Mad Max Fury Road (2015) Review

Mad Max Fury Road

Killing for gasoline is now passé in the Mad Max world; the only thing that really matters in this wasteland of scorched earth is survival. Basic humanity has been lost as the desert wretches scavenge off each other for food and water while the few in power rest atop their kingdoms and enjoy the spoils still left in the world. These powerful oppressors look down upon the masses as if they are ants under the magnifying glass, using their pressure points of desperation to wield control over them. But what if someone were to push back against that control? What if someone were to say enough is enough and hit these ruthless leaders in their own pressure points? What if these tyrants were revealed to be just as desperate as the wretches in their futile mission to cling onto dying societal values? This is the story of Mad Max: Fury Road.

Like its titular protagonist, the Mad Max series prefers to leave the past behind and forge new territory in an old world. For the post-apocalyptic film series, this means greater freedom to tell singularly completely tales in a malleable setting without the hassle of continuity weighing it down. For Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy), the ex-cop who lost his wife, son, and other companions along the way, this means shutting off all hope for a better future in order to repress past pains and rely on base primal instincts for survival. Human connection is out of the question for Max, and his introduction as a longhaired, lizard-eating scavenger paints him as more animal than man. The muzzle that’s eventually placed on him isn’t just a metaphor for his caged emotions, it’s also to contain the beast within and reduce him to nothing more than a valued commodity.

Max is captured and brought to the Citadel of Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne) where he’s harvested for blood to keep Joe’s sick Warboy fanatics alive. He’s nothing more than an object to them, just like the prized wives that Joe keeps to himself in the hopes of one day having an heir. Joe, like his patriarchal Warboy society, is slowly dying but refuses to acknowledge this; his body is a festering mess of boils and scars held together by armor and a breathing mask that turns the Immortan into Darth Vader by way of Slipknot. But one leader in his army, Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron), has had enough of Joe’s domineering leadership and takes the wives on a journey to the mythical “Green Place.” With all the pieces laid out on the table, moving at a pace that expects the audience to keep up with the frenetic insanity on display, this allows director George Miller to hit the gas on the vehicular mayhem without sacrificing the integrity of his thematic undercurrents.

Swarms of motorcycle gangs and spiked car rovers descend upon Furiosa’s War Rig while Joe’s military catches up from behind. The relentlessness of the action foregrounds the desperation of Furiosa’s quest for salvation and redemption, and the tentative alliance she forms with Max solidifies as they push through the trials of combat and hardship along their road trip. The potency of Miller’s wasteland vision extends beyond the practical explosions and death-defying crashes performed by real stuntman. Monochrome grays and browns that are visually typical of post-apocalyptic films are replaced by the searing orange heat of the desert sand and cool nighttime blues. The old adage that “less is more” doesn’t apply here, with wild vehicles built out of the scrap heaps of makeshift weaponry and twisted metal. A rocking thrasher with his own stage and flamethrower guitar accompanies the chase with his soundtrack of war, which invisibly melds with the thundering orchestration of Junkie XL’s score.

But amidst all the sound and fury is a human core that remains beating throughout. The extended chase through the unforgiving desert is carried forward by the motivations of the characters rather than contrived plot machinations. Even the despicable Immortan Joe, single-minded as he is, is a compelling presence brought to life by the booming voice of Keays-Byrne and the desires that drive this man to iron-fisted extremes. The action may be big but the emotions behind it are as human as they come. The villain is willing to sacrifice as many men as it takes in this hunt all for the goal of his treasured possessions rather than the continued destruction of the world. But the wives themselves transcend being mere damsels waiting to be saved from Joe’s wrath, and they display strength, weakness, empathy, and cynicism at critical moments.

Tying into Max and Furiosa’s mutual reclamation of their lost humanity is the evolution of turncoat Warboy Nux (Nicholas Hoult). Nux’s development provides the arc that properly expresses Joe’s toxic zealotry as he preys on the desperation of the Warboys’ lives and promises them glory eternal beyond death. But while Hardy and Hoult are strong enough actors to shade in the subtleties of their characters, it’s Theron’s Furiosa that runs away with the film. Sporting a prosthetic arm and shaved head that recalls iconic female action hero Ellen Ripley, Furiosa is a character that has seen and been through a lot in her life and those unsaid experiences shine through in the unshakable verve of Theron’s performance. In a rare scene of extended exposition, Furiosa explains to Max what brought her to this point and what she’s trying to achieve by saving the wives, and Theron plays the scene not with the dramatics of an actor trying hard to sell the emotion but with the haggard calm of someone at the end of their rope. This is her last shot to save the wives from Joe’s lecherous desire and herself from succumbing to a life of war and oppression, and it’s taking every last ounce of her energy to escape once and for all.

Everything that Miller and his co-writers Brendan McCarthy and Nico Lathouris aim for with their story of carnage and female liberation crystallizes into the final mad dash of everyone’s trek. The obligatory third act battle is made purposeful here as the stakes rise and rise with each action beat and the film’s production team continues to push their mad imaginations to the limits. Heroic mistakes are made and the villains overwhelm the War Rig with their sheer numbers, and that’s before the team of violent pole swingers arrive to wreck more havoc. The immaculately choreographed mania of this climatic chase and the concluding scenes that follow provide a message for both the film and the action genre as a whole: don’t run away from the past and give up on a crumbling foundation. Reclaim and rebuild it anew. Forge new paths from old ruins and create something greater and more inclusive than before. Rediscover our better selves through the sins of our past and move forward from there. Live, endure, and live again on the glorious Fury Road.

The Raid 2 (2014) Review

The Raid 2

“The Raid” was one of those film surprises a couple of years ago that came out of nowhere and gave some revitalized juice to the action genre by showing up just about every one of its bigger budget brethren. Director Gareth Evans combined the claustrophobic setting of “Die Hard” with hard-hitting martial arts violence in such a way that was fresh and invigorating. Now Evans returns for its sequel, “The Raid 2,” to expand the story of the Indonesian original beyond one building and into the realm of an operatic gangster thriller.

Rookie Officer Rama may have escaped from the nightmare apartment block but quickly finds out that he merely stepped into a larger picture. He is swiftly sent undercover into a crime syndicate in order to uncover corruption that runs through the police force. After serving a stint in prison to create a new identity, Rama finds himself getting close to the crime boss’ son, whose brash attitude eventually sparks a flurry of gang violence between the local crime families.

Like many of the best sequels, “The Raid 2” sets itself apart by not repeating the formula of the first film. Rather than dilute the tightly wound storytelling, the widened story scope allows Evans greater freedom to lay out his plan and then unleash it in a torrent of impeccably choreographed action. If the original “Raid” succeeded because of its fat-free simplicity, it’s follow-up relishes in setting up the dominos with a fleshed out story and then toppling them down one by one.

Rama, a hero with only the barest of character qualities last time, benefits the most from this as he worries about the safety of his family and begins feeling the strain of diving headfirst into criminal activity. Evans also serves up a cache of memorable villains with their own distinguishable trait, from the arrogant Uco to silent assassins Hammer Girl and Bat Boy. Their titular weapons don’t go to waste once the action kicks in.

The movie sidesteps the frequent action film problem of repetitive action by creating set pieces with their own memorable qualities. Escalation in the action is another factor as the action continuously tops itself with each consecutive sequence. What sets this film apart from others in the genre is Evan’s camerawork that captures and tracks every punch and kick with smooth gliding motions.

The climatic kitchen duel is an exquisite example of how to build tension and dramatic investment through action rather than simply create noise. This isn’t a film that holds back on the violence either. Characters, for the most part, aren’t clean-cut invulnerable supermen as they take and dish out brutal punishment, and the squeamish are advised to stay away from this one.

But there’s a certain beauty to the action that offsets its rough edge. The immaculately clean environments of the rich gangsters serve as a contrast to the grungy settings that their clashes play out in, and the harsh blows are filmed with such fluid grace that it’s hard to look away. “The Raid 2” may leave you battered and bruised once it’s finished, but you’ll also exit in a rush of delirious adrenaline that won’t soon go away.

The Social Network (2010) Review

The Social Network

You don’t get to $500 million without making a great movie

Back when the news broke about “that Facebook movie” being put into production, the reaction was particularly lukewarm. People asked, “What story is there about an Internet website that would last for two hours?” As it turns out, there was in fact a compelling story waiting to be told about the genesis and eventual popularity boom of Facebook, catching the attention of quite a few big names. With actor Kevin Spacey producing the film, Aaron Sorkin (famous for writing A Few Good Men) penning the screenplay, and acclaimed director David Fincher (Se7en, Fight Club, and Benjamin Button) helming the film, suddenly buzz began to gradually build in the months before its release. And then the critics began chiming in their thoughts, endlessly praising the film and bringing its Rotten Tomatoes score to its current standing at an extraordinary 97%. How did this movie that was surrounded by so much skepticism become one of the most well-received movies of the year, and does it live up to the massive hype?

Plot Synopsis: After his girlfriend Erica dumps him because of his incredible arrogance, Mark Zuckerberg, a Harvard sophomore obsessed with the social clubs that he wants to be a part of, returns to his dorm and fumes his anger into creating a website called Facemash. Facemash takes pictures from campus directories of the girls and lets students rank them based on their hotness. Because of heavy traffic, the site crashes Harvard's server and catches the attention of Divya Narenda and twins Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss. The three approach Mark with an idea for a new networking site, The Harvard Connection. He agrees to take part in the task, but doesn’t follow up with them. Joined by his best friend Eduardo Saverin, Mark blows off Narenda and the Winklevoss' and launches his version, The Facebook. The site catches on quick, adding users and schools with startling speed, which only the Winklevoss’ of its existence. Narenda and them believe that Zuckerberg ripped them off and eventually decide to take legal action against him.

I feel pretty confident in saying that The Social Network is just about on par with this years other great movies such as Inception and Toy Story 3. And while Inception’s greatest asset was its originality and Toy Story 3 was an emotional powerhouse, The Social Network’s secret weapon is its writer, Aaron Sorkin. The back-and-forth dialogue between the characters moves at the pace of a screwball comedy, with insults and vicious wit arriving at 100 mph. Before you can absorb what just transpired, the film is already on to the next scene. Sorkin captures the zeitgeist feel of the current generation, a collection of ideals that support self-made entrepreneurs and emotional disconnect through technology. In one of her few scenes, Erica lays it out to Mark, “You write your snide bullshit from a dark room, because that’s what the angry do nowadays.” In that one line of dialogue, she essentially summarizes not only Mark as an individual, but also an entire generation of teenagers and young adults who would rather converse or spew venom at each other from the safety of a computer (or phone) screen rather than face-to-face.

The structure of the film is also quite unique, and takes about 5-10 minutes to get used to, alternating between flashbacks of Mark creating the website and scenes depicting the legal battles that ensued between him and his collaborators. Because of the lack of linear storytelling, there are some intentional holes in the plot that create a grey area of morals and actions that where we must choose which side we believe. Did Mark really “steal” Facebook or are the Winklevoss twins simply absorbed in their own sense of entitlement? While a tale with very little action and lots of scenes staring at a computer may sound somewhat boring, Fincher keeps the audience invested throughout, even when they don’t understand any of the computer jargon being spoken. Part of this is due not only to the whip-crack pacing, but to Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ rather unusual, yet engaging music score. Not surprisingly, it reminds one of the Dust Brothers’ score for Fincher’s previous “generation film,” Fight Club, evoking a similar concoction of thumping techno and eerie electronic sounds.

Fincher and Sorkin don’t ask us to sympathize with Zuckerberg, and instead are willing to allow Jesse Eisenberg to portray the man as a self-centered, egotistical, genius with very little social skills and maybe a hint of ADHD. Eisenberg breaks out of his “Michael Cera clone” persona here, forgoing his stuttering mumble mouth traits and adopting a more confident and assertive façade where Mark will dance around any argument someone may have, but only if he actually cares what they had to say. Whether or not this cinema incarnation of him is entirely based on the real guy or audiences can stand watching a person stab everyone in the back for personal gain for two swift hours, the fact is that Mark Zuckerberg is a very fascinating character in his motivations and unspoken emotions, much like the similarly unlikable Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood.

Balancing things out in comparison to Zuckerberg is his only friend Eduardo, played by Andrew Garfield, who is probably the closest we get to a sympathetic person in this story. But as we soon learn, even he has some flaws and shortsightedness that ultimately causes the rift in their friendship. Of course, Zuckerberg’s questionable actions do play a large part in that too. Napster creator Sean Parker may be a more antagonistic character than Mark, but Justin Timberlake’s easy charisma allows us to look past the sliminess because he brings such a spark of energy to the film after he comes onto the scene. The dynamic between two Armie Hammers (using computer effects to put Hammer’s face on Josh Pence’s body) as the Winklevoss’ provides many humorous moments and Rooney Mara (as Erica) makes quite an impact in just her few scenes, showing that her dreadfully dull turn in A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) was most likely just a fluke. The Social Network is one of those movies that are easy to dismiss on first glance, but incredibly rewarding on further examination. It’s a fascinating character study, a compelling rise-and-fall drama full of deception and backstabbing, and even a subtle commentary on “social” technology and how it affects our people and culture.

4/4