Review - Mission: Impossible -- Rogue Nation

In an age when cinephiles continue to bemoan the glut (and the fiscal success) of unoriginal populist entertainment, I feel it's important to remember not all unoriginal populist entertainment is created equal. There's that which is dumb, lazy or poorly made, and there's that which is so well executed it truly entertains despite its familiarity. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, the fifth in the series of Tom Cruise vehicles which had plateaued at 'mediocre' until Brad Bird's 2011 entry Ghost Protocol, falls comfortably into the latter designation.

Thankfully, you don't need to have followed the previous globe-trotting exploits of super spy Ethan Hunt (Cruise, barely aged since his first M:I outing in 1996) and his Impossible Mission Force, IMF, to enjoy Rogue Nation. You don't even need to follow this one all that closely. In a franchise whose primary draw is its star and his daring-do, story details erase themselves from one's memory as readily as the famously self-destructing messages that send Ethan on his next mission, should he choose to accept it. Which he does, of course.

Review - Blue Jasmine

Boasting an acrid, career-best star turn from Cate Blanchett, Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine is perfect late summer counter-programming for the discerning film goer; a cynically witted character study that proposes it's not the tragedies and crises (be they self-imposed or fateful) that define our lives, but our ability to put the past behind us and move on.

Jasmine (Blanchett) used to thrive on the vain luxury of her Manhattan high life. Constantly indulged by her wealthy businessman husband (Alec Baldwin), she blissfully turned a blind eye to his crooked dealings and extramarital affairs. We are reminded of this part of her life via frequent flashbacks, but presently, all the extravagant dining and dancing and diamonds and drinks have completely vanished from Jasmine's world. Well, except for the drinks.