft cocktails.

Mo Bettah Food Truck and Nalu Pool Bar have grab-and-go options, kid-friendly favorites and local treats, such shaved ice and poke.

Pool Amenities

Nalu Adventure Pool is a new, two-acre pool complex offers a fun-filled experience for families and kids of all ages. This pool area has four water slides, two of which measure 240 feet and 325 feet respectively, with the latter dropping five-and-half stories and measuring as the longest water slide of any resort in Hawaii. There is also new interactive splash zone, with water guns, spraying sea mammal sculptures and bubblers. Nalu Adventure Pool has Dive Pool, a distinct space for scuba certification, diving, snorkeling and other water-sports instruction.

Maluhia Serenity Pool, for adults only, has over-water private cabanas, casabellas for two and luxury chaise lounges. The iconic space holds multi-level pool decks and presents unobstructed panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean.

‘Ohi Pools: The resort’s two new oceanfront pools have two whirlpool spas and numerous ocean-view cabanas surround the pools and present an ideal way to reconnect with the water.

Meeting and Event Space

New and modern event spaces offer 30,000 square feet of indoor meeting and function space, along with 72,000 square feet of outdoor event space, including the Makai Oceanview Ballroom. Each event space has enhanced Wi-Fi and a dedicated team that can customize audiovisual needs for each event.