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Film reviews

Empire Of Light Review

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Movies about finding connections in unlikely places inspire me, and it is even more inspiring when the film is set at a movie theater. In Empire of Light, directed by Sam Mendes, the main setting is a movie theater in the United Kingdom. This setting took me back to my days of working in movie theaters. Tasks like making popcorn, taking tickets, selling concessions and cleaning the auditoriums reminded me of what cinema employees do to deliver fun cinema experiences.

Empire of Light takes place in the rough and racist times of the 1980s. The main character is Hilary (played by Olivia Colman). She is a manager of the cinema called the Empire. She struggles with mental health and has problems with her boss Donald (played by Colin Firth). She just wants to do her normal routines in her position as a cinema manager. Her life starts to find light when she meets Stephen (played by Michael Ward). He is a young Black American looking to navigate life and find a job. Hilary and Stephen form a friendship of love and empathy.

This film is brilliant, faithful, and wonderful. What spoke to me the most was the love for movies. There is a moment where Hilary watches a movie alone in the Empire. The focus is on her. As the darkness of the empty auditorium surrounds her, and the footage from the projector rolls behind her, it is a moment of surreal cinema nostalgia. As Hilary watches the film she learns to absorb the joy and good in her life that she didn’t realize she had. Stephen is one of the good things that come into her life. But she also realizes that the movies offer more than what she has expected all her years working in a theater.

As the many joyful moments in Empire of Light turn into waves of positivity, the film will do more than enthrall its audience. It will also remind them how nostalgic and wonderful movies can be in cinemas today. The time frame of the film focuses on some absolutely classic movies ranging from Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), The Blues Brothers (1980), and Chariots of Fire(1981)—all wonderful memories for cinema enthusiasts.

Everything in Empire of Light matters to me. I was reminded that some cinemas changed ownership and got rid of the nostalgic fun, but others were sold and kept the nostalgic cinema experience. Empire of Light made me realize there will always be theaters that offer the classics to help us cinema lovers experience films we have never watched or want to watch once more.

With all the cinema magic in Empire of Light, the film is ultimately about embracing the great things in life. Hilary is not big on the life she has, and neither is Stephen. But Stephen and Hilary find each other through the Empire. The empire changes their lives. The performances by Colman and Ward are dazzling and emotional, and the film is monumental in its landscape of love and its appreciation of cinema. Four stars for Empire of Light.

Film reviews

Bardo: False Chronicle of A Handful of Truths Review

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Alejandro G. Inarritu is a revolutionary director. On top of making numerous award-winning films, he can also direct a masterpiece about a filmmaker. Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths is dazzling. It contains many inner emotions of one person that explodes with visuals and all kinds of excitement. The film is like Inarritu’s Birdman (2014) meets Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004). This comparison is because Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths portrays a filmmaker in sporadic stressful moments that lead in exhilarating directions.

Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths has many of the common themes that Inarritu tends to explore in his projects. Issues regarding the past, present, and future are the big ones. With Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths, he makes their climax more figuratively classical, and then transitions it to darkness. Still, Inarritu knows how to find clever pieces of joy in spite of the darkness.

Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truthsgears on Silverio Gacho (played by Daniel Gimenez Cacho), a journalist and documentary filmmaker with a lot on his mind. At the start of the film, the story dives into his life. His issues range from dealing with family problems to facing his identity to acknowledging the reality in which he presently lives. Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths is a mosaic of thoughts for Gacho, most of which are intriguing and shocking. Its direction takes the cake due to the complex world of problems that keep resulting in revolutionary resolutions.

The concepts of accomplishment and curiosity are what makes this movie spellbinding in both its writing and directing. It is honest in terms of why topics are being revisited and why the challenges are a struggle to be tackled by Gacho. As a fan of Inarritu, my appreciation for his directing is because of the realism he presents in Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths. He exposes the mental struggles of Gacho in his narrative. The journey of Gacho’s conflicts immerse viewers in a world of success and failure with many difficult questions.

Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths is one where I found myself thinking about how mindful adventures can create surreal experiences that can be vivid, dark, and engrossing. The performance by Cacho is unbelievably good, as is the film itself. Inarritu’s level of artistic directing goes above and beyond. Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths is not missed. Four stars.

Film reviews

Violent Night Review

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It’s the Christmas season, a time when movies at the theater are popular and fun for holiday cheer. It’s also a time when thriller and action films gain a lot of attention. I would define Violent Night as a comedy thriller with Santa Claus fun thrown in. It’s basically Bad Santa meets Die Hard, topped off with Home Alone.

In Violent Night, David Harbour plays Santa Claus. A wealthy family is together for Christmas and they are being held hostage by mercenaries, including a man, played by John Leguizamo, who refers to himself as Scrooge. In addition to delivering all the Christmas gifts, Santa has the additional task of trying to save the family, despite being drunk most of the time. So does Santa have what it takes to be a savior with also getting all the Christmas presents dropped off? The Christmas spirit is powerful, but is it enough for Santa Claus to save the family and Christmas?

There are lots of twists in this bonkers Christmas Eve adventure. As the tension and violence between Santa Claus and Scrooge increases, Santa needs his naughty and nice list to decide who to take down. It makes for a wild ride with Christmas magic, loaded machine guns, and lots of explosions.

Violent Night may focus on action and violence, but Harbour’s performance does bring holiday cheer in a fun, yet explosive way. The many twists and excitement of Violent Night will have audiences laughing out loud.

I have not had this much fun with a Christmas adventure in a long time. Harbour makes one heck of a Santa Clause. Violent Night is a grown-up Christmas comedy for adults. Be prepared for some Christmas fatalities that happen in magical and amusing ways. This is a film where the fun never ends. I found it to be creative and clever, with more twists than expected. Three stars for Violent Night.