Mission Impossible: Fallout (2018)

There are tons of spy movies out there, but Mission Impossible is done extraordinarily well, with some of the most exciting action scenes there are. Tom Cruise is 56 but he is still a real action star.  He runs so fast on camera and he jumps out of planes (that scene is really impressive); he is unstoppable! Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames are hilarious. They're actually my favorite part of the movie. The story has really excellent bits. The first half of the story works, and the second half of the story works, separately. But then the second half of the story makes the first half irrelevant. A few issues with the plot. It revolves around three nuclear weapons. The original story in the first half has an appropriate use of nuclear weapons, but the second half makes use of the nukes in a conventional way, meaning that it is irrelevant that the weapons are nuclearized since ordinary explosives would have done the same trick. It's also kind of insensitive and tasteless to set your nuclear weapons movie in Kashmir, a region known for nearly starting a nuclear war. Finally Rebecca Ferguson and Michelle Monaghan look exactly the same. They could've dyed someone's hair because I did not know they were separate people until they were on screen together. 

Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (2015)

It's really long.  But so is the history of Scientology.  The structure of the movie is kind of complicated.  It is kind of linear in time, but not quite. It deconstructs the Church, its methods and its "beliefs." It uses testimonials from former members of the Church to bolster its argument.  In their last appearances on camera, the shots fade to white and it shows on the screen how long they were in the church and when they finally left.  It appears that the major turning point in the Church's history was when the IRS gave in to the Church, granting it religious exemption.  The film walks through the brainwashing the members go through and the ridiculous lies they are fed.  These are insider accounts that we otherwise would be unaware of, all the terminology, the creation myth, and the power struggle in the upper ehcelons of the leadership.  What is perhaps most astounding is how the members have avoided the internet in the twenty-first century.  It is one thing to not know all of the criticisms of the Church before the internet age, but how could they be so sheltered now?  The Church's power is its control over its members.  This film demystifies the mystery surrounding the secretive Church for the rest of us.

Top Gun (1986)

I do not often re-watch movies but some classics are classic for a reason.  This is just a fun movie.  I would say the best part of the movie is the classic soundtrack featuring "Danger Zone" and the Oscar-winning "Take My Breath Away," whose theme recurs several times. That feeling of being inside a fighter jet in a dogfight is so niche that it shouldn't connect with audiences, but it is a unique experience that is exciting, and a little claustrophobic, and always adrenaline-pumping.  These action scenes are just so well done.  Then of course there is the theme of masculinity and macho-ness that pervades the movie.  This is perhaps one of Tom Cruise's most iconic roles, and I would guess that it is because of this movie that he has such an image of being a manly man.  And then there's the love interest, so the movie is not just pure testosterone, but its overwhelmingly close to just that. So in conclusion, this is probably the ultimate guys' movie.

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)

Tom Cruise is the quintessential action star.  In the very first scene, Tom Cruise literally jumps onto a plane and hangs onto it from the outside as it takes off.  And this is just the beginning!  There are chase scenes galore, on foot, on motor bikes, in cars, you name it. There is constant action and non-stop adrenaline to keep this movie going.  There is another formidable action star to complement Cruise's performance.  Rebecca Ferguson kicks ass.  The two of them together are extraordinarily fun to watch.  Fun is the best way to describe this movie.  The plot is easy to follow meaning there are no hindrances to enjoying everything this movie has to offer.

I particularly liked the opera scene, in which a production of Puccini's Turandot is interrupted.  It is beautifully shot at the incredible Vienna State Opera.  I appreciated that motifs from Calaf's aria Nessun Dorma from Turandot reappeared in the score several times amid the famous Mission: Impossible theme.  The best known tenor aria and the best known movie theme all rolled into one.

Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

Edge of Tomorrow avoids the trap that so many science fiction films fall into.  The concept is refreshingly different and makes you think and thankfully, the plot is not so insane that you can't follow the story.  That comes down to good execution.  The audience doesn't know exactly what's going on until Tom Cruise's character finds out for himself, at which point it is described in thorough detail to make sure we all get it.  My one complaint on the plot is a minor glitch in the timeline that is either not explained well enough or an overlooked mistake.  

The movie resembles a video game, in which death only means starting again from the last checkpoint.  If you get it wrong the first time, you can go back and try again.  What we take for granted in video games is used in the movie as military strategy in a battle that resembles an alien D-Day.  Each day plays the same way, much like a computer program written to do very specific things in a game. Continuing the theme, the imaginative design of the movie is reminiscent of video games, complete with full-battle suits and robotic aliens.