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Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

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Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (or Furiosa for short), is the story of how Furiosa became the fearless driving badass that was introduced in Mad Max: Fury Road nine years ago.  In that movie, she (as portrayed by Charlize Theron) was referred to as Imperator Furiosa and was presented to us in her fully-realized form without a hint of backstory.  With her shaven head, grease-painted face and steampunk mechanical arm, she fearlessly drove across the post-apocalyptic wasteland for her boss, Immortan Joe.  Furiosa’s cool head and savvy driving skills made her highly respected within Joe’s autocratic society, which is great when the rest of the world only wants to kill and eat you.  For reasons she kept to herself, she grew tired of working for The Man and decided to drive off the Australian reservation, as it were, liberating herself and Joe’s wives in the process.  After encountering some speed bumps, she rescues Max and together they overthrow Joe’s noxious patriarchy.  In the end, Furiosa became the Citadel’s new, benevolent leader, while Max fades away.

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The Garfield Movie

The Garfield Movie

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A couple of thoughts crossed my mind while watching The Garfield Movie.  The first one was whether any of the small children in the audience knew who Garfield was before seeing this movie.  I became familiar with the character through the comics section of the Sunday newspaper.  Do ten year-olds today know what a comic strip is, let alone a Sunday newspaper?  I doubt that they do.  Social media, specifically TikTok, appears to be the preferred choice for short-form comedy bits these days.  Why would a child ever read a static, three-panel comic strip for a laugh when they can watch countless live-action videos instead?

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The Strangers 2008

The Strangers (2008)

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After learning that the forthcoming The Strangers: Chapter 1 was basically a remake of The Strangers, I thought long and hard as to whether I should see the original beforehand.  This decision was not as simple as I thought it would be, though.  Since most of the commentary I’d read about Chapter 1 described it as being an inferior remake of the original, I had a conundrum.  Would I be setting myself up for disappointment if I watched the original before seeing Chapter 1?  Or would I enjoy Chapter 1 more if I watched it in a vacuum?  I finally decided to see the original so that I’d have a basis of comparison between the two.  If the two movies are that similar, the viewing experience would present itself as a unique review assignment for myself.  This review will focus only on the 2008 movie.  The next one will be on Chapter 1 and will compare and contrast the two.  I hope you enjoy this little exercise!

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Tarot

Tarot

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Don’t break the rules.  If you do, there will be consequences.  Horrific consequences.  This simple premise is often used by horror movies because it’s so easy to grasp.  Bad judgment is quickly rewarded with a gruesome outcome.  It also builds anticipation in the audience from the get-go.  Those horny kids who engage in premarital sex?  A maniac will kill them for their immoral behavior.  You played with a Ouija board?  Sorry, it wasn’t just a game and an actual demon has plans for you now.  You cheated death?  Death isn’t happy and will be working overtime to correct things.  You played truth or dare with a stranger?  Tough break because playing games with strangers is just wrong, wrong, wrong.

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Challengers

Challengers

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Challengers is so obvious as to what it’s about, it’s refreshing.  There probably is some subtext to be found in the corners of this movie, but this heated tale of lovers who quarrel, have sex and play tennis works overtime to obscure it.  This is the first movie I’ve seen directed by Luca Guadagnino, so I have no idea as to whether his other films are similar to this one.  From what I see in this movie, he strikes me as a director who doesn’t beat around the bush.  He’s a confident filmmaker who is very direct with what he wants to accomplish.  What we see is exactly what he wants us to get.  Guadagnino’s movie doesn’t try to tug at our heart strings, earn our sympathy or ask us to think about what we see very deeply.  If we noodle over a  phrase or a look or what a particular object symbolizes, that is entirely up to us.

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Kung Fu Panda 4

Kung Fu Panda 4

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In Kung Fu Panda 4, Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) tells Po (Jack Black) that he must relinquish the title of Dragon Warrior and find a replacement so that he can become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley.  (You may recall that in the first movie, Master Oogway held that position and passed away after choosing Po as the Dragon Warrior.)  While Shifu insists Po needs to accept his new role in order to continue growing, Po actively resists the change.  Like anyone who has spent a long time doing things himself, he is uncomfortable with being promoted to “management”.  He loves fighting injustice and hanging with the Furious Five and doesn’t want to give either of them up for a role that he doesn’t understand.  (To its credit, the movie does a decent job explaining just what a manager–or Spiritual Leader–actually does.)

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Civil War

Civil War

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When I first saw the trailer for Civil War, I was underwhelmed.  It looked like a standard action movie, so much so that I wondered when Gerard Butler (star of the “Has Fallen” franchise) would show up to save the country from itself.  The combat footage didn’t look special, and the plot of the movie appeared to be entirely about how “America is fighting with itself”.  It wasn’t until people that I follow on social media explained the movie that I reconsidered seeing it.  While Civil War may be a nightmare scenario inspired by the Trump presidency, the movie isn’t about that at all.  For example, the movie’s Trump surrogate (a perfectly cast Nick Offerman) is barely shown in the movie.  (Not that I needed more than I got.)  And while Civil War may look like a traditional war movie at times, its primary focus is on how wars are represented by the media, specifically journalists.

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The First Omen

The First Omen

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For those keeping score, The First Omen is the third movie released this year where the Devil plays a significant role.  Previously, Late Night with the Devil and Immaculate reminded us that Old Scratch should never be underestimated.  What does this trilogy of cinematic devilness portend?  While I can’t speak for Immaculate (which I haven’t yet seen), the two movies featuring Beelzebub have been very good indeed.  Perhaps it’s time for someone to revive the Oh, God! franchise to balance things out.

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Wicked Little Letters

Wicked Little Letters

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Describing Wicked Little Letters as a throwback feels odd.  I remember when British Period Comedies would regularly appear in theaters and be seen by what would politely describe as “senior audiences” in significant numbers.  The Full Monty was a Best Picture nominee back in 1997.  (Has it already been twenty-five years since it came out?)  Helen Mirren and Judy Dench once defined this genre, but haven’t been in anything like it in years.  Many things have conspired against this once dependable genre: COVID, streaming and changing audience tastes being primary among them.  Throwback or not, the movie is incredibly funny and will delight audiences who seek it out, either in theaters or on streaming.

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