Seventh Row is a nonprofit Canadian film criticism publication and publishing house. We're dedicated to helping you expand your horizons by curating the best socially progressive films from around the world and helping you think deeply about them. This newsletter is run by Seventh Row (http://seventh-row.com) but features exclusive content not found on the website.
Revisiting Mission: Impossible (1996)
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Hi Reader, What makes the Langley vault sequence so memorable? The gum bomb? The characters who only have a couple of scenes? What other film wrings this much tension from a floppy disk and a drop of sweat? Ep. 174: Mission Impossible (1996) with Angelo MureddaThis week on the podcast, fellow film critic Angelo Muredda joins me to dig into why the original Mission: Impossible still stands apart. Not just because it was directed by Brian De Palma, but because of the elegance of its storytelling — how it builds tension and trusts the viewer. We talk about: 🎬 How the film teaches you how to watch it
🎥 Visual storytelling that matters
🎭 Performances with texture
📍 What sets this one apart
🎧 Listen now: 💡 Enjoying this kind of deep dive into film craft and storytelling? Every month in Reel Ruminators, we watch one unforgettable film together — and explore what makes it tick, what it stirs in us, and why it stays with us. The journey — from discovery to reflection to discussion — is engaging, surprising, and genuinely fun. This month’s film is something rare: a joyful, funny, and unexpectedly uplifting story — from Palestine. You don’t need to be an expert. Just bring your curiosity. I’ll bring the context, the prompts, and the kind of conversation that makes great films even better. 👉 A new month (and a new film) just started: Click here to join us for this month’s film What still hits hardest for you in Mission: Impossible? Just hit reply and tell me what’s stuck with you. Cheers, Alex
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Seventh Row
Seventh Row is a nonprofit Canadian film criticism publication and publishing house. We're dedicated to helping you expand your horizons by curating the best socially progressive films from around the world and helping you think deeply about them. This newsletter is run by Seventh Row (http://seventh-row.com) but features exclusive content not found on the website.
Some films change every time you rewatch them — not because they shift, but because you do. The mark of a great film is that it can meet you again — and offer more. Not just because your perspective has changed, but because the film is rich enough to hold what you couldn’t yet see. This year marks the tenth anniversary of Andrew Haigh’s 45 Years — and we’re celebrating it on the podcast because it’s one of the best films of the century. I’ve watched it at least once a year over the past...
Hello Reader, This week on the podcast, I’m digging into Celine Song’s new film, Materialists, which asks: Is love enough when money is tight? It’s got plenty going for it (that cast! that blocking!), but also tiptoes around the class and money dynamics it sets up. In this episode, I get into where it works, where it falls short, and how it stacks up next to films and shows that explore similar territory (Gossip Girl, Mansfield Park, and more). A few spoilers ahead, especially when I get into...
Hello Reader, What do a British political thriller, an Indigenous Canadian documentary, and a queer South African drama have in common? Honestly… I wasn’t sure at first either. I programmed them inside Reel Ruminators because they were different: crossing genres, continents, and perspectives. And yet, in hindsight, I realized they were all circling some of the same big questions. Watching and thinking about one film changed how I watched and thought about the others. And I have an inkling...