Catching up: Mission Impossible and New Paid Subscriber Benefits
A delayed review of Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning. Plus: Paid subscribers will receive additional content and updated film listings at the end of the week, starting June 12.
Click here for Now Showing in Madison, June 2–9, 2025
Moving Image Madison hit The Hundo
Moving Image Madison passed the 100 subscriber mark two weeks ago, which has prompted me to step up my game. I planned to step up my game last week, but ended up taking some time off from Moving Image Madison to focus on upcoming MMoCA Cinema and Duck Soup Cinema programming (more on that in coming weeks!). So apologies for not posting last week, but I’m confident that you’ll like what I hope to achieve in upcoming weeks.
I want Moving Image Madison to be a fun read for general readers who want to keep up on what is playing in town. And I also want to do more deep dives into more niche material that might not always appeal to the free subscribers (based on numbers I’ve seen so far).
I’ve decided to start posting to paid subscribers later in the week, either Thursdays or Fridays (depending on my schedule in a given week). Paid subscribers can expect:
Weekend local film listings, updated from Monday’s listings to reflect new openings.
Posts discussing niche content in more detail, like Indian popular cinema and experimental film.
In addition, I plan to introduce new features for the paid subscription posts.
Exclusive updates on my film programming activity at Mills Folly Microcinema, MMoCA Cinema, and Duck Soup Cinema.
Occasional video and audio content, including film analysis and interviews with filmmakers, critics, and members of the local film community. Want to get a sense of what that might look like? Well, watch the following video.
I’m conceiving the free subscription posts as something for everybody (so essentially the free posts will not change), while the paid subscription posts will be for those who want to follow me into the lesser known depths of cinema.
Free subscribers will receive bonus post this Thursday, June 5 to get a sample of what the paid subscription posts will be like. Then the paid subscription only posts will begin on Thursday, June 12.
How am I going to manage all this? I don’t really know, but let’s find out together.
Sure, I’ll trust him one…more…time, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning | Christopher McQuarrie | US | 2025 | 170 minutes
Viewed at Flix Brewhouse, Friday, May 22
The tr;dr version of this review is: It’s fun, why not go see it? Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (or, Final Reckoning for the rest of this review), is made by a team that has worked together for a long time, know what they’re doing, and clearly enjoy what they’re doing. The film delivers more or less what you expect it to deliver in terms of action and spectacle. Generally speaking, I thought it was better than the previous installment, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, but not as good as the stronger entries in the series, like Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018). As the conclusion to the series as well as to the story initiated in Dead Reckoning, the questions remain: Was Dead Reckoning too complicated for its own good? And, is Final Reckoning too simple for its own good?
My main two problems with Dead Reckoning was its brand of technophobia that doesn’t really seem to understand technology, and its sloppy disposal of one of the series’ best characters, Ilsa (Rebecca Ferguson) who was introduced in Rogue Nation, 2015) in favor of a far less interesting female lead, Grace (Haley Atwell), whose brand of pickpocketing doesn’t really seem to understand physics. To be honest, by the end of Dead Reckoning, I was not particularly interested in how the rest of this story might play out.
Producer Cruise, director McQuarrie, and co-screenwriter Erik Jendresen, addressed some of these problems with Dead Reckoning in interesting ways in Final Reckoning. In an unusually successful move, they made things less interesting.
The rogue AI, Entity, was becoming obnoxiously powerful and omnipresent by the end of Dead Reckoning, seemingly able to do anything at any time, anywhere. While the Entity is surely busy during Final Reckoning, for the most part its activities take place in the background, outside of the main action with Ethan Hunt (Cruise) the IMF team. This allowed me to forget how much I didn’t like the Entity in the previous film, and the obstacles the IMF team had to face were, while certainly “impossible,” were also far more streamlined and grounded. The final plan to capture Entity barely makes sense given its power on display in the first film, but that’s fine with me.
For the most part, the check-your-pockets-again, capture-escape-capture shenanigans and ambiguous loyalties Grace kept up in Dead Reckoning have been toned down as well, so that she is more or less just part of the IMF team in Final Reckoning. The pickpocket/thief part of her character does not play a significant role until the end, when she’s determined to be the one with the quickest reflexes. Grace is still no Ilsa. (And a different IMF team member does get a send-off scene that Ilsa deserved.) But again, the simplification of Grace’s character allowed me to forget how much I disliked her in the previous film.
The downside of all of this simplification is that sometimes the film just seems to be connecting the dots. The mission briefings often seem to have a “yadda yadda yadda” quality to them, filling in the yaddas with how impossible the task will be.
There’s a saying in country music that if the listener can anticipate the next line of the song, it will probably be a hit. Well, when one character says, “He did it . . .” I literally asked myself, “Is he next going to say, “The sonofabitch did it!” Needless to say, that’s exactly what he said next, after a brief pause. And while I think we all know how things are going to end, it would be interesting to compare the end of Fallout and the end of Final Reckoning to see how the story beats are similar to each other, but crucial bits of the action actually happen offscreen in Final Reckoning.
It would also be interesting to follow the motivations and story beats of the secondary villain, Gabriel (Esai Morales) to see if all of his decisions actually make sense. Sometimes he seems to have to make dumb decisions in order for the plot to move forward. Maybe I’ll save that for a special Paid Subscription post!
All that said, the simplification of Final Reckoning also allows the spectacle to remain in the foreground, which works well for this film. Sure, perhaps the visual style of the aviation sequences borrow a little too much from the more visually rigorous Top Gun: Maverick, but at least Tom Cruise and his team are borrowing from their own innovations there. There are several sequences where I felt I could just sit back, relax, and appreciate the work of of everyone involved as they delivered some amazing images to the screen.
Before the film started, Tom Cruise appeared on screen to thank the audience for attending and seeing the film in a theater, the way it was meant to be seen. You’re welcome, Tom and team, it was the least I could do given the time and effort you put into all of this. If you could do us a favor, however: Next time you go into the Hollywood Toy Factory, don’t feel obligated to make another Mission: Impossible. The franchise ended up just fine. There are many other stories that could involve you hanging off of something moving fast, making your face all flappy. I promise I’ll be there to see it flap on the big screen.
Now Playing In Madison: June 2 to June 9, 2025
The big change for the weekly film listings will be that I will prepare them on Wednesdays after chain theaters update their websites for the weekend, and post them to the paid subscribers on Thursday or Friday. The free subscribers will still receive a list on Mondays based on the best available information.
Wisconsin Union Directorate Film
BUT I’M A CHEERLEADER, 6/2
THE MITCHELLS VS THE MACHINES, 6/9
AMC Theatres, Flix Brewhouse, Marcus Theatres
Please check the theater’s website when making plans for any particular screening. I have not seen the films unless stated otherwise, and my brief notes under film titles are not reviews of the films themselves.
AMC: AMC Fitchburg 18 Theatre Flix: Flix Brewhouse Theatre Palace: Marcus Palace Cinema Point: Marcus Point Cinema
ACCOUNTANT 2, THE (2025) at AMC.
AMERICAN MIRACLE - OUR NATION IS NO ACCIDENT, THE at Point, Palace.
An argument for American Exceptionalism as divine intervention, featuring scholars Pat Boone and Kevin Sorbo.
BALLERINA (2025) at AMC, Flix, Point, Palace.
Back in my day, when the protagonist in a franchise died, the franchise also died. No more. There are always plenty of story gaps to fill with prequels, supporting characters, and side quests. Ballerina extends the John Wick universe, with Ana de Armas as the titular ballerina.
BHAIRAVAM (2025) at AMC.
Indian Telugu-language neo-noir action drama. A remake of the Tamil-language film Garudan (2024, which is streaming on Amazon Prime, if you’re curious).
BRING HER BACK (2025) at AMC, Flix, Point, Palace.
DAN DA DAN: EVIL EYE (2025) at AMC, Point, Palace.
Check listings for dubbed and subtitled screenings.
DANGEROUS ANIMALS (2025) at AMC, Point, Palace.
Australian survival horror film. A guess a surfer is held captive on a boat by a serial killer. And the boat is surrounded by killer sharks. So who is the real dangerous animal, hmmmmm?
DESPICABLE ME (2010) at Flix.
Flix Faves series.
DESPICABLE ME 4 at Point, Palace.
Part of the Kids Dream Summer Series of matinees.
DOGMA: RESURRECTED! A 25TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION (2025) at AMC, Flix, Point, Palace.
Dogma is the only film I ever walked out of before it started. For once, I thought I’d sneak in an extra feature after the one I had watched was over. The only screening that would work out was Dogma. So I went straight from one auditorium to the next. But I had to wait a while before Dogma was scheduled to start. While I sat there, I asked myself, “Do I really want to see this, even if it is ‘free’?” I answered to myself, “No,” and got up and walked out.
FACE OF JESUS, THE at Point.
Documentary that contemplates the visage of Jesus based on the Shroud of Turin, the Veil of Manoppello, and the Vilnius image of the Merciful Jesus
FINAL DESTINATION BLOODLINES (2025) at AMC, Flix, Point, Palace.
FRIENDSHIP (2025) at AMC, Flix, Point.
My friend Pip, who is a big Tim Robinson fan, told me that I should consider seeing this.
GREAT GATSBY, THE (2013) at Flix.
Flix Faves series.
I DON'T UNDERSTAND YOU at Palace.
I only know about this from Nick Kroll’s recent appearance on the Comedy Bang Bang podcast. A trip to Italy goes bad, comedy ensues.
IRON GIANT, THE at Flix.
Flix Faves series. This is a highly underrated film, directed by Brad Bird before his Pixar features.
JANE AUSTEN WRECKED MY LIFE (2025) at AMC, Point.
Rob Thomas says this is “lit” in his Substack review.
KARATE KID: LEGENDS (2025) at AMC, Flix, Point, Palace.
LAST RODEO, THE (2025) at AMC, Palace.
LILO & STITCH (2025) at AMC, Flix, Point, Palace.
LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS, THE (2002) at Flix.
Flix Faves series
MARCUS MYSTERY MOVIE (6/2) at Point, Palace.
METROPOLITAN OPERA: IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA, THE at Point.
MINECRAFT MOVIE, A (2025) at AMC, Palace.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - THE FINAL RECKONING (2025) at AMC, Flix, Point, Palace.
PEPPA MEETS THE BABY CINEMA EXPERIENCE at Point, Palace.
PHOENICIAN SCHEME, THE (2025) at AMC, Flix, Point, Palace.
This probably does not need an extra plug at this point, but odds on this will be the next film I see in the theater. Opens Friday, June 6.
SCREEN UNSEEN, AMC at AMC.
SINNERS (2025) at AMC, Flix, Point, Palace.
STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, A (NATIONAL THEATRE) at Point.
TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY at Flix.
Flix Faves.
THUG LIFE (2025) at AMC, Point.
Indian Tamil-language gangster drama. I’m familiar with director Mani Ratnam from his film Dil Se.. (1998, Hindi, with Shah Rukh Khan) but I have not seen any of his more recent film. Thug Life reunites Ratnam with actor Kamal Haasan (Nayakan, 1987) whom I’ve seen as the vilain in Kalki 2898 AD (which is streaming on Amazon Prime, for those interested). Music is by A.R. Rahman. Warning: several point-blank gunshots in this trailer.
THUNDERBOLTS* (2025) at AMC, Flix, Point, Palace.
TORNADO (2025) at AMC.
Rob Thomas also says that this is a “whirlwind of Leone and Kurosawa” that thrills and unnerves.
TURNSTILE: NEVER ENOUGH (2025) at AMC, Point.
A 50-minute-ish, 14-song visual album from the hardcore punk band Turnstile, which debuted at 2025 Tribeca Film Festival. One night only at AMC and Marcus Point. You know that they are hardcore because there website is
UNDER THE SEA 3D at AMC.
WICKED MOVIE + WICKED: FOR GOOD TRAILER DEBUT at Palace.
Looking Ahead
Chazen Museum
SHEETLA | Anamika Singh | 2025 | 24 minutes
In conjunction with "Corpus, an exhibition by Anamika Singh", come view Singh’s related film Sheetla (24 minutes, 2025) in the Chazen Auditorium on June 14 and 25. The film follows the Hindi language daily journal Jan Morcha and its role in reporting the highly contested desecration of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, Faizabad in 1992. Singh titled the film in honor of her grand uncle, Sheetla Singh, a prominent editor, journalist and union leader in north India.
Madison Museum of Contemporary Art
SOUNDTRACK OF A COUP D’ETAT, 6/11, 7:00p
Free screening of the Oscar-nominated documentary, presented as part of the Madison Jazz Festival.
Arts + Literature Laboratory
THE NETTLE DRESS, 6/22, 7:00pm
Textile artist Allan Brown spends seven years making a dress by hand from foraged stinging nettles, all picked on the South Downs near Brighton. Free screening of the documentary by Dylan Howitt, presented by Midwest Linen Revival as part of their Field to Frock events.
A PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY, filmmaker Rachel Seed in person, 6/23, 7:00PM
A Photographic Memory is an intimate, genre-bending portrait of filmmaker Rachel Seed’s trailblazing mother, Sheila Turner Seed – a vibrant and pioneering journalist, photographer, and filmmaker, who died suddenly and tragically when Rachel was just 18 months old. Free screening presented by FlakPhoto. Rachel Seed will attend the screening and participate in a Q&A session.
UW-Cinematheque
Cinematheque programming will resume on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays June 25 through August 1. A more detailed preview is forthcoming.
THE ELEPHANT MAN 6/25, 7:00pm
One of several David Lynch films at the Ctek this summer.
A MAN AND A WOMAN 6/26, 7:00pm
THE CAT 6/27, 7:00pm
Mani Ratnam's previous diptych, "Ponniyin Selvan: Parts I and II", was excellent and highly recommended. Unfortunately, reviews for "Thug Life" have been relatively miserable...and they're charging 23$ a ticket for it (a common and very aggravating problem at the moment for Telugu-language tentpoles that get local screenings, though if you're lucky enough for them to stay into a second week they often drop down to a "regular price" ticket), so I'm not bothering to take my chances.