MOVIE REVIEW: Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)

The Mission: Impossible series is interesting, in that in my opinion, it took the producers three tries to finally get the formula right. While the first film was decent, it was way too gadget-heavy for my taste, and the action somewhat underwhelming (heck, there were barely even any guns or martial arts to compensate); the best moment being Tom Cruise's rappeling down a ceiling to a high-security terminal. The second film I can't even remember well, other than the fact it dragged on with an overwhelming amount of car chases and a thin plot. The third film is my favorite because it successfully blends the action, plot, gadget use, and even a little drama, effectively making Ethan Hunt the American James Bond that he should be. So five years later, we get this: Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol.

A botched data retrieval at the Kremlin in Moscow leads to a terrorist attack, and the dissolution of Ethan Hunt's IMF espionage group as the attack is framed on them. He regroups his team, taking along the chief analyst (played by Jeremy Renner) to track down the perpetrator. Their travels take them to Dubai and India in pursuit of a strategist in possession of launch codes for a nuclear missile, while the man's assassins keep the team at bay.

I can't really say if Ghost Protocol is the best of the series like many critics have been raving. If anything, it's second-best in my opinion, because the third set such a high standard for the new J.J. Abrams-helmed direction the series has been careening in. Ghost Protocol is pretty much business as usual; sure, there are plot twists, but the storyline with agents going rogue is nothing we haven't seen before in James Bond. Still, that doesn't stop the movie from being a fun trip. Tom Cruise is still Tom Cruise, but now that he's getting older (yeah, it's actually happening), his acting has taken a much more Clint Eastwood-esque approach. Should he step down as Ethan Hunt, Jeremy Renner has enough charisma and energy to helm the series as much as Cruise has, even if Cruise's days as Ethan Hunt are numbered. Although I didn't see this in IMAX, I can imagine the scene with Cruise scaling a high-rise Dubai hotel is exceptionally more vivid. It was hair-raising enough for the audience in plain-old 2D. Overall, it was a stellar action film; nothing groundbreaking, or remotely trailblazing for the series (aside from introducing Renner) but enjoyable enough and with enough action and plot to spare.

8/10

Peace,
- Jon

Food for Thought: "This-Has-Nothing-To-Do-With-Harry-Potter" Treacle Tart

Before finding out what it was, I was just vaguely familiar with this dessert that happens to be a favorite of J.K. Rowling's famous, fictional young wizard. Somehow, I stumbled upon a description of the treat while browsing for recipes and I thought "Wow! That looks good!" and "If I publish a recipe, people will think it has to do with Harry Potter, which I must avoid."

So I hope that clears up my intentions for you.


With that in mind, here's what you'll need:

- 1 pie crust

- 1 1/8 cup of golden syrup (I was told maple syrup is okay, but I tried it once before and it came out too "sticky." It's easy to make on your own if you follow another recipe)

- 1 heaped tablespoon of molasses

- zest and juice of 1 small lemon

- A drop of honey

- 4 eggs

- 1 cup of bread crumbs

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F. Beat the eggs and combine the syrup, molasses, and lemon juice/zest. Mix together with the eggs and add the bread crumbs.

Pour the mixture into the pie crust. Place in the oven and bake for about 30 mins or until the mixture is firm or the pie crust is golden brown.

And there you have it. Quite a tasty dish, sweet in a "pancakes-and-waffles" kinda-way due to the syrup. If that's something you enjoy, by all means, dig in.

Mangia!

- Jon