Single Serving Cinema

Mission: Impossible follows IMF agent Ethan Hunt as he goes rogue to expose a mole within his own organization after being framed for the deaths of his entire team.

Mission: Impossible was released on May 22, 1996, and stars Tom Cruise. It was directed by Brian De Palma.

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Casino Royale follows a newly minted James Bond on his first mission as 007, tasked with defeating a terrorist financier in a high-stakes poker game in Montenegro.

Casino Royale was released on November 17, 2006, and stars Daniel Craig, Eva Green, and Mads Mikkelsen. It was directed by Martin Campbell.

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Sneakers is a 1992 comedy thriller about a reformed hacker who leads a team of security specialists that break into companies to expose their vulnerabilities. When two mysterious NSA agents recruit them to steal a powerful encryption-cracking device, the crew discovers the job is far more dangerous than it seemed.

Sneakers was released on September 11, 1992, and stars Robert Redford, Ben Kingsley and Mary McDonnell. It was directed by Phil Alden Robinson.

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In The Matrix, an unfulfilled computer hacker discovers that reality as he knows it is a simulated world created by machines, and that he may be destined to lead the resistance to free humanity from its digital prison.

The Matrix was released on March 31, 1999, stars Keanu Reeves and was directed by the Wachowskis.

Notes:

• Sam Altman on what "real" is
• Keanu reminisces about bullet time
• Taking the Red Pill: An Analysis of Don Davis’ Score for The Matrix by Christopher James Heckman

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In Jamaica, a disgraced sprinter and his unlikely teammates form the island nation's first-ever bobsled team to compete at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, defying skeptics and overcoming impossible odds.

Cool Runnings was released on October 1, 1993, and stars Leon Robinson, Doug E. Doug, Rawle D. Lewis, Malik Yoba, and John Candy, and was directed by Jon Turteltaub.

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In Munich, a secret Israeli squad is assigned to track down and assassinate the Palestinian terrorists believed responsible for the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

Munich was released on December 23, 2005, and stars Eric Bana and was directed by Steven Spielberg.

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Another season done! We wrap up in our usual fashion by comparing our rankings of the taglines from this year's movies. 

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In Inception, a skilled thief who steals corporate secrets through dream-sharing technology is offered a chance at redemption by performing the seemingly impossible task of planting an idea into a target's subconscious rather than extracting it.

Inception was released on July 16, 2010, and stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Elliot Page, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, and Michael Caine, and was directed by Christopher Nolan.

Links:

• Interview with Josh Safdie on Marty Supreme, (The Big Picture)
•  The Inception Sound EVERYWHERE NOW

Recommendations:

• Tim: Paprika (Kon, 2006)
• Tay: Looper (Johnson, 2012)

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In Die Hard, a New York cop must single-handedly battle a group of terrorists who have seized a Los Angeles skyscraper and taken hostages during a Christmas Eve party, including his estranged wife.

Die Hard was released on July 15, 1988, and stars Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, and Reginald VelJohnson, and was directed by John McTiernan.

Recommendations:

• Tim: Police Story (Chan, 1985)
• Tay: Behind Enemy Lines (Moore, 2001)

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During Christmas break, a group of sorority sisters at Pi Kappa Sigma begin receiving disturbing obscene phone calls from an unknown stranger. As the festive season continues, the mysterious caller's threats escalate from harassment to deadly violence.

Black Christmas was released on October 11, 1974, and stars Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder, and John Saxon, and was directed by Bob Clark.

Links:

• "Recreating New York with Stanley Kubrick"
• Treevenge
• The Fear
• Whistle and I'll Come To You

Recommendations:

• Tim: A Christmas Story (Clark, 1984)
• Tay: Treevenge (Eisner, 2008)
• Kurt: "SCTV Staff Christmas Party" / A Ghost Story for Christmas

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