OT: MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 3 is a KILLER movie! GO!

[sparkle_motion]

Juan, let's backtrack for a second though because Cruise, and let me say I'm as nauseated with his persona and bizarre, increasingly weird habits, really plays an action hero with a degree of sweat, blood and tears that most don't.  He's very focused, takes it very seriously and is never off his game. 

And also, he played an outrageous, moving character in Magnolia not to long ago, completely against type.  I wish he'd do more ensemble work like that, rather than films built around his image. 

rt

I've always thought that Tom was more like his character in Magnolia than any of the other movies he's done.

[JCinNYC2006]

I never saw Magnolia, not completely, but I probably should since I liked Boogie Nights.  So obviously I don't know what his performance in that was like.  I saw probably five minutes of Collateral so again not really enough to form an opinion.  You're probably right, rt, about what he brings to the action hero roles.  It just hasn't been enough to draw me in to see a movie of his.  I think the last thing I saw him in was Minority Report, which I found enjoyable, but not as good as Blade Runner.

I remember seeing him on some awards show, and Jamie Foxx was on and it was after they did Collateral so I guess they were pretty friendly.  At one point Jamie Foxx might have been presenting, or just speaking at the mike, and it looked like Tom Cruise was standing on a sloped part of the stage.  I just thought, how bizarre, it's like it was designed to make him look at tall as Jamie Foxx, because God forbid anyone should think Tom Cruise is short. 

Some celebrity/superstar/actors, to paraphrase Dorothy Parker, run the gamut from A to B in terms of the type of part they play.  Good for them if it brings in a steady income and people flock to see it.  I had a similar dislike of Bruce Willis, in terms of his range of roles and his politics.  The Sixth Sense changed my mind a bit, at least enough to also see Sin City (then again, Clive Owens was in that too, drooool).  Occasionally the persona doesn't overshadow the celebrity...but not very often.

Juan

[Sheyne]

To me, Closer is about as raw and honest a look at selfish modern relationships and the impulses and manipulations that drive them than any other film I have ever seen. 

The honest dialogue is acidic and pointed and Natalie Portman (and Clive Owen) is completely heartbreaking, particularly during the scene where she says:

"I'm not sure when your moment was, but I'm sure there was one." 

The scene between her and Clive Owen later in the strip club says a lot about the putting on and taking off of masks, and it's frightening. 

The way the control is wrestled back and forth between the four of them and where they end up, is, at least to me, pretty frank and honest. 

rt

Sorry, but I really liked Closer. I just LOVE Clive Owen as an actor and Natalie Portman as an actress.  I'm with you on this rt, and I loved your summary of the movie.  If I had 1 minor quibble with Closerl, it would be that people rarely speak in the meaningful prose that seemed to comprise every line, but I understand this was a deliberate tactic on the part of the writer and director.  Still doesn't detract from the fact that its a great film.  I love seeing an actor like Clive Owen get to shine.  And rt, i LOVED that scene between he and Portman at the end in the strip club. Especially when you realise she's being honest with HIM, when she couldn't be honest with her boyfriend of several years.. So powerful.

And for the record, I'll definitely be seeing MI-III.  I'm not so naive as to claim that actors and their personal lives won't influence whether I will or won't see a movie, but there just happen to be many actors in this movie that I admire greatly and I'd like to support their work (especially the fabulous Michelle Monaghan). Leaving Tom Cruise - the-couch-jumping, placenta -chomping-Scientologist-weirdo out of the picture? I can enjoy watching him do what he does best. Yes, I mean that. I thought he did a great job in Born of the 4th of July, I thought he was mesmerising in Magnolia (if only for the fact that he turned in a blistering perfomance in a film where he wasn't the lead - I loved it!!) and I loved him in Collateral. Heck I even liked him in Jerry Maguire, even though that film belongs in the same category at Blockbuster as Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty... lol. Cruise CAN act, anyone who says otherwise hasn't paid close attention to the aforementioned movies.  

Just my $0.02..

[dmmb_Mandy]

I think you're only appologizing to Chris, as far as I can tell the rest of us here all loved it! I adore Natalie and Clive's not so bad himself 
Well said Sheyne, babe, well said 

[slayers_creek_oth]

I think you're only appologizing to Chris, as far as I can tell the rest of us here all loved it! I adore Natalie and Clive's not so bad himself 
Well said Sheyne, babe, well said 

And there's no reason to apologize......I didn't care for the film but I respect the opinion of those who did....no worries! 

[delalluvia]

I'm boycotting it. I don't like Tom Cruise, at all. But thanks for the review.

Ditto.

I liked 'Signs' but because of the director and the topic.  It had nothing to do with the actors.  I used to see Mel Gibson movies simply because the man was ungodly beautiful.  He's still a good actor, but he's rapidly lost his looks and  his bizarre personal beliefs quickly killed my interest in him.

'Jarhead' I failed to connect with and failed to 'feel his pain'.  However, perhaps Mendes - like Ang - meant us to feel the 'disconnection' these guys felt there, the idea that their real personas were buried under their military bravado masks and only came out to their detriment.  I found more to like in 'Jarhead' the more I saw it.  And though I do find Jake very attractive, he wasn't in 'Jarhead'.  Did not go for the skinhead no-neck look.   

[cmr107]

I have a question. The only time I saw the first two MI movies was way back when they were in theatres. I pretty much don't remember anything about the stories. Will I be lost in MI3 without remembering what happened in the first two?

[opinionista]

Most criticism, protests and objections to things--BBM notwithstanding--all stem from some sort of misunderstood idea of what the art is trying to do or say, and not actually with what is in the piece itself.  

rt

Well, I agree with you rtprod but not everybody has enough strenght to see these kind of films, not after experiencing the attack first hand in one way or another. I was just to trying explain why some people won't see the film. They simply cannot deal with it.

[Flashframe777]

I don't want to like Tom Cruise.  So I'm going to wait and borrow the DVD from a friend.  Don't even get me started about homophobe Mel Gibson.

[ednbarby]

Good Night to me, was a very tiny slice and a modest film that rode its way to considerable attention for two reasons -- George Clooney at the helm and and a built-in issue that resonated with the artistic industry voting bodies.  It's certainly well-made and intelligent, but to me it seems content to be a "small" picture in many ways and is a bit esoteric.  Still very well made.

Capote was my second favorite of the nominees, and to me just an amazingly complex character in Capote, with his shifting loyalties and allegiances, his dark heart and impure motivations and ability to be as much of a con man as Perry Smith himself.  And speaking of Smith, Clifton Collins, Jr., was robbed of year-end kudos in my book, and if that is not a powerful supporting character who forces the lead to re-examine himself (the ideal function of a best supporting actor) then what is?  I really dug the vibe of something sickening rising in the heartland, crime, murder and corruption of the soul.  

Guess we're on a disagreeing streak -- and that's good!  

Ah, RT, my other half it seems at times.  I too think Crash is a good film.  I just don't think it's a great one.  But I agree that it's been maligned more than it deserves in and of itself, and like you, I hold Lions Gate accountable for that.  Just as I hold Miramax accountable for giving one of my favorite films in recent years a bad name it doesn't deserve by buying its Oscar.

And I thought Good Night... was just so-so.  None of the characters - not even Edward R. Murrow who's a hero of mine about whom I wrote my 11th Grade 20-page term paper and played by the brilliant David Straithairn.  And I too thought it got more publicity than it deserved because of a certain George's ties to it.

Finally, Capote was my second favorite movie of the year, and I think far and away better than 3 out of four of the other contenders.  Well-constructed, beautifully shot and edited.  I'm only sorry that Hoffman's notoriety for his role overshadowed the really excellent work done by all of the supporting cast.  Not a one of those performances rang false.

On your recommendation, I may very well see this one.  I *loathe* Tom Cruise the person, but I have to admit he's really a fine actor.  I actually quite liked him in "Jerry Maguire," and believe me, I didn't expect or even want to.  My biggest bias against this one was that MI:II was such a chocolate mess.  My husband calls it "Mission:  Improbable" on a regular basis.  It actually pissed him off just how bad it was.  But I *loved* the original Speed, the original Lethal Weapon, and even True Lies (I actually found it very romantic, even though certain aspects kind of annoyed the crap out of me, like how badly it stereotyped Arabs).  I quite liked Mr. and Mrs. Smith, too, even though I wouldn't call myself an Angelina Jolie fan (sorry, dear Del).  I do think she is really a fine actor who's always engaging, though, even in crapola.  And she's certainly been in her share of that.

So I'll give it a whirl.  For you, lovey.