Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol

I suppose whether or not one likes the Mission: Impossible films depends largely on how one feels about Tom Cruise. While not an avid fan of the actor per se, I love this series of films and to Cruise's credit his penchant for gazing with steely-eyed intensity at the camera works really well for the role of IMF agent extraordinaire Ethan Hunt. The Mission movies feed my desire to see slick spy capers on the big screen, and after giving it some thought it is possible that Ghost Protocol is the best film in the series to date.

It has been five years since we last saw Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) walk off into the sunset with his new wife Julia (Michelle Monaghan), leaving the future of the film franchise in some doubt -- now that the hero had seemingly achieved some measure of happiness in his personal life, would he return to work? The answer, thankfully, is HECK YES. The film opens with IMF agent Jane Carter (Paula Patton) and newly-promoted field agent Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg, a carryover from the third film) breaking Hunt and his source, Bogdan (Miraj Grbic), out of a Moscow prison. The IMF want Hunt to help save Carter's previous mission which had gone horribly wrong, when her fellow agent and lover Trevor Hanaway (LOST's Josh Hollaway) was killed by Sabine Moreau (Lea Seydoux), who stole the nuclear launch codes he'd intercepted and plans to sell them to "Cobalt" (Michael Nyqvist), a nutcase. Hunt is viewed as something of a loose cannon by this new "team," since he was in prison for essentially going rogue and killing the Serbian hit squad responsible for the death of his wife (*sadface*).

I was so happy to see Benji return to the series -- Pegg is HILARIOUS and plays the computer geek thrilled to "see some action" in the field to perfection. I loved Benji's non-stop banter, in-the-field jitters, and Hunt's palpable exasperation with him -- the two play off each other quite well. Patton's Jane Carter is perhaps the best-realized female agent in the film series to date -- my favorite at any rate. She's fiesty, capable, and determined, and more than the equal of her male counterparts. Female spies in franchises like this can all too easily fall into the trap of being just a pretty face, rather empty-headed, but Carter avoids that trap by possessing an impressive drive and determination to succeed, thanks to Trevor's murder.

But by far my favorite cast addition is intelligence analyst William Brandt (Jeremy Renner), who falls in with the team quite by accident after the IMF is disavowed and blamed for a bombing at the Kremlin, and must go on the run to prove themselves innocent and stop the aforementioned Cobalt nutcase from starting a nuclear war. I've loved Renner since his work on the short-lived TV show The Unusuals, and 2012 promises to be a banner year for him with appearances in The Avengers and The Bourne Legacy. All is not as it seems with Brandt, who carries a terrible secret that could shatter his tenuous relationship with Hunt. Renner was just MADE for this type of role -- he's got the looks and physicality and also the humor, the snarkiness to make a character like Brandt appealing and quite frankly sheer fun to watch. If there's a fifth Mission: Impossible film -- and it seems likely, given the success of this installment -- if most or all of the team of Pegg, Patton, and Renner sign on to support Cruise I'm all for the idea (more on that in a moment).

I think a great deal of the credit for revitilizing the franchise in this manner has to go to director Brad Bird, who prior to this was known for directing films like The Incredibles. There's a sense of energy and pacing to Ghost Protocol that reminds me of the Pixar superhero family, and a family of sorts is indeed what this movie creates between the IMF team members. They quarrel and argue and question each other, but when push comes to shove they are there for each other. To paraphrase a line I read in an article somewhere about the film, Ghost isn't Tom Cruise vs. the world, this is a genuine TEAM effort. And getting invested in that team, and their relationships with each other, and enjoying the on-screen dynamic -- that is a large part of what makes this movie work so extraordinarily well.

Of course there are spectacular action sequences and cool spy gadgets -- it just wouldn't be a Mission: Impossible movie without those "amazing" (read: ridiculously convenient) masks the team creates to impersonate people (though in a good-natured jab at the previous films, the masks don't work, leaving the team to rely on cool bravado to sell their con), as well as a host of new technology -- my favorite being the contact lens that serves as a camera, that sends copies to a wireless printer in a special briefcase. Seriously, I WANT ONE. I have no idea WHY, I just do. *wink* 

In addition to the spy "toys," this film is chock-full of arguably some of the most spectacular action sequences in the franchise. After the team's attempt to retrieve a file on the elusive Cobalt from the Kremlin goes south and the building explodes, I thought that could possibly be the film's high-water mark -- and was I ever wrong. The trailers give you a glimpse of Cruise's high-wire act climbing the Burj Khalifa -- the world's tallest skyscraper -- in Dubai in his best Spiderman impression. The visuals in that scene are just spectacular, and the tension is superbly handled. I love that the team never gives you a sense during this or any other moment in the film that they are cocky and overly confident -- this time around there's a renewed sense of fallibility among Cruise & company -- as the audience we "know" how things are supposed to work out, so full credit to the script, cast, and director for maintaining tension and excitement throughout. Each member of this core team knows they are riding a high-wire act, each has experienced or witnessed the horrible cost of a mission gone wrong -- the stakes are high and the film keeps viewers invested and interested in the outcome. And I didn't even talk about Hunt's pursuit of Cobalt in the middle of a sandstorm... :)

Couple of quick notes -- it was terrific to see Tom Wilkinson make a brief appearance as the ill-fated IMF Secretary. It was also WONDERFUL to see longtime Hunt cohort Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) make a brief cameo at the film's conclusion -- if he can be persuaded to come back for a fifth film, that would pretty much make things perfect. Music-wise Michael Giacchino delivers perhaps an even better score than his first outing in the series for the third M:I film. Giacchino also has a history of working with director Bird on The Incredibles, and one wonders if this similar superhero/action-themed collaboration inspired the energy of his  newest offering.

In a way that's somewhat reminscent of the "realism" Daniel Craig brought to the character of James Bond in Casino Royale, Ghost Protocol reminds viewers that the IMF agents accomplishing these impossible feats are very human. I can't remember Ethan Hunt ever taking quite as much of a pounding as he does in this latest installment. And it isn't just the reminder that characters like Ethan aren't immune to physical harm -- this script adds layers of emotional resonance that in the end makes this particular grouping of IMF agents people you care about. This is perhaps best summed up at the movie's conclusion, when Hunt (SPOILER ALERT) admits to Brandt that his wife is, in fact, alive. There's two things at play here that made me love that moment -- one, Hunt recognizing himself in Brandt and realizing just how much it would mean to know the truth behind the failed mission in Croatia, and two, witnessing Hunt's faithfulness to his wife and seeing just how much he loves her. Yes, I know I am a total romantic sap but GAH!! -- that moment killed me it was so perfect.

For sheer escapist fun Ghost Protocol can't be beat. Kudos to the entire production team for refreshing a franchise that could've gotten stale if filmmakers had continued to insist on relying on Cruise's star power alone. This team works, and as the main thread that has run throughout the film franchise, Cruise plays off the newbies really well. :)

Midnight in Paris

I love it when a movie surprises me, and succeeds in exceeding all of my expectations and completely and utterly capturing my imagination. Surprisingly, Midnight in Paris is such a film. I say "surprising" because historically Woody Allen and I have not been the best of friends. Prior to Paris there was a grand total of two, yes two Allen films I could say I liked - The Purple Rose of Cairo and Scoop. Midnight in Paris blows past its slim competition in Allen's filmography, and indeed shoots past most of its contemporary competition to achieve the elusive mark of ultimate favor from me - that of a modern-day classic. This is one of those rare films that I can best describe by saying it "gets" me. This is a film that engaged me on all fronts, emotionally and intellectually, best experienced in a packed theater full of like-minded patrons who feel the exact same way.

Woody Allen gets me on that deep a level? Yes. Apparently so. File that under things I never thought I'd type. :)

Gil is a romantic, who longs to escape his hum-drum existence as a scriptwriter in Hollywood to pen a novel like his literary heroes who inhabited Paris in the 1920s - Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Stein, etc. He's engaged to his complete opposite, Inez - a pretentious, nagging twit who has no understanding or sympathy for Gil's literary aspirations or romantic nature. In keeping with the theme of "firsts" for this movie, Gil is played by Owen Wilson, who is absolutely delightful, funny, and charming - and again, those are three adjectives I never thought I'd apply to that man. Wilson fills the requisite "Woody Allen" role with dash and endearing style, and if he would tap into this side of his acting personality more often I could be a huge fan. Rachel McAdams, as Inez, I can take or leave quite easily. I thought she was excellent in the Shakespearean-themed Slings and Arrows series, and later this year we'll get to see her take on Irene Adler in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (which sounds more like a video game than a film, but whatevs). She plays the incredibly clueless, annoying Inez really, really well. (I'm ignoring the oh-so-unsurprising Republican stereotyping mercifully and briefly employed vis-a-vis Inez's parents.)

I was an English major in college, and this film actually succeeded in making me really and truly miss school, homework and deadlines and all. Midnight in Paris is a lit lover's dream come true. Whether or not you cherish the works of Fitzgerald and Hemingway, their own special brand of genius and impact on literature cannot be denied. Watching Gil geek out over meeting his writing heroes is like the ultimate in English major wish fulfillment, simply imagine yourself in his shoes, standing opposite a favorite author, and voila, the magic of Midnight in Paris is instantly personalized.

The soundtrack to this world is glorious. Allen had the good taste to liberally sprinkle the soundtrack with Cole Porter songs - the man is a absolute favorite of mine, so witty and urbane and intelligent. The song choices and instrumental pieces provide a glorious soundscape for Gil's time-tripping Parisian adventure.

One of the film's biggest charms is its characterization of literary and artistic giants like Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Salvador Dali, and Pablo Picasso. While Adrien Brody was absolutely hilarious with his over-the-top, energetic portrayal of Dali, Corey Stoll, I think, stole the show with his interpretation of Ernest Hemingway. Dry, hilariously monotone, and just positively seething with an over-the-top, excessive sense of hyper-masculinity, Stoll just owned the screen as Hemingway. Which was good for Hemingway, because I have never been a big Hemingway fan...

F. Scott Fitzgerald, however, is another story, my friends. And this isn't just a Great Gatsby thing, Gatsby is all well and good but it's his short stories that make my heart sing. I absolutely wore out my reprint edition copy of Flappers and Philosophers. Anyways, if you've been around the blog for a while, you know I'm a ridiculously excitable Tom Hiddleston fangirl, and when he came on-screen as Fitzgerald I nearly jumped out of my chair. One has to admire the man's acting range - he covers Masterpiece fans with his turns in Cranford and Wallander, and comic book movie fans with utterly memorable, completely beguiling, loved-every-second-of-it turn as Loki in Thor (my review). Hiddleston and Alison Pill as Zelda did a superb job bringing a little slice of the Fitzgeralds' stormy, passionate relationship to life.

On his "accidental sojourns" into the past Gil meets Adriana (Marion Cotillard), one of Picasso's on-again, off-again lovers. The two instantly click, in no small part due to the fact that they are both die-hard romantics by nature. Cotillard positively shines as Adriana. She looks as though she were made to inhabit 1920s Paris (just one way of saying she is class personified) - her turn in Public Enemies (my review) also proves her affinity for the period - and Allen plays up her etheral beauty to great effect, making it easy to see how she captivates Gil from the moment they meet.* I loved Cotillard's appearance in Inception (my review), and I'm really looking forward to seeing her in The Dark Knight Rises next year.

*The scene where Gil tries to hide the fact that he was going to give Adriana a pair of Inez's earrings was comedy GOLD. Also, while I'm on the subject of Gil and women, his scenes with Gertrude Stein (Kathy Bates) are wonderful. Blunt, forthright, and brassy, Bates was wonderful in the role.

Unlike Gil and to his ever-lasting shock, Adriana does not hold the belief that her time is a golden age. She longs to live in the Paris of the 1890s, when artists like Edgar Degas (Francois Rostain) and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (Vincent Menjou Cortes) frequented the Moulin Rouge and restaurants like Maxim's, a gathering place for the glittering social and artistic elite of the day. It was a real treat to see this film's recreation of Maxim's, as my first filmic introduction to that famous address was in the 1958 film Gigi.

It's only after Gil follow's Adriana into her dream world that he realizes living in the past isn't all its cracked up to be (i.e., a lack of vaccinations in 1890s Paris). Living with one's eyes completely on the past blinds one to the charms of the present, and strips the era in question of its uniqueness and beauties. Balance is the key, and it's a concept that Allen beautifully articulates on-screen. Midnight in Paris knows what makes nostalgia lovers like me tick. We can't recapture a golden age, but we can love it and appreciate it, and through that appreciation enrich our present.

As Gil discovers, it's best not to live in one's dreams, you might say, but to use those dreams to enrich one's present - and when one finds like-minded souls that share the same passions, so much the better, no? :) I was excited to see Gabrielle, a fellow Cole Porter aficionado, played by Lea Seydoux, last seen as Isabella in Robin Hood (my review) and later this year in Mission Impossible.

I adored every second of this movie. Midnight in Paris is a film for dreamers, a love letter to romantics, a rare movie-going experience for lit lovers to savor. Packed with glorious shots of Paris, past and present, to savor, gorgeous costumes and period detail, top-notch acting, and hilarious one-liners, get thee to a theater to see Midnight in Paris ASAP. If you need more convincing, read Rachel's fantastically articulate take on the film at a Fair Substitute for Heaven.