And we’re back to wrap up our lengthy conversation with Christopher McQuarrie on the making of “Jack Reacher” (happy 10th anniversary!). In this episode we talk about the end of the car chase, why the quarry sequence was so terrible to film, and the lessons he learned from the ending of the movie. Also learn about his next potential collaboration with Tom Cruise!

Welcome back for week two of our celebration of the 10th anniversary of “Jack Reacher” with writer/director Christopher McQuarrie! This week we discuss the dialogue-free opening sequence, learn how this project differed from earlier collaborations with Tom Cruise, and learn the unlikely origins of “the car chase that ate Pittsburgh.” Also we go deep on two of the coolest shots from the movie. Which shots? You’ll have to listen to find out!

We take a detour to Pittsburgh this week to talk about the making of “Jack Reacher” with writer/director Christopher McQuarrie. This week McQ tells us how he got involved in the production of “Jack Reacher,” reveals how they chose “One Shot” as the novel to adapt and exposes (literally!) the downside of fan service. He also discusses writing “The Wolverine” for Darren Aronofsky and why most franchise movies just don’t work.

This week we break from convention to offer you a very special preview of our Patreon episodes. When you sign up for our Patreon (which, we should remind you, makes a great Christmas or Hanukkah gift), you get brand new episodes every week just like this one! We pulled this one from the vault but thought you’d enjoy – we talk about our favorite Tom Cruise performances outside of the “M:I” franchise and it’s a ton of fun! Join today!

We’re back with Blake Howard, critic and podcaster (“One Heat Minute”), to discuss his favorite minute of “Top Gun: Maverick,” continue our chat about the movie’s Oscar chances, the complexity of the introductory bar sequence and the joys of Jackie Chan. Plus we get Blake’s thoughts on the climax of “Top Gun: Maverick” and the extra buddy adventure with Maverick and Rooster.

This week we are joined by the great Blake Howard, critic and podcaster (“One Heat Minute”) and this time we’re talking about a minute from “Top Gun: Maverick” (sort of). We go through the other minutes that he didn’t choose, discuss the minute he did (the trench run, actually 3 minutes and 19 seconds) and talk about the movie’s Oscar chances.

We’re back in the cockpit with another installment of Light the Fuselage, this time with storyboard artist Mark Bristol. He talks about his love of the original movie, getting pulled off “Mission: Impossible 7” to work on “Top Gun: Maverick,” the crucial moment he helped bring to life, and seeing a work-in-progress version of the movie at Tom Cruise’s house. And yes, we try to get some info out of him about the new “M:I.”

And we’re back with Phil Pirrello, who long ago was a marketing intern for “Mission: Impossible 3.” On this week’s show we discuss the premiere and Tom Cruise’s ambitious land/sea/air approach, why Will Smith introduced the movie and conferring with J.J. Abrams before he showed the first teaser trailer. We also get his movie and hair rankings and a story about the time he tried to ask Tom Cruise about his hair.

This week we talk to Phil Pirrello, a former marketing intern at Paramount circa the release of “Mission: Impossible 3.” Today we talk to Phil about his history with “M:I” and J.J. Abrams, about sneaking onto the sets of “3” (including Ethan’s house) and alternate versions of the teaser poster. We also learn what items Phil stole from the set and get into the viral marketing stunt that turned into a very real bomb scare.

This episode we are revisiting our conversation with master cinematographer Dan Mindel (“Mission: Impossible 3”). Mindel talks about his relationship with the franchise, the movie’s iconic use of close-ups (plus how he and JJ Abrams developed the look of the movie), and how closely he worked with the visual effects artists at ILM. We also dip into other parts of his career, including “Star Trek,” "Star Wars," “Shanghai Noon” and “John Carter.” It’s a ride!