Throwback Thursday: How Many Impossible Missions Can Tom Cruise Live Through?

"Mr. Hunt, this isn't mission difficult, it's mission impossible.

 "Difficult" should be a walk in the park for you."

- Commander Swanbeck, Mission: Impossible II

Spoiler Alert. 

If you for some reason are as behind on pop culture as I am.

No one freak out, but until last week I had not seen a single Mission: Impossible movie. This is primarily because I find Tom Cruise annoying. He's not on my top hated list (which includes, but is not limited to Nicolas Cage & Kevin Costner) but Tom Cruise just seems too similar in all of his movies. He's a short, cocky, risk tasking asshole. There's nothing wrong with those traits, but when you are those traits just slightly varied in all your films I get the idea that you are those things in real life. And Scientology? Really?

Mission: Impossible (1996): The first film to me was a little predictable. I absolutely hated the "romance" between him and the one other agent that lived. I didn't hate the film overall, but I was not impressed.

Mission: Impossible II (2000): My first reaction to this film is "Please cut your hair, Tom Cruise. Cut it now." I have no issues of men with long hair, but his was styled long. They were acting like he just hadn't been to the barber in a while, but that cut was styled that way. And it was hideous. And why is he rock climbing? My second reaction was confusion because the bad guy is a nice man in Desperate Housewives for one season. (See! More proof of what it means to be a good actor, in M:II the guy is a creep, and in Desperate Housewives he is a sweet man with a wife in a coma.) Final reaction is: Okay, you know what's a good idea? Let's send the woman I just slept with back into an abusive relationship with a man who will kill her if he finds out she's using him. That will work great.

Mission: Impossible III (2006): First reaction: JJ ABRAMS? What are you doing here?! Lens flare all over the place in this film. Good job bringing Simon Pegg! And Nikita!? Second reaction: Keri Russell and Jonathan Rhys Meyers love each other in my mind because of August Rush! Third reaction: Dr. Manhattan? You aren't allowed to be the bad guy! Final thoughts: I would have less issues with this film if I hadn't found out that the romantic lead was cast primarily based on the fact that she looks like Katie Holmes. Katie had to leave Batman because Tom couldn't handle the romance, but he can make out with a woman who looks like her but isn't her? Not okay.

Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol (2011): What, is an IV embarrassing? Then stop making more films! I thought it was the best of all them though. More JJ, more Simon Pegg, and now Hawkeye? Perfect. Tom's hair was long again, but this time it worked. Also why did he and the female agent need to kiss? And shouldn't Tom not bond with her over dead loved ones if his loved one isn't dead? So rude. I loved that Sawyer from Lost was the dead loved one though. JJ, you have your favorites. Lastly, I hated that they climbed the glass building. No one inside happened to see one Tom Cruise scaling the building?

Overall, these films need to find a way to not always have romance be involved for the female characters and they need to be discreet. Since you are a secret organization shouldn't you NOT call attention to yourself? I am also constantly impressed by the masks. Seriously. Those things are mind blowing and stand to ruin the world.

Trash Talk Tuesday: Watchmen and Philosophy

"All we ever see of stars are their old photographs."

- Dr. Manhattan, Watchmen

 

Over the summer between my sophomore year and junior year of college I took a Graphic Novel class (perks of being a Creative Writing major), and one of the comics we read was Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' Watchmen and it blew my mind. I then watched the movie, and was intrigued but as usual disappointed by changes made in the adaption from book to movie. 

I also discussed the comic with several people, including my class. I was struck to find that not everyone loved Dr. Manhattan. He is my favorite character, and probably my favorite superhero. Quickly, I was taught about the theory that of the characters in Watchmen whichever one you side with, or call your favorite states a lot about your personality and outlook on life. I was told to read Watchmen and Philosophy: A Rorschach Test edited by Mark D. White. I finally read it, and while reading it I also re-read the comic and then upon completion re-watched the movie. 

Review of Watchmen and Philosophy: A Rorschach Test edited by Mark D. White:

Genius and thought provoking. I drunkenly talked about the philosophy of being stoic for hours (apparently). At first I felt as though the articles were hating on Dr.Manhattan but that changed. I wish women in relation to the comic were discussed more, there is a lot to say about both Silk Spectre's. But the philosophy was easy to understand and it gave my brain an exhausting but exciting run. I loved it. I love Alan Moore as well, and I hope to read more of his work. In response to one of the articles I have this to say: Watchmen IS literature. How is that a question?

Best articles:

J. Keeping, Superheroes and Supermen: Finding Nietzche's Ubermensch in Watchmen

Christopher M. Drohan, A Timely Encounter: Dr. Manhattan and Henri Bergson

Andrew Terjesen, I'm Just a Puppet Who Can See the Strings: Dr. Manhattan as a Stoic Sage

 Sarah Donovan and Nick Richardson, Watchwomen

For the movie, I have this to say:

Zack Snyder or whoever had the decision making power to do so, ruined the ending. I did not like or approve of the change. BUT: The music of the film was genius. If the comic could have music in it, then it would be pure perfection. The scene of Bob Dylan's Times They Are a-Changin' was an inventive way of showing the influence the Minutemen had on history, and the way we see the world today. And Adrian Vedit saying "War is obsolete" with the Twin Towers in the background was intense for anyone who was in America on 9/11.  

 I would give this book a 4.5, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' a 5, and the movie I would give a 3.5. 

Now what should I read next?