MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT (2018) – My rating 8.5/10

Mission: Impossible – Fallout is an action spy film written, produced and directed by Christopher McQuarrie. It is the sixth installment in the Mission: Impossible film series, and the second film to be directed by McQuarrie, after Rogue Nation (2015), making him the first person to direct more than one film in the franchise.  Since there have been 5 Mission: Impossible films, I couldn’t wait to see if the 6th sequel could possibly be any good.  Surprise, surprise, many critics hailed it as the best installment in the series, with some considering it one of the greatest action films of all time.

Mission: Impossible – Fallout starts two years after the capture of Solomon Lane, an anarchist mastermind who was the leader of “The Syndicate” during Rogue Nation.  The remains of Lane’s organization “The Syndicate” have reformed into a terrorist group known as “The Apostles”.  While in Belfast, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is given a mission to intercept three stolen plutonium cores before the Apostles can sell them to a fundamentalist named John Lark. He joins Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) and Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) for the mission, but they fail when Ethan chooses to save Luther’s life and the plutonium is taken by the Apostles in Berlin. The team capture and interrogate nuclear weapons expert Nils Debruuk (Kristoffer Joner) and learn that he built three portable nuclear weapons for the Apostles.

CIA Director Erica Sloane (Angela Bassett) instructs Special Activities Division operative August Walker (Henry Cavill) to shadow/monitor Ethan and his team as they attempt to retrieve the plutonium, after their failed mission in Berlin. Together, Ethan and Walker infiltrate a fundraiser party in Paris where Lark is believed to be buying the cores from an arms dealer known as The White Widow (Vanessa Kirby). They track a man whom they suspect to be Lark but he is killed when Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) intervenes. Ethan impersonates Lark and meets the White Widow. He warns her that agents of the Apostles have been sent to kill her and the two evade their pursuers. .

This basically describes the introduction into “The Fallout”.  The plot thickens and gets much more intense from this point.  The action is exciting and some of the stunts are unbelievable.  This movie is brilliantly acted and executed.  From Ethan to the White Widow to Alan Hunley’s surprise involvement, you will enjoy every minute of this mission, which seems to really be impossible.  There is so much more to see and so much more to enjoy.  Tom Cruise is proving, age is just a number, for some!  Check it out, you won’t be sorry.

 

THE GREATEST SHOWMAN (2017) – My rating: 8.5/10

The Greatest Showman is a musical drama directed by Michael Gracey in his directorial debut and written by Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon. The film is inspired by the story of P. T. Barnum’s creation of the Barnum & Bailey Circus and the lives of its star attractions.  The greatest showman is an important addition to the film industry as well as to audiences of all walks of life, as it depicts the life and horrors of the first and most popular circus in the world, at that time, which is now gone forever.

P. T. Barnum (Hugh Jackman) and his troupe perform a show at the circus (“The Greatest Show”). As the song continues, the background turns to black, with Barnum singing alone, leading to a flashback to Barnum’s childhood where he and his father Philo (Will Swenson), a tailor, work for the Hallett family, and he becomes infatuated with their daughter, Charity Hallett Barnum (Michelle Williams). Though Charity is being sent to finishing school, Barnum reassures her they will not be separated. The two keep in touch through letters until they meet again in adulthood (“A Million Dreams”), eventually marrying and raising two daughters, Caroline (Austyn Johnson) and Helen (Cameron Seely), in New York City (“A Million Dreams” reprise). They live a humble life; though Charity is happy, Barnum dreams of more.

Barnum loses his job as a clerk at a shipping company after the company goes bankrupt. Taking a risky bet, he takes out a large loan from a bank, deceiving the bank into accepting his former employer’s lost ships as collateral. He uses this loan to buy Barnum’s American Museum in downtown Manhattan, an attraction showcasing various wax models. Initially, sales are slow; on the suggestion of his children to showcase something “alive”, Barnum searches for “freaks” to serve as performers for his museum (“Come Alive”). This attracts a large audience despite protests and poor reviews, prompting Barnum to rename his venture “Barnum’s Circus”.

Searching for ways to further his reputation amongst the upper class, Barnum meets playwright Phillip Carlyle (Zac Efron) and convinces him to join his venture (“The Other Side”). Carlyle is enchanted with Anne Wheeler (Zendaya), an African-American trapeze artist, but he hides his feelings. During a trip Carlyle arranged for Barnum and his troupe to meet Queen Victoria (Gayle Rankin), Barnum meets Jenny Lind (Rebecca Ferguson), a famed Swedish singer, whom he convinces to perform in America, with him serving as her manager. Lind’s first American performance is a rousing success (“Never Enough”). While Barnum gains favor with the aristocratic patrons, he begins to distance himself from his original troupe, refusing to socialize with them. Dejected, they decide to stand against their local harassers (“This Is Me”).

Carlyle and Anne Wheeler attend the theater together one night, only to run into Carlyle’s parents, Mr. Carlyle (Byron Jennings) and  Mrs. Carlyle  (Betsy Aidem), who insult Wheeler’s lowly status, causing her to leave. Carlyle chases her and tries to convince her that they can be together, but she rejects him despite her feelings towards him (“Rewrite the Stars”). As Barnum takes Lind on a US tour, Charity feels isolated from her husband as she stays home with their daughters (“Tightrope”). While on tour, Lind begins falling in love with Barnum, but when he refuses her advances, she calls off the tour and kisses him at the end of her last show, which is photographed by the press (“Never Enough” reprise). Barnum returns home to find his circus on fire, caused by a fight between the protesters and the troupe. Carlyle, who had tried to save Anne not knowing she had already escaped, is rescued amid the chaos by Barnum but suffers severe burns. Most of the sets and props are destroyed. Word of Lind’s cancellation and Barnum’s public intimacy also reaches New York, resulting in his mansion being foreclosed upon and Charity taking Caroline and Helen back to her parents’ home.

Depressed, Barnum retreats to a local pub, where his troupe find him there and persuade him to rebuild the circus. Barnum has an epiphany that causes him to realize the circus was for his friends and family rather than for himself (“From Now On”). Meanwhile, the injured Carlyle wakes in a hospital with Wheeler by his side as they share a kiss.

The story get better and better when Barnum moves forward with a plan to save all — along with his friends and family, they work on creating The Greatest Show.  I found the remainder of this film touching and inspiring. The music was fantastic, the acting brilliant and the story worth every second of my time watching.  Hugh Jackman is a true inspiration and a very talented performer.  The Greatest Showman did not get it’s fair due, as I felt it should have been nominated for best picture, best actor and best director as well as best song.  I love this movie and highly recommend it to all.

[The Best Showman is Oscar nominated for Best Original Song, “This Is Me”.]

 

LIFE (2017) – My rating: 8/10

An intense look at what can happen when meddlesome humans explore other worlds when their own world is far from perfected. I don’t mean to say we shouldn’t go where no man has gone before, I’m just saying beware of the consequences.  “Life” is an example of what can happen when you don’t know what you don’t know, when you don’t know!

A  six-member crew returning from Mars with a soil sample is tasked with studying the sample, which could prove to be the first evidence of extraterrestrial life. After extracting a single cell from the sample, British biologist Hugh Derry, an expert in exobiology is able to revive the dormant organism with atmospheric adjustments and glucose. It quickly grows into a multi-celled organism and reacts to stimuli. The crew discovers that each cell in the organism is a myocyte, neuron and photo-receptor, all at the same time. The Quarantine Officer Dr. Miranda North remarks that the organism is “…all muscle, all brain and all eye.” That should have been their first clue to abandon their research or leave it back on Mars but instead Dr. Derry tried to develop a relationship with Calvin (as it was named backed on Earth).  When Calvin appeared dormant, the doctor reached in the incubator where Calvin resided and gave it a mild stimuli which revived it but not before Calvin grabbed the doctor’s hand and crushed it.

From this point, “game on” — the crew started fighting for their lives.  Calvin grew bigger and smarter.  Life is a Science Fiction/Horror film with lots of intense scenes.

The six member International crew consist of:
Dr. David Jordan (Jake Gyllenhaal), an American Senior Medical Officer

Dr. Miranda North (Rebecca Ferguson), a British Quarantine Officer

Rory “Roy” Adams (Ryan Reynolds), an American Pilot of the International Space Station

Sho Murakami (Hiroyuki Sanada), a Japanese System Engineer

Dr. Hugh Derry (Ariyon Bakare), a British Biologist

Katerina Golovkina (Olga Dihovichnaya), a Russian, Commander of the International Space Station Crew

Life is a well acted, well written movie with a huge twist for it’s ending.  Personally, I thought Life was very good — my jury is still out on the ending.  You’ll have to decide for yourself.  I’m leaning toward the downside of the hill.

 

THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN (2016) – My rating: 7/10

The trailers really did serve their purpose marketing The Girl on the Train. I didn’t know whether to expect a sexy, psychotic women out of control or a female peeping tom with an obsession. The Girl on the Train wasn’t a big hit with movie fans (only achieving 6.7 on IMBD). Some people told me the movie was too predictable. I, on the other hand, felt The Girl on the Train was pretty good. I like to think of myself as above average figuring out who done it. While I briefly suspected who the guilty party was, I dismissed my resolve because I couldn’t completely make it stick. The Girl on the Train, Rachael Watson (Emily Blunt) turns out to be an alcoholic who divorced her husband, Tom Watson (Justin Theroux), after catching him cheating on her with their real estate agent, Anna Boyd (Rebecca Ferguson). The train Rachael rides appears to be the Metro North running through White Plains.

Rachel grows a fascination with Tom’s neighbors, a young couple, Scott (Luke Evans) and Megan Hipwell (Haley Bennett), who she believes has a perfect marriage. Having seen the couple engaged in the throws of passion, which could clearly be seen from where she sits on the train, helped her come to this conclusion. In reality, Scott is aggressive and controlling, while Megan is detached and unfaithful for which she is seeking help from her psychiatrist, Dr. Kamal Abdic (Édgar Ramírez).  As the story progresses, we began to learn Rachael’s story. We learn she has a self esteem problem in addition to her psychotic behavior and shares an apartment with her friend Cathy (Laura Prepon). We also learn she often stalks her former husband, Tom along with his new wife, Anna and their newborn daughter Evie.

I will not tell any more about this story because it’s too easy to give away the bottom line. I have given enough spoilers away. The Girl on the Train, in my opinion, is a descent movie with a tad too many twists and turns. The ending was acted out a little like a horror movie when the audience yells for the trauma victim to do something other than stand there.  I still thought it was entertaining and not as unworthy as some others I’ve seen.

 

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – ROGUE NATION (2015) – My rating: 8.5/10

Tom Cruse continues to show the world that he is able to frolic through a physical production like a young buck (who, BTW, just turned 53) with no problems.  He was injured 6 times in the making of MI, but all is well and MI – Rogue Nation is a big hit.  Still electing to do his own stunts, Tom has signed up to do a sixth sequel, to start filming in 2016.

Rogue Nation stars Rebecca Ferguson as Ilsa Faust (known for Starz’s series The White Queen).  Rebecca displayed some pretty fancy moves and was an added delight to the cast.  In this sequel, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruse) must prove that an international criminal consortium known as the Syndicate exist against their organization (IMF).  CIA director, Alan Hunley (Alec Baldwin) thinks Ethan’s Syndicate theory is just that, a theory, so he dismantles IMF, dissolving them into the CIA and goes after Hunt causing him to go rogue.  Hunt is captured by the Syndicate but gets away to start his journey to prove their existence.  The Syndicate is headed up by Solomon Lane (Sean Harris) who will stop at nothing to discredit IMF and get what he needs to keep the Syndicate well financed and undercover.  The Syndicate employes various skilled and dangerous villains like Janik “Bone Doctor” Vinter (Jens Hultén).  Their skill level and intelligence is tantamount to IMF.    There are many, many twist and turns, car and motorcycle chases, hidden agendas, special effects and thrill soaked scenes.  There’s some corny and humorous scenes and some very intense scenes as well as some totally unbelievable scenes.  The entire IMF gang was there, William Brandt (Jeremy Renner), Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) and Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames).  I thought Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation was very entertaining, well acted and had a pretty descent plot.  Can’t wait for the next sequel.  Check it out!