Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (7/10): The franchise continues to be very much alive.

“Every one of the attacks you attributed to the Syndicate, the IMF was there.”

It’s been nearly 20 years since the first time Tom Cruise played IMF agent Ethan Hunt, and after this fifth installment of the franchise there is no sign of him stoping any time soon. Like good wine, these movies seem to get better the older Cruise gets. The weakest link in the series is by far the first sequel directed by John Woo, but J.J. Abrams managed to reinvigorate the franchise in the third Mission Impossible film with Philip Seymour Hoffman’s memorable performance as the main villain and the introduction of Simon Pegg’s character who brought the much needed comic relief. Brad Bird continued what Abrams started with Ghost Protocol and introduced Jeremy Renner to this world, and now it was up to Christopher McQuarrie to continue the hot streak. McQuarrie had previously worked with Cruise in Jack Reacher, a film I seem to have enjoyed more than everybody else. In Rogue Nation he followed what the previous directors brought to the series and continued to build on it with a similar tone during the action sequences that once again took us around the globe. There is a fantastic opening action scene involving Cruise jumping on a plane while it’s about to take off, then it is followed by another wonderful sequence at a Vienna Opera house, and it is topped by another one involving a heist in Morocco that ends with a spectacular motorcycle chase. If there is anything negative I can say about Rogue Nation is that the film opens in such a spectacular fashion and maintains such a steady pace that by the time the bike sequence in Morocco ends the film seems to overstay its welcome. There was just no other way to top those action sequences so the final thirty minutes were a bit of a letdown with the predictable twists that any fan of the franchise could see coming. Other than that this was a fantastic ride which proves once again what a star Tom Cruise really is. 

Upon receiving instructions for his latest mission, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), discovers that it has been compromised by a rogue organization that he refers to as the Syndicate. He is captured by its leader, Solomon Lane (Sean Harris). While held captive, right before being tortured a mysterious woman known as Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) helps him escape. Ilsa claims to be a British Intelligence officer who has gone deep undercover to infiltrate Lane’s Syndicate and win his trust. Meanwhile, William Brandt (Jeremy Renner), is forced to testify in front of the US Chairmen committee in response to the agency’s latest dealings which haven’t been accounted for. CIA director, Alan Hunley (Alec Baldwin), wants IMF disbanded because he believes Hunt is a liability. The committee decides in Hunley’s favor convinced that the Syndicate doesn’t exist and that Hunt is behind it all. IMF is disbanded so Brandt and Benji (Simon Pegg) are forced to work for the CIA and bring Hunt in. So Ethan is left on his own to try to stop this dangerous organization, but he always finds a way to get his crew back together and accomplish the impossible. Ving Rhames is also back for a fifth time as Luther Stickell as he and Cruise are the only characters who’ve been here from the start. 

The screenplay for Rogue Nation which was written by McQuarrie himself hits pretty much the same beats as the previous two films in the franchise. It has a similar tone and it’s surprising how similar these films are to each other considering they’ve been directed by different directors. You know what direction these spy stories are heading, but the ride is what you are here for. Rogue Nation opens with a spectacular first half and ends in a weaker note, but it is still one great experience thanks to those spectacular action sequences and Cruise’s charm. McQuarrie also manages to do two things right: first of all making Sean Harris’s Solomon Lane a threatening villain and second giving Rebecca Ferguson a strong female character with some great choreographed fighting scenes. These two additions provide the franchise with the freshness it needed to go along with the familiarity of what the rest of the cast always brings. Besides the three action sequences that stood out for me in this film, there is a cool moment where Ethan receives instructions for his latest assignment that is perhaps the best in the franchise. Similarly to what many action films are doing now appealing to the past and our sense of nostalgia, Ethan receives his instructions in a vintage record store in what was one of the most memorable scenes in the film and a great way to introduce the villain of the story. The early escape scene is also quite thrilling, but it was spoiled by the trailers. Rogue Nation proves once again that this franchise is very much alive and that Tom Cruise isn’t getting slower despite his age. It doesn't hurt either that the series has one of the best action scores of any franchise.      

My Review: Edge of Tomorrow (8/10)

"Come find me when you wake up!"

With the releases of Days of Future Past, Godzilla, and now Edge of Tomorrow, I have to admit this Blockbuster season has delivered more than what I was expecting. Many have claimed this film has put Tom Cruise back on top, but I couldn't necessarily make that claim considering I have enjoyed all his latest movies (Oblivion, Jack Reacher, and Ghost Protocol), but I will admit this was another great performance. This time he gets to play a very different character, one who is kind of a wuss and who is forced to train really hard to become a soldier. Emily Blunt is also great as her sidekick and delivers yet another strong and memorable performance. She also has an impressive filmography in a wide range of genres. It is impossible to avoid comparisons with Groundhog Day considering the premise of this film, and that is one film that is hard to live up to, but Edge of Tomorrow takes that clever premise and mixes it with sci-fi action perfectly. This is one of those rare action movies you won't want to miss on the big screen, and one of the few alien invasion movies that truly work. I can't think of a more entertaining experience when it comes to a clever sci-fi film and unfortunately there haven't been many over the past few years, but Edge of Tomorrow has come to save the genre. Director, Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Mr and Mrs. Smith), has made an action packed film with a clever and funny script. 

The script was adapted by Christopher McQuarrie (Academy award winner for The Usual Suspects) and Jez Butterworth from the Japanese novel "All You Need is Kill" by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. The story is set in the near future after an alien invasion has taken place across Europe. All military efforts against these aliens referred to as Mimics have been useless as they have nearly destroyed the entire continent. Fortunately for the humans, a recent victory in Verdun through new mechanized suits worn by the soldiers has given them new hope. A UK Special Forces Soldier named Sgt. Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt) was credited for killing hundreds of Mimics that day and has become the new hero. Taking advantage of this momentum, the Commander of the Western allies, General Brigham (Brendan Gleeson), plans a final surprise attack in enemy territory. He calls for  Major William Cage (Tom Cruise) of the US Army to provide coverage for the media with the first wave of soldiers landing on the beach of France. Of course Cage tries to refuse the order considering he has no experience in the field and is only a PR officer trying to sell these mechanized suits to the army. The General gives him no options and forces him to go to the military base where Sgt. Farrell (Bill Paxton) introduces him to the J-Squad, who are deployed with him to the beach the next morning. Cage is a nervous wreck and the aliens aren't surprised by the invasion, so it turns out to be a suicide mission. Before getting killed, Cage manages to kill a giant blue Mimic and is covered by its blood. In the very next scene we see Cage waking up at the same military base being introduced once again to the J-Squad with the exact events of the past day repeating themselves. He gets stuck in a sort of a time loop where each time he is sent to fight at the beach and after getting killed he wakes up once again and has to repeat the mission with the only difference that he becomes more and more skilled.

Edge of Tomorrow may not have an original premise, but it is one that is very difficult to pull off. Groundhog Day proved to execute it perfectly, but many films after it have failed considering the story can grow a bit repetitive and tiresome. It can also be very constricting and you also lose that sense of suspense considering you know that if Cage gets killed he can relive the day again. It is kind of like a video game where you know you have millions of lives and each time you die you get to repeat the game with knowledge of what is going to happen next. However Tom Cruise manages to keep us engaged with the outcome of his character and the premise is explained pretty well. There is a reason as to why he has to relive each day and we find out during the midpoint of the film. I loved the way in which the story was told as we slowly get to learn more about the plot and similarly to a video game we discover new levels the more we move on. Edge of Tomorrow doesn't just rely on CGI and cool looking action sequences like most action films where everything blows up, this time we get a clever script to accompany the excellent action scenes and some fine performances with well developed characters. This is one sci-fi thriller you won't want to miss. 

My Review: Interview with the Vampire (7/10)

"Who will take care of me my love, my dark angel, when you are gone?"

I just recently got around to watching Interview with the Vampire, twenty years after Neil Jordan directed this successful film, and I have to admit the recent overload of vampire films and novels over the past decade did affect my viewing since most of the innovative elements that Anne Rice introduced here I have seen in later films and TV series (like True Blood). I'm sure many of these films were inspired by some of Rice's original ideas which made this movie stand out above prior vampire films. Unfortunately I'm giving this a lower rating because I am a bit tired of these films and in my opinion the best vampire film continues to be Let the Right One In (which managed to stay low key unlike this epic story). Rice's story is imaginative and Jordan's direction visionary, thus creating a unique and dark vampire drama with some strong performances. The film did drag at times and it is a bit too long but several scenes were intense and skillfully delivered. If you are a fan of vampire films or of Anne Rice's work then you will probably enjoy this much more than I did because it is dark and gothic, but it does have its weaknesses and the ending is a bit off note.

As the title suggests, the story is told in the form of an interview as a journalist named Daniel (Christian Slater) encounters a 200 year old vampire named Louis (Brad Pitt). His story begins in 18th century New Orleans after having lost his wife when he was 24. Deciding he didn't want to live any longer, Louis set out to destroy his life picking fights at local bars. One night while doing this he catches the attention of a vampire named Lestat (Tom Cruise) who gives him the opportunity to become like him. Louis accepts and becomes Lestat's apprentice, however he isn't satisfied with his new life as a vampire and refuses to kill humans. Louis hates who he has become, but his life changes when Lestat turns a little girl named Claudia (Kirsten Dunst) into a vampire and together they form a family. Louis continues to narrate his story through two centuries as they encounter troubles and betrayals along the way.

Tom Cruise is a huge action star and at times it's difficult to separate him from his characters, but surprisingly he lost himself in the role of Lestat and gives a convincing performance as a blood lusting vampire. Brad Pitt despite not losing himself in the role as well as Cruise does still delivers a believable lead performance. The real surprise for me however was the young Kirsten Dunst who gives the best performance of the film. Once her character is introduced the story really picks up and it becomes engaging. In my opinion the interview scenes didn't work too well; I would have preferred if Louis simply narrated his story directly to us considering Slater's character doesn't really do much as an interviewer. Despite some flaws in the story, the film does look good and the effects are also done well. Jordan and Rice were able to create a unique vampire film that stood out from the rest and that is the reason why 20 years later it is still talked about and referred too.

My Review: Oblivion (8/10)

¨60 years ago, Earth was attacked. We won the war, but they destroyed half the planet. Everyone`s been evacuated and nothing human remains.¨

Joseph Kosinski broke out as a director in 2010 with TRON: Legacy and before continuing his work on the sequel he took a break to direct his personal project, Oblivion, a sci-fi film which he had previously worked on as a graphic novel along with Arvid Nelson. He successfully adapted the screenplay and has created one of the most visually stunning films of the year. Oblivion looks great and has some terrific sci-fi action scenes with a strong charismatic lead role played by Tom Cruise. The supporting cast is also pretty strong, but the film focuses almost entirely on Cruise. That means that Cruise fans will probably love this film because he pretty much plays himself, while those people that can`t stand him will want to stay away from Oblivion. The best thing going for this sci-fi film are the great visual effects, while the weakest part is perhaps that it takes too many elements from dozen other sci-fi films and kind of meshes them altogether. On the positive side I was overall pleased with Oblivion considering at least that the studio took a risk at creating an original premise (and when I say original I mean that it wasn`t a sequel, prequel, or reboot of a previous film) and turned it into a fun and cool looking film. I actually enjoyed this movie much more than Kosinski`s previous film and hopefully this marks a great year for sci-fi film considering the upcoming After Earth and Elysium. As much as I liked Oblivion, I still have to admit that I felt Prometheus was a much superior film (thanks in most part to better performances).

The film opens with a narration from Jack (Tom Cruise) explaining how the Earth was devastated 60 years ago by a war between humans and an alien race known as Scavs who wanted Earth`s resources. We won the war, but the planet was devastated after the aliens destroyed part of the moon`s mass which caused several natural disasters. The population that managed to survive moved to one of Saturn`s moons known as Titan. It`s the year 2077 and the only humans on Earth are Jack and his partner Vica (Andrea Riseborough) who live in Tower 49. Jack is a technician in charge of repairing drones which are responsible for guarding the planet from attacks of surviving Scavs. Vica stays in the tower serving as Jack`s eyes and maintains communication with Sally (Melissa Leo), the mission commander living on the Tet (a large space ship in orbit around the Earth). They are in charge of safeguarding these giant machines that draw up water from the ocean to process it as energy in Titan. The few surviving scavs try to disrupt this process, but Jack and Vica are only two weeks away from parting from Earth to Titan. However, Jack is feeling nostalgic and is constantly having memory flashes of a woman (Olga Kurylenko) and he can`t quite figure out who she is since he has had his memory wiped after the war in order to serve his planet. Everything changes when a shuttle crashes on Earth carrying the woman Jack has seen in his dreams. Her name is Julia, and all of a sudden he begins to question everything that he has been doing.

I wasn’t too pleased with the way Kosinski decided to open the film having Cruise narrate the present situation, but the visuals won me over, and once the action begun I had a great time with the film. Like almost any other sci-fi film I felt there were some plot holes, but didn’t make much of them since the film kept me entertained throughout. Oblivion is a little over two hours long, but it has decent pacing and you never feel like the story drags. Morgan Freeman has a supporting role, but really doesn’t have much screen time. This is almost all about Cruise`s character, which is good although I thought Andrea Riseborough gave probably the best performance of the film. I like Kurylenko, but she doesn’t do anything memorable or ground breaking here. Oblivion isn’t a perfect sci-fi film, but it is an entertaining one and I had a great time at the movies. If you enjoy science fiction movies you will like Oblivion unless you are picky or expected a totally unique film. There are several moments where you will be reminded of some greater films which this movie was probably inspired by in one way or another (2001, Blade Runner, Moon, Logan`s Run, Independence Day, etc).  A lot of credit has to be given to Kosinski however for making a somewhat original sci-fi film and making it entertaining. I would recommend this film!

My Review: Jack Reacher (8/10)

¨There´s this guy, he´s a kind of cop, at least he used to be. He doesn’t care about proof, he doesn’t care about the law, he only cares about what´s right. He knows what I did. You can´t protect me. No one can.¨

Jack Reacher was one of those films I went into with very low expectations, but came out pleasantly surprised with how entertaining the movie really was. Tom Cruise isn’t one of my favorite actors, but I can honestly say that I prefer his mysterious, quiet, low key approach much more than his eccentric and talkative characters (like in Knight and Day). There is no denying his on screen charisma and he really doesn’t have to do much in order for you to root for him and that is why I find his quieter performances much more thrilling and engaging. Jack Reacher has it all: it´s action packed, it has thrills, mysteries, twists, and even some comedy. I was entertained much more than I thought I would be with this Tom Cruise vehicle. The screenplay was adapted by Academy Award winner, Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects) from Lee Child´s book One Shot. Although McQuarrie is known mostly for his work with screenplays, this is his second film as a director (the first being The Way of the Gun) and he does a great job with the action scenes here. I am not a big fan of car chases, I get tired of them very easily, but this film has one of the best vehicle chases I´ve seen since Ronin. The opening scene with the sniper point of view was also pretty gripping and inventive. I was really glad I got to see this film despite it not being groundbreaking or anything because it was entertaining. This mystery thriller worked really well thanks to some great comedic moments.

Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) is a former military operative who has been living off the radar in the past year like a John Doe. He is the kind of person who can´t be found, but rather he finds you. The movie begins with a deadly sniper shooting five innocent victims in the middle of the city. The police identify the alleged murderer as Barr (Joseph Sikora), a former military officer who claims to be innocent. Detective Emerson (David Oyelowo) has a strong case against him, but all Barr says is ¨Get Jack Reacher.¨ Neither Emerson nor District Attorney Rodin (Richard Jenkins) know how to reach Reacher, but he shows up after hearing the news. He begins investigating the case after the defense attorney, Helen (Rosamund Pike), convinces him to look into the supposedly locked case. She believes like everyone else that Barr is guilty, but wants to save him from the death penalty. When Jack Reacher begins to investigate the case he finds some evidence that leads him to believe that Barr is innocent and that someone had a specific target in mind and wanted to make everything look like a random killing. While Jack begins digging deeper some men begin to follow him and try to scare him off, but Reacher is the sort of guy who always gets to the bottom of things.  

Tom Cruise may have found yet another franchise in Jack Reacher as his character is very likeable by remaining very quiet, mysterious, calm, but at the same time very tough. He is the sort of guy who seems to always be in control and in cool. There are also some very interesting performances here from Robert Duvall, Alexia Fast, Jai Courtney, and the great director Werner Herzog who have a supporting role. Duvall brings some comedic relief and has great chemistry with Cruise, while Herzog and Courtney create some interesting villains. The film runs a bit long and there is some problem with the pacing of the film at times, but the great action scenes make up for it. Jack Reacher has some very smart one liners and always answers with some sort of quick remark, which were the comedic highlight of the film. There is a bathroom scene that feels a bit off from the rest of the movie, and the action here is sort of cartoonish but it was also another one of the funniest moments of the film. Despite not being a huge Tom Cruise fan I really did enjoy this film and recommend it.  

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My Review: Rock of Ages (4/10)

¨This place is about to become a sea of sweat, ear-shattering music and puke.¨

Filmmaker Adam Shankman just succeeded in bringing to the big screen one of the worst movies of the year. It`s a shame because I had enjoyed his 2008 musical Hairspray, but this one doesn’t work at all. It tries too hard to be funny, but it just felt lame. The first 30 minutes are terrible, the film then picks up thanks to Tom Cruise but it just seemed to drag on forever. The movie may have one of the best soundtracks of the year and that saves it, but that is about the only thing I enjoyed of Rock of Ages. There are a couple few funny scenes but they are too far spread out and like one of the character`s sings near the end ¨the movie keeps on going on and on.¨ I didn’t like that the producers decided to put the words of the song during the musical like if it were a karaoke bar, but I guess a lot of people liked it and it worked for them. I`m just giving my personal opinion and I didn’t think it worked really well as a movie. There were a lot of similarities between this movie and Burlesque, another film I didn’t like very much but is much better than this one. Musicals haven’t worked out really well in the past few years (Burlesque and Nine), and it`s a shame because with films like Chicago, Moulin Rouge, and Dreamgirls it looked like this genre was going through a revival period.

Sherrie (Julianne Hough from the Footloose remake) is a small town girl from Tulsa, Oklahoma that is pursuing her dream of becoming a singer and therefore is moving to Hollywood. Once she arrives to the big city she is introduced to a new world and from the moment she sets her foot in Hollywood she is robbed. But not everyone is a thief in Hollywood and she finds help from a young man who`s also aspiring to become a rock star. His name is Drew (Diego Boneta) and he immediately helps Sherrie by helping her get a job at the same place he works at: the Bourbon Club, famous for having launched Stacee Jaxx`s (Tom Cruise) career as a rock star. Jaxx is at the pinnacle of his career and is thinking of going solo. He will be presenting his last concert with his band at the Bourbon Club run by Dennis Dupree (Alec Baldwin). The club is having some financial troubles, but the concert will put it in the map again. Not everyone admires Stacee Jaxx however, as the mayor (Brian Cranston) and his wife Patty Whitmore (Catherine Zeta Jones) want to clean the city by closing down the famous club responsible for so much immorality. Other important characters in this musical include the talents of Paul Giamatti as Jaxx`s manager, Russell Brand as Dennis`s best friend and work partner, Mary J Blige as a strip club owner, and Malin Akerman as a Rolling Stones magazine reporter.

There is not much more I can add about this review but say that Tom Cruise gave yet another good performance. I also liked the young Diego Boneta who I hadn’t heard about before. He has a decent career ahead of him. Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand are always funny and shared some funny moments together. Julianne Hough is beautiful but she didn’t seem to fit the part in this film. I didn’t like her very much in Rock of Ages. My main complaint has nothing to do with the cast, I just think it was poorly directed and scripted. The film has some great music, but that is about it. I wouldn’t want to watch this film again and couldn’t recommend it to anyone.

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My Review: Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol (7/10)

¨Mission accomplished¨

The fourth installment of the Mission Impossible franchise has finally arrived after five long years. It`s been so long that I really don`t remember much of what happened in the latest mission, but it isn’t that important because these movies stand on their own. The first Mission Impossible film came out way back in 1996 and now fifteen years later the mission continues with Tom Cruise as the lead character once again, although this time they brought in a new director: Brad Bird. Bird is known mostly for his direction in animated films such as The Incredibles and Ratatouille, but he proves with Ghost Protocol that he can make an entertaining action film as well. There are some really great choreographed action scenes in this film with good visual effects. The story is entertaining, although cartoonish at times. One thing is for sure, you won`t be bored with this latest installment because there is plenty of action going around. I still don`t think the film is as brilliant as many people are saying it is. It works as a summer popcorn movie, but it isn`t much more than that. It definitely won`t be memorable or even rank among my favorite films of the year, but I still enjoyed this action film. One of the problems I had with this movie was the pace of the film; the story is really long and at some points I felt it was dragging a bit. The final action scene was a little over the top as well and it felt like it would never end. There were also some corny moments in the dialogue from the screenplay which was written by Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec, but the film worked thanks to some entertaining actions scenes, and Tom Cruise proves he`s an action star as well.

Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is back in action once again with yet another mission that seems impossible, but this time he will have to work with a different team and without the help of the IMF division because it has been disavowed by the American President after a mission goes wrong in Russia and relations between both countries seem to hang by a very thin thread. At the beginning of the movie Ethan is in a prison in Moscow and has to be rescued by other IMF field agents, Benji (Simon Pegg) and Jane (Paula Patton). Once they free Ethan, the three team up for an important mission in Russia where they are ordered to infiltrate the Kremlin archives, but something goes wrong when someone else steals the files they`re looking for and alerts the Russian police that Ethan is inside the building. Ethan manages to escape, but right after he does the entire building blows up and Ethan is the prime suspect, although in order to not stir up the public the Russian government claims the explosion was due to a gas leak accident. This is where the relations between the US and Russia government reaches its boiling point and Ethan must find the person behind the betrayal before a nuclear war begins. The search takes them from one location to the next so we get to see Ethan and his team climbing the world`s tallest building in Dubai first and later ending up in Bombay. IMF intelligence analyst, William Brandt (Jeremy Renner), joins the team and embarks in this mission impossible.

There are plenty of thrills and emotional moments during the movie, but despite the fact that it`s entertaining I still felt like there were some dull moments that could`ve been cut out from this over two hour long film. Tom Cruise is back doing what he does best; it`s always good to see him in these action roles (despite the fact that he has a peculiar form of running) and he was great in the Dubai scene. Jeremy Renner was also a great addition; he`s been on a real role ever since the Hurt Locker. Simon Pegg provides the comedy needed in these action films to break down the tension, and Paula Patton was much more than just eye candy; she could kick some butt. I also liked to see Michael Nyqvist in the villain role after his work in the Swedish Millennium trilogy. Mission Impossible had everything it needed to succeed: action stars, great action scenes, and some comedic relief, but I still felt like something was missing. I don`t think this is the best film of the franchise, but it`s still worth the watch. You will be entertained, just don`t expect it to be one of best action films of the year. I had a lot more fun with Fast Five than I did with Ghost Protocol. I`m glad however that Tom Cruise is back making some entertaining movies and doing what he does best.

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My Review: Born on the Fourth of July (8/10)

"I am the living death, a Memorial Day on wheels. I am your Yankee Doodle Dandy, your John Wayne come home, your Fourth of July firecracker exploding in the grave."

Oliver Stone won his second Oscar for Best Direction with Born on the Fourth of July and it also had to do with the Vietnam War just like his previous film Platoon. Stone was a Vietnam War veteran himself and by now we all know his political and ideological views which can be seen in most of his films. This movie focuses more on how the war impacted one individual and how his values changed over the course of time. It is based on the autobiographical book written by Ron Kovic who also worked with Oliver Stone on writing the screenplay. Kovic is known for being an anti-war spokesperson, but the film begins by exploring his early life and how he dreamt about being a war hero and a patriot. His values didn`t change even soon after he returned home and at first was hurt by all the protestors, but over time he changes and that is what the film explores more than the actual war itself. The movie studies the psychological impact the war had on this man who dreamt of becoming a war hero from his childhood only to be disillusioned by it after being severely wounded and left paralyzed from the chest down. Ron blindly wants to serve his country and states that he will gladly die in the war, but those of us who are familiar with his story know that his views will change over time and that is the major attraction this movie has. We want to discover how Ron made such an important transition in his life because we all know values are something men don`t easily change. The transformation that Kovic experiences from an innocent young kid to an anti-war spokesperson is the major attraction of the movie and Tom Cruise carries the movie with his very believable performance.

The movie opens with little Ronnie (Brian Larkin) playing outdoors with his friends from the neighborhood. He lives with his family in Massapequa, Long Island and grows up in a very patriotic and catholic household. He is raised by his father (Raymond J. Barry), a War Veteran himself, and mother (Caroline Kava), a devout catholic who teaches his son about fearing God and loving the country. Ronnie was born on the fourth of July so he remembers spending his birthdays watching the parade and recieving the War veterans as heroes. His childhood sweetheart is Donna(Jessica Prunell) who is always cheering for him at the local baseball games at which he excells. He was impacted by Kennedy`s inaugural speech and the film then jumps to his Senior year in High School where he was a wrestler. Ron (now played by Tom Cruise) continues to be shy and innocent and Donna (Kyra Sedqwick) is still in love with him. One day a recruiting marine officer (Tom Berenger) visits the High School and Ron is inspired by him to join the marines along with his friend Timmy (Frank Whaley), although his other buddy Steve (Jerry Levine) tries to convince them otherwise so that they study in college like him. Ron decides to go to war and there are a few strong battle scenes which impacted his life, first when he accidently kills women and children in the line of fire and then an american soldier, and later when he is severely wounded and becomes paralyzed from the chest down. The rest of the film explores the poor treatment he received at the hospital, his return home and how he became the man who he now is.

The film shouldn`t be seen as simply a war movie, it is an autobiography on Ron Kovic`s inspirational life and Tom Cruise plays his so well that the film succeeds. This is one of his best performances ever as we experience through him the transformation that Ron experiences. The scene where he runs in the rain to get to the prom and dance with Donna before leaving for the War reminds us of what his life could have been like if he stayed home. It was a very powerful and touching scene. There are also other great dramatic scenes like the breakdown he experiences at home with his mother and the conversation he has with Timmy once they both return from War. Willem Defoe has some interesting scenes as well as the friend Ron meets when he travels to Mexico. This is where Ron discovers he is just one of the many victims the insignificant war has left. I really enjoyed the story and even though it was probably a very personal movie for Oliver Stone and very biased, the story still worked because Ron Kovic himself worked with Stone on the screenplay. The movie was nominated for best screenplay although it didn`t win. The only other award it received, beside the best director, was for best editing although it was nominated in eight categories. I really enjoyed the score and cinematography that helped set the overall mood and efectiveness of the movie. I highly reccomend this film, whatever your feelings are towards Stone.

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My Review: Knight and Day (5/10)

¨They'll tell you I'm mentally unstable and violent and dangerous and it will all sound very convincing. ¨

That is probably the best way to describe Tom Cruise`s character in this movie, which is also unstable in trying to be an action thriller, comedy, and romantic flick all at the same time. Knight and Day mostly succeeds as a comedy because of the performance from Cruise and Diaz, but as an action thriller it is pretty ridiculous, and the romance isn`t all that believable. The action relies too heavily on poor CGI effects; the story is poorly developed and has too many plot holes.  However, Cruise does give a comedic performance and his character is very likeable so if you go into this movie expecting a satire of Mission Impossible then you might just enjoy Knight and Day, but don`t expect a smart thriller with great action sequences because you will leave the theater disappointed. Mr. and Mrs. Smith began this trend of genre films that combine spy thrillers with comedy and romance, but it has gone downhill from that point. James Mangold has taken a huge step backwards with this movie after directing such great films as the 3:10 To Yuma remake and the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line, and Patrick O`Neill`s debut as a screenwriter didn`t begin very promising either, but you can`t blame him only because the script was rewritten by at least 5 other people, including Mangold himself.

I don`t want to give too much of the plot away because the most intriguing part of the movie is wondering who Roy Miller (played by Tom Cruise) really is. You wonder if he is a good guy or a bad guy for the first minutes and that is probably one of the best things about Knight and Day. He really gives a good performance and is very funny on screen. He seems a little paranoid, but at the same time he looks relaxed and cool. At the beginning of the film Roy runs into June Havens (Cameron Diaz) in the airport before getting into the plane and uses her without her knowledge to get across customs. June is a mechanic who enjoys restoring classic sport cars and happens to be buying pieces for the vehicle she is assembling to give to her sister as a wedding present. Roy and June share the same flight and seem to click immediately, but everyone else in the plane seems to be trying to kill Roy (including the flight attendants and pilots). Fitzgerald (Peter Sarsgaard from An education) is a CIA agent that is also trying to kill Roy who apparently has something valuable that everyone wants. Even an arms dealer named Antonio (Jordi Molla) is after Roy. June gets involved in all the mess and together with Roy end up all over the States, Jamaica, Austria, and Spain running for their lives. Paul Dano also has a supporting role as a nerdy scientist named Simon Feck that Roy is also trying to protect.

The plot is a bit ridiculous and the action is unfulfilling, but there is enough comedy thanks to Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz who are two likeable actors who pull off decent performances although they are far from their best work. They`ve worked together in the past in Vanilla Sky, which is a clear reminder of how much better they can be, but in Knight and Day the issue wasn`t their performance, it was the material. Mangold has also proven he can do much better and maybe next time he will stick to more serious material. I´m not saying this movie was terrible or a complete waste of time, but it is far from being a good film. It will satisfy those in need of some good laughs, but this isn`t a movie you will want to watch over and over again because the more you think about the plot the more ridiculous you realize it becomes. This is an average film which could be enjoyed if taken lightly and viewed one time only. Cruise fans will definitely enjoy his performance. Not a good movie, but not terrible either.

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