Mission: Impossible: Fallout. Such a reliable franchise! I like how this one raised the level of glamour, the cosmopolitan sheen. And I love how they handled the White Widow/Max connection.
Tag: simonpegg
Shaun of the Dead
Shaun of the Dead. I really really really wish I’d seen this one years ago. Like pretty much every comedy, the rapid-fire funny bits eventually decay into a slow shuffle, but it’s worth it. Pegg and Wright are truly gifted.
Star Trek: Beyond
Star Trek: Beyond. These movies are getting worse. :( Hope they don’t keep going this route, where they turn into basically superhero films. I fear it’s too late. Filed under: Star Trek.
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation. It’s fun! I wish it were as stylish as some of its predecessors. I wasn’t picking up on a McQuarrie directorial stamp like we saw in the De Palma, Woo, and Abrams movies. Also a little bit disappointed with Hunt this time around. Seems like he was a bit overmatched at times – more like something you saw in the early stages of Edge of Tomorrow, or something out of Indiana Jones. I’m use to a Hunt that’s more ruthlessly (absurdly) competent. But still, really solid, and I love the pace. That Ferguson is Cruise’s equal (superior?), the opera scene is top-notch, the villain is perfect, and it’s nice to see an action movie that doesn’t feel like it needs a built-in romance. Filed under: Tom Cruise, Mission: Impossible.
Star Trek Into Darkness
Star Trek Into Darkness. This one does not compare well to the other Star Trek movies. Fun, maybe, kinda, but there’s all kinds of narrative whiplash, and the non-Kirk, non-Spock characters aren’t quite there for me. Slapdash effort. Oh, well. I’ve still got my top 5 or 6 in the series to fall back on:
- Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
- Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
- Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
- Star Trek: The Motion Picture
- Star Trek: First Contact
- Star Trek
- Star Trek: Nemesis
- Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
- Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
- Star Trek: Generations
- Star Trek Into Darkness
- Star Trek: Insurrection
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. Forget the skyscraper scene, that dust storm chase was dope. Pretty stock otherwise, but with smartphones! I’m glad I saw it (it’s the second-best of the modern MI series, after the first one), despite all the times it made me groan. Oh, and Patton’s Jane Carter has nothing, nothing on Carano’s Mallory Kane.
Star Trek
Star Trek. This is more space opera than intellectual scifi salon, for better or worse. The best comparison I can think of is Rise of the Planet of the Apes: It’s not an all-time great movie, not really even close, but it’s great at what it does. Silly adventure that’s nice to look at. The cameo is dopey. But I do hope that movies following this reboot are a little more nerdy.
Mark Larson 