Say what you will about Tom Cruise’s personal life, his weird religion, or his lack of real acting chops, but the man has made some terrific adventure movies. His Mission: Impossible reboots have consistently gotten better with each sequel, and though I haven’t yet seen it, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, the fourth in the series, has gotten some darn good buzz, including from Sentry Max Naylor. Add in director Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Iron Giant, Ratatouille) and you’ve got the makings of a pick of the week.
This go-round finds Cruise’s Ethan Hunt and his band of IMF agents being labeled as terrorists after a bombing at the Kremlin. While trying to clear their name, they uncover a plot to start a nuclear war and find themselves inside another impossible mission. Okay, that plot sounds fairly ridiculous but then again all of their plots sound ridiculous – it’s the execution that counts and so far this series has not disappointed.
The Blu-ray comes with the now traditional bundle with a regular DVD disk and digital copy. Extras include a slew of features on the various locations of the film and other aspects of shooting the film and some deleted scenes.
Also out this week that looks interesting:
Treme: The Complete Season Two: I have to admit I stopped watching season two of this HBO series after its Mardi Gras episode. That episode consisted of nothing but people dancing and strutting to New Orleans style music. The music was good and I usually dig those type of scenes which have consistently been scattered throughout the series but there needs to be more than just that. David Simon and company do a great job of giving viewers the feel of New Orleans after Katrina, but they seem to be forgetting to also include interesting characters and a plot that makes us want to come back. I loved Simon’s The Wire immensely so I know I will come back to the show soon to finish the season, I just hope it gives me more than just nice window dressing. Extras include several features and audio commentaries.
Late Spring (Criterion Collection Blu-ray): I’ve never seen a Yasujiro Ozu film but folks like Roger Ebert adore him and I figure a Criterion Blu-ray is a pretty good place to start. Extras include a documentary, audio commentary, and a 20 page book on the film.
Grateful Dead: All the Years Combine: The DVD Collection: Featuring all 11 officially released Grateful Dead movies, this massive collection is a Deadhead’s dream. Its also got an extra disk featuring some never before released performances and the documentary Backstage Pass.
Frozen Planet: the Complete Series: I can’t get enough of these high-definition nature shows.
