The “Mission: Impossible” franchise comes to full circle in the eighth and final installment with “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning“. Although it might not be the greatest in its series, the death defying stunts by Tom Cruise makes it worth the watch. With a hefty budget of over $300 million, “The Final Reckoning” has become one of the most expensive films ever made.

The “Mission: Impossible” theme stays on track with the inevitable sacrifice and precision timing. The IMF are rattled by a powerful artificial intelligence known as the Entity, which challenges humanity into nuclear destruction and it’s up to Ethan Hunt to accept this impossible mission to save the world.

In a compilation of flashbacks and simultaneous present day scenes, the clues are revealed which adequately ties everything together. The story surprisingly brings back CIA Analyst William Donloe (Rolf Saxon). It was also nostalgic to see the remembrances of characters/actors from the previous missions like Henry Cavil as August Walker and Jeremy Renner as William Brandt.

“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning”, is has plenty of breathtaking action and subtle scenes that resemble scenarios to “Top Gun”, like Hannah Waddingham’s character Rear Admiral Neely having a striking appearance to Kelly McGillis’s character Charlie. Even towards the end of the film there was a similar scenario to “Pulp Fiction” – possible nod to Ving Rhames’s character Marsellus Wallace and his briefcase that radiated a golden hue when opened.

Since the film’s focal point is time, the underwater and biplane stunt sequences indeed took up much of it – no aspect was overlooked. During a Q&A after the screening, Storyboard Artist Mark Bristol explained the details that went into creating the vision for these high-octane moments. It was fascinating to learn about his experience working with Director Christopher McQuarrie, the writers and Tom Cruise to understand their vision to create the illustrations that serve as a visual guide for the production team.

Fountain of Youth is the latest action-adventure release from acclaimed director Guy Ritchie, available today on Apple TV+. Blending the thrilling spirit of Indiana Jones with the mystery of The Da Vinci Code, the film stars John Krasinski as the son of a legendary archaeologist and the headstrong brother of Natalie Portman. Together, they embark on a global quest to uncover the mythical Fountain of Youth at the request of a terminally ill billionaire—only to discover that some secrets are meant to stay buried.

With stunning international set pieces and a fast-paced narrative, Fountain of Youth delivers high-octane entertainment as Krasinski and Portman leave a trail of mayhem in their wake. Eiza González, currently one of the most in-demand talents in Hollywood, showcases her action prowess in a standout role, lighting up the screen with expertly choreographed fight sequences.

Full of humor, intrigue, and imagination, Fountain of Youth is a spirited adventure the whole family can enjoy. Stream it now on Apple TV+.

SYNOPSIS: “Fountain of Youth” follows two estranged siblings (John Krasinski and Academy Award winner Natalie Portman) who partner on a global heist to find the mythological Fountain of Youth. They must use their knowledge of history to follow clues on an epic adventure that will change their lives … and possibly lead to immortality.

An Apple Original Film, “Fountain of Youth” is directed by Guy Ritchie and written by James Vanderbilt. Hailing from Skydance Media, “Fountain of Youth” is produced by David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger for Skydance, alongside Vinson Films (Tripp Vinson) and Vanderbilt’s Project X Entertainment (James Vanderbilt, William Sherak, Paul Neinstein), with Guy Ritchie, Ivan Atkinson and Jake Myers, and Radio Silence (Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, Chad Villella and Tara Farney) serving as executive producers.

Danny and Michael Philippou the Australian twin filmmakers and online personalities are best known for their RackaRacka YouTube channel and their directorial debut, horror film Talk to Me. Now, these magnificent twins have raised the bar in horror genre with their new upcoming movie Bring Her Back, starring the talented Sally Hawkins.

The Philippou twins have amazing creativity and put a unique spin with the film’s storyline that illustrates haunting mechanisms used to cope with grieving the loss of a loved one, which can strike hard to those who can relate. In Bring Her Back, Sally Hawkins’ character Laura goes to the extreme of performing a ritual in the attempts to bring her daughter back from the dead, after a drowning accident.

After the death of their father, Andy (Billy Barratt) and his visually impaired sister Pipper (Sora Wong) are placed into foster care with Laura, who is deranged and emotionally psychotic. Andy is wary of her intentions, especially when it comes to Pipper. However, Laura is a master of deception and is able to gain Pipper ‘s trust – to isolate her from Andy, so that the final step of the ritual can proceed.

Meanwhile, there is a strange zombie-like boy Oliver “Oli” (Jonah Wren Phillips) who lingers around the house and at times is locked up, to which Andy finds disturbing.

There is so much emotional pain in this film that it turns very dark, and macabre. The scene where Andy feeds Oli cantaloupe is teeth clenching!

The Philippou’s were brilliant with the artistic use of water as the background theme – representing cleansing/renewal, grief, reflection, internal struggles.

This film has an exceptional cast – a multi award winning actress Sally Hawkins, with promising actors Jonah Wren Phillips and Billy Barratt. Also, a special mention to Sora Wong, an inspiriting young lady undaunted by her visual impairment. They were all outstanding!

Hawkins was just remarkable and deserving of another Oscar nomination. If the Academy Awards were to have a horror category in film, Bring Her Back would definitely be nominated.

Bring Her Back will be showing in theaters May 30, 2025. Horror fans will not want to miss out on this one.