Mad Max: Fury Road

On a Scale of 1 to 10, with 10 Being the Best

7

Courtesy of Metapicture

Plot: In the future everyone is fighting for survival. The only things that are left are cars, water, and other people which are scarce and often abused. This film focuses on Furiosa who is trying to smuggle out the warlords wives and get to "the green place." On their way they meet Max who was kidnapped and used as a blood donor by the warlord party. Max is haunted by his past which causes him to hallucinate. It is an interesting story-line but I wish that the annunciation in the film was more clear so we could understand the story-line better. I have not watched the other Mad Max films but did not need to, to understand this film. 

Characters/Actors of Note: 

Tom Hardy playing Mad Max: Mr. Hardy had few lines in this film and despite the movie being named after him, isn't the main character. Max does come to save the day in the end and is a huge help but is forced to come along with the crew. He was more of a reluctant hero. I would say that Mr. Hardy did a nice job of being the silent tough guy but how hard could that be to do? 

Hugh Keays-Byrne playing Immortan Joe: This villain was perfect. Immortan Joe is the warlord that has been abusing his power of the people by taking away their water, having multiple wives, and kidnapping strangers to be blood donors to his suicidal army. Immortan Joe tracks his missing wives and risks many of his soldiers lives to do so. Mr. Keays-Byrne does an excellent job of keeping his control while also being desperate; it could be compared to his own costume which makes him appear powerful but is hiding the fact that it is keeping him alive. Nice balance was given to this character.

Charlize Theron playing Imperator Furiosa: As stated before, Furiosa is more of the main character of this film. She is the one that smuggled out the wives, got Max to help her, and kicks many butts. Ms. Theron did a fine job being tough. The language she uses with the wives is in the same tone she uses with the riders. The wives seem intimidated by her but Furiosa obviously cares for all the characters and what she is doing. Ms. Theron balances out her roughness with her empathy well in this film. 

*I was happy to find out that Eve Ensler helped write many of the female roles. I commend the writing of these characters as they weren't just the normal damsels in distress.

Music: The music involves a lot of drums and brass which surprised me as I felt that there was a lot of guitar while watching the film. The movie sounds like rock and roll with a mixture of horror. Junkie XL or Tom Holkenborg was in charge of this music and has done a lot with horror films. Despite me hating horror films I thought that this score was well done. 

Camera Work/Cinematography: Wow, wow, wow was this done so beautifully. Many apocalypse films often use dusty or grey colors but this was not that kind of film. The director stated he was tired of dystopian films done in this matter and remarked that desert people often find beauty in their land. There were tons of colors and wonderful effects in this film. Most of the scenes were not made from CGI which will help the film keep it's beauty longer. My favorite scene was the desert storm scene which used lively blues, reds, and oranges along with bright lightning strikes. I also loved the camera angles as it still gave the effect of fast and crazy without straying from the characters. Often action movies are so involved with fist fights and sprawling that they take away the focus from the faces but this film stayed with the characters.  The costumes and make-up were fantastic for this film as they used representational colors and incorporated the level everyone was at from the "well-treated" wives to the dirty car riders. The use of chrome was clever as it added cult-like beliefs along with some brightness to the film. The pull way from the greatness is the speediness looked very similar to a Baz Luhrmann film, which gave it a sort of cartoonish vibe. The vibrant hallucinations and even the credits seemed a bit over the top as well. 

RECAP:

The plot was well done but the words were so mangled in the film that I lost parts of the story. Since there was hardly any dialogue I will take that every line in this film was important, if only I could hear it. The acting was well done. The music was fine and the cinematography was great. It is a good action film but thanks to it's cinematography, is a great one despite it being a bit over-the-top. 

Courtesy of IndieWire

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Snowpiercer

On a Scale of 1 to 10, with 10 Being the Best

8

Plot: Due to the fear of global warming, it is decided to put a chemical in the atmosphere that will cool down the Earth. The problem is that the plan worked too well and the entire globe is now a winter wasteland. To survive, people buy tickets onto a train or others beg to be let on to live. A class system is soon implemented and the poorest of travelers are tired of being treated so horribly; after 17 years of bad treatment they decide to fight their way to the front of the train. This is based off of a graphic novel Le Transperceneige by Jean-Marc Rochette and Jacques Lob. It strays significantly from the graphic novel so keep that in mind. 

Characters/Actors of Note:

Chris Evans playing Curtis: It took me a second to realize Chris Evans was in this film, as in The Avengers and Fantastic Four, Chris Evans. I have to admit that I thought Mr. Evans was a superficial actor but this movie completely changed my mind. The character of Curtis is the leader of the charge to get to the front of the train but often states he does not want to be the leader. I thought this character was going to be flat but the last monologue that Mr. Evans performed could make anyone stomach churn and jaw drop. The performance that Mr. Evans gave was stunning and I apologize for ever thinking that he was just acting for the money. Excellent, excellent acting. 

Ah-sung Ko playing Yona: Ms. Ko plays a teenager, Yona, who is intelligent and telepathic. Due to her foresight she can help the team of lower-class citizens get to the front of the train. Yona is a bit bizarre but not over the top. Ms. Ko did a great job with this character as she was innocent, curious, and determined. I thought this was by far one of the most interesting characters I have watched in a long time. I applaud both the writing and the acting for this character. 

Octavia Spencer playing Tanya: It can't be denied that the passion that was put into this character was powerful. Tanya is a mother who is looking for her son and even though she wasn't the only one doing this, her performance was the most gripping. Ms. Spencer may have had more of a "minimal" character but she gave it her all. Ms. Spencer adds so much heart in her characters that it is impossible to look away. Amazing performance. 

Tilda Swinton playing Mason: Mason is supposed to maintain order among the lower-class and often gives out harsh punishments. She also has a cult-like love for the train conductor and believes that all the orders given by the conductor are like sacred law. Ms. Swinton has been known to play villains that are rather frightening but this character was bizarre and also naive. It was interesting to see this character accept everything she was told and would be so harsh to others because of that. Ms. Swinton gave the film a different vibe and also caused tension. Nice job. 

Music: Not a big fan of this aspect. The sound of the film is brash and techno-like. There were violins, bells, and cellos that made a deep and menacing tone. I suppose that the film is supposed dark and perhaps introspective but when I listen to the music, it sounds like it is trying to be sarcastic or ironic. I didn't like the mood that the music was trying to portray. Overall, I thought the music was done rather poorly. 

Camera Work/Cinematography: I wish that this movie could have been done in high-definition but the work done in this film was really good. The effects of snow, bullets, and frostbite were excellent. I loved the transition from orange and black in the back of the train, to white and colorful in the middle of the train, back to the darkness in the front of the train. The colors in the film were representational, which is hardly used in film, and I love it that they director chose to do that. Some annoyances were the translators, a cool idea but the captions were inconsistent. The camera angles were also odd. The shots varied from fast cuts, to slow motion, to a strange zooming feature. It wasn't distracting from the film but I felt that it was out of place. 

RECAP:

The acting was GREAT for this film along with the writing. The camera work could have been improved but the colors were well-used. The music was not fitting of the film and the biggest downfall of the film. This movie would appeal to those that love watching relationships, apocalypse films, or psychological thrillers. 

Courtesy of ChickFlix

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Chef

On a Scale of 1 to 10, with 10 Being the Best

5

Courtesy of Buzzfeed

Plot: A short tempered chef loses his job at a restaurant when he refuses to cook the same boring meal. Chef Carl Casper then tries to reconnect with his son and reclaim his original cooking creativity. The movie has a heavy focus on social media and how it can help and hurt a person. I wished that the script would move straight into him getting his food truck as it took almost half the movie to get there. I also thought the ending of the film was a bit hokey. Overall, the film is not bad. 

Characters/Actors of Note:

Jon Favreau playing Chef Carl Casper: This character is short tempered and selfish but in the end becomes more involved with his family. It was fun to see him cook and how he related to others. I also loved how the character knew he was good at cooking and saw it as an outlet to reach others. I was disappointed in that the character of Carl Casper still couldn't handle criticism at the end of the film. I think being an artist in any field means you get both good and bad reviews and you accept it and move on, but this character broods on the bad criticism clear to the end. The character would have been more of a hero if he was humble. Not to mention that Carl Casper knew the food wasn't good and was still mad about the review. It is interesting to note that Mr. Favreau also directed and wrote this film, which takes a lot of talent. 

Emjay Anthony playing Percy: Percy is the son of Carl Casper who teaches him about social media. The son was well portrayed, as most teenage boys bottle up their feelings. Percy doesn't tell his father how he feels about being pushed aside or how he feels about the divorce. I thought that Mr. Anthony did an excellent job portraying such a shy character that was also in awe of his father and being in new places. He showed genuine surprise and happiness which was fun to watch. 

Sofia Vergara playing Inez: Inez is the ex-wife of Carl who pushes him to better himself. She was the one that really connected Percy and Carl, not to mention got Carl a new job, and a new food truck. Ms. Vergara is like the guardian angel who is looking out for everyone in the film. Ms. Vergara plays a lovable and clever person and is the thread that kept this movie together. 

Music: The music was fun to listen to and even sing-a-long with. The music reflected the part of the country they were in at that moment and the silliness of the characters. It was fun and even cheerful. Well done. 

Camera Work/Cinematography: The film looks a bit like a made-for-TV-movie which isn't bad but it isn't IMAX quality either. The movie probably had a low budget but the film still looked nice. The camera angles were well used and the colors were vibrant. The food looked delectable as well. I liked the inclusion of the tweets on screen but I couldn't read them. I was even watching it on a big screen TV and the print was far too small. The point could have been that Twitter was helping them and not to read them...but I would have enjoyed reading what everyone said, especially the son's tweets. 

RECAP:

The acting was not bad, the music was fun, and the camera angles were well used. The print on screen was far too small and the plot was weakened by the pride of Carl Casper and also by the ending. The end was like a fairy tale in that "everyone lived happily ever after" but I would have preferred if they ended the film at the last food truck scene. It also took a long time for Carl to actually get the food truck and admit he needed help. However, the film is fun to watch so I would recommend watching it at least once. 

Courtesy of Joblo

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