Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (NOW PLAYING)

August 6, 2015August 6, 2015 EmmaLeave a comment

NOTE: This is a SPOILER-FREE review.

I went to see this action film b/c it was FREE (w/ my movie Meetup)! LOL… I’m NOT a big fan of Tom Cruise, BUT I don’t loathe him (like SO many out there). I was (pleasantly) surprised that I had a GOOD time; the same goes for the ladies in my group (we’re ALL female, BTW).

MOVIE-MISSION-IMPOSSIBLE-FERGUSON_2_MI — Tom Cruise and Rebecca Ferguson star in “Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation.”

I was esp. glad to see a strong female counterpoint to Cruise in the form of Swedish actress Rebecca Ferguson (who plays a Brit). Yes, she’s a beautiful lady, BUT she is also tall, muscular/solid build, and does some AWESOME stunts! Is her character a good spy or a baddie? It takes a BIT of time for that to be revealed. She and Cruise have TERRIFIC onscreen chemistry. FYI: This is her FIRST big movie role.

rebecca-ferguson-mission-impossible-rogue-nation-premiere-in-london_10 — Actress Rebecca Ferguson at a premiere for the film.

As for the men, I liked Simon Pegg’s computer expert character- he provided a LOT of the humor. Jeremy Renner- don’t know WHY this guy keeps getting cast in big movies!? The poor guy just has NO screen presence; forget about ever being a leading man. Ving Rhames is underused, as is Alec Baldwin (looking good, as always). Baldwin has one of the funniest lines in the film though.

The soundtrack is one of the BEST things about this movie; one (well-known) piece of opera is woven throughout a pivotal scene. Also, everyone likes hearing the MI theme song, right?

Check out The Super Fantastic Nerd Hour podcast (Episode 72) if you’ve seen this film and want to hear an in-depth review.

Inside Out (NOW PLAYING) starring the voices of Amy Poehler, Lewis Black & Mindy Kaling

July 5, 2015 EmmaLeave a comment

Lava_Pixar_short

NOTE: This is a SPOILER-FREE review.

I saw “Inside Out” at a free pre-screening w/ my movie Meetup (all ladies) and a large group of press folks (who were pretty quiet during the film, which is common). Before the main attraction, we saw a short film (“Lava”) about a lonely volcano that wants to have someone to love. I’m NOT sure if this story was based on a Hawaiian folk tale. There was a song all through the short, which was cute and catchy.

I went in NOT knowing much about the film, BUT I liked it! Some critics say it’s the best thing since “Toy Story,” which was a big hit for Pixar. I suggest it for kids 10 and up, especially, as it deals w/ themes that MAY go over the heads of the younger crowd. There is also a LOT for grown-ups to enjoy.

Riley, an 11 y.o. girl, goes through a period of displacement and sadness after moving from her suburban home in Minnesota to an apartment in San Francisco. Aside from Riley, the main characters are the emotions inside her head: Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Mindy Kaling), and Fear (Bill Hader). I wanted to see this mainly b/c I’m a fan of Black and Kaling.

In the beginning, everyone was bummed out by how Sadness (who is blue, wears a turtleneck) was acting, BUT we know that people can’t always be happy. Riley has to get used to her new room, new school and classmates, and missing her best friend. She finds it VERY difficult to be her usual positive self, even though she knows that’s what her parents (voiced by Diane Lane and Kyle McLachlan) want. Joy tries hard to get Sadness out of the way, BUT an accident pulls these two main emotions away from the control room.