3.11.2008

Mission: Impossible (1996)
7:15PM Genoa 3.11.08

I remember kind of liking this movie in English, but having now watched about 5 minutes of it in Italian, I find myself unable to remember for the life of me why. The best theory I have at the moment is that there are two Tom Cruises, New-Look and Old-Look. New-Look Tom Cruise is, for me, totally unwatchable at this point. Case in point (there’s a trip in the wayback machine for anyone reading this old enough to go that far back) – I watched 45 minutes of Walker: Texas Ranger but couldn’t stomach more than 6 of Mission: Impossible. Old-Look Tom Cruise is still watchable, though give me time and I may be able to reason myself into a wholly unreasonable dislike for everything he’s ever done. I don’t know that this is a chronological distinction, though. To help you get a sense for what I mean, I include the following list:

New look:
Minority Report
Mission(s): Impossible
The Firm
Jerry McGuire (sp?)

Old look:
Top Gun
Days of Thunder
Risky Business?

It’s difficult to do much with a list this short, but it is what it is. Or something. It’s worth noting also, though, that with the possible exception of Ving Rhames, I found the rest of the performances in Mission: Impossible equally vomitorious. This movie was Oceans Eleven but stupider and way more boring, which is saying something, if you follow.

Aaaaanyway. In an effort to do something new and different, I plan to see an Italian movie in Italy. I’ll let you know how that goes.

3 comments:

kristina said...

Do you agree that Tom Cruise's baby Suri looks alarmingly like the devil-possessed boy Damian in the movie "The Omen?" Check it out.

Steve O said...

I don't think he looks different between Top Gun and Mission Impossible, I think your just trying to justify how awesome you think Top Gun is. Sure, some of that is Anthony Edwards, some of it's Val Kilmer, and none of it is Tom Skerrit, but still.

I still like the first Mission Impossible, even if it has become cliched. Maybe it was the Italian that was getting you?

Also, stomaching that much Walker might be indicative of more deep-seated problems...

Unknown said...

oh, I totally agree. I think he got a face-job at some point. Or at least a nose-job. Maybe a chin implant too.

And you know he recently had those braces....I miss Old-Look TC!