SOME MISSIONS ARE NOT A CHOICE. In my original review of the first movie in this franchise, I wrote that it’s underappreciated. I still consider it the best chapter of the series, but here comes number six and it isn’t far off. It’s not just that it has amazing action set pieces, but it knows … Continue reading Mission Impossible Fallout: Under Hunt’s Skin
WELCOME TO A NEW WORLD OF GODS AND MONSTERS. When a mysterious tomb is found in Iraq, the military brings it to London… and it is soon revealed to contain the mummy of an Egyptian princess who made an alliance with an evil god and was buried alive. Universal’s 3D reboot of the old mummy … Continue reading The Mummy
THINGS FALL DOWN. PEOPLE LOOK UP. AND WHEN IT RAINS, IT POURS. After the success of Boogie Nights (1997), director Paul Thomas Anderson found himself in a very fortunate position and thought hard about how to take advantage. He started writing what was supposed to be a small and intimate movie, but it blossomed and … Continue reading Magnolia: Meet the Miserables
THE SKY IS NEVER THE LIMIT. In the late 1970s, TWA pilot Barry Seal (Tom Cruise) quits his job after being recruited by the CIA to fly secret missions over Latin American countries; eventually, he’s also hired by the Medellín Cartel. Doug Liman reunited with Cruise after Edge of Tomorrow (2014) for a fanciful and … Continue reading American Made
NEVER GIVE IN. NEVER GIVE UP. NEVER GO BACK. When his friend and military colleague Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders) is detained and accused of espionage, Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) realizes that she’s been framed and breaks her free. Who really asked for a sequel to Jack Reacher (2012)? Still, here it is in all its … Continue reading Jack Reacher: Never Go Back
THERE MAY NEVER BE ANOTHER DAWN. The Lord of Darkness (Tim Curry) orders goblins to kill two unicorns and steal their horns; he will use them to free himself from his isolation. Ridley Scott’s attempt to make a fairy tale in the dark, fantastical style of the Brothers Grimm has the same problem as his … Continue reading Legend
After attending a Christmas party that results in an argument with his wife (Nicole Kidman), New York doctor Bill Harford (Tom Cruise) leaves their apartment and is ultimately tempted to go to a mysterious engagement at a country mansion… Stanley Kubrick’s last movie became his biggest commercial hit because of the leads’ star charisma and … Continue reading Eyes Wide Shut
THERE’S A TIME FOR PLAYING IT SAFE AND A TIME FOR RISKY BUSINESS. Chicago high-school student Joel Goodson’s (Tom Cruise) parents are out of town, so he decides to have a little fun for once… but when his friend calls a hooker one thing leads to another. Paul Brickman’s directing debut is the kind of … Continue reading Risky Business
DESPERATE TIMES. DESPERATE MEASURES. As the IMF is about to be shut down by the government, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) goes on the lam from the CIA and tries to prove the existence of a vast criminal network. The fifth chapter in the franchise reunites Cruise with his Jack Reacher director; opening with a knockout … Continue reading Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
UP THERE WITH THE BEST OF THE BEST. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) attends the Navy’s Fighter Weapons School, but his reckless performance as a fighter pilot and his romance with one of the instructors (Kelly McGillis) could ground him forever… One of the most popular blockbusters of the 1980s is impressively staged with golden-hued … Continue reading Top Gun
POWER CAN BE MURDER TO RESIST. Brilliant Harvard law student Mitch McDeere (Tom Cruise) is recruited by a Memphis firm that is very generous to him and his wife (Jeanne Tripplehorn)… but they have much to hide. The first adaptation of a John Grisham novel had perfect roles for two major stars; Cruise and Gene … Continue reading The Firm
A STORY OF INNOCENCE LOST AND COURAGE FOUND. It took a while for me to realize that the date I revisited this film on Bluray was July 4th. I may be daft, but so is anyone who doesn’t consider this film to be another example of just how patriotic Oliver Stone is. Along with … Continue reading Born on the Fourth of July: All Quiet on the Southeastern Front
LIVE. DIE. REPEAT. In the future, humanity is battling a fierce alien race that originally attacked Germany; former ad man William Cage (Tom Cruise) finds himself at the front reliving the same scenario over and over. Another sci-fi flick for Cruise after Oblivion (2013), this time an action adventure in 3D that looks like a … Continue reading Edge of Tomorrow
