Episode 1 - Mission: Impossible

(Originally published October 13th, 2018) For this week, join Jeffrey and I, along with our awesome guest, Cahtlyn, for an off-the-cuff exploration of the first entry to the contemporary iteration of its series—Brian De Palma's 1996 film, Mission: Impossible. This was actually the very first "Parking Lot Critique" that was ever recorded, released after Dr. No so that we could celebrate that film's anniversary. In this first "proper" episode, Cahtlyn, Jeffrey, and I discuss the complex plot to Brian De Palma's Mission: Impossible, the various tropes of the spy genre it invokes (or creates), its trappings as a very "1990s" film, and what to do if you have a phobia of rats. Cahtlyn brings a wit and humor that complements the sometimes over-serious posturings of Jeffrey and I. The three of us gave this film a unanimous recommendation, and it would be particularly enjoyable for fans of spy films, folks nostalgic for the 1990s, or people who have liked the more recent Mission: Impossible films and are curious about how the series has developed throughout the years. This review contains spoilers for the film it reviews (and they do matter somewhat with this one) and, because Jeffrey gets spoiler-happy when he drinks, it unnecessarily contains spoilers for the film Skyfall. This episode was a lot of fun to record, and we hope Cahtlyn will join us in the future! Next week, depending on what our schedules, etc. permit, we either will be exploring the second James Bond film (the 1963 film From Russia With Love) or continuing our coverage of Ethan Hunt's world with John Woo's gloriously explosive, sexy, and kind of ridiculous sequel—the year 2000's Mission: Impossible II, which really should have been called Mission: Impossible 2000 (missed opportunity!). Either way, join us for our further journey through "A Year of Spies." Thanks for listening! -Andy