The 2022 Seattle Film Critics Society Award Nominations

Movies are pretty cool. A bold statement, I know. One of the perks (responsibilities that require additional work) of this job is that at the end of the year I get to shout out my favorite films by voting in a number of film critic groups. One that’s near and dear to my heart is the Seattle Film Critics Society in my hometown, and, wouldn’t you know it, we just announced our nominations.

This 'Top Gun: Maverick' Featurette Shows The Insane Lengths Tom Cruise Went To Filming This Movie

Because I’m not excited enough about Top Gun: Maverick, they had to go and drop a featurette about Tom Cruise and the rest of the cast flying planes and putting themselves in extreme situations during filming. I find a strange nobility in people putting themselves in harm’s way to entertain. (And yes, I also find a weird beauty in things like Jackass.) Check out this new featurette about just how far Cruise and company were willing to go.

'Top Gun: Maverick' Trailer: Tom Cruise Returns To The Danger Zone

Sometimes a movie is so perfect the world collectively agrees to leave it the hell alone, to not remake it, to not crank out sequels just to squeeze a few more dollars out of a recognizable IP. For years, Top Gun was one of those movies. And sure, a sequel 34 years after the fact is wholly unnecessary, but also, holy shit, Top Gun: Maverick looks fucking awesome. Sorry for the salty language, but it does. Don’t believe me? Check out the latest trailer below.

So, This 'Top Gun: Maverick' Trailer Is Great

Outside of maybe Red Dawn, Top Gun had more of an impact on my life and who I’ve become as a person than any other movie. And that’s saying something, as movies have and continue to define my life to what is probably an unhealthy degree. That said, I always passed off years’ worth of Top Gun 2 rumors as just talk that would never come to fruition. And once it finally became clear a sequel really was going to happen, I assumed it would be a tossed off joke we’d all make fun of for years. But here we are. I just witnessed the first trailer for Top Gun: Maverick, and fuck me, I have a new most-anticipated movie of 2020.

'Mission: Impossible—Fallout' (2018) Movie Review

Since the beginning, the Mission: Impossible movies have always been a showcase for Tom Cruise doing insane stunts for our amusement. And god bless the crazy little Scientology monster for that. I’ve said many times that if he can die—and I’m not sure he can—he’s going to die doing one of these movies, and I find a certain nobility in people putting themselves in harm’s way to entertain me. The last few chapters, however, has been a constant escalation in this regard as the franchise frontman pushes further and further the bounds of sanity and insurance coverage with each successive stunt. And Mission: Impossible—Fallout takes things to a whole new stratosphere. Literally in one case.

This 'Mission: Impossible—Fallout' Trailer Is Totally Nuts

I’ve said it before, but I think it bears repeating: If Tom Cruise can in fact die, and the jury is still out on that one, he’s going to die doing an insane stunt, probably for a Mission: Impossible movie. Seriously, just watch the new trailer for Mission: Impossible—Fallout and count the times where he almost bites it.

'American Made' (2017) Movie Review

After watching American Made, I’m convinced Tom Cruise needs to work with Doug Liman way more often. Which isn’t much of a reach, as the actor/director combo has the sci-fi adventure Luna Park on the slate in the near future. But between this and Edge of Tomorrow, or whatever title you prefer, Cruise—who I maintain is the last great traditional movie star we have left—hasn’t been this good in years.

'The Mummy' (2017) Movie Review

For a stretch of The Mummy, Tom Cruise’s Nick Morton asks over and over, “That’s really your plan?” like he just can’t believe it. And that’s essentially my reaction to Universal’s latest attempt to kick off their “Dark Universe” where they reboot all their classic monster movie properties with modern action spectacle trappings. 2014’s Dracula Untold was a failed first endeavor, and I can’t help but wonder if this uninspiring re-launch will meet a similar fate.

'Jack Reacher: Never Go Back' (2016) Movie Review

Jack Reacher didn’t light the world on fire, but it’s fine for what it is—a stripped-down, mid-budget, star-driven actioner. Despite the fact that Tom Cruise is all of 5’7” and the titular character in Lee Childs’ series of novels is a hulking 6’5”, he has—even with my father’s constant rantings and railings on the subject—the metaphorical stature to play the role. Through not a bank-breaking success, the first picture made enough cash to warrant a sequel, and we all wanted to know if Cruise could pull it off again in Jack Reacher: Never Go Back.

'Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation' Movie Review

Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, the latest in the Tom Cruise-starring franchise, starts off fast, sets its hooks, and hurtles you forward. The continually escalating mayhem propels the film past any of the otherwise glaring plot holes, and the action is fast and chaotic enough to gloss over how ludicrous the plot actually is. Full of big, boisterous action, one of Hollywood’s biggest superstars, and crazy-ass stunts, Rogue Nation is a damn entertaining ride.

'Mission: Impossible-Rogue Nation' Trailer Cranks Up The Mayhem

Mad Max: Fury Road may be the action movie of the summer (likely the year, maybe the decade), but the upcoming Mission: Impossible—Rogue Nation may very well give George Miller’s film a run for its money. The nonstop chaos and mayhem brought by Tom Cruise and company in on full display in this new trailer. Check it out after the jump.

Watch Tom Cruise Hang Onto A Plane In This 'Mission: Impossible-Rogue Nation' Trailer

If you’ve been waiting all day to see Tom Cruise hang onto the side of an airplane while Simon Pegg watches in horror, you’re in luck, because the first full trailer for Mission: Impossible—Rogue Nation, which is a mouthful of a title, dropped online, and it looks like a pretty damn good time.

'Edge Of Tomorrow' Movie Review

It might be premature to call director Doug Liman’s “Edge of Tomorrow” the best film of the summer. But, up to this point, this is the most fun I’ve had at the movies since “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” and I thoroughly enjoyed the likes of “Godzilla,” “Neighbors,” and “Chef.” If nothing else, the alien invasion actioner is easy to go into with no baggage, because this is one of the few big blockbuster style sci-fi movies of the summer that isn’t part of a franchise, some kind of reboot, or focused on pre-existing superheroes. Though this is an adaptation, most of the general movie going public isn’t super familiar with Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s novel “All You Need is Kill,” or the subsequent graphic novel. The fact that we’re talking about something different is refreshing, and when you consider that this also manages to be smart at the same time it kicks ass, all the better.

'Oblivion' Movie Review

All style, no substance is the refrain that ran through my head watching writer/director Joseph Kosinski’s latest film, Oblivion. This is also the precise sentiment created by his previous film, Tron: Legacy. Though the Tom Cruise-starring science fiction adventure is breathtaking to look at, there is nothing to the film aside from the visuals. Bland, predictable, and frankly boring, Oblivion is an empty stylistic exercise, and feels like a slick bit of advertising, not a movie.