GH Harding
CRUISE MISSION — With all the hype surrounding this movie, as it was with last year’s Maverick, I was really interested to see if it would really live up to expectations. For me it did… and it didn’t.
Steven Spielberg
With no less a name than Steven Spielberg, who last year told Cruise on camera that he saved Hollywood’s ass, a renewed respect for Cruise has begun. Of course, when he jumped on Oprah’s couch in 2005 (declaring his love for Katie Holmes), he lost a certain amount of respect. When he had that scandalous interaction with NBC’s Matt Lauer (which is a whole other story) also in 2005, his light began to grow even dimmer.
But last summer Maverick changed everything completely. PR guru David Salidor says timing is everything, and Maverick certainly came at the right time. Just for the record, I still haven’t seen Maverick and I still want to.
For me, this seventh part was good – the stunts that come at breathtaking speed are great; but the only thing missing is a real cohesive story. There seems to be this AI intelligence called Entity that everyone is hot about. Some reviews say that the word Entity has been said about a thousand times and it sure looked like it and I still can’t put my finger on what it is.
Tom Cruise
Cruise is great, even though he’s a little more vulnerable this time around and looks a little older. The real surprise is Brit-Hayley Atwell, who plays Grace. She is absolutely stunning in looks and can hold her own against Cruise.
Usual IMF partners Ving Rhames and Sinon Pegg are here, but at a much reduced volume. I’ve always loved Peg and it’s a shame she’s no longer here in Part One.
So is Esai Morales, as Gabriel, whose intentions are not immediately known. Cruz seems to know him, but Morales has always been a great screen presence. One expert said that the James Bond films used to have spectacular stunts, but now Cruise and Mission Impossible are doing it. And they do it in spades – whether it’s hanging from the Orient Express or a grueling car chase in Venice… it’s great to watch
In the A1 stunt, Cruise dives off a mountain from a motorcycle, then parachutes out of a train window. It’s certainly spectacular and immediately makes you wonder how they could possibly top it. But they will.
My favorite MI movie is still the 1996 debut with Brian DePalma in the lead. It had the great sequence of Cruise on Wires diving into some secret lair. The tension that the scene created was simply amazing. The character is toned down and obviously Cruise is too. Not to take anything away from writer/director Christopher McQuarrie – the man knows his stuff. No question. And, hey, the AI is tuned just right again!
Interestingly, the film was not the immediate blockbuster that some had promised. It’s going to be the best movie of the summer… but not the blockbusters everyone was hoping for. I say go see it! It’s great fun.
Jeff Penske
PENSKE EXPRESS — (Via Intersect) Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong and entertainment publishing mogul Jay Penske are discussing a deal to transfer ownership of the West’s largest newspaper, according to two people directly informed of the talks.
People close to the two publishers, who asked not to be identified for fear of retribution, said the owners have held talks about a deal in which The Times would join Penske’s PMC Media empire, which includes Rolling Stone, The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard and Variety. That would allow Soon-Shiong, who last week transferred ownership of The San Diego Union-Tribune to vulture firm Alden Capital, an exit from a legacy news organization that was hemorrhaging money.
Any deal, which is not guaranteed as it is described as early talks, would turn Penske into a Los Angeles publishing magnate not seen since the Chandler family controlled Southern California media through The Times. It will be a local owner controlling every major publication in Los Angeles except Alden’s smaller news outlets such as the LA Daily News and Orange County Register.
“It’s going to get the media in Los Angeles going,” said a senior Penske-related person with direct knowledge of the discussion from weeks ago. “That’s how we make our mark.”
The man added, “Remember when we said we’d need a bigger boat?”
A text to several Times executives was ghostly, including Soon-Shiong, who days ago told the Intersect that he “loves The Times.” Penske did not return an email and his spokesman declined to elaborate Sunday.
Hilary Manning, a spokeswoman for The Times, acknowledged that both Soon-Shiong and Penske held a meeting five years ago about a possible deal. She said the two publishers “have not met since then” and declined an interview with Soon-Shiong.
Talks are said to be ongoing, and Soon-Shion and Penske may even own equal shares in The Times, sources said. Penske already has a similar deal with private equity investor Todd Boehly, whose Eldridge Industries sold Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter to Penske last year in exchange for an interest in the broader PMC Media.
It will also mark another chapter in the ownership of The Times, the 141-year-old newspaper that dominates SoCal with regional editions stretching from Ventura to San Diego. The LA Times’ steady — in the millions — newspaper subscribers since 1980 have dwindled to about 550,000 paid digital readers today. Far below competitors like The New York Times and The Washington Post.
There is still a financial timeline documenting all the news about a possible sale of one of America’s most respected news outlets. And this is not the first time Soon-Shiong has denied that he considered selling his California publications.
Quick refresher: The Times was once considered by Los Angeles billionaires to be a civic-minded trophy acquirer. Philanthropist Eli Broad has been courting the paper for years and was even lobbied by some of Los Angeles’ entertainment and financial players to make the move, a person familiar with the discussions said. And music mogul David Geffen said he would reportedly pay $2 billion for the newspaper. Don’t forget about Rupert Murdoch who wants to get involved.
Today, The Times is a very different newsroom. There was a time when Los Angeles media circles had a legend from the 1980s: The Times on Sunday was so thick that a paper thrown at actress Barbara Bain’s home landed on — and killed — her dog. (As the Herald Examiner gleefully reported at the time.)
That was then. Now the paper is light, publishing most of the Associated Press copy. The print edition of the Times on Sunday July 16 was just 74 pages of news – weighing in at a fraction of the previous dog-killing weapon.
back in the day, LA Times was a huge, huge deal (think Robert Hilburn and Randy Lewis). Their Sunday edition was even bigger than Sunday’s New York Times and had a separate entertainment section called Calendar. It was a very prestigious undertaking.
When I first started going to LA regularly, one of the joys was knowing that the paper would be delivered to my hotel door every morning.
Jeff Penske is the young upstart from Penske Medias Corporation. They made their money through a trucking company. Amazing, isn’t it? But this is America, so anything is allowed.
I don’t know Penske, but I guess its main theme is buy everything…then you’re king!
SHORT SHOT — It’s sad to see how minimal coverage the closure of All Access (after 28 years) received after their terrible announcement late last week. Joel Denver’s unadulterated post was certainly a must-read for industry insiders. It deserved much, much better coverage.
Jim Peterick
Sad for sure … (via Forgotten Hits) Jim Petherick collapses on stage during The Ides Of March’s performance of ‘Vehicle’ at The Cornerstones Of Rock show at The Des Plaines Theater on Sunday night. He recovered quickly and reportedly smiled and waved to fans as paramedics carried him off. (At first it was thought it was probably just heatstroke…but I was concerned because Jim had major neck surgery earlier this year) And from Jim himself – I’m back home. Last song of the Cornerstones of Rock set at 3pm I introduced ‘Vehicle’. I understood the first verse. I’m light headed and passed out. The people around me, including Ron Oh, when I started to come to my senses. Urgent in the hospital. All types of computed tomography. Intravenous fluid. Etc. Etc. Karen came… the whole group came after I was let out of the room. Lots of support. Nothing broken. PS – It was all because of the low blood sugar. I only ate a muffin and a banana before our 3pm show… For those who don’t remember, Jim wrote the amazing song ‘Vehicle’ by The Ides Of March and ‘Eye Of The Tiger’ by Survivor. Great talent. talent. Get well Jim… And an interesting article in the Den Of Geek for mega-heroes franchisees perhaps disappear into the light. Apparently, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas made this prediction 10 years ago. Very interesting read: https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/steven-spielberg-hollywood-implosion-prediction-closer-than-ever/?utm_source=Den+Of+Geek+US&utm_campaign=cb60ff9e49-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_07_18_08_04&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-cb60ff9e49-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID %5D
NAMES IN THE NEWS — Joe Lynch; Mark Bego; Monica Lynch; Claude Brodesser; Marty Ostrow; Regis Philbin; Victoria Lang; Robert Gordon; Larry Friedman; Alexis Petridis; David Furnish; Jane Eyre; Tony King; Melissa Kucirek; Howard Jones; Art Collins; Steve Leeds; Earl McGrath; William Shill; Harrison Ford; Ernesto Baldaro; Vinnie Rich; and CHIP!