Month: July 2018

The world’s tallest skyscraper in Hong Kong, which they call “The Pearl”.

SKYSCRAPER

Film Review by Marlene Ardoin

Given a choice between seeing “Skyscraper” or “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” again, I would most definitely choose “Skyscraper.”

First of all, the Rock (Dwayne Johnson) still keeps himself in shape for his movies.

The Rock is the king of disaster movies. “Skyscraper” deals with the theme of urban fire, which is a timely topic in the current news.

True, it does mimic “The Towering Inferno,” but that is not the Rock’s fault. That is like saying that the events of 9/11 copied “The Towering Inferno.”

In this film, Will Sawyer (Dwayne Johnson) is a sympathetic former veteran, who has lost part of one leg, but still manages to create a beautiful family and a meaningful life, in spite of his situation.

Part of what makes me like this film so much is the idea of putting an entire city in one building, called the Pearl. This idea offers a solution to the problem of using up all of the environment for humans. By going up, humans can leave the environment alone.

Will’s marriage is another aspect of this story that is a winner for me. His wife, Sarah (Neve Campbell) is an equal partner. She is the surgeon, who helped him recover.

Their marriage is based on respect and trust. Both partners fight to keep their relationship intact and safe. Both partners have strong abilities that complement each other, and their love is tender, ongoing and vibrant.

Will, Sarah and their two children watch each other’s back. And, they are all allowed to be strong in their own right.

Will Sawyer does not spiral into self-pity when he loses part of his leg. Rather, he realizes that his new leg is now made of steel.

The action sequences are thrilling and the family relationship was even more thrilling for me.

I am encouraging everyone to see this movie.

The Rock in “Skyscraper”.

Director/writer/producer Rawson Marshall Thurber:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rawson_Marshall_Thurber

Actor Dwayne Johnson:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwayne_Johnson

Actress Neve Campbell:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neve_Campbell

1974 The Towering Inferno:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Towering_Inferno

Sarah (Neve Campbell) and Will Sawyer (Dwayne Johnson).

7/30/2018 # Skyscraper

(l to r) John Joseph Gotti Jr. and John Travolta as “Gotti.”

GOTTI

Film Review by Marlene Ardoin

I understand that Rotten Tomatoes gave “Gotti” a zero, but I loved this film anyway. How can they give a true story a zero?

The Gotti story is a part of American history that I think we need to look at.

John Travolta accepted the part of Gotti, by the Gotti family. I guess it took an offer that he couldn’t refuse to make him really stretch his abilities.

This is the best role that John Travolta has ever done, using all his swaggering cool, all of his male virility, and all of his artistic charisma.

Just to make sure that I was not just under the Travolta spell, I went to a Cult Film showing of him in “Grease,” which he acted in over forty years ago. His character of Danny in “Grease” is a young John Gotti.

Neither Danny, nor young John Gotti, were the guys going to college, but they both found themselves in leadership positions based on their drive and their values.

Young John Gotti was critical of his own father, who could not support his family as a day laborer, but tried to supplement his income with gambling. There is a certain sad pathos to this.

Gotti’s biography states that after he married, he did try to go legal by taking jobs in 1962 as a presser in a coat factory and as an assistant truck driver. These aspirations did not last long.

Gotti’s son, called Junior Gotti, tells this story, through his recollection of his father, as he remembered it.

John Gotti was a loving family man. His wife, Victoria (Kelly Preston), whom he did not marry until she was on her second pregnancy, was probably the only one, who got away with arguing with him.

I sense that Gotti, himself, was motivated by his desire to vindicate his father, who lived in poverty. Gotti was quick tempered and vengeful.

His son, Junior Gotti, was given a shot at college via military school, so he was able to make a living, without resorting to crime. His desire for his father’s approval is what propelled him into crime initially.

True, this script does not show the long list of crime in which Gotti was involved, only the double crosses.

Gotti was involved with racketeering, hijacking, loan sharking, drug trafficking, bookmaking, prostitution, extortion, pornography, illegal gambling, and other criminal activities, not shown in this film.

The Italian culture in this film that we see in regards to women, is more of a guardianship, similar to that of Saudi Arabia.

And, I suppose that there was a green light to out-smart the police.

One of the best scenes is where Gotti argues with the police, who come to close down his 4^th of July fireworks party. In this scene, the illegal fireworks are better than the legal ones.

All in all, “Gotti” is a privileged view into the making of an American crime family played lavishly by one of America’s best actors, John Travolta. Hopefully, it will be out on DVD, soon.