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In hiding for several months following the last run in with a deadly A.I. known as The Entity, Ethan (Tom Cruise) and the rest of the I.M. team find themselves called back in to action as their old nemesis, Gabriel (Esai Morales) has resurfaced with The Entity in tow and sinister intentions for humanity. Stopping the annihilation of all life on earth is the impossible mission for the final reckoning, this message will self destruct in five seconds. Written by Bruce Geller, Erik Jendresen, and Christopher McQuarrie and Directed by McQuarrie this final installment of this version of the I.M. franchise aims to go out as big and as bold as possible offering set piece action sequence after set piece action sequence punctuated by a handful of rather droll lulls and convoluted plot points– end result, an oddly balanced but enjoyable romp through the franchise’s greatest hits, multiple call backs from the last 30 years, and of course, lots of Tom Cruise running, lace up those track shoes for your eyes, you’re going to need them. Meanwhile, perennial favorites Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg return again to put the family bow on top of the tree along with relative newcomers Pom Klementieff and Hayley Atwell to add extra punch. But, action and callbacks be damned, the two hour forty nine minute runtime definitely feels long in the tooth by act three, and that seems to be the hardest pill of all to swallow, bloat for bloat’s sake. It’s as though the editors were instructed to specifically NOT trim for length, woof. That said, pace yourself on beverages going in and get ready for hair raising stunts, to that end you can’t go wrong. Mission Impossible–The Final Reckoning is rated PG-13

Average suburban guy, Craig (Tim Robinson) meets his new neighbor, Austin (Paul Rudd), a local weatherman oozing charisma as the quintessential of cool. But when their single serving friendship comes to an abrupt halt, it’s anyone’s guess just how far Craig will go to hold on. Written and Directed by Andrew DeYoung, this slip stream cult classic, leans heavily into the comedic stylings of Robinson and his knack for the awkward, absurd, and down right uncomfortable; an acquired taste which may be hard to swallow on first watch, but, similar to Napoleon Dynamite (2004), has potential to become an instantly quotable celebration of all things bromance gone sour. Meanwhile, performance from Rudd is hauntingly familiar to his time as the intrepid field reporter and ladies man Brian Fantana in Anchorman (2004), no stretches were made in the making of this film. That is to say, the cringe factor of this film is comedically high which inevitably won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but for those who are familiar with and enjoy Robinson’s body of work, the result is limitless, and particularly re-watchable. Tonally the film does seem to lack some direction, but then again, thanks to both Robinson and Rudd’s ability to pivot on a dime, this seems to go largely unchecked. This weekend, enter the slip stream and find the absurd, running one hour and forty minutes, Friendship is rated R.

Caught in a deathtrap, an unintentional and unconventional group of dark mercenaries team up to fight a new superpower poised to entrap and ensnare humanity; but first, success of their mission will require battling their own inner demons and confronting the darkest parts of their psyche. Will the self named Thunderbolts have the strength to overcome, or will they fall prey to the void?Written by Eric Pearson, Joanna Calo, and Kurt Busiek and Directed by Jake Schreier, this proverbial defibrillator shock to the Marvel Cinematic Universe appears to be the re-energization necessary to awaken fans from the malaise known as Marvel-Fatigue. Delivering the anti-hero narrative with healthy sarcasm, humor, and just enough bite, this ensemble piece leans heavily on the talents of Florence Pugh, David Harbour, and Wyatt Russell to deliver the bittersweet and pithy one liners to elevate the picture above the formulaic yawn inducing paint by numbers approach to Marvel’s monster of the week cadre. And, while not breaking new ground in terms of hero action, to that end it’s the standard meal plan, the significantly darker psychological bend does add for a new haunting depth of pathos previously un-mined in the MCU. So, it’s about spirit and heart, and a well timed stay, at two hours and 6 minutes of runtime, yes stay for all the credits, we’re not exhausted at the finish, and instead, for the first time in a long time, actually excited to see where things go. Thunderbolts is rated PG-13.