This week, pop culture critic Richard Crouse reviews new movies: 'Mission Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One,' 'The Miracle Club' and 'The Deepest Breath'
When the “Mission: Impossible” franchise began in 1996 the movies were big, prestige spy thrillers, heavy on the intrigue and supported by large action sequences. Then came 2011’s “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol,” a popcorn flick built around an eye-popping sequence featuring star Tom Cruise scaling the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, with only a pair of suction gloves and courage coming between him and certain death.
The catalyst for the action is artificial intelligence run amok. Called The Entity, it is an all-powerful machine, “who is everywhere and nowhere” and has no centre. “We don’t want to kill it,” says Eugene Kittridge , the former director of the Impossible Missions Force, “we want to control it.” Tempering the action is some humour and an emphasis on the connections between the characters. Loyalty to the cause has always been paramount in these movies, but the bond between the characters has been tempered, probably because we are near the end of the franchise, by a dose of nostalgia and sentimentality.
Set in 1967, in Ballygar, Ireland, this is the story of four women. Chrissie left the seaside town for Boston under a cloud 40 years before and hasn’t been back. When she returns for her mother’s funeral, she must face the demons of the past, and the people she left behind, including her former BFF Eileen and her late mother’s passive-aggressive best friend Lily . Bitterness runs deep between the three, each harbouring grudges that have bubbled for four decades.
“The Miracle Club” isn’t about divine agency. Nothing miraculous happens, excepting the power of truth and compassion to heal the long-simmering wounds each of these women carry. Their shared trauma overwhelms their lives, forming who they are as people. The actors imprint each of these characters with the cumulative weight of their lives, willing Eileen, Lily and Chrissie into stubborn life, despite a script that attempts to keep them as stereotypes.
Philippines Latest News, Philippines Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Tom Cruise makes surprise appearance at Toronto ‘Mission Impossible’ screeningA week after sharing his displeasure with Toronto’s traffic, Tom Cruise has returned to the city to surprise fans at a screening of “Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One.”
Read more »
Tom Cruise makes surprise appearance at Toronto 'Mission Impossible' screeningA week after sharing his displeasure with Toronto's traffic, Tom Cruise has returned to the city to surprise fans at a screening of 'Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One.'
Read more »
Tom Cruise thrills Toronto audience at 'Mission: Impossible 7' screeningTom Cruise conquered Toronto\u0027s gridlock traffic to surprise fans attending a screening of Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One.
Read more »
'Great treat': Henry Czerny on returning to the Mission: Impossible franchise after 25 yearsWhen Canadian actor Henry Czerny got the call asking him to reprise the iconic role of Kittridge that he played in the original Mission: Impossible film in 1996, he thought it was a joke — but now he’s back in the seventh installation of the film franchise, complete with another high-octane train sequence to match the original.
Read more »
Is summer blockbuster glory an impossible mission? Not for this Mission: Impossible!Film review: There are scenes in Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1 that go on forever, and that I never wanted to end
Read more »
Dogecoin: Is DOGE ready to escape this compact range?DOGE bulls have found the $0.0700 hurdle impossible to surmount, as selling pressure rises.
Read more »