Tom Cruise

Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
  • IMDb: link

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

While Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol and Mission: Imposible III may have more dramatic weight given the personal motivations that drive each film, director Christopher McQuarrie instead focuses solely on delivering an immensely enjoyable summer popcorn flick that feels like an old Bond film (complete with multiple locations around the globe and a swagger the Daniel Craig films lack) mixed with the sensibilities of Ocean’s Eleven. The result may or may not be the best in the franchise, but it is arguably the most fun film the series has produced.

What makes my enjoyment of Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation all the more surprising is I’m not the biggest fan of the plot-framing device McQuarrie chooses to recycle in planting our heroes on the outside of their agency working essentially as rogue agents to save the day for those not smart enough to listen to them (here played by Alec Baldwin). The series tried it once, with Brian De Palma‘s bastardization of the original series, with mixed results. The plot is so common the Bond franchise has used it multiple times (License to Kill, Quantum of Solace, Diamonds Are Forever to name three – none of which would be considered among the series’ best).

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Re-released on Home Video: The Last Samurai

/ / Home Video
  • Title: The Last Samurai
  • IMDb: link

The Last Samurai

Released in theaters in 2003, director and co-writer Edward Zwick‘s film stars Tom Cruise as a former U.S. Army captain slowly drinking himself to death while hiding from the ghosts of his past and the massacre of Indian tribes in the American West which his intelligence helped facilitate. Brought out of his stupor by his former commanding officer (Tony Goldwyn), Nathan Algren is given the opportunity to travel to Japan and instruct the Imperial Japanese Army in modern warfare to suppress a samurai uprising.

Through a twist of fate Algren is captured by the samurai and taken deep into the mountains where he spends the winter as a guest of Lord Moritsugu Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe) and living in the home of a woman (Koyuki) who his actions have turned into a widow. Algren and Katsumoto’s unlikely friendship is the cornerstone to the film as the pair learn, despite cultural differences, they have far more in common than either initially realizes.

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Jack Reacher

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Jack Reacher
  • IMDb: link

jack-reacher-posterI prefer my Tom Cruise action films a little crazy and more than slightly ridiculous. (Hell, I even kinda like Knight and Day.) Jack Reacher delivers on both counts. Based on the character created by Lee Child, Cruise stars as former Military Police officer turned professional nomad who shows up in Pittsburgh when a former Army sniper (Joseph Sikora) is accused of killing five people.

As Reacher tells the man’s attorney (Rosamund Pike), he doesn’t show up to save Barr (Sikora) but to bury him. With Barr in a coma after a prison beat down, the only way Reacher can get the proof he needs to make sure Barr gets the needle is to agree to work with his lawyer. However, the more Reacher digs into the case the more, to his increasing frustration, it appears Barr was framed for the crime. Reacher also discovers the killings weren’t as random as everyone believes.

I’ve never read a Jack Reacher novel, and I’m not sure this film sells me on the character quite enough to pick one up anytime soon. However, as a fun B-movie action flick Jack Reacher succeeds.

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News and Notes

/ / Film News & Trailers

Keira KnightleyScreen Daily is reporting Keira Knightley has replaced Scarlett Johansson on Can A Song Save Your Life?, the latest film from Once writer/director John Carney

Celebuzz! shares new Tom Cruise‘s shirtless spread for W Magazine as his character Stacee Jaxx from Rock of Ages

Rolling Stone is reporting Aaron Sorkin has signed on to write a biopic based on the life of late Apple founder Steve Jobs

The Playlist shares the first poster and pics released for Nicolas Cage‘s new thriller Stolen

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Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
  • IMDb: link

mission-impossible-ghost-protocol-poster

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol begins with a jailbreak and ends with a chase through the streets of Mumbai. In between we get a chase through a sandstorm, an attempt to climb he largest building the world, the looming threat of nuclear war, gadgets and gizmos, a prison escape, and a hell of a lot of fun. The latest entry into the Mission: Impossible franchise is not only great summer popcorn movie fare (in December, no less!), it has the feel of the original television show as well.

Our story begins when Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is broken out of Russian prison by the IMF and given a new team (Paula Patton, Simon Pegg). Together, if they chose to accept it, they are assigned to break into the Kremlin to find information about a Russian terrorist known only as Cobalt (Michael Nyqvist) who plans to start a nuclear war between the United States and Russia.

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