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Film reviews, Revisited classics

Titanic 25 Year Anniversary Review (Revisited in IMAX 3D)

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“The magic doesn’t come from within the director’s mind, it comes from within the heart of the actors.”

-James Cameron

These words from Cameron hold true due to his magnificent directing from his current success with Avatar: The Way of Water which was many years in the making to his anniversary re-release of Titanic. I had the privilege of revisiting Titanic in the IMAX 3D format at Seven Bridges IMAX in Woodridge, Illinois. I have seen Titanic two previous times on the big screen, but this new and immersive experience made me feel like I was watching Titanic for the first time. The backstory of the archives, the many journeys below the deep, and the magnificent technology utilized will take your Titanic experience to a new level.

I remember seeing a documentary, Ghosts of the Abyss, in IMAX 3D directed by James Cameron, which enlightened me on the main Titanic film. Those were the days when IMAX was not big with blockbusters yet, but now big studios use IMAX all the time. Cameron, however, really knows how to bring his previous projects back with a sense of excitement as he does this time with Titanic.

The mind of Cameron is one that surpasses many directors because he always links his works to his previous projects. He takes the time to think about how his audience will appreciate his films years later. Above all, he spaces out the time frames of when it is the right time for his projects to be launched. Cameron consistently rewrites until his films are on-point. That is because he wants his characterizations, plot, and concepts to all have meaning. In all his projects they truly do. With Titanic back in 3D, 4K formats, and IMAX 3D, his emphasis on cinematic brilliance shows.

The experience of Titanic in IMAX 3D is one-of-a-kind. The image is the sharpest ever, the technological aspects beyond wonderful which make fans feel they are face-to-face with the monumental performances of Kate Winslet (as Rose) and Leonardo DiCaprio (as Jack). Find your local IMAX location, get your tickets, and experience Titanic like never before. It is rewarding to experience Titanic in this format for fans who are in love with the movie as well as those experiencing it for the first time.

To recap the plot, Titanic is based on the true story of the Titanic, a ship that sank after hitting an iceberg in 1912, resulting in over 1500 lost lives. Bill Paxton plays Brock Lovett, an oceanographer who is researching the shipwreck when a drawing of Rose is discovered. An aging Rose (played by Gloria Stuart) is brought in for discussion and she elaborates her story of being a passenger on Titanic.  Above all, her beloved memory is falling in love with Jack (DiCaprio). Rose’s story is the film’s backstory and creates one of the most wonderful and engrossing stories I have seen on film in my life. All my experiences with Titanic have been unforgettable and I’ve cried each time.

Experiencing Titanic in IMAX is incredible and goes far beyond watching as the ship is destroyed. The scenes with Jack and Rose will dazzle audiences in IMAX, especially the famous scene when Jack asks Rose to have her hand so he can hold her up at the front of the ship to make her feel like she is flying. This moment is one of the most vivid and exhilarating in the IMAX experience of Titanic and left me breathless.

Titanic has lived with me. It has been a monumental cinematic example in my life and has fueled my passion for movies. It has always inspired me to take what I love in movies and explain my fascination in my own voice. Titanic is completely rewarding because of the depth of characterization, its technological effects, the skillful writing, and the outstanding directing by Cameron.

For those who are considering this experience, it is not to be missed. Seeing Titanic again is simply awesome and seeing it in IMAX is vivid and dazzling. Join the journey and get back in Titanic mode to celebrate this film’s 25-year anniversary. Four stars.

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 essays, Film reviews

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.