Red Mosquito

Steve Albini wrote:Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.

Jorge wrote:I think it's a good example of a cliffhanger done right, where the movie still feels like a narrative complete whole

Farmer John wrote:Rewatched the first three Mission Impossibles and enjoyed them all to varying degrees.

The first one seems downright quaint compared to the more recent instalments. I'd still put it towards the bottom of the ranking, but I do like the low-key, atmospheric vibe. The twists and reveals are very awkwardly handled, and that final helicopter/train chase through the tunnel is pretty dumb.

M:I II is still easily the worst. This is the one that has aged the worst. It feels way more dated than the first one. A lot of that is thanks to the soundtrack. A weird mix between computery rock guitar and, for some reason, flamenco music. Plot-wise, it’s fine enough, so this is mostly John Woo’s fault. Its problems are mostly stylistic. All the slow-mo action has been talked about enough, but it also features the worst acting in the series. So many overly dramatic, excruciatingly long pauses in the dialog. Same with the action. Tom does way too many unnecessary spins and twirls. There’s also a lot of cool guy action poses. Still, I had fun watching it.

One thing that jumps out watching these again is how much better of an actor Tom Cruise became as the series went on. That’s very apparent in M:I III, which is a significant jump in quality overall. This one would be near the top of my rankings. Loved it even more this time. It also features possibly the greatest/weirdest moment in the franchise, when Ethan climbs to the top of the Vatican wall, looks at the camera and says “Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall”. 5 stars.

Spoiler: show

- Is that really an example of "fridging"? Doesn't seem like it to me, considering he almost immediately switched over to the newer model and kinda forgot about the old one. And it's not like she died like a punk or anything. But to be honest, I have no memory of this character and perhaps that's why it didn't feel too motivating that she died.

- Speaking of characters I don't remember, is the bad guy from an old movie, or is he just thrown in there? These movies leave no lasting impression on me at all. Whatever you say. I'll believe.

- I love that Ving Rhames just shows up once every few years, spouts some exposition or words of wisdom, collects his millions, then fucks off. What a life.

- Atwell is always great, but she does have the (old school) love interest habit of spazzing out at the worst times. That was kinda annoying, but how refreshingly dated!

lennytheweedwhacker wrote:Where is Ello?

lennytheweedwhacker wrote:I'll protect you from any and all harm.

BurtReynolds wrote:This one won me over. Probably the first one I liked since 3. It has all the annoying things I don't like about the series (those fucking masks for one), but the stuff it did right it did great!

Spoiler: show

- Is that really an example of "fridging"? Doesn't seem like it to me, considering he almost immediately switched over to the newer model and kinda forgot about the old one. And it's not like she died like a punk or anything. But to be honest, I have no memory of this character and perhaps that's why it didn't feel too motivating that she died.

- Speaking of characters I don't remember, is the bad guy from an old movie, or is he just thrown in there? These movies leave no lasting impression on me at all. Whatever you say. I'll believe.

- I love that Ving Rhames just shows up once every few years, spouts some exposition or words of wisdom, collects his millions, then fucks off. What a life.

- Atwell is always great, but she does have the (old school) love interest habit of spazzing out at the worst times. That was kinda annoying, but how refreshingly dated!

Tom Cruise and his massive ego are the only thing keeping Hollywood from producing nothing but garbage. May he live forever.

Spoiler: show

Ilsa's death being alright

VinylGuy wrote:yeah, that was hilarious

Loved to see Henry Czerny again too.

E.H. Ruddock wrote:Ving Rhames had that Arby’s money. He doesn’t even need to do these!

wease wrote:

E.H. Ruddock wrote:Ving Rhames had that Arby’s money. He doesn’t even need to do these!

Wait. That’s him doing those voiceovers?!?!?