It was said that Tom Cruise saved cinema last summer with his mega-hit Top Gun Maverick.

At the time of release the next Mission Impossible film trailered and the only downside was an extremely long wait to watch the next in the exciting and ever evolving franchise. A lot of buzz was generated around the shooting of Mission Impossible 7 as Tom Cruise did a fair bit in the UK and was even spotted around the Duchy.

More on that in a bit, we also have the second part to the fantastic interview I was lucky to conduct a couple weeks back with WIldworks artistic director Mydd Pharo and he will be joining me at White River for a Q&A and screening of the movie tomorrow night (July 13).

For booking details, visit wtwcinemas.co.uk

Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning part 1

The action packed stunt laden set franchise continues at breakneck speed and I’ve said it before, the franchise continues to improve.

Ethan Hunt is on the trail of a new threat which has the power to unleash a new biological weapon with catastrophic repercussions. The big problem is this new villain is AI and not an easy catch. The new villain is certainly most relevant in the current media climate.

With regular cast members back on board and new players like Hayley Attwell, Vanessa Kirby and Pom Klemtieff this is even more star studded than usual.

Cruise has been undertaking his own stunts as usual and this time includes speed flying, a type of close encounter paragliding which is extremely dangerous and it took years of practice for Cruise to train in the sport.

A high octane big screen event and don’t worry about the two parter element there is enough conclusion within this film to standalone.

Surf Film Festival

The Surf Film Festival commences at The Lighthouse in Newquay and please check out the website for further details but some of the features include ‘Ride the Wave’ on July 23. 14-year-old Scottish surfer Ben Larg wants to conquer one of the most dangerous cold water waves in the world at Mullaghmore, Ireland.

If he succeeds, he will become the youngest surfer ever to do so. Danger, opportunity, and parental dilemma collide propelling Ben and his family towards an unknown destiny.

Big Wednesday

Gary Busey stars in the 1978 classic film on August 6.

The film tells the story of three young friends whose passion in life is surfing. The friends include Matt, a self-destructive type who has a devil-may-care attitude; Jack, the calm and responsible one of the bunch; and Leroy “The Masochist”.

Their surfing lives are traced from the summer of 1962 to their attempts at dodging the Vietnam War draft in 1965 and to the end of their innocence in 1968 when one of their friends is killed in Vietnam. The three make the difficult transition to adulthood with parties, surf trips, marriage, and the war.

The friends reunite years later, after Barlow has served in Vietnam, for the “Great Swell of ‘74”. With this reunion, the transition in their lives becomes the end point of what the 1960s meant to so many as they see that the times have changed, and what was a time of innocence is gone forever.

Girls Can’t Surf

Screening on the August 13.

It’s the 1980s and the world of professional surfing is a circus of fluorescent colors, peroxide hair and radical male egos. “Girls Can’t Surf” follows the journey of a band of renegade surfers who took on the male-dominated professional surfing world to achieve equality and change the sport forever.

Featuring surfing greats Jodie Cooper, Frieda Zamba, Pauline Menczer, Lisa Andersen, Pam Burridge, Wendy Botha, Layne Beachley and more, “Girls Can’t Surf” is a wild ride of clashing personalities, sexism, adventure and heartbreak, with each woman fighting against the odds to make their dreams of competing a reality.

Bringing the second part of my interview with Wildowrks Artistic Director and co-director of the new movie feature I Am Kevin.

The film follows a young boy who creates a make believe world to escape his truth, a world where, at the water’s edge, beneath the shade of an ancient tree, a mother forms a perimeter to protect herself and her child from an unspeakable darkness.

The tide ebbs and flows, the years pass, and the boy is taught stories of the dangers that lay beyond the safety of his mother’s embrace.

But one day the boy awakes to find she is gone and a stranger arrives at the perimeter’s edge. The boy must walk out into a new world. A world of gods and monsters. Filmed over four nights during the stage production of I Am Kevin on Carlyon Bay, this feature is a blend of theatre and cinema.

Will - I want to find out a little more about yourself and I have four questions that I pose to colleagues and other cinema goers. So first up can you tell me your first visit to the cinema and the first film you watched?

Mydd - It was a cinema in Bilston in the Black Country where I grew up and I watched Harry and the Hendersons with John Lithgow. I liked the excitement of cinema going and it felt a bit naughty being sat in a big dark room and watching a big fantastical thing.

Will - Now what would you say the film you have watched in the cinema has had the biggest effect on you, this is not necessarily your favourite film but one that has resonated for good reason or bad?

My example is Titanic; it is not my favourite film but it was epic and on a grand scale so will stay with me.

Mydd - I do remember as a teenager going to the cinema and watching the film The Craft back in the 90s. I have watched it numerous times since. Actually, it does tie in with I am Kevin. Watch both films and there are some similarities with the mystical and the magical elements, weird mythical circles and on the beach.

Will - We should get Pat Kelvin to do one of his double features.

Mydd - Another film that sticks with me is Muriel’s Wedding, I was in a cinema in Leicester square by myself. It struck me as it was really powerful and I was crying in a darkened room by myself whilst the world is going crazy all around. I love Muriel’s Wedding.

Will - What would you say is different about cinema going now from say twenty years ago?

Mydd - I would say sound is now incredible, cinema going is always exciting but it used to be front loaded sound and now we have Dolby revolution and IMAX.

But it has definitely refined now. Working on a project being immersive is my big thing and getting the audience to lose themselves is helped by sound design.

Working on I am Kevin for the sound team to use 11 radio mics in all types of conditions and polished it to deliver an amazing mix.

Will - Now finally what is your cinema snack of choice?

Mydd - Oh traditional is best and sweet popcorn. None of this mixed stuff.

Will - That is one thing that has changed recently is sweet and salt popcorn.

Mydd - A large sweet popcorn which I eat constantly and make a right mess of eating it too.

Will - So that’s it Mydd, lovely to talk and really enjoyed meeting you. We have I am Kevin at White River on the July 13. Will there will be other dates and where is the best place for our readers to find out more?

Mydd - Go to wildworks.org.uk and click on the I am Kevin page they are all on there.

This Week’s Quiz

Mission Impossible quiz, now you will know of my tenuous quiz links and I had a choice this week of going for nigh on impossible questions to answer which was very tempting or choosing cast members from the franchise. You are probably pleased I went with the latter but I will throw in an extremely difficult question now for fun.

Which of the following three Mission: Impossible stars is the tallest? Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner or Simon Pegg.

I bet you are already discounting one of the trio and now you are thinking was he bigger as Hawkeye or was it Sgt. Angel in Hot Fuzz? The answer is Simon Pegg who is 5ft 10. Both Cruise and Renner are 5ft 7in.

Question 1

Which actor has appeared in the most Mission Impossible films except Tom Cruise? 

Question 2

Regular franchise returnee Simon Pegg and MI:2 one off star Thandiwe Newton co-star in which 2007 comedy together?

Question 3

Rebecca Ferguson played Jenny Lind in which 2017 musical?

Question 4

Alec Baldwin features occasionally as IMF chief Alan Hunley but can you name his co-star in the rom-com It’s Complicated?

Question 5

Simon McBurney played the dubious British intelligence chief Attlee in Rogue Nation. Eagle eyed viewers will recognise him from a much earlier role in which 90s TV comedy?

A) Father Ted

B) The Royle Family

C) Vicar of Dibley

Question 6

Michelle Monaghan headed up the cast in 2007 movie Gone Baby Gone alongside which two brothers one as a co-star and one behind the camera?

Question 7

Dougray Scott is the villain in MI:2, he also appears in 2011 drama My Week with Marilyn, but who played the title character Marilyn Monroe and who was Sir Laurence Olivier?

Question 8

Sir Anthony Hopkins appears in the second Mission Impossible film. He has also won two Best Leading Actor Academy Awards almost 30 years apart, can you name these two films?

Question 9

An extensive and eclectic film catalogue for Jon Voight who was in the first Mission Impossible film. He also features in the National Treasure series but who co-starred as Benjamin Gates, Abigail Chase and the villain Ian Howe?

Question 10

The late great Phillip Seymour Hoffman was the ruthless adversary in the third Mission Impossible film. He won a Best Leading Actor Oscar in 2006 for which film, plus he has received three nominations for Supporting Actor in 2008, 2009 and 2013; good luck if you can get all of these correct?

1 Ving Rhames has appeared in all films to date, even Ghost Protocol albeit very briefly at the end.

2 The pair star together in the comedy Run Fatboy, Run?

3 Hit musical The Greatest Showman.

4 Meryl Streep featured as Baldwin’s ex but they rekindle their romance after a long break and during new relationships, hence the title!

5 C) - McBurney was choir master Cecil in the Vicar of Dibley.

6 Ben Affleck was director and co-writer on the project and Casey Affleck starred. Another tricky question now, which Affleck brother is the better actor? I think the answer will be a personal choice. Ben has the multiple roles but Casey may have the better pedigree winning Academy and Bafta Awards for leading actor in Manchester by the Sea. Ben has awards success but for categories behind the camera.

7 Michelle Williams was Marilyn and Kenneth Branagh was Olivier. 

8 Hopkins was victorious in Silence of the Lambs in 1992 and most recently The Father in 2021. 9 Nicolas Cage was Benjamin, Diane Kruger played Abigail with Sean Bean as Ian Howe.

10 Philip Seymour Hoffman won for his performance in Capote. His nominations were for Charlie Wilson’s War (2008), Doubt (2009) and The Master (2013). He also had an additional Bafta nom for the Ides of March alongside these.