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