Mission Impossible: Fallout
Dir. Christopher McQuarrie
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At this point, the Mission Impossible series is less about its main protagonist, Ethan Hunt, and more about its star, Tom Cruise. With each film, the line between character and actor is blurred, with Cruise doing his own stunts, constantly one-upping himself by dangling from the highest building in the world in Ghost Protocol, or holding onto a plane during takeoff in Rogue Nation. For over 20 years(!), Cruise has put his body on the line for our entertainment, and in that respect, even at the ripe age of 56, Mission: Impossible - Fallout totally delivers on the running, jumping, ass-kicking, death-defying madman that is expected with the name "Tom Cruise" on the marquee!
Following the convoluted mess of a story presented in the first five films of the franchise, in Fallout Ethan Hunt and his IMF team are now on the trail of three nuclear weapons stolen by a group of spies known as "The Apostles," bent on tearing down society to build a new world order - because why not? Hunt must find the mysterious leader, John Lark, while being shadowed by a brutish CIA agent (Henry Cavill) who distrusts the IMF and their unorthodox methods.
It seems like every Mission Impossible movie more or less ends up being a race to stop a generic bad guy (or guys, or ladies) from setting off nukes, and this one is no different. But what makes this franchise so good isn't necessarily its storytelling, but its amazing action set pieces. And while I feel Fallout lacks the fun, "Avengers"-style cameraderie of Ghost Protocol, its action is top notch, with car chases, motorcycle chases, shootouts, helicopter chases - you name it. There's a fistfight in a bathroom that may be one of my favorite fistfights ever, with characters making amazing use of the space (including a curved sink pipe). Although sometimes I was not a fan of the intercutting between various scenes of action, as it stopped the flow of one to the next, it's undeniable that you get your money's worth with this one - and it's all the more pulse-pounding knowing that Cruise did almost all of them for real!
I also really loved how Fallout messes with audience expectations. Frequently throughout the movie, what we think is happening in the reality of the film is subverted in hilarious, clever ways that puts the audience in the position of the duped bad guy. I don't want to spoil these surprises, but they all fooled me!
The Mission Impossible series has practically turned into the Tom Cruise equivalent of Jackass at this point, and that's what makes it special. Harkening back to the days when movies weren't simply filled wall-to-wall with weightless CGI, it's refreshing to see a movie like this that continues the "stuntman" tradition established from the early days of Buster Keaton. While it doesn't rank among my favorites in the series, Fallout is another great example of action done right.
Final Verdict:
SEE IT!
Christopher Robin
Dir. Marc Forster
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Since 1926, children have enjoyed reading about and watching Pooh. Winnie the Pooh, that is. And in those 90-something years the anthropomorphic stuffed characters from the Hundred Acre Wood have delighted children and adults alike. This deep sense of nostalgia - that I didn't even realize I had - hit me like a ton of bricks when watching Christopher Robin. A fantastical tale about a grown-up, world-weary Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor) reconnecting with the carefree whimsy of his childhood, it's a surprisingly powerful, if incredibly simple little movie that is hard not to feel delight while watching.
One worry I had going into this movie was that the juxtaposition between the "depressed" tone of Christopher Robin's life - even with a serious war scene at the beginning - and the sweet nature of the Pooh characters would be strange and awkward. However, the tone here is perfect, and the toys' level of cuteness and charm is genuinely sweet and funny. Not to mention, the special effects here are absolutely INCREDIBLE. The way the CGI characters interact with the forest environment pretty much looks completely photorealistic. I have seriously not been this impressed with CGI characters since watching Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
We're living in a time where it's easy to be cynical with what's going on in the world, but a movie like Christopher Robin is the perfect antidote. Simple, cute, funny entertainment with a wholesome message - it's everything you want out of Pooh!
Final Verdict:
SEE IT!
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
Dir. Ol Parker
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I can't help it, I love Abba. The 70s pop-rock group from Sweden has such an amazing, unique sound. And strangely enough, their best songs, when put out of context in the musical Mamma Mia, fit together perfectly to tell a story about a woman trying to learn who her father is between 3 guys her mom shacked up with in the past. Now, 10 years after the first film adaptation, we have a sequel. Despite seeming like a cash-grab, Here We Go Again pretty much does the same thing as the first movie, only... better? If you like Abba and give yourself over to the dopey silliness of a "chick flick" comedy, you will have a good time with this, even if it's not exactly Oscar bait.
The story this time around poignantly time-hops between a mother and daughter during their respective pregnancies at the same time in their lives. In 1979, the young Donna (Lily James - played in the first film by Meryl Streep) goes on a Europe trip with her friends and we see her wild nights with her 3 suitors, resulting in her pregnancy with a mystery father. In 2018, Donna's daughter (Amanda Seyfried) is renovating her mother's old house in Greece while also pregnant. This juxtaposition between mothers was surprisingly powerful for a movie relying on goofy musical numbers and broad comedy, but it makes Mamma Mia 2 a huge improvement over its predecessor.
There's a sweet, light comedy throughout the film that gives every star in its brimming cast a moment to shine (I particularly enjoyed Stellan Skarsgard playing his character's fat twin brother, and a security guard who always makes comments about the slight differences between people in their passport photos and real life). You can pretend to be "too cool" for Mamma Mia if that's your thing, but for unapologetic Abba fans who want to have a completely innocuous, fun time at the movies, this sequel delivers exactly what you want! (My, my, how can you resist it?)
Final Verdict:
SEE IT!
Blindspotting
Dir. Carlos López Estrada
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It's crazy how closely together two movies about contemporary race relations were released, with Sorry to Bother You having come out before (and Spike Lee's Black Klansman released shortly after). But I much prefer Blindspotting, a urban drama that combines humor, suspense, and even rapping to make its story come to life.
Daveed Diggs (from Broadway's Hamilton) stars as a man on his last three days of probation in Oakland, California. His life gets complicated after he witnesses a police officer shoot and kill an unarmed black man, his best friend (Rafael Casal) grows more and more volatile around people, and his very identity becomes tested as the Oakland he grew up in is changing. The film has a very loose, interesting plot similar to Do The Right Thing, with similarly impressive filmmaking and didactic messages, for better or worse.
It's hard to explain, but Blindspotting is a great movie with a couple amazing performances - in fact, there's one "rapping" sequence with Daveed Diggs that I think is one of the best pieces of acting so far this year. It may not be subtle with its messages at times, and a lot depends on how much you connect with this movie's off-kilter comedy, but Blindspotting is a crime/race drama well worth checking out!
Final Verdict:
SEE IT!
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