three good tom cruise movies
risky business
a movie in favour of american capitalism at its most free, frisky, sexy, fun and makes the young and hung tom cruise an erotic icon, attempts at flirting with nostaliga, but really a conflation of sex and buisness (the scene with the house as brothel, and the princeton interview--"We need the room"/"I'll take them again"/'' Q: what are you planning to major in. A:Buisness") The first meeting of the black drag hooker; the masterbating in white briefs, clean and pure--(b4 aids?), the football helmet (all american protection), etc etc etc.
top gun
i think its queer, but then all that butch phallocentricism in one place would make me think that, the weak guy dies, the arrogant fuck gets rewarded, and cruise gets life handed to him on a plate of piverlege and skill (see he isnt cocky, he is that good)--first real action movie and war movie that is not a bout war at all, that is shot with the sheen and gloss of commericals, that is cut and edited like porn (rising action--money shot, over and over again).
eyes wide shut
three levels here.
real--what most people see it as, an exciting night that concludes safely, the narrative is consistint and happens normally.
surreal--an allegorical tale about fantasy and fiedilty-- a bored rich man dreams of a life of sexual freedom and exoticism after his wife has admitted pseudo infeidlity. (the opera, the orgy, the medical card, the wanting to cheat on nicole kidman, the russian whore and the mask makers daughter, the sailor--all standard devices, works best when thinking of schiltzlers(sp) original novel)
metareal--an assumption because nic and tom are married, that there marriage is on view to us, an examantion of the nature of celebrity, something to make us feel dirty about looking at "stars", a nasty beating down of these peoples reputaitons--(tom called faggot, tom unable to gain an erection around whores, tom being unfaithful, tom being egotistical vs nicole being a whore herself, nicole faking sophistication, nicole being nothing more then arm candy); a movie that holds secerts--(most people only got the first meanting)

anyways, heres a salon article on cruise)
http://www.salon.com/ent/feature/2004/08/05/cruise/index_np.html