Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton
Week of July 23, 2018
Mission: Impossible – Fallout
Rated PG-13 for violence and intense sequences of action, and for brief strong language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96% at time of writing
In Theaters
Tom Cruise teams up again with Rogue Nation writer/director for this sixth outing in the Mission: Impossible franchise. This time out, Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and team (Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames) set out to stop the underbelly of anarchy from getting their hands on some stolen weapons-grade plutonium meant to create great suffering in the world. The one thing which all of these films excel at is their ability to create some fantastic action sequences that will impress your eyes and get your heart racing. This new project is no different and some of the set pieces are truly mind-blowing. The problem here lies in a script full of head-scratching plot points that depends on an audience not overthinking it. And it doesn’t help that the dialog is the cheesiest we’ve seen in this series. But quite honestly, you get your money’s worth as its hard to imagine someone not having a great time watching it. B
Ready Player One
Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action violence, bloody images, some suggestive material, partial nudity and language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 73%
Available on disc and streaming
It’s been a while since Steven Spielberg has made a film that actually feels like a classic Spielberg picture. So when he signed on to direct one of my favorite recent novels, which just happened to have a screenplay written by the original author, Ernest Cline – needless to say I was excited. And my excitement paid off big time without a hint of disappointment. The story revolves around a kid (Tye Sheridan) living in a future where a large part of the planet has chosen to forgo social interaction and instead live inside a single video game world called the OASIS, searching for hidden clues that would award the winner of the final puzzle complete ownership of the company. Rather than copying the book here, Cline created brand new puzzles for the audience to follow along with, and a newish adventure to cheer for. The reinvention of the story, along with a terrific cast and Spielberg’s incredible artistry as a storyteller and filmmaker, gives us one of 2018’s best movies so far. A
Operation Red Sea
Not Rated, but equivalent to a strong R
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%
Available on disc and streaming
This follow-up to 2016’s Operation Mekong, follows the Chinese military as they attempt to thwart a Middle-East terrorist plot to obtain nuclear materials. While the thought of watching a modern Chinese military in action is very interesting, so little attention is paid to character building that the whole thing turns into a two plus hour action sequence with nothing to keep you engaged other than the next explosion. It’s an extremely well-produced film, and at times it is quite riveting, but had they just invested in a stronger character-driven screenplay, they could have ended up with the Chinese version of Blackhawk Down, rather than this more generic facsimile. B-
Super Troopers 2
Rated R for crude sexual content and language throughout, drug material and some graphic nudity
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 31%
Available on disc and streaming
The Broken Lizard boys are back and this time facing off with the Canadians once it is announced that part of Canada really is America, and they will be policing the change. This modern-day answer to Cheech and Chong is very much for the pot-smoking community and has a juvenile feel that can be quite funny if you are under the influence. I’m not a smoker, but I will admit that the film was much funnier than it should have been while drinking a couple of glasses of wine. It still isn’t great, and to give a positive review could greatly embarrass me later, so I’ll just throw out that at the right time, and under a bit of influence (please be safe), this film might just entertain you for a couple of hours. C