#still better than mission impossible: dead reckoning

[j-exclamationmark-l]

I guess technically The Sacrament was a horror movie? In that there was blood and death and a feeling of being horrified.

I was just looking for something fun. Maybe a monster or two.

4/10 stars. Well written, set out to do what it meant to, I never want to watch it again.

[bearsinpotatosacks]

I've got a lot of random snippets I may never use so here's a new series of me sharing random scenes in my google drive. This one is from a Mission Impossible idea, written before Dead Reckoning, where Ethan's kidnapped, his death is faked, he's tortured into submission and slowly brainwashed into being the bad guy's strong man. Here is Ethan seeing his friend's for the last time.

---------

Ethan watched from afar, hidden in the slight shadow of the alleyway but not too dark so he couldn't see. The world was busy, as it tended to be. The streets of London were full. Full of businessmen, tourists, a cyclist throwing their arms up in the air in annoyance and a woman laughing on the phone.

Busy, busy, busy. But not missing him. There was no Ethan shaped gap here as he wasn't sure why he expected one. 

For there to be a gap in society one had to participate in it. And although Ethan sacrificed more than his share to save it, he should know by now that he was not part of society. And was never destined to be.

He was happy. Benji was laughing, outside a coffee shop. Ilsa sat to his right, Brandt next to her, Luthor opposite. Someone else was to Benji's left. He supposed, if there was to be am Ethan shaped hole somewhere in the world, it would be there, by his side. 

But there wasn't one. Someone else was. Someone so wonderfully ordinarily handsome, in the most brilliant way. Not 'international spy who needs to seduce for a living' attractive, the kind of attractive that screamed that this person had a life, had a job, passions and hobbies, a family, one of blood or choice. 

He had dark hair, 60's style thick rimmed glasses on. He looked tired yet sophisticated, the kind of guy who could listen to Chopin one minute and belt along to ABBA the next. Someone who fit Benji. Someone who could take him to the opera when it wasn't to find a nefarious terrorist.

Someone who could love him like he deserved.

Benji laughed. And all of this was worth it if Benji laughed, if he was at peace. If he was happy, then Ethan could survive.

It didn't matter if he couldn't be there to see it and wouldn't be the cause of them. Because yes, seeing Benji's fingers interlaced with the man to his left made him feel like he didn't have a heart anymore and he had to restrain himself from blowing his cover by storming over there and kissing him silly. But if he was happy, he could keep his distance. 

"There you go, I've kept my part of the deal," Bad Guy said. 

Ethan almost scoffed, but the fear that had been instilled into his bones stopped him. He knew that over time he wouldn't even know to scoff. They were going to remove all doubt from his mind, make him believe he was free and happy, maybe even forget that he used to be on the law's side. 

He shuddered and looked back at his friends. Well, the people who used to be his friends. A sense of ease almost came over him. Almost because a bittersweet taste hit the back of his throat when he realised he'd never see them again. He hoped he never saw them again, it would break his heart if he did.

"At least tell me what they're doing?" He said.

Bad Guy huffed and Ethan heard the flick of a lighter, the crackle of a cigarette and the smell of smoke. 

"Ilsa is running self defence classes in London, she's doing well, seems happy, has a cat." He said. "Brandt is the Secretary of the IMF, he's putting more care into each agent, treating them a bit more like people. Luthor is still outshining everyone with his tech skills,"

Ethan gulped, "And Benji?"

"He's left the IMF, started his own tech company, that man to his left is Carl Oswald, owns a bookshop, they've been together almost a year now," he said. "Benji's attending therapy, but he's doing better, he's happy."

Ethan nodded. There was that, at least

"They won't matter, in time." He had to ruin it. "They'll forget you, you'll forget them, everything will be better."

He stubbed out the cigarette and pulled Ethan along as the bittersweet feeling turned to a sick anger. 

Better in time? He didn't want to forge them, they were his lifeblood and forgetting them would be worse than death. 

"Come along, Mr Hunt."

And they were gone. Lost behind the crowds of people and soon to be gone from his memory.

Perhaps he couldn't stop the inevitable. This would be his life whether he wanted it or not, god knows he'd tried to escape. Perhaps it was better they forget him because it would make it a whole lot easier to fit into his knew life if he never had to fight them.

[rebeccalouisaferguson]

It’s a tough gig to be a female lead in the Mission Impossible franchise. The box office juggernaut has chugged along for two decades, delivering top-of-the line thrills and pusle-pounding heist sequences along the way, but with sequel after sequel, it’s become increasingly clear the iconic franchise has one sticking point it still isn’t quite sure how to figure out: its female characters. As far back as Emmanuelle Beart’s doe-eyed Claire in the first Mission Impossible, the majority of female characters Ethan Hunt encounters fit a very specific mold: capable in combat, drop-dead gorgeous (often donning slinky dresses or skimpy, skin-tight outfits), and in desperate need of saving, despite their supposed prowess in espionage.

It’s a frustrating blind spot in a series of films that otherwise represent some of the best action flicks of the 21st century, and Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One continues the unfortunate trend with its rather unceremonious dispatching of (until now) the series’ most prominent female character, Ilsa Faust, played by Rebecca Ferguson.

**This article contains major spoilers for Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One**

Prior to Ilsa’s introduction in Rogue Nation, the women of Mission: Impossible operated like a revolving door: They’d show up, look stunning, then either die tragically to give Ethan (Tom Cruise) further motivation, end up betraying him, or simply be cast aside by the franchise in favor of a newer, shinier, more scantily-clad female character for the next film. While the introduction of Ethan’s wife Julia (Michelle Monaghan) certainly made for a refreshing reprieve from this trend, even she falls squarely into the “damsel in distress” category, and doesn’t get screen time unless she’s being used as leverage against Ethan. So, when Ilsa came on the scene in Rogue Nation it seemed like at long last, the Mission Impossible films had finally cracked the code on how to write female characters that might actually stick around for more than one movie.

And to the franchise’s credit, that’s exactly what Ilsa was—the series even went so far to explicitly bill her as “the female Ethan Hunt.” To paraphrase Ginger Rogers, Ilsa can do everything Ethan can do, but backwards, and in heels and that stunning, high-slitted opera dress. Like the women before her, she’s physically stunning and more than capable in combat, but unlike the rest, she’s given narrative agency. She grapples with her own allegiances, forced to either succumb to her fear of Solomon Lane or take the leap of trusting Ethan and his IMF team, and watching her open up and learn to trust others is a high point of Rogue Nation.

In Fallout, too, she’s given plenty to do. While the White Widow fills the arbitrary role of sexy femme fatale, Ilsa once again gets to be the mysterious wildcard. We the audience and the IMF team have grown to know and love her, but she’s still allowed to have her own crisis of faith as she (like Ethan in the early films) begins to try and re-learn what it’s like to trust your team after having been backstabbed.

Heading into Dead Reckoning, Ilsa was a shining beacon of what a well-written female character could look like in an otherwise extraordinarily male-dominated franchise: but if you’ve seen the latest Mission: Impossible, you already know it all comes crumbling down with a single bridge fight. Of course, the stakes were always going to be high with Dead Reckoning— it’s a sort of swan song for the McQuarrie/Cruise Mission: Impossible era, and though we’ve gotten confirmation the franchise will continue, there’s a distinct sense of gravity and finality engrained in the Dead Reckoning two-parter.

And, with a franchise as twist-filled as Mission: Impossible, a penultimate entry in a two-parter means the stakes have to be upped somehow. TLDR, there needed to be a major character death, and it had to be one that would hurt. Of course, the pool of characters whose deaths would leave a lasting impact on both Ethan and the audience is relatively slim: only Benji (Simon Pegg), Luther (Ving Rhames), and Ilsa have been around for more than one film, and killing off Julia (though undoubtedly devastating for Ethan) would lack punch, considering she’s already been killed off and resurrected earlier in the franchise.

So, it ends up being Ilsa who draws the unlucky “sacrificed so Ethan can be motivated into act three” card. After one desert action sequence and a ruminative moment with Ethan above the canals of Venice, she meets her demise at the hand of Esai Morales’ Gabriel, sacrificing herself in an attempt to save Hayley Atwell’s newly-introduced Grace. Don’t get me wrong—it’s not that Ilsa was killed off that I have an issue with, it’s the fact that the film did so so unceremoniously. Ilsa has been a franchise mainstay for three films now. She has the loyalty and affection of the entire IMF team, and a deep, sibling-like bond with Ethan that feels distinct and unique from the cut-and-dry romances he’s dabbled with in previous entries.

She’s a crucial part of what makes the recent Mission: Impossible entries so great, but Dead Reckoning doesn’t seem interested in honoring this or respecting the significance of her role in the franchise. Typically, if you’re killing off a major character, you’d spend every moment prior to their departure emphasizing just how key a part of the group they are—so that when the death does eventually come, we get maximum emotional impact for both the characters and the audience. But that’s the trouble with Ilsa’s departure in Dead Reckoning— the film is so interesting in setting up Grace as the next big mystery for Ethan to solve that Ilsa falls to the wayside, and her death ends up feeling like a tertiary motivation for Ethan as opposed to a major, earth-shattering revelation for the franchise.

Ilsa isn’t given any significant story of her own in Dead Reckoning, either—she’s after the same MacGuffin as Ethan, trying to protect the same woman (Grace) as Ethan, and ends up falling to the same villain Ethan has been trying to bring down—a villain she has virtually no personal connection to. Admittedly, if there was anyone Ilsa would lose her life trying to save, it’s gratifying that it’s Grace, another prominent female character. On the other side of that coin, though, it’s hard to shake the feeling that the early franchise revolving door is once again in operation—Ilsa’s body is barely cold before the film begins teeing Grace up as Ethan’s next big partner in crime.

Sure, she gets a few cool action set pieces, but in the grand scheme of the hustle and bustle of Dead Reckoning, Ilsa’s death (especially because it comes at such an odd, early point in the film) feels under-emphasized and like a grave betrayal of how powerful of a woman she was in life. Though she may have gone out fighting, at the end of the day, Ilsa still ends up another female casualty of the Mission: Impossible franchise killed so Ethan can be motivated into action—a reductive and lackluster ending for a one-of-a-kind ass-kicker.

[kennexara]

sometimes i remember what year it is and i get a funny feeling in my stomach

come thanksgiving and it'll be a decade since i was asked to take a medical withdrawal from the the first university i ever attended. due to severe depression that was actually caused by using anxiety as a coping mechanism for undiagnosed adhd but. it would be another five years before that was figured out. one of the top 20 schools in the nation (a decade ago and today, according to u.s. news and world report) but their student mental health center couldn't figure out what an overworked community health center intake lady diagnosed in five minutes flat.

but i try to be over that, because getting angry about that doesn't really accomplish anything beyond wrecking my mood. no, the funny feeling is more because i'm not just alive but thriving and back then i couldn't picture my future. but here i am, with a mortgage and a cat and a job that pays more than my mom has ever made and my mental health better than it has ever been before.

sometimes the funny feeling is because it's been a decade since i talked to so many people that were once so important to me. i deleted my facebook around 2016 and so have no contact with anyone from my first year and a half of college. Oh, I have some phone numbers saved but it's been a decade and I've never had the courage to check. And the thing is I miss some of them sometimes. Or I at least wonder where they ended up and perhaps, selfishly, if they remember me and hope I ended up better and happy. I wonder if my straight best friend from that college, the one that I had a crush on (a crush that did NOT help my depression any let me tell you) ever found a nice catholic boy.

but today is maybe the first time the funny feeling was for a good reason. I rewatched captain america the winter solider on a whim and realized hey, it's been a decade since this movie came out too.

idk. something about realizing really good things can happen the same year as shitty things was weirdly healing. I think about next year, which will be a decade since year 2 of the shittiest period of my life. I'll also turn thirty, and I try to spin that as I'll be thirty when I once thought I wouldn't reach twenty but. it's still a weird feeling. but then today I remembered hey, rogue nation came out in 2015 too.

and while I don't feel confident saying marvel never topped cap2 (I rewatch thor ragnarok a lot and let's be real there's plenty of marvel movies i've never seen), I can confidently say mission impossible never topped rogue nation. (suck it fallout and let's not get into how much of a let down dead reckoning was).

idk. some move franchises may have peaked in the mid 2010s but I didn't. I've only gotten better with time.

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

“Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning - Part One” review:

Short review

Really fun action movie that’s bogged down by a questionable plot. I give it a solid letter grade of B. But part of me is also thinking B-/C+.

Long review

Coming off of “Fallout”, while I did enjoy the seventh installment, the plot was a bit disappointing. Part of me wonders if it’s because this movie is a two-parter and we’re not meant to see the entire picture yet, but the other part of me is questioning why this was the story that Cruise and friends went with.

The plot is basically “find key to control big scary computer”. This might as well be an Indiana Jones movie since they treated this key like a long-lost artifact. While this makes for a fun adventure movie, the plot starts falling apart when the movie starts going into the lore behind the key:

1) So apparently, we built an all-powerful AI called “The Entity” which is solely controlled by one key. Yeah, sure.

2) The Entity is this sentient AI that just sorta exists. As the villain of the movie, it’s really hard to be scared by it when the movie isn’t even sure what the villain’s goals are.

3) The AI is written like it’s God or something. The way the main characters talk about the Entity makes it seem like it’s omnipotent. Or Satan himself. In fact, there’s even a goofy ass scene where a bunch of unnamed officials take turns describing the Entity, which made them sound like cultists describing their god. I can’t believe I’m writing this but the “Terminator” movies and “Age of Ultron” had more believable depictions of an all-powerful AI that’s gone rogue.

So, as a villain, the Entity is kinda lame. And I do get why the writers went with an AI villain due to how topical AI is nowadays. I just don’t think this was a good depiction. In fact, as supposed social commentary on the dangers of AI, 1) other movies did it better and 2) it misses the real world consequences of AI, such as loss of jobs and being unable to determine what’s real anymore.

Aside from a questionable villain, there are other aspects of the plot that bothered me:

1) Esai Morales’ villain, Gabriel, was incredibly underdeveloped. I just know that he did something in the past that really affected Ethan. Other than that, he’s just there to be evil.

2) Hayley Atwell is acting her heart out, but her character kinda…sucks? I’m not sure what the writers were going for with Grace. She spends the first half of the movie being a nuisance and then, all of a sudden, she’s forced into becoming an IMF agent. But the thing is, I don’t get why she was treated so important to the story. Yes, she steals the key at the start, but after she loses the key, she loses relevance in the story. It’s like the only reason why Grace stuck around the second half was because Ilsa Faust died and Ethan needed the help of the only other female main character around in order to do an undercover mission. So, while I hate pitting two female main characters against each other, it does feel like Grace is in this movie to be Ilsa’s replacement, because she doesn’t have much relevance to the story after she loses the key. Speaking of Ilsa…

3) Ilsa Faust was 100% fridged. I’m actually fine with characters dying for the plot, but the way Ilsa’s death was handled left a bad taste in your mouth. Unless she actually faked her death for the 100th time, Ilsa dying felt like a step back. And if she was killed off to make room for Grace, then that’s another point deduction to the movie.

Now, there was a lot that I did enjoy. I liked Pom Klementieff’s character (also, how goofy is it that her character is a French assassin named Paris) and I wish she had a bigger role. It was nice seeing Kittredge again since the last time we saw him was MI1. Tom Cruise is working his fucking ass off and is still putting on a great show. And, of course, Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg are always a ton of fun in these movies.

That being said, it’s hard to look past the questionable plot choices. So, even though the movie was a ton of fun, it’s a bit of a step back for me. “Fallout” and “Rogue Nation” definitely feel like that’s where the franchise peaked. But, despite all my criticism, I am looking forward to Part Two. Hopefully, Part Two is where I’ll be sold on the plot.

[missyourflight]

some stuff i read and watched in june:

taskmaster (s1-5): haven't done an early seasons rewatch in so long, s4 and 5 are basically perfect 2 me. incredible that mark watson manages to be both my favourite type of taskmaster guy (hopelessly despairing) and also nearly won the thing lol. nish forever obviously

silo: got well into this! probably at some point apple will stop throwing millions at sci-fi shows but i'm going to enjoy their folly in the meantime

mission: impossible ii: hadn't seen this one! the weakest of the lot but the john woo of it all is undeniable

mission: impossible iii: PSH outrageously good as the villain, hi keri russell

mission: impossible - ghost protocol: so much fun, especially the sequences where you can see brad bird's animation brain going

mission: impossible - rogue nation: ILSA my beloved, the opera sequence is so gorgeous, no notes!

mission: impossible - fallout: it's good when henry cavill reloads his arms, it's better when tom cruise is sprinting around london rooftops and breaking his ankle etc, my most basic trait is that i Love when they're in london like oooh tate modern. anyway i'm very ready for dead reckoning

asteroid city: the bits about making art really got to me! the vending machines were cool!

joint security area: crash landing on you prepared me for this, blank check weren't lying when they said it was homoerotic, song kang-ho forever etc

dodie smith, the town in bloom: the most delightful narrative voice i've read in Ages and v funny. easy to sell me on 1920s theatrical shenanigans

k patrick, mrs s: So hot and butch, i liked the butch friendship stuff almost more than the sex stuff. more sexy lesbian novels Please

kj charles, the secret lives of country gentlemen: another winner from KJC, my most reliable romantic comfort reads. this time it's smugglers!

alice slater, death of a bookseller: sticky little thriller about being poisoned by true crime, great sense of place, So many pints of dark fruits

laura kay, wild things: bisexual disaster in love with her best friend, tragically very me- and also george russell-coded, god i want to swim in a pond again

SOME STUFF I SAW AT ROCK WERCHTER

the dj on the first nigt who played a mash up of i'm gonna be (500 miles) into temperature and then the 1d cover of one way or another into little lion man (deeply cursed fandom flashbacks etc)

weyes blood with candelabras and glowing hearts and amazing adam curtis projections on the big screen behind her

king princess sending the gay girls of belgium absolutely wild - "you wanna hear a sad lesbian song?"

matty healy is a dickhead but he's very good at being the frontman of the 1975. like if ben whishaw was straight and kind of disgusting

stormzy!!! literally the rain was pouring during blinded by your grace pt 2

mumford and sons - this whole festival was like being borne back ceaseless into the past but the cave still fucks me up, marcus really in his ken marino era, face-wise

PUP - i do believe if this tour doesn't kill you, i will to be a wholly perfect song, they had a trans flag on stage, best vibes of the festival

sigur ros - sometimes you just want to be in a massive barn with thousands of people with your faces turned up in the dark feeling like you're inside the sound somehow

muse - fucking incredible live band still!! every time i'm see them i'm floored by how hot chris the bassist is and then i forget about it and then i see them again and i'm poleaxed etc. they had a tech meltdown during knights of cydonia at the encore so we got showbiz instead!!

christine and the queens - beautiful and terrible as the dawn

jacob collier - asked if we wanted to get funky then put on a special hat, bit george russell-coded in the face

arctic monkeys - sometimes you just want to be in a field with one of your oldest friends singing the songs of your youth!! i love the 70s act actually! there are so many sexy songs on AM!! the skies finally cleared for the beautiful full moon, thank you belgium, good night

[mylifeincinema]

My Best of 2023: My Top 10 Films!

Finally! It’s time for My Top 10 Films of 2023! 2023 was another weird year for me in terms of film. As usual, I had a few I championed, but, yet again, a lot of the big guns didn't land the way I'd expected or hoped. As a quick reminder -  My Top 10 Films isn’t necessarily a list of the ‘best’, or ‘my favorite’, but rather a mix of the two that takes both sides of the A&E into as equal consideration as humanly possible. Definitely keep that in mind, especially the fact that how re-watchable each film is weighs in significantly. So, in terms of all that, this list nails my 2023.

First, here are some Honorable Mentions (in no real order), most of which spent at least a little time in the Top 10: Jonathan Glazer's The Zone of Interest (which really deserves that 10 spot, but it's about as far from re-watchable as it gets); David Fincher's The Killer; Sofia Coppola's Priscilla; Kelly Fremon Craig's Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.; and Takashi Yamazaki's Godzilla Minus One. Any of these could easily claim that 10 spot on another day. As for Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon? Sorry, y'all, but it barely cracked my Top 20. No matter how incredibly well-made it was, it was still a solid hour too long. And worst of all, it felt it!

Okay, without further ado, here they are…

My Top 10 Films of 2023!!

10. Danny & Michael Philippou's Talk to Me

Damn. This was fantastic. I’m still really pissed I missed it in cinemas. Such a super creepy, perfectly executed premise fueled by surprisingly good performances and genuinely terrifying moments, throughout. I especially love that it never heavily relies on jump-scares and just how brutal these spirits get. The desperation and hopelessness of the third act is just the cherry on top.

9. Greta Gerwig's Barbie

Hilarious. Bold. Heartwarming. And not at all subtle. Margot is perfection, which doesn’t always work in the film’s favor, but it knows and acknowledges that, and becomes more interesting by doing so. Gosling is hilarious and interesting and delivers one of the most absurdly audacious performances of the year. Gerwig’s vision, here, is dazzling not only in its use of practical effects, but also its brazen approach to the film’s message.

8. Christopher McQuarrie's Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1

Tom Cruise is out here doing the important work in a time when said important work is more essential than ever. This is a big-screen spectacle of an action film with exciting fights and chases and stunts that get more and more impressive, wild and outlandish throughout. As to be expected from the franchise, the cast all deliver rock-solid performances, and McQuarrie’s work behind the camera is every bit as good as Fallout, despite Fallout still probably being the better of the two films, overall. The plot, action, and editing here are all perfectly intense, working beautifully together to create a truly jaw-dropping piece of action cinema. Once again Cruise and friends prove decisively that popcorn flicks can be art, too, folks. Big, loud, crazy, fun art. So damn good.

7. James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3

Loved it. Every single moment is earned. The needle drops get better and better and build up to a joyous, cathartic, downright amazing moment at the end. James Gunn directs the hell out of his pitch-perfect script, allowing these characters to evolve in a manner as interesting as it is entertaining as it is organic. The Winter Soldier is still the best single film in the MCU, but this trilogy is its heart and soul. Finally… Cosmo is such a Good Dog.

6. Wes Anderson's Asteroid City

There’s good reason why Wes Anderson is one of my very favorite living directors. Asteroid City is a fine example of pretty much all of them. It’s visually stunning (How the f*ck did that production design not get nominated?!) , superbly acted, and written with as much quirky humor as it is raw emotion as it is perfectly balanced existentialism. I may still not quite be fully sold on the framing device, but all-in-all, this is a purely Andersonian oddity, and I loved every minute of it. Plus, I really want to be friends with that roadrunner.

5. Alexander Payne's The Holdovers

Genuinely hilarious and sneakily heartfelt. The tender moments play out so naturally that they pack an emotional wallop, then the brilliant Paul Giamatti or Da'Vine Joy Randolph lets out a perfectly delivered line that’ll absolutely floor you. And I just love the look of it, every single piece of this film looks and feels like it’s straight out of the ‘70s. So good. Probably my favorite Payne?

4. Yorgos Lanthimos' Poor Things

Despite being significantly overlong, Lanthimos' Poor Things is still just so damn good. I hate that Emma Stone’s odds are going down, as she delivers what will likely remain a favorite ‘til the end of the decade. Mark Ruffalo is also a blast, and is very much the upset I'm hoping for most come March 10. I honestly didn’t think he still had a performance like this in him. Dafoe is magnificently weird, and every time he graced the screen was a treat. Yorgos went off, here. This is probably his best work yet. It’s also one of the most visually interesting films of the year. I absolutely loved how this movie was shot. And it’s very easily better than the book. So, y’know, there’ that too.

3. Dos Santos, Powers & Thompson's Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

A masterful amalgamation of animation styles, narrative ideas and next-level voice performances. As visually breathtaking as it is emotionally ambitious as it is structurally exciting and entertaining. This is the exact type of comic book movie that still has me excited for comic book movies.

2. Wes Anderson's The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar & Three More

I'm kinda cheating, here, as this is technically a collection four individually released short films, and not the originally planned anthology feature. But I don't care. These are all fantastic; masterclasses in adaptation, blocking, production design and acting, the lot of 'em. I want so badly for Wes Anderson to just adapt Dahl's entire bibliography. Head HERE for my full thoughts.

And The Best Film of 2023 is…

1. Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer

A truly staggering achievement. As ambitious and bold a biopic as we’ve gotten in a very long time. Nolan understands the mechanics of this man and his story in a way that's so philosophically nuanced, and directs scene-after-scene of characters discussing physics and politics in a that makes it edge-of-your-seat shit.

Thank you for reading!

-Timothy Patrick Boyer.

More of My Best of 2023...

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

Apropos of nothing.

Image: A tweet from critic Matt Zoller Seitz reading:

"This is a great piece on a film that wasn’t properly appreciated on first release — so much blather about box office and almost none about what the movie was actually *doing* — I’ve thought about it a lot since seeing it; it’s a big swing that connects"

He's absolutely correct.

There was a time when box office was mostly reported amongst the trades, and wasn't this weekend derby that the public can follow, and has made a whole cult around. I admit I love to track box office and see how things are doing, but it shouldn't be to the point where we're writing off a movie and its merits.

I'd say release this example, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - DEAD RECKONING PART ONE, around now or some other part of the year, and it could've recouped its ludicrous $291m budget. As such, $560m+ worldwide should be nothing to sneeze at. That amount of money could end hunger in a small country, but in Hollywood maths, that's a big ol' flop dud bomb turkey miss. Ditto the $560m+ THE LITTLE MERMAID made against its $250m budget. Both films were, similarly, waylaid by COVID and were shooting at inopportune times, no doubt ballooning the costs.

But yeah, I do feel like MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 7 was largely just ignored. It got steamrolled completely by the Barbenheimer phenomenon, and the talk was largely just "it's a flop". I feel like I'm one of the few in my area who actually saw it, and I quite dug it! I really dug the last few MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE movies, and this movie and the previous two were helmed by Christopher McQuarrie, so it's no surprise that movie #7 continued the hit streak. Tom Cruise just out here pulling the wildest stunts for our amusement. As far as I know, PART TWO is still on once the strikes are all resolved, but it would've sucked if this movie's underperformance put a stop to that. That'd be a whole cliffhanger that would go unresolved.

So, I totally apply this to how a lot of the internet talks about animation, all the console wars bullshit about Universal and Disney (or hell, everyone vs. big bad and totally uncool Disney... Like hello? They're all evil conglomerates run by schmucks who compromise their own talents for an 8th stinkin' yacht!), who is better than who, etc. Box office is literally the infancy of a movie, how it holds up in the long run is far more important. It's like the obsession with movie theaters from people who weren't alive to see a lot of their favorite classic movies, the very people who formed their core memories of those movies via their small TV set in their house.

I dunno, I care less about how one movie stacks up against another (like, say, TURNING RED vs. THE LAST WISH), and I care more about what the movie in question means to the person who watched it. What did they themselves connect with on a deep level?

[rollforjackass]

WHOOOOOO MISSION IMPOSSIBLE!!! dead reckoning spoilers under the cut

what mission impossible does in terms of fucking with my PTSD, it makes up for with hot women. amen

VERY funny chase sequences, 2 new characters who pulled their weight in gold from the second they stepped onscreen. the airport scene was immaculate, from luther & benji trying to solve shit on their own and roping ethan in in the most cryptic way possible (the bomb scene with benji broke my fucking heart) to the constant sleight of hand that reminded me of the first movie. kittridge and the white widow's semi-familial relationship was very unexpected and sweet

also, AI AS A VILLAIN!!!!!!! bitch i did not have my brain chemistry rewired by person of interest and a warforged dnd character i made just to not enjoy that. benji's voice being used to misdirect ethan fucked me up in so many ways, and its insistence on stories was very fun because as we all know, there are many different stories out in the world, and many different versions of each one. i loved that pom fulfilled the AI's prophecy that she would betray gabriel NOT BECAUSE OF THE REASON IT THOUGHT, but because it betrayed HER over a possible course she hadn't even taken yet

i AM very worried about benji for the second part, they made a point of showing him on EVERY line of that epilogue that referenced death. "the closer someone is to you, the harder to keep them alive" > benji's face (watching ethan, which says as much about benji as it could foreshadow for ethan); "should your agents be captured or killed" > benji's face. it also showed his face on a line similar to "do it alone", which makes me TERRIFIED that he'll take on the entity in the sevastapol sphere by himself and have to make a grand heroic sacrifice in the process, at which point i'll fill my pockets with stones and toss myself bodily into the nearest lake

that said, dead reckoning might be my least favorite of the franchise, and not just because it was overblown and grandiose and a two-parter. it feels like they saw the john wick movies and went 'That's what the people want', when the reason people love mission impossible in the first place is because of its rock solid ensemble cast and the elaborate deceptions that make it a Spy franchise, not just an Action one.

now the big issue. ilsa my love. i don't think ilsa is actually dead - she simply would Not lose to gabriel, she has been fighting to stay alive every second of her life - but i do think her sacrifice was necessary to get grace on their side. so i think that's a plan that we'll see pay out in the second movie.

but if it's Not a plan and they just killed her like that........girl what the fuck is happening on this day

(also the way that benji reacted to her death, and the way he hid it from the team and slapped the tears away to get back to work, thanks i hate it)

like i won't be generous with the franchise and say it's always done its female characters right - in fact i feel like 90% of the praise i see for characters like jane carter and ilsa faust comes from the fact that we as a fandom scooped them up and said 'you deserve better' and created art and fics and meta that fleshed out the parts of them that weren't created to add sex appeal/romance tom cruise. but the franchise has at least done Better for them than dead reckoning did. they didn't even give pom's character a name, dude (EDIT YES THEY DID I’M A FOOL HER NAME IS PARIS)

i think their problem is that they are Very Very good at creating wonderfully complex and obviously flawed female characters, but when they don't know what to do with them anymore, they fall into a box that says Ethan's Love Interest. and by god i will wrest grace from that box so long as i am breathing i can tell you that

that said, i can see why they made the creative choices that come across to me as bad faith. pom being a nameless henchman but ethan Still goes out of his way to save her life hammers home the ways that humans are different from AI, and how unique ethan is as an agent. grace's name being a random throwaway alias that she is then trapped with bc she keeps being chased by the people she used it with is reminiscent of her stealing the key and then being trapped in an epic struggle she never wanted. even ilsa dying is a way for her to take her story into her own hands: after so long of being treated as dispensable by MI-6 and the syndicate, she is the one who decides when and who she dies for, and why she dies. (even though she's not dead)

anyway, complaints aside, always a fun movie. extremely funny car chase. women are hot. pom klementieff is feral and i adore her. i have thoughts for days and that mission impossible fic i've got going is about to take OFF

[listieshadows]

Listie says some words about every new movie she saw in July 2023 that she hadn't seen before

Eh, why not? I may as well say a few words about every movie I saw last month that I hadn't already seen before (at least according to the spreadsheet I've been keeping up with since February 2017). So, here we go—below the cut, of course, since this is gonna really run long.

(A note from right before I posted this: I actually kind of underestimated how long this would be when I started writing this, oh my goodness. This is 22 films I said words about down there.)

Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny (2023)

Date seen: 2023-07-02

I'll admit I liked this one more coming out of the theater than I do now, so many days removed from it. Back when I made my Indiana Jones ranking post, I ranked it dead in the middle, as worse than Last Crusade and better than Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull, but, honestly? I think I might like Crystal Skull a it better than this, actually?

Of course, I might change my mind again if I ever re-watch it, but... I don't know. I can't exactly pinpoint anything specific about it. There's not even nitpicks I can point to to make a mountain-out-of-a-molehill deal out of like everyone did back when Crystal Skull was released.

And, actually, maybe it is just that Dial doesn't have any big, goofy, unbelievable movie serial/B-movie moments like any of the others did. For the most part, it is kind of just a Fast & Furious spectacle with some tomb raiding thrown in there. And when we do get that big moment... Somehow, in a franchise where aliens have already happened, this still seems like a small step too far?

I don't know. I'm not gonna declare it the worst film of 2023 like I'm sure some other people already have, because I did enjoy my time in the theater. I didn't start to wonder two-thirds of the way through "Maybe this isn't good, actually?" like I did SHAZAM! Fury Of The Gods. I'unno. At any rate, this still feels like a better adventure for Jones to bow out on than Crustal Skull. At least until they deepfake Harrison Ford for a sixth film, anyway.

Nimona (2023)

Date seen: 2023-07-03

Jeez, and I'd thought that Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse would the best 2023 film I'd see all year. Like, I knew Nimona would be good, but I didn't expect it to hit me as hard as it can. It legitimately made me cry, which, despite how much my mom teases me about it, is not something I do that often.

It really is incredible to me that Disney left this movie to die when they shut down Blue Sky, but they still let The Ice Age Adventures Of Buck Wild happen. And, gawd, I thought it was a slap in the face before, because it seemed like the only thing Disney wanted to do with Blue Sky was milk the dead cow that is the Ice Age franchise even further (I haven't even seen the Scratt shorts)... And, really, if Blue Sky hadn't been closed down, its biggest crime is that it would've been boring, and potentially pointless if the Buck Wild TV series that this movie was obviously a pilot for never happened.

But in the wake of Nimona's release, The Ice Age Adventures Of Buck Wild is even worse, because Nimona, no doubt, would've been Blue Sky's best movie. Maybe even better than The Peanuts Movie. And that just makes it all the more tragic that Blue Sky was closed before they could finally hit their creative stride.

Also, Nimona ended the same way that Spider-Man: Homecoming did, and part of me's grateful that it did, 'cuz I actually would've been bawling for the next hour or so if it didn't, and I had other shit to do, so...

Mission: Impossible III (2006)

Date seen: 2023-07-03

At the start of July I was in the middle of watching all of the Mission: Impossible movies into the lead-up to Dead Reckoning Part One (more on that later!), and of course this is the last of the "original trilogy," as I like to think of it, before they went from spy thrillers to Jackie Chan stunt spectaculars.

And, honestly, of all of the films, this might be my least favorite?

Like, I'unno, in general, I prefer the more stunt-focused flicks to these, but even besides that... I just really didn't take to it? Like, the first one does the spy stuff the best, I think, and then the sequel is stupid, enjoyable John Woo nonsense. But this? It's the one I'd return to the least.

I mean, maybe I'm just pissed that they never told me what the hell the Rabbit's Foot was.

Independence Day (1996)

Date seen: 2023-07-04

I don't have much to say about this one, really. It's just stupid, popcorn fun. Like, yeah, it's overly jingoistic, but Will Smith punches out an alien and a whole shit-ton of miniatures blow up. Come on, that's entertainment.

I mean, at any rate, I enjoyed watching this movie more than Anonymous. At least this movie didn't put forward any Anti-Stratfordian conspiracy theories.

Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)

Date watched: 2023-07-08

Surprisingly, this was the only one of the "latter trilogy" that I hadn't seen before this year. I'm not entirely sure why. I mean, I believe all three were available to me when I watched Ghost Protocol and Fallout, so I can't exactly figure out why it took me this long.

And big surprise, it's as much of a fun, thrilling spy action stunt spectacular as the other two. I wasn't expecting anything less.

Part of me kind of feels like these three are sort of interchangeable—like, if you wanna watch a spy movie where Tom Cruise risks his life being very high up in the air, you'd be fine with any of these. Of course, that's ignoring the actual stories, and I'm not saying they're bad in calling them interchangeable. Just that, in the future, if I were to try and figure out which one to watch, I'd have a hard time 'cuz they're all so equally good.

Maybe I'd just make it easy and put on Mission: Impossible 2, I'unno.

Spinout (1966)

Date watched: 2023-07-10

I've already talked about this movie in a previous post, so I'll just direct you there if you wanna hear my thoughts about it. Y'know, if you're really dying to find out what some random user on Tumblr thinks about Elvis's twentieth-some movie.

The Transformers: The Movie (1986)

Date watched: 2023-07-15

I plan to watch all of the Transformers movie this August, so I figured I may as well take the time to watch the original flick. Which, really, let's be honest, mostly served just to wipe most of the previous cast away so they could promote new toys.

I didn't not enjoy this movie, don't get me wrong, but obviously I didn't get as much out of it as I could have. Like, if I were a kid in the 80's, or if I were deeply invested in the cartoon, or if I didn't know that Optimus comes back, dies and comes back in the season of the show following this movie. Mostly, I just wanted to hear Eric Idle and Orson Welles, watch some robots beat up other robots, listen to one of the characters say "Aw, shit!" and devour the film's gloriously cheesy 80's soundtrack, which even includes Weird Al's "Dare To Be Stupid". And I got all that, so...

My friend Aylo didn't like it when I said that Hot Rod is partially responsible for Optimus Prime's death, but, hey, I just call 'em like I see 'em. Also, I mistook Hot Rod for Wheelie, and I wanted to perpetuate those allegations just to spite Wheelie.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

Date watched: 2023-07-16

I mean this in the best way possible—this movie frustrated the shit out of me. I just wanted Ethan to keep a hold on that damn key, but it just kept on getting yoinked out of his hands by some damn pickpocket or whoever. And, like, I mean it in the best way because that does mean I was invested in what was going on enough to care, but gaaaawd, how is this the person Ethan's had the most trouble with?

This movie's portrayal of A.I. is exactly what both A.I. evangelists and doomsayers clam it will be.

The Adventures Of Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension (1984)

Date watched: 2023-07-18

Is this what all superhero movies feel like to people who aren't deeply invested in them? 'Cuz I found it pretty dang enjoyable if it is.

Also, I accidentally learned why that watermelon was there, and it bums me out because I liked the mystery way more.

Ruthless People (1986)

Date watched: 2023-07-20

This is a fine black comedy, but certainly not the best Zucker/Abrams/Zucker. I mean, literally, the only times I remembered that they directed this was the opening credits and the closing credits. In-between? I'unno, maybe I was just too distracted by Danny DeVito to remember.

And, yes, I did watch this movie entirely because its title song was the subject of Weird Al's only miss in parodying a hit, "Toothless People". Indeed, it really isn't even the best parody on the album. Not even "Addicted To Spuds" is right there with the line "Some tater tots would blow your mind!"

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret Of The Ooze (1991)

Date watched: 2023-07-20

The second part of my preparation for the upcoming Turtles movie this August, and... I don't think it's that much worse than the first, honestly? Clearly not as good, of course, but I'd give it a thumbs up.

This movie reminds me a lot of Ghostbusters II, where the tone was lightened up quite a bit from the first film because there was a franchise and a Saturday morning cartoon all the little kids were into. Now, true, the Turtles were already a franchise and cartoon beforehand, so it's not a 100% accurate comparison, but you get what I mean. After the first film, which was based more on the original comics, proved to be a success, the sequel was made to fit in better with how most people knew the TMNT.

But, again, I don't think it's a total downgrade. I can still take this mostly seriously, even with some of the dumber lines and moments. And at least we still have the Henson costumes. Can't argue with those.

Really, the only part that absolutely stunk was the anti-climax of Super Shredder. Like, even the appearance of Vanilla Ice got a laugh of me because... Come on, it's Vanilla Ice. What else was I supposed to do?

Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006)

Date watched: 2023-07-22

I watched this to celebrate the one-year anniversary of me watching all of the Superman movies I hadn't seen before (which meant "literally all of them except the DCEU two"), and in the intermediate time I've seen a lot of other movies, so I can't exactly tell you how this cut stacks up to the original, but... It's Superman II. It's the best of all of 'em. Can't argue with it.

I don't think you should watch this over the theatrical cut, but if you're curious to see how Donner would've cut it, I say go for it.

And, hey, 'know, this didn't cost Warner Bros. millions like that other time they let someone recut one of their DC movies (and, yes, thank you, I do refuse to watch it—or the original for that matter).

But so we don't go to the next film on that note, I wanna confess that the only thing I noticed different from the original cut was when I thought, "Hey, waitaminute—that shot where Superman blows a woman's skirt up wasn't there before."

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993)

Date watched: 2023-07-23

Any enjoyment I got out of this you could credit way more to James Rolfe than you can the film itself. If it weren't for his old review, I wouldn't've laughed nearly as much at the bad lines, poor special effects, terrible costumes, stupid story, and just the utterly bone-headed decision to have the Turtles time travel to early 17th-century Japan.

Well, at least it's not the worst thing to feature that subway lair set—though it's not exactly a compliment to say that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III is only barely better than Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation.

The Flash (2023)

Date watched: 2023-07-24

I wanna state upfront that nobody made a dime off of me watching this. The only thing I wasted here was my time.

So. The Flash.

You ever watch something just to be able to call it the worst thing you've seen all year?

Seriously, if the film hadn't stopped dead in its tracks in the middle of the climax to shove poorly rendered CGi fanservice in our face, it would have been fine. Maybe slightly better than SHAZAM! Fury Of The Gods. But that one extended moment is so crassly cynical, I think it caused "multiverse fatigue" all by itself, and I can't imagine myself willingly seeing anything worse this year.

Literally the best part was just the opening logos, and the fact that the movie quotes "Barbie Girl" really pissed me off, because that meant it tied directly into the next movie I saw.

Barbie (2023)

Date watched: 2023-07-24

I remember when I first heard that there was going to be a live-action Barbie movie, I was really skeptical. Like this was Mattel looking at the success of The LEGO Movie years ago and decided to shit out something in the vein of, like, The Smurfs or whatever.

Never would I have imagined that, years later, I'd be one of many people sitting in the theater audience wearing pink.

Absolutely lived up to the hype and how insane the trailers made it look. I couldn't have asked for anything better. Gawd bless.

You go live your best life, Alan.

Hatching Pete (2009)

Date watched: 2023-07-25

This is another one of those DCOMs I've seen ahead of the podcast Escape From Vault Disney—which is the only kind of DCOM I see, for the record—and, well, on a scale of "Does this feature a man in a chicken suit committing grand theft auto?", it's so far the best one.

In another universe, "Hatching Pete" is the title of a trans coming out story.

Elvis: That's The Way It Is (1970)

Date watched: 2023-07-26

Now this is what I wanted from an Elvis film—Elvis on stage singing his ass off, doing flailing karate moves, messing around with his band, finding time to kiss every woman in the audience, and deepthroating his microphone. Fun times!

TMNT (2007)

Date watched: 2023-07-26

Maybe the best Turtles film since the first one? I'unno, maybe if it had a plot I could give a hoot about, because Winters and all of the everything he was doing was just not doing it for me.

But, hey, at least I got to look at good looking CGi Turtles one more time before... Urgh. The next two.

Inception (2007)

Date watched: 2023-07-27

Oh, so that's why everybody uses "-ception" as a suffix. Neat! And the rest of the movie's real good, too.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2007)

Date watched: 2023-07-28

I wouldn't say this is as bad as Turtles III—I mean, it keeps the characters in New York, but that's the lowest possible bar for it to clear, and it certainly doesn't cross into being good.

It's such a strange decision to have the movie focus so centeredly on April, but I guess it's for the better we don't spend as much time as we could have being forced to focus on creeper Mikey.

Oppenheimer (2023)

Date watched: 2023-07-30

Lemme say up front that this is a good movie. A very good movie. Maybe one of Nolan's best—I haven't seen enough of his work to say for sure, but from what I've read, it's a very good candidate not only for Nolan's best, but maybe even best of the year. And certainly, this is absolutely a film that needs to be seen in theaters. There are moments in here I can't imagine just watching on a TV or phone.

And I bring all this preface just to say that if anyone sees this film rank towards the middle of my 2023 film ranking, it's because, honestly, if it weren't for the whole "Barbenheimer" phenomenon, I don't think I would've gone out of my way to see it, at least not in theaters. I'm sure I still would've had some interest in this film (largely because of the Epic Rap Battle where Oppenheimer battled Thanos), but not enough to go out of my way like this.

Also, lemme jus' say that, yeah, I agree with Issa Rae; I am a bit of psychopath for seeing this late. Didn't hit me until a few hours after I'd left the theater, but, yeah; shit could mess you up if you let it.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows (2016)

Date watched: 2023-07-31

I guess it's better than the first—I mean, credit for addressing issues like how pointless splitting Shredder into two characters was and for actually giving the Turtles character focus, and for adding in elements that fans had no doubt waited forever to see, like Krang and Be-Bop and Rocksteady—but it's still not that great.

Seriously, could they not get Krang on set for more than two days? He's a big brain alien with a mustache for some reason; he can't be that busy!

[denimbex1986]

'It was, without exaggeration, one of the biggest weekends in the history of the box office. The epic showdown between "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" was everything moviegoers and the industry alike wanted to see, with both films delivering, collectively, the biggest weekend we've seen since "Avengers: Endgame" debuted in 2019. "Barbie" ran away with the win, taking in $162 million domestically, while "Oppenheimer" debuted to $82 million. In both cases, we're looking at better-than-expected results. All the while, "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," "Insidious: The Red Door," and "Elemental" held relatively well, all things considered. There was, however, one movie left out in the cold, with Tom Cruise's "Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One" falling off a cliff amidst all the Barbenheimer chaos.

Despite topping the charts last week with $235 million globally across its first five days of release, the latest "Mission: Impossible" film fell all the way to fourth place on the charts in its sophomore outing. Yes, much of that had to do with Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" and Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" taking up a lot of oxygen. But Angel Studios' surprise faith-based hit "Sound of Freedom" actually claimed the number three spot on the charts, adding $19.8 million to its ever-growing total in its third weekend, per The Numbers. That left Cruise's latest adventure as Ethan Hunt in fourth place with $19.5 million domestically, representing a brutal 64% decline compared to last weekend.

The good news is that director Christopher McQuarrie's spy flick has continued to perform well overseas, taking in another $55 million from 72 markets. We've also yet to get the initial results from the film's release in Japan, which should help as well. 2018's "Fallout" earned $42.4 million in the country, for comparison's sake. When your movie has a damningly high $300 million budget, every penny counts.

Overseas moviegoers to the rescue?

Part of the reason the "Mission: Impossible" movies have performed so well in recent years is that they've tended to hold on week to week. "Fallout," for example, declined just 42% in its second weekend, while "Rogue Notion" dropped 49%, but proceeded to hold like gangbusters from that point on. But that is also only one part of a much larger picture, as these movies tend to have an outsized audience overseas. Now, it appears as though the studio is going to be relying more than ever on a massive turnout from international audiences to keep "Dead Reckoning Part One" from becoming a financial failure. In fairness, even under the best of circumstances, it was always going to be an uphill battle with that budget.

As it stands, "Dead Reckoning" has earned $370.8 million globally, with about 68% of that total ($252.1 million) coming from overseas audiences. If the split finishes around 30% domestic and 70% international, the way things are going, we are probably looking at a finish in the ballpark of $700 million. If things somehow go very well in spite of the major competition, it could be closer to $750 million.

It seems unlikely that the movie will surpass "Fallout" ($786 million worldwide), and it's also unlikely that Paramount will manage to turn a profit during the theatrical run. Still, if they can somehow reduce the budget for "Part Two," which is currently set to hit theaters next summer, things may balance out in the end. One thing is certain: losing those IMAX screens to "Oppenheimer" really hurt Paramount's bottom line on this one.'

[imfagentsworld]

You must be strong 'cause the show must go on - To my favourite Mission Impossible series

Just got back from watching Dead Reckoning Part One for the third time. It's like I've been to ilsa's scribbled funeral all over again. I had promised I would watch all the different formats when MI7 is released. Now I just can't stand it anymore. I've tried my best. It is just too much of a mess.

I remember having a great time at the theaters when "Rogue Nation" and "Fallout" came out, watching one five times and the other seven times. Loved it every time and never got bored. At the time, I thought, this is my favorite movie series. Life had something to look forward to and get excited about, and I could endure any pain to live, just to see it return to the big screen again and again.

In 2019 Tom announced on Twitter that McQ would go on to direct MI7 & 8, and I remember everyone being happy that knowing it would be in good hands. That news was like insurance for the series. Yes, "No one knows Mission Impossible better than McQ", "Rogue Nation and Fallout proved how wise it was to choose him", "Tom + McQ, sure to make another hit! " Words like these filled the social networks and we all thought we would continue to witness more miracles. It was a promising time.

And then the pandemic began. The world was plunged into isolation, stagnation and chaos. Every country and everyone went through a difficult time. In the second half of 2020, all the movie crews postponed or shut down, only MI7 continued to film under Tom's leadership and persistence. Every day I posted on-set photos and news, and continued to follow the filming of the movie. They were the only light in those dark days. Tom and the entire cast and crew exemplified the spirit of Mission Impossible in action, wrote an odyssey in the modern world. They are my heroes.

The release date of the movie was postponed several times because of the pandemic. In the years when tens of millions of people have lost their lives to covid, that postponement is worrying. "Will I live to see the day MI7 hits theaters?" "What? It's postponed again? Are we going to dodge death for another year?" Mission Impossible had meant so much more than a movie to me. It became my motivation to live.

We all go through times of despair, especially when you in front line and face people's deaths head on every day. Stress, anxiety, depression, and a growing epidemic with no end in sight, make you want to end all this suffering once and for all. Whenever that happens, I think to myself, hang in there a little longer, at least until MI7 is released, don't give up. By that faith, I survived. So I'm grateful to them. They unintentionally saved a lot of lives, another heroic feat for sure.

With the filming of the Venice scenes underway (there were lots of fans and locals milling around every day while the crew filming in Rome and Venice), rumors that Ilsa would die gradually spread, yes, back in 2020, if any newer fans didn't know. At the time we didn't think there was anything to worry about, it wasn't even real. How could McQ do such a thing, he loves the character so much. And in 2023, here we are, LOL.

Anyone who has seen the movie knows that there are clues that hint at the possibility that Ilsa is not dead. With Ilsa's smirk, the look that Alanna gives Ethan, Luther's words, and even Gabriel's pained expression when he stabbed Ilsa, you can find a lot of proof. It's not that I can't accept a storyline where Ilsa dies, even if she dies for real, as long as her death is worth it and not so scribbled and out of character. This should not be at the level of the MI series, nor McQ. That's what really frustrates and pisses off MI fans and audiences.

There is no doubt that the epidemic has seriously affected the filming and production of the movie, resulting in higher costs and less coherence. But still, A director/writer is responsible for it. I'm reminded of Tina Fey joked about her second time hosting the Golden Globes, "Because it's Hollywood, if something kinda works, they'll keep doing it until everybody hates it." Each installment of the MI series had a different director, which is a great tradition. When it comes to McQ it's an exception. Maybe they should have changed director after Fallout's success. Or maybe don't force in a character like Grace and have everyone set her off, make room for her, crown her, and ultimately cause the movie to go off a cliff like a runaway train.

I will always love Mission Impossible, no matter what. It's part of my life. I will always go to the theater to support it and promote it. But the facts are out there, it wasn't good enough, it didn't live up to the expectations of the fans, and people are allowed to point out the reasons why it messed up so that the next one can be bettered. To all the MI fans and audiences who have been hurt by Dead Reckoning Part One, I want to say: You must be strong 'cause the show must go on, this is not the end.

The actors' union strike has left a lot of uncertainty about the MI8 filming. But isn't that what Mission Impossible is all about? We improvise and overcome one difficulty after another, to ultimately complete the mission. Out of thousands of variables, the outcome will be different because of even one small change. What would it do if there were an Entity? Maybe it would say, give me a Grace and I can rule the world. Hahaha, sorry for the last Dead Reckoning joke (or maybe not).

I also believe in a parallel universe where Ethan and Ilsa live a happy and peaceful life. Please have faith in our secret agent couple and have faith in your life. "Nothing above love, in the end we have each other."

[themosleyreview]

The Mosley Review: Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One

In the right hands, a franchise can go on forever. In the right hands, a franchise can grow to be more and more inventive and thrilling with each new story. This franchise has only had one misstep in its 27 year life span on the big screen and it has continued to impress me ever since. Not many can stay as consistently exciting, refreshing and somewhat terrifying as these films have consistently become. To think its been 5 years since M:I Fallout and I thought it couldn't get any better than that. These films have covered many standard tropes of betrayal, moles in the agency, a biological weapon, a mysteriously dangerous item, nuclear bombs and even the ever present Syndicate. They've all been handled in a fun and exciting way and this films handles something that is topical and so recent, that even though it may be fantastical at times, it still was terrifying. The break neck speed the film moves at was fun and I loved the visual call backs to the old school use of the Dutch tilt angle. There were one or two moments of cheese, but it is short lived. This film felt more unpredictable than the rest and way more personal as each character that has been with the series so far is in some form of danger.

Tom Cruise is still one of best actors and action stars alive today. He truly is the blueprint of how to sell ever hit, crash and emotional beat. As Ethan Hunt this time around, he continues to give the character such depth and strength. I loved that we finally get a glimpse into his past and a look into how and why he joined the IMF. The amount of pressure and love he carries for his team is on full display in a way I haven't seen since the third film. Ving Rhames returns as the one and only Luther Stickell and I loved seeing him back at the keyboard. The chemistry between him and Ethan has never stopped being a staple of the franchise and it continues here as he gives him words of wisdom and warning. Simon Pegg was fantastic and loveable again as Benji Dunn and his constant worry is always fun as he gets more into the action this time. Seeing Luther and Benji team up was a dream come true and I loved the back and forth between them on who's the better hacker. . Rebecca Ferguson returns as Ilsa Faust and she is deadlier than ever before. I almost was frustrated with her character because of her constantly finding herself mixed up in some form of international danger. She wasn't a damsel at all, but at some point I would've hoped she found a new quieter line of work. Hayley Atwell was a fun and quirky addition to the franchise as Grace. She has that wicked sense of charm and cunning as she ends up being one of the most slippery characters that you love to watch. The cat and mouse game between her and Ethan was really fun. She quickly realizes how far she is in over her head and the constant state of panic she is in for the majority of the film was hilarious at times. Shea Whigham and Greg Tarzan Davis were fun as the task force partners, Jasper Briggs and Degas, that vigorously hunt Ethan throughout the film. Cary Elwes was fun and a bit slimy as the Director of National Intelligence Denlinger. It was wonderful to see Henry Czerny return as Eugene Kittridge from the first film. I always enjoyed the tension between him and Ethan and in this film you get to the route of it.

The villains have always been a staple of the franchise and they continue to be interesting. Vanessa Kirby and Frederick Schmidt return as Alanna and Zola Mitsopolis. Vanessa delivers yet again that perfect balance of beauty, sinister brilliance and strength. I liked that Alanna felt like she entered a deal that posed a major threat. Zola was more fun this time around as he got to be apart of the business deals instead of just muscle. Pom Klementieff was terrifying and relentless as the French assassin Paris. Her viscous physicality was impressive and awesome to witness. I want to see more of her in the future. Esai Morales was awesome as the main antagonist Gabriel. He had a sort of religious zealotry to his motivation in the film. I loved that he was the direct link to Ethan and their rivalry runs deep. His calm demeanor was creepy and intense with every smirk. He might shape up to be one of the greatest villains this series has ever seen.

Composer Lorne Balfe returns and brings back some familiar themes established in M:I Fallout. This time around it is more thunderous and yet emotionally driven. From the beginning to the end the score gets your blood pumping as it becomes part of the driving force of each action scene. The Mission theme kicks in at the most epic and fun moments. The action has always delivered in this franchise and it has gone to a new level of thrilling. I've always appreciated the use of practical action set pieces and this film continues to ramp up the inventive and death defying nature of the stunts. Of course the mountain ridge jump is the stand out of the film, but my favorite was the train sequence. The use of minimal CGI is always appreciated and it was used perfectly to supplement the action. My expectations when it comes to the Mission: Impossible films is always high because of how consistently well crafted they have been. Director Christopher McQuarrie has directed yet another amazing entry in the series and I truly can't wait to see Dead Reckoning Part Two. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

[rebeccalouisaferguson]

Considering how the film opens, Ilsa faking her own death could make sense. Having been hiding out for days in the Arabian Desert, Ilsa finds herself ambushed by bounty hunters, and when Ethan arrives to help her, he finds his pal lying face down on the ground pretending to be dead. That last part is revealed in a flashback later on – before that, director Christopher McQuarrie lets us believe she really has bitten the dust for a little while. In the flashback, Ethan helps a wounded Ilsa onto a horse and shouts, "You're dead, stay dead." Hmm, foreshadowing, much?

It's entirely possible that Ferguson's schedule – she's been busy fronting Apple TV Plus series Silo and Denis Villeneuve's two-part Dune adaptation recently – just didn't allow her to have a bigger role in Dead Reckoning Part One. Not that that helps take the sting out.

....

Deciding on Ilsa's demise was "really tough," McQuarrie said in an interview with USA Today. But it was one we knew we had to make for the movie to have stakes and for the movie to remain Mission. Mission is primarily Ethan's journey (and) there is this continuum that the people closest to him, he tends to lose them. It was a really tricky conversation for us to have, and we knew that there would be some reactions to that, but we also knew this is the reality of the world that's been created over seven movies."

Talk about fridging! Was Ilsa the only character getting in the way of Ethan's journey? He's known Luther and Benji longer than he's known her, so if McQuarrie really wanted to up the stakes heading into the eighth chapter, wouldn't it have worked better to kill either of those two off? That said, how well you know someone doesn't really seem to matter when it comes to the IMF. 

....

Grace breaks down talking about Ilsa and says she's "the reason she's dead". Luther interjects with a firm no, and adds, "She's the reason you're alive." It's a subtle line, but it could mean that the team know more than they're letting on.

Grace then questions whether the IMF boys will protect her, which prompts Ethan to admit that they can't promise to because, as proven a few hours before, things can go terribly, terribly wrong. He does vow, however, that if she joins them, her "life will mean more to [him] than [his] own." 

"You don't even know me," Grace claps back, to which Ethan replies: "What difference does that make?"

On the surface, it's a sweet sentiment but read a little deeper into it, and it's a truly bizarre and sour note to hit following a main character's death. It inadvertently suggests that a stranger on the street is just as important to him as his nearest and dearest and, more crucially, that his years knowing Ilsa essentially counted for nothing in the end. My personal love of the character (and Ferguson) aside, I really hope Part Two sees her return to trick The Entity, kill some guys with her thighs, save the day, and prove that's not the case.

[agentnico]

Most Anticipated Movies 2023

Though the COVID pandemic can still be referenced within the film realm as the recent Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery does, the movie industry itself has now seemingly fully recovered from those lockdown days and we now get to enjoy the full might of Hollywood and indies yet again. As such 2023 is proving to be a stacked yet for movies. There’s a lot of them! So many! Many of which will most likely be crap, but here I am listing the ones I am most excited for. Again, come end of 2023 and prepped for disappointment for a lot of these, but as of right now I am full of hopes and dreams! So, in no particular order...

HONOURABLE CURIOUS MENTIONS: Oppenheimer, Next Goal Wins, The Old Way, Wonka, Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning: Part One, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

John Wick: Chapter 4 - It simply doesn’t get better than seeing Hollywood sweetheart the beautiful Keanu Reeves plays an unkillable hitman who is able to kill a man with a single pencil or a book or any item at his disposal, let alone give him a gun. Those headshots then come at the speed of a Call of Duty pro-player! So obviously I want to see what’s next for Mr Wick.

Killers of the Flower Moon - Let the Brendan Fraser renaissance continue! It’s been absolutely adorably awesome seeing him back and looking so happy and pleased to be appreciated for how amazing he is! I mean, yes Killers of the Flower Moon also happens to be a new crime drama from one of cinema’s greats Martin Scorsese featuring a cast including Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert de Niro, but honestly I’m just happy seeing Fraser getting solid work again. Go get them tiger! 

Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre - Technically this was originally slated as an early 2022 release, however due to distribution issues it has been moved a year later. Regardless, Guy Ritchie always makes slick gangster flicks, with his recent The Gentlemen being especially cool and badass, so I’m willing to see Ritchie continue making these types of films as many times as he wants, as long as his dialogue stays sharp and Hugh Grant keeps saying “Darling” during every appearance.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie - Setting aside the controversial lack of effort that Chris Pratt is putting into that Mario voice, this animated effort from Universal and Illumination is actually looking surprisingly enjoyable. The animation looks great and there are some great nostalgic call backs to the games, and even the voice cast (aside from Pratt) are all sounding great. That Bowser voice from Jack Black - woah!! Can’t wait to hear more of that! 

Napoleon - Ridley Scott is doing a movie about Napoleon, and Napoleon himself is played by Joaquin Phoenix. Great director, superb actor, an integrally interesting historical figure at the narrative centre... what’s not to be excited for!

Knock at the Cabin - M. Night Shyamalamalamalamadingdong is back with another plot twist. Look, M Night is very hit-and-miss, and when he’s great he’s great, but when he’s bad he’s bad in a fun way. His last film Old was filled with plot-holes, inconsistencies and ridiculous narrative choices, yet I had a ball watching it and pointing out all the obvious foreshadowing. And then Shyamalan is also responsible for The Happening, which, well, happened. Anyway, new Shyamalan film - gimme gimme gimme!

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 - Before James Gunn fully takes over the running of DC films (though he already took Henry Cavill as Superman away from us the monster!!!) he still has one Guardians film from Marvel left for us. And though I was not a fan of Vol. 2, the recent Holiday Special has reinstated my hope in this ragtag space-travelling group of outcasts, and Gunn himself has been on a roll with The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker, so they’ve got this. Also Rocket has an otter girlfriend in this one so I’m ready to witness some animal loving. 

Barbie - Okay, so it’s okay for a guy to look forward to a Barbie movie?? What’s so wrong with that?? It’s not weird! I don’t have a thing for dolls if that’s what you’re thinking. Nope, in fact I am more hoping that similar to how The Lego Movie managed to take a famous toy and create a superbly meta entertaining movie classic, Barbie shows promise to also go against conventional genre tropes and do something different weird. At least judging from that 2001: A Space Odyssey piss-take of the teaser, Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach have created something real unique. Also Ryan Gosling as Ken.....either the greatest casting choice or the worst decision ever. We’ll see...

Renfield - Nicolas Cage is a worldwide treasure, and one thought that him playing himself in a movie was the craziest thing yet. Nah, now he’s playing Dracula. Yep, THE Nicolas Cage is playing THE Count Dracula! And this time he really is a vampire!

Cocaine Bear - It’s a bear that’s high off it’s tits on cocaine and is going on a murderous rampage whilst trying to get more cocaine. I don’t need this to be a good movie. I don’t need it to win any awards. I just want there to be bears, I want there to be cocaine, and ideally those two to be connected for the entire time. What’s more is this is based on the real life story of a 175lb black bear who ingested a duffel bag of abandoned cocaine in northern Georgia in 1985. I mean yes that bear died fairly quickly, but in the movie they’ve evidently taken some creative choices (and definitely the correct ones!!) and instead this bear is simply killing everyone left and right and being high as a kite. And from that recent trailer from the very first appearance you can tell that this bear is on cocaine. That is all I want. 

[weclassybouquetfun]

Bringing this 3-year old

post back because the fuse is lit and ready to detonate. Finally, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: DEAD RECKONING, PART ONE almost here.

In the time that I originally made this post a global pandemic brought things to a halt, Esai Morales stepped in as the film's big bad after Nicholas Hoult had to drop out due to MI7's delay which would have interferred with his committment to S3 of Hulu's THE GREAT.

Losing MI7 was just of Nicky's string of defeats. He audtioned for THE BATMAN and didn't get it, auditioned for TOP GUN: MAVERICK, didn't get it but that led to Tom Cruise personally calling him to invite him to MI7, then he had to drop that; and more recent he went up for the role of Superman in James Gunn's SUPERMAN: LEGACY and lost out to David Corenswet. We lost Nicky, which sucks, but we got Henry Czerny back.

Return of the king! Eugene Kittridge!

And Rolf Saxon back as Donloe.

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 7 and MISSION IMPOSSIBLE were to be filmed back-to-back, and I know there are filming (still) another MI7 but I am not clear on whether they just made MI8 Part 2 of Dead Reckoning or MI8 is it's on thing. What I do know is that the cast additions across the two films are:

Cary Elwes, Mark Gatiss, Indira Varma, Rob Delaney, Charles Parnell (who was also in TOP GUN: MAVERICK), Hoyt McCallany, Nick Offerman and Hannah Waddingham.

-Simon Pegg has lovingly welcomed his new MI castmates Hayley Atwell and Pom Klementieff,

but his MI Day One /Work Wife remains Rebecca Ferguson.

He calls them Remon. I am sure he can workshop a better portmanteau than that.