by George Wolf
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
Tom Cruise may have finally found a marriage that will work. His partnership with writer/director Christopher McQuarrie has produced four of the actor’s most recent films.
McQuarrie wrote Valkyrie and Edge of Tomorrow (arguably Cruise’s finest film this century), and he wrote and directed both Jack Reacher and Cruise’s latest action extravaganza, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation.
McQuarrie inherited the series at its peak, Brad Bird’s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol having brought the franchise back to relevance with talented new teammates, extravagant set pieces, and much-needed humor.
Rogue Nation picks up that same beat. The band’s back together: Cruise’s super-agent Ethan Hunt, skeptical wise cracker Brandt (Jeremy Renner), systems wizard Luther (Ving Rhames), and delightful hacker Benji (Simon Pegg).
Blessedly, the talentless Paula Patton sits this one out.
In her place as the beautiful woman who will appear in only one episode is Rebecca Ferguson as the mysterious double (or triple?) agent Ilsa Faust.
Now disgraced and disavowed by their own government, what’s left of IMF must expose their underworld counterpart The Syndicate to reclaim their status and save the world.
McQuarrie keeps the pace moving with a gliding camera that not only captures the enormity of each sequence, but develops a graceful, controlled urgency about each event.
Truth be told, though, the movie succeeds or fails depending on Cruise, and Ethan Hunt is a great character for the beleaguered movie star. Cruise can show off his still quite impressive physical presence, the script’s use of humor capitalizes on the actor’s underused strengths, and let’s be honest – Cruise has a bit of the crazy-eye, which makes him more believable in the part.
The action sequences are not quite as breathtaking as they were in Ghost Protocol, but they are impressive nonetheless.
What McQuarrie does better than any previous director in the series is to imbue every scene with a bit of humor – enough to exploit the ridiculousness of the situation without actually mocking it. He finds the fun in the familiar old gimmicks and draws on the strengths of his cast to create a blast of entertainment.
Vacation
Reboots are too often tiresome and they frequently taint beloved childhood memories, but you have to admit that the trailers for Vacation are hilarious. Each different clip offers funny bits and clever dialog, but to be honest, they had me as soon as the kid in the back seat put a plastic bag over his brother’s head.
The writing/directing team of Jonathan M. Goldstein and John Francis Daley bring the John Hughes/Harold Ramis road trip classic into this millennium. The now middle aged Rusty Griswold (Ed Helms) decides to relive his childhood vacation by driving his own wife and children across the nation: destination, Walley World.
The cast is very strong. Helms, playing the mild mannered but lovable nerd he does so well, anchors the film and also immediately alters the tone set in the ’83 original. His wholesome dork of a dad delivers plenty of punch lines, but he does as much work as a set-up man, which affords the rest of the ensemble opportunities to shine.
Christina Applegate capably navigates the conflicted mate space, but it’s Skyler Gisondo and Steele Stebbins who kill as the next generation of Griswolds. Stebbins’s psychotic bully of a younger brother is the single funniest thing about this movie, and Gisondo not only establishes a unique character all his own, he’s also an outstanding comic foil for Stebbins.
Charlie Day’s a riot in one of a dozen or more very funny bit parts, while Leslie Mann and Chris Hemsworth are a hoot as Rusty’s sister Audrey and her husband Stone. Aside from them, though, the nods toward the original only manage to slow the movie’s pace.
The writing feels scattered and leads toward too many dead ends, and though the humor often hits the mark, it’s far safer than what they were getting away with back in ’83. Like any road trip film, Vacation uses a highway to string together a series of sight gags. Some work, some fall flat, but thanks mostly to the very solid cast, there are plenty of laughs. That shouldn’t be a surprise, though.
Moose outside shoulda told you.
I Am Chris Farley
Just weeks ago, Amy proved that a documentary on the life of a troubled entertainer can move beyond the cliches of struggle, fame and burnout to reach a deeply poignant intimacy.
I Am Chris Farley doesn’t succeed on that level. In fact, it doesn’t even try.
Farley, like Amy Winehouse and so many before them both, was a giant talent gone too soon. But directors Brent Hodge and Derik Murray only seem interested in putting together a greatest hits package of Farley’s comedy coupled with wistful tributes from family, friends and colleagues.
Don’t get me wrong, those greatest hits are damn funny, and there’s great archival footage. You see some of Farley’s early stage work, and realize that he came to Saturday Night Live with classic bits such as “Matt Foley: Motivational Speaker” already fully formed and ready for prime time.
The laughs keep coming, and the interviews paint a picture of an all-around great guy who is still terribly missed to this day. The intentions of all involved seem truly sincere, but the entire project is polished with such a Hollywood sheen that it would have been better off as a Comedy Central special or SNL tribute show.
Annoying background music is everywhere, and there is a curious amount of time given to standup routines by Chris’s brother Kevin Farley. Meanwhile, the darker aspects of Chris’s story are given short shrift, and we’re reminded again how great and funny he was.
Not doubting any of it for one second, but a successful documentary has to cut more than just surface deep. I Am Chris Farley comes nowhere close.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r835keCmzHM
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