Top Gun: Maverick

I really rate Tom Cruise as an actor and have loved him since the day I first saw him as a 22 year old gawky kid in Legend (another of my favourite quirky films).
Couldn't agree more Tuulikki. I give a big pass to the man off screen, but on screen he is a force of nature and does what no other actor can do in only the way he can do it - and has delivered the same now for almost 40 years, longer than any other superstar actor has managed in the whole history of Hollywood. An actor like no other and technically as brilliant as any though he's rarely acknowledged for it. His performance in Born on the 4th July showed this, if he has rarely since been given the chance as action took over the whole industry and like Maverick he just had to fly high with it.
 
Couldn't agree more Tuulikki. I give a big pass to the man off screen, but on screen he is a force of nature and does what no other actor can do in only the way he can do it - and has delivered the same now for almost 40 years, longer than any other superstar actor has managed in the whole history of Hollywood. An actor like no other and technically as brilliant as any though he's rarely acknowledged for it. His performance in Born on the 4th July showed this, if he has rarely since been given the chance as action took over the whole industry and like Maverick he just had to fly high with it.
Sorry for the double post, but yes.. I have to agree, he has really grown on me over the years, and a little while ago I realized I liked every movie of his I have watched.

Collateral is fantastic, Edge of Tomorrow is excellent, The Last Samurai... one of my favorites, Vanilla Sky, Valkyrie, Minority report and the list goes on, even his silly role in Tropic Thunder is memorable (though not for everyone's taste).
 
Couldn't agree more Tuulikki. I give a big pass to the man off screen, but on screen he is a force of nature and does what no other actor can do in only the way he can do it - and has delivered the same now for almost 40 years, longer than any other superstar actor has managed in the whole history of Hollywood. An actor like no other and technically as brilliant as any though he's rarely acknowledged for it. His performance in Born on the 4th July showed this, if he has rarely since been given the chance as action took over the whole industry and like Maverick he just had to fly high with it.
Let us all take a moment to bask in the glory of Tom Cruise's career: Born on the 4th of July, Legend, Magnolia, Mission Impossible, Oblivion, Edge of Tomorrow, Minority Report, Top Gun, Rain Man, Eyes Wide Shut, Collateral, and more. ;-):halo:
 
Well, I’m ready to watch now! But can’t find it for rent so watch “Val” again instead. It’s Val Kilmer’s documentary on his life and approach to acting. If you liked the original Top Gun there’s some funny behind the scene video from him on set as Ice Man.

And actually, there’s a lot more he’s relvealing about the industry that it may require a separate post. In any event - he has a lot of boxes of candid on set video. Highly recommended:

 
I haven't watched it mainly because I didn't want to be bombarded by the US military propaganda. I might watch it given the reviews.
That wasn't very pronounced in the movie, at least for me. It's about a group of pilots that are the best at what they do, which is believable even for the US army to have such among its ranks. And the way some of the higher-ups are portrayed is not very flattering.
 
I haven't seen this film yet but I enjoyed the first (kind of - I think I would enjoy it more now) and the reviews here so far have been encouraging. :-)

In the vein of uncomplicated period piece films about the virtues of masculine heroism another movie I came across and highly enjoyed was Master and Commander (2003). I say uncomplicated in terms of the overall plot, but laced throughout is a lot of embodied commentary on masculinity, fraternity, stoicism, leadership, duty, individuality, patriotism, and the many ways some of those values can come into tension with one another when a group is challenged by external forces.

It received ten academy award nominations (Best Cinematography, Best Sound Editing, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Makeup, Best Sound Mixing and Best Visual Effects). It won the awards for Best Cinematography and Best Sound Editing but lost the rest to The Return of the King. The fact the movie had to contend with the Lord of the Rings Finale has been seen to be the reason for it passing with less cultural remark during the 2000's.

The Critical Drinker's Review/Recommendation:

Academy of Ideas has a longer review, going more into the subtleties of the dialog between the two main characters and how the characters and ship itself are a microcosm of the dialectic between different political and moral philosophies as they encounter enemy forces, internal disagreements, and the powers of nature. And it really doesn't disappoint on this front.
 
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