Movies to look forward to

Walter · May 19, 2015

Fury Road sequel underway: http://www.forbes.com/sites/benjaminmoore/2015/05/19/mad-max-fury-road-sequel-wasteland/

[quote author=George Miller]
We’ve got one screenplay [for the second film] and a novella [for the third]. It happened because with the delays [on 'Fury Road'], and writing all the backstories, they just expanded. [The second one] is called ‘The Wasteland.’ ‘Mad Max: The Wasteland.’
[/quote]
[quote author=Forbes]
So the news here, then, is that the next film is (apparently) no longer titled Mad Max: Furiosa, but will instead be titled Mad Max: The Wasteland. Whether or not that means it’s an altogether new idea/film or the same idea/film with a new title is unclear, though one presumes there’s some connection. After all, Miller’s been a bit too busy making Fury Road to craft an all-new script for a follow-up.[/quote]

Very excited that Fury Road wasn't a one-and-done continuation from Miller :daiba:

Griffith · May 20, 2015

Walter said:
Fury Road sequel underway: http://www.forbes.com/sites/benjaminmoore/2015/05/19/mad-max-fury-road-sequel-wasteland/

Very excited that Fury Road wasn't a one-and-done continuation from Miller

I think I'd honestly be more excited by the prospect if Fury Road wasn't so pure and singularly good. Before I would have been perfectly content with a steady stream of middlingly decent Mad Max sequels starring Hardy, but this is like opting for extra innings after you just hit a walk-off grand slam.

Then again, each of Miller's Max movies has been pretty different from each other, despite how similar they are in, always weird, content. Mad Max is a prototypical low budget revenge fantasy in an atypical setting, The Road Warrior is a brooding post-apocalyptic chase & stunt show with quiet depth, Beyond Thunderdome is a Spielbergian adventure movie (right down to the Richard Amsel poster), and Fury Road is like... a sophisticatedly modern take on The Road Warrior, boiled down to its final chase scene on steroids, speed & PCP for two hours, and not quite like anything else. So, of course I'd be curious to see what he'd do to follow up, bearing in mind there's basically no way he can top his overall success here (for good reason, since he presumably put all his best ideas from the last 30 years into this movie).

Right now more I'm curious though about if there's going to be an extended cut of Fury Road since they allegedly shot hundreds of hours, as I'd quite enjoy them fleshing it out more, perhaps with a scene reminiscent this to start:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdr-f3MZgqo

Yes, flesh it out with more chases! :guts:

Probably not since it didn't seem like we were ever meant to see much of Max as he appears at the beginning, but I just want to see more of him in the Interceptor. =)

NightCrawler · May 21, 2015

Saw it again, haven't done repeated viewings since TFOTR (shamefully). There's not much to say about this movie, it's like a symphony, it doesn't need words. Only another movie that i can remember has that same vibe, Conan the Barbarian.

I refreshed my memory and watched The Road Warrior the other day, its uncanny how much Gibson looks like Black Swordsman era Guts, especially in the last 1/3 of the movie, when one of his eyes is all fucked up. Miura took notes.

Walter · May 21, 2015

NightCrawler said:
Saw it again, haven't done repeated viewings since TFOTR (shamefully). There's not much to say about this movie, it's like a symphony, it doesn't need words. Only another movie that i can remember has that same vibe, Conan the Barbarian.

I definitely want to see it again. And yeah I felt the same way when we reviewed it on the podcast last weekend. But since then, the movie has really stuck in my head. I've been mentally parsing it, and and I've come to appreciate a few details that didn't immediately occur to me.

So here are some things I wished I had mentioned at the time:

Nux has a great character arc; particularly when you pair him with the escaped girls, because they both represent the generation (presumably) born after the world collapsed. This is the only reality they know — and they were both subjugated and ultimately rebel against those who represent the new order.

Joe's fascination with naming his possessions after Roman or at least Latin concepts. Also, all the leaders of the new world order all seem to have a motif, and have extended their lives in a disgusting fashion, or are at least atrocious to look at because of the ways they've gone about surviving.

The iconic V8 interceptor was teased in the first movie teaser, featured prominently in the opening shot, and then we see it blow up in the opening scene. From then on, even though the vehicle is repurposed by the War Boys, Max never gets behind the wheel of it. Pretty ballsy decision. It's as if Miller was forcing us to turn our attention away from Max and onto Furiosa, since she was really the one driving this movie forward.

The dust storm dissolving the car and sucking in the drivers stuck with me more than anything else in the movie. The visuals + the music + Nux' enthusiastic reaction all gave a great insight into the whole thesis behind this ruined world. I don't know much about dust storms, but this one seemed pretty unnatural. And if so, then there's some symbolism here. humans are gleefully throwing themselves into horrible, self-destructive circumstances, while the world itself is stoically responding to the aftershock of their mutilation of civilization.

I refreshed my memory and watched The Road Warrior the other day, its uncanny how much Gibson looks like Black Swordsman era Guts, especially in the last 1/3 of the movie, when one of his eyes is all fucked up. Miura took notes.

Miura's actually alluded to it before, at least indirectly. In a 2010 comic interview that he was heavily inspired by action heroes of the 80s.

Griffith · May 22, 2015

NightCrawler said:
Saw it again, haven't done repeated viewings since TFOTR (shamefully).

Well, my last repeat viewing is Avengers 2, so I can't judge. Not a bad movie actually, technically quite an impressive feat (and I don't mean the CGI, but Whedon's writing, editing, etc), but it's a movie that occupies your mind for the two and a half hours you watch it and that's it. I would have much rather seen Fury Road again, which I like even more the more I think about it.

NightCrawler said:
There's not much to say about this movie, it's like a symphony, it doesn't need words.

Given that, a surprising amount of the language from the film stayed with me. Simple stuff like,

"You're relying on the gratitude of a very bad man."

and that whole negotiation between them, or what is perhaps Max's, and Hardy's, painfully defining line,

"Hope is a mistake."

I agree though, and in many ways the strength of the movie is what it doesn't say, and the depth to which it explores its themes without saying it.

NightCrawler said:
Only another movie that i can remember has that same vibe, Conan the Barbarian.

Again though, for a movie that barely needs them, some very memorable and defining lines; Conan's final prayer being one of my favorites ever. :guts:

Walter said:
I definitely want to see it again. And yeah I felt the same way when we reviewed it on the podcast last weekend. But since then, the movie has really stuck in my head. I've been mentally parsing it, and and I've come to appreciate a few details that didn't immediately occur to me.

Same experience here, and "stuck" is a good word, as I've been obsessing on it since I saw it (I've been editing the trailers together into a mini-version of the movie just for "fun"). I've already warned my dad that I'm driving home to kidnap him this weekend and force him to the theater. I'm claiming it's for his own good, but I really just have to see it again. =)

Walter · May 22, 2015

Griffith said:
I've already warned my dad that I'm driving home to kidnap him this weekend and force him to the theater. I'm claiming it's for his own good, but I really just have to see it again. =)

Given his pedigree, I'm sure he'll enjoy it.

Griffith · May 22, 2015

Walter said:
Given his pedigree, I'm sure he'll enjoy it.

Well, he doesn't like Terminator 2 (hates "the kid," catchphrases, and overall shitting on the mythology, tone, and Sarah Conner), so while he already likes Mad Max and Hardy, nothing is a given. Coincidentally, part of my pitch was that it's the most non-stop action movie since the original Terminator (probably not true, but that's his favorite =). I'm hoping the film's overwhelming action and overall awesome weirdness will have the desired effect, "That was pretty good!" but here's some potential hurdles he may not get over:

Hardy-Max being a traumatized cliché, the "romance" between Nux and the red head, the grannies, Furiosa doing the whole dropping on her knees to scream "NO" thing, any moment of overt sentimentality, the crazy plan to go back through the heart of Joe's army, and finally, the scene that strangely gives me the most trepidation ... the total demolition of Nux's car at high speed and him and Max somehow walking away completely unscathed. Even I heard his haughty, derisive voice in my head on that one. =)

Other factors working against it are leaving the house and going to a theater full of, "noisy kids, borderline psychotics, and the flu." At least it's not a historical film or anything, otherwise one wrong uniform patch or misplaced rank and it's NO GOOD! I've lectured him on the primacy of artistic license, the importance of suspending disbelief, and the inanity of complaining that works of cinematic fiction aren't... real, "It's like interrupting a play to point out it's all actors and sets," which he acknowledges, but to little change in his demeanor. We'll see, I give it a good chance to impress him or I wouldn't bother, but it could all depend on what strikes him at the time, or at first... :magni:

NightCrawler · May 22, 2015

Griffith said:
Well, he doesn't like Terminator 2 (hates "the kid," catchphrases, and overall shitting on the mythology, tone, and Sarah Conner),

I think i'd get along with your father :)

Speaking of overly critical dads: https://youtu.be/93uSIKzPmik

Griffith · May 23, 2015

NightCrawler said:
I think i'd get along with your father :)

He's also stridently Alien over Aliens. :carcus:

NightCrawler said:
Speaking of overly critical dads: https://youtu.be/93uSIKzPmik

I think the people at the beginning of the video are the "psychotics" my dad is afraid of possibly interacting with at the theater:

Anyway, I seriously laughed out loud (yeah, I wrote it out!) at the Spock reference, and for some reason, "...unlike the way someone ELSE did it." Also very much appreciated: "...this planet, which is probably Tatooine, but probably won't be because it'll annoy me. Kinda like THIS wasn't LV426..." Yeah, that always annoys me too: It's not the same place, but a place exactly like that place, because going back to that place again would be desperately ridiculous, more than there coincidentally being a second place just like that place...?? E.g. every Jurassic Park sequel, and Contact managed to do it in one movie.

Johnstantine · May 23, 2015

Heh, I was in the same boat with my dad as you are/were Griff.

I said, "hey, pops, let's see the new Mad Max!" He looks at me and says, "Remember when you suggested Prometheus?"

He won that scuffle, but we saw it today and he was beyond in love with it, as was I.

Griffith · May 23, 2015

Johnstantine said:
Heh, I was in the same boat with my dad as you are/were Griff.

I said, "hey, pops, let's see the new Mad Max!" He looks at me and says, "Remember when you suggested Prometheus?"

Come to think of it, I think Prometheus was the last movie we watched together at the theater too! Also at my urging; I invoked Alien and Blade Runner much as I am Road Warrior and Terminator now. Weird.

Maybe giving Prometheus to our dads on DVD will stop them from questioning it?

https://youtu.be/avXZVgzLP68

Aazealh · May 23, 2015

Griffith said:
Maybe giving Prometheus to our dads on DVD will stop them from questioning it?

https://youtu.be/avXZVgzLP68

This might be the best video they've ever made. :ubik:

Griffith · May 25, 2015

Fury Road dad update: "Beyond outstanding." :guts:

NightCrawler · May 25, 2015

Griffith said:
Fury Road dad update: "Beyond outstanding."

m · May 25, 2015

Griffith said:
Fury Road dad update: "Beyond outstanding."

Mission accomplished! :ubik:

Speaking of parents watching the move, have you read this? http://birthmoviesdeath.com/2015/05/19/mad-max-fury-road-as-reviewed-by-my-70-year-old-mother-in-law

Man, I really want to see Mad Max but I haven't found a suitable time yet, and I don't see things changing any time soon. I'm feeling like Walter was at the beginning of the latest podcast; but luckily for him he had fixed things by the end of the episode. I need to figure something out stat.

Death May Die · May 28, 2015

From a film studio and producing standpoint I really do agree with this article. The movie is outstanding in so many regards. Gives a filmmaker hope really! http://io9.com/do-you-realize-mad-max-fury-road-is-a-miracle-1707000166

IncantatioN · May 28, 2015

Walter said:
I laughed at the trailer but... I doubt they can make that gag work for a feature-length movie.

Aaaaaaaaand, the movie's here! 30 minutes, you're right about the feature-length time. It'll be available for free later today/ tomorrow, info will be posted on their site - http://www.kungfury.com/ - there's a live stream of it at 4:30 PM EST today, I'll try to sneak in 10/15 mins from work.

EDIT:

Watch it here!

TwoPumpWarrior · June 1, 2015

I don't even know what to say about Kung Fury. I thought I was watching the trailer and 30 minutes later, it was over.
Equal parts wonderfully awful visual effects (why isn't 80's lightning used more often?) and strangely engaging acting. Never looked away but I can't say I remember more than a couple one liners. The spine joke stands out in particular at the moment.

I'll probably watch it again soon seeing as it's pretty short. I couldn't help but think of Jason Eisener's Hobo with a Shotgun the whole time. This probably influenced my opinion of the movie but I love Eisener's crappy work and it was only for the better.

I loved how Thor was portrayed, both in his bro-ness and how he kinda drops into the setting.

Lithrael · June 2, 2015

Kung Fury was completely adorable. What a great Thor. And I loved the viking barbarians! It kept pushing the silly factor further than I expected. :puck:

IncantatioN · June 2, 2015

Griffith said:
He's also stridently Alien over Aliens.

And Terminator over Terminator 2? Cool dad :guts:

!!

Finally watched Mad Max late last week and it didn't disappoint. The movie is fucking awesome. It hits every sweet spot and is what it's supposed to be. If anything, I expected less dialog but the dialog is not wasted and Griffith points out some of the best lines in the film. You're also not completely alienated from the original movies if you notice subtle things like

during one of Tom's flashback/ visions you see a set of eyes bulge/ pop out - same way you'd see them in the first two movies right before a characters death; showing the Interceptor and Max being Max. The colors were gorgeous. Soundtrack amazing. I got goosebumps when Furiosa gets stabbed towards the end, the music raises loud and you see her look at trouble on both sides ... such a powerful scene. The guy with the guitar cracked me up every time he came on because of how over the top and cool it was to have him there, doing whatever he was doing.

Unfortunately I watched it in 3D which was completely unwarranted but there was no choice since I went with a big group and there weren't any other options for reserved seating. The place we watched it though had leather recliner seats and every rumble, literally every time wheels were on the ground or something hit, the seats would vibrate. The bigger the hit the more intense the vibrating got. I've watched other movies at the same theater but for this movie, it was just non-stop, constant because of how action packed the movie is.

Walter said:
So here are some things I wished I had mentioned at the time:

The iconic V8 interceptor was teased in the first movie teaser, featured prominently in the opening shot, and then we see it blow up in the opening scene. From then on, even though the vehicle is repurposed by the War Boys, Max never gets behind the wheel of it. Pretty ballsy decision. It's as if Miller was forcing us to turn our attention away from Max and onto Furiosa, since she was really the one driving this movie forward.

I've always felt Max was someone who didn't want to be the main guy leading the front, he's one of those "Hey, if you want this done, sure use me for whatever/ I can help" kinds. He lets himself get used a lot in this film like shouldering Furiosa's sniper shot or letting her take the limelight in the end.

Now I gotta check out the podcast review

Griffith · June 2, 2015

IncantatioN said:
And Terminator over Terminator 2? Cool dad !!

Thank you, I'm just glad/relieved he liked Fury Road despite the "theater-going experience," which even I was frustrated with. They showed absolute trash trailers for over 20 minutes after the movie was scheduled to start (that can be the difference between a bathroom break or not! =), needless to say we weren't in the best mood when it did finally begin.

IncantatioN said:
Unfortunately I watched it in 3D which was completely unwarranted but there was no choice since I went with a big group and there weren't any other options for reserved seating. The place we watched it though had leather recliner seats and every rumble, literally every time wheels were on the ground or something hit, the seats would vibrate. The bigger the hit the more intense the vibrating got. I've watched other movies at the same theater but for this movie, it was just non-stop, constant because of how action packed the movie is.

I'm glad you were still able to appreciate the movie because that sounds like cinematic torture.

Who needs VOD when you got theater experiences like this for only $40!?

IncantatioN said:
I've always felt Max was someone who didn't want to be the main guy leading the front, he's one of those "Hey, if you want this done, sure use me for whatever/ I can help" kinds. He lets himself get used a lot in this film like shouldering Furiosa's sniper shot or letting her take the limelight in the end.

Now I gotta check out the podcast review

In the Podcast and accompanying thread we get more into Max and his parallels with Guts.

IncantatioN · June 4, 2015

^

you're cracking me up.

Full~ish trailer for Macbeth starring Fassbender and Cotillard, looks hella atmospheric - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgH_OnrYlCk

Everest looks good but the director's track record isn't the best ... maybe this movie fixes it? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Oi3HDkXK98

We Are Still Here looks like a horror movie worth checking out - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXc_XD4D0wI

IncantatioN · June 10, 2015

Ridley Scott's new movie - The Martian - it's a longass trailer, so skip if you don't wanna be spoiled - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ue4PCI0NamI

New teaser for Spectre with bits of action - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RPXRiqh4lU

Aazealh · June 29, 2015

Top Gun 2: Danger Zone, with Tom Cruise reprising his role as an aging Maverick fighting a last battle against a swarm of UAVs.

Now if only they could get Val Kilmer back as well... :void:

Griffith · June 30, 2015

Aazealh said:
Top Gun 2: Danger Zone, with Tom Cruise reprising his role as an aging Maverick fighting a last battle against a swarm of UAVs.

Hey, I'll co-sign that, but I gotta say...

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jun/29/top-gun-sequel-to-feature-tom-cruise-versus-drones-storyline said:
Producer David Ellison confirms follow-up is moving closer to production...

I've seen this fucking guy's name three times today in relation to this, Terminator Genisys, and the next Star Trek; it's like he's producing everything! He's been involved in some real winners already, with more to come:

Untitled Terminator 3 (producer) (announced)
World War Z 2 (producer) (announced)
Untitled Terminator 2 (producer) (announced)
Star Trek 3 (executive producer) (filming)
Geostorm (producer) (post-production)
Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (producer) (post-production)
Africa (producer) (announced)
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (executive producer) (announced)
Top Gun 2 (producer) (announced)
Terminator Genisys (producer)
Grace and Frankie (TV Series) (executive producer - 1 episode)
The End (2015) ... (executive producer)
Manhattan (TV Series) (executive producer - 1 episode)
You Always Hurt the One You Love (2014) ... (executive producer)
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (executive producer)
World War Z (executive producer)
Star Trek Into Darkness (executive producer)
G.I. Joe: Retaliation (executive producer)
The Guilt Trip (executive producer)
Jack Reacher (executive producer)
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (executive producer)
True Grit (executive producer)
Somebody Else (Short) (producer)
When All Else Fails (Short) (producer)
The Sound of Football (Short) (producer)

Not a great ratio. Oh, and:

David-Ellison-World-War-Z-Premieres-NYC-Part-MRcTrJVRV0-l.jpg

He's Larry Ellison's son, that explains things. At least he's not producing DUIs instead. =)

Movies to look forward to

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