Tag Archives: Mad Max

My Top 12 (and Bottom 3) at the Movies in 2015

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We’ve almost reached the end of 2015, and it was a big year for movies. It’s been a year of long-awaited sequels, broken box office records, and some really fantastic movies. There was a lot to love from the movies in 2015, and a few things that weren’t quite so good, so here are my favorite and least favorite things from the world of cinema this year. I generally don’t do a “top 10 films” list, because I don’t get a chance to see everything, and many of the so-called “Oscar bait” films don’t get wide releases until after the year is over. Of course, the best part of 2015 at the movies was getting to interact with so many great people here on the blog, and on Twitter and Tumblr, but I lack the words to properly express my grattitude for you taking the time to read what I write, comment, and discuss movies with me. So instead I present my favorite (and least favorite) movie-related items from the year, comprised of films, characters, scenes, events, themes, and trends from 2015. And let’s hope 2016 is even better!

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Review: Mad Max: Fury Road

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In Mad Max: Fury Road, Max drives a tanker truck through a desert wasteland in order to help rescue a group of women from the psychotic warlord who is pursuing them.  That’s pretty much the entire plot of Fury Road, but it fails to capture the essence of what is one of the most intense, full-throttle, and absolutely insane action films of all time.  But to reduce Fury Road by calling it an “action movie” is to ignore the craftsmanship, storytelling mastery, and the scale of what had to go into this film.  Writer/Director George Miller has returned to his original creation 30 years after Max was last seen on the big screen and has managed to build something that feels unlike anything we’ve seen before, yet entirely at home in the universe of Mad Max combining elements of all three previous films.  On the one hand, Fury Road defies description; it’s the sort of film that must simply be experienced, preferably on the big screen.  But on the other hand, it also provides so much to talk about, from its strong feminist tendencies to its impeccable stuntwork to its brilliantly crafted visuals to its surprisingly clever storytelling.  Fury Road is simply one of a kind.

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Trailer Tuesday: Mad Max: Fury Road

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Welcome to “Trailer Tuesday” where we look at trailers for upcoming movies.

The Mad Max films form one of the most bizarre trilogies out there.  A product of the unique mind of George Miller (known more these days for the Babe and Happy Feet movies), each film had a drastically different style and feel.  The first film, Mad Max, is the darkest of the three, with its tragic story and its nihilistic style, and it helped introduce the world to Mel Gibson.  The second film, The Road Warrior, is an absolute masterpiece, possibly the greatest pure action film of all time, whose chase sequence is one of the most pulse-pounding and electrifying sequences ever put on film.  The final film, Beyond Thunderdome, is almost too strange to describe, with Tina Turner overseeing a town powered by pig methane where arguments are settled in the craziest of cage matches (“Two men enter, one man leaves!”), and a group of abandoned teenagers who think Max is a prophet.

So it’s almost impossible to have any idea what to expect from Mad Max: Fury Road.  I’m thrilled that George Miller is back behind the wheel, as there’s no one else to whom I would trust a new film, but I’m conflicted since Mel Gibson won’t be returning.  On the one hand that’s probably a good thing, as the thought of watching an older Gibson try to revive his career by returning to his roots isn’t appealing, but on the other hand he was Max and I’m not eager to see him replaced.  And then of course there’s the troubled production, which has been an ongoing story for years.  But if this first trailer is anything to go by, we’re in for one hell of a ride with Fury Road.  Take a look, and read on for my thoughts:

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