My Own Little World

The Mission: Impossible series is one of the best action franchises around today. It hasn’t always been this way, but ever since 2011’s Ghost Protocol things have been looking up for Tom Cruise’s flagship films. These last two films have been an example of both the extreme lengths to which Cruise will go as his own stuntman and the correct way to make a ridiculous action movie. At their core, of course, that is what the M:I films are: bombastic, slightly silly, and self-aware heist films with a unique ability to also tie in more realistic threats than the average “grounded” spy film. I love that these films can walk that line without feeling stressed by doing so, and this latest entry is no exception: Mission: Impossible – Fallout is one of the best action films of the past decade, a monument to fun entertainment and excellent filmmaking at the same time. I would be remiss, though, if I didn’t express that the plot and characters are just as good as the action sequences...

I've taken a little more time in prepping my year-end wrap-up this year, mostly because I was making sure I had seen everything I wanted to in theaters before publishing. Like last year, I've written mini-reviews on all the films that I either saw too far into their theatrical run to do a full review on or after their home video release. Without further ado, I present to you Part 4 of the Rest of 2015... Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation - Buy it.  How can a franchise be this good in its fifth installment? M:I shows no signs of stopping with Rogue Nation , and neither does Tom Cruise, as he performs some of the most dangerous stunts of his career. The rest of the returning and new cast members make sure we don't lose the team dynamic that was so essential to Ghost Protocol . McQuarrie also has some great helming of the many action scenes, particularly the motorcycle chase. This is a thrill ride that keeps you on edge the whole time. Grade: 92 The Martian...

Wow, 2014 has come to a close. I've really enjoyed this year, especially in film. Over the next several posts, I'll be compiling all the films I've seen from this past year that I didn't review in full. As always, to see how I rank these films relative to each other, take a look at  my IMDB list for this year. Transcendence  - Watch it on cable.  I wanted to see this movie so much when I first heard about it. Christopher Nolan's cinematographer of choice Wally Pfister in my opinion made his films perfect visually. However, Transcendence  never really knows what to say about technology, bouncing back and forth between a the-environment-would-be-better-without-it perspective and a people-would-be-more-social-without-it view. It has such a convoluted plot and characters that fail to have a lot of dimension that all of Pfister's visually amazing direction just gets lost. Grade: 40 Edge of Tomorrow  - Buy it.  This is the most underrated film of th...