By Susan Granger
“Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation” begins with a spectacular, pulse-pounding stunt in which IMF agent Ethan Hunt climbs aboard a huge A-400 cargo plane as it’s taking off.
Yes, that’s really Tom Cruise! And the thrill-ride fun is just beginning…
Ethan’s on a mission when he discovers that a stealthy terrorists, known as The Syndicate, led by sinister Solomon Lane (Sean Harris), are working discredit the IMF by insidiously recruiting former intelligence operatives to destabilize countries and ‘eliminate’ major international figures.
Problem is: no one believes him, particularly incoming CIA chief, Alan Huntley (Alec Baldwin), who discredits him and the entire operation.
Enter mysterious Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), a lithe femme fatale, ostensibly from Britain’s MI6, who has infiltrated the Syndicate, yet may or may not be playing both sides. But since she resourcefully saves Ethan’s life – not once but twice – that earns her some credibility with suspicious IMF operatives (Jeremy Renner, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg).
Adding unexpected touches of humor, writer/director Christopher McQuarrie superbly crafts the intricate, fast-paced espionage suspense, building to several dynamic highpoints, elegantly photographed by Robert Elswit.
There’s an eye-popping assassination attempt in the Vienna Opera House during Puccini’s “Turandot;” Ethan’s daring dive into a whirling maelstrom, holding his breath during a perilous underwater retrieval; and an intrepid car-and-bike chase in Morocco – plus other stunning surprises along the way.
Effectively at the top of his game, vital-yet-vulnerable Tom Cruise is heroically resilient, often matched stunt-for-stunt by stunning Sweden’s Rebecca Ferguson, whose name ‘Ilse’ evokes memories of another enigmatic Swede, Ingrid Bergman, in “Casablanca.”
Fittingly, Joe Kraemer’s propulsive score includes strains of Lalo Schifrin’s original TV series theme.
FULL DISCLOSURE: My son, Don Granger, produced this movie.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation” is a taut 10, the most exciting action-adventure of the summer.
I had never seen Amy Schumer on Comedy Central, so her earthy brand of brash humor in “Trainwreck,” was, at first, a bit unnerving. Her culturally relevant, confessional comedy has no limits: nothing is too intimate or inappropriate for her to say – or write – in this raunchy, role-reversal rom-com.
Her story begins with a flashback, as their philandering father (Colin Quinn) informs Amy and her sister why he and their mother are divorcing, having them repeat: “Monogamy isn’t realistic.”
Flash-forward 23 years. Hard-drinking, commitment-phobic Amy is a magazine writer and serial slut, seducing whom she wants when she wants, but never spending the night. Her man-of-the-moment is WWE’s muscleman John Cena, who stuns her when he wants to get serious.
Then her saucy, shallow editor (Tilda Swinton) assigns sports-loathing Amy to interview Dr. Aaron Conners (Bill Hader), a successful Manhattan orthopedist whose patients include America’s top athletes, like his sensitive-but-strangely stingy best-buddy, NBA superstar LeBron James.
Charmed by her indecisive, yet uninhibited candor, sweetly geeky Conners invites Amy to dinner. That leads to drinks – and soon she’s climbing on top of him. But there are plenty of spiky speed bumps on this road to romance.
Collaborating with director Judd Apatow (“40 Year-Old Virgin,” “Knocked Up”), it’s Schumer’s show. Episodic and overly long, much of it works.
According to interviews, Amy’s vulnerable character seems to parallel her own life, including a married sister named Kim (Brie Larson) and an angry, outspoken father suffering from multiple sclerosis.
“When I was writing this script, I realized that I had a really hard time letting somebody love me and felt like I didn’t deserve it,” she says. “And now I totally do. I think I’m a woman to love.”
Once empowered, Amy Schumer is a revelation, and it’s not surprising that she’ll be the stand-up opening act of Madonna’s new show in September.
On the Granger Gauge, “Trainwreck” is a sneaky, subversive 7, slyly delivering love-spiced laughter.
Following “The Fault in Our Stars,” “Paper Towns” is the second screen adaptation of a John Green YA novel – and a bit of a disappointment in comparison with the first.
Quentin “Q” Jacobsen (Nat Wolff) has been infatuated by Margo Roth Spiegelman (supermodel Cara Delevingne), ever since her family moved in across the street when he was nine years-old. In high school, eccentric Margo has her own cool clique, barely acknowledging geeky Q in the corridor.
Then, one night, near the end of their senior year, Margo crawls into his bedroom window, asking him to drive her around their hometown of Orlando, Florida, to wreak revenge on friends who have betrayed her. After that exhilarating escapade, rebellious Margo mysteriously disappears.
Enlisting two nerdy buddies (Austin Abrams, Justice Smith), Q is determined to find Margo, who conveniently leaves clues to her whereabouts. Eventually, Q realizes Margo has gone to Algoe in upstate New York, one of the ‘paper towns’ she told him about – so off they go.
FYI: ‘Paper towns’ is a term used by mapmakers who put non-existent places on their maps to ensure copyright protection.
Conventionally plotted and overly contrived, the story emphasizes taking risks and developing your own perspective by delineating the disconnect between Q’s image of Margo and her image of herself.
On the Granger Gauge, “Paper Towns” is a formulaic 5, appealing primarily to pre-teens or those who have never seen John Hughes’ angst-riddled comedic dramas.
( Editor’s Note: Westport resident Susan Granger grew up in Hollywood, studied journalism with Pierre Salinger at Mills College, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with highest honors in journalism. In addition to writing for newspapers and magazines, she has been on radio/television as an anchorwoman and movie/drama critic for many years. See her reviews at www.susangranger.com.)
