Your mission, if you choose to accept it: in concert with this month's “Heists” issue, we’re talking across Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023), Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018), and Mission: Impossible (1996) with brilliant Vulture and New York Magazine critic—and platinum-tier BWDR supporter!—Bilge Ebiri. We get into the [redacted] of Ilsa Faust, when plot makes no sense, Tom Cruise playing himself, lyricism in action films, Fallout = sex, what the M:I franchise is saying about digital vs. analog, watching A Few Good Men once a week, and plenty more.

The Bright Wall/Dark Room Podcast is co-hosted by Veronica Fitzpatrick and Chad Perman and produced and edited by Eli Sands. Our theme music is composed by Chad (and remixed for this episode by Eli).

This episode was recorded during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the films discussed in this episode wouldn't exist. To learn more, visit the WGA strike hub and read about the SAG-AFTRA strike here.

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This episode is sponsored by Galerie, a new kind of film club. BW/DR listeners can sign up for early access at https://join.galerie.com/bwdr.

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Live event update:

Join us for our first live, interactive discussion on Galerie on Friday, August 25th, at 1pm PST / 4pm EST!

Chad and Veronica will be discussing Daisies, a film from Mike Mills’ curated Galerie film list. We'd love to have you join the conversation!

(Sign up for free early access to Galerie, via this link)

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You can read all 122 issues of Bright Wall/Dark Room, including this month’s impossible missions, at brightwalldarkroom.com. We really, really appreciate ratings and reviews. We’re on Twitter @BWDR and @TheBWDRPodcast, and we welcome feedback and inquiries at [email protected].

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