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Film reviews

Clerks III review

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In 1994 Kevin Smith directed a movie with a few of his friends called Clerks. The gang reunited again in 2006 for Clerks II. And finally, the time has arrived. The gang of misfits, bizarre humor and clever pop culture jokes is finally back. That’s right, Clerks III is here. The film is a monumental achievement of comedy that pushes the envelope in the obscenest, yet funniest ways. The laughs and gags continue, but even more so than ever before in the franchise.

Some may find the humor in this and the previous Clerks films over the top, but that is what makes it genius. And no film in the franchise is more genius than Clerks III. There are tons of one-liners, and many topics that I could relate to and recall as they revisit many portions of the previous Clerksfilms through satirical conversations and discussions on a variety of gag topics.

In Clerks III the characters we all love are back, including Dante (played by Brian O’Halloran), Randal (played by Jeff Anderson), Elias (played by Trevor Fehrman), Jay (played by Jason Mewes), and Silent Bob (played) by Kevin Smith. They all bring giggles and laughs with gags that are memorable and pure genius. Even Silent Bob shows his funniness through his facial expressions. My mind was rambling with laughter from the very start and there is a punch line around every corner in Clerks III.

This is how the fun continues in Clerks III. After sixteen years Dante and Randal have departed from the Mooby’s fast-food restaurant and are back working at the Quick Stop. Jay and Silent Bob are still doing their usual loitering and Elias is still around. So the normal from the original Clerks has returned, but everything changes when Randal has a heart attack. Randal recovers and he decides to make a movie based on his life from Clerks and Clerks II. Randal is determined, and he even says, “I worked in a video store for twenty years, and I watched movies all day long—I went to my own film school!” I have not laughed so hard with a film by Smith in a long while.

Mewes and Smith have kept the franchise strong as Jay and Silent Bob. In Clerks III, they are the center of much of the revisited scenarios from Clerks and Clerks II, and they bring in lots of the perspective, as they bring their humor to the table with the wittiest attitudes and gnarly adventures. Clerks IIIwould certainly not be the same without Jay and Silent Bob. Despite their crazy disagreements with Dante and Randal, they are all a knockout of joy.

Although Clerks III is, again, incredibly funny, it does not take a formulaic approach to its humor. And I love how none of what is important from the previous films is forgotten. In one scene they are all talking about the process of moviemaking, and Jay shows everyone a videotape. But he does not actually have a VHS player, so they attempt to watch the film by holding it up to the light. It’s bizarre and stupid, but it’s also a clever reference back to the VHS days and to the first Clerks, when Randal worked in a video store. Randal still argues movie franchises with Elias. Jay and Silent Bob still loiter to a ridiculous extent. Dante is still just Dante, making crazy decisions but ultimately being Randal’s best friend. All of these guys were born to be in the Clerks films, in a franchise that is spectacularly funny. Can Randal make his movie? Catch Clerks III and find out. But be prepared for sore lungs from laughter. Four stars for Clerks III.

Film reviews

Jaws the IMAX Experience Review

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The 1975 classic Jaws is back…in IMAX. With restored imagery and revamped sound, the IMAX experience makes the Steven Spielberg classic even more immersive and grand with exciting suspense. In my fourth big screen experience with Jaws, the IMAX experience had me in awe with all the classic moments that fans will never forget. The frightening and terrorizing scoring of music, the underwater sequences, and the shark attacks are back in new dimensions. I cannot get enough of Jaws. I know that its die-hard fans will not want to miss this experience. They will not just love it for its classic nostalgia, but they will also love it with how much invigorating the experience is in IMAX.

The suspense before, during, and after the chaos and danger of the shark creature is taken to new heights in IMAX. With the digital restorations, the shark up close is more realistic and frightening. However, the scenery and the ocean aspects are just marvelous throughout the IMAX experience. I felt I was in a world of pure Spielberg sensations as I was watching Jaws in IMAX. Spielberg knows how to work a camera to capture sequences of importance. He even knows how to do this when it comes to capturing sequences of danger.

To recap the plot of Jaws. These are the important characters. There is Brody (played by Roy Schneider), Quint (played by Robert Shaw), and Hooper (played by Richard Dreyfuss). Brody is the local sheriff of a beach community, Quint is a seafarer, and Hooper is a marine biologist. As a dangerous shark is going all around the waters of the beach (which Brody oversees), these three men must team up to defeat the shark. The challenging thing though, is the shark may be bigger than they can handle. But with a boat, lots of gunpowder, and tons of water knowledge, they may have a chance.

The IMAX experience brings the action and interest up to a whole different level. I felt more in tune with the character development towards the initiatives of the shark plans. That is because With Spielberg’s filmmaking, his style is in-depth, and in IMAX it makes Jaws feel like a reestablished revisit to its classical scenarios. With the classic quote, “You’re gonna need a bigger boat,” The boat is bigger, but the shark is bigger as well. That is because it is IMAX. I felt I was in the bigger boat with the world’s largest screen along with the world’s largest beast in Jaws.

This is an experience to not be missed. Jaws is only an IMAX for a limited time. It is an amazing classic to be revisited, but also even more exciting for those who have never watched it before. The first timers watching this in IMAX will experience a cinematic ride that is one for the ages. A classic redefined in the many technological brilliance in IMAX. Four stars for Jaws the IMAX experience.

Film reviews

Orphan: First Kill Review

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People often question why a prequel would be made many years after the original movie was made. They also ask themselves whether it lived up to the expectations of the original movie. I have seen many prequels, and I’ve been impressed with some and disappointed with others. Orphan: First Kill just left me feeling neutral.

The first Orphan, from 2009, focused on terror and shocking discoveries. Orphan: First Kill adds in-depth detail and backstories about the discoveries in Orphan. It also lays out the foundation surrounding the evil Leena/Esther; Leena being her real name, and Esther being her imposter name. Isabelle Fuhrman is back as the evil and demented Leena, and this revival is one of the few exciting parts of the film.

In Orphan: First Kill Leena is in a mental institution in Estonia and she finds a way to escape. As a ravenous and evil person, she creates an escape plan from Estonia and makes her way to the states by pretending she is someone without parents, a girl named Esther. A family, the Albrights, takes her in. The Albrights include parents Tricia and Allen, and their son Gunnar, played by Julia Stiles, Rossif Sutherland, and Matthew Finlan. Esther begins exhibiting strange behavior and there are increasing signs of troubles, but she’s initially more mentally scary than violently scary. Mrs. Albright begins to realize that Esther may be an impostor and Orphan: First Kill becomes a cat and mouse game of questions and answers. The Albright family does not want to believe what may be true about their Esther, and the film begins to feel more like a big family crisis rather than a pure horror flick. So the disturbing factors are toned down many notches in Orphan: First Kill, compared to Orphan.

Director William Brent Bell has an eye for a chilling, child terror premise. One of the more bizarre features of the film is that due to a rare hormone disorder Esther looks like a child, but she is actually a grown woman. A woman who looks like a young girl is repulsive and scary for many, including myself.

The foundation of Orphan: First Kill is in tune with Orphan, but It was just a little too obvious—a girl who is a killer escapes and finds a way to be an impostor, and then tricks a family into taking her in. Fuhrman’s return performance as an evil princess type is again daring and beyond deranged in an enticing and haunting way. So although Orphan: First Kill is obvious, it’s still a fun adventure of suspense. Overall, though, I give the film just two and a half stars.