MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: Dead Reckoning Part One

 

           

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to theatres from writer/director Christopher McQuarrie and Paramount Pictures is the return of action, the IMF team and MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: Dead Reckoning Part One.

The Sevastopol submarine takes its voyage and on board is a new capability that would allow it to have stealth capabilities. When an accident happens to the sub, governments go into high gear. Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) receives a package and instructions (if he accepts) to find a key. Not given any information about it, he tracks down Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) in the Namib desert.

That leads Ethan to deal with Eugene Kittridge (Henry Czerny) to learn of an artificial intelligence called the Entity. Now it is out of control finding its way into military systems and getting any information that it wants. All the countries with military powers race to try and save what they can knowing they can only get that control with the key which is in two parts.

Ethan recruits Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) and Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) back into the fold. Believing they know who has half of the key, the trickery begins at the Abu Dhabi Airport. What they don’t count on is two things, one – Jasper Briggs (Shea Whigham) who, along with Degas (Greg Davis), is determined to capture Hunt. The second is slick pick pocket Grace (Hayley Atwell) who is just as quick at Hunt and grabs the key.

Hunt is on the road again to the streets of Rome and after trying to retrieve the key from Grace, he must also deal with Alanna Mitsopolis (Vanessa Kirby) as she knows the all the information about the key and the deadly Paris (Pom Klementieff). There is a third party to the chase along with Alanna that Hunt remembers well, Gabriel (Esai Morales) sees himself as the dark angel and a mission far darker than Hunt can imagine.

Now on a train, everyone has gathered to get the key and kill anyone who tries to stop them. Hunt and Grace work together to bring down those who would put the two pieces together bringing more power to the Entity.

The mission is far from over.

Cruise reprises his role as Ethan Hunt and he makes it seamless. The last MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: Fallout came into theatres in 2018 and five years later it feels as if no time has passed. As Hunt, Cruise gives us everything in the way of action, suspense, mystery, intrigue and more car chases than the law allows. If this is his last time in the role of Ethan Hunt, he certainly is making sure that we all enjoy the ride.

Atwell as Grace ran my nerves into the ground. Lucky I wasn’t Ethan Hunt because she wouldn’t have made it out of the airport. As good as Hunt is with his disguises is how good Grace is at pick pocketing. Given the choice of things, she joins in to retrieve the two pieces of the key and learns that being part of the IMF means living moment to moment. Atwell got her chance to be a part of the action and did it well.

Morales as Gabriel just gave me the skeevies and that is the point. You see Gabriel coming you might want to run the other way, but then again catching people seems to be a past time for him. There is a history between he and Hunt and it is about to get nasty. It is so good to see Morales in such a viciously delicious role. Czerny as Kittridge has always worked my last nerve and its good to see he doesn’t disappoint thing time either. Kittridge has his game to play and he doesn’t care who goes down to win.

Kirby as Mitsopolis is sly, dangerous and will play whatever side helps her win. The key holds power and she wants ever bit of it. Kirby is very cool and collected, even when things are a bit, shall we say, woozy. Klementieff as Paris is a psycho behind the wheel, she has a penchant for destruction and is extremely good at it. After playing the sweet and gentle role of Mantis, watching the chains come off as Paris is so much fun to watch.

Pegg as Dunn and Rhames as Stickell are the two men that Hunt can absolutely count on. This time around they seem a bit rusty but that doesn’t stop them from doing everything possible to find the keys. They totally understand what is at stake but, I have to admit, they do bring a bit of the comedy relief to the film. Nothing wrong with breaks in the tension and both of these actors did just that but hold on when they are serious!

Whigham as Briggs is determined to be the one to capture Ethan Hunt and will go anywhere and do anything to get him. Davis as Degas goes along but wonders if maybe they are chasing the wrong man. Ferguson as Faust makes a return and understands that the mission is more complex than they all realize.

Shout out to Elwes as Denlinger, his character is puffed up and thinks he is in control of things. Those are the guys I wouldn’t want to hang around with because the target is huge on their backs. He is always going to be one of my favorites on the screen.

Other cast include Frederick Schmidt as Zola, Charles Parnell as NRO, Mark Gatiss as NSA, Indira Varma as DIA, Rob Delaney as JSOC, and Mariela Garriga as Marie.

Paramount Pictures is the longest operating and remaining major studio in Hollywood that has been on the ground floor of every major development in film. From the advent of motion pictures to the emergence of television, through the digital revolution, Paramount Pictures has been there. During our 100-year history, we have served as the production site for thousands of notable movies and television shows. For more please visit www.paramountstudios.com.

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: Dead Reckoning Part One is going to be the hit of the summer. It seems Cruise is going for two for two as last summer the box office was filled with TOP GUN: Maverick. Being raised on the original television series of Mission Impossible, I’m think the films have done an excellent job of capturing the essence of that show. This time, it is an all-out feast of action for fans.

Every gadget imaginable, characters that are going to test every moment Hunt is on the mission. Thrills with cars, trains and everything in between are going to show how two hours and forty-three minutes can fly by! Cruise and the gang do not skimp on excitement to the point of feeling the tension from start to finish.

The story continues with Part Two and if Cruise is looking to take another summer on, then we are in for a summer treat in 2024. Get the gang together, get the biggest tub of popcorn you can because there isn’t a moment to be missed of MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: Dead Reckoning.

In the end – the mission is far from impossible!

TOP GUN MAVERICK

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to theatres this Friday from director Joseph Kosinski and Paramount Pictures is a return to the sky with TOP GUN MAVERICK.

Captain Peter “Maverick” Mitchell is still flying after all these years and this time testing a craft much to the dismay of his superiors. Surprise, right? Instead of trouble, he is surprised to learn that Admiral Tom “Iceman” Kazansky (Val Kilmer) has requested that he return to where it all began – Top Gun.

But that is not the only surprise as Maverick looks at the list of pilots he will be training for a special mission and sees a name he knows. As part of the mission, Lt. Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Miles Teller) will be one of his trainees. This elite group needs to be trained to do one of the most dangerous jobs that requires the destruction of a uranium facility while being surrounded by missiles.

Returning to a place that holds painful memories, the local watering hold still remains, and he reunites with former love interest Penny Benjamin (Jennifer Connelly) who now owns the business and is raising teen daughter Amelia (Lyliana Wray). Now its time to meet the trainees with “Rooster”, Lt. “Hangman” Seresin (Glen Powell), Lt. “Bob” Floyd (Lewis Pullman), Lt. “Phoenix” Trace (Monica Barbaro), Lt. “Payback” Fitch (Jay Ellis), Lt. “Fanboy” Garcia (Danny Ramirez), and Lt. “Coyote” Machado (Greg Davis).

There is instant tension between Maverick and Rooster as a past history could derail the training. Yet, Maverick takes to the air and lets his trainees know that they have met their cocky match! Their confidence is taken down several pegs when they realize that the legendary dogfighting Maverick lives up to his name.

Rooster is not the only one still living with past pain, Maverick turns to Penny when trying to find a way to reach the young pilot who reminds him so much of “Goose”. Trying the old ways, the teacher slowly reaches each one of the pilots discovering their strengths and weaknesses. Knowing that, the group turns into a well-oiled machine. Meeting with “Iceman”, Maverick receives the final boost he needs to make this mission work.

Now, there is no more time and no more excuses as the mission needs to happen quickly, accurately and with bravery. As they lock on to their target, Maverick and his pilots are met with enemy squadrons, and they have the Top Gun pilots in their sites. It is time to put away memories and issues because they are in enemy territory, and it is time to get the job done!

Cruise as Maverick returns a slightly aged and unrepentant pilot who has not changed in the way he handles things, ergo still being a Captain. After butting heads with his superiors, he returns to the place that has both good and bad memories – Top Gun. Cruise flies into his Maverick flight suit with precision and ease as if 1986 were only yesterday. He still carries swag and posturing on the outside with memories of mistakes and regret on the inside.

Teller as Rooster has is own swag and posturing but the added bonus of loathing for his new Captain. The story of his past unravels slowly but one thing is clear, the past can not stay there forever as Maverick and Rooster have to deal with their issues if the mission and their relationship is to work. Teller does his role justice and that had to be difficult following in the footsteps of another to closely tied to the 1986 storyline.

Connelly as Penny brings a new but not so new element to the story as the past interest of Pete Mitchell. Having this story play out in the iconic watering hole of the original film helps, and letting their story unravel plays into Maverick’s insecurities but Penny is not a heart broken woman pining for a long lost pilot – instead, she is a strong woman raising a teenager and owning a business. I liked that about Connelly’s role here giving off an air of ‘I can take it or leave it’ when it came to any relationship.

Powell as Hangman gets to be a bit icy (see what I did there?) and shows the Top Gun pilot cockiness that is not going to serve him well, especially considering who he is up against. It is fun to watch his character go through the ropes as all of them must grow up if they are to survive the mission.

Shout out to Ed Harris, who I adore, and Jon Hamm for their part to play in knowing that Maverick just does not follow the rules exactly but damn is he good at what he does!

Now, can we talk about Val Kilmer? What an amazing, touching and well-deserved moment on the screen between Maverick and Ice Man. It was needed and had there not been such a time between these two characters, I might have had something different to say about the film. Tissue moment? Absolutely.

Other cast includes Manny Jacinto as Fritz, Jack Schumacher as Omaha, Bashir Salahuddin as “Hondo” Coleman, Jake Picking Lt. “Harvard” Lennox, Jean Kelly as Sarah Kazansky, Raymond Lee as Lt. “Yale” Lee, Charles Parnell as Rear Admiral “Warlock” Bates, Jon Hamm as Vice Admiral Simpson and Ed Harris as Rear Admiral “Hammer” Cain.

Paramount Pictures is the longest operating and remaining major studio in Hollywood that has been on the ground floor of every major development in film. From the advent of motion pictures to the emergence of television, through the digital revolution, Paramount Pictures has been there. During our 100-year history, we have served as the production site for thousands of notable movies and television shows. For more please visit www.paramountstudios.com.

TOP GUN MAVERICK was not a film I was terribly sure about and let me tell you why. I enjoyed the 80’s and TOP GUN was a part of that, then time has its way with us all. So, when the idea was floated out some time ago, my interest was not really peaked. At that time, I could take it or leave it. Then the pandemic arrived and the movie going experience went into the void.

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of seeing the film with no expectations. I sat back and as the film began, I was hit immediately with a recognizable song that made me smile and maybe even mouth the words a little bit. Then, right into Maverick doing what Maverick does – finding a way around the establishment to get a job done.

Returning to Top Gun is a return for everyone who was ever in the theatre in 1986 because of one fact that I still believe about TOP GUN MAVERICK – they did not try to reinvent the wheel. Story by Peter Craig and Justin Marks and written into the screenplay by Ehren Kruger, Eric Singer and Christopher McQuarrie, the film’s success is in the fact that these five people kept it simple, fast and nostalgic.

The issues are ready to be resolved on some level, the jets are fast and loud, the characters are as we remember, and an even hand was kept on the flashbacks. Cruise took a cinematic step having close-up cockpit takes during the flight sequences that almost made me a little nauseous, but damn is it very cool.

With the holiday weekend coming up, TOP GUN MAVERICK is going to fill seats because of the action and nostalgia. For those of us in San Diego, well, living in American’s Finest City, we get to brag that the real Fighter Town U.S.A. is right in our own back yard!

In the end  –  it is full throttle as our breath is again taken away!

THE MUMMY Needs to Stay Wrapped

Jeri Jacquin with Vince Munn

Coming this week from director Alex Kurtzman and Universal Pictures is the rise of evil with THE MUMMY.

Nick Morton (Tom Cruise) is in the middle of the desert with sidekick Chris (Jake Johnson) looking for antiquities. With the help of Col. Greenway (Courtney B. Vance) and a well place bomb that has unearthed something huge, Jenny Halsey (Annabelle Wallis) sweeps in to take over.

Down in a cavern they find signs of an Egyptian tomb with something evil that is being protected. Nick jumps right in and with one bullet a sarcophagus rises out of a pit of mercury and the mummy of Princess Ahmanet (Sofia Boutella) resides inside.

Taking the find to London, Jenny knows only one person who knows what to do. Dr. Jekyll (Russell Crowe) is a collector of all things malevolent. The princess has other plans when the plan carrying them all comes down mysteriously.

Discovering that the dark force is looking for a knife with a special stone, Jenny and Nick (with the help of a weirdly decomposing Chris) must stop the princess from completing a ritual that started hundreds of years ago.

Unfortunately Nick is part of that ritual that changes everything that is to come!

Jeri Jacquin: So, I once again invited my friend Vince to weigh in on THE MUMMY. I do so because although I started out giving the film a chance not wanting to be grouchy, I once again should have trusted my initial instincts. Am I right Vince?

Vince Munn: Sadly, while the film starts with great promise, it trips over the bandages of its title character on their way to the conclusion. Universal is following in the footsteps of Disney and Warner Bros, making a connected universe of characters that they own.

JJ: So for readers who don’t like spoilers and I try not to do it normally, I feel I have to on this one. Seriously? Egypt, Iraq, the Templar’s and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? Are you kidding me? Now you know I became totally disconnected when the last was brought into this film – none of these things are connected and I checked out of the film.

VM: Unfortunately the characters they are using really seem to have no reason to share a connected universe. Taking the classic Universal Monsters by bringing them in to the modern world and connecting them with a secret society of scientists and monster hunters is a ridiculous idea.

JJ: If this is how the studios see the “Dark Universe” then we have a problem going forward. This was supposed to be an intro into the concept and it is totally a hot mess. I don’t care if you put Tom Cruise in the lead, and he doesn’t do a horrible job, it’s just a horrible script.

VM: Tom Cruise is getting older. Mission Impossible aside, he doesn’t need to be doing this film. I am just glad that for now it’s not the Van Helsing reboot we were threatened with. The rest of the cast (Annabelle Wallis, Jake Johnson, Sofia Boutella, and Russell Crowe) do a serviceable if not forgettable job.

JJ: Don’t put evil in the air talking about a Van Helsing reboot! I think Crowe as Jekyll/Hyde is not right for this role at all. I can’t even imagine what they were thinking. Then again I didn’t care one wit for the character and actually tried to finish the film not thinking about him again.

VM: Had he been cast as anyone else aside from Dr Jekyll I would be more at ease. He comes off too thuggish and tough as tough Hyde is the dominant mind much like Bud White in LA Confidential.

JJ: What I came away with after the torture of watching THE MUMMY is that Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz are safe in my heart and mind of being the coolest version of THE MUMMY. The time period is fantastic and I immediately care about the characters and feel like I’m on a fun trip with tons of craziness. Going home to my DVD of the 1999 THE MUMMY, Rick and Evie made it all better.

VM: Had this been set in the same period as the 1999 reboot, this would be a better film. If you want good popcorn fodder and escapism at its minimum, this is one for you.

JJ: Well, go to http://www.darkuniverse.com and see what the Dark Universe is. Notice there is nothing modern in this piece and yet watching every piece of this clip is just fantastic. It can not be duplicated and I wish they would stop trying. I’d rather see these films once again in theatres than any ridiculous remake, reimaging, rethinking or retelling (all words for ‘hey, lets waste millions on nothing’).

VM: I wanted more and am now nervous about what is to come in this Dark Universe.

That last statement says it all! Nervousness is being kind as I truly don’t think those in charge of creating this Dark Universe know what they are doing. Fans love their Gods & Monsters but when you mash them up and change their look – you’ve slapped fans in the face. THE MUMMY may be spectacular with its special effects and double-iris evil but it is not enough – at least not for me.

I want story, I want to care about the characters enough to cheer for them and throwing a gold book for 2.5 seconds on a library floor expecting me to be happy just don’t do it. Thanks Vince for sharing popcorn with me on this one!

In the end – ancient evil returns without Rick and Evie to save us all!