Film reviews

Breaking Review

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Life can be unfair, and being in financial crisis to the point of it causing a mental breakdown is devastating on many levels. In Breaking, a film based on actual events, director Abi Damaris Corbin explores the irreparable damages that can arise from such devastating circumstances.

Breaking is about a 2017 event where Brian Brown-Easley, played by John Boyega, held up a Wells Fargo bank because was not receiving his disability checks. The depiction of Brian’s anxiety and of the robbery in Breaking is stark and surreal. The surrealism is heightened through the performance of Boyega. His anxiety is not only incredibly high, but it is also high for those he puts at risk—and for the world that is watching the chaos he has created. The crazy part is, he wants all that attention.

Breaking begins with a heavy introduction to Brian’s anxiety, his financial struggles and other mental issues. He tries to communicate the best he can to find alternatives or solutions to his financial issues. But with many debts and other stressors, he makes a very unfortunate decision. He casually walks into a Wells Fargo Bank and makes it obvious to bank employees Estel and Rosa, played by Nicole Beharie and Selena Leyva, that he is robbing the bank. He tells Estel and Rosa what to do quietly, but the danger rises when he tells them to alert the police and the media. Hostage negotiator Eli Bernard, played by Michael Kenneth Williams arrives and believes he can help Brian find a guiding light, but is there a light to be found?

The negotiations between Boyega and Williams raised several questions for me. Why is Brian taking the incredible risks he is taking? How did he decide that holding up a bank would solve his problems? What is Eli’s plan as the negotiator? The answers are concrete, but the situation is complicated.

he unpredictable nature of the situation makes Breaking invigorating, but tense and unpleasant in an exciting way. And given the seriousness of Brian’s decision to rob a bank, the film’s audience will know that there will be consequences no matter the result of the negotiations. Overall, though the film is an exhilarating and dramatic, engaging yet heavy, cinematic experience. Three stars for Breaking.

Film reviews

Beast Review

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I have four words, and they are WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE! Beast is a ravenous, treacherous, and wild experience. It is the most fun I have had with a jungle flick in a long time. There are lots of jumps, plenty of nature, and limited resources for survival. But put actors Idris Elba and Sharlto Copley in a jungle film and you have an excellent partnership to team up for survival. I found myself curious as to who would be the one to tame the dangerous lion most effectively. I will say, however, the taming is not going to help that much. Better hope there are many Plan Bs if the dangerous lion chooses not to cooperate.

In Beast Elba plays Dr. Nate Samuels who is taking his daughters on a wild excursion around the Savannah. His daughters are Norah and Meredith (played by Leah Jeffries and Iyana Halley). Sharlto Copley plays Martin Battles, a lifelong friend of Nate. Together, they go on the safari with Nate’s daughters, and Martin shows them his lion taming skills. Soon, their fun and wild excursion goes awry when they notice multiple injuries and destroyed villages. While it is common for animals to do damage, this is not the damage that Martin or Sam had prepared for. Suddenly, a rogue lion comes out of nowhere and all four are in his territory with limited resources. They must do what they can to protect themselves from the unstoppable creature that can kill instantaneously. It becomes a true battle for Nate to protect his family as well as his friend Martin.  

With Elba playing the father who must protect his daughters. I knew that would set the tone for the kinds of risks to be considered in the film. There are moments where Nate and his daughters must hide from the lion continuously, and on top of that, they must watch their every movement. I love the suspenseful aspects of the film that really made the audience feel as if it were a real-life situation. As Martin says on the topic of lions, “The females do the hunting, and the males protect the prey,” It is now Nate who must protect his prey, i.e., his daughters. Beast is a ride of unexpected dangers that only puzzles and invigorates as things spiral out-of-hand.

The rogue lion hides in an array of corners which create a force of nature between the beast and the humans. Keep in mind that the scene is ultimately the rogue lion’s territory so it can plot its attacks and follow its instincts. Nate may not be able to hide, but he can fight back. Go see Elba and Copley fight a lion to save a family’s life in Beast. Three and a half stars.

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E.T. the Extra Terrestrial the IMAX experience

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In 1982, director Steven Spielberg brought the world one of the most beloved tails that spans four decades now. E.T. the Extra Terrestrial. The film’s success to this day has an estimated earning of 792.9 million dollars, and it was one of the film’s to be in the cinemas for a long time of over a year. My first experience of E.T. the Extra Terrestrial was in year 2002, when it was re-released for its twenty-year anniversary. That is one of the most memorable cinematic experiences I have ever had in my childhood era of growing to love movies. In IMAX I felt more in-depth than ever before with my love for E.T. the Extra Terrestrial. That is because I felt I was coming face-to-face with the reality of the film, the connection between Elliot and E.T., but above all I felt I was more face-to-face with E.T. himself.

Spielberg’s use of directing throughout most of the film was shot at eye-level. This is because he wanted to create a more empathetic and connecting experience for his audience with the film. In IMAX, the eye-level footage is grandeur of sympathy and empathy. It is a mind-bending experience of many positive emotions. As Elliott breaks the ice in growing to love E.T., I felt I was feeling that connection of feeling connected again. Connected in terms of Spielberg’s use of directing to create a loving tail of one boy and the creature he be-friends and hopes to protect. Not only protect, but eventually help him find his way home.

In the film Henry Thomas is Elliott. A young boy who is troubled and introverted in his suburban California home with his single mother Mary. Mary is played by Dee Wallace. Then there is Elliot’s brother Michael (played by Robert MacNaughton) and then there is his younger sister Gertie (played by Drew Barrymore). Barrymore’s young performance still lives to this day of her brilliant performance at such a young age. Elliot’s life comes to a change when he comes across an alien who is stranded around his home. With Elliot scared at first, he begins to realize that this alien is not dangerous, that is someone just trying to get home. Elliot names the alien E.T., and then he soon has Michael and Gertie by his side to keep him a secret from his mom and hide him from the outside world. The issue that Elliot faces though, is all the press and government officials that are in search for Elliot’s new friend. However, as E.T.’s stay lasts longer than expected Elliott feels that E.T. is his new friend and that he is new responsibility. E.T. The Extra Terrestrial still lives to this day to be one of the most inspiring and loving films that the world loves including myself.

E.T. The Extra Terrestrial in IMAX is grasping. Fans will feel they are on the bicycle chases with Elliott and E.T., and they will feel they are flying as E.T. is bound to make it home. The bicycle chases and flying sequences have always been a monumental moment in cinema history, and the IMAX experience with the imagery being even sharper feels it is more enhanced with greater detail of beloved sequencing. Fans can even feel the sound of the excitement in both the suspense sequences and the connection sequences. As E.T. tells Elliott, “I’ll be right here,” I never felt more connected to this film. The giant IMAX screen made that cinematic moment of my life even more special.

Though, I felt like I was Elliott in the IMAX experience. I felt I was at the eye-level tune of Spielberg’s directing. I also felt that the environment around the habitats of Elliott made the world of the film a much bigger and vibrant place. A place of beloved cinematic moments bound to be revisited on new levels of excitement. Take the ride and experience E.T. the extra Terrestrial in the breathtaking IMAX experience.

E.T. the Extra Terrestrial remains to be a true classic. It still holds its specialty in being brilliant forty years later. It must be experienced in IMAX. Even if it is someone’s first time, they have got to see it in IMAX. The moments are even more special than ever before. Get on your bicycles, take the ride, and join Elliott in helping E.T. find his way home in IMAX. Four stars.

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