Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Mad Max: Move of the Year, Decade, or Century?

23 comments:

  1. There are movies I like better, but it wins "_Best Action Movie_ I have ever seen" hands down.

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  2. A reasonable compromise, Eva Schiffer .  While I ordinarily enjoy nuance, something about this movie makes me want to shout. Any guesses what it makes me want to shout? (this is not a trick question)

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  3. I left the theater thinking, "wow, I need to see that like 10 more times. So good!" It was a big contrast to seeing Guardians of the Galaxy, where many people I know raved about it and I left thinking, "well, that was an ok movie, I guess?"

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  4. Eva Schiffer I saw it pretty late and had a good idea of what to expect ... and I still walked away wanting to watch it again RIGHT THEN.

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  5. It was a good car chase with excellent practical effects.

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  6. I change my answer: Best Mad Max movie ever.

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  7. I can get behind that statement!

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  8. Todd Sprang Are we still going to watch it? It doesn't appear to be on netflix yet....

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  9. I was suggesting we get folks (or just you) to come down to the house and watch it on AppleTV. You down?

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  10. Josh Roby I would enjoy it if you explained your vote. I love to hear praise of this movie.

    Mo Jave That is a very small universe of comparison, which is my only concern. It doesn't really give a sense of if it is awesome or not, at least to my point of view.

    Todd Sprang I've got a request outstanding (just now) with the drafthouse to see if they'll get it. If we do your place, I'll need a lift. Maybe after work, someday that you go into the office?

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  11. I'm hard pressed to think of a better action movie that came out in the last ten years.

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  12. William Nichols​ - that's kind if intentional. I enjoyed the movie a lot! I had fun, I thought it did some refreshing things. But I find the hyperbole around its awesomeness a bit tiring, TBH.

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  13. I'm cool with Drafthouse if/when they get it. Elsewise, most days are feasible, weekends being easiest. I'm at the office every day, but I bike a lot. Also I leave earlyish. Think any of our mutual friends (with a car) would want to make a weekend afternoon/evening of it?

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  14. William Nichols This is the Internet, home of hyperbole.  So Mad Max: Fury Road is the BEST. MOVIE. EVER.

    More seriously—I like to hope that it will be a sort of watershed movie and will usher in some good changes to how we make media on this planet.  To verify that we'll have to wait a few years, but if it is such a watershed?  Qualifies as best ever.

    Also, I'd happily rank it as my favorite action movie.  I've no idea what my favorite movie is.  Maybe 1776, but while that's my favorite, I don't think I'd say it's the Best Ever, because my preferences are… idiosyncratic. ;)

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  15. So this is me being nit picking, but Mad Max was full of special effects. An explosion is a special effect. Bullets flying punching holes in stuff on screen is a special effect. Having Imortan Joe missing a bunch of skin is a special effect. Having his face mask ripped off revealing he had no face is a special effect. A cgi sandstorm is a cgi special effect. Special effects are not things that just happen in a computer, it's basically anything that is faked to look real. I'm not sure if it makes a difference to most people, but calling these tricks on camera practical effects kinda bothers me. They are techniques that existed long before anyone thought to use a computer for them. Normally I don't quibble of misnomers, but this one I find bothersome for some reason.

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  16. David Rothfeder I think you're referring to Kelley's comment. You're OK, but close to denying her lived experience. Try not to. :-) That is, she experiences them as practical effects and makes that differentiation in her head, and that's OK.

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  17. I know, and I was trying not to be disrespectful (partially why I didn't wish to further single out a poster). I know that practical effects is a common used term, but one that is thought to be mutually exclusive with special effects. I personally find a lot of aspects of special effects really interesting. The practice goes way deeper than people think, but the phrase has become synonymous with cgi. I personally find that cgi has become overused in the last few decades, and I guess the misuse of terms is a sign of that. Cgi is still a cool tool, it's just that some people in the film industry are too in love with the technique. I guess I really want my message to be 'these are all special effects and aren't they awesome'

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  18. David Rothfeder Its all good. I think I'm hearing you say that the difference between types of effects, including the nomenclature, is really important to you. That it is a big part of your experiences with movies and media. Is that right?

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  19. Pretty much. I grew up with my dad involved in the film industry, mostly comercial work, but still he had a strong appreciation for the craft. He actually has a huge love of Jim Henson's work. What people don't realize is that a lot of what Henson did was special effects. In college I took a lot of film studies classes, and I almost ended up in the industry myself. I tend to be super critical of the media, but that's mostly because I have such respect for the medium.

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