Movie Review - "Mission:Impossible - Ghost Protocol" (2011) ****1/2

     Wow. One simple word....WOW. Those three little letters crossed my mind many times while watching the newest installment in the Mission:Impossible film franchise. This is a franchise that I have been a big fan of. The original film just missed making my top 100 list, it was one of the last cuts actually. The scene where Tom Cruise and his team of agents infiltrate the CIA headquarters is one of my favorite movie scenes ever. M:I 2 was a bit of a letdown but I enjoyed M:I 3 a lot as well. So I was excited for this newest installment and have been waiting patiently for a couple of months to see it. I've always been a fan of Tom Cruise, the actor. (Tom Cruise the "celebrity" hasn't often been the same case). When he is on his game, and isn't too full of himself, I think he's one of the funnest actors of our generation to watch. His performance as Ethan Hunt in M:I Ghost Protocol only strengthens that argument for me.

     Describing the plot of a M:I film is not the easiest thing to do. I think I may be able to perform brain surgery better. In a nutshell, there is a person of interest with the code name of "Cobalt" who wants to start a nuclear war between Russia and the United States. The movie opens with a team of IMF (Impossible Missions Force) agents breaking Ethan Hunt out of a prison in Moscow, Russia. (Don't ask) On the outside, Hunt receives a mission to infiltrate the Kremlin in order to gain information on "Cobalt". Hunt and his two sidekicks, Jane (Paula Patton) and Benji (Simon Pegg), soon find themselves undercover deep in the heart of the Russian military but the plan goes awry and must be aborted. The Kremlin is blown up and the Russians blame the IMF and the United States, leading to tensions that haven't been this high since the Cuban Missile Crisis. The President of the US activates Ghost Protocol which disavows the entire IMF, and the team finds themselves on the run without any help from the government. They pick up a fourth member along the way, an IMF analyst named Brandt (Jeremy Renner), who we can tell from the get-go has more to him than initially meets the eye. The 4 IMF agents track "Cobalt" to Dubai, where an exchange is scheduled to happen at the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. It's here where a lot of the jaw-dropping special effects and action take place, highlighted by Ethan scaling the outside of the building like Spiderman in a vertigo-inducing scene. Wow. Before the movie is over we also visit Mumbai, before arriving back home in the US.

     M:I - Ghost Protocol is a pure adrenaline rush from start to finish. The movie takes a break for five minutes here and there to setup what's coming next, but for the most part is action packed from start to finish. Most of the action defies logic of course, but this is one of those movies you just throw all of that garbage out the window and just go with it. I saw this movie in IMAX and if you get the opportunity to see it that way, I highly recommend it. Only about 30 minutes of the movie was filmed with IMAX technology but those are a tremendous 30 minutes. A lot of it occurs during the Burj Khalifa scene, which will immediately go with that CIA infiltration scene in the original as an instant classic. I'm not sure how the film will look on a regular screen, but I hope it doesn't lose its luster. I may give it a try, just to see the comparison. The film was directed by Brad Bird, a name you probably know but for a completely different type of film. All of Bird's previous directing work has been in animation, including the hits The Iron Giant, The Incredibles and Ratatouille, a personal favorite of mine. He would seem like an odd choice for this job, but he has pulled off a miraculous feat. It doesn't matter what kind of movie you make, when you're good, you're good. For a film that is so action packed, the acting is also superb here. We've mentioned Cruise already, but Renner is becoming one of my favorite actors to see on screen. He earned my vote as Best Actor back in 2010 for The Hurt Locker and I also enjoyed his role in The Town. Simon Pegg provides some well-timed comic relief as Benji and Paula Patton does a kick-butt (literally) job as Jane. I highly recommend this film. If you want a 2-hour escape where you can just sit back and say WOW repeatedly, this is your movie. One of my favorites of the year so far.

Movie Review - "Bridesmaids" (2011) ***1/2

     I can't remember what movie it was that I went to see earlier this year, but as I was walking through the theater, I saw a large cardboard advertisement for Bridesmaids. I distinctly remember rolling my eyes as I passed by it and thinking to myself, "Well, there's no way THAT will be any good." I paid no attention to any reviews or promotion for the film and I had forgotten about it as the summer went along. Fast forward to the past few weeks. We are in "Awards Season" where all the different critics associations start handing out their year-end honors for the films of 2011. Something started raising my eyebrow, Bridesmaids was being nominated, and even winning, some of these accolades. When the AFI (American Film Institute) named it as one of the 10 best films of the year, that really opened my eyes up and made me second guess myself on this film. So I rented it On Demand and decided to give it a shot. The old saying is true, "Don't judge a book by its cover".......or a movie, I guess.

     The film has a pretty simple storyline. Annie (Kristen Wiig) and Lillian (Maya Rudolph) are best friends since childhood. Things have not been going well for Annie. She's in a relationship with an uncommitted jerk named Ted (Jon Hamm), her cake bakery business has gone out of business, and she is struggling to pay even the smallest bills. So when her best friend tells her that she is getting married, Annie is obviously happy for Lillian, but there is definitely a little bit of jealously. Annie agrees to be the Maid of Honor though, she is Lillian's best friend after all. At the engagement party, we meet the other bridesmaids; Rita (Wendi McLendon-Covey), Becca (Ellie Kemper), Megan (Melissa McCarthy), and Helen (Rose Byrne). Helen is Lillian's newest friend and is one of those "perfect" ladies that other ladies usually hate right away. It isn't long before Helen and Annie are butting heads over how to give Lillian the best wedding possible. Annie is sure that Helen is trying to replace her as Maid of Honor and will do anything to avoid that. All of these ladies want the best wedding possible for Lillian, but can they come together and bond before destroying the whole event before it happens?

     I was surprised by how much I laughed during this movie, it even had me doubled over a couple of times. The movie is directed by Paul Feig, who is best known for his work in television on such shows as "Freaks and Geeks", "The Office", and "Arrested Development". Bridesmaids marks his directorial debut in movies. The movie is produced by Judd Apatow, the famous producer/director who is responsible for many comedies over the last decade and a half, including 40-Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and Superbad, just to name a few. His movies are known for their raunchiness, so you'd think this would be something different. It's not. This movie is every bit as raunchy as his predecessors, maybe that's what appealed to me. This isn't a movie for the kiddos by any means!! There is a scene, which I have learned has already become legendary, where the bridesmaids have some food poisoning "issues" while trying on bridesmaids gowns. I was shocked to see this unfold before my eyes, but I couldn't stop laughing at the same time. This is something I would expect from a movie like The Hangover, not a "chick flick". All of the actresses perform admirably, but Melissa McCarthy is the standout in my opinion as Megan. Her character is a complete riot and I would not be shocked to see her pick up an Oscar nomination for Supporting Actress. Wiig's performance is also getting some well-deserved attention but a Best Actress nomination seems like a long shot. I don't know, it was just missing that little something. Don't get me wrong though, she does a great job. I doubt Bridesmaids will make my top 10 list for the year, like it did with the AFI, but it's going to be darn close. This is a funny movie and I'm glad I got over my initial bias and gave it a shot. It was a fun two hours.

Movie Review - "The Muppets" (2011) ***1/2 (***** for sentimental value)

     Well, it feels good to be back reviewing movies on the blog. I've missed this the past few months. Hopefully I won't have any more long lapses and I hope you the reader finds something here that will have you coming back for future installments. For my first review of the blog reboot, I decided to go old school in a way. I'm one of those people who is very attached to his childhood. Quite often, I like to go back and revisit things that were popular when I was growing up. One of those things that I fondly remember is The Muppets. I grew up watching The Muppet Show on television, saw all of the Muppet movies when they came on television, heck I even became a huge Muppet Babies and Fraggle Rock fan. I just loved all things Muppets. I think it's safe to say that Muppets creator Jim Henson is behind only Star Wars creator George Lucas in shaping my childhood pop culture memories. So about a year ago when I first heard that a new movie was being made featuring the Muppets, I knew that was something I wanted to see. While I love the Muppets, the movies have been a bit hit or miss. My favorite is probably The Muppets Take Manhattan but the most recent film, Muppets From Space, was a bit lacking I thought. That being said, I was looking forward to this new installment with great anticipation.

     The Muppets stars Jason Segel and Amy Adams (absolutely beautiful as always, if I do say so myself), as Gary and Mary, a happy couple who has been dating almost 10 years yet still haven't gotten engaged, to Mary's disappointment. Gary has a brother named Walter, the world's biggest Muppet fan. Gary surprises Walter one day by inviting him on a vacation that he had planned with Mary to Los Angeles. Gary says they can stop by the Muppet Studios while visiting L.A., which obviously excites Walter. Upon arriving, the trio learn a harsh reality. The Muppet Studios are worn down and a rich, oil tycoon named Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) is planning on buying the studios and tearing them down because he suspects oil is underneath the foundation. Walter learns that the only way to save the studios from the nefarious Richman is to come up with $10 million quickly. Walter, Mary and Gary come up with a plan to reunite the Muppet gang and have a telethon to raise money so they can save the studios. They visit Kermit to pitch the idea but he is down on it because the gang has all split up and went their separate ways because the Muppets are no longer important to anyone. They do eventually get Kermit to agree though and soon all of our favorites; Fozzie, Gonzo, Miss Piggy, Animal and the rest are back at it. Can they pull off a good show and raise enough money in time, or will evil Tex Richman get the last laugh? (maniacal laugh)

      So, is The Muppets a great movie? Yes....and No. From a story standpoint, I wasn't really invested. It's not like we don't know how it's going to turn out or anything. The acting is fine, nothing to write home about. Segel, Adams and Cooper all do good enough jobs, and there are a ton of cameos to look for throughout the picture which was a lot of fun. But this movie works simply for sentimental reasons. The characters could have been on screen reading the phone book and I would have had a smile on my face. It's just fun seeing Fozzie try to crack a joke. Or Piggy, being as sassy as ever. One of my favorite touches was seeing Animal in anger management class, now that's good stuff. By the time we get to a singing of "Rainbow Connection", I'm completely hooked and the smile won't leave my face. I may have even had a tear well up in my eye a time or two. The movie works tremendously in that sense. I specifically made a mental note to watch the children in the audience, to see how they reacted to this movie. While there was some rustling and fidgeting during the first 45 minutes or so, by the end of the film, you couldn't hear anyone talking or moving in that theater, the kids were hooked on the screen. That warmed my heart more than anything. The Muppets brought a lot of joy to people in my age range, I think some of you are probably smiling right now reading this, you know who you are. But this movie will allow the Muppets gang to reach a new generation of children and with some of the trash out there these days, that can only be a good thing. We need more of the Muppets.

The Blog: The Sequel

    Well, after disappearing for a few months, I've decided to wipe the dust off the movie blog and give it another shot. I had a lot of fun doing it when I started but I got kind of discouraged when it felt like nobody was coming unless I linked them to it. So I just decided to let it go and my suspicions were confirmed when nobody asked about it for two months. I guess it wasn't missed much. That's okay though. It's something I enjoy doing and that should be the only motivation I need. I love movies. I love watching them, I love talking about them, I love debating them. Hopefully, if I rebuild it, people will come. If not, that's okay though. For the two people who seemed interested, and you know who you are, this is for you.