In Dallas This Week and Ranking of All the Mission: Impossible Films
Greetings all,
This week we have another screening of Richard Bailey’s new film “Howler” at the Violet Crown theater on Wednesday, May 14 at 7:30pm. The screening we had a few weeks ago sold out, but there are still seats left for this screening. Here is a story about the film in the Dallas Observer.
Last week, TACA (which stands for The Arts Community Alliance) had its big Silver Cup award luncheon, and they honored Jim Nugent. Jim has been a big supporter of the VideoFest for many, many years. I cannot imagine doing what we have done without him. Jim would rather stay in the background than to be recognized for the significant role he has played. I am so happy and grateful to TACA for honoring him.
Speaking of supporting arts organizations, because of the cuts to the NEA, this would be a great time to support any Arts org you think is doing good work.
A bit ago, Rebecca Zeiger reached out to me because she was researching video in Dallas and Austin. I gave her some materials, and she sent me her report, which you can read here. There is a lot of good history, including the history of video and video stores. Check it out!
If you're in theaters this week, see “Sinners” and stay for the end credits. I think I’ll try to see it again this week. In preparation for the new Mission: Impossible film, I watched the first Mission: Impossible, directed by Brian De Palma. It held up and is on Amazon Prime. If you want to go back further, here is the first episode of the TV show.
My pick of the week is “Swamp Dog Gets His Pool Painted,” a great documentary that screened at the Oak Cliff Film Festival. More info is here.
The Meadows Museum and DIFF are doing the Spanish film series again. This week’s film is on Thursday, May 15, at 7 pm. The film is called “Mamifera,” and here is the trailer. These films are free and are at the Meadows Museum at SMU.
The Angelika Theater is showing. “The Magnificent Ambersons,” on Monday, May 19. When I was in grad school, there were many long debates about which Wells film was better, “Citizen Kane” or “Ambersons.” In my youth, I was in the “Kane” camp, but I have started to lean into “Ambersons.”
Either way, it is a good time to catch this with a live audience.
Ed Bark is off this week.
Have a great week!
-Bart
Howdy,
I've been rewatching all of the Mission: Impossible films on Paramount+ in anticipation of the new film releasing next week and now I can present A Definitive Ranking of All the Mission: Impossible Films. My biggest takeaway is that despite having some of the most convoluted plots, the movies are all immensely watchable. Their TV show origins make sense because, although the plots are loosely connected (especially at the beginning), they can be enjoyed on their own and are more remembered for their biggest stunts, the most wild set pieces rather than any particular storyline.
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)
The fourth film in the series was the first to drop the numerical title in favor of a subtitle, showing their shift away from the siloed nature of the first trilogy into a more comprehensive story. This entry was directed by Brad Bird, who comes from Pixar and "The Incredibles," and I don't think his skill translates to live-action. This one has some of the more confusing plot elements and introduces the worst character in the franchise—Jeremy Renner as William Brandt. He's set up as a more dour Ethan Hunt and the rumor is that he was meant to take over the franchise from Tom Cruise. It's pretty clear that he has no charisma. After his endlessly flat role as Hawkeye in the Marvel films and failed Matt Damon successor in the Bourne franchise, he's been sequestered to the Taylor Sheridan TV universe.
Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)
The sequel to the original film was meant to take the franchise in a different direction with Hong Kong action filmmaker John Woo. He gives us a very cool Tom Cruise with long hair, leather jackets and his best introduction, shirtless, hanging off a cliff, free climbing. This is at the bottom of most lists, probably because none of this movie carries over into the other films, including Thandiwe Newton as a thief and love interest for Ethan Hunt. She's so great and the spycraft in this film is very fun, but the entire movie is a bit of an outlier.
Mission: Impossible (1996)
Much more of a throwback thriller than the other movies, the first film in the series was directed by Brian De Palma, a veteran of the suspense genre. The camera is constantly at an angle and the stakes feel higher than ever when the film opens with Ethan Hunt's entire team being taken out. Obviously it's important for setting up the basis of the franchise, but for me many of the more modern films are better tuned toward what I want from the series. Some of the stunt work, particularly a scene with a helicopter flying close to a train, just does not look great anymore. Most important to the next films is the character Luther, played by Ving Rhames who is a skilled operative and the only person in all of the films alongside Cruise. Also, this movie knows that the Mission: Impossible theme is a banger and doesn't let you forget it.
Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)
This fifth film in the series is really where it found its modern footing and it's no surprise considering this is the first Mission film directed by Tom Cruise's best friend Christopher McQuarrie. After working together on "Jack Reacher," "Valkyrie," and "Edge of Tomorrow" and later "The Mummy" and "Top Gun: Maverick," it's clear that the two are in it for the long haul. Since the plots of these films are not nearly as important as the stunts, McQuarrie is great at moving around the story to suit the set piece. This film also introduces Rebecca Ferguson as an MI6 spy who is just as cunning and skilled as Ethan Hunt, making her the perfect friend/enemy whose motives are unclear. The diving tank stunt in this is very, very good.
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning (2023)
This is the most recent film that came out a few summers ago and is ever solid. It's a bit hard to judge how this fares, because the story about an AI that is taking over the world is only half-finished—this is the only film that doesn't wrap up by the end. We do get some very memorable set pieces including a foot race through Abu Dhabi's stunning airport and a train sequence on the Orient Express that the first film didn't quite deliver on, whereas this one ups the ante to Impossible levels.
Mission: Impossible 3 (2006)
I love Mission: Impossible 3, maybe contrary to how good the actual movie is. JJ Abrams directed this, which led to a lot of takes about this feeling more like a pilot episode of television, but I think it really needed some of the elements that this one sets up. This is the first film that made the globetrotting elements of the movie clear, taking place in China, Germany, the US, and most importantly Italy, where the team has to infiltrate the Vatican in one of the most memorable sequences in the series. They also start to turn it into American James Bond, to the series's benefit. We see a lot more of the spy tech that the crew uses, especially showing off the actually impossible mask technology for the first time. JJ brings in his friend Simon Pegg as Benji for perfect comedic relief and he stays as a series staple.
Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)
Maybe this is my favorite in the franchise because they finally got rid of Jeremy Renner's wet blanket of a character AND kill off Alec Baldwin's just as boring IMF director role. In their places are the excellent Henry Cavill as a CIA agent with hidden motives and Angela Bassett as his director. The fight scenes take the forefront with an incredible bathroom brawl juxtaposing Cruise with the impossibly large Cavill and a final showdown that includes amazing helicopter stunts with a snowy mountain tussle. They also bring back Hunt's ex-wife played by Michelle Monaghan, who is given more to do in this than the entire time the two were married.
Mission: Impossible - Final Reckoning (2025)
The newest film, releasing next week, was originally going to be titled "Dead Reckoning Part 2" but after the less than optimal performance of Part 1, both films were retitled. For this entry, Cruise and co. secured the maximum amount of IMAX screens and have been going on a worldwide press tour to make sure the film is seen. He's even coming to Dallas in a few days to promo the movie. They are teasing this as the end for Ethan Hunt, but as we've seen before, the defiant Cruise will probably never be able to pass the torch. I speculate that an IMF-focused TV show is probably in the works for the Paramount+ streaming service, just to bring things full-circle.
This weekend at the Modern in Fort Worth, we are showing the documentary "Hung Up On a Daydream" spotlighting the iconic British band, The Zombies.
-Elijah