SKYSCRAPER

Dwayne Johnson     Neve Campbell     Chin Han     Pablo Schreiber     Roland Moller     Noah Taylor

     Stay away if you have vertigo; The Pearl Hotel is 3,000 feet high.  A large pearl (curiously resembling a baseball) rests delicately at the very top. When the architect/owner Zhao Long Ji (Han) takes his new building security expert (Johnson) on a tour, they pass through architecturally stunning halls, some with optical illusions, such as a room with dozens of reflecting mirrors, and end up on what appears to be the top of the city of Hong Kong—a “bit of heaven”, the owner comments.  They are walking on what appears to be a glass pane that covers the entire city.  It’s digital within a digital movie.

     The story is set up cleverly with scenes from 10 years earlier in Minnesota when Will Sawyer (Johnson) is with the FBI, which gives us the antecedents to the events that are about to occur.  Now, Will is excited and a bit nervous about interviewing for the job at the hotel.  After leaving the FBI, he has done well as a security analyst, and Zhao has asked him to inspect and review the systems he has had installed.

     Unbeknownst to either of them, but soon to appear, are dangerous, ruthless saboteurs who will do their best to wreak havoc on the building, the people inside, and especially Zhao.  Eventually, of course, Sawyer will be drawn in and will entertain you with his harrowing feats and brushes with death by falling or burning or gunfire, all to try to rescue his wife and two children trapped in the burning hotel. It’s Dwayne in all his considerable glory.

     To its credit, the film portrays the family as not only brave and heroic, but clever and wily in standing up to the bad guys.  Neve Campbell as Sarah, the mother, is given the opportunity to use her intelligence as a surgeon and as a shrewd woman to solve puzzles, even electronic ones.  The two children might be quaking, but they too are given actions that reflect bravery and quick thinking.  All this is in the midst of encountering an evil man (or woman) at every turn.  A cameo role for Hannah Quinlivan as Xia shows her talents for reflecting a cold, cunning Asian woman, robotic-like in fulfilling her assigned duties.  

     Skyscraper delivers on its promise of thrills and chills, impressive special effects, and Dwayne Johnson’s stunt capabilities. His long-time stunt man double is his cousin Tanoi Reed, but Johnson is proud to say that he performed one amazing leap on his own in Skyscraper.  (You’ll recognize it when you see it.)  But the movie is unremarkable in forging anything new in the genre, and it’s very clear how everything is going to turn out in the end.  

     Rawson Marshall Thurber, the writer and director, manages well a formulaic rendition of thrillers that are like a dime-a-dozen nowadays, complete with sequels in the offing.  (The dime-a-dozen is clearly an ironic metaphor for films that cost millions of dollars.)  We still have the ominous threat of Zhao Long Ji’s archenemy still lurking in the background. 

<”pant!  pant!”>  I can hardly wait.  

     I think the movie achieves what it set out to do.

Dizzying heights are reached in this thrilling tale, although well-grounded viewers may not be transported.

Grade:  C                                    By Donna R. Copeland

BAYWATCH

Dwayne Johnson   Zac Efron   Priyanka Chopra   Alexandria Daddario   Kelly Rohrbach

Lifenesh Hadera   Jon Bass   Yahya Abdul-Mateen II   Rob Huebel

      This is a fun romp in the sun with criminal intrigue mixed in.  Based on the TV show with the same name years ago (1989-2001), the contemporary film is able to accentuate the sexiness of the characters with more freedom, and inserts a major drama that is able to grab your attention and hold it.  Regarding the former, it does feel repetitive in the beginning with so many close-ups of backsides and cleavages and constant double entendres.  Some of the dialog is just too smart and glib to sound realistic.  Perhaps these are what make a movie sell, but I wish it weren’t so.

     However, as the story gets going, the struggle between the lifeguard in charge, Mitch (Johnson), and the new recruit forced on him, Matt Brody (Efron), becomes an interesting male competition for dominance.  The beauty of this for me is the maturity with which Mitch responds to Matt’s anti-authority challenges, which not only contributes to the humor, but ultimately demonstrates how an authority figure can make/break such a person.  Director Seth Gordon and the other filmmakers enhance the comedy and suspense of the film by drawing this interaction out. 

     Major dramatic elements emerge as Mitch starts to discover packets of drugs on the beach, and feels entitled to investigate their source, although he is constrained by his boss, Captain Thorpe (Huebel), and the beach policeman, Sgt. Ellerbee (Abdul-Mateen II), to let it go and leave it to the police.  This is where the movie gets a little dicey in showing that the amateur lifeguards can do a better job of investigating than the police department; although, granted, there is corruption in city government involved, which is the filmmakers’ way out.

Part of the thrill of Baywatch is seeing the lifeguards achieving amazing rescues by virtue of their physical fitness, their rapid assessment of a crisis, their preparedness in meeting all kinds of emergencies, and their commitment to honor and service.  The other part is watching them solve mysteries and come up with clever ways to disrupt an ongoing criminal activity.

     Dwane Johnson is in his element in this type of film, which requires a gorgeous physique, eloquent sarcasm, and a heart of gold.  Zac Efron is able to play all the different aspects of his character in Matt Brody—braggadocio, entitlement, belligerence, and, finally, humility.   It is refreshing to see the filmmakers giving just acclamation to the females on the team.  Rohrbach as CJ is sharp, competent and a true partner of Mitch.  Alexandria Daddario as Summer, a blonde babe, comes across as patient, understanding, and sharp—not your usual stereotype blonde.   I took to the beach policeman character played by Abdul-Mateen II, who is not the brightest bulb in the room, but has the capacity to recognize heroics and truth.  And the villain?  Priyanka Chopra has the look and feel of a female seductress with grandiose ambitions.  She qualifies.

     Baywatch will please many who watch it, especially those who followed the television show; but it is updated in a way that will appeal to contemporary audiences who are drawn toward stars like Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron, a bit of sexiness, and major intrigue.

Baywatch is titillating at first, but you will gradually be drawn into its intrigue.

Grade:  C+                                    By Donna R. Copeland

MOANA

Voices of:  Auli’i Cravalho     Dwayne Johnson     Temuera Morrison     Rachel House     Jemaine Clement

          This magical, musical animation from Disney incorporates folklore and myth to tell a story about identity with reverence for history and the preservation of the world.  It’s a hero’s—actually, a heroine’s—journey where she must go out into the world far beyond her safe island and undergo many trials to save her people and their land.  The sea has called upon her to do this, and she is encouraged to go by her old grandmother, who knows all the old tales about the island.  The most important one has to do with an island goddess who was life-giving and created many islands in the sea.  But competitors wanted her life-giving powers.  One of these rogues was Maui (Johnson), a trickster and shape shifter with a magic fishhook; he stole her heart where the life-giving powers resided, and ran away with it.  Unfortunately, for him, he encountered his own enemies, one of which takes his magic fishhook away from him.

          Moana (Cravalho) is the daughter of Chief Tui on the island of Motunui where she will succeed her father as chief eventually.  Because of a past bruising experience, Chief Tui orders everyone to remain on their safe island and not venture out beyond the reef.  But when the coconuts begin to dry up and turn black inside and the fish start disappearing when Moana is a teenager, she begs her father to allow her to go beyond the reef where there will be more fish.  He adamantly says “No.” 

         Now, Grandmother Tala is rather mischievous as well as wise, and she knows a way for Moana to get a boat on her own and defy her father.  (This is just one of the many points made in the film about females needing to be strong and not necessarily heed a male superior.)  So this is just the beginning of our heroine’s journey; she must find the demigod Maui and persuade him to help her retrieve his sword and return the heart (which was given to her by her grandmother) to its rightful owner, thereby saving their island.

         The unlikely pair (he’s a blustering chauvinist and she is feisty and competitive) set off quarreling—he tries to ditch her several times.  But they always end up working together when they encounter pirates, a lava monster, and a crab that glitters to retrieve what belongs to them.  The ocean will help with its special powers to return a favor to Moana, who aided it many years before. 

         The story is exciting and humor is sprinkled in throughout.  For instance, there is a pet rooster called Heihei who has a liking for rocks which it swallows then coughs up and who insists on traveling in Moana’s boat, despite the fact it can’t swim.  The ocean has a way of rising up in a cone-like form to deliver things to Moana (once it high-fives her) or it speeds her or Maui through the water like a speedboat and tosses them—splat!—back on the boat.  These and other scenes had the kids and me laughing out loud.

      The animation is absolutely beautiful and is accompanied by music and song that reminds of a Broadway show, with a mix of Polynesian and other music genres.  Composers are Lin-Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foa’i, and Mark Mancina.  The two directors (Ron Clements and John Musker) and co-directors (Don Hall and Chris Williams) are to be congratulated with their cast and crew for such a fantastic production.  The story has substance with fine messages for children, e.g., “Listen to the voices inside you to know who you are” and a nonrestrictive role model for girls.  Boys should love it just as much, with its strong male figures and the kind-hearted Maui. 

Moana:  Animation and music for all ages.

Grade:  A                                    By Donna R. Copeland

SAN ANDREAS

Dwayne Johnson   Carla Gugino   Alexandra Daddario   Paul Giamatti   Hugo Johnstone-Burt

It’s not a matter of if; it’s when…In reality, seismologists have expressed that in reference to the San Andreas fault and a big earthquake in California for some time now, and San Andreas the movie brings home this point most chillingly.  Actually, I came out of the film with teeth sore from clenching my jaw for pretty much the whole two hours. 

     It’s not all about special effects.  The film does a good job in weaving back and forth between the small dramas of normal everyday life and disaster scenes.  It gives us enough information about the main characters to make us care about them.  Right from the start is a hair-raising scene in which Ray (Johnson) of the LA Fire Department’s search and rescue squad is in a helicopter being challenged to rescue a driver whose car went off the road over a steep cliff and lodged in a vertical position between boulders.  Then we learn a bit about Ray’s personal life; he’s looking forward to spending the weekend with his daughter Blake (Daddario) before she goes back to school.  However, those plans are interrupted by an earthquake in Nevada, where he is called to for rescue work, and at the same time, receives disappointing news from his estranged wife Emma (Gugino). 

      Ray, Emma, and Blake are all going their separate ways, and how they get back together when disaster hits is some fine story telling.  Along her way, Blake picks up two brothers from London who add interest and acts of bravery, which is then contrasted with the wimping out of someone else.

      Another story line related to the earthquakes involves Cal Tech seismologists who are excited to learn that their research is heightening their ability to predict earthquakes in advance.  Lawrence (Giamatti) and his team are just on the verge of warning the citizens of Nevada about an impending quake, when it actually starts occurring.  When he narrowly escapes, makes it back to his lab, and begins looking at the data, Lawrence begins to figure out that the Nevada quake is related to the San Andreas fault, and will be spreading to California; and this time he has a chance to warn everyone.

      Special effects in San Andreas seem to me to be exceptionally good—spectacular and authentic-looking at the same time (although I hear we can't always trust the science it imparts).  Traumatic crises are practically non-stop, but they don’t seem gratuitous, as is often characteristic of special effects films.  Director Brad Peyton, Cinematographer Steve Yedlin, the actors, and the other filmmakers should be very proud of how well crafted and emotionally satisfying their work is here. 

      In some ways, it feels good to be given a preview of an event that could very well occur.  You’ll feel almost as if you’ve actually been through an earthquake after leaving the theater.  The characters bring home how important practical knowledge (CPR, wound care), problem-solving (innovation and ingenuity in adapting materials at hand), and reasoning through stumbling blocks while remaining calm could very well mean the difference between life and death.  

      Dwayne Johnson is a perfect star for a film like this; you just look at him and feel confidence.  (And he likewise performs just as well in emotional-laden conversations.)  Yes, the movie is a little heavy in depicting his superman qualities.  It was very clever to show how much his character had taught his daughter (i.e., not a son) in responding to emergencies.  When Blake is with her two new companions, each has the opportunity to be smart and helpful in getting through tough situations.  Likewise, Emma (wife and mother) is given the opportunity to be smart and heroic.  Giamatti is always a wondrous actor, and here he restores our faith in scientists to care as well as be smart. 

      The bottom line of all this is that disasters pull for collaboration and trust among those involved, although not everyone responds optimally.  For those who do, it is truly a rewarding human experience.

A must for everyone up to the tension.

Grade:  A-                                   By Donna R. Copeland

FURIOUS 7

Vin Diesel   Paul Walker   Jason Statham   Michelle Rodriguez   Ludacris   Dwayne Johnson 

                                Tyrese Gibson   Kurt Russell   Nathalie Emmanuel   Djimon Hounsou

In Furious 7, 7 refers to the 7^th iteration of a series of action films that make up a franchise of revving cars, high speed chases, fearsome artillery, high tech equipment, and just plain old fist fights that seem to go on for hours.  In an odd play on carnival bumper cars, two regular cars intentionally come at each other full speed not once, but twice.  (If something’s really good you always do it twice, right?).  Not only that, cars in 7 can actually fly up into the air and more than once drive off cliffs, and miraculously, no one is killed (that is, the good guys).

            What story there is, is about the brother of Owen Shaw, Deckard (Statham), coming over from Britain to avenge his death; he’s a fierce fighter who carries around bombs like they were confetti he likes to toss.  He’s lethal as well in smarts and skills, in that he used to be in British special forces until he was dismissed. 

            Another strain of the story involves a billionaire, Mr. Nobody (Russell), who engages the team of Dominic (Vin Diesel) et al. to rescue a professional hacker who has devised software that will locate anyone anywhere any time.  Bad guys are after the software creator (Emmanuel), but Mr. Nobody realizes how dangerous such an invention would be in the wrong hands, so engages Dominic’s (Vin Diesel) team to intercept them.  What follows is harrowing scene after harrowing scene with engines revving, furious car chases (even cars flying through buildings), bombs going off, people jumping from car to car or jumping out and rolling to safety, helicopters that rain down fire on their targets, drones that do the same, and on and on and on.

            Obviously, millions of people like these kinds of movies that are almost entirely action (a la the above), no matter how unbelievable, with only a dab of emotion and a smidgen of intentional comedy in the plot.  Oh, a tender relationship is thrown in here and there (Dom and Letty; Brian and Mia), and family is referred to in capital letters, but mostly the film is very loud with special effects violence and well-choreographed fights between men and between women.  Roman (Gibson)—a driver, a distracter, and a blowhard—is something like comic relief, but the lines written for him are not actually laugh-out-loud funny.  But after all this, at the end of the film, there is a moving tribute to the actor Paul Walker who plays the part of Brian O’Connor and who was killed in a car accident last year that was devastating to his fans as well as his family. 

            Clearly, this is not a film I would choose to go see on my own, but I do acknowledge some interest in the plot (such as software that will track everyone, and, like Mr. Nobody says, change police searches forever), and admire the talent of director James Wan, the actors, and crew.  Still, I can’t see the purpose or value in films like this that are mostly loud and more like watching a video game that has little relevance to reality.

A movie for Nascar fans.

Grade:  C                                    By Donna R. Copeland