Movie Review: Mission Impossible III (2006)

[Househead]

I agree...Scientology is a total sham.  ...but you can make the same arguments for Christianity and medicine.  Raised as a Christian, I've been told to pray for someone's health a thousand times.  That has no medical backing....

Actually, unexplainable as it is, there have been investigations and reports that sick people who pray have a higher probability of getting well again, especially those with nearly fatal illnesses. I assume it has to do with psyche and a more positive attitude than some divine intervention, but there is something to be said about the power of prayer.

[Dave Gray]

Actually, unexplainable as it is, there have been investigations and reports that sick people who pray have a higher probability of getting well again, especially those with nearly fatal illnesses. I assume it has to do with psyche and a more positive attitude than some divine intervention, but there is something to be said about the power of prayer.

I'm not talking about praying for your own health.  I'm sure that your own faith can heal you.  I'm talking about praying for someone else.

I saw a show the other night about it actually.  In their study, people who were prayed for before surgery actually had a worse go of it.

There were 3 groups.
1) No prayers
2) Prayed for, and they were told that they were prayed for.
3) Prayed for, and they were unaware that they were prayed for.

[Thundergod]

...the original is one of the best films ever made.  The concept of the original Matrix and the execution of the special effects (which actually serve the story) are both top notch.

1) Fight Club
2) The Usual Suspects
3) The Shawshank Redemption
4) The Sixth Sense
5) Memento
6) Pulp Fiction
7) The Empire Strikes Back
SE7EN
9) The Silence of the Lambs
10) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

One of the best ever, but just not good enough.    :

[mcduff81]

Holy research!

As far as scientology is concerned, I leave all my feelings about it at the door.  I don't give a crap about what these people do in their personal lives. I care about the character and the movie.

MI3 was a real good action movie. Very enjoyable. It is everything you expect it to be, and Ving Rhames is even funny in it(and no he doesn't have a billiard ball in his mouth) 

[CF DolFan]

It isn't just his scientology. He has played the same type of character in every movie he's ever done. Same attitude, same voice, etc. He's not a good actor.

You've nailed it.  That guy has and will never be a decent actor.  He's a good looking shorter version of Arnold.  People look past the bad acting.

I am the first to admit that Tom Cruise is a freak, but is it because of Scientology?  If he were a Christian nut, instead of a Scientology one, everyone would love him.

See: Mel Gibson

I don't get the Mel Gibson analogy at all.  Mel hasn't attacked anyone else's view on anything that I'm aware of.  When asked about his fath he speaks out but I haven't seen him make persoanl attacks on anyone.  And I don't think everyone blindly follows Chrstian "nutballs" either.  Most Christians hold other Christians accountable.  Becuase someone says something wacky at times ... James Dobson for instance ... it doesn't mean he isn't questioned by people including other famous pastors.  I know this had led to several public apologies by Dobson as well as some others but it is much easier for people to ignore the repentance of the Christian because that would mean they no longer can point out our faults.

It is said all the time but society tries to ignore it . Christians aren't perfect. We are just forgiven.

[Dave Gray]

You've nailed it. That guy has and will never be a decent actor. He's a good looking shorter version of Arnold. People look past the bad acting.

I'm surprised by this.  I think that Cruise is a great actor.  I got turned off by his high profile lunacy (as I did with Gibson), but I think that he's just a terrific actor.  He's made some great movies.

I don't get the Mel Gibson analogy at all.

Really?  You don't see similarities?  I'm not blasting Gibson's views...plenty of actors push an agenda.  But Gibson obviously does too, and he's very up-front about it.  He was involved in the Terri Schiavo thing, and most articles that I can find about him are about his faith, and his views on things like evolution.  He financed his own friggin' church, for Christ's sake! 

I see a similar case with Cruise, but because he's got a non-traditional religion, he is asked to comment on it by the media at every turn....he is coaxed into saying stupid shit based on his personal beliefs.  Do I think that silent childbirth is stupid?  Of course....but so is not eating meat on Friday.

Scientology is a joke to the masses, just like Christianity was at its inception.  So, Scientologists are going to endure a lot of ridicule.

Alien involvement.
Burning bushes.
Virgin births.

They're all equally silly, from the outside looking it.

[crazy_scar_man]

And Tom Cruise looks like he's got a loaf in his pants when he runs.

Is this because he has a huge penis?

[CF DolFan]

I'm surprised by this.  I think that Cruise is a great actor.  I got turned off by his high profile lunacy (as I did with Gibson), but I think that he's just a terrific actor.  He's made some great movies.

I've agreed with many of your movie reviews Dave but other what movie dod he actually act in? I mean he used sort of an accent in Far and Away but basicly he was still Jerry Maguire... except maybe a little younger.

Really?  You don't see similarities?  I'm not blasting Gibson's views...plenty of actors push an agenda.  But Gibson obviously does too, and he's very up-front about it.  He was involved in the Terri Schiavo thing, and most articles that I can find about him are about his faith, and his views on things like evolution.  He financed his own friggin' church, for Christ's sake! 

I don't remember him pushing any agenda during the Shiavo thing but I wasn't looking for any either.  I remember Christians being on both sides of the arguement and still are today. I don't even agree with several of Gibson's views as I think he is very "legalistic" and I can point to several things he does (as well as the Catholic Church) that seems to contradict my Bible as well as theirs. I don't think I ignore what he says either as I was very critical of some of his statements as well as his non-statements about his father in his Barbara Walters interview. I do though agree 100% with his depiction of Jesus' last three days ... according to what the Bible says. What I am saying is that I don't think I have any extra love for Mel outside of I was more of a fan of Mad Max and Lethal Weapon than I was of Top Gun and Mission Impossible.

I see a similar case with Cruise, but because he's got a non-traditional religion, he is asked to comment on it by the media at every turn....he is coaxed into saying stupid shit based on his personal beliefs.  Do I think that silent childbirth is stupid?  Of course....but so is not eating meat on Friday.

Didn't he bring the media attention on when he attacked Brooke Shields publicly? What abvout Matt Lauer?  As far as I can remember ... I don't think he has apologized to anyone.

Scientology is a joke to the masses, just like Christianity was at its inception.  So, Scientologists are going to endure a lot of ridicule.

Alien involvement.
Burning bushes.
Virgin births.

They're all equally silly, from the outside looking it.

I agree with all of that.   I just think Tom Cruise gets called out for more than just having a strange religion.  I don't hear people beating up on John Travolta or Forest Whitaker because of Scientology as a religion.

[Dave Gray]

I've agreed with many of your movie reviews Dave but other what movie dod he actually act in? I mean he used sort of an accent in Far and Away but basicly he was still Jerry Maguire... except maybe a little younger.

The guy has three Oscar nominations - one for supporting actor, and two for best actor for Magnolia, Born on the 4th of July, and Jerry Maguire.

I also really enjoyed Vanilla Sky, The Last Samurai, and Interview with the Vampire
He's had other big hits: Colatteral, A Few Good Men, Top Gun, Far and Away, Risky Business, War of the Worlds

And in the movies I've named, he's very different -- likely, detested, good, bad, in the middle.  If you just don't like him, that's cool, but to say that he's always the same role just isn't the case.

I don't remember him pushing any agenda during the Shiavo thing but I wasn't looking for any either.

Here's an article about Gibson getting personally involved with the Schiavo family and "pleading for her life."
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=43272

Didn't he bring the media attention on when he attacked Brooke Shields publicly? What abvout Matt Lauer?  As far as I can remember ... I don't think he has apologized to anyone.

You're right.  Cruise is a freakin' weirdo.  I am not pretending that he's not.  But if he were to have criticized someone else for something Christian based, he'd have a following -- just like Gibson has a following, despite accusations of being a holocaust denier.  The fact that http://www.supportmelgibson.com exists is totally strange to me.

I just think Tom Cruise gets called out for more than just having a strange religion.  I don't hear people beating up on John Travolta or Forest Whitaker because of Scientology as a religion.

You're totally right...not only does he have a strange religion, but he's talkative about it.  And because of that, the media is all over his to get him to say the next crazy shit about placenta eating or whatever.  Whittaker and Travolta know how to shut up and keep their beliefs private.  Gibson is equally talkative and judgemental (he admits that his own wife may go to hell for being an Anglican), but because most of the country is right there with him, people let it slide.

[CF DolFan]

Mel's father is the one who denies the holocaust.  Mel just doesn't allow people to talk bad about his father nor will he say anything to contradict him.  This has many, many Christians disappointed in him as well.  To my knowledge he hasn't ever made a anti-sematic comment and from what I have seen.


That site doesn't appear to be in support of Mel as much as the movie "The Passion."  It was defending the movie against people who wanted to censor it or stop it all together ... mostly Jews who felt they would be wrongly attacked. 

It appears to be very informative based on a brief look.  I like the part about who crucified Christ as most people don't understand they are to blame and not the Jews. He allowed his self to die for all of our sins. If we did not sin, he wouldn't have allowed him self to be killed and tortured. Ignorant people use the crucifixion to "hate" on Jewish people when it is themselves that caused Jesus' death.   

Who Does the Bible Blame for Jesus' Death?
"The big answer is, we all did. I'll be the first in the culpability stakes here."

"Critics who have a problem with me don't really have a problem with me in this film.  They have a problem with the four Gospels. That's where their problem is."

Mel Gibson, Primetime Live Interview, 2/16/04