2034 - Edge of Tomorrow

From the guy who made Swingers… Sorry, I can’t help but say that in my head whenever I see a Doug Liman film.  I have to say that I don’t really have a strong love or hate for Tom Cruise.  With few exceptions (Magnolia, etc…) I find that Tom Cruise is pretty much Tom Cruise in most things - not a bad thing, but nothing to get super excited about.  This is one of his most fun roles to date - a serious action movie that doesn’t take itself super seriously.  It’s Groundhog Day as an action sci-fi film.  I love that we get a combination of seeing him stumble through the ‘repeat’, but then also seeing sequences where he’s clearly done this several times, and watching Emily Blunt be the ‘fresh eyes’ each time is ALWAYS enjoyable.  She’s a powerhouse and a fantastic edition to the action lady group.  You can have your Angelina Jolie’s (for the record, I like Jolie) - but give me Emily Blunt any day and I’m a happy man.  I also quite enjoyed Bill Paxton here, and I’m often so-so about him.  

If you’re up for a smart and fun action flick, this one doesn’t disappoint at all.  Well worth seeing, especially in the theatre.

1797 - Mission Impossibe: Ghost Protocol

This was a film I knew I wanted to see eventually but wasn't really dying to see in the theatres.  Glad it came onto netflix.  Here's the thing about a film like this - the plot is convoluted and whatnot and I really don't put a whole hell of a lot of stock into that - what I want from a film like this is to be entertained by stunts and spectacle and it delivers fully on that.  Brad Bird does a hell of a job on his first live-action effort.  What I liked was how this really brought together a lot of elements from the previous films and made it so it felt like a full universe.  I hope the franchise continues chugging along - I'm in for the next!

1721 - Magnolia

I was in my senior years of High School when this came out and I remember seeing it with some friends who thought it was a pretty dumb film, and I kept quiet, not wanting to stand out as the dissenter in the ranks.  This was a film that really stuck with me.  Sure, you could say that it's slightly heavy handed and has it's fair share of pretentious bits, but I think they're intentional and the film works better for it.
It's a tour-de-force in terms of performances, and easily one of the best ensembles ever assembled.  As arty as PTA is as a filmmaker, he goes simple on this more often than not and it really helps us get centered and grounded into the characters and their lives.  This film has a wonderful flow to it - there's an excitement and you really don't feel it's three hour length as much as you might expect.
This really is one of the great films and I think anyone who doesn't mind some entertaining drama should give it a shot if you've never got a chance to see it.