Mission: Impossible III

Let me start by saying I never loved the first Mission: Impossible, and I absolutely despised M:I:II. Now, having said that, let me state the plain and simple truth: Mission: Impossible III rocked my face off. From the first frame to the last, I was captivated, on the edge of my seat, completely blown away. This is the action movie everyone hopes for. The type of film that ranks up there with Die Hard, T2: Judgment Day and Aliens. The summer movie everyone wants to see, but rarely has the opportunity to because Hollywood shells out formulaic crap after uninventive crap after ridiculous crap.

Unfortunately, a lot of people didn't see this movie because they think Tom Cruise has jumped off the deep end. And sure, I agree, his personal life seems weird. But this is a movie, people. And as far as movies are concerned, I think Tom still has that thing that can carry a movie. That natural star quality. All in all, I think he's a better actor than most people give him credit for, and if you don't believe me, go back and watch Rain Man, Magnolia, Born on the Fourth of July, Collateral, Minority Report, A Few Good Men, Jerry Maguire, or the long list of other good, even rewatchable films he's done. He has quite a resume if you think about it.

But I'm not here to talk about Tom or TomKat, I'm here to rate M:I:III's rewatchability. So let me put it this way: I saw this movie five, count 'em, five times in the theatre. That's just something I don't do. With ticket prices as expensive as they are, I have already spent over $70 paying to watch this movie and treat others to it. Yes, it's that good. In fact, the latest installment to the Mission: Impossible franchise has not only made this my number one most rewatchable film of 2006 (thus far), but has put it at number six (thus far) on my ten best films of 2006 (see the bottom of the right sidebar for my full list).

Tom Cruise is great. Philip Seymore Hoffman plays one of the most ruthless villains in action movie history. And, of course, the action is non-stop. Right when you think the movie might slow down to let you catch your breath, it starts right back up again. It's almost like when you're swimming and you need a fresh breath, but you only come up long enough to catch a brief little gasp of air, barely enough to hold you until the next time you make it out of the water. And it's two freaking hours of that.

Even if you hate Tom Cruise and his antics, or you despised the first and second Mission: Impossibles, I can't recommend you buy this movie enough. This is pure slam bang, non-stop, one-of-a-kind, compelling, compulsively rewatchable entertainment at its finest. Kudos to Abrams, Cruise, and the rest of the Mission: Impossible III team. After seeing this, you made me believe again that making action films of the highest quality is not impossible, just a rare gift worth hoping for, no matter how long the wait.

The bottom line: Compulsively Rewatchable

Flags of Our Fathers

Flags of Our Fathers is the perfect example of a well done movie that just isn't that rewatchable. Even with movies like Saving Private Ryan and Braveheart, you could bare to watch them more frequently because the payoff appeals to all of us: ordinary men overcoming great odds to do something extraordinary.

Then again, that's the point of Clint Eastwood's latest directorial venture. That these soldiers were ordinary men, and maybe not so much "heroes" as they were just guys trying to live through the madness of war. So, it's not a fair reason to discount the movie, but purely a reason that I won't be antsy to pop this one in the player when it comes out on DVD. It's a historical account of the flag raisers at Iwo Jima and, while there is no real payoff, the message is quiet and profound. As one of the characters puts it in the film, "Maybe there were no heroes, but just men like my dad."

It's not an action-packed film, nor is it one where you leave cheering and stirred to go try great things, but it is a moving, honest, new perspective of the war we have come to admire as a "Good War..." and Flags of Our Fathers may persuade you to think a little differently. While I enjoyed the film immensely and appreciate its new take on an old genre, it's not a movie I'll be eager to rewatch anytime soon.

The bottom line: Rarely Rewatchable