In other reviews I see a lot of people either confused by the number of gay characters or confused by the number of story arcs, and the only conclusion I can come to is that they never actually read the comics. This show is an extremely faithful adaptation, though a few things have been adjusted for 2022. Every visual is crafted with exquisite care, the storylines pay homage to some of the oldest tales in human reckoning, and Tom Sturridge does a magnificent job acting the first episodes with nothing but his eyes. I first watched this together with a friend of mine who'd never read the comics and I did have to explain and contextualize a few things, so I will allow that it may be a little confusing to newbies. But my friend was enraptured and is dying for season 2 (as am I), so clearly it's possible to comprehend the meaning of the show even if you miss a few details. My recommendation would be to read the comics, but it isn't necessary. Unless of course, you're going to throw a tantrum about seeing a bunch of gay people, in which case I can't help you.
Reviews
3 Reviews
Skyscraper
(2018)
Surprisingly Better Than Expected
15 March 2019
Warning: Spoilers
There are several classes of people who I think will appreciate this movie more than others, and it's a real shame this movie was not advertised specifically to those people. It's true that the plot is pretty basic. It's true that most of the movie runs on the Rule of Cool. It's true that the villains aren't particularly compelling - as much as this movie is compared to Die Hard, the lead villain is no Hans Gruber, and he has minimal personal involvement with the hero.
So, where does Skyscraper shine?
For one thing, it shines in its portrayal as a disabled veteran as an action hero. Dwayne Johnson's character has lost his left leg below the knee, and has a prosthetic which features prominently in the events of the movie. He's shown to have some difficulties, inconveniences, and even chronic pain from the prosthetic. He's also shown to have adapted to it, and uses it in creative ways to accomplish his goals and keep himself safe as he moves through the building. I honestly don't recall the last time I saw a physically disabled character given the role of Action Movie Hero - opinion among the masses seems to be that such people are incapable of pulling the stunts we associate with that role. It was really cool to see Skyscraper's creative team throw that idea out the window.
Neve Campbell costars as Johnson's character's wife, and these two are #marriagegoals. Not only is she every bit as rough and tough as he is, the scenes in which they work together highlight that their marriage is one of profound trust between equals. She is given many opportunities to show her skills, from fluency in Mandarin to combat training, and frankly, I think the character comes out on top when compared to Holly McClane simply because she does more.
If you go into this movie with a good sense of humor, expecting that the creative team did a number of things just because somebody thought it would be awesome, then you won't be disappointed. You might even be impressed. "Heaven" is a good example of this - there is literally no reason to have a combination hall-of-mirrors/holosuite at the top of the skyscraper, and the minute you see it in the film's beginning, you think, "they put that in there JUST to stage a fight in it", and you'd be right. As soon as you find out the building is powered by a set of giant turbines, you 100% know The Rock is going to have to jump into those turbines. It's just the rules of action movies.
Skyscraper follows the rules, and in that sense it's very formulaic. But it also does some wonderfully unexpected things, showing a higher degree of thoughtfulness in concept of the main characters and their relationship.
Because Skyscraper follows the rules closely, most of the movie works exactly as it's supposed to, and there aren't too many awkward spots or dead-ends. The only one is the presence of the Hong Kong police, and the fact that they believe, through most of the movie, that Dwayne Johnson is the bad guy. There really is no purpose to that except to add some pressure during the well-advertised crane scene, and possibly to mimic Die Hard more closely. In the end, when the Lt. tells Dwayne's character "It's good to finally meet you", you can tell it was supposed to be a call-back to the relationship between John and Al in Die Hard. The problem is, no such relationship was established, so the moment falls really flat. I understand the police should absolutely be present for the events of the movie - you can't light a skyscraper on fire without a police response. But their participation in the plot was flaccid at best.
So, where does Skyscraper shine?
For one thing, it shines in its portrayal as a disabled veteran as an action hero. Dwayne Johnson's character has lost his left leg below the knee, and has a prosthetic which features prominently in the events of the movie. He's shown to have some difficulties, inconveniences, and even chronic pain from the prosthetic. He's also shown to have adapted to it, and uses it in creative ways to accomplish his goals and keep himself safe as he moves through the building. I honestly don't recall the last time I saw a physically disabled character given the role of Action Movie Hero - opinion among the masses seems to be that such people are incapable of pulling the stunts we associate with that role. It was really cool to see Skyscraper's creative team throw that idea out the window.
Neve Campbell costars as Johnson's character's wife, and these two are #marriagegoals. Not only is she every bit as rough and tough as he is, the scenes in which they work together highlight that their marriage is one of profound trust between equals. She is given many opportunities to show her skills, from fluency in Mandarin to combat training, and frankly, I think the character comes out on top when compared to Holly McClane simply because she does more.
If you go into this movie with a good sense of humor, expecting that the creative team did a number of things just because somebody thought it would be awesome, then you won't be disappointed. You might even be impressed. "Heaven" is a good example of this - there is literally no reason to have a combination hall-of-mirrors/holosuite at the top of the skyscraper, and the minute you see it in the film's beginning, you think, "they put that in there JUST to stage a fight in it", and you'd be right. As soon as you find out the building is powered by a set of giant turbines, you 100% know The Rock is going to have to jump into those turbines. It's just the rules of action movies.
Skyscraper follows the rules, and in that sense it's very formulaic. But it also does some wonderfully unexpected things, showing a higher degree of thoughtfulness in concept of the main characters and their relationship.
Because Skyscraper follows the rules closely, most of the movie works exactly as it's supposed to, and there aren't too many awkward spots or dead-ends. The only one is the presence of the Hong Kong police, and the fact that they believe, through most of the movie, that Dwayne Johnson is the bad guy. There really is no purpose to that except to add some pressure during the well-advertised crane scene, and possibly to mimic Die Hard more closely. In the end, when the Lt. tells Dwayne's character "It's good to finally meet you", you can tell it was supposed to be a call-back to the relationship between John and Al in Die Hard. The problem is, no such relationship was established, so the moment falls really flat. I understand the police should absolutely be present for the events of the movie - you can't light a skyscraper on fire without a police response. But their participation in the plot was flaccid at best.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2
(2016)
Serious pacing issues, lacks the charm of the original
13 June 2016
Warning: Spoilers
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 was okay, but lacked the charm of the original. It focused too hard on jokes from the first movie, to the point of running them into the ground. The soundtrack was intrusive, and the pacing had serious, serious problems. It felt kind of pasted together. So basically
all very typical sequel problems. Spoilers under the cut.
Nia Vardalos acted her heart out with an earnesty that was almost heartbreaking at times, particularly since John Corbett seemed to be phoning the whole performance in. Ironically, this added to the realism of their marital subplot, as Toula seemed like a still- lovestruck wife who couldn't understand why her husband was bored and dissatisfied, and Ian seemed bored and dissatisfied. Even when he was the one asking Toula to put more effort into their marriage, his delivery was well, script-like.
Paris's teen pathos was just a little overdone, but then again, so was almost everything, so I'm not gonna blame that on Elena Kampouris. The shining star of the movie, in my opinion, was Bess Meisler as Yiayia. I still thought her sight gags were overdone, but they still carried most of the charm of the entire movie, AND she got a triumphant ending, which was nice to see.
Seriously though, the way Corbett was playing Ian, I was 100% sure he was already cheating on Toula through the entire movie.
Nia Vardalos acted her heart out with an earnesty that was almost heartbreaking at times, particularly since John Corbett seemed to be phoning the whole performance in. Ironically, this added to the realism of their marital subplot, as Toula seemed like a still- lovestruck wife who couldn't understand why her husband was bored and dissatisfied, and Ian seemed bored and dissatisfied. Even when he was the one asking Toula to put more effort into their marriage, his delivery was well, script-like.
Paris's teen pathos was just a little overdone, but then again, so was almost everything, so I'm not gonna blame that on Elena Kampouris. The shining star of the movie, in my opinion, was Bess Meisler as Yiayia. I still thought her sight gags were overdone, but they still carried most of the charm of the entire movie, AND she got a triumphant ending, which was nice to see.
Seriously though, the way Corbett was playing Ian, I was 100% sure he was already cheating on Toula through the entire movie.
Tell Your Friends