Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller)

[Winston*]

Here's the conference.

[Dukefrukem]

10:03 for those that want to see that question.

[Skitch]

What a moron. Thats equivalent to "Let me preface this by saying I have lots of gay friends, but when you read the script, do you think less of gay people?"

Maybe not. I don't know. I am baffled by this.

[number8]

He wrote a statement to Buzzfeed defending himself that is hilariously bad.

“My question to Tom Hardy was intended as the opposite of sexism. I was congratulating him for his willingness to share the screen with so many strong women in a franchise and genre more inclined to celebrate the male over the female. He was also willing to be in a co-lead role with Charlize Theron, in a movie called MAD MAX, no less. I think a lot of male stars might have objected to this, but Hardy is of a special breed.

But I don’t think I worded my question very well. Hardy just shrugged it off, although I don’t think he was offended by it. I think this article I wrote gives you a better idea of what I was getting at, which was to celebrate the idea of women being cast in traditionally male roles, not to scorn it.”

Emphasis mine. What the hell is he even talking about. Why are we congratulating men for starring in movies with women. What a loon.

[Skitch]

"I think a lot male stars might have objected to this"...what planet is this guy living on?

I wish so bad Hardy had answered "Of course! It was the same reaction when I watch porn! Im a mans man, so what are all these vaginas doing here? Amirite?!"

[Grouchy]

Max drops an F bomb. When he's tethered to the front of the car, he says something like "first they took my blood, now they have my fucking car!" It's during one of the aforementioned moments when dialogue clarity was not a focus.

I watched the movie again (on theaters) yesterday and this is not true. There isn't any swearing at all, actually.

My rewatch, besides confirming that it's a masterpiece, also brought a lot of relevance to the theory that Hardy's Max is in fact the Feral Kid who got hold of the Interceptor somehow. He's even referred to as "a feral" early on the movie.

[Sven]

I watched the movie again (on theaters) yesterday and this is not true. There isn't any swearing at all, actually.

All the rating guides online mention that there is one use of the "f word" and I'm preeeeetty sure that's where it is. I believe you didn't hear it, but I'm certain it's there. I'll see it again and get back.

[Dukefrukem]

I'm seeing this again on Sunday. I love being able to reserve your seat in the theater now. I go so much more often.

Technology!

[Grouchy]

All the rating guides online mention that there is one use of the "f word" and I'm preeeeetty sure that's where it is. I believe you didn't hear it, but I'm certain it's there. I'll see it again and get back.

Care to make it... interesting?

[Spun Lepton]

Proof that people have too much time on their hands?

http://www.avclub.com/article/mad-ma...amazo-219994#2

[Scar]

Proof that people have too much time on their hands?

http://www.avclub.com/article/mad-ma...amazo-219994#2

That is awesome.

[BuffaloWilder]

So, I went back and saw it again (this make three). I think my favorite scene might be Furiosa's reunion with the Vuvalini - the visual contrast between where she came from and who she's grown into, the way the anger and ferocity just leaves her completely, the powerful emotions being conveyed all in the eyes between her and Valkyrie, and and how she "tries out" the memorial gesture for her mother for either the first time or the first in a very long time. . .and then, when the revelation happens and she marches off alone into the sand, and we pull out to see Max watching and making a realization, that's primal and powerful stuff.

[[ETM]]

Awesome detailed breakdown of the special effects.

I love how the one shot that I thought was "obviously CGI" was in fact almost completely practical (the rig explosion with the guitar and wheel coming towards the camera).

[Morris Schæffer]

Awesome detailed breakdown of the special effects.

I love how the one shot that I thought was "obviously CGI" was in fact almost completely practical (the rig explosion with the guitar and wheel coming towards the camera).

Thanks dude! I also thought that final explosion was CGI as it looked a bit too controlled starting from the back of the vehicles and then building up to the front, but seems it was a real detonation.

[Spinal]

This was extremely impressive as a stunts/visual effects/design showcase. However, it was not so impressive as a narrative/thematic exploration. There's copious creativity in the action sequences. You've got to love villains that not only beat the drums of war, but supplement those drums with full-on electric guitar. And Miller does a great job of piling on the chase sequence surprises. However, the film held absolutely zero emotional resonance for me. I knew next to nothing about the protagonists, had little context for the chase sequence and overall, felt like the whole thing was a bit shallow. Rango was a deeper, richer film using this same basic premise of the overlord controlling the water supply and was every bit as thrilling.

[DavidSeven]

In terms of inspiring wonderment as an actioner and cinematic showcase, this definitely brings to mind initial viewings of Speed, T2, and (for me) Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. These are the type of movies where you can almost feel the entire audience collectively sit up in their seat as a new setpiece kicks off. Even beyond the eye-widening setpieces, the thing is abound with striking images. Some of the memorable shots occur in the film's few quiet moments. Formally, this has to be one of the most impressive movies ever made, and I'll champion anything that successfully demonstrates that creativity trumps overused CGI in telling an action story.

My minor complaints echo those of others. Tom Hardy is too much of a non-character, which I sort of understand the point of if the point was subversion. (I guess? I mean, they still gave the dude an arc, so that already puts him ahead of a lot shallowly written female archetypes.). However, it makes it hard on the audience as he serves as our entry point into this universe. If they had tweaked just a few of his reactions to show us something more recognizably human, then I think we'd have a much deeper emotional connection to this story from an earlier point. Nux certainly helps with that aspect later in the story, and Theron is a wonderful anchor throughout, but there just seems to be a disconnect whenever we flip to Max's perspective. It also might have been useful to commit a little more time to world-building early on to give us a better context for the story (though, in theory, I do appreciate the approach of dropping the audience into the action almost immediately).

Regardless of these somewhat minor issues, I'm ecstatic that this thing exists. It is the antithesis to the modern blockbuster -- proof that passion for filmmaking can exist with giant sets and huge budgets. It's immensely satisfying to see a film eschew gratuitous CGI and nudity and still manage to create thrill via pure creativity. I hope it makes all the money.

[Spinal]

I wish this film had more of a sense of humor. That's one of the things I love about Thunderdome, its weird sense of humor.

[Morris Schæffer]

A Serbian Film (Spasojevic, 2010) ***1/2

Don't know why it's caught my eye, but did you ever share thoughts on this somewhere on this board? Perhaps the high score triggered my curiosity.

[Spinal]

Don't know why it's caught my eye, but did you ever share thoughts on this somewhere on this board? Perhaps the high score triggered my curiosity.

FDT

[transmogrifier]

Yeah, this movie is good. Overrated as all hell at the moment, but fun while it lasts. Story is predictable - was there ever going to be any other outcome when they reached their original destination - and it gets a bit tatty around the mid section (the secondary layer of bad guys are kind of boring), but the action scenes fly, and that's good enough.

[Spun Lepton]

A look at the framing in Fury Road.

http://blogs.indiewire.com/pressplay...ypes=og.shares

[Spun Lepton]

It really holds up on a second viewing. I may have liked it even more this time around. Hypnotic.

[Sven]

It really holds up on a second viewing. I may have liked it even more this time around. Hypnotic.

Yeah, just got back from time number 2. Amazing film, though I think this screening assured me that Beyond Thunderdome is my favorite. The dividends on that one are just too plentiful. Still, this is a beautifully conceived movie.

Oh, and Grouchy, I was wrong. He does not drop the eff-word in the aforementioned exchange about his car, but he does a few shots later in that same scene, as Nux is speeding away in a fervor after Immortan looks at him. It's mixed waaaaay down, but he says something-something-"fucking"-something.

[Sven]

I wish this film had more of a sense of humor. That's one of the things I love about Thunderdome, its weird sense of humor.

This one shows it in a few bits. Like the Bullet Farmer, and the bungeed guitarist. But I agree with you, actually. The way he's wearing the big mascot head when sent to Gulag would not have worked in this film.

[Spun Lepton]

Oh, and Grouchy, I was wrong. He does not drop the eff-word in the aforementioned exchange about his car, but he does a few shots later in that same scene, as Nux is speeding away in a fervor after Immortan looks at him. It's mixed waaaaay down, but he says something-something-"fucking"-something.

Can confirm. Exactly this. You can't hear much of the line, but "fucking" is definitely there. I thought I might've heard it once more later, but I can't be sure. I will likely watch it again, so, I'll keep my ears open next time.