Tag: Tom Cruise

Top Gun: Maverick in AMC Dolby

Top Gun: Maverick in AMC Dolby

It’s been 36 years since the 1986 “Top Gun” movie came to the big screen. 

In this new installment Top Aviator “Pete” Maverick Mitchell (Tom Cruise) pushes the Aviation envelope and lands a promotion that would ground him. In order to dodge being grounded Maverick has been summoned back to the Top Gun Aviator School from which he graduated to train the new recruits for a specialized mission that is dangerous, but also necessary. While there, Maverick encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller) call sign: “Rooster” who is the son of his late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Nick Bradshaw aka. “Goose”. These encounters bring back memories, some of which Maverick would like to forget. All Maverick can do at this point is forge ahead. The story unfolds from there… 

“Top Gun: Maverick” is a sequel that satisfies. 36 Years later Tom Cruise still looks to be having the time of his life. The movie is full of excitement and the story is compelling. There is definitely intrigue, suspense, a ton of aviation type action and great cinematography.

If you enjoyed “Top Gun” you will surely enjoy this new installment.

“Top Gun: Maverick” is definitely worth a look.

This is a 5 Star Movie!!

Mission: Impossible Fallout in 3D

Once again Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team (Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg and Alec Baldwin) along with several of their allies (Rebecca Ferguson and Michelle Monaghan) find themselves trying to correct a mission that has gone terribly wrong.

The team races against time to stop several nuclear blast. The story unfolds from there…

Wow! They went back to the drawing board and figured out how to best the first installment!

“Mission: Impossible – Fallout” is loaded with action, violence, intrigue, drama and crazy stunts. The story is deep and the plot is wide. It’s “Edge-of-Your-Seat” entertainment. The cinematography is brilliant. The 3D aspects are very good.

Even if you don’t love Tom Cruise, you have to respect him. He does all his own stunts and the stunts he does in this installment are worth seeing.

It’s very rare that deep into installments one comes along that’s better than the first. This is one of those times.

If you are a fan of the “Mission:Impossible” Franchise, “Mission:Impossible – Fallout” is a MUST SEE!

This is a 5 Star Movie!!

American Made

Remember the Iran Contra Scandal that plagued the Reagan Administration? “American Made” is about actual events from that scandal.

A TWA Pilot, Barry Seal (Tom Cruise) is approached by a CIA agent, Monty Schafer (Domhnall Gleeson), in an attempt to recruit Barry Seal away from TWA to make flights to Central America. On these flights Barry often times has merchandise such as motorcycles, guns or even liquor to drop off. Barry also picks up drugs while in Central America and makes drops on his way back to the US.

All the while this is going on other agencies are keeping an eye on Barry as they think he might be a criminal (Drug Smuggler). Not fully understanding what Barry’s mission is, the DEA, ATF and FBI ambush Barry in Arkansas. The story unfolds from there…

You have to respect the “Actor” in Tom Cruise as he puts a tremendous amount of energy into the roles he plays. This is true of “American Made”. Tom gives it the energy it needs and without his energy the movie might not be as good as it is.
“American Made” is entertaining. It’s not fast-paced, but it does tell the story in a reasonable fashion.

This is a 4 Star Move!

The Mummy – The 3D IMAX Experience

“The Mummy” is an utter waste of time…

Oh my gosh…What was I thinking…”The Mummy” is one of those movies where you are asking yourself, “Is it over yet I’m ready to leave”.

An Ancient Egyptian Princess, Ahmanet (Sofia Boutella) whose destiny was unjustly taken from her long ago and was believed to be buried deep enough in the unforgiving desert awakens after her tomb has been removed from underground. In order to revive herself Ahmanet needs to feed on humans mainly men. She uses her evil powers to control unsuspecting men by getting inside their heads and getting them to do her bidding.
Ahmanet believes that the man, Nick Morton (Tom Cruise) who freed her is destined to be with her forever. Ahmanet won’t rest until she is able to control Nick and get him to be her “forever prince”. The story unfolds from there…

The remake of a remake, “The Mummy” is boring…There was nothing exciting about it. It’s spends a lot of time appearing dark and dank. The bright spot is the cinematography. This is the start of a new franchise that Universal is calling “The Dark Universe”. This is definitely not one of Tom Cruise’s better movies. It’s not his fault. He tries to make something happen, but it never really materializes.

The remake of the remake of “The Mummy” is best viewed on cable.

This is a 2 Star Movie!

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back: The IMAX Experience

In this second installment based on the Lee Child’s best-selling novel “Never Go Back”, Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) makes his way back to Washington DC to visit Major Turner. When he arrives at Major Turner’s office, Reacher finds out that the Major has been arrested and faces court-marshal. Not understanding this situation Jack starts doing his own investigation into the supposed charges. As he starts to uncover information, he finds out that there is a paternity suit against the army naming him as the father to a daughter that he isn’t aware of.

As Jack continues to dig a lot of people get nervous and they plot to get Jack Reacher out of the way using any means possible. The story unfolds from there…

“Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” should not have come back! It’s not Tom Cruise’s fault. He does everything he can with the story and script he was given. The problem is that the main plot gets messed up and becomes a plot among the many sub-plots.

I commend Tom Cruise because he does all of his own stunts! There is a fair amount of action, suspense and intrigue, but the execution somehow got lost. The movie seems a lot longer than the 1 hour and fifty eight minutes running time.

The first Jack Reacher that came out in 2012 was directed by Christopher McQuarrie. That installment was excellent. This installment was directed by Edward Zwick and its execution is a departure from the first installment.

Unfortunately “Jack Reacher” Never Go Back” only rates a Cable or DVD or Blue Ray viewing.

This is a 2 Star Movie!

Mission:Impossible – Rogue Nation an IMAX Experience

I have to say that “Mission:Impossible – Rogue Nation” is the most thrilling installment in the Franchise history.
The IMF has been disbanded and its members have been forced to join the CIA, all but Ethan Hunt (Cruise) because his location is unknown.
Ethan Hunt finds himself (Cruise) out in the cold. He and his team are facing a highly skilled threat known as the Syndicate. The highly trained operatives will stop at nothing to destroy Ethan and his team plus create a new world order through specialized terrorist attacks.

Ethan and the team join forces with a DISAVOWED British agent Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), who may be a member of the rogue nation. This is the toughest mission yet for the IMF. The story unfolds from there…
The stunts in this movie are out of this world! Tom Cruise did all of his own stunts. That is extremely impressive considering some of the stunts in the movie. Rebecca Ferguson’s character had some really cool moves.

“Action Packed, Intriguing, Thrilling, Suspenseful” are all of the phrases for “Mission:Impossible – Rogue Nation”. The Cinematography is awesome.

Do you want to see the movie or be part of the movie? It’s a must see in IMAX.

This is a 4 1/2 Star Movie!!

Edge of Tomorrow the IMAX Experience

“Edge of Tomorrow” is “Superbly Executed”

Once again Earth is under attack. This time it’s in the near future and the alien race comes calling. They strike in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. They must be stopped before they reach North America and beyond.

Major William Cage (Tom Cruise) is an officer who has never seen a day of combat, but he has strong ideas of how to attack and kill the alien invaders. Because of his ideas, Major Cage is unwillingly dropped into the middle of the combat action and forced into what appears to be a suicide mission. It is literally “Live, Die, Repeat” on a daily basis. It’s a time loop that keeps going. The story unfolds from there…

I am usually “Luke-Warm” about a Tom Cruise movie, but he is awesome in “Edge of Tomorrow”. This is because he doesn’t bring as much intensity to his character as he usually does. He really shows a range of emotions in this movie.
You really must pay attention. Because of the “Time Loop” you don’t want to miss a thing. This is superbly executed. The special effects, action and cinematography are great! Emily Blunt and Tom Cruise have good “on-screen” chemistry.

“Edge of Tomorrow” is a wild ride on the edge of your seat! It’s definitely a must see in IMAX. If you like “Sci-Fi” Action, this is your movie.

This is a 4 star movie.

Oblivion

“Oblivion” is about the battle for control of a post-nuclear earth. The movie is visually appealing, but that’s about it.
It’s the year 2077 and all is not right with the world, in-fact the world as we know it no longer exists.
Tom Cruise plays Jack Harper a security repairman who goes out daily to find and repair Droids who actually kill humans, but Jack is safe from the Droids because he works for the company that controls them.
Jack only has 2 weeks left until his mission is complete and he can join other surviving humans on a far away colony.
Everything changes when Jack rescues a survivor (Olga Kurylenko) from a downed spacecraft; this survivor triggers memories of things past. Jack finds himself in a battle to save mankind. The story unfolds from there…
As I mentioned earlier, “Oblivion” is visually appealing. The Cinematography is breath-taking. The story and plot are disjointed. Things are confusing from the start. The movie in its entirety is dull.
“Oblivion” is best served via Blue Ray, DVD or Cable.

Jack Reacher

In a Pennsylvania city on a quiet day, 5 random people are shot dead. The would-be sniper is quickly apprehended and only utters one name during his interrogation, “Jack Reacher”. Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) is an enigmatic ex-Army Investigator who is very good at what he does. As Jack teams up with the would-be Sniper’s defense attorney (Rosamund Pike). As Jack starts to lay the foundation and put the pieces together it smells and looks like someone was framed and corruption involving a big-time construction company with a lot to lose. The story unfolds from there…
Tom Cruise plays a very good tough guy and will remind you of a younger Clint Eastwood in his “Hey Days”.
The movie is brisk with plenty of action, suspense and intrigue. It’s one of those “You think you have it Figured Out” type of movies, but you will find out you are wrong. Tom Cruise looks good, he definitely worked out in preparation for this movie.
“Jack Reacher” is worth the price of admission.