Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Directed by George Miller
Written by George Miller, Brendan McCarthy and Nick Lathouris
Starring Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult and Hugh Keays-Byrne

In a stark desert landscape where humanity is broken, two rebels just might be able to restore order: Max, a man of action and of few words, and Furiosa, a woman of action who is looking to make it back to her childhood homeland.

Let me just start off by saying this. Anyone who does not like this movie is stupid!

The fourth installment of the Mad Max franchise originally created by George Miller, this film takes the dreams of what George Miller probably wanted in the 80s but didn't have the technology for, straps dynamite on it and blows it up. It is seriously the most fun movie I have ever seen. It just doesn't care!

Just when you think that the movie couldn't get even more ridiculous than it already is, it exceeds itself. It is a 100% adrenaline fueled thrill ride. The world that George Miller has created with this film trumps all over the worlds he created in both Road Warrior and Thunderdome.

And to think that that same man directed both "Happyfeet" and "Babe: Pig in the City" is remarkable. He is truly a versatile man. Creating a talking pig and a dance penguin, then going back to his roots. Only this time, the ladies kick some serious ass! All of the female characters in this film are more tough and bad ass than Black Widow in "Avengers". And she is still pretty tricking tough! 

The visuals of this action packed film are second to none. Every punch, explosion, crash and line of dialogue is filmed perfectly and compliments the shots before and after it. There isn't a dull frame in it's entire two-hour running time. And the vibrance of the colors makes the world that much more enticing.

As far as blockbuster, mindless action movies go, this is hands down the best I have seen. At least in the past decade. No film comes to mind that can even touch this. It's dark and edgy, but still ridiculously fun. Something Marvel and DC can learn from it. And I am dead serious when I say if you don't like this movie, we can't be friends anymore.

My Rating: 10/10

Rubber (2010)

Written and Directed by Quentin Dupieux

Starring Stephen Spinella, Jack Plotnick, Wings Hauser and Roxane Mesquida

As film spectators watch, a killer car tire comes to life in a desert dump site. It soon discovers it's telekinetic ability to make small animals and people's heads explode. Going on a rampage, the people running the show soon find themselves in over their heads when things don't go exactly as they planned.

What I like about this movie is the meta mindset it establishes from the first line of dialogue. Some scenarios or decisions in movies are for simply no reason. So why can't an entire movie be made for no reason at all? The filmmakers made it for the hell of it and they didn't try to hide it.

As an employee of a movie theater, the commentary by the spectators was hilarious. There were situations and exchanges between some of them that is very true to real life movie goers. This made for hilarious moments.

What I didn't like about the movie is that it felt like a joke that lasted too long. Even at it's short 82 minute running time, it overstayed it's welcome by about 50 minutes. Had this been a short film (or at least shorter than it already is), it could have been much better.

The filmmakers knew exactly what this movie was-- a nonsensical absurdist comedy/horror movie that isn't meant to be taken seriously. It just could have been better and I mean that sincerely. It had potential and would have achieved that had it been half of it's running time.

My Rating: 5/10

WolfCop (2014)

Written and Directed by Lowell Dean
Starring Leo Fafard, Amy Matysio, Jonathan Cherry and Jesse Moss

As a series of strange and violent events begin to occur, an alcoholic policeman realizes that he has been turned into a werewolf. What he first believe to be the fault of a random satanic ritual, he soon find it to be the beginning of a much larger plan.

Yet another film in a string of outrageous, over the top Canadian produced action and horror movies, "WolfCop" falls short of being a good movie. With a plot so ridiculous and a budget so small, you'd feel as though the writer/director wouldn't have taken himself so seriously. Yes, that's right. I am saying the film maker behind "WolfCop" took himself too seriously.

Hanging in like the flag in the middle of a tug-of-war match, this movie can't decide if it wants to be a legitimate werewolf horror movie, or an in-your-face, made-to-have fun werewolf/cop drama mash-up. It borders the absurd, but never crosses it's line to make a place for itself in b-movie history. It's supposed to be a comedy, yet the funniest part about the movie is it's marketing campaign.

There was about a 20-minute sequence where this movie was what I wanted it to be. A werewolf who was a cop and fought crime. But it did not last long enough. After it just started getting fun, they decided "enough with WolfCop. Let's go back to a werewolf who coincidentally is also a cop!"

Perhaps I am being to harsh. But when I see a movie is called "WolfCop", I have high expectation for the lunacy that will be shown. And this did not meet it. It just wasn't as crazy as wolf-manly possible. Maybe I'm not sane enough for this movie.

My Rating: 5.3/10

Iron Sky (2012)

Directed by Timo Vuorensola
Written by Jarmo Puskala, Johanna Sinisalo, Michael Kalesniko and Tim Vuorensola
Starring Julia Dietze, Christopher Kirby, Götz Otto and Peta Sergeant

In 1945, the Allies of World War II defeated the Nazi's. But what they didn't realize is that some of the most prominent members of the National Socialist Party (including Hitler) traveled to the dark side of the moon and started an Aryan space colony. When an American astronaut is caught by them in 2018, it sets forth a plan for the Nazi's to return and take over the planet.

Sometimes as an avid movie watcher, you just get tired of watching heavy movies. They ware you down. So during those times, you seek out the most ridiculous movie you can find. Some ways you can search for movies like this are the topic you feel like watching, then adding the word "space".

This movie is so gleefully terrible and ridiculous that I'm pretty sure the script only had two words over and over again. "Space Nazis. Space Nazis. Space Nazis". Complete with a Sarah Palin-esque president, a black man that is turned white with Nazi science, a beautiful blond woman, Zeppelin shaped space ships and references to the German film "Downfall".

Nazi science? Did he say Nazi science?

If you go into this movie expecting anything other than absurdness, you will hate it. And this is not a good movie at all. But if you go in with the right mind, you will enjoy it for it's silliness. The only thing missing from it is a Nazi riding a T-Rex.

Which WILL be in the sequel!!!

My Rating: 2/10 (But in a good way)