Despite their record of proven results, the IMF’s (Impossible Missions Force) history of wanton destruction and lack of oversight have drawn the ire of CIA Chief Alan Hunley (Alec Baldwin). With no hard evidence that Ethan Hunt’s (Tom Cruise) latest obsession–a shadow organization known as “The Syndicate”–exists, Hunley demands and is granted the disbanding of IMF, making Hunt a wanted man.

What better time for the Syndicate to strike, drawing Ethan Hunt and the rest of the IMF team into their web of secrecy and deception? With the American government, the Syndicate, and an agent with questionable loyalty after them, the members of the IMF have truly become a rogue nation.

If you have seen any of the previous four Mission Impossible offerings, then you know what you are getting: death-defying action sequences, vehicle chases, martial-arts-style fighting, handsome-and-capable male characters, a beautiful-and-capable female character, at least one nefarious villain, plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing at various characters’ motivations and timely humor.

If you’ve seen a Tom Cruise movie, you know what you are not getting: overuse of “mature” language, blood and gore, frontal nudity.

All of this adds up to one of the most FUN movies of the summer thus far, a film that keeps you on the edge of your seat despite the outcomes you expect from a film that is part of an ongoing franchise.

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation is one of the most entertaining films I have seen this year.

Continue reading Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation →

Marvel Studio’s latest cinematic offering, Avengers: Age of Ultron, hit theaters this weekend and is sure to make oodles of money…deservedly so.

As with all movie studios, Marvel doesn’t always create a winner, but when they do it right, they seem to hit all the notes perfectly to create a comic book popcorn movie masterpiece.

They hit all the right notes with Age of Ultron.

Continue reading Avengers: Age of Ultron →

I was a few months away from my ninth birthday in 1977 when the words “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away….” ushered in a little movie that would change the landscape of science fiction film making forever. As I sat at the drive in theater with my parents and younger brother, a handful of characters, both good and bad, entered my psyche and have never left. Two in particular have been fictional heroes since that day: Han Solo and his Wookie companion, Chewbacca.

Continue reading They’re Back! →

There…and back again. Thus ends* the Middle-earth journey of Peter Jackson and the crew of film makers who made the worlds imagined by J.R.R. Tolkien come alive on the big screen.

It is with a degree of sadness, which will undoubtedly grow over the coming weeks, that I say ‘goodbye’** to these characters, the lovely country that is Middle-earth (er…New Zealand), and to the dedicated people, seen and unseen, who made this journey special.

On Friday evening I sat in front of a forty foot curved screen and watched The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies bring Bilbo’s unexpected journey to an end. It was a spectacle, filled with some memorable performances. It had some flaws, to be sure, but that did not stop me from enjoying the moment.

The following thoughts on The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies presumes that you have seen the previous two films and, unlike my normal Film Review process, will contain spoilers.

Continue reading The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies →

Today is an auspicious day in the book-loving community.

No, it’s not because today is my birthday (but it is!).

Today…Friday, November 21st, is release day for the first of the two part finale to the film adaptations of author Suzanne Collins’ hit book trilogy.

Although I have not read the books, I have to admit that events like this excite me, not only because I love films, but also because I am passionate about reading. I did not read the Harry Potter books or the Twilight books either, but when individual books, or series of books, become so beloved it makes me happy.

I have said, and written, previously that I do not believe books need films as any form of validation, nor do I believe that all beloved books should be adapted to the screen. We can all point out examples of books being adapted to film that were not satisfying in the least. For every The Lord of the Rings there is an Eragon. But when they are successful and fans are at least reasonably satisfied with the result, it makes gives me pleasure.

While Hunger Games did not wholly excite me, I was very impressed with Catching Fire and am happy to report that the results of the first part of Mockingjay make it a film worth seeing on the big screen.

Continue reading Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 →