Mission Impossible

I've been an admire of Mission Impossible since the original series. Of course I caught the original series in syndication because it aired before I was born. The storyline follows a super covert special mission force who operates in complete secrecy and if anyone on the team is caught they're on their own. In 1988 they did an updated version of the show which I loved but unfortunately it didn't last long. The original series lasted 7 seasons and the re-vamped series only lasted two. Then along comes Tom Cruise and makes the Mission Impossible series into a film franchise. And he did an awesome job!

In this first film Tom Cruise establishes the character Ethan Hunt as the best operative that the IMF, Impossible Mission Force, has. The story has him setup as a traitor and he has to go on the run to prove his innocence. It was an awesome movie that was more story driven than action driven, though there was plenty of on-the-edge of your seat action to be had. It was well acted by all the actors and the story flowed at a decent pace, though slow for others. I was especially happy with Ving Rhames being cast as expert computer hacker, Luther Stickell. This is still my favorite of the four but it is not the best. Ethan Hunt is basically an modern American version of James Bond.

 

Doesn't that just look exciting?!

This second installment of Ethan Hunt's exploits was much more action driven than story driven. Though there was a strong cohesive story, the action was the focus. Tom went full old school 80's action hero in this one. Thandie Newton's character as the semi-love interest and partial motivation for Ethan completing his mission was an excellent choice. Ving shows up again and is still just cool on screen. Overall though this was my least favorite of the films.

Ethan finds himself back on the outside of the IMF and having to find the traitor he is accused of being. Man, this happens to him a little too much. If you can't trust your super duper covert super duper agents who can you trust, huh? Anyway, this third film got the balance of story and action almost flawlessly. The first was a little too much story and the second was too much action. One of my favorite actors ever, Laurence Fishburne showed up as one of the IMF decision makers. He, of course, more than held his own when on screen with Tom. Philip Seymour Hoffman did an excellent job as the villian. And Ving was here reprising his role of Luther Stickell once again. This one was very good.

THIS movie was just pure AWESOME SAUCE!!!! This fourth and latest installment of the Mission Impossible franchise was edge of your seat awesome from beginning to end. Ethan was put through the ringer, and this time we really get to see the rest of the agents on his IMF team shine. Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, and Simon Pegg were excellent agents and complimented Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt well. Especially Paula. Whooooooooweee that woman is fine. And she can act. And she can fight. She did very well. I truly hope she is in the next one. Ving showed up at the very end. Me thinks he'll be in the next one more actively. The story was good and executed very well. It was tight and concise. The action was excellent, above and beyond what was done in the previous films but not over the top. They went into the gadget territory a little bit but it was done well. Ethan used the gadgets but was quite capable without them, unlike the old version of that other agent dude whose initials are J.B. This is the best film in the franchise so far. I've seen it twice and cannot wait for the Blu-Ray!


Bonus pics:

 

Paula Patton as agent Jane Carter. Damn!

 

Jane Carter in action. Gotta love it! That look says, "I WILL kill you."

Future flicks I can't wait to see

These are the most highly anticipated movies I am looking forward to this super movie summer! Forewarning: There will be an great overuse of the word awesome in this post. Just so you know.


Batman: The Dark Knight Rises
After two awesome films Christopher Nolan is looking to end his tenure as director for this newest iteration of Batman.

Doesn't that look awesome?!

Prometheus
Ridley Scott returns to the storyline he began over 30 years ago with the Sci-Fi classic Alien. Seems this is a kind of prequel.

Beyond awesome! If such a thing is possible!

Expendables 2
I really liked the first Expendables. Sly Stallone took us back to the straight action hero 80's style in modern times. I felt there were a few people missing but he got them in for this second installment. I can't wait. This is pure popcorn here.

The Amazing Spiderman
It is rare to do a remake of a film character so soon after the last run ended. The last series of Spiderman movies ran from 2002-2007 and though they weren't bad I guess the people who make the decisions for such things thought it could be done better. Judging from the trailer it looks like the right decision was made because THIS Spiderman looks AWESOME!!! (I know, I keep using that word. I TOLD you I would.)

SEE! AWESOMWE!

Men In Black III
I've been a fan of these movies since the very first one. The second was nice but I think this third one will be much better. (Thought I was gonna say that word again didn'tcha? Aren't you glad I didn't say awesome? DOH! I just said it again.)

The Bourne Legacy
Now, for really real, the whole entire Bourne series is tremendously awesome. Matt Damon acted the hell out of the role of Jason Bourne but he seems to be done. Now Jeremy Renner is the main character but he is thankfully not playing Jason Bourne because that would just be stupid. Matt OWNS that character. Jeremy will be a different agent that follows the same kind of path of Jason Bourne, hence the movie title.

I'm not gonna say it.

Rock of Ages
There is only one reason I want to see this movie. TOM CRUISE as an 80's ROCK STAR. This will be...I'm done with the word okay? No more awesome. HAH! Gotcha!

Total Recall
I'm a fan of the original movie that was done back in 1990 with Arnold Schwarzenegger as the lead so I was too thrilled at the announcement of a remake. However, from the trailer this looks like it might be kind of good. They don't go to Mars though like the first one so I'm still skeptical. I like Mars.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation
The first G.I. Joe they did in 2009 was not the best movie in the world. I liked it but it was kind of disappointing. Yet, I am still looking forward to this second installment.

Hard to miss with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Bruce Willis

Sparkle
Here we have another remake but this one has a 36 year distance from the original. The original Sparkle is a classic. Judging from the trailer this new update might be classic too. This one is bittersweet though as it was going to be the return of the great Whitney Houston to the spotlight and she unfortunately had passed away recently. This will be her swan song and I hope it is a great one. It looks like it.

What do you think?

All in all this is going to be an awesome summer for movies!

Like minded

Links to other blogs about Blacks in media.

If you have been following this blog you may have noticed that much of the post deal with or are focused on films, movies, and television shows which either star Black actors or are some way told from the perspective of the Black experience. I would say about Black people but that would imply that the show or film would only be for Black people, and I would not exclude anyone from my interests based on ethnicity. All films and shows have a perspective through which they are told but are not exclusive to people who share that perspective. This is good because that is how people learn about each other a learn to deal in truth with one another rather than rumors and ignorant stereotypes. For instance, The Cosby Show, which I previously blogged about here, is the story of an american family who happen to be Black. People of ALL ethnicities could identify with the characters of that show, not just Black people, which is why it was the number 1 show for most of its eight seasons.

Historically the majority of films and television shows in american history, I'd guesstimate about 98-99%, are told through the perspective of  and designed for white american males. Now, does this mean that women and people of other ethnicities cannot enjoy and identify with these stories? Of course not. I love the Godfather films. Conan the Barbarian is one of my favorites, as I blogged about here. I even liked The Dukes of Hazard when I was a kid. Not one Black person in any of those or many other films and movies that I completely enjoy. As a child and young man I did notice the disparity and as an adult I understand how detrimental it can be to a person's identity of self to see images that do not represent you your entire life. I was lucky to have a father that made sure I was exposed to movies and shows with people who looked like us.

With the advent of the internet and blogs and social networking sites I have found that I am not alone in my drive to seek out and support projects in film and television that tell things from a perspective other than white american males. The field of film and television entertainment in america has made some progress in producing and supporting projects from the perspective of other peoples but we still have a long way to go.

Here are some blogs and websites that I follow that are aligned with my views in entertainment:

Shadow and Act: This blog used to be run on its own but is now part of the indiewire network website which hosts many other blogs. Shadow and Act is a collaborative blog which has several contributors all making post related to projects in hollywood and television in which Black people are involved: actors, directors, producers, etc. Also projects that are told through the perspective of Black people of which there are many perspectives as all Black people are not the same.

Black World Cinema, BWC:

40acres: The online home of Spike Lee's 40 Acres and a Mule film company.

Iloveblackmovies.com: Self Explanatory

Black House: Not too much here. I recently found this one.

Invisible Woman: Black Cinema At Large: I followed this one until the blogger stopped and moved on to other things. The site is still up however and there is a lot of good information there.

There are a few other blogs I follow that are focused on the perspective of life through Black folks' and folks of African descent's eyes but are not geared toward film.

Buck Rogers

I've always had cool memories of the television show Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. It is actually one of my first memories of Sci-Fi on TV. I don't remember too much as I was three when the show first came out in 1979 and lasted only 2 seasons. But I do have fond memories of the show. I recently rediscovered it on Netflix and was instantly transported back to those young days of wonder (I love Netflix).

Doesn't that look cool?

Quick synopsis: Buck Rogers is a modern day astronaut on a mission in space. Something goes wrong and his life support keeps him in stasis. He is discovered and woken up 500 years in his future. Things are very different and Buck has to come to grips with the fact that all he knew is dead and gone and find a way to live in this strange new earth and universe.

Great premise for a show and actually carried out very well for its time. It's obviously filmed in the disco era. It is funny how the future looks like a bad trip at a seventies house party much of the time. Especially since Buck is supposed to be from 1987 and wakes 500 in the future. In comparison to today the robots and computers are positively archaic looking, but back then must have been so cutting edge. However, aside from the cheese factor of viewing it with modern eyes, it was actually a well acted and plotted show for its time. I was pleasantly surprised that story wise, the show has held up still today, at least for the few episodes I've watched so far. I look forward to watching the rest of the series. I actually want to purchase this for my collection!

Watching the first episode I immediately understood why I liked this show so much as a very young child and why memories of it stuck with me so long. This show is obviously set in the future and it had people that looked like me and my family. Of course all of the main characters were white but the black characters that were on the show weren't all just in the background. Some of the black characters that were on the show were actually important secondary characters in various episodes. Actually there were quite a few characters of many ethnicities that showed up throughout the show not just black and white. Back in 1979-1980 this was quite progressive for american television. I suppose the idea of those who greenlit the show was Sci-Fi wasn't important anyway so let them have all different kinds of people in it because no one would watch this silliness. I figure the show was allowed to be made because of the huge success of Star Wars, another underestimated Sci-Fi phenomenon. Well "their" ignorance was my gain because here is where my admiration and infatuation with Science Fiction began. And I could actually, truly identify with this show, more than Star Wars, because *I* was included in this future! (This was before Lando Calrissian showed up in the next Star Wars movie.) Even as a young child somewhere in my psyche this resonated and I know this because it still resonates today. The young me deep inside is jumping up and down with glee at rediscovering  Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. If you are so inclined check it out.

Busy, busy, busy

I haven't been able to keep up with my blog recently for one very important reason.

Talea about 20 minutes on the outside.

My daughter was born on March 17, 2012. My wife and I went to the hospital on the 16th for an induction as our daughter's due date was on the 7th and she obviously did not want to come out. Neither of us was crazy about forcing her out, but as my wife had difficulties throughout the entire pregnancy and she is in the age range where having a baby is increasingly difficult, we reluctantly followed the doctor's suggestions. Unfortunately, my wife was expertly maneuvered into having a cesarean section by the doctors at the hospital. (They would never admit that , of course, but that's why I said expertly. Oh yeah, if you live in New York City do NOT go to Roosevelt hospital to have a baby. Those people are ridiculous and I have not heard a single woman say they had a good birthing experience there. Not one.) Again, my wife had difficulties with her pregnancy and some of them carried over into post-partum. She had to stay an extra day and I brought Talea home by my self that day. A week after being released from the hospital my wife had to go back and stayed another 2 and half days. So far, she is doing much better but it is still difficult for her, so nearly all of my focus is on her and the baby. I've fallen behind on everything and am only now slowly trying to catch up

The entire experience was not pleasant for my wife. The doctors and the majority of the nurses were all cold and impersonal or just down right insensitive and inattentive. The term "patient centered care" seems foreign in today's medical system, which is completely disheartening when speaking about women giving birth and the post-partum period, a time when women are completely vulnerable, sensitive, and nearly completely dependent on others for help. Women and their health and health needs are truly not respected as they should be in our society, for I quickly noticed the same negative, and sometimes biased, care with other women in the maternity ward and post-partum ward, as well as spoke to numerous women since. It is truly appalling. I will refrain from further musings on the failings of our medical system. I would call it a health care system but it is obvious they care nothing for health, just medicine.


Moving right along, despite the horrendous care, I  am completely overjoyed at the birth of my baby girl and so is my wife. She is beautiful and strong and I look forward to being her father and guide on her journey of life here.

A few days old. She is growing strong.

Game of Thrones

A good friend of mine, David, has taken it upon himself to keep the masses on the internet informed on the details of the new HBO series "Game of Thrones", which is based on a book series entitled "A Song of Ice and Fire", on his blog "The Bimillennial Man". Last year, the first season of the show, he wrote up a recap of each episode after it aired as well as his thoughts and a grade. His posts were rather popular. As David is an excellent and intelligent writer I was not surprised by this. The recaps were great but took a lot of time and energy for him to write which caused David to consider not doing them again this season. He was quite honest about his concerns but his rabid fans, myself among them, practically begged him to continue during this second season. His recaps were insightful, informative, professional, and highly entertaining. Especially to those who had not read the books as we have. Well, I am proud to say that David has capitulated to his avid fans and admirers and decided to continue his recaps for "Game of Thrones" for the second season.

The "A Song of Ice and Fire" series is written by George R.R. Martin. It is a fantasy epic full of knights, kings, swords, fights, a bit of magic, and of course DRAGONS! (Here is an excellent resource of information for the books.) But what truly sets this series apart from most other fantasy stories is it is light on the fantastical and heavy on the political intrigue and family and house alliances, hence the title of the first book, "A Game of Thrones", where the show gets its title. Also what sets it apart from other tales, is the author plays no favorites with his characters. Characters who would normally be the "hero" and live will actually die and others you loathe and wish would die will live. Just like in the real world, being good and honorable does not always yield good consequences, and being bad and dishonorable doesn't always yield punishment. This is the true appeal of the series, and the transfer to the physical, visual medium of film has been beyond wonderful.

Mr. Martin has remained closely tied to the show as a producer. Contributing writing duties for some episodes himself, as he is also an experienced TV writer, he is truly devoted to the story he has created and that closeness shows. This is truly the finest transfer from book to screen I have ever seen. Usually so much is lost or changed in the book to screen transfer that the film/show is nearly unrecognizable to the readers. Not so with "Game of Thrones". Naturally there will be changes and all the changes so far have not only been necessary but enhanced the story experience, again, very uncommon but a huge bonus.

I've linked David's first season recaps above, and here is the recap of the first episode of the second, which aired on my Bornday, April 1! Go check out David's excellent musings on "Game of Thrones" and I promise you'll enjoy yourself


Bonus: Here is an excellent article on Salon.com about the women of the series.

Films that I love that should not work but actually do.

Conan the Barbarian
I love this movie. I'm talking about the 1982 "masterpiece" that made Arnold 'Ahnuld' Schwarzenegger an american movie star and not the 2011 reboot. Now, it is filmed poorly and most of the actors are not very good, yet I love this movie. Why?

Well, how cool does that look?! Pretty cool, I think. What makes this movie work is the story is great, Arnold looked great as Conan, and the music score by Basil Poledouris was awesome!

Conan the Barbarian was the creation of Robert E. Howard, an american author who wrote in many genres and with the creation of Conan also birthed the sword and sorcery genre of Speculative Fiction. Conan was an ancient warrior who lived during the Hyborian Age. Since his creation he's gone from the straight written word, to comics, to film, and online.

This movie and the character were the perfect vehicle for Arnold Schwarzenegger to make his big break into american movies. Arnold was pretty well known as a world class bodybuilder and so had a built in fan base in his career change.Though Arnold became a very famous movie star, no one would really call him a good actor. Unfortunately Arnold was not the only novice actor in this movie and it shows. Of all the principle characters only three were real, trained, and experienced actors: James Earl Jones, Max Von Sydow, and Mako. James Earl Jones as the main villain was a great casting choice as was Mako as one of Conan's devoted companions. These two actors alone really elevated this movie beyond the cheese it could have been.

The story of Conan is a great story. The execution of the story in this movie is a bit rushed and the liberties taken with the beginning of Conan's life left fans of the original tales very upset. His transition from child to adult was handled in a ridiculous way. In the stories Conan had a full childhood with his people, the Cimmerians, but in the movie his village and people are destroyed, he's taken as a slave and we watch his growth in a montage of cutscenes as he pushes a wheel. Yeah, very weird. In establishing the character as a skilled and intelligent warrior, the movie took some seriously questionable shortcuts and though it stretched the suspension of belief, which is necessary for most movies, to the breaking point it did flow. It didn't flow well but it did flow.

What really makes this movie the joy it is and one of my favorites is the score by Basil Poledouris. The music for this movie is the best score written for a movie, ever! The music is so perfect that it is almost a character itself. Every single scene has a memorable piece of music brilliantly composed for it. Take a listen:



Tell me that is not awesome! And that's just the opening scene! I love it.

Poor transition of story to film, bad editing, bad and poorly delivered dialogue, and bad acting should have made Conan the Barbarian an unwatchable piece of crap, however, the mythos of the original tales, three experienced actors, and music that perfectly embodied the spirit of the story make it not only watchable but, to me, a classic.

He did look cool as Conan

Belly

Next up is the movie Belly. Another movie that was filmed badly, had some questionable to atrocious acting, a semi-decent story, but pretty good music. Again I love this movie. Why?

Pretty cool movie poster, right?

 A large reason I like this movie is DMX. DMX is a musical artist, a rapper, who surprisingly has a real talent for acting. He was a hugely successful music artist at the time he made this movie and I was an avid admirer of his music. He was the lead actor and he pulled it off very well. The same cannot be said of his co-star, fellow rapper, Nas. Nas CANNOT ACT!!! Every time Nas was on screen nearly caused, and still does, physical pain. He's really that bad.

 Belly was directed by Hype Williams. It was his debut feature film. Hype had made a name for himself directing music videos, mostly for rap artists. He was highly in demand. Unfortunately, the music video format does not translate very well to a full length feature film. Belly nearly plays out like a very long music video, when it should play out like a serious crime and redemption drama.

Which brings me to the story. The story is basically a generic version of Malcolm X's life updated to modern times. DMX's character, Tommy, is a criminal. Robbing people and selling drugs is what he does and he is good at it. He eventually gets caught, makes a deal to kill someone to get out of jail, but refuses to carry out his mission in the end thus redeeming himself. The end is kind of rushed and rather heavy handed on the redemption of Tommy. It's not done too badly but it could have been done much better.

Belly did not have a traditional score. With the principle actors being rappers, and the director being primarily a rap video director, the soundtrack was basically the score. So, no orchestral magnificence here, which is really not a loss as the songs put together for this movie worked perfectly well within it, though no where near as well as Conan above. I dare say that the soundtrack was better than the movie.


Novice filming, simple story, a rushed ending, and abominable acting by Nas should have ruined Belly. Especially Nas' dreadful acting. I found it personally offensive. Seriously. However, DMX's surprising skills as an actor, as well as a few of the other actors in the film, really made Belly watchable. The positive ending was as redeeming to the movie itself as Tommy's redemption within it. Oh yeah, and the music was well matched to the film. Here is a sample, D'Angelo's "Devils's Pie".

 

Actually a good actor

 

A horrendously atrocious "actor"

The separate technical parts of these films make them seem like unwatchable wastes of film but the wholes they create far exceed the parts. Conan the Barbarian and Belly: Two films that should not work but do and I love them both. Check them out if you have never seen them. You might surprise yourself and love them too.