QUICK TAKES: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga; The Garfield Movie; You Like It Darker; and Home Entertainment Spotlight
by Josh Sewell
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
(Rated R for sequences of strong violence, and grisly images. Opens in theaters on May 24.)
The premise: In this prequel to George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road, the filmmaker introduces viewers to Furiosa (previously played by Charlize Theron) when she is a child (Alyla Browne). While the world deteriorates into a wasteland, she is snatched from her home by a biker gang serving the warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth). As she grows into a young woman (Anya Taylor-Joy), she must survive constant threats while becoming the warrior audiences know her to be.
The verdict: Fury Road is a literal masterpiece and one of the 21st century’s greatest films, so to say expectations for Furiosa were unrealistic is putting it mildly. That’s why I’m thrilled that Miller’s highly anticipated follow-up is “just” excellent instead of perfect. Yes, the director utilizes CGI a bit more this time around, but can you blame him?
Although his previous installment had more practical effects, the notoriously cursed production ended up taking decades to make and traumatized numerous actors in the process. Esteemed filmmaker Steven Soderbergh put it best when he said, “I don’t understand how they’re not still shooting that film and I don’t understand how hundreds of people aren’t dead.”
Miller is almost 80 years old, so I get why he wouldn’t want to kill himself and others in service of a movie. Besides, there are still a jaw-dropping number of practical stunts and car chases, while the ultra-vivid CGI gives the flick a hallucinatory sensation that fits within the mythological nature of the story.
When it comes to performances, Hemsworth goes over-the-top with his cartoonish villain, although he still makes him formidable and terrifying. Taylor-Joy doesn’t look anything like Theron, but she brings a different vibe and intensity to Furiosa that works for the younger version of the character. (Besides, Tom Hardy bears no resemblance whatsoever to Mel Gibson and that worked out fine.)
In a summer that’s been relatively lackluster so far, Furiosa feels poised to make an enormous impact at the box office – and it couldn’t happen to a more worthy film. Seeing this one in a crowded theater on the biggest screen possible is mandatory. I recommend splurging for IMAX.
Grade: A
The Garfield Movie
(Rated PG for action/peril and mild thematic elements. Opens in theaters on May 24.)
The premise: In this new animated adventure, Monday-hating, lasagna-loving cat Garfield (Chris Pratt) is ripped from his lazy indoor life and thrown directly into a milk heist with his long-lost dad Vic (voiced by Samuel L. Jackson). As the two of them, along with Garfield’s canine friend Odie, attempt to escape the wrath of the villainous Jinx (Hannah Waddingham), father and son strengthen their bond and make up for lost time.
The verdict: There haven’t been a lot of decent options for families at theaters lately. In that respect, Garfield is a solid choice by default. Is it a “good” movie? That’s debatable. But it accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do: namely, entertain kids for 90 minutes while throwing in a handful of jokes and references for adults so they won’t be bored out of their minds.
Pratt (apparently intent on voiceover domination) does an adequate job playing the titular feline, but I think his Parks and Recreation co-star Nick Offerman would’ve been a much better fit. Conversely, Jackson delivers a genuinely good performance as a regret-filled father looking to reconnect with his son. It feels wasted in a movie content to coast on the easiest gags, but I’ll count the positives where I can.
Grade: C+
Book Review: You Like It Darker, by Stephen King
(Now available.)
The premise: Beloved author Stephen King is back with this chilling, frequently bleak collection of 12 short stories – many of them newly published. Although they vary in size (a couple are closer to novella length), they all delve into concepts like fate, mortality, luck and the thin corners of reality where anything can happen.
The verdict: King fans know his short story collections are usually hit-or-miss, but immensely readable. That’s because if you come across a clunker, no worries – a new one is only a few pages away. However, in the case of “You Like It Darker” (paying homage to a similarly titled Leonard Cohen song), there’s not a truly bad one in the bunch.
While some are more effective than others, they all have intriguing premises and enough narrative gas to get them over the finish line. Plus, they display King’s legendary talent for pulpy scares as well as his underrated literary prowess. Individual readers’ opinions may vary, but several tales punched me in the gut.
“Two Talented Bastids” kicks things off in a truly dark fashion, combining sci-fi weirdness with existential dread. The last couple of pages are enough to ignite a midlife crisis. “The Fifth Step” is a brief, brutal reminder of how fast King can get readers to invest in a character before putting them in a horrific situation.
“Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream” is the longest tale in the collection, but it’s also the most compelling. The titular character has a nightmare that turns out to be a psychic vision, which proceeds to ruin the lives of practically everyone involved. “On Slide Inn Road” is King’s homage to Flannery O’Connor’s brilliant short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” so of course my nerdy English teacher heart adored it.
But perhaps the most anticipated work in the collection is “Rattlesnakes,” a sequel to King’s 1981 novel Cujo. I won’t reveal how the new story connects to the iconic rabid St. Bernard, but it involves a grieving widower who travels to Florida to heal – only to experience a horror that causes him to revisit a trauma from long ago.
King fans are probably diving into You Like It Darker already. However, those who have somehow never engaged with the author’s brilliant writing over the past six decades now have a terrific place to start.
Grade: B+
Home Entertainment Spotlight
American Hustle
(Rated R for sequences of strong violence, and grisly images. Opens in theaters on May 24.)
The premise: In this prequel to George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road, the filmmaker introduces viewers to Furiosa (previously played by Charlize Theron) when she is a child (Alyla Browne). While the world deteriorates into a wasteland, she is snatched from her home by a biker gang serving the warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth). As she grows into a young woman (Anya Taylor-Joy), she must survive constant threats while becoming the warrior audiences know her to be.
The verdict: Fury Road is a literal masterpiece and one of the 21st century’s greatest films, so to say expectations for Furiosa were unrealistic is putting it mildly. That’s why I’m thrilled that Miller’s highly anticipated follow-up is “just” excellent instead of perfect. Yes, the director utilizes CGI a bit more this time around, but can you blame him?
Although his previous installment had more practical effects, the notoriously cursed production ended up taking decades to make and traumatized numerous actors in the process. Esteemed filmmaker Steven Soderbergh put it best when he said, “I don’t understand how they’re not still shooting that film and I don’t understand how hundreds of people aren’t dead.”
Miller is almost 80 years old, so I get why he wouldn’t want to kill himself and others in service of a movie. Besides, there are still a jaw-dropping number of practical stunts and car chases, while the ultra-vivid CGI gives the flick a hallucinatory sensation that fits within the mythological nature of the story.
When it comes to performances, Hemsworth goes over-the-top with his cartoonish villain, although he still makes him formidable and terrifying. Taylor-Joy doesn’t look anything like Theron, but she brings a different vibe and intensity to Furiosa that works for the younger version of the character. (Besides, Tom Hardy bears no resemblance whatsoever to Mel Gibson and that worked out fine.)
In a summer that’s been relatively lackluster so far, Furiosa feels poised to make an enormous impact at the box office – and it couldn’t happen to a more worthy film. Seeing this one in a crowded theater on the biggest screen possible is mandatory. I recommend splurging for IMAX.
Grade: A
(Rated PG for action/peril and mild thematic elements. Opens in theaters on May 24.)
The premise: In this new animated adventure, Monday-hating, lasagna-loving cat Garfield (Chris Pratt) is ripped from his lazy indoor life and thrown directly into a milk heist with his long-lost dad Vic (voiced by Samuel L. Jackson). As the two of them, along with Garfield’s canine friend Odie, attempt to escape the wrath of the villainous Jinx (Hannah Waddingham), father and son strengthen their bond and make up for lost time.
The verdict: There haven’t been a lot of decent options for families at theaters lately. In that respect, Garfield is a solid choice by default. Is it a “good” movie? That’s debatable. But it accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do: namely, entertain kids for 90 minutes while throwing in a handful of jokes and references for adults so they won’t be bored out of their minds.
Pratt (apparently intent on voiceover domination) does an adequate job playing the titular feline, but I think his Parks and Recreation co-star Nick Offerman would’ve been a much better fit. Conversely, Jackson delivers a genuinely good performance as a regret-filled father looking to reconnect with his son. It feels wasted in a movie content to coast on the easiest gags, but I’ll count the positives where I can.
Grade: C+
(Now available.)
The premise: Beloved author Stephen King is back with this chilling, frequently bleak collection of 12 short stories – many of them newly published. Although they vary in size (a couple are closer to novella length), they all delve into concepts like fate, mortality, luck and the thin corners of reality where anything can happen.
The verdict: King fans know his short story collections are usually hit-or-miss, but immensely readable. That’s because if you come across a clunker, no worries – a new one is only a few pages away. However, in the case of “You Like It Darker” (paying homage to a similarly titled Leonard Cohen song), there’s not a truly bad one in the bunch.
While some are more effective than others, they all have intriguing premises and enough narrative gas to get them over the finish line. Plus, they display King’s legendary talent for pulpy scares as well as his underrated literary prowess. Individual readers’ opinions may vary, but several tales punched me in the gut.
“Two Talented Bastids” kicks things off in a truly dark fashion, combining sci-fi weirdness with existential dread. The last couple of pages are enough to ignite a midlife crisis. “The Fifth Step” is a brief, brutal reminder of how fast King can get readers to invest in a character before putting them in a horrific situation.
“Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream” is the longest tale in the collection, but it’s also the most compelling. The titular character has a nightmare that turns out to be a psychic vision, which proceeds to ruin the lives of practically everyone involved. “On Slide Inn Road” is King’s homage to Flannery O’Connor’s brilliant short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” so of course my nerdy English teacher heart adored it.
But perhaps the most anticipated work in the collection is “Rattlesnakes,” a sequel to King’s 1981 novel Cujo. I won’t reveal how the new story connects to the iconic rabid St. Bernard, but it involves a grieving widower who travels to Florida to heal – only to experience a horror that causes him to revisit a trauma from long ago.
King fans are probably diving into You Like It Darker already. However, those who have somehow never engaged with the author’s brilliant writing over the past six decades now have a terrific place to start.
Grade: B+
Home Entertainment Spotlight
(Rated R for pervasive language, some sexual content and brief violence. Now available in a 10th Anniversary limited-edition SteelBook.)
When con artists/lovers Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) and Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) are caught by ambitious FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper), they’re blackmailed into a sting operation targeting politician Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner) and his associates. Complicating matters is Irving’s wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence), who could bring the whole operation crashing down. Bonus features include nearly 15 minutes of new deleted/extended scenes, a making-of featurette and a theatrical trailer.
When con artists/lovers Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) and Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) are caught by ambitious FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper), they’re blackmailed into a sting operation targeting politician Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner) and his associates. Complicating matters is Irving’s wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence), who could bring the whole operation crashing down. Bonus features include nearly 15 minutes of new deleted/extended scenes, a making-of featurette and a theatrical trailer.
Reach out to Josh Sewell at joshsewell81@gmail.com
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