etripoli84

I saw MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 3 tonight and came out smiling. It was tons better than John Woo's effort in the 2nd installment, but it still felt short of what I would consider a "mission: impossible" attitude. The first film incorporated tons of great original action, a nice twisty plot, and some decent babes. This one had some great action, a killer villain (but I'm incredibly partial to Hoffman), a fairly decent script, but a fairly formula storyline. If you want a decent, fun action movie where Tom Cruise isn't quite as annoying as he has been for the past few months. He did a good job. With small spots by Lawrence Fishburne, Billy Crudup and an all too short cameo by Keri Russel, this movie was worth the money, but I'm not surprised that it didn't grab the numbers that Hollywood hoped to garner. Hollywood has a LONG way to go with many movie goers. After all, who can forget such gems as STAY ALIVE, SCARY MOVIE 4, FAR FROM HEAVEN, and STAR WARS EPII? It'll take more than one or two decent movies for folks to regain their confidence in the industry once they stop insulting our intelligence.

MOONSHINE (www.moonshinethemovie.com) was an incredible labor of love by writer/director Roger Ingraham. At 19, he penned the subtle, quiet, but poignant script and began shooting the film in June of 2004 in Stafford Springs, CT, his hometown. This is a vampire movie. Or is it? Following the story of Peter, a young man with invalid parents who gets a convenience store job to try to help support them, and Danni, a shy, unsure co-worker of his who faces marriage in the near future, the movie focuses more on the boxes the characters have been put into over time, not so much the vampire on the loose. Shot over a period of 24 days (with many pickup shots later filmed) and on a budget of $9200, MOONSHINE has proved that money, time, and experience need not play as vital roles in completing a meaningful, interesting, and quiet story as Hollywood advertises with its $150 million all-star films. MOONSHINE is one to watch out for, folks. An original and smooth film with style and guts.