Episode 376: Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

Rounding out three weeks in a row of mission madness, we dig into the newest entry in Tom Cruise’s blockbuster action spy series. Narratively, this time around we’ve got some notes, and overall feel it missed the depth that some of franchise’s most chilling human villains provided. But even with some issues, the spectacle in incredibly entertaining and the pacing absolutely perfect, resulting in such an exciting and fun experience that we can find ourselves able to forgive this for not quite reaching the Ethan Hunt Hall of Fame.

* Note – full spoilers in effect for entire episode *

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Episode 375: Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation

Continuing our immersion in the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE franchise over a few weeks, we have a conversation about the franchise’s sixth entry, one that shines for its overall balance of high quality elements. We talk about the addition of Ilsa Faust as a mysterious friend/foe and subtle love interest, how great of an antagonist Solomon Lane and The Syndicate are, and why Ethan’s relationship with his teammates will always make this series special. Plus more, of course, because there are always crazy stunts and intricate set pieces to ooh and aah over, as well.

* Note – full spoilers in effect for entire episode *

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Episode 324: Top Gun: Maverick

“It’s not the mic, it’s the podcaster.” There’s no way around it. We’re humongous life-long fans of the original “Top Gun” and haven’t loved a movie like this in a long time. We gush and thoroughly cover what we feel is one of the best legacy sequels of all-time, as well as talk some about the career of Tom Cruise and how this film speaks about both his future and the film industry. Enjoy.

* Note – full spoilers in effect for entire episode *

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“Top Gun” Anthem Epic Version – L’Orchestra Cinematique

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What We Learned This Week: July 21-27

LESSON #1: IT’S TIME TO ACCEPT FAN SERVICE AT ALL LEVELS— I’m finding, more often than not no matter the size and prestige of the film in question, that nods, homages, and little shout outs work 90% of the time.  It’s time to stop frowning upon them unless it’s really, really fruitless. I’m borrowing a paragraph from my Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood review on the topic: 

“Do this critic a favor. If you read one pretentious person bitching about the so-called “fan service” of a popcorn Star Wars movie in one place while praising the throwback accuracy, endless references, and the buffet of cultural callbacks of this or other Tarantino movies, punch them in the face for being a hypocrite (or write them a mean tweet, either one). Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood has massive nostalgia for fan service aimed a different generation at quadruple the rate of the younger genre fare those cinephiles frown upon. Geeky, blatant homage has always been the part of the hodgepodge of Tarantino. It’s an expected calling card, a borrowed ladder, and part of what makes him brilliant. If it’s standing ovation praiseworthy for a so-called auteur like Quentin, then it should be for other filmmakers.”

LESSON #2: BECOME A BETTER MOVIE FAN— Seeing the splashy mix of pop culture and auteur chops dropping from Quentin Tarantino reminds me of this recent short, encouraging article from Matt Goldberg in Collider in Collider pleading “How to Graduate to Being a Better Movie Fan” and another from Tim Dirks called “Tips on Film Viewing” on AMC’s Filmsite  You can’t come into Once Upon a Time.. In Hollywood without a little homework and a wider eyes compared to just another popcorn blockbuster with low, spoon-fed stakes and basic style.  His whole filmography is a great entry-level course in being a better fan and viewer. The more attuned and learned you are to the craft at hand, the more you will notice and appreciate, especially in an epic like the new Tarantino film.  Goldberg’s article gives the modern, social media-connected crowd of today accessible starting steps that don’t require taking some college film class, and Dirks’ column gives easy nuts-and-bolts steps to follow as well. Give both short articles a look.  In Tarantino is too hard, take a step to channel your newfound advice of watching bad films right on over to Patrick Willem’s new reflection on the Joel Schumacher Batman films from his latest video piece:

 

LESSON #3: ADJUST YOUR TECHNICAL SETTINGS ALONG WITH YOUR VIEWING EXPERIENCE— If you’re going to start watching movies better, make sure they look and sound right.  Renowned Willems-recommend film critic Bilge Ebiri wrote an outstanding column entitled “Motion Smoothing is Ruining Cinema” for Vulture.  This echoes Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie’s PSA hoping viewers see their newest Mission: Impossible film properly last summer.  Ebiri and Cruise offer the “why” and the article and embedded video tutorials offer the how.  Follow the tips, especially if you have newer televisions. Do right by the experiences you’re absorbing.  

LESSON #4: TURN UP THE HEAT ON YOUR “NETFLIX AND CHILL” MOVES— Before or after adjusting your TV set, here in the recommendation slot of my weekly column, I got a hearty kick out an article discovery this week from Bustle magazine that floated across the social media currents on the number of “dirty movies” that are on Netflix.  Writer Katherine Cusumano highlights eleven top picks that are kinky and steamy enough versus the streaming service’s porn-free policy.  From Magic Mike (aw yeah!) to Gaspar Noe’s Love (yowzers!), the steam is waiting for your rising thermostat.  Raise your game, couch gymnasts, with some titillating cinematic inspiration.  

 


DON SHANAHAN is a Chicago-based and Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic writing on his website Every Movie Has a Lesson. His movie review work is also published on 25YL (25 Years Later) and also on Medium.com for the MovieTime Guru publication.  As an educator by day, Don writes his movie reviews with life lessons in mind, from the serious to the farcical. He is a proud director and one of the founders of the Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle and a member of the nationally-recognized Online Film Critics Society.  As a contributor here on Feelin’ Film now for over two years, he’s going to expand those lessons to current movie news and trends while chipping in with guest spots and co-hosting duties, including the previous “Connecting with Classics” podcasts.  Find “Every Movie Has a Lesson” on Facebook, Twitter, and Medium to follow his work.  (#109)

FF+ Glass, Superman Double Feature, and Spider-Man

In this week’s episode of FF+ Aaron reviews M. Night Shyamalan’s trilogy ending film Glass and then we discuss our theater experience seeing a Fathom Events double feature of the DC Animated films The Death of Superman and Reign of the Supermen. We also chat some about newly announced projects for Christopher McQuarrie and Dan Trachtenberg, then share our thoughts on the first trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home.

New For You

(Glass) – 0:01:19

(The Death of Superman/Reign of the Supermen) – 0:08:03

In the News – 0:29:04

Trailer Talk (Spider-Man: Far From Home) – 0:38:18


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Music: City Sunshine – Kevin MacLeod

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What We Learned This Week: July 22-28

LESSON #1: YOU ARE THE CURATOR OF YOUR OWN SOCIAL MEDIA— Boy, oh boy, the lessons that spin out of the James Gunn dismissal and Twitter developments could fill this column for hours.  First, I must properly renew my applaud to our highly responsive and active Facebook group for the civil and engaging conversation when this story broke mere hours after WWLTW was already published for last week.  For me, the top lesson moving forward from all that happened is this one rooted in responsibility. Trolling or not and joking or not, celebrity or commoner, your name is assigned to your social media personas and presences. No one controls that content but you. There is no “must be the curator.” You “are” the curator. Act as if you are saying those words to people’s faces. Speak with context and think before you click the send button, because what you post leaves tracks. It doesn’t go away easily. You must control the message, from posted public content on down to privacy settings and who you allow in your circle. Get disciplined and clean up your act.

LESSON #2: HYPOCRISY IS A SHORT STEP AWAY FROM PRUDENCE— Though I may disagree with their firing, I get where Disney is coming from. They have an image to maintain, but they have turned a blind eye for years. Disney bankrolled Harvey Weinstein’s Miramax shingle for years. Robert Downey, Jr.’s legal rap sheet has more convictions than Gunn’s zero, but heaven forbid the fire their cash cow star.  Are we going to see revisionist history apologies or retroactive action on those two examples or that dozens of others? Not likely, which is why a studio like this turning over a new leaf is a good and prudent thing for the future, but it is still very damning when the past isn’t handled or at lest addressed.  This all could have been handled better without the caving to political wackos.

LESSON #3: DIRECTORS HAVE EARNED THE POSITION TO BE IN A FIGHTING MOOD— Even before the James Gunn headlines added butthurt political naysayers to the list of public enemies, the recent pushback against toxic fandom was already firing up talented filmmakers.  Before his own pickle, Gunn himself jabbed that hurtful fans of the bullying internet variety need to “go to therapy.”  Zack Snyder, and even Michael Bay, have never been shy about standing by their work.   Logan and Walk the Line director James Mangold, who recently threw his hat in the Star Wars ring by signing on to helm a Boba Fett standalone film, berated the buzz in a tweet that connecting the calls for blasphemy and emotional overload to the studios hiring “hacks” instead of bolder minds.  The same landscape not-so-jokingly “cured” Mission: Impossible series director Christopher McQuarrie from ever wanting to direct a Star Wars film.  In my eyes, these examples are not being thin-skinned against criticism.  These kinds of statements of strong words against the paying customers are rooted in demanding and respecting artistic integrity, something the selfish sect of moviegoers don’t properly understand.  I, for one, support the hell out of these public displays of spine.  I wish more did the same.

LESSON #4: GET OFF YOUR BUTT AND DO SOMETHING ACTIVE— This lesson is a combination of positive and negative recent examples surrounding the summer movie season.  The core message is to get out and have a physical outlet away from fantasy and escapism.  On one hand, the “get a life” and “go to therapy” clapbacks to the toxic fanboys is an indirect call to them to have something else fulfilling in life other than movies and entertainment.  Excellent counterexamples have appeared this summer at the movies between Tag and Uncle Drew and the idea of “play.” My Chicago colleague and Consequence of Sound film critic Clint Worthington richly outlined this psychology in highly recommended little editorial read published on Crooked Marquee.  I love the underlying messages from Clint’s article and the movie examples.  Put down the screens.  Get off the couch.  Get out of the movie theater air conditioning.  Go outside.  Get together with friends in person instead of virtually and have interpersonal activity and collaborative fun.  Simply put, go play.  It’s summer.  Get some exercise and get better juices flowing than those that come from sitting down and watching some thing you’ve seen a hundred times.

LESSON #5: THE DEAL IS DONE— The two largest official steps of have cleared in the deal of the century.  Shareholders of both 21st Century Fox and the Walt Disney Company approved the $71.3 billion takeover deal on Friday morning.  That follows the approval from the U.S. Department of Justice.  No more red tape exists, only transitional preparations.  Folks, the reality is official real.  It’s officially OK to start all that click-bait fan casting of Fantastic Four, X-Men, and more.  Deeply suspicious campfire rumors are bubbling up that substantial fix-up work may already be necessary on the two upcoming Fox/Marvel films The New Mutants and X-Men: Dark Phoenix. Uh oh.  We knew speedbumps were possible.  Hang tight.  It could be worse.  Could you imagine the kind of image and tone cleanup Marvel would have to apply to the DCEU if they bought Warner Bros.?!  Great googa-mooga!

 


DON SHANAHAN is a Chicago-based film critic writing on his website Every Movie Has a Lesson and also on Medium.com where he is one of the 50 “Top Writers” in the Movies category.  As an educator by day, Don writes his movie reviews with life lessons in mind, from the serious to the farcical. He is a proud director and one of the founders of the Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle.  As a contributor here on Feelin’ Film now for over a year, he’s going to expand those lessons to current movie news and trends while chipping in with guest spots and co-hosting duties, including the special “Connecting with Classics” podcast program.  Find “Every Movie Has a Lesson” on Facebook, Twitter, and Medium to follow his work.

Episode 120: Mission: Impossible – Fallout

We’re here to discuss one of our most anticipated films of the year, the newest entry in Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible series. This film is the first to serve as a direct sequel story-wise to one before it, and also the first to feature a returning director. I know that we both are huge fans of Christopher McQuarrie’s direction in Rogue Nation and couldn’t have been happier that he was coming back. But with all this hype, expectations were high. Did it deliver? Your mission, listeners, should you choose to accept it… is to stick around and find out what we thought, after we briefly chat about the first five films, of course.

What We’ve Been Up To0:01:28

(Both – Mission: Impossible series)

Mission: Impossible – Fallout  Review – 0:17:27 

The Connecting Point – 1:17:08


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MOVIE REVIEW: Mission: Impossible – Fallout

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT (2018)

2 Hours and 27 Minutes (R)

Villain Solomon Lane tells Ethan Hunt that the end he’s feared is coming and describes it as “the fallout of all [his] good intentions”. That statement could also apply to Mission: Impossible – Fallout and it’s director, the first ever to return for a second go-around in the series, Christopher McQuarrie. With this direct follow-on to the story events in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, McQuarrie’s aim is clear: he is going for a home run of an action flick while attempting to marry the best parts of the series into a cohesive whole. But you know what they say about good intentions…

The impossible mission that Ethan Hunt (the ageless wizard Tom Cruise) and his crew face now is one of the more straight forward in the series. It revolves mostly around retrieving stolen plutonium to prevent terrorists from launching nuclear attacks. This is not a ground-breaking story concept by any means, but McQuarrie structures the plot in such a way that there are still plenty of smaller motivations in play along the journey while always keeping the “ticking clock” in mind. And, of course, we’re dealing with spies here so this wouldn’t be Mission: Impossible without a double-cross (or two, or three, or… you get the point). One of the biggest strengths of the film is the way in which the story borrows elements from multiple films in the series and weaves them together successfully without making the result feel recycled. There is a through-line of a very personal nature reminiscent of Mission: Impossible III, there is the aforementioned “save the entire world from destruction” big stakes, and there are some wonderfully developed team dynamics that get focused on as well. There are also quite a few callbacks to specific scenes from past movies. Though it remains interesting throughout, the one big knock on the story is how telegraphed it is. If you’ve seen a trailer for the film, you already know how this is going to go and there aren’t many surprises in store for you. Even if you managed to stay trailer free, a very early reveal robs the film of what could have been much more impactful events later on. There are also some workings of the plot that create extremely high senses of danger and emotion in the audience only to later expose that there was no reason to have those emotions in the first place.

Where McQuarrie’s good intentions do manifest into something utterly brilliant is every single one of the film’s action sequences. The film moves fast from one terrific adrenaline-pumping set piece to the next in the best of ways. Whether it’s the early on HALO jump (my personal favorite that had me holding my breath) or the hand-to-hand combat inside of a club bathroom or a motorcycle chase in heavy traffic or the well-documented insanity of Tom Cruise actually climbing onto a helicopter mid-air and then piloting it in a dogfight, the audience is left breathless and physically reeling from the practical effects and stunt work on display. Not to go unmentioned, because it’s a major contributor to these pieces, is the wonderful sound design and use of the score. At times symphonic, at others completely absent, and often just incredibly powerful pops of a bullet or punches of a fist or revs of an engine, the sound in this film greatly enhances the overall experience.

Another aspect of the series that is less frequently mentioned is its humor, and Fallout may just be the best at this. Some of the most hilarious lines come from Hunt’s team of Benji (Simon Pegg), Luther (Ving Rhames), and Director Hundley (Alec Baldwin). But the film’s most interesting relationship, between Agent Walker (Henry Cavill) and Hunt, provides plenty of laughs also, as the two spies spend the majority of their time on screen together in a battle of who has the most testosterone. The results frequently evoke a light-hearted chuckle at just the right moment to provide a brief respite from the film’s intensely driven plot. Last but not least, fan favorite British spy Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) returns and despite seeming less important while being in more scenes, manages to ground the team in a few key emotional moments that would otherwise not have been possible.

VERDICT

Mission: Impossible – Fallout jumped out of the gate to critic claims of being the next action masterpiece. While it does excel in this area, and is certainly one of the decade’s best, technical achievement is not the only aspect of a great film. Fallout’s story is good, but not without hiccups. It’s unfortunate telegraphing of surprises holds it back from being truly special, though it has some tender emotional moments that help offset that small critique. Regardless, the film is a 2.5-hour high octane ride with a master of propulsive action and this generation’s biggest star, resulting in yet another fantastic entry into possibly the best spy film series of all-time. Don’t walk, run like Tom Cruise to the nearest theater and experience this summer’s best blockbuster in the loudest theater with the biggest screen you can.

Rating:


Aaron White is a Seattle-based film critic and co-creator/co-host of the Feelin’ Film Podcast. He is also a member of the Seattle Film Critics Society. He writes reviews with a focus on the emotional experience he has with a film. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter to be notified when new content is posted.