“A fun mash-up of the first two movies”

I’ve been a big Mission:Impossible fan since FX used to air the old show.  Then De Palma came out with Mission: Impossible and I loved the twisty, mind-game that was.  Then John Woo mixed it in with his wholesome blend of super-action in Mission: Impossible 2.  Albeit to say, while I enjoyed the second movie, it was not what I remembered and I saw the franchise going down “popcorn highway”.

Thank’s to J.J. Abrams, that fate has been changed.  MI3 holds truer to the original show in that it is more about the challenge facing a team rather than Woo’s “lone gun-men”(Thanks Todd) take.  The situations the team is put in are also more reminiscent as Mission:Impossible was originally about not killing people unless need be.  It was a theatrical staging by the team, not run in and shoot up the place.  It causes the viewers to sit in awe of the precision of the operation, not the explosions. It causes for thrilling situations.

MI3 has many of those.  It also has a really personal connection this time around to Ethan Hunt(Tom Cruise).  Hunt get’s called back into action to find a captured agent and to help find something called the “Rabbits Foot”.  Holding the “Rabbits Foot” is the uber-evil Owen Damien(Phillip Seymour Hoffman).  Like the other movies, the action spans many different sets and has many thrilling action beats.  The opening scene alone is worth a gander into the theater that this movie is playing in, as it completely floored me.

I wasn’t quite sold on Cruise’s relationship with his girlfriend in the movie.  The relationship seemed force and not really genuine. Their wasn’t any really chemistry between the two of them.  The new team members grew on me throughout the film, with Johnathan Rhys Meyers not reclaiming his “annoying girly” persona circa Match Point. Damien is played to pure evil perfection by Hoffman as a villain that encompasses the term “sadistic”.  He cares about no one but himself and shows literally no weakness, because for whatever weakness there was, somewhere along the way he hurt/killed/maimed someone to mask it.  There is depth to his character, but not enough screen time to flush it out. I was also digging Billy Crudup’s character as Hunt’s boss essentially.  Cruise was nothing less than solid and was backed-up by decent preformances is essentially what occured in this flick.

The movie was shot in a really cool way with focuses on the characters and close-ups that were shot with an “un-Steady” cam.  Definetely set the mood.  My favorite sequence was the bridge attack which was just purely cool, thrilling action.  The first operation was also really cool and the most reminiscent of the TV Show.  The last 20-30 minutes were pretty dissapointing to me with a lackluster ending.  Endings should be very climactic, and this movie wasn’t.

All in all, let me say that this movie was a good blend of gun-play and thrilling action as well as a cool story.  I’d reccomend seeing this to any fan of the series and to anybody looking to be excited for 2 hours.  MI3 brought me back but still missed on some of the marks.  I’m giving this a 7/10 Bones, only because of the lackluster ending and arguable chemistry.

RATING:

-One of my best friend’s, Redmond, once said to me “it doesn’t matter what Barry Bonds does with HR records. He will one day be a Yankee as their DH”.  Truth doesn’t seem that far.  Barry has toyed with the idea of being a DH next season if he doesn’t return to San Francisco.  Talk about a vaunted lineup: Damon, Jeter, A-Rod, Sheffield, Giambi, Matsui, Cano, Posada and Bonds.  Probably won’t happen, but don’t be surprised if Gerogey spends the almighty dollar.

-Speaking of Georgey spending the almighty dollar, does this guy simply think buying the best players in the game will make his team better?  That sounded dumb on my part I know, but it hasn’t shown to make his team playoff calibur.  Sure they may drive in 1000+ runs this season, but their rotation will have an ERA north of 4.00.  Reason being for my rant; Matsui went down tonight with a broken wrist.  Out 3 months.  Poor guy.  Theres already been talk about Hunter, Stewart, Abreu…Guy just broke his wrist.  Give him some respect.  He was trying to field(ahem A-Rod) a ball with guts and shows up every game to play.  You just want to replace him? And if so is it the time being?  Where do you put Matsui once you pick up an Abreu or Hunter?  Seems to me like the lineup would get crowded being that you would have 4 All-Star calibur outfielders (Damon, Matsui, Sheffield, Hunter/Stewart/Abreu) and no where to play them.  Your DH role is full, so there goes DHing Sheffield.  Think Yankees before you leap…or actually don’t…I want the Red Sox to win the division.

-Speaking of Los Rojos Ganares, rumor has it that maybe Schilling has some shit wrong with him.  If he does, he’s not going to tell.  Skeptics have brought up his 130+ pitch outing that one game.  The guy is a horse.  I doubt throwing 30 extra pitches over his limit took down the tank on this guy.  He’s having problem’s with mechanics clearly.  Same as Johnson.  He’s a veteran pitcher; he work’s it out.  Least of my worries is Schilling.

Oh and shout out to my boy Alex Gonzalez for showing that their is home-runs after steroids(circa 2004 FLA Marlins).  Anyone reminded of Pokey Reese when he rapped that dinger into left the other night?  Visa’s new ad should be: Age of Yankees Ace: 42, Yankees beaten by how many runs: 11, Watching Alex Gonzalez hit a home-run: Ahaha.  Stupid Aaron Small.  That 10-0 ‘05 campaign looks real good now.  Silly Yankees.

I watch Sportscenter way too much.  Possibly 2-3 times a night…for no real reason.  Hergeo, I keep up my with sports news, much like some people read sections of the newspaper other than comics, the Best Buy ad or the sports section.  This is what I’ve been dwelling over:

-Delmon Young, the #1 prospect in MLB, was suspended 50 games for throwing a bat at an umpire.  This not only shows his lack of maturity, but proves why the Devil Rays didn’t break him up last fall: He’s a nut job!  Outside the Lines had a segment on prodigal athletes and discussed the “entitlement” Delmon Young may feel.  I heard his apology earlier this week, or the attempt at one.  This kid feels no remorse was the first thought that crossed my brain.  Look, throughout all this steroid scandal, Young should be embracing his place in the game as that of restoring honor to the past-time and not whipping lumber at the men in black.  He should be gone for the season.  Too frequently are the talented young stars given slack for their bigger impact on the game.  If Kenny Rogers threw a bat at the cameraman a year ago, it would have been bye-bye season.  I don’t like Kenny Rogers and at this moment, I don’t like Delmon Young.  For all your abilities, if you can’t be a likeable image, you may just end up more like Barry Bonds than the Pujols or Griffey Jr. your talents deserve.  Shame on you Mr. Young and your tantrums.  I’m kinda hoping his older brother Dmitri beats some sense into him.

-Poor LeBron James…he will never win an NBA championship.  For all his amazing talents, he cannot win the ring himself.  The higher ups in the Cavalier office need to realize this and give him a Pippen.  Why not trade your draft pick for a solid guy.  This isn’t to knock the guys surrounding LeBron, but Jordan had Pippen.  Kobe had Shaq.  Bird had McHale and Parrish.  Magic had Worthy and Kareem.  LeBron has Eric Snow and Zydraunas Ilgauskas.  Spend the money to get this kid a team or maybe spend the draft pick.  You already have the ultimate prospect waiting.  Don’t Karl Malone this poor kid.  He’s too special a player.

-Speaking of the NBA, the first round of playoffs have been nailbiters…in the West.  I tuned into the Laker-Sun epic struggle and was riveted by the basketball and I’m not even a fan of either team.  Watching Kobe and his young guns topple Sheriff Nash and his miscreants was pretty sweet as well as watching that same Sheriff lock up Kobe’s Boys was enthralling.  The Maverick-Memphis and Clipper-Denver match-ups weren’t great but still…it’s the fucking Clippers!  They’ve won like consellation prizes every year and are finally putting it together.  San Antonio-Sacramento was good too, as the series went to 6 games and was good basketball.  The East really has no parity…Detroit dominates.  Cleveland gives everyone a scare every now and then, but see previous and the Heat look like a reunion of the 1998 All-Star Team, minus Flash.  Pacers have faded into oblivion and the Nets seem decent enough.  The West is populated with competition and the East has scrubs.  I unfortuanetely, follow the East with my lovely Celtic turd-green.  How can the league tailor the parity of the East?  Or is it the teams responsibility? Why is there such a difference?  I don’t know.

-So when are the random steroid-tests in baseball?  When is Giambi getting the next one?  Guy got player of the month in April! What the hell is going on?  This guy isn’t a character story!  He pissed on the stature and honor of the game with his steroid bullshit and then comes back at a torrid pace AFTER his only drug-test had been administered?  What seems wrong here?  Good for him if he’s doing this straight, but I smell horse enhancers.

Check back to hear why Hollywood has crappy movies.

Movie trailers really haven’t been great lately but this one looks awesome.  I love Superman for two reasons: Todd and Smallville.  Both are closely tied.  I cannot wait for this flick and to see what they’ve done with it.  Check this trailer out, courtesy of the folks over at JoBlo.