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Showing posts with the label Michelle Monaghan

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is 20 Years Old!

Twenty years ago today Shane Black's directorial debut received a standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival. Unfortunately, a limited release meant that Kiss Kiss Bang Bang  was not the blockbuster hit it should have been. Or as Robert Downey Jr. put it; it "tanked". What could have been the start of a series of adventures - imagine a trilogy of mysteries with Gay Perry and his two misfit associates - sadly drifted into obscurity. Anyway, by now you may wonder how I wound up here. Or maybe not. Maybe you wonder how silly putty picks shit up from comic books. The point is, I don't see another Goddamn narrator, so pipe down. I first became aware of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang when I read about it in a film magazine (probably Empire ). The article featured that hilarious image of Downey Jr.'s 'Harry Lockhart' dangling from the hand of a corpse. Said hand is protruding from a coffin caught on a traffic sign, which is attached to a bridge in Long Beach, California....

Mission: Rewatch

Once again, Tom Cruise and the Mission: Impossible  franchise are taking the world by storm, with a little help from legendary writer/director Christopher McQuarrie. Naturally this felt like a perfect opportunity for another Moustache: Rewatch ... or should that be Mission: Rewatch ? Either way, I haven't watched any of these movies in years - probably Fallout  back when it was in cinemas - so revisiting them proved to be an exciting prospect. It's weird to think that this all started in 1996 - the movies, that is - and with Tom Cruise sporting a fake moustache, no less! Maybe it has something to do with how far the franchise has come since then, how much it has evolved - for better or worse - with every new instalment. Back in 1996 an up and coming IMF agent found himself on the wrong side of a mole hunt, forcing him to go rogue and attempt to uncover the real traitor. Of course this is all preceded by the operation in Prague, which really sets the tone for the whole movie. S...

Mission: Impossible - Fallout | Average Guy Movie Review

When a mission failure results in three plutonium cores ending up in the wrong hands, the IMF is put under CIA overwatch. Things get even more complicated when it's discovered that the group looking to acquire the plutonium - known as the Apostles - are the last remaining members of Solomon Lane's (Sean Harris) Syndicate. Their goal, cause a global catastrophe that will bring about a new world order. And the only link to the Apostles and the plutonium that Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team have to work with is a mysterious arms dealer known as the White Widow (Vanessa Kirby). In the 22 years it has been around, the Mission: Impossible franchise has gone through many guises. Each movie is as different from the last as the men who direct them. Fallout may have the same director as Rogue Nation - a first for the franchise - but Christopher McQuarrie still manages to make this a very different movie. This one's a lot darker than previous instalments, the mission is m...

Moustache Trailer Reactions | Mile 22 | Mission: Impossible - Fallout

Mission: Impossible - Fallout It appears that Solomon Lane (Sean Harris) isn't done causing trouble for Ethan Hunt and the IMF. His escape re-ignites the rivalry between the Impossible Mission Force and their sister agency, the CIA. A matter only made worse by Hunt's determination to be the one to bring Lane in. Fallout is said to focus more on Hunt's personal life, which might explain said determination. Michelle Monaghan returns as Ethan's wife Julia. There's a shot in the trailer of the two of them taking part in some sort of wedding ceremony, only for what appears to be a nuclear explosion to be seen in the distance. Now, the Mission: Impossible movies aren't known for their dream sequences but there's a chance that's what this is. All of the team are back bar Jeremy Renner's William Brandt, Renner was busy working on the Avengers sequels. Alec Baldwin is back as the newly crowned Secretary of the IMF and we're introduced...

Sleepless: Average Guy Movie Review

When you read a cast list that includes Jamie Foxx, Michelle Monaghan, David Harbour and Dermot Mulroney, you start to expect good performances and an interesting story. Unfortunately, with 'Sleepless' this is not the case. A remake of the 2001 French action movie 'Sleepless Night', Las Vegas police detective Vincent Downs (Foxx) and his partner Sean Cass (T.I.) steal 25 kilos of cocaine from a local supplier. Cocaine that was supposed to be delivered to Rob Novak, a very dangerous and unstable drug dealer. In order to retrieve their product, the supplier - casino boss Stanley Rubino (Mulroney) - has Downs' son kidnapped. Downs' attempts to return the drugs are hindered by two cops from Internal Affairs; Bryant (Monaghan) and Dennison (Harbour). What ensues is one deadly and chaotic night in a Las Vegas casino. Sleepless attempts to live up to the likes of Training Day, Street Kings, The Shield and even Die Hard in a way, but it just doesn't get clos...

Patriots Day: Average Guy Movie Review

In their third collaboration, Mark Wahlberg and Peter Berg are once again bringing a real life event to the silver screen. On 15th April 2013 the Tsarnaev brothers detonated two improvised explosive devices at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. This is the story of that day, the joint FBI/Police investigation and the four-day manhunt that followed. Even though you know it's coming, you can feel the tension build as you await the inevitable explosions. From there, slow burn turns to high octane as the cops deal with the aftermath and the manhunt begins.  Mark Wahlberg plays Sgt. Tommy Saunders, an amalgamation of three cops who were either present at the time of the bombing or involved in the subsequent investigation and manhunt. Also involved are Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis (John Goodman) and FBI Special Agent Richard DesLauriers (Kevin Bacon).   The splicing of real CCTV footage into the movie adds a creepy vibe. That being said, Patriots Day...