Tag: Tom Cruise

Top Gun is Sexy when Maverick is Free to Fly Like An Eagle!

Top Gun: Maverick is more than just your typical blockbuster. It’s music is key to its continued success.

Top Gun Maverick

Spoiler Alert

Not much has changed in Top Gun: Maverick. The best takeaway is that both the original and this latest has fantastic music that honours the past and future.

Even the copycat films of the time had its strong musical moments. It’s tough not to forget what Kenny Loggins “Danger Zone” and Berlin’s “Take My Breath Away” confirms as part of the presentation. The lyrics establish more than just the tone of the work, but also provide a capsule summary of each set piece.

The story picks up about thirty-five years later, with Captain Pete Mitchell (Tom Cruise) “stuck” in a rut. He’s like James T. Kirk from the early Star Trek movies. Their career is going nowhere, and it took several films for both to find where they belong. Are either of the two an officer or a gentleman? No, they’re both free spirits; they are more than just another ghost rider in the sky. They don’t want to be confined to duty.

This film gets up close and personal. To get those goosebumps when riding that wild wind with a precision machine is what this film aimed for and I say the production team succeeded. There’s some effects shots which even I’m not sure if they are CGI or real.

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It’s No Spoiler! Behind the Scenes with Top Gun Maverick

This featurette releaased today looks at a few things that went on during production.

Top Gun Maverick Poster.jpgComing to theatres May 27, 2022

Nearly everyone knows just how much Tom Cruise was a taskmaster while making Top Gun Maverick. He’s a demanding entertainer for a reason, and it shows when he’s passionate about a film–especially one that helped make him a huge name in Hollywood.

This featurette looks at a few aspects he and his stars had to endure. A significant part of this film won’t be faked with CGI. Just how all those cameras are mounted onto planes for the external shots are a bit of a mystery, but I’m sure a home video release will explain that in due time.

I appreciate the care and attention Cruise puts into the movies he’s executive producing. The wait will be worth it, and to revisit this world is bound to be exciting. Plus, we get an official explanation for why this sequel took so long to come to be!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yM389FbhlRQ&ab_channel=ParamountPictures

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The Mummy in 2017 – A Detailed Analysis and Thoughts

Yes, I’m excited for this new take of The Mummy. It’s definitely a story with potential leanings to ancient astronaut conspiracies and pacts with alien gods.

The Mummy (2017) Movie PosterPlaying in theatres June 9, 2017

Yes, I’m suitably excited for this new take of The Mummy. It’s definitely a story with potential leanings to ancient astronaut conspiracies and pacts with alien gods. When the military is involved, even a shade of the original movie Stargate can not go unnoticed when it comes to unearthing corpses that should be best left buried.

Nick Morton (Tom Cruise) is the tactical leader of an operation which unearthed an Egyptian sarcophagus from deep within the Earth (always not a good sign). It’s been airlifted by a helicopter and later put on a transport plane. This American team is taking it home, perhaps to a nearby base. The details of the cavern and coffin are very alien-like. The headdress looks fin-like, and perhaps this look is why part of the film takes to the sea to find the coffins of the followers of this cult.

The Mummy (2017) Terror Underneath
All screen captures are copyright to Universal Pictures.

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In Defense of The Mummy and the Universal Monsters Reboot

The teaser trailer of The Mummy (with Tom Cruise in the lead) from a few days ago wetted my appetite for a possible Universal Monsters universe.

Universal Monsters Reboot with The Mummy

Should I be angry over the fact Universal Studios wants to reboot their entire monster franchise? I say no. To get a modern update is inevitable and I would rather go with the flow to see how producers Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Chris Morgan’s vision are going to put all of them together. The teaser trailer of The Mummy (with Tom Cruise in the lead) from a few days ago wetted my appetite for a Univeral Monsters shared universe.

According to The Collider, a full blown trailer is supposed to be out on Sunday. I suspect it will arrive in the evening, and I will be following up with a shot by shot analysis. I enjoy following The Mummy craze since the opening of King Tut’s tomb fueled my interest. No, I’m not that old, but I love this ancient world and will absorb any kind of treatment into my own Sphinx’s vault of collected treasures. From the Boris Karloff days to Arnold Vosloo, and including ITV’s Tutankhamun, I will want to see or read about it.

I am more disappointed that the prior films, The Wolfman and Dracula Untold are not included. Understandably, they were made before the studio heads may have thought of a shared universe and despite the travesty of the latter film, I appreciated The Wolfman more and want to see him return. Benicio del Toro as Lawrence Talbot/The Wolfman is perfect.

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How Many TV Spies can I Eye This Year?

Quite a number of TV spies have appeared throughout the years featuring agents of varying abiliites. From 24 to The Wild Wild West, only a handful (including the latter title) have been developed to film.

James Bond Superspy LogoQuite a number of TV spies have appeared throughout the years featuring agents of varying abiliites. From 24 to The Wild Wild West, only a handful (including the latter title) have been developed to film. The appeal for this genre certainly hit an all-time high from the mid 60’s to early 70’s, and from there on, the odd program would emerge to re-ignite interest. I’m a huge fan of Chuck, and not since then has a new series of a similar calibre emerged.

From that past era, the list of properties to film includes The Avengers, The Saint, Get Smart, I Spy, La Femme Nikita and Mission Impossible. A few were developed to simply be spy comedies and others were modernized for amping up the action, especially Mission Impossible. A few stayed within context for the time. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is one such release. Both these films saw recent releases, and to say which one is better is a tough choice. Reviews are offered to investigate both on its own merits.

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