Top Five was released last year but I have only just had the opportunity to watch it. For those who don’t remember or have not heard of the film, it is a Chris Rock movie about a comedian (Andre Allen) who has battled alcoholism, critical backlash to his move away from comedies and into more serious films, and a fiancee with her own reality show. We follow him as he spends a day with a reporter who really just wants to know, “Why did [he] quit doing stand-up and comedy?” For fans of Rock and his predecessor Eddie Murphy, you can see parallels of between the character’s life and those of real-life comedians (in particular Murphy). Continue reading →

It’s incredible how far the Mission: Impossible film franchise has come along. From bursting into Hollywood in 1996 to being brought to its knees in 2000 with an underwhelming sequel, to finding some hope in a third film in 2006 before coming back strong in 2011 with Ghost Protocol, the series has been through both the best of times and the worst of times. What a life it has had, especially with the one who has been with it through thick and thin: Tom Cruise himself, whose passion for the franchise never died out. This sounds like either a marriage or an inspirational sports tale, doesn’t it? Whatever it may be, it’s clear that the series continues to stride forward with its latest entry, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation.

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