Mission Impossible: A Retrospective

by Cláudio Alves

Jumping from mountaintop into the silver screen, a death dive flight through alpine air, Tom Cruise crashes cinemas with another chapter in the Mission: Impossible franchise. Inspired by the hit 60s TV show, the movies have long ago severed whatever connection they might have had with their origin, transforming into what's best described as America's answer to the James Bond flicks. But that's a hollow description as  different directors have brought distinct visions, and Ethan Hunt has so constantly changed that he's more fluid idea than character.

For the star at the center of it all, the Mission: Impossible pictures have been a chance to experiment with how far the human body can go as a tool for action entertainment. Near suicidal in their fervor, these Cruise vehicles celebrate cinema at its most muscular and obstinately analog, a scream into the darkening sky that keeps the CG night at bay. For a cinephile intent on re-watching all the movies before watching Dead Reckoning - Part One, the movie series is an enticing study of shifting priorities and tones. So, here we go, from the Hollywood of 1996 to our present crisis against AI, reconsidered as a man's mission to save Humanity by killing the man-made God…

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"Succession" Leads 2023 Emmy Nominations

By Christopher James

The Emmy nominations have arrived, and a few shows have a lot to be happy about. Succession earned a whopping 27 nominations for its final season, only 5 nominations behind the record-holder for most nominations in a given year (Game of Thrones). The good news only continued for HBO, as two other shows from the network earned over 20 nominations (The Last of Us - 24 nominations; The White Lotus - 23 nominations). Some categories were completely dominated by HBO, such as the Supporting Actor in a Drama category, which sports four men from Succession up against 4 men from The White Lotus.

On the comedy front, the incumbent Apple TV+ winner Ted Lasso that many pundits thoughts was fading instead ruled the day with 21 nominations. Right behind it was a previous winner The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel with 14 nominations and a pair of new shows - The Bear with 13 nominations and Wednesday with 12 nominations. The Limited Series field is now neck and neck between two very different Netflix shows - Beef and Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.

Click through for the full list of Primetime Emmy Nominations...

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Halfway Mark Pt 2: Fav Films & Craft Achievements (Thus Far)

by Nathaniel R

The Best of 2023 Thus Far: Spider-Verse, Of An Age, Are You There God?, Past Lives, Joyland, and Asteroid City

Somehow it's mid July so it's time to survey the first half of the cinematic year. We worry for Hollywood given the writer's strike and the possibilities of a tepid fall/winter slate (the big titles people are most looking forward to are this very month -- Barbie and Oppenheimer). But regardless we take stock every year at this time, no matter what the future might hold. The following list honors only films released between January 1st and June 30th, 2023. It's our way of insuring we keep track of early favourites so that we don't fall victim to the dread recency bias that generally makes awards-giving bodies look forgetful and lazy.  The followlng lists are all in alpha order as its too soon for preferential ballots. Obviously we'd love to hear your own 'thus far' ballots in the comments. (We'll do the acting honors tomorrow).

Okay here we go...

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Emmys: Who Might Earn More Than One Acting Nomination This Year?

by Christopher James

Just this past year, Julia Garner won an Emmy for one of her two nominations that year.

When the Emmys fall for you, they fall hard. Many actors find that success in one role helps them pop up in other categories, namely guest acting. Some examples include Laurie Metcalf (Horace & Pete, Getting On), Bill Hader (Barry, Curb Your Enthusiasm) and Sterling K. Brown (This is Us, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel). Receiving multiple nominations can also be a positive sign towards a potential win, as was the case for Julia Garner last year when she won for Ozark and was also nominated for Inventing Anna. As Sally Field once said “you like me, you really like me.”

Many famous and emerging faces have submitted themselves in multiple categories. Some will definitely get the double-dip treatment, likely on their way to a big win. Which actors have the best shot at double-dipping this year when the nominations are announced...?

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First & Last 019

can you guess the movie from its first and last image?

the answer is after the jump...

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