SKYSCRAPER (2018) – My rating: 7/10

Skyscraper is an action film written and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber. The story follows a former FBI agent who must rescue his family from a newly built skyscraper–the tallest in the world–after it is taken over by criminals and set on fire. The first non-comedy of Thurber’s career, it also marks his second collaboration with Johnson, following Central Intelligence released in 2016.

Standing at 3,500 feet (1,100 m) and 225 stories tall, a high level Asian financier, Zhao Long Ji  (Chin Han) financed the construction of the world’s tallest skyscraper in Hong Kong, which they call “The Pearl”. Halfway through the construction process, rival gangsters under the control of Kores Botha (Roland Møller), an international terrorist kingpin, decides to use his control of the construction crews to extort millions of dollars in shakedown payments.  To prevent a massive strike of workers, which would potentially halt production and cost millions of dollars, the financiers of the skyscraper agree to the shakedown amounts.   Botha learns the existence of a memory card, created by the financier group, that records as well as tracks his international money laundering scheme.  The financiers believe the memory card will provide them with insurance against any attempt by Botha to extort money from them a second time.

Meanwhile, a former FBI Hostage Rescue Team leader and U.S. war veteran, Will Sawyer (Dwayne Johnson), now assesses security for skyscrapers since having one leg amputated, from the knee down, while on a previous mission.  Will  has been fitted with a modern prosthetic leg and tasked with inspecting “The Pearl,” which houses several floors that function as their own society. Despite numerous risks highlighted by Sawyer, his bosses insist the skyscraper is impenetrable.

Skyscraper is action packed but totally unbelievable.  As usual, Dwayne Johnson gives a brilliant performance but some of the stunts are not humanly possible to obtain.  The organized gang was ruthless as most gangs are, stopping at nothing to achieve their goal, which includes igniting the 96th floor of the Skyscraper.  You can only imagine where the drama and adventure this action will take Will and his family. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised Johnson’s performance but criticized the script as clichéd and too similar to The Towering Inferno and Die Hard.  It’s filled with action and many tense moments — a nice way to pass the evening.  Check it out!

 

 

 

GHOST IN THE SHELL (2017) – My rating: 7.5/10

Ghost in the shell is not a new concept just more modern because the cyborgs are suppose to be better, stronger and faster. The film is futuristic and focuses on artificial intelligence becoming dominant in the struggle against terror attacks and crime. Of course big corporations are running the show and corruption has it’s usual place in society. Hanka Robotics is the leading developer of augmentative technology and is involved in a secret project to develop a mechanical body they call a shell that will allow the integration of a human brain instead of an AI.

Hanka Robotics’ CEO, Cutter’s (Peter Ferdinando) test subject, Mira Killian/Motoko Kusanagi (Scarlett Johansson), was a young female survivor of a cyber-terrorist attack whose body was damaged beyond repair. By loading artificial memories into her memory cells, Mira was made to believe that she was saved from a car crash. Many young candidates were chosen to become a cyborg but there are rigorous test they would have to past in order to be the best. Also their bodies would have to withstand all sorts of injections and future repairs, so most didn’t make it.  Mira Killian became the Counter Terrorism Operative and a year later achieves the rank of Major working with Operatives, Batou (Pilou Asbæk) and Togusa (Chin Han) under Chief Daisuke Aramaki (Takeshi Kitano).  The team is very successful but Killian starts to experience hallucinations regarding her past but her designer, Dr. Ouelet (Juliette Binoche), dismisses them as glitches.  However, Killian becomes increasingly bothered by how little she remembers about her past.

Eventually Killian and her trusted partner, Batou encounter Hideo Kuze (Michael Pitt) as a result of a geisha, a hacker, murder and a lot of excitement and adventure.  Dr. Ouelet admits there were 98 test subjects before Killian but she was the only one to survive the process and that her memories are fake implanted ones.  There are lots of secrets to be revealed and lots more to this story.  If you want answers, check out Ghost in the Shell.  It’s not the best futuristic movie I’ve seen but it’s fun and worth the time to see Scarlett Johansson in that very sexy “shell” of an outfit.  Also the special effects are fantastic!

 

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