'Mission: Impossible-Fallout' Seals Tom Cruise's Legendary Status

With a tagline, "The best intentions often come back to haunt you", this sixth installment of the Mission: Impossible saga brings back Ethan Hunt and his Impossible Missions Force crew along with familiar allies, plus a few more comrades in disguise, in a race against time after a mission gone wrong.

Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt; Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures

Mission: Impossible--Fallout offers a familiar mission similar to some Marvel superhero movies minus the superpowers, and more of Tom Cruise's brute capabilities, with several tricky and slamming roadblocks in between. It constantly plays with tense scenarios of who-to-trust, and who-to-beat matched with  pulsating score by Lorne Balfe. But what it's always been about is how Ethan Hunt heroically and epically accomplishes it, never devoid of morals and concern for his people--may it be with old pals, Luther (Ving Rhames) and Benji (Simon Pegg); his boss, Alan Hunley (Alec Baldwin); or his love interests, Ilsa (Rebecca Ferguson) and Julia (Michelle Monaghan)--and not at any time he's willing to give up. Thinking about it, the cause of the mission is slightly head-scratching. There's no one to blame but themselves, but if it means loads of exhilarating action, then who am I to complain?

Returning to the franchise is director Christopher McQuarrie who has given us a confidently bombastic film, and is fully aware of it. Even more certain is his belief that Tom Cruise is the fuel of the movie that not any other directors or writers, or the iconic score, could and would outshine him. McQuarrie knows that Cruise embodies Ethan Hunt, and they both know what makes him an appealing character on a truly instinctive level. It shows in both of their choices of Ethan's close-ups, principles, capabilities, and more importantly, stunts.

Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures

Just several minutes into the film, Tom Cruise and Henry Cavill HALO jump 25,000 feet into thunderous clouds resulting into an intense long-take of breathtaking skydiving action reminiscent of Sandra Bullock swirling around space in Gravity. Then only a few scenes after, a classic chase sequence around the beautiful streets, bridges, and undergrounds of Paris putting everyone on the edge of their seats, wishing there's a brake, or a gas pedal really, ready to be stomped anytime out of excitement. And that is just the first half. The last 20 minutes or so is the real bomb, giving us jaw-dropping helicopter action with an elegant Kashmir backdrop, shot in Norway and New Zealand, as if we're watching a display ad for IMAX televisions.

Generally, one can say that all stunts done here by Cruise is the synthesis of what he's performed in the past. And it can't be said once, but Tom Cruise, really, is the man. Mission: Impossible--Fallout seals Tom Cruise's legendary status surpassing the likes of Stallone, Seagal, Van Damme, you name it. Now, I'm no expert in action movies but with the level of stunts shown here, accidentally breaking his ankle in the process, this absolutely makes him, undoubtedly, godly.

'Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again' Stages An Amazing Cher Comeback

Ten years after Meryl Streep fell in love, sing and dance to the marvelous songs of Abba, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is here with the complete cast & more, and let me start with--I absolutely enjoyed this! This coming from someone who's not fond of the first one, and I'm almost sure that a revisit will change that.

The cast of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again Photo by United International Pictures

Ol Parker's Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again begins with Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) preparing for the re-opening of their villa in Greece, as we learn that her mother Donna has passed away a year prior. Indeed, a huge event for Sophie as she lives the legacy of her mom. These events are juxtaposed with the young Donna (Lily James) after she graduates in Oxford with her best friends Tanya and Rosie--the Dynamos, as she live an adventurous life. Through her trips, she meets the young Harry, Sam and Bill which leads her to live in the island of Kalokairi where she eventually resided. It is a back and forth of lively and bittersweet moments for both young Donna and Sophie, and it is almost impossible not to sing along with them.

Lily James has never been this memorable, vivacious and lovely, as the young Donna Sheridan. To begin with, she has huge shoes to fill in but her exotic aura and charm, as different as Meryl Streep's Donna, is remarkably watchable. Highlights are her Andante, Andante as she wanders around an old abandoned house in the island, and gritty and cheeky Mamma Mia with the hilarious and cute Jessica Keenan Wynn and Alexa Davies as the young Rosie and Tanya. Amanda Seyfried, on the other hand, has matured so much--both as an actress and as her character that there were times where Cher looks more youthful. She doesn't have the Gimme Gimme Gimme material this time, as she's given a more mature developed storyline.

The rise in excitement, however, only started when 'big dick energy' role model Christine Baranski, Julie Walters, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgard enter the picture. Baranski and Walters' comedic scenes are highly needed as they support the worrisome Sophie. This time, they were given much more material without being outshined by Meryl. Firth and Skarsgard are bonkers. The Dancing Queen sequence in particular where they mimic Jack and Rose's 'I'm Flying' scene in Titanic is flat out laugh-out-loud hilarious. It makes one think that they're either having the time of their lives, or they just want to get over with the silliness that they bring to the film.

Cher in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again; Photo: United International Pictures

There are so many silly numbers and sequences but the highlight, without exaggeration, is throughout Cher's epic arrival until her final number with the cast singing Super Trouper readily and goofily. Her arrival is reminiscent of Rey's first encounter with Luke Skywalker in The Force Awakens, or Meryl Streep coming out of the elevator in The Devil Wears Prada. But her grand entrance is just the start. As Sophie's grandmother who rarely showed up in their life events, she makes up for the missing time. Like Donna, she's also a wanderer. She even speaks Mexican, and in most definitely the best number and scene of the movie, she sings Fernando with her Andy Garcia, who was introduced in the beginning as the manager of Sophie and Donna's villa only to be revealed as Cher's long lost Mexican lover named Fernando. So cliche and wacky, but also exceptionally entertaining, especially when they started to dance together that the whole audience died of pleasure.

Cher steals the show without a doubt, and the film perfectly stages an amazing comeback for her, even when Meryl's Donna arrives as her spirit while singing a touching rendition of The Day Before You Came with Amanda Seyfried.

This whole movie is so special that it will surely put a smile on everyone's face after the end credits. Whether it may be out of cheesiness or just pure entertainment. It's that pleasant.

'Skyscraper' is Incredibly Death Defying

Dwayne Johnson as Will Sawyer, Photo by: Universal Pictures

You can always depend on Dwayne Johnson when it comes to disaster blockbuster films. Just a few months ago, he's fighting with a rampaging giant albino gorilla and a flying wolf in Rampage, and then, of course, he survived the giant earthquake caused by San Andreas fault, and now he's trying to rescue his family in a burning skyscraper called "The Pearl", sporting a prosthetic leg. How cool is that?

This movie from writer-director Rawson Marshall-Thurber begins with Johnson as former FBI Hostage Rescue Team leader and U.S. war veteran Will Sawyer, who after an unfortunate incident as a soldier, becomes a security assessor for skyscrapers. Now in Hong Kong, his assignment is the highest modern skyscraper ever built called "The Pearl" making Empire State Building and Burj Khalifa a little less prominent. Things go wrong when his former colleague Ben played by Pornstache Pablo Schrieber betrays him which puts his family in danger.

First and foremost, the fictional "The Pearl" looks realistic and stunning as hell, adding beauty and distinction to the popular cityscape skyline of Hong Kong. As a travel and photography enthusiast, this really glued my eyes in its beauty. Second, Neve Campbell plays The Rock's wife and she's a badass in this, totally giving us 90s nostalgia. But the film really hit its stride when the building starts to burn and The Rock has to climb, jump, and trapeze through outlandish heights and floors within and into the building.

Skyscaper is unbelievably death defying. It's definitely not for the faint of heart. People with fear of heights are going to have a hard time surviving this, but the movie makes sure it's thrilling and enjoyable at the same time. As usual with these kind of films, there's a family at stake and it definitely adds heart and balance with its popcorn-grabbing action packed scenes.

Rated PG by the MTRCB, Skyscraper opens in Philippine cinemas July 11.

Family (and Size) Matters Most in Playful 'Ant-Man and the Wasp'

Ant-Man and The Wasp; Marvel Studios

It gets small, then gets big, small again, then gets giant. Humor is common in Marvel movies but it's the playfulness in size that makes Peyton Reed's Ant-Man and the Wasp a little more fun among others.


Paul Rudd is back once again to put on the 'Ant-Man' suit. This time with The Wasp played by Evangeline Lilly, as they work together with the help of Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) to resolve the mystery of the disappearance of Wasp's mother (played by the transcendent Michelle Pfeiffer) in the Quantum Tunnel.

The film picks up after Captain America: Civil War in which Scott must complete his house arrest as part of his deal after helping Steve Rogers. One would think there would be less action, and more family and while the latter is heartwarmingly true, the action here is as fun, if not more, as the first one. Both Ant-Man and The Wasp's families are in the core of this film and it's almost as heartwarming as it is comedic. Not to mention its beauty, as it is backdropped by the pretty streets of San Francisco, and their version of the void is breathtaking. So breathtaking that it has one of the most beautiful kissing scenes ever in it and it doesn't even involve Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly.

Ant-Man; Marvel Studios

Ant-Man and the Wasp has a lot of weapons on why it stands out--family values, shrinking superheroes, solving a mystery rather than focusing on a defeating a villain, Paul Rudd, Michelle Pfeiffer. My favorite, though, is Michael Peña's kooky character. Or scratch that and make it, Michael Peña period. He's hilarious especially when he narrates stories from his point of view and we see other actors speaking through his voice. That's one of the things I love about Ant-Man and I'm glad that they included some of it here.

All in all, it's one heck of an entertaining and well-balanced movie letting humor sashay throughout the movie, action to elevate the story, and family to live in its core. Family matters most here and it will speak so much by the end of the film. It also answers one thing: why is Ant-Man not in Avengers: Infinity War? The answer is a devastating bummer, at least not for Ant-Man. But I'm not gonna spoil anything.