Film: Furiosa

 

GENRE: Action
RATING: R for strong violence and grisly images
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 28 minutes
PLATFORM: Movie Theatre|
STARRING: Anya Taylor-Joy (Queen’s Gambit, Amsterdam, Dune Pt. II)
Chris Hemsworth (Thor, Extraction, Rush); Alyla Browne (newcomer)
DIRECTOR: George Miller (Fury Road, Happy Feet, Babe: Pig in the City)
WRITERS: Miller & Nick Lathouris (Mad Max: Fury Road)
PLOT: The backstory of Furiosa before she teams up with Mad Max.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Liked Fury Road but lowered expectations this time.

STORY STUFF: Let’s be honest, these films are just big rigs travelling back and forth getting attacked by those who want power in this post-apocalyptic Australia. I enjoyed the visual delights of Fury Road and there was much of the same in this film. Sure, we are following Furiosa instead of Max but there is still a lot of traveling and things blowing up in the desert. As usual, not much dialogue with the exception of Hemsworth’s Dr. Dementus who gets to talk a little too much in this film. He kind of takes over the plot which I don’t think was intentional. Anyway, this film is too long for what it lays out and the pacing is off with its high-intensity chases and then dragged out speechifying from Hemsworth and Furiosa sneaking about. An uneven film.       

ACTING STUFF: Lots of quietness and shows of strength. Taylor-Joy is good but think others could have accomplished this as well. Enjoyed Browne as younger Furiosa although I get frustrated when people don’t do what they are told for their own safety. Hemsworth gets to have a lot of fun but it seems like he’s in a different movie that the rest of the cast. I enjoy him being the bad guy but his attitude is similar to Thor’s.  

ARTISTIC STUFF: It’s all about the visuals. Beautiful shots and silhouettes in the desert. Lots of cool camera shots as the chases ensue. Plenty of explosions all around. The music was better in Fury Road. The unfortunately named Scrotus’ makeup reminded me of Mikey Day’s Butthead. Just sayin’. It was fun to see all the bizarre and disgusting names given to the characters in the closing credits – not that I remember people using those names throughout the film.         

VERDICT: Three stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You like to see things go boom in the desert and liked Fury Road.
UPCOMING REVIEW:  Bad Boys 4

Film: The Fall Guy

 

GENRE: Action/Comedy
RATING: PG-13 for action, violence, drugs and some strong language
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 6 minutes
PLATFORM: Movie Theatre
STARRING: Ryan Gosling (Barbie, La La Land, The Nice Guys, Drive)
Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer, Quiet Place); Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso)
DIRECTOR: David Leitch (Bullet Train, Deadpool 2, Atomic Blonde)
WRITER: Drew Pearce (Iron Man 3, Hobbs & Shaw; M:I5: Rogue Nation)
PLOT: A stuntman must find the missing star of his ex-girlfriend’s film.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I enjoyed the 80’s TV show this is loosely based on.  

STORY STUFF: That was a lot of fun. You can tell that everyone had a blast making this film. They energy is evident. The plot works for me as I like how they play with the film’s title. There’s a couple scenes where the stunts go on for a bit too long but it was still a fun, non-stop thrill ride. The dialogue is crisp, clever and meta. I liked the references they made to the TV original as well.      

ACTING STUFF: Gosling lights up the screen. He is electrifying and keeps you fully entertained. Gosling has great chemistry with Blunt who also gets some fun scenes to shine. I loved the douche-ness of Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Tom Ryder; so fun. Waddingham is a little too cartoonish but still enjoyable. Great work all around.

ARTISTIC STUFF: The stunts are incredible. It’s directed by a stuntman so I expect those to be top notch. No lame CGI here. The soundtrack is amazing. I love the song choices throughout. I couldn’t even tell you which was my favourite because they all fit so beautifully. When it comes to production design, there is the thing about post-it notes. It is hilarious and I wish I could read them all.           

VERDICT: Five stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You like to have fun at the movies.
UPCOMING REVIEW:  IF?, Furiosa?