Tom Cruise is back in New York, seen here today with Katie Holmes and Little Sci, pushing through some last minute photo opportunities before Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol (God that colon is so f-cking annoying) opens (in limited) tomorrow. See how skilled his security is? They do a great job of avoiding getting in the shot.

Tom has been selling it hard across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and South America. That’s because M:I4 opens wide around the world before North America. M:I4 will be available at 400 North American venues - high end, mostly IMAX - this weekend before going wide on Wednesday. There will be a big splashy US premiere coming up and Katie will shake her hair out and smile pretty with him on the carpet and then it’s up to you. Us. He’s done his job. The reviews for Ghost Protocol are largely positive (if not a little patronising).

Now he needs an audience to reaffirm his status.

This is a big pressure week. How big, or small, will M:I4 be?

During the LiveBlog the other day, someone asked Sarah and me:

If you could choose only ONE movie to see over the Christmas holidays, which one would you pick?

And both of us, independently, answered Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol. For me it’s curiosity. Profound curiosity. There’s also a part of me that is tempted to like Tom Cruise again, especially when I saw how great he is in that Rock of Ages trailer. I would if he wasn’t so desperate for my love though, you know? Like knowing that he really, really, really wants me to love him only makes me want to withhold it which... sounds totally f-cked up and hilarious at the same time.

PS.  His shoes are so big they look like paddles.