Mad Max: Fury Road Review

"If I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die historic on a fury road!"

That quote covers so much about this film in such a small amount of words. The death toll elevates, the action is furious and my goodness the movie feels historic. Now hold on, don't roll your eyes at me. Yes you did, I could see you. I know what you are thinking, here he comes with some of that instant reaction hyperbole bullshit, using a word like historic, so let me be clear: no, Mad Max: Fury Road is not one of the greatest films of all time. 

One of the greatest action films of all time though? Yep, I can and will say that without even a fraction of doubt in my body. This is easily one of my favorite genre films ever made. I was battered, bruised and pummeled into submission by the relentless lunacy on display, all while sitting in a leather recliner and sipping a giant soda. I felt physically exhausted by the end of a two hour cinematic experience, and yet that only represents a fraction of why I loved the picture so much. 

George Miller has created an post apocalyptic punk rock masterpiece that left me in awe on numerous occasions. It isn't merely the general concept of the action being cool or non-stop, it's the way the material was handled. The frenzy is directed with such silky smooth confidence that even when the chaos seems completely out of hand, we are able to follow exactly what is happening as clear as day. The set pieces are extraordinary and as imaginative as I have ever seen. I literally said the single word "Wow" aloud to myself on multiple occasions, all while flashing a giant, shit eatin' grin on my face throughout every damn minute. Seriously, when I buy this on Blu-ray, and that's a when, not an if, I may break the player with how many times I am going to give it a spin. Just the thought of being able to dig into some special features regarding how the hell Miller filmed some of these sequences makes me excited for future me.

Despite the praise I laid out above, had it merely been just an action extravaganza I wouldn't be busting out a word like masterpiece. While the intensity of Mad Max: Fury Road is what people will show up for (and I don't blame them one bit), where this films truly excels are those quiet sequences that give us a breather, showcasing some of the finest character development I have seen based on the very small amount of words actually used to achieve it. Charlize Theron deserves an honorary Oscar for her eyes alone, the type of award that would have been handed out long ago during the silent era of cinema, which is rather ironic considering just how modern and loud this puppy is. Her character is named Furiosa and she is a bad ass force to be reckoned with, but in her eyes we get to know her pain. We get to witness her passion. We get to see her soul.

Actually, I can't write this review without addressing another pile of praise that deserves to be heaped towards Mr. Miller and his expert craft of this film. Bless him for truly making a picture that shows how much ass women can kick. She may be too young now, but someday I would be proud to sit my daughter down and allow her to soak in the carnage on display as females are depicted as not just strong, but capable of killing every last mother fucker that gets in their way. Far too often the action genre depicts a woman as a damsel in distress, needing a man to swoop in and save her as she appears weak and fragile rather than courageous and tough. Mad Max: Fury Road gives us women who make us believe they can drop our asses if we try to stop them, and I applaud the hell out of George Miller, Brendan McCarthy and Nick Lathouris for penning a screenplay that subverts the traditional misguided tropes. 

If you are like me, you saw the overwhelmingly positive critical response to this film and couldn't believe your eyes. I wondered how an action film could be so universally praised, as usually the genre is deemed derivative. I no longer wonder. It is worthy of the accolades. With a musical score that blasts through your body, a brilliantly subtle screenplay that achieves so much by doing so little and quite possibly the greatest action ever put to celluloid, Mad Max: Fury Road is a roaring, thunderous achievement. 

5/5 

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior Review

It had been far, far too long, my life without a revisit of The Road Warrior. I recall being a teenager and thinking this was one of the coolest films I had ever seen. George Miller showed some restraint with the original Mad Max and he should have, as it was merely building the world and the circumstances of a society on the brink of madness. A sequel, now that is where he had the opportunity to kick it into high gear, to go balls to the walls with mania and ridiculousness in the best possible ways. Mad Max is certainly entertaining, but The Road Warrior ramps it up into something far more memorable and special. 

While on a supporting character level The Road Warrior is a massive improvement over the original, as Max Rockatansky has some intriguing allies on his side this time around and his adversaries are far more menacing, the real reason we buy into this dystopian depravity is Mel Gibson in the lead role. The progression of his character is fascinating, as we remember him as the married father who doesn't turn mad into tragedy strikes his family. When we reconvene with him here, those strings that held him together in the past have been cut and his life is that of a lone nomad, finding ways to stay alive by any means necessary.

I now recall why, despite seeing both roughly the same amount of time ago, I remembered so little of Mad Max and so much of The Road Warrior. How the hell could you forget a picture like this?  The action, the set pieces and the costume design are remarkable, all making you feel a little bit grimy and uneasy but in an awesome way, like you want to feel that dust on your skin and you want a splash of that blood on your shoes. What really takes this movie to a new level though are those characters, all of them across the board.

George Miller, if you can match or even just come close to the intensity and fun of The Road Warrior with Mad Max: Fury Road, which I will be seeing this upcoming weekend, I will be a very happy man.

4.5/5

50 Best Films of 2014 - #40 - #31

Moving on to my next ten favorite films of 2014, #40 through #31.

40. Coherence

A delicious low budget slice of science fiction, Coherence takes a really cool concept and executes it very well. I will say no more because I don't want to spoil the fun of the film, as I found not knowing what to expect to be the very essence of why it works so well.

39. Still Alice

A very good film featuring a breathtaking and devastating performance by Julianne Moore. As hard as the content of Still Alice is to swallow, you owe it to yourself to sit down and watch the very definition of what makes acting an art form. I keep on saying it, over and over and over: just give her the damn trophy already.

38. Force Majeure

A very simple concept done fascinatingly well, Force Majeure examines a husband making a split second decision and the ramifications of it being deemed the wrong one by his wife. This one is sure to lead to some interesting conversations between spouses after seeing it, as you can't help but wonder...what would they do in the same situation?

37. Locke

Minimalist cinema done so, so well, Locke takes place entirely inside the car of a man as he drives. Sounds boring, right? Thanks to the performance of Tom Hardy, and the creative decision to let the man carry the film with his amazing talent, Locke is surprisingly riveting stuff, and the more you learn about where he is headed and the pressure he is under, it's impossible to look away.

36. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

While not quite as excellent as the second installment, Catching Fire, it is unfair to hold it to such lofty standards. Mockingjay Part 1 is still a very well made movie and one that leads beautifully into the highly anticipated final chapter, due out later in 2015. I was pessimistic about the choice to split the third book into two films, and obviously the decision was financial motivated more than a creative necessity, but I was surprised to find that there was very little fat to trim off these bones. While I'm sure sequences could have been cut, the film still flowed with ease and there is plenty to look forward to in Part 2.

35. Tangerines

Excited to include some Estonian cinema on my list, and Tangerines is a worthy choice. This is a film driven by the amazing performances from the entire ensemble, and I honestly think it would work just as well as a stage play because I could watch these quiet yet intense conversations over and over and never be bored. 

34. A Most Violent Year

J.C. Chandor strikes again with another winner, as expected when a gifted filmmaker casts the amazing Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain to play the two key roles in the movie. A Most Violent Year is a tense, exquisitely crafted work.

33. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

I am more than willing to admit when I am wrong, and my skepticism about Dawn of the Planet of the Apes proved to be misguided. I really believed a sequel to the surprisingly good Rise of the Planet of the Apes seemed like it had no chance to work, but not only did it work, it was a step up from the previous film in every way.

32. Starred Up

I love when a film that I never anticipated sneaks up and shocks me due to its high quality. Starred Up did just that, a movie about a father and son both serving time in the same prison and the charged, dangerous dynamic such a thing would cause. Jack O'Connell was good in the otherwise cringe worthy film Unbroken, but this was his breakout role of the year. 

31. Godzilla

I'm a sucker for big blockbusters involving giant, awesome monsters. Godzilla very clearly fits that bill, and while the performances along with any attempt to develop a meaningful human character came up flat, it didn't matter in the end because everything else kicked so much ass. Some of the set pieces are breathtaking and the musical score of Alexandre Desplat perfectly suited the film, leading to some sequences that were flat out amazing to experience on the biggest screen in town.

Another ten down, into the top 30 we will go soon. The image above is from a film that will appear on the next list.

100 Favorite Films - #90 - #81

A continuation of my list counting down my 100 favorite films of all time.


90. Before Sunset (2004)

My Review of Before Sunset

I begin my second list of ten films the same way I did the first ten, with a Richard Linklater "Before" film. This time it is the second piece of the trilogy, and not only does it take place nine years after the events of the first film it was also released nine years later as well. This adds an authenticity to the story that can't be replicated by typical Hollywood trickery like makeup to age the characters ever so slightly, and it also adds an ability to allow to audience to connect deeper to the film. Why? Because our lives change so much over the course of nine years, perhaps in regards to romantic relationships as well, so finding out what had happened to Jesse and Celine during the same time feels exciting. Before Sunset just feels so real, and the ending is pure bliss.


89. Warrior (2011)

Predictability is often times a major problem for me with films, and yet here we have Warrior by Gavin O'Conner, quite possibly one of the most predictable films I have ever seen. Two brothers played by Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton both find their way into a major MMA fighting tournament and both need the first place prize money for reasons that tug on the heartstrings. I don't watch MMA, I don't even know anything about MMA, but I know a gem of a film when I see one and Warrior almost literally makes me stand and cheer, and quite a few tears are shed as well. Oh, and I didn't even mention the Oscar worthy performance by Nick Nolte as their father.


88. Reservoir Dogs (1992)

Quentin Tarantino has become a household name with his unique and controversial style, but back in 1992 he was an unknown and Reservoir Dogs put him on the map. What begins as a jewelry heist gets ugly when the police are practically waiting for the team of criminals and the only way out is to resort to violence, and those on the crew that survived the ordeal try and hash out who among them could be a police informant.

A low budget film that has become iconic for its structure, its performances, its clever and fierce script and some rather brutal imagery. I couldn't get enough of it as a teenager and Reservoir Dogs has never lost steam since.


87. Prisoners (2013)

Prisoners was my introduction into the work of filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, and I have since gotten the chance to friggin' love two of his other pictures, Incendies and this years Enemy, but I didn't need those other films to immediately know that I was witnessing something truly special. Prisoners tells the horrifying story of the kidnapping of two young girls and the lengths some people will go to in order to find and save their children.

This is exactly the type of film I love. Intense, gritty, dark, ominous and the cinematography by the amazing Roger Deakins, I was captivated throughout and I have since learned that a revisit works just a well. The mystery being solved doesn't diminish a thing.


86. Blade Runner (1982)

My admiration for this masterful slice of Ridley Scott science fiction did not come with my first viewing many years ago. I recall thinking parts were cool and overall I liked it, but it certainly wasn't something that would find its way to any of my "Best Of" lists. Well, clearly that has changed because multiple viewings later and I get giddy thinking about the neon glow, Rick Deckard and the replicants. An influential, modern classic that I absolutely must revisit every so often.


85. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

This is one that often sparks a debate because yes, I have seen both the original and the remake, and yes I prefer the latter. The style of David Fincher is one I adore, and when I read the source material in advance of seeing this I couldn't wait to see the way he would handle it. The end result was everything I could have wanted and more, and the performance by Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander puts it over the top.


84. The Decalogue (1989)

Originally a television miniseries in Poland, the ultra ambitious project by filmmaker Krzysztof Kieslowski is now regarded as one of greatest films ever made and rightfully so. A series of ten relatively short films, all roughly an hour in length, Kieslowski based each one on one of the ten commandments and while some of the films are stronger than others, the overall result is remarkable and unforgettable.

The single best installment of the ten is Decalogue V based on the commandment thou shall not kill. Clearly a statement from Kieslowski involving his strong opposition to the death penalty, I will randomly think of some of the powerful imagery from that film and it has been quite some time since I have seen it.


83. In the Mood for Love (2000)

A beautiful romance portrayed with grace and artistry by director Wong Kar-wai, In the Mood for Love is a smooth, eloquent story about two young couples who reside in apartments adjacent to each other. As each of those relationships struggle due to the loneliness of their spouses constant travel schedules, the ones left behind are able to connect with each other on a deep, intense level.

Even when the film illustrates a romantic connection, a moment that should be joyous, the mood of this picture is always quite morose as the struggle of two people falling in love when they know they should remain loyal to their spouses brings forth guilt rather than passion.


82. Interstellar (2014)

My First Review of Interstellar

My Second Review of Interstellar

The recently released polarizing science fiction epic by Christopher Nolan is the newest film on my list, which was a pretty safe bet since it was only released just over a month ago. I saw it twice at the cinema during the first week of its release and I was overwhelmed by the magic I felt emitting from the giant screen in front of me. I understand and appreciate the various flaws of this work that have been brought to my attention, but none of it matters because when I think about the experience I feel warm and comfortable and yet thrilled and nervous all at the same time.

I love the potential of the science fiction genre to show us new worlds, to take us farther than any human being has ever gone, and to bring our imaginations to life as we wonder if anything we witnessed was truly possible down the road. Do I think the film is perfect? I do not. Surprisingly, considering its ranking on this list, I actually do have slight reservations with the overall work. However, I could watch it on repeat for all the reasons it does work, and those are the aspects that I can't stop thinking about.


81. United 93 (2006)

I recall when the film United 93 was first released, a lot of the discussion revolved around whether or not it was made "too soon" and was thus insensitive to those that lost their lives on the tragic day of September 11th, 2001. I'm not the person to make such decisions and I can't imagine what those grieving had to go through, but as a film of great films United 93 is a powerful, incredibly well made work.

Paul Greengrass was the perfect choice for a subject matter like this, as he somehow managed to take a story that everyone in the audience would know precisely how it would tragically end and yet he fried our nerves and brought tears rushing to my eyes without being manipulative or writing dialogue that would be pandering for tissues. It all felt hauntingly, horrifyingly real, and when that final frame disappeared from the screen I found it impossible to move or talk. I just had to sit there and appreciate the bravery and heroism of those on that plane, those that knew the only chance they had was to fight back and whether they knew it or not, a lot of lives were likely saved because of it.

Next up will be #80 through #71. The image above is a taste of a film that will appear on that list.

Thanks for reading!