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South China Morning Post
a day ago
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
How Hong Kong director Wai Ka-fai's first 3 films revealed his storytelling range
Hong Kong filmmaker Wai Ka-fai made his name when he co-founded Milkyway Image with Johnnie To Kei-fung and went about producing, writing, directing or co-directing innovative genre takes like The Odd One Dies, which made the company internationally famous in the late 1990s. For quite some time, Wai kept himself in the background, leaving the ebullient To as the face of the company. But his creative input was never in doubt. Here we look at Wai's first three films as director. 1. Peace Hotel (1995) Play Made before he joined forces with To, Wai's debut feature was an atmospheric action film produced by John Woo Yu-sum The unabashed 'Eastern Western' was Chow Yun-fat 's last Hong Kong film before he moved to Hollywood , and intriguingly, Chow is credited alongside Wai for Peace Hotel's story. Set in an unspecified time that references China's chaotic warlord era of the 1920s, it stars Chow as a man known only as 'The King Of Killers'. Ridden with guilt after committing a massacre, he founds a sanctuary for fleeing criminals called the Peace Hotel. If those in trouble can make it inside, their pursuers are honour-bound to leave them alone.
Rakyat Post
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Rakyat Post
The Malaysia International Film Festival 2025 Brings 62 Films From 48 Countries To KL
Subscribe to our FREE The 8th Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest 2025) continues its mission to bridge Malaysian and global cinema through daring, diverse, and impactful storytelling – cementing its position as Southeast Asia's rising hub for international film appreciation. This year, the festival proudly unveils 62 films from 48 countries, presented in over 43 languages, a stunning tapestry of storytelling from every corner of the world. Opening & Closing Films: A Journey of Emotion and Urgency 🎬 Opening Film: Ninavau A Malaysian feature exploring cultural identity and emotional heritage—intimate, powerful, and deeply resonant. 🎬 Closing Film: Transamazonia An international co-production spanning France, Brazil, Germany, Switzerland, and Taiwan. This sweeping environmental epic explores transformation and resilience through visually stunning storytelling. Honouring Legends & Luminaries: Awards and Achievements 🏆 Lifetime Achievement Award: Ti Lung Honoured under the 'Master At Work' series. Tribute includes a special screening of A Better Tomorrow by John Woo – a landmark in Hong Kong action cinema. 🏆 Award for Excellent Achievement in Film: Reza Rahadian Indonesian actor known for Habibie & Ainun and My Stupid Boss , recognised for his influence and dedication to Southeast Asian cinema. Festival Highlights & Special Programmes A-Lister Programme Top picks from visionary filmmakers: Grande Maison Paris by Ayuko Tsukahara – a high-stakes culinary drama in Paris What Does That Nature Say to You by Hong Sang-soo – minimalist, poetic, and intimate Malaysian Dispatch Showcasing the evolving voice of Malaysian cinema: Housekeeping by Zahir Omar Memori by Abid Hussain Manifesto Socially engaged cinema featuring two Malaysian filmmakers: From Island to Island by Lau Kek Huat The Tides Will Decide by Azim Rizal Neon Celebrating emerging talents and directors with a maximum of three films under their belt – Renoir by Japanese director Chie Hayakawa is a poignant exploration of aging, legacy, and beauty, viewed through the lens of a painter grappling with personal and artistic transformation. Open-Air Cinema Outdoor screenings of beloved Malaysian classics and crowd-pleasers in a communal, nostalgic setting. Regional & Global Spotlights Spotlight on Indian Cinema Tribute to Raj Kapoor with screenings of Awara and Bobby Lenses of Indian Women Filmmakers featuring Village Rockstars 2 by Rima Das , who also serves on the MIFFest 2025 Jury There will also be five films for Harbour of Stories: Hong Kong On Screen , and Year of the Widow, opening for MIFFest x EUFF in collaboration with the 25th European Union Film Festival. 🌏 ASEAN On Screen In celebration of Malaysia's 2025 ASEAN Chairmanship: 6 Southeast Asian films spotlighting bold regional storytelling Includes the ASEAN On Screen Summit featuring dynamic panel discussions on digital transformation within the film industry, offering insights into the evolving landscape of SEA cinema with major figures like: Lee Dong Ha (Producer, Train to Busan ) Saville Chan (Producer, Hong Kong) Lee Sang-Hoon (Actor/Director, Korea) Save the Date: 8th MIFFest 2025 🎟️ Festival Dates: 19 – 27 July 2025 Movie Pass: RM49.99 Promo Rate (HLB cardholders): RM39.99 Visit the official MIFFest website for tickets, accreditation, and the full lineup. Follow MIFFest on for updates. Share your thoughts with us via TRP's . Get more stories like this to your inbox by signing up for our newsletter.
Geek Vibes Nation
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Vibes Nation
'Mission: Impossible'
With eight movies under the M.I. umbrella, each of which, at one point or another, have been argued as a critical tentpole of action cinema (yes, even the second one), few franchises are as established and esteemed in equal parts as this one. Not to mention Tom Cruise essentially risking his life to a further extreme in each subsequent installment, which certainly doesn't hurt these movies' longevity. Now that The Final Reckoning has been released, tying what is supposed to be the final bow on the Mission: Impossible franchise, we figured it was time for a composite ranking of movies 1-8. Of all the full sprinting, plane riding, deep diving, and life risking, which stunts, and movies, come out on top? (Spoilers for the entire franchise, including The Final Reckoning, ahead.) 8: Mission: Impossible 2 You probably saw this one coming. To me, 2 is the only M.I. movie that doesn't serve enough singularity to justify a rewatch looking back on the franchise as a whole. While director John Woo certainly imbued the film with his own unique, properly cheesy style, that 'slow-mo', dove-flying aura doesn't mix all that well with the franchise's somewhat realistic stakes and physical stunts. The villain, too, is a franchise low point. There just isn't a whole lot to look back on with this one, and it feels like the filmmakers knew it. I mean, even Ethan Hunt's love interest, who survives the film just fine, is completely done away with in the next one, never to be heard from or referenced again. Her disappearance feels like an analogy for the movie itself in that way. 7: Mission: Impossible 3 From this point on, every movie is worth watching on multiple occasions, at one time or another, to me. Watching this time around, M.I. 3 surprised me with both its bold structure and heightened emotional stakes. Say what you want about J.J. Abrams, but with just one movie, he took this franchise from reeling to rolling. That opening sequence with Davian (played wonderfully by Philip Seymour Hoffman), Hunt and Julia sets the tone for what is arguably the most moving ride of any of these movies. The stunts are solid, visuals sharp, and Cruise truly turns in one of his most versatile performances. Oh, and it's the first time we see Simon Pegg's Benji in any of these movies. Extra points there. In comparison to most of the later entries, 3 can still feel a little underwhelming looking back, but what Abrams did in terms of laying the groundwork for the franchise going forward is irreplaceable. This is a good movie that just so happens to be competing within one of the greatest action franchises of all time. 6: Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. | © 2024 Paramount Pictures The last half of The Final Reckoning has two of the best stunts that not only this franchise, but cinema as a whole, has ever seen – though the movie as a whole feels solely dependent on those stunts at times, leaving the first, and especially second, acts in relative disarray. Aside from 3 , this is by far the most tense film of them all. The stakes have literally gone nuclear, with a third world war teetering in the balance as Cruise's Ethan Hunt leads a rebellious charge to save the world. The poster-boy stunt is the thrilling biplane sequence in the final act, which stands alone as, to me, the greatest action sequence in the franchise, but there also exists an uninterrupted, 15-20 minute underwater stunt at the beginning of the third act that furthers this film in blockbuster infamy. The narrative itself can feel a little overstuffed, and multiple side characters take an unfortunate backseat to the bloated, worldwide tension, but that's traded for a finale for the ages. It's a flawed final movie that ultimately does well by the franchise, providing a satisfying ending and some serious highlights in spite of a few extra hiccups along the way. 5: Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation The first of four Christopher McQuarrie/Tom Cruise partnerships within the Mission franchise, Rogue Nation operates like a mild stylistic reset for what would be the franchise's final stretch, setting the tone going forward with some of the best cinematography of any of these movies, as well as the introduction of fan-favorite Ilsa Faust, played by Rebecca Ferguson. This one feels sharp, and a little boisterous, in retrospect. The opera house sequence plays like an 'I'll take it from here' statement by McQuarrie, who would go on to direct the final three films in the franchise, in addition to this one. Faust adds one of the best ongoing elements of mystery to the last few movies, beginning here, and Solomon Lane feels like the first villain since the aforementioned Davian to really stake a claim on the well-being of our main characters. Just like the last movie on this list, Rogue Nation can feel a little narratively mangled, at times, and not every stunt hits like an all-timer, but this is still a crucial film in the M.I. canon with multiple memorable sequences that set it apart. It'll always be a fun one to go back to. 4: Mission Impossible The one that started it all – Mission Impossible remains a classic to this day. The vault heist is enough to carry the movie without aid, but given an aggressively charismatic Tom Cruise performance and a final act that still stands as one of the best, most thrilling in the franchise to this day, it's hard not to love every bit of this. It does show signs of aging now and again, especially in the special effects department, but that only adds to the charm if you look at it through the right lens. Just like any movie franchise, how can you not love the first one? Blockbuster cinema isn't what it is today without the first M.I. 3: Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Hayley Atwell and Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Coming hot off the tight-cornered, breathless blockbuster that was the movie before this one (we'll get to that), Dead Reckoning shows far less restraint across the board. It's zany, somewhat convoluted, and wonderfully convinced of itself. Almost every shortcoming it suffers is balanced by a greater strength. And with so much going on, the movie still manages memorable character introductions, further development for current characters, and palpable emotional stakes to the bitter end. Not to mention the dirt-bike jump, which deserved the time it spent in the internet's limelight as one of the most ridiculous stunts in movie history. For a 'part one', kind of, M.I. 7 stands seriously tall on its own merits. 2: Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol Saying 'the one that Brad Bird did' would be enough to situate Ghost Protocol at the top of any franchise ranking, but this movie's successes go far beyond the fact that it's basically structured like a live-action Incredibles movie — though, the cool factor there can't be understated. From what is easily, to me, the best opening in the series, this fourth film is all gas the entire way through. The Burj Khalifa scale, subsequent sandstorm chase, the car-centric finale, and everything in between make this one an undeniable tentpole of action moviemaking. Brad Bird's cartoonish sensibilities couldn't have translated better to any other franchise, and the result is as good as it sounds. Almost the best, but not quite. 1: Mission Impossible: Fallout Not only is Fallout the best M.I. movie, but it's one of the best movies of its kind ever released. It represents the peak of a franchise well-known for dominating the action cinema space, boasting the best of them all across the board. Narratively, the film is able to subtly every previous entry seamlessly into what turned out to be the last adventure before the final two-parter. It's a movie that feels both standalone and cumulative. Oh, and Henry Cavill plays the villain. And Tom Cruise calls him a prick. It's the best one, and there's no way around it. That's it for our completely objective, flawless ranking of the Mission: Impossible movies. Which mission is your favorite? Feel free to share your own ranking in the comments below, or over on social media! This ranking will self destruct in five seconds. Good luck out there, agent.
CNET
28-05-2025
- Business
- CNET
'Mission: Impossible: Final Reckoning' Is Out Now. Here's Where to Stream the First 7 Movies
It's been almost 30 years since Mission: Impossible hit cinemas in 1996 as an adaptation of the 1966 television series of the same name. The Brian De Palma-directed film, starring Tom Cruise, was a critical success and kickstarted a franchise so successful that MI movies are still coming out more than two decades later. When the first movie came out I was extremely excited to see it and borrowed the VHS tape from a neighbor. Flash forward to 2000 and I made it my mission to see the sequel, MI2, at the box office. After directors De Palma, John Woo, J.J. Abrams and Brad Bird played hot potato with the reins, Christopher McQuarrie helmed the next four films, beginning with Rogue Nation. With Mission: Impossible -- The Final Reckoning coming out May 23, I'm binge-watching the whole series on a streaming service. If you're thinking about doing the same thing -- or at least rewatching the previous film -- here's where you can stream all of the Mission: Impossible movies for an adrenaline-fueled romp. How to watch Mission: Impossible parts 1-7 The entire Mission: Impossible series -- from the 1996 original to 2023's Dead Reckoning -- is available to stream on Paramount Plus, making it the most convenient streaming service to binge the franchise. Prime Video includes the first four films alongside the seventh in your subscription: Mission: Impossible, MI 2, MI III, Ghost Protocol and Dead Reckoning. The other two films require a rental or purchase fee. Hulu subscribers can stream the first five movies: Mission: Impossible, MI 2, MI III, Ghost Protocol and Rogue Nation. Mission: Impossible -- The Final Reckoning hits theaters on May 23, in a year that will also see Paramount Pictures bring back two other franchises this summer, with Smurfs arriving in July and The Naked Gun coming in August. James Martin/CNET Paramount Plus Carries all Mission: Impossible movies Paramount Plus has a starting price of $8 per month or $60 per year for its basic, ad-supported plan. The Paramount Plus with Showtime tier goes for $13 a month or $120 per year. You can take advantage of a one-week free trial if you'd like to test the service out before committing. Alternatively, you can get Paramount Plus with a Walmart Plus subscription, which sets you back $13 per month or $98 per year. If you have Walmart Plus, you can upgrade from the entry-level Paramount Plus tier to Paramount Plus with Showtime for $5.50 per month or $65 annually. In addition to the MI movies, you can stream tons of other films and series on Paramount Plus, including Smile 2, Evil and Criminal Minds: Evolution. See at Paramount Plus Do you need to watch the entire Mission: Impossible series before The Final Reckoning? Generally, most of the Mission: Impossible movies are at least somewhat standalone, especially Mission: Impossible 2. While I recommend watching the whole lineup, I recognize that not everyone has time for a commitment like that. At the very least, whether it's been a while or you've never seen it, I recommend watching Dead Reckoning because The Final Reckoning is a direct sequel. The trailer for the new movie references Mission: Impossible, MI III, Ghost Protocol, Fallout and Dead Reckoning, so it's worth queuing those flicks up. MI 2 and Rogue Nation don't show up in the trailer, although that's not to say there's no continuity with them in The Final Reckoning.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ranking the Mission: Impossible Movies
With Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning hitting theaters everywhere, we've sorted and sifted through the previous M:I installments for a ranking of Ethan Hunt's high-octane IMF adventures. The Final Reckoning is said to conclude, story-wise, the awesome ride this film franchise has been on for the past 30 years, though that doesn't mean this will be the last Mission: Impossible movie as the title is, basically, "final" in name only. So let's explore this 30-year journey by listing the M:I movies from worst to best. Or, to put it a better way, least-great to greatest. Because they're all thrilling and fun in their own way. Previously, we ranked all of Ethan Hunt's IMF team members from each movie and the Mission: Impossible villains. Check those out when you're done here!7. Mission: Impossible 2 (2002) Mission: Impossible 2 was the most MTV-driven of all the M:I films, with tons of TV and nu-metal hype behind it. Yet it also continued the brief trend of these movies being sort of wild auteur-driven takes, shifting from the pulpy Hitchcockian Brian De Palma to Hong Kong action-poet John Woo. Thus, it stands as the most different of all the installments, and, ultimately the least satisfying. For this one outing, Ethan Hunt and the IMF team -- who we'd never see again aside from ol' reliable Luther (Ving Rhames) -- went full slo-mo action opera, complete with Woo's trademark doves, wild motorcycle stunts, and an overblown love triangle involving a thief named Nyah (Thandiwe Newton) and her connection to an ex-IMFer (Dougray Scott) looking to unleash a deadly plague. It was a "cool at the time" M:I movie that didn't age all that well once a different look and tone locked in place with M:I 3 six years later. Still, Anthony Hopkins playing Ethan's boss, just this once, was a nice addition and also we got our first taste of Tom Cruise doing a dangerous stunt -- the free solo rock-climbing up the side of Utah's Dead Horse Point. It wasn't as death-defying as his future escapades would be, since he had a harness and ropes (that were removed digitally in post) and a stunt double, but it sure looked cool to see him up there in the shots he himself performed, and it planted the seeds of more awesome stunts to come. 6. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning (2023) After the highs of Mission: Impossible - Fallout, which was the culmination of the franchise steadily climbing in quality with each passing movie for a decade, Dead Reckoning (originally Dead Reckoning Part One) was a deflating step down. Yes, even with that spectacular motorcycle-off-the-cliff stunt. Firstly, Ethan Hunt and his team clashing with a rogue AI program felt out-of-step. Or, in the very least, a step too late as TV and movies had been doing AI stories for a long, long while before Ethan went toe-to-toe with "The Entity." Then there was the human villain (Esai Morales), who felt a bit toothless compared to past Big Bads, and whose ties to Ethan's past, which had never before been explored, felt a bit "Randy Meeks' Rules of the Horror Trilogy." Then throw in a controversial death and an ending action sequence that didn't thrill like the many M:I third-act crucibles before it, and you've got just a medium-good Impossible flick. Which is not what we need right when the entire run is wrapping things up. 5. Mission: Impossible (1996) The first Mission: Impossible movie was a blast, only really suffering here because better ones followed it down the line. Brian De Palma's strong visual eye and stylized flare for thrillers served this franchise opener well, as most of the story involves Ethan trying to clear his name and find the traitor who killed off his entire team, including his mentor Jim Phelps (Jon Voight playing the role Peter Graves made famous on the TV series). The "dangly" Langley Heist sequence was an instant hit, and was fodder for much pop culture parody at the time, and the TGY Bullet Train sequence at the end, even with mid-'90s CGI, still holds up amazingly well. The franchise would eventually find more of a traditional action movie tone, as bold set pieces, and Tom Cruise's running, would become more and more the focus, but the first M:I, which was also Cruise's first time as a producer, will always be a solid watch. Should you choose to accept it... 4. Mission: Impossible III (2006) J.J Abrams, who was coming from the TV world, wasn't exactly an audacious auteur pick like a Brian De Palma or John Woo, but Abrams was riding high on his series Alias, and Cruise, impressed by the show's clever, layered revival of the spy genre, chose his man. The result was Ethan Hunt getting a true love interest, and wife, in Michelle Monaghan's Julia, which in turn gave fans a chance to see Ethan become vulnerable in ways like never before. Unlike the romance in M:I 2, which came across as glossy and flimsy, this new relationship gave M:I 3 its foundation, and set the stage for Ethan's story going forward through the franchise. Throw in Ethan coming out of retirement to help a trainee (Keri Russell), a deliciously devilish turn by Philip Seymour Hoffman as the villain, a traitor in the midst, a fantastic Vatican (person) heist, the introduction of Simon Pegg as Benji, and a (literal) heart-stopping finish, and you get an emotionally deeper Mission: Impossible as well as the excellent M:I movie that carved a whole new path for the saga. 3. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011) The final Mission: Impossible movie on the "rotating directors" train - before they'd all be directed by Tom Cruise's main collaborator, Christopher McQuarrie - was Ghost Protocol, a soaring high point for the franchise directed by Brad Bird, who was helming his first live-action movie after almost a decade at Pixar where he wrote and directed The Incredibles and Ratatouille. Ghost Protocol is a triumph, building off the M:I 3 template, presenting classic spy thrills in fresh ways, making time for laughs, and officially kicking off the era of "Tom Cruise does a stunt where he might actually die." Because who can ever forget the scaling of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. A true leveling up of the rock-climbing in M:I 2. Yes, it's the third time Ethan's disavowed by the IMF and labeled a traitor. But Ghost Protocol ramps up the danger, raises the stakes, gives Benji actual field work, has Tom Cruise running through a sandstorm, and caps it all off with an edge-of-your-seat fight in a 20-story car tower. And just when you think it may have pulled an Alien 3, it rewards those who were invested in Ethan and Julia in the previous movie. For many ImpossiFans, this is their favorite Ethan and Co. adventure. 2. Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015) By the time Rogue Nation rolled around - the fifth Mission: Impossible film - the franchise has found its true groove and Ethan Hunt's world felt truly lived-in and connected in the ways the early entries didn't establish. With Luther and Benji now fixed at his side, Ethan would meet both Rebecca Ferguson's dangerous disavowed MI6 Agent Ilsa Faust and Sean Harris' creepy, dastardly Solomon Lane, one of the franchise's best villains. Battling The Syndicate, a global terrorist operation populated by thought-to-be-dead spies and mercenaries, Ethan faced down his toughest foe to date. Christopher McQuarrie seamlessly stepped into the director's chair and delivered a cracking good time, with a car chase in Morocco, an underwater vault heist (featuring Cruise holding his breath for six minutes), a shoot-out at the Vienna State Opera, and an uneasy alliance between Ethan and Ilsa that felt like a shot of adrenaline for the long-running saga. 1. Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018) Fallout delivered in big, unexpected ways. Also known as the "reason why Henry Cavill's face looked so weird and dumb in the Justice League reshoots," this seventh M:I installment not only brought back the sinister Solomon Lane for an encore, making him Ethan Hunt's Blofeld, of sorts, but it also wrapped back around to former flame Julia, connecting Ethan's greatest love to his most diabolical enemy. Because of Lane's return, Fallout felt like a more direct sequel to Rogue Nation, though the connective tissue in Fallout in general made everything done in the Mission: Impossible-verse over the previous decade feel massively satisfying. And the action sequences were just beyond phenomenal. Yes, Tom Cruise doing a HALO jump for real was amazing, but the helicopter chase at the end was something Mission: Impossible fans - hell, movie fans - will never forget. Back in 2018, big showy blockbusters were at all-time levels of popularity, thanks in large part to the MCU, and Mission: Impossible took this opportunity to gift us with its biggest and best film. The Final Reckoning is supposed to feel like the pinnacle, and thematic resolution, of the entire series. But if it falls short, somehow then Fallout can still be that for us. Just a few years earlier. What's your favorite Mission: Impossible filM? How would you rank them all? Vote in our poll and let us know below...
