TOP 5 SHOTS from "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol"

It's official. I'm out of excuses for not bringing this column back, be it with less of a bang than a slight ease-in, so another welcome to the retooled "Top Shots". You may have noticed in prior lists that the amount of dynamic shots has a potential to vary from film to film. Occasionally, I'm just stretching to a ridiculous point to bring ten shots in, so having a sense of rotation in the list is as freeing as it is stressful. Not having an extra five shots to lean back on means much more care in picking five for the top, so this week felt the need for something that wasn't so incredibly overbearing in terms of numerous cinematic opportunities.

Seeing as "The Bourne Legacy" is out this weekend, which not only features star Jeremy Renner, but also cinematographer Robert Elswit, the choice for this week wasn't just obvious. It was delightful, given it's a film I have no problem seeing repeatedly. "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" made the cut for my Top 20 of 2011 literally under the wire, given an update to replace "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" at #20 for something I genuinely had a great deal more encouragement towards. It's a film that not only knows how to have a ridiculously good time, but to evoke some tangible emotional themes throughout that the casual viewer might overlook.

Film Review: "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol"

When you hit the fourth film in a feature franchise, there are a number of ways you can go. You can establish a strong footing for the rest of your series ("Harry Potter"), you can abandon everything that made the previous trilogy great ("Star Wars", "Indiana Jones", "Pirates of the Caribbean", the list goes on), or you can do what "Mission: Impossible" did, and just go out and make the best film you possibly can. This a series that had nothing to do in the first two installments, so no real purpose, and then they tried something interesting with the third and deepened the characters, gave it a jolt of humor, and several needed splashes of style. They did well to hold onto that.

So do I see this as the fourth film in the franchise? No. I actually consider it the second in the series that Abrams kicked off in 2006. Now it has become the jumping off point for Brad Bird's first time as a live action director. I think I had some trepidation when the first trailer came around, but we should have never expected an emotional hard-hitter. That's not what this series is, but it does have an emotional undercurrent that works as a steady heartbeat to hold everything together. What Brad Bird has established in his past of animated films is a lively energy and constantly upheld excitement. That translates perfectly for this piece.

"Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" Trailer

There's been a fair bit of silence around the latest "Mission Impossible" film, and I'd like to think it's more skillful than it is apprehensive. Then this trailer comes around and reveals just a little too much. I'm no fan of a film showing its card before it plays, so that kind of upset me a bit. Still, the trailer packs a strong enough punch. Between the Burj Khalifa and a sandstorm car chase, I'm totally in.

"Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" Teaser Trailer

Really, of all the ways they could've gone, they put Eminem as the musical backdrop of this trailer? More than a tad unorthodox, but I expect the marketing is trying to lure in the Transformers crowd that will be seeing it before Dark of the Moon. Yes, they vault a car in the air that Tom Cruise just barely misses, and he does, once again, vault off the side of a building, but how can you not expect that from a Mission Impossible film? Honestly, Ghost Protocol looks to be an exciting sort of film, but the teaser obviously wouldn't show that. It's a showcase of the action on display in the film. Don't pass judgment just yet. And honestly, when Tom Wilkinson surprisingly shows up in your film, how can you complain?

Seydoux, Kapoor, Patton, Nyqvist, and Holloway Join "Mission: Impossible 4"

We have a fully loaded report on the growing cast of Brad Bird's Mission: Impossible 4. I've been completely in love with the casting for this film up to this point, and if this is our final cast then consider me contented. We've already received news that Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker) has joined the cast, which seems to include people who had bit parts in all the films you love. Lea Seydoux (Inglourious Basterds), Anil Kapoor (Slumdog Millionaire), Paula Patton (Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire), Michael Niqvist (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), and Josh Holloway (Lost) are all on board for the latest outing in the franchise.