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Unquestionably one of the world’s biggest box office draws, movies starring Tom Cruise have grossed more than US$3.7 billion in North America alone, with total global takings topping US$9 billion worldwide. Despite being touted as the actor with Hollywood’s most bankable grin, he remains a divisive figure, adored and despised by equally vocal contingents of cinema-goers.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-40517" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/4-4.jpg" alt="Tom Cruise" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/4-4.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/4-4-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/4-4-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/4-4-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/4-4-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/4-4-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/4-4-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
Whichever side of the fence you fall on, however, Tom Cruise does deserve some credit for overcoming much of the adversity that made his early life something of a nightmare. Not only was he dyslexic, he was also routinely abused by his father. In his adult life, however, many of his problems have been of his own making. Willingly co-opted as the public face of Scientology – a quasi-religion with cult-like trappings – his reputation later barely survived a series of bizarre TV appearances, with the most infamous of these seeing him bounding around Oprah Winfrey’s sofa back in 2005 as he, somewhat unconvincingly, confessed his undying love for actress Katie Holmes, his third wife-to-be. He later went on to duly divorce Holmes in 2012.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-40515" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/2-9.jpg" alt="Tom Cruise" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/2-9.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/2-9-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/2-9-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/2-9-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/2-9-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" />
To be fair, though, crazy-behaving, much-married, cult-loving Tom is a soft target, and it is all too easy to overlook his undoubted status as one of the all-time Hollywood greats.
From the moment he burst onto the scene in his breakout role as Joel Goodson, a doubt-ridden teen in the 1983 coming-of-age comedy Risky Business (1983), he has been unswervingly on course for A-lister superstardom. As proof of his abiding success, he’s currently ranked eighth on the list of all-time Hollywood high earners. With more blockbusters in the pipeline – most notably a sequel to Top Gun, his smash-hit 1986 romantic drama – he will, almost definitely, feature higher still in any future rankings.
Thanks to his boyish and enduring good looks, few probably realise that as of 3 July this year, Cruise is now 56. Born Thomas Cruise Mapother IV in 1962 in New York, he was the only boy of the four children born to Thomas Cruise Mapother III, an electrical engineer, and Mary Lee Mapother (née Pfeiffer), a special education teacher.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-40516" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/3-5.jpg" alt="Tom Cruise" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/3-5.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/3-5-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/3-5-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/3-5-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/3-5-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/3-5-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/3-5-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
After a troubled childhood and adolescence, he briefly flirted with the idea of becoming a priest, before finally settling on acting as his chosen career. By his own admission, it’s not been a profession that has always come wholly naturally to him. Airing his own uncertainties, he says: “Every single time I start work on a picture, I always feel as if I don’t really know what I’m doing.”
This particular demon, though, seems to have hardly hampered his career. He first hit the big screen playing a minor role in Endless Love, a 1981 romantic drama co-starring Brooke Shields. Despite getting his first big break in Risky Business two years later, it wasn’t until 1986 that his starring role as Maverick in Top Gun – one of the highest grossing films of the year – suggested how bankable a performer he was destined to become.
While that reputation is now firmly set in stone, fame – and box office bankability – has not always sat easily with the star. Clearly not relishing all its trappings, he says: “I am forever being chased by the paparazzi. They run lights, they chase you and they harass you the whole time. And it is only getting worse.”
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-40514" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/1-7.jpg" alt="Tom Cruise" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/1-7.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/1-7-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/1-7-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/1-7-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/1-7-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" />
In truth, though, it’s Cruise’s antics off-screen that have kept scandal-minded journos on his trail for so long. After all, aside from the three official Mrs Cruises, there have been any number of high-profile, non-solemnised liaisons, as well as those lingering rumours that girls aren’t really his thing at all. And then of course, there&#8217;s Cruise’s self-confessed obsession with Scientology, the California-headquartered cult.
Notwithstanding such controversies, award-winning movies – and wives – have followed. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he was nominated for awards for his performances in the Vietnam war drama The Fourth of July (1989) and the legal drama A Few Good Men (1992). This was also the time he became Mr Nicole Kidman for a comparatively lengthy 11 years after meeting the Australian actress on the sets of Days of Thunder (1990).
Although his love life may have been punctuated by special guest stars and one-off appearances, his celluloid career has remained stable and stellar. Most notably, his continuing role as Ethan Hunt in the Mission Impossible spy-thriller franchise has confirmed he has lost little of his bankability, even with his 60th birthday now firmly on the horizon.
So, will his boyish looks, Hollywood reign and penchant for middling bouts of matrimony see Tom Cruise cruise through another decade? While it’s certainly Risky Business, it’s no Mission Impossible.
Text: Robert Blain; Images: AFP

Tom Cruise: A divisive figure adored and despised in equal measures by cinema-goers

With the football fever gripping the entire world, July is projected to be a bit of a slow month for movies. But if you are a movie buff, you have nothing to worry. We have a roundup of five upcoming movies in July that you shouldn’t miss.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37070" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/700x466-Movies_opt.jpg" alt="movies in July" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/700x466-Movies_opt.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/700x466-Movies_opt-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/700x466-Movies_opt-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/700x466-Movies_opt-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/700x466-Movies_opt-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/700x466-Movies_opt-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/700x466-Movies_opt-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
Incredibles 2
With an approving nod and a cheeky wink to feminist movements, this Incredibles sequel sees Elastigirl spring into action to save the world, while Mr. Incredible is left to face his greatest challenge yet – taking care of the children, Violet, Dash and Jack-Jack, with the latter’s startling superpowers just starting to develop! Perfect summer holiday movie with the kids!
Releasing on 19 July 2018

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Mission: Impossible – Fallout
Director Christopher McQuarrie takes up the reins again in the sixth installment of the Mission Impossible series. With Mission Impossible: Fallout, Ethan Hunt (played by Tom Cruise) and his IMF team (Alec Baldwin, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames) have to race against time after a well-laid-out IMF plan goes awry.
Releasing on 26 July 2018

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Ant-Man and the Wasp
2018’s been an amazing year so far for Marvel fans. The trend is about to continue with yet another superhero movie coming out of the Marvel stables – Ant Man and The Wasp. In the aftermath of Captain America: Civil War, Scott Lang struggles to balance his responsibilities as a father and a superhero, when an urgent mission again requires him to suit up and learn to fight alongside The Wasp.
Releasing on 5 July 2018

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Skyscraper
Dwayne Johnson plays former FBI agent and US war veteran Will Sawyer, who is in charge of assessing security for skyscrapers. As one of the safest buildings on earth catches fire, Sawyer finds himself struggling to rescue those caught in the fire while trying to clear his name.
Releasing on 12 July 2018

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Beirut
Set in 1980s Beirut during the Lebanese Civil War, former US diplomat Mason Skiles (played by Jon Hamm) has to go back into service to rescue a colleague who is being held by a group that was responsible for his own family’s death. Critics have already described the film as “absorbing despite its flaw”, it remains to see what the audience’s verdict will be.
Releasing on 5 July 2018

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Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay

Reel Deal: Five upcoming movies in July

Venue: Cinemas HK-wide 
Date: 21 October 
Enquiries: N/A 
Website: <a href="http://www.jackreachermovie.com/">www.jackreachermovie.com</a>
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-5062 aligncenter" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Jack-Reacher-384x600.jpg" alt="" width="384" height="600" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Jack-Reacher-384x600.jpg 384w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Jack-Reacher-200x312.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Jack-Reacher-400x625.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Jack-Reacher.jpg 465w" sizes="(max-width: 384px) 100vw, 384px" />
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The second Jack Reacher film, following on from the success of the first movie released in 2012 sees Tom Cruise reprising his role as novelist Lee Child’s celebrated ex-marine turned vigilante, Jack Reacher. Based on Child’s novel by the same name, this time around Reacher finds himself re-visiting his old army unit four years on to find his former unit leader is missing and himself accused of a 16 year-old murder case.
Packed with action and intrigue this instalment delves deeper into our mysterious hero’s past and see’s Cruise as Reacher cruising and bruising his way through America in search of resolution and redemption in discovering a child he didn’t even know he had.

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back

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Tom Cruise: A divisive figure adored and despised in equal measures by cinema-goers

Reel Deal: Five upcoming movies in July

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back