Merry Birthday Happy Christmas 2024 - Movies (Nov 23rd)
Memoir of a Snail 2024 - Movies (Nov 23rd)
A Christmas Less Traveled 2024 - Movies (Nov 23rd)
Thelma 2024 - Movies (Nov 23rd)
Gladiator II 2024 - Movies (Nov 23rd)
Control 2023 - Movies (Nov 23rd)
OVERLORD The Sacred Kingdom 2024 - Movies (Nov 23rd)
A Quiet Place Day One 2024 - Movies (Oct 2nd)
Cabrini 2024 - Movies (Oct 2nd)
I Used to Be Funny 2023 - Movies (Nov 23rd)
The Story of PlayStation 2023 - Movies (Nov 22nd)
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED FREEDOM 2024 - Movies (Nov 22nd)
Summer Rain 2024 - Movies (Nov 22nd)
Love Kills 2024 - Movies (Nov 22nd)
The Shade 2023 - Movies (Nov 22nd)
Clint Eastwood Make My Day 2023 - Movies (Nov 22nd)
Beyonce Limited Edition 2023 - Movies (Nov 22nd)
Out of My Mind 2024 - Movies (Nov 22nd)
Joy 2024 - Movies (Nov 22nd)
The Piano Lesson 2024 - Movies (Nov 22nd)
Spellbound 2024 - Movies (Nov 22nd)
Im a Celebrity... Unpacked - (Nov 23rd)
Later... with Jools Holland - (Nov 23rd)
Fisk - (Nov 23rd)
Legends of Comedy with Lenny Henry - (Nov 23rd)
Tuttle Twins - (Nov 23rd)
Alex Witt Reports - (Nov 23rd)
Alan Carrs Picture Slam - (Nov 23rd)
Strictly Come Dancing- It Takes Two - (Nov 23rd)
The UnBelievable with Dan Aykroyd - (Nov 23rd)
John and Lisas Weekend Kitchen - (Nov 23rd)
20 Minutes - (Nov 23rd)
James Martins Saturday Morning - (Nov 23rd)
Lucky - (Nov 23rd)
The Great Indian Kapil Show - (Nov 23rd)
WWE SmackDown - (Nov 23rd)
Football Focus - (Nov 23rd)
Shark Tank - (Nov 23rd)
The Ingraham Angle - (Nov 23rd)
Special Report with Bret Baier - (Nov 23rd)
Jesse Watters Primetime - (Nov 23rd)
An absolute masterclass in producing an enjoyable action movie. Cinematography was great, the story was paced extremely well, and the casting of ALL roles was absolutely perfect. Cruise, Pegg and Rhames were awesome as always, Whigham and Davis were great additions, but the power quartet of Ferguson, Atwell, Klementieff and Kirby, really went above and beyond in making this movie perfect. Not to mention the chilling confidence of Morales as Gabriel, who practically oozed tangible danger. From the pre-opening credits scene to the final act, you will be on the edge of your seat - especially during any fight scene that involves Ferguson or Klementieff - and whilst there are moments that the tempo slows down to advance the story, it is always completely captivating. The single, solitary, disappointment comes as the credits roll, and you remember you're going to have to wait until next year to see how it ends.
**Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning (Part One) boasts some of cinema's most stunning stunt work, but it came at the cost of character development and a solid story.** Man…. I wish I loved this movie more than I did. Don't get me wrong, it's a solid action movie with jaw-dropping stunts (some of the best in the series), but as a Mission: Impossible movie, it felt like a small step backward for the franchise. Fallout had mind-blowing action sequences and stunt work, along with developing Ethan's relationship with Ilsa, providing closure with Julia, showing the lengths Ethan would go to protect those closest to him, and battling an imposing villain. Dead Reckoning: Part One stretches the movie across two films only to seemingly showcase action spectacle after action spectacle while sacrificing character development. Characters I have grown to love over a decade of films felt sidelined, ignored, or wasted. Hayley Atwell's new character chewed up most of the screen time, and while she was fantastic, I wanted to see more of the original team. The new villain had an inconsistent ability that confused more than intimidated. There were some important emotional moments that I just didn't feel the weight of when I definitely should have. Part Two might tie everything together and make me enjoy Part One more in retrospect, but unfortunately, I left wanting more from this one.
FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://www.firstshowing.net/2023/review-mi-dead-reckoning-part-one-is-a-summer-blockbuster-in-its-purest-form/ "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One delivers precisely what it set out to do: stunningly frenetic, relentless on-location action with adrenaline-charged energy levels. A 163-minute runtime rarely feels this light, thanks to the contributions of the sublime cast – Hayley Atwell is outstanding – and the truly memorable score that elevates all the otherworldly set pieces. It has the "problem" of being the first of two parts, with some unnatural, repetitive exposition scenes that get in the way of its progress, in addition to a somewhat generic, ambiguous narrative around A.I. Nevertheless, it's a summer blockbuster in its purest form, as you'd expect from the icon Tom Cruise, to whom we owe our allegiance." Rating: A-
In the interest of full disclosure, I’m often somewhat skeptical about films that include the word “part” in their titles; I frequently feel that such offerings have difficulty standing on their own, unable to complete their stories in a single vehicle. So, admittedly, that consideration was on my mind as I screened the first half of the final installment in this long-running action-adventure franchise. To its credit, director Christopher McQuarrie’s latest has a lot going for it – an intriguing plot with a strong cautionary tale message for us about the potential dangers of AI, an array of superbly staged action sequences, the welcome addition of some much-needed comic relief (something this series has often lacked) and a fine cast of supporting performers (especially the expanded role of Vanessa Kirby, who was woefully underused in the franchise’s previous release). However, with that said, there are some elements that could use improvement. For starters, the picture is simply too long; with a runtime of 2:43:00 (and this is just the first half of the story!), the film is definitely bloated and could stand some judicious editing, especially in the action sequences, several of which begin to try one’s patience after a while. Then there are certain aspects of the narrative that are predictable, formulaic, and, at times, implausible (particularly in the picture’s overlong final act train adventure sequence), qualities that are not as apparent (or at least better hidden) in previous outings. Finally, there are the underwhelming performances of the IMF crew (Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames). The leader of the pack (Cruise) comes across more like someone whose presence is designed largely to carry the plot rather than serve as a genuine, actively engaged protagonist, and his two colleagues are underused, seemingly playing sidekick roles rather than participating as key characters (unlike previous installments in the series). All told, this is by no means a bad picture, but it could have been better, especially with it being the series finale. It makes me wonder if the full story of “Dead Reckoning” might have been better executed in a single, slightly longer offering than as two separate feature-length releases. That might have solved the issues noted above, and it may have eliminated that nagging “part” problem I wrote about, allowing the picture to stand on its own two feet as a single vehicle. We’ll have to wait another year to see how it all plays out, but I can’t exactly say I’m holding my breath about it.
I'm not really a great fan of Tom Cruise. Yes, he does his own stunts and is as fit as a fiddle, but as an actor - well don't let's have too many scenes that require him to actually put his heart and soul into them. Luckily, there are only a few such scenes here as the rest of this is an enjoyable, quickly paced, continuation of the MI strand with this time, an elusive antagonist that reminded me a little of the "Forbin Project" (1970). The military have created the perfect intelligence that is locked into the sonar dome of a state-of-the-art Russian submarine. Seems though, that this dome isn't that impregnable and when a cleverly manipulated catastrophe hits the sub, it soon becomes clear that this gadget has, and is rapidly honing, a mind of it's own. The only way to stop it is to obtain the two conjoining parts of a cruciform key - and then discover the location of the sunken wreck, if there is to be any hope of thwarting it taking over the world. The story is more the stuff of "007", I thought, but it is a good, solid and well written story - and one that resonates well on a planet where technology and communications are pervasive across all aspects of our lives. Together with Ving Rhames and the (always annoying, sorry) Simon Pegg it falls to "Ethan" (Cruise) to ally with his deadly pal "Ilsa" (Rebecca Ferguson) and the nimble-fingered "Grace" (Hayley Atwell) to stop the key from falling into the hands of the enigmatic "Gabriel" (Esai Morales). End-to-end action; trains, planes and automobiles, parachutes and just like in "Fast X" (2023) poor old Rome comes in for a bit of a pasting - as does Venice and the Orient Express would now present even "Hercule Poirot" with an insurmountable whodunnit challenge. It's entertaining and serves well as a vehicle for the star, setting up the concluding part which, of course, leaves the plot here having to be a little undercooked and a touch predictable. Better than I was expecting and well worth a big screen outing.
Spectacular cinematic action let down by an incoherent story and shallow characterisations. As is almost always the case with the MI franchise, the latest offering dishes up spectacular, highly polished, explosive action. Regrettably it comes at the price of a coherent story and rounded characterisations. The story feels like it was made to accommodate the excess of exposition. Its a jumbled mess of poorly articulated ideas, that is, unsurprisingly, difficult to follow. Its not helped at all by an over abundance of peripheral characters. They simply add to the confused jumble and just as unsurprisingly, are never given the chance to display any depth of characterisation. The results a film I personally found frustrating to watch. It boiled down to a series of action plot devices, including car chases and train wrecks. Certainly, some thought went into these sequences but because there is an absence of a solid story and believable characters, to cement the whole thing together, they don't amount to much, on their own. In short, polished action but for me, lacks the key factors that bind any film together, including a decent story and characterisations. In short, I can't really recommend this one, in spite of being a fan of the franchise.
The Tom Cruise “Mission Impossible” franchise is one of reliable quality and equally dependable “forgettable-ness.” I’ve seen every film, yet my memory is fuzzy when I try to recall what happened in any of them. And while it’s almost a given that “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” will somehow sadly meet a similar fate, it’s still one of the best of the bunch. Not one thing disappointed me about this seventh installment in the series, an exciting and entertaining ride that gets almost everything right. This is an absolutely terrific action movie that overdelivers, and I loved every minute of it. World class field agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) works as a field agent for an elite, top-secret branch of the CIA called the IMF (Impossible Mission Force). His team, including associates Luther (Ving Rhames), Benji (Simon Pegg), and Ilsa (Rebecca Ferguson) have become close friends, and they’re a well-oiled machine when working together. They regroup to embark on a dangerous mission to track down a new weapon that threatens all of humanity. The entire world is at stake, and Ethan must find a device before it falls into the wrong hands while dealing with some dark skeletons of his own past. In order to get the most enjoyment out of the film, it’s best not to read too much about the plot. What works so well about the story is that it has a modern angle, and the motivations of the villains are extremely strong. The stakes are high and there’s a very real danger, which adds to the overall excitement. As one character puts it, they’re fighting “an enemy that’s everywhere and nowhere.” It’s smart, sophisticated, and polished in a way that tends to evade your typical summer blockbuster. There are a few high tech, double cross, master of disguise elements, but they aren’t used as a distracting gimmick (as they sometimes have been in previous MI films). The high-concept action scenes are energetic and absolutely thrilling, making for some very clever and inventive spectacles. From a dramatic footrace through the canals of Venice to motorcycle jumps in the Austrian Alps to an epic car chase through the streets of Rome, there’s never a dull moment. There’s an inspired, extended sequence on a runaway train that will go down in history as one of the most creative and fun action scenes of the year, if not ever. There are plenty of strong female characters in the story, including the new addition of Grace (Hayley Atwell), a crackerjack larcenist, and Paris (Pom Klementieff), a fierce bodyguard who gives off strong Harley Quinn vibes. This movie, simply put, is packed with badass women. Seeing the gang reunited is always fun, and Pegg and Rhames have created characters that feel like old friends. There’s excellent work from the supporting cast too (Vanessa Kirby, Esai Morales, and Shea Whigham). Cruise is starting to show his age, but he’s still one of Hollywood’s greatest working superstars. His performance is reliable, charismatic, and believable, which is exactly what it needs to be. It’s clear that this is a movie that’s older and wiser and in turn, it’s made with more mature audiences in mind. Nothing is dumbed down, the emotional meter runs high, and the level of style and poise is unexpected and welcome (and to be commended). This is a classic espionage thriller that achieves a balance between artistry and pleasure, which is no easy feat. “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning” is the first part of a two part saga, but the finale isn’t so open-ended that it leads to frustration. Instead, it’s more of an excitement-based cliffhanger that’ll leave you salivating for the second half. This is a movie that could stand alone, but I’m awfully glad it doesn’t.
It was a good movie. Not better than the pervious one. But loved it
Good stuntwork as usual from this series and the performances were well done and nice seeing the return of Henry Czeny as Kittridge and filling in the gaps from the first movie and that deal made with Max. They did a decent enough job with a villain that was essentially A.I. by giving it a face with Esai Morales's Gabriel character, albeit compared with the others in the franchise, was pretty weak. And for Cruise, he's at home as Ethan Hunt while the rest of the team had their moments. The only drawback is some of the dialogue, especially during the intelligence agencies meeting, felt stilted probably because it was basically exposition dump. It's not on the level of the past few movies but still entertaining, just had hoped the splitting of two movies thing was over and done with or at least was made justifiable (like Avengers: Infinity War/Endgame), which I'm not sure it is here. **3.75/5**
This is the weakest M:I movie so far, which doesn't mean it's bad but it definitely has a few critical issues. The smaller issue is the pointless action sequences. This movie has a couple of overly long sequences that drag on for way too long and serve no purpose. They bring nothing new to the table in terms of stunts and don't add anything to the story. It's just padding and noise. However, the biggest issue is the plot about artificial intelligence. The filmmakers seem very insecure about the audience's ability to understand the themes used in the story. As a result, there are multiple long scenes where characters sit in a room and repeatedly speak about certain plot elements, in different levels of detail, as if they're trying to make sure the audience understands what they're talking about. I think "rogue computer program" is something that most people would understand, but the movie really tries to make this concept much deeper than it needs to be for the purpose of the movie, resulting in multiple needlessly complex exposition scenes. All of this to say that the movie could have been 30 minutes shorter if you could trim the pointless action sequences and the tech jargon. As it stands, Dead Reckoning Part Two is going to have to do some very heavy lifting in order to compensate for this bloated Part One.
**Mission Impossible** has been out-Bonding James Bond for years now. Tom Cruise continues to churn out movies that bring more fun and escapism than anyone else. He's a strange guy but his run of super-entertaining films over the last couple of decades has been amazing. This time, his character Ethan Hunt battles an all-knowing AI called "The Entity" and frankly, it's kind of a lame villain. The embodiment (sort of) of The Entity is Gabriel, who gives Ethan a baddie that he can punch. It's all rather confusing and convoluted, but the cast of characters and the action sequences are really what makes this latest **MI** movie a blast. Again. I was actually looking most forward to seeing Rebecca Ferguson as Ilsa. Her character has always brought so much acrobatic grace and fridged detachment to her fighting in scraps with the bad guys. She isn't in this installment much, but when she is, it's impossible to look away. In fact, the ladies of **MI:7** are the best thing about it. Grace (Hayley Atwell) is magnetic and provides some real chemistry with Ethan. She was the person to care about the most. She was tough but also just naive enough to want to invest in emotionally. Her final "deal" with Kittridge makes me wonder if they are setting her up as the main character once Cruise leaves the franchise. The characters of Paris and The White Widow owned their screen time, as well. And of course, Luther and Benji are a solid pair, dropping in and out of the movie as needed. Thinking back on the action, there were so many great sequences. The runaway train was great but the car chase in Rome was one of the best that I can remember seeing in any movie. As has been stated often by others, this movie is a little long and the fact that it's a "Part One" doesn't help it at all, but the strong cast and balls-to-the-wall action make this another very good entry in the **Mission Impossible** series.
Overall this is a fairly entertaining movie. It has a reasonably cool, totally unrealistic of course, but cool story. It has plenty of special effects, lots of action, some mild suspense and a bit, sometimes too much, humor. Overall it is in the same style as the previous movies and that brings me to the gripe I have had with these movies since the movie part of the franchise started. This is yet another movie where Ethan is betrayed and goes off doing his own thing. Seriously? The original Mission Impossible was agents doing cool stuff with the full backing of their organisation. Not this bloody Hollywood secret agent soap opera crap. Another issue I have is that, as usual when Hollywood tries to wander into areas of technology, the basic premise of the movie is just totally unrealistic. There’s no way the computing power available on a submarine would be sufficient to house an actual Artificial Intelligence. Also, at the bottom of the sea there’s no bloody connection to be used for taking over the world unless you count low frequency submarine communication which would make an old 300 baud telephone modem look lightning fast. Yes I ment baud, not bps, in that last sentence by the way. Apart from those really annoying faults the movie was, as I wrote pretty good. The special effects were over the top of course but not so totally over the top as in some movies. Sometimes they were really dragged out until they became too much though. Like the obligatory car chase or the forever falling of a cliff train. I also have to say that Nathan being screwed over, over and over again by that bitch became tiresome rather quickly. So did Benji’s often ridiculous behavior. So 3 1/2 out of 5 stars it is. Could have been better but could also have been a lot worse.
Two young boys sneak aboard a spaceship and find themselves whisked away to the mysterious planet Terra. There, they encounter Gamera's old foe Gyaos and two female aliens with a taste for human brains. Gamera must save the children and battle the new monster Guiron, whose entire body is a deadly living weapon.
John McClane is back and badder than ever, and this time he calls on the services of a young hacker in his bid to stop a ring of Internet terrorists intent on taking control of America's computer infrastructure.
New York detective John McClane is back and kicking bad-guy butt in the third installment of this action-packed series, which finds him teaming with civilian Zeus Carver to prevent the loss of innocent lives. McClane thought he'd seen it all, until a genius named Simon engages McClane, his new "partner" - and his beloved city - in a deadly game that demands their concentration.
One year after his heroics in Los Angeles, John McClane is an off-duty cop who is the wrong guy in the wrong place at the wrong time. On a snowy Christmas Eve, as he waits for his wife's plane to land at Washington Dulles International Airport, terrorists take over the air traffic control system in a plot to free a South American army general and drug smuggler being flown into the US to face drug charges. It's now up to McClane to take on the terrorists, while coping with an inept airport police chief, an uncooperative anti-terrorist squad, and the life of his wife and everyone else trapped in planes circling overhead.
An American master chemist plans to score big on a once in a lifetime drug deal. All does not go as planned and he is soon entangled in a web of deceit.
Jack Traven, an LAPD cop on SWAT detail, and veteran SWAT officer Harry Temple thwart an extortionist-bomber's scheme for a $3 million ransom. As they corner the bomber, he flees and detonates a bomb vest, seemingly killing himself. Weeks later, Jack witnesses a mass transit city bus explode and nearby a pay phone rings. On the phone is that same bomber looking for vengeance and the money he's owed. He gives a personal challenge to Jack: a bomb is rigged on another city bus - if it slows down below 50 mph, it will explode - bad enough any day, but a nightmare in LA traffic. And that's just the beginning...
12 American military prisoners in World War II are ordered to infiltrate a well-guarded enemy château and kill the Nazi officers vacationing there. The soldiers, most of whom are facing death sentences for a variety of violent crimes, agree to the mission and the possible commuting of their sentences.
French secret service agent Josselin Beaumont is dispatched to take down African warlord N'Jala. But when his assignment is canceled, he's shocked to learn that his government is surrendering him to local authorities. He is given a mock trial and sentenced to 20 years of hard labor. But Beaumont escapes from prison and vows not only to avenge himself against his betrayers but also to finish his original assignment.
Superman returns to discover his 5-year absence has allowed Lex Luthor to walk free, and that those he was closest to felt abandoned and have moved on. Luthor plots his ultimate revenge that could see millions killed and change the face of the planet forever, as well as ridding himself of the Man of Steel.
After his wife dies, a blacksmith named Balian is thrust into royalty, political intrigue and bloody holy wars during the Crusades.
Senator Walter Chalmers is aiming to take down mob boss Pete Ross with the help of testimony from the criminal's hothead brother Johnny, who is in protective custody in San Francisco under the watch of police lieutenant Frank Bullitt. When a pair of mob hitmen enter the scene, Bullitt follows their trail through a maze of complications and double-crosses. This thriller includes one of the most famous car chases ever filmed.