#but young he looks like Mel Gibson now

[alpydk]

Unhinged Gale HCs go!

🫂🫶💜

<3 Thank you!

1. Gale likes pineapple pizza. The poll many months ago confirmed this. This was fanbase decided so no complaints.

2. Gale would collect magic the gathering cards but not play it. Hed be the type to say "but the rules say if..."

3. He would also collect minis and never paint them, or would paint a few over the course of an evening before forgetting to paint more. He would still keep buying them though.

4. As much as the idea of having sex in a library would sound fun to him, he would also be mindful of what section they were in and the amount of noise being made. He wouldn't want to disturb others. There would be a lot of sorrys if shushed.

5. He looks like a young Mel Gibson without his beard and short hair.

6. Gale only learnt to cook once he got stuck in his tower. Until then he was an eat out every night type of guy. He probably had enchanted self cleaning cutlery. (Which had to be absorbed.) Now it's normal cutlery.

7. He speaks more languages than he claims and often eavesdrops on conversations. In my head he speaks elvish and some ancient spell weaving dialect.

8. He only wears purple because of Mystra. He doesn't like purple but after he wore it once people just assumed it was his favourite and started buying him stuff in that colour. His robes he wears are from his mum and he was too polite to say he would prefer them in blue or grey.

9. He plays the harp. (See kill the grove dialogue)

10. He has a favourite word or words, that he likes to try and slip into conversation every now and again. "Well, I would say I'm feeling rather discombobulated."

[uyuforu]

Celebrity Age-Gap Relationships Astrology Observation 💞A common thing I’ve noticed in a lot of age gap relationships between people in my personal life is the male partner nearly always has Virgo/Scorpio/Libra in his inner planets. Sometimes a combo of two or even all three are present.

My theory as to why this happens goes pretty deep and likely deserves its own post so I’ll just try to summarise: I’ve always had a theory that men with these placements are subconsciously drawn to younger partners. However, most of the time, it is genuinely not in a predatory or nefarious type of way. My theory is that it has to do with a deeply subconscious need to nurture, provide, look out for, and protect their partners. So they may be drawn to younger women because they want to protect them in a “fatherly” type of way. Again: I believe that this is subconscious and many of them may not even realise that they are doing it. I don’t believe that a majority of them are doing it out of malice, I think it’s just part of who they are.

The number is how many years older they are than their girlfriend/fiancée/wife.

Eddie Murphy: Scorpio Moon. | 19 years.

Patrick Stewart: Scorpio Moon. | 39 years.

Richard Gere: Virgo Sun. Libra Mercury, Venus. | 33 years.

Leonardo DiCaprio: Scorpio Sun, Venus, Mars. Libra Moon, Mercury. | 22 years.

Ryan Reynolds: Scorpio Sun, Moon, Mars. Libra Mercury. | 11 years.

Jason Statham: Virgo Venus, Scorpio Mars | 20 years.

Steve Martin: Scorpio Moon. Virgo Mercury. | 22 years.

Sylvester Stallone: Libra Moon. Virgo Mars. | 23 years.

Jay-Z: Libra Moon. Scorpio Venus. | 12 years.

Matthew McConaughey: Scorpio Sun, Mercury. Virgo Moon. Libra Venus. | 13 years.

Humphrey Bogart: Libra Moon. | 25 years.

Adam Levine: Scorpio Moon. | 10 years.

Mel Gibson: Libra Moon. Scorpio Mars. | 35 years.

Jeff Goldblum: Libra Sun. Scorpio Mercury. | 30 years.

Michael Fassbender: Virgo Moon. | 12 years.

David Foster: Scorpio Sun. Libra Mercury. Virgo Mars. | 34 years.

Guy Ritchie: Virgo Sun. Libra Mercury, Venus. | 13 years.

Prince Albert II: Virgo Sun, Mercury. Scorpio Moon. | 20 years.

John Stamos: Virgo Moon, Mercury. Libra Mars. | 22 years.

Stephen Moyer: Libra Sun, Moon, Mercury. Virgo Venus. | 13 years.

*Capricorn & Cancer was also present at handful of times. But they were not as frequent as the other three signs, therefore I decided not to include them.

ALL OF THE ABOVE INFORMATION'S CREDIT GOES TO @corvoidea and I didnt reblog it because i prefer being anonymous.

I am quite an experienced astro girl too but NOT a professional and i read your post on his bpc,it co relates so much with his natal chart and its actually my first time ever seeing that and like you said his fs looks very young could also be that she's younger than him but more mature for her age or than him too,you said that people have this instinct to protect her and the above post also says the same thing about these men wanting to protect their partners so they usually go for younger women.your post was great by the way.

if you've read the info above you'll get the hint of what jks age gap would be with his fs.his natal 7th house ruler is in Virgo(ruled by Mercury which also means that the person prefers younger partners)+he has his moon's ruler in the 8th house too. he has a virgo stellium(sun,moon,nn) (it is also the sign that represents innocence so he'd like someone innocent looking or someone younger)IN 8th house(ruled by Scorpio)+his mars is in scorpio in 10th(ruled by saturn meaning responsible and protective).he has venus in Libra in 9th house(its also the house of foreign things,wisdom,religion, etc).cap risings also tend to marry older partners 50 percent of the time but i feel like his fs would be younger than him and a foreigner too because he has MANY indicators for the so and so stuff I've said above.the shortest age gap is 10 years....NOW IM NOT SAYIND HE'S A CREEPY P3DO OR SOMETHING SO DONT COME FOR ME BECAUSE MY MARTIAN DOMINANT ASS WOULD NOT MIND ROASTING THE F OUTTA YOU.

Tarot readers say his fs would be older than him bit his birth chart doesn't say so and that could also be because he's not ready to take the whole responsibility of his fs as he's a very busy guy who knows that he has a lot of growing to do.its even safe to say that he's never been in love with someone but only with the idea of love,relationships,etc but worry not guys his saturn return will awaken the true daddy in him and he'll be ready to take total responsibilities of a person and know what love is and what he actually needs in a relationship.

So maybe 2 years later tarot readers can also start saying that his fs is younger than him because his views about life would be evolved by then.

Now continuing with the age gap thing....its really trippy but his fs can be really young compared to him but an adult ofc because he wouldn't be sexualizing anyone so young as he knows what it feels like to go through it.

The conclusion for me is that his fs is a foreigner and younger than him(more young than people can imagine👀)

I'd love to read your opinions on this and please reply with a longer text because I've never written so much for any ask and if you do so my cramped fingers will be at ease.if youvdont mind i'd like to be the ✌️anon

Hello Anon!! Wow that was so long and I just woke up but I love seeing people that passionate, I’m the same about what I love (Gemini moon 8H you know 😂)… so!! I 100% agree with you. To be honest this is what I thought:

His spouse IS def younger than him. I don’t wanna make assumptions about the age gap because we can’t really be that precise until it really happens. But already seeing so many signs she will be younger is already a good sign. So I wanted to say she is younger than him but the theory could go two ways: 1. she could appear extremely young compared to her age because it happened to some people already! For ex, I noticed people with cancer placement have these kind of experiences in their life, and his Personal DC is in Cancer so it wouldn’t shock if she had this.

2. OR she could def be younger than him, like wow damn. Haha (I hope not the same as the people there because 39 yrs? JK?!)

To be honest I mostly focused on the BPC last time and I didn’t wanna put things around his Natal Chart or other persona chart because I’m currently preparing a whole analysis about his Future Spouse in his natal chart! I’m studying hard these days haha, but I’ll keep your theory in my notes too!

I’ll also look for it in his Juno PC lol!

Thank you a lot for your devotion!!

Have a nice day ❤️

- uyu

[ncisfranchise-source]

As humans in a changing world we crave continuity, reliability. Before we walk into a room, we like to be fairly certain of what we’ll find — walls, floor, furniture, not hot coals or clouds of poison gas. Thus the popularity of the franchise. It may not lead to great, revolutionary art, but at the end of a long day, when you kick off your shoes and sink down into the sofa, you may not be in the mood for “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” or a stuffed goat with a tire around its middle.

“NCIS,” for Naval Criminal Investigative Service, is a theoretically inexhaustible series about an elevated team of military police investigating cases involving military personnel; you might think that is too shallow a drawer to fill several series over many years, but you would be wrong, especially given how thin the writers are willing to stretch that connection.

The series offers a full-course meal of mainstream theatrical possibilities. It’s a police procedural, a metaphorical family comedy, a workplace comedy, a soap opera, a melodrama, a low-budget action adventure. You get good-looking heroes, a smattering of goofballs, a quirky medical examiner or two, a little romance — the amino acids of many such procedurals, to be sure, but “NCIS” is especially deft at combining kick-back entertainment with lean-forward tension. The military association adds a patriotic element, which I imagine some viewers prize, though the very premise of the series implies that the military is not squeaky clean. These aren’t shows I customarily watch, but it’s easy to see why people do.

The franchise has included iterations set in Los Angeles, New Orleans, Hawaii and Sydney, each applying local color and flavor to a tried-and-true formula; some have come and gone, some have not been around long enough to go, but none is likely to display the staying power or global penetration of the original, about to embark Monday on its 22nd season.

Following that premiere on CBS, home to all “NCIS” series, is the newest addition to the family, “NCIS: Origins.” Instead of setting up in a new city, however, we are being sent through time, back to 1991, when “newly minted special agent” Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Austin Stowell), played by Mark Harmon in the original and narrating here, has just joined the team he will one day lead. (A team that has not yet added the C to its acronym, which looks odd on the windbreakers but is quicker to bark at suspects.)

We are in Oceanside — a new city, after all — on the grounds of Camp Pendleton. That it’s the least obviously sexy setting in the “NCIS” collection — no offense, Oceanside, not to say the ocean itself — is echoed in the team’s drab Quonset-hut headquarters, a stark contrast to the bright, modern, high-tech lairs of the contemporary shows. Here, we’re in a world of phone booths, pagers and bulky computers no one knows how to work, of Walkmans and videotape, which both simplifies and complicates the action. It is, in its way, a kind of relief, a vacation from Now.

Harmon, who left the series after the 19th season to be replaced by Gary Cole, established the model of the “NCIS” team leader — the stern yet supportive surrogate parent, time-worn, time-tested, ever ready to buck hidebound authority when necessary. Young Gibbs, a Marine sniper just recalled from Iraq after the murder of his wife and child, is not (yet) that person, though we get some hints he might be: his numbered “rules,” his “gut feelings.” At the moment, he’s neck-deep in trauma, getting in bar fights, failing his “psych eval.” There is some concern that he’s unstable, not quite Mel-Gibson-in-“Lethal Weapon” crazy, but potentially a danger to himself and others.

That the main character is a member of the team rather than its leader, as in other “NCIS” series, can feel a little awkward, given that it’s necessary for Gibbs, fresh behind the ears though he may be, to stand out from the group — that he see what others miss, and can handle a situation in an original way. When he says of a suspect, “He’s not our guy,” it won’t be that guy. It throws the ensemble off balance.

The team leader is Mike Franks (Kyle Schmid), Gibbs’ cowboy predecessor and mentor; with his horseshoe mustache, dark glasses and cigarettes, he’s like a ’90s cop dressed as a ’70s cop. (Older Franks, played by Muse Watson, appeared in some dramatic episodes of “NCIS.”) Hot-shot agent Lala Dominguez (Mariel Molino) is competitive and wary of Gibbs. (“You’re on my squad,” says Gibbs upon meeting her. “No, you’re on mine,” she replies, reasonably enough.) Agent Vera Strickland (Diany Rodriguez), who briefly appeared in the original series, is so far underused. (Only four episodes were available for review.)

Dark feelings and internal conflicts characterize these first episodes, which are full of raised voices, clenched jaws and steely stares. Necessary mood lightening is supplied by agent Randy Randolf (Caleb Martin Foote), friendly, chatty and the only one who wears a suit to work; “head secretary in charge” Mary Jo Hayes (Tyla Abercrumbie); and Granville “Granny” Dawson (Daniel Bellomy), promoted after a couple of episodes to the K-9 squad and the care of a dog named Special Agent Gary Callahan. (“It’s just the one dog, but he’s all the dog you need.”) Bobby Moynihan (major comic relief), Lori Petty and Julian Black Antelope provide forensic backup.

As to Stowell, he is square-jawed and broad-shouldered and though his casting was obviously the end of many discussions, he does not strike me as someone who will grow up to become Mark Harmon. (Harmon’s son Sean, who had the original idea for “Origins,” developed by franchise vets David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal, played the younger Gibbs in “NCIS” flashbacks.) He could stand to relax a little. But perhaps that’s the point.

[theharpermovieblog]

#HARPERSMOVIECOLLECTION

2024 MOVIE LIST

www.tumblr.com/theharpermovieblog

MAD MAX MOVIE MARATHON

CLASSIC REVIEWS

(REVIEW ORIGINALLY FROM 2022)

I re-watched Mad Max (1979)

The Mad Max series of films is one of my favorite of all time. It's the underdog of all great franchises. It's director and creator, George Miller, is one of the greatest of all time. He always delivers in one way or another.

So, let's go back to the days before we all knew the real Mel Gibson and watch Mad Max.

In the not too distant future things are looking pretty bleak for mankind. Max Rockatansky, a road cop, has everything taken away from him by a gang of maniacs and goes looking for revenge.

Some say the first is the best and some say it's the worst. I'm not going to be rating the Max movies in order of which I like best. I'm simply going to talk about each film individually and it's strengths for the series.

From moment one Mad Max is a pretty wild movie. It starts with a car chase which gives you a glimpse into it's world. A world of nearly lawless highways and wildly crazy bad guys. In this original film, the world has yet to go to shit like it has in the sequels. Society has clearly crumbled a bit, but we aren't yet in the desert wasteland of the Mad Max universe.

For an origin story, the environment works really well for the lead character. The world, like Max, is hanging on by a thread, and once Max loses all, so does the world. But here Max is still a husband and father and the world is still green.

Miller is a great director with a style all his own. The way he films car chases, the cameras riding up the hood to gaze at max behind the wheel. His blending of cool and weird. His need to put heavy emotion somewhere in the story. It's all here, if not as refined as it would become.

When you watch this movie now, it's as if Miller knew everything about Max that would become iconic. As if he knew he'd get to make more of these films. The world and the character might not be what they would become, but all the bones are there.

Mel Gibson, despite who he is in real life, is a great actor and screen presence. There's no denying that. He's young here and baby faced, but you can tell he'll be a movie star. Although, in my humble opinion, it's Hugh Keays Byrne playing the Toecutter (and who would eventually play immortan Joe in Fury Road) who steals the show as the villain. He's fun to watch and incredibly menacing. He's the first in a line of weirdly named bad guys who lead gangs against Max in the wasteland. Without him I don't think the series would have gotten a sequel.

What makes the original Mad Max so great is that it really is the little exploitation movie that could. Movies like this (another great example is Evil Dead) are low budget films by young visionary directors. Filmmakers with barely any money and just a cool idea who managed to spawn entire worlds and franchises. That's an amazing accomplishment, and so much better than a Hollywood big budget production that's built to please the masses.

"Mad Max" only suffers from it's lack of budget, but Miller makes the best of it. Other than that, there's some dated moments, but that's not exactly a bad thing if you're a film fan.

If anybody is looking for big gifts for me in my lifetime, I think I'd love to watch this at a drive-in.

In the meantime I'm gonna get ready for Road Warrior.

[the-firebird69]

They are going to Alley with the dragon people going there and Trump says the dragon will lead us to treasure and our son says usually they leave people to real treasure and he knows about Antarctica but that's what they used to do they're kind of young but that's his dragon this is going to go fight some Giants so now he's getting up and really we know it time it is and what leg we're on he did go out west and the pseudo empire is coming back so we have to switch gears right now and shower return with more messages

Thor Freya

I have a couple and he says go ahead lay them on me so I can help

-we're looking forward to a change of scenery and pace around here this is disgusting and I said it this morning I'm repulsed by what I'm seeing and is trying to get the schedule out where we're at exactly they told me to be kind of surprising it really is but it's a little less surprising than what you think but still in the revolutionary war mode and people who are tracking my husband's cars and can equate them to coaches do know what time it is there's a time when Washington went to Rhode Island and Connecticut and a we're down there for a Time quite a while and the distance to where he is it's more or less than correlation where Dave was in Connecticut and my husband went to Rhode Island a little bit that's like this preamble. He's down there again for a while in Connecticut and who's getting some supplies and having things brought to Springfield. They were falling back from Worcester to look weak and that's the Midwest. And while he was there he had a couple quarter horses. Those horses oh well known and are famous and they are famous because they were Dave's yeah but they're also famous because of what he was doing and what he was doing was getting people ready to fight the pseudo empire and they're really people who are hey to fight and they are trained people and pretty good at it and you should not be mocking people for their weight if they can kick your ass yeah of course I mean my husband and okay so they're two horses and they were in Connecticut and he was there for several months and it seems like forever stuck in Florida but it is for a real war and these guys say they don't know about the schedule but they do they think it's their own and they think it's rich and stuff recently they've been finding other stuff that doesn't work for them. After the two quarter horses there is something else that is quite unique coming up small coach. Now the small Coach is the clue and it's fast and people know which card is these small cars that he's talking about I like an SUV and have a lot of room in them and his was small and had some room not much for regular people and he was a little big and the two cars the golf and the Renault both can see like seven people and really there's two seats up front three and back and there's another row that you can use and the one that he was using could see two people and maybe a third and there's room for baggage and that was it the people say that it corresponds Russ says I don't think it does and what I say is I don't think it does. So he says I never really tried to figure out what car is coming up but usually it's very symbolic or something I worked on and that kind of thing but it's really not that big these golf cars are kind of small that's true too but still you can fit more stuff in these things then by comparison so I'm looking around for a small sporty vehicle not he would attach two or three horses and he go pretty quick and it's a lot easier than horseback riding and it happened when Horatio it's a different one not Gates it's the one you see in Mel Gibson's movie who's attacking everybody blindly and killing everybody he is the one who is defeated and then he gets the coach and people start acting a little more normal that makes sense and that was in history and Mel Gibson is one of the guys who does it and he says you have to be kidding me and it's from the movie "The Patriot" another system that my sister and his brother worked on his name that and Mel Gibson is interested mac daddy is giving an invitation and the max are considering it it's hell here he doesn't have to come here directly but he doesn't understand what we're saying. And I'm trying to think of a car and all I can think of is a fiero and Ronald is saying no way and I my husband is saying no way meaning no not a chance but maybe it's a Pontiac the new Grand Am in 2010 and people think it might be because he came up with it and I did too and it's a decent design and it's like some kind of Hallmark and it recently came out and it would fit the bill son of a look at the video with him and study it

Hera

Olympus

Zues

[encountersincamperland]

Kartodromo Dream

My father and I built the kartodromo together in 1989, said Gianfranco as we looked out across the snaking concrete racing track from the terrace above the now obsolete grandstand.

These days, since 2019, Kartodromo, on the outskirts of Matera, in Basilicata, southern Italy, is a camping stopover for motor homes and campervans. You have to navigate the race track, at a slow pace, to find a random spot on the inner two straights. Electricity, if you can get it, is supplied to you from sockets found under a bucket in the soggy grass areas the track encloses. We weren’t so lucky, so had two nights off grid. The facilites are two bathrooms each for men and women, with shower, loo and washing machine. A little old fashioned but the privacy was great.

The terrace bar and the terraced stands would one time have been full of formula 3 racing enthusiasts and their families and fans on race days. Today it is all substance but little content - at least in terms of racing. But Gianfranco fills the space, overshadowing his quiet sister/partner, as knowing temporary residents smile indulgently at us newbies’ bemusement at where we find ourselves this evening.

I was a rich man when I was young, said Gianfranco. I raced all over Europe. I won prizes. Then I made a big mistake. I got married. But what can you do? I love my wife.

Gianfranco is quite a character - a showman who speaks at least four languages and loves to hold forth with his temporary guests.

He’s a great salesman for his town too, and Matera is quite a town or city, I should say. As campers pull in seeking a stopover for a night or two, or have been drawn by its ancient history or more recent movie fame, Gianfranco holds court around a map of the town, with pen and highlighter, he marks out the way to walk, the best places for views of the Sassi, Matera’s historic stone heart, plus the must-see ancient water sistern in the main square, where to get the best gelato and which of the town’s 150 churches, are most worth seeing - especially the ones carved out of rocks.

He tells us we must go up to one of several viewing points above the campsite to see the Sassi at night, lit up like a fairy grotto. He shows us his best photo of the scene at sunset, a flaming sky hovering above a twinkling town as if its lights set the sky ablaze. Gianfranco works out who has transport and who he could ferry up to the best viewing point for eight o’clock that night. He is an enabler. Everything is possible and seemingly no trouble. We don’t buy into the offer as we want to settle into the evening in our own way.

Gianfranco provides a shuttle service for campers four times a day into Matera and back. We opt for the 10am the next day and gather five minutes before as instructed. A German couple and French couple with a bichon friese join us. Gianfranco arrives to drive us, clip board in hand and says, Make a wish, to me. I realise he is referring to a time we would like to return. We opt for 6.30pm. With all he has told us about the town, we think we will be well occupied for eight hours or more.

Return times sorted, Gianfranco directs the French couple plus dog into the back seats of his Fiat Scudo. He opens the front passenger door and offers the Germans in then changes his mind. No, he says, I don’t want to speak German today. Today, we speak English. He indicates the middle row of seats for the Germans and points our way into the front. It’s nice to occasionally be the chosen ones.

On the short journey, he told us a little of the town’s association with the film industry since the 1950s up to now and includes Passolini’s The Passion of the Christ, Mel Gibson’s The Gospel According to St Matthew, and right up to date with the most recent Bond movie - No Time To Die.

Kartodromo, Gianfranco says, was the base for the Bond film crew. He is driving the winding road into town as he reaches into his pocket for his mobile and, one eye on the road, finds a photo of Bond’s silver grey Aston Martin, in fact three of them lined up in a row by the grandstand.

I was their driver, he says, while they were here. A finger in every pie, I thought. The opening sequence of the film is a mad car chase through the narrow streets of the Sassi, typical Bond fare in an untypical setting.

Our first view of this ancient troglodyte city takes my breath away. We had walked down from the shuttle drop off to the large main square where a market of local craft and antiques was happening. We looked for the three arches Gianfranco had drawn on our map like an extended m. You will get your first view of the Sassi from here, he said. I wondered how when we had walked down hill. I had no idea what I was about to see.

There was a small crowd at the balcony under the arches and a busker was singing a contemporary Italian song in its echoey chamber. The crowd moved on and we stepped up to an arch. And there it was - a city within a city built into a vast basin in the rock teetering on the edge of a ravine. We could see a myriad of shiny cobbled lanes falling away below us, and tightly packed and stacked tilted tiled roofs. I could now see how it often substituted for Jerusalem in films. The town climbed up the other side a kilometre away, where a cathedral created its highest point. As my eyes adjusted to its impressive size, I could pick out some of the rock churches and cave dwellings.

The Sassi has a blemished past since the twentieth century. It became one of the most deprived places in Italy by the 1950s. Old black and white photos of large families with haunted faces in one room cave houses, replete with cow or donkey, stare out at us from various points on our perambulations through its lanes. Writer Carlo Levi was exiled here in 1944. Horrified by the poverty and distress of its inhabitants, he wielded his pen and exposed how people were living, writing Christ Stopped at Eboli in 1945. Shamed, the government blustered in and removed the population to new estates and high rises above and beyond - a sad unravelling of a tightly knit community - and the city, inhabited for over 10,000 years was left to the cats and to crumble for a decade and a half.

In the mid 1980s, the government began to give grants to artists and artisans to take over dwellings. A creative community grew and, with further investment, 2nd generation locals returned.

Today, the Sassi is a popular tourist destination with many tightly packed restaurants and hotels, as well as artists studios. There is an evident class divide as you cross from the well heeled south district to the worn down north, where some abandoned houses still gape forlornly at passers by.

What we see is a city carved out of the rock - malleable calcarenite made from sandstone and time-ground fossils - at the edge of a precipitous ravine. As we walk through regular rain showers, I wonder how it all didn’t just wash away, but tufo, as it is more commonly called, for all its sandy texture is as strong as the generations after generations of people who carved out their lives in this rocky cavern.

The Sassi is believed to be the longest inhabited area in Europe, tracing its populations back to pre-historic times. The city’s archeological museum has many artefacts attesting to that from flint spear heads to extraordinarily beautiful Roman ceramics.

It also happens to have some remains of a pre-historic whale, discovered in nearby Lake Giuliano fairly recently. Its gargantuan body washed ashore over a million years ago and was no doubt picked clean by roving carnivores before its skeleton was covered by sand and eventually incarcerated and preserved by layers and layers of sediment hardened to create new land.

We sat and watched a beautifully realised immersive film projected onto two long walls of a darkened gallery, entered by curtain and triggered to run by our arrival. We sat on low seats and were soon submerged in an animated ocean described by a seductive narrative voice, speaking in Italian. English subtitles ran along the bottom of the short wall to our right but we could barely take our eyes off the transformed long wall to read them as we floated in its depths and witnessed the arrival of the giant whale, alive again and swimming right by us, filling the wall screen with its magnificent body, believed to have weighed between 130 and 150 tons. The narrator associated the leviathan with stories we’d know since childhood - Jonah and the Whale, Pinocchio; stories of men swallowed whole and trapped in the belly of a whale; given time to reflect on their mistakes before being belched back onto dry land once more - a second chance to do better this time.

The film ended and we felt a little bereft as we were deposited into the light and the next room - a small space that encased two pieces of the whale - part of its inner ear and a section of skull. The rest of the fossilised remains, including a rib that measures three meters, continue to yield knowledge about the little known Pleistocene era from which it came. Eventually, the Giuliano whale will be displayed in the museum. No doubt suspended in all its one hundred meter skeletal glory, sparking the imaginations of all who see her to write or dream of being swept inside this magnificent creature, and changed forever.

Later, we go into a cave dwelling, dark and organic, itself like the belly of a whale, furnished as it would have been in the early 20th century - a one-roomed home hewn from the stone. Shelved beds for large families each have tufo-carved cats snuggled into wool blankets - some things never change.

A voice rolls out from speakers a narrative in French, then English, then Italian, guiding our eyes to nooks and crannies displaying pieces of social history as tufo-carved members of the family (husband, wife, grandmother and various representative children) stand or sit silently in naive-style sculpted poses that betoken their roles.

The woman is preparing food for her husband who sits straight backed by the fireplace, presumably to ease a spine bent by a day’s labour. She looks at him as he stares ahead, a perpetual gaze that holds her unspoken thoughts and concerns. While grandmother sits at a loom, a young woman cradles a cloth baby: the oldest and youngest siblings most likely. I imagine childhood only lasted to the age of two or so, back then, before small hands and feet could be directed to useful work for the good of the family. The voice tells us that families were large, often as many as ten children but infant mortality was high. Hence the large families, I thought, to ensure enough children would survive to carry on the line and the endless work of subsisting.

Matera gave us so much that day. We walked all over the Sassi, weaving in and out of its lanes, dropping into an art gallery here, a chapel there or grander church. Stopping for coffee on a terrace to wait out a shower, walking the ravine-side path and leaning on its wall to eat a sandwich, taking in the magnificence of the view, watching walkers across the expanse explore the ancient once inhabited caves on that side, imagining nightly echoey calls across the divide from centuries past with news or requests or threats.

And finally finding Angeli’s for the best gelato in town. I had a thyme and mallow ice cream from its spotless stainless steel containers. Delicious.

Gianfranco appeared the next day as we were striking camp to hit the road for Pompeii. He was on a neat scooter, his glasses perched on his nose as he told us to taste the best cheese in Matera before we left. I looked to where he pointed under the scaffold starters gate, its red, amber, green lights recalling engine roars of impatient racing cars, and saw a small white van, it’s side door open displaying its white cheesy wares.

He looked eager, lean; a touch of the boy racer still about him, though he peered over his glasses, in middle-aged fashion. Can I take your picture, I asked? Prego, he said and posed happily, enjoying the limelight one more time.

For so many reasons, Matera is a special place, well worth a visit. But if you get a chance to stay on the Kartodromo site, you will be let into Gianfranco’s dream for a while of racing cars and movie stars and the best of everything Matera has to offer.

Madeleine

(Sassi at night photo by Alamy)

[ecle-c-tic]

Thank youuuu, @queenies-of-the-universe julia!! Sorry this took me so long, I had to deliberate lol (I am just putting everyone bc i cannot make decisions)

I added a 'read more' so, I'm tagging anyone who'd like to call themselves out like this!

--

Ana de Armas

Taron Egerton

Keira Knightley

Florence Pugh

Zoe Saldana

oh god really embarrassing myself now DON'T LOOK!

Spy Boi

Silver Fox

Gamer Boi

Joe Elliott

(He's just one heck of a gorgeous man, and I can never stop thinking about him.)

Cody Fern

(His muscles UwU and I love him in playing as Xavier plympton in "AHS 1984".)

Rick Allen

(He is just an amazing drummer and he is my #1 idol😊)

I'm tagging @de-luxeviolets @i-dont-want-your-hysteria @heaven-is-hysteria @everythingdeflepp @fuckyeahleppard @tuesdaysgone @joeelliott @awildkaitlynhasappeared @ballistic-lipstick-dream-machine @rocknrollinmyveins

[cf56]

Welcome to the final installation of "overanalyzing the Warners," at least for now. I present my ultimate Animaniacs fan theory: the Warners could have been dezanitized. In fact, they almost were.

This is going to be a very long post.

First, I want to talk about the fundamental nature of the Warner siblings as I see it. They are chaotic, they abide by only their own rules, they act as a painful check on society's uppity adults. Generally, the show presents it as if they are this way by default; that's just their character, and there's no changing it.

I have a different viewpoint. The Warners clearly have free will. Yes, they were created with certain fundamental character traits. That doesn't prevent them from changing, though. We all have fundamental personality traits we acquired at a very young age. Does that prevent us from changing our nature, or acting against it at times? Not at all. The Warners act the way they do because they choose to, not because they were pre-programmed to always be that way. Look at their origin: created to be zany cartoon stars, by an insane artist, which explains some of their more outlandish traits. However, they didn't rebel right away. For the first few years of their existence, they were mostly compliant, acting in company shorts and doing their best to play along. It was only five years later, after the company had enough of playing nice with them, that they began to run around acting crazy. This is all covered in the Warners' 65th Anniversary Special Episode, which I covered in my last big post. In that one, I talk about the events that led up to their contract's cancellation and their eventual capture in the tower. Is it possible that the cancellation, even after all of Wakko's hard work directing his own cartoon short, is what drove them to be so antagonistic to the studio? In any case, it's clear in my mind that this was a conscious choice on their part.

"We're the Warner Brothers!"

"Like the studio?"

"Not very much, but we don't have a choice." -Yakko

(Also, look at how offended Wakko is at the mere mention of the studio. If you watch the clip, his expression changes from happy to this at the very instant Pfeiffer mentions the studio.)

That leads me to the episode I'll be focusing on today, "Taming of the Screwy," Episode 5 of the original series. It's appropriate, and perhaps not a coincidence, that this episode takes place so early on in the series. I believe it sets the foundation for everything that comes after.

At the beginning of the episode, we see Dr. Scratchansniff in Mr. Plotz's office. Plotz tells Scratchansniff about an important party they'll be having in honor of some rich foreign investors, who want to meet every employee of the studio- including the Warners. Plotz orders the doctor to teach the Warners good manners and appropriate behavior for the party, which is in 24 hours. Scratchansniff doesn't seem confident in his ability to do this.

In the next scene, the Warners are delivered to his office.

I mostly posted this screenshot so I could point out the portrait of young Scratchansniff in the background there. Never noticed that before today.

The Warners start out with a nice little ditty about Scratchansniff, before he explains to them why they were brought in. They get very excited upon learning they've actually been invited to this big party with all the huge stars. Yakko wants to see Michelle Pfeiffer, Dot wants to see Mel Gibson (heh), and Wakko wants to see Don Knotz, of course. Scratchansniff then tells them that they have to be behaved, clean, and nice children if they want to go. He asks them if they're willing to abide by these terms, and, after discussion, they agree.

This is pretty interesting to me. The Warners can go anywhere they want. There's no doubt they could get into the party whether they were invited or not, and that does in fact happen in the last act of the episode. So, why agree to these terms that they're less than enthused about? It must be because they want to be included officially. They're willing to follow the normal rules and procedure, if they're given the opportunity to do so. The problem is, they're almost never given that opportunity by the studio, so they're forced to do it the chaotic and zany way instead. Their whole lives, the studio has deliberately barred them from feeling any sense of inclusion, making them feel like outsiders, and then gets upset when they act outside of the rules.

Moving on, Scratchansniff begins to teach the kids proper manners. I don't want to highlight every gag in this segment (I greatly recommend watching it for yourself- I think it's one of the funniest episodes), so I'll just summarize. In separate lessons, he tries to teach the Warners how to do a proper greeting, how to enunciate correctly, and how to eat politely. They fail at all of these tasks, but it's very clearly deliberate. They're actually listening to everything Scratchansniff says- they just wanted to have some fun in the process. At the end, when it seems like they're a lost cause, Scratchansniff disinvites them from the party, at which point they show him that they really have learned and perfected everything he's taught them. He asks them why they gave him such a hard time-

"'Cause we love ya!"

And he actually hugs them back!

Now understanding how they operate, Scratchansniff seems to be on their side. He proudly introduces them at the party, and the Warners perfectly follow the proper protocol.

Yakko even cracks a joke in Japanese to the Japanese investors, getting them to laugh. So, not only are they acting politely, but they immediately prove that they can be a great asset to the company if the studio would just let them be on its side.

Of course, the company immediately does the opposite. Just as the Warners get into the party and are about to join the festivities, Plotz orders Scratchansniff to kick the Warners out, because he believes they'll ruin the party (even after having just witnessed Yakko having great chemistry with the investors). Scratchansniff tries to argue against it, but there's not much he can do to stand up to the CEO, so he has to walk over and break the news. The Warners' reaction is one of the most heartbreaking things I've ever seen, period.

"Huh?"

To his credit, Scratchansniff does actually explain why he had to kick them out.

"But we behaved!"

Yakko never seems more like an actual child than right here. Scratchansniff apologizes and walks away.

This is the pivotal moment, not just in this episode, but the entire series. The Warners played along, did everything asked of them, only to be immediately betrayed, a promise broken. This is the moment any possibility of the Warners ever being dezanitized was shattered. They learned that if they try to play along with society's rules, that if they make an effort to be accepted, all they're gonna get is heartbreak. From this point on, they never genuinely try to be polite or "normal" ever again. To them, it's pointless. And it's hard to argue with them.

From the studio's perspective, Plotz dug his own grave, without ever realizing it. He had the Warners exactly where he wanted them. If he just let them stay at the party, prove that their efforts would be rewarded, it could have been the start of a new era. Maybe it wouldn't happen right away, but Scratchansniff would have had the ammunition he needed to work with them more, make real progress, and eventually teach them to control their zaniness. Plotz threw that all away, while continuing to solely blame the Warners for the way they act. These characters aren't even real, and it infuriates me.

The Warners predictably respond in the only way they know how, when they've been spurned by the studio once again. They go back to the party and cause chaos. They do whatever they want. Plotz tries to capture them, making things much worse. In the end, the investors are entertained by the Warners' antics and hand over the billion dollar check to them. Plotz then chases them in pursuit of the check, while Scratchansniff signals that the CEO has gone crazy himself. This ends the episode.

So, I don't think I have to summarize much. The point was made pretty clearly already. I do want to look at this from the writers' perspective. Do I think they intended to put all this deep layered character building in this episode? No, not really, but there are a few subtle hints here and there that seem to work a little too well with my theory. I think it's a possibility that they deliberately structured the plot this way, though it's still unlikely.

I think what this episode is truly meant to be is an important lesson for adults. Most of us probably remember a childhood experience where an adult told us to do something in the promise of a reward, only for that promise to be broken once you go through with their demands. It's a very powerless feeling, because adults always tell children not to lie and make false promises, when many of them don't seem to have an issue doing those things to children. Animaniacs is a very child-oriented show. By that I don't mean that it's childish, but that it shows the world through a child's perspective. According to the show bible, the Warners are meant to do the things children wish they could do to mean and arrogant adults. This episode attempts to teach the lesson that breaking promises to children will only result in mistrust and heartbreak- that children recognize hypocrisy just as well as the rest of us. The Warners do what we wished we could do as children by going back to the adults and basically sticking their tongues out in their faces.

Focusing back on the plot of the show, if anyone ever feels like the Warners are in the wrong for how they act, just watch this episode and you'll understand their perspective a lot better. The studio deserves every torment the Warners can give, because the studio is the one that created not just the Warners, but the conditions that make them do what they do. The studio then hypocritically tries to blame it entirely on the children they've deliberately mistreated since birth. Animaniacs is quite unique in that regard, because the main antagonist of the whole series is actually the very studio that produced the show in real life. I wonder if they ever realized it.

That about wraps it up. This is the last deep analysis I'll do for a long time, since I'm sure almost all Animaniacs discussion for the next few months will be centered around season 2 of the reboot.

(I also don't have any more ideas.)

[introvertguide]

The Road Movie

Most movies follow a general script type depending on genre, and this is used to tell a story that has a satisfying ending. It is interesting when a movie mixes up type and tone and goes against genre type. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it is terrible. Great directing and acting can make the subversion of expectations less jarring (or more depending on the end goal), but the end goal and tone allows us to attach a film to a genre. But what about films that aren't about the end goal? There are many films that are in a sub-genre that focus on the journey with little regard to the end goal. These are what are called "road movies" and can fall under many different genres since the end goal doesn't really matter. Let's address some famous road movies through the years that are also classified in a variety of other genres:

Huckleberry Finn (1931)

The OG of travel films, this was the sequel to Tom Sawyer (1930) and had the same child actors. This wasn't what you would call financially successful, but this was largely due to the Great Depression. The 1939 version of the movie did a lot better and was one of the well known films of child actor Mickey Rooney. This story of travel was an early role for many actors including Rooney, Ron Howard, and Elijah Wood. Although there were threats of death and portrayals of slavery, this film was considered a family adventure in the pre-code film era. I guess a boy escaping his abusive father in the company of an adult escaped slave where people are actively attempting to rob and kill them was considered a fun family romp in the early 30s. This was the same story that came from a book that was banned in schools during the 1980s. It is a great story and I love the works of Mark Twain; I am just surprised at the genre.

Stagecoach (1939)

This is a great movie that transcends the Western genre of which it is categorized. A group of people all have different reasons for traveling from an Arizona territory over to New Mexico. There is word of vengeful thieves and angry Apaches that threaten the small band of travelers. It is actually very intense because the threat feels very real throughout the film. The entire film focuses on the journey and the relationships forged (and broken) on the way. This was the breakout role for John Wayne and was part of an amazing string of films directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne.

Easy Rider (1969)

This is a film that really spoke to the hippie movement during the Vietnam Era. It is statement on how difficult it is to truly be free and how society fears that freedom and tries to destroy it. The film might very well have the worst dialogue of any movie I have ever seen. Actors Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper were actively using drugs throughout film production, so the real draw was the sweet rides and the moving soundtrack. This is a movie where I actually want more driving montages and less character development because I don't identify with the characters at all. Maybe it is a generational gap.

Paper Moon (1973)

This film is amazing. It is the story of a traveling grifter who takes a little girl on the road with him after her mother dies. He teaches her how to make a living cheating people and they form a father-daughter type of relationship. It is a comedy drama that won the girl an Oscar for best supporting actress when she was only 10. Some nice back story, the girl is Tatum O'Neal and is the actual daughter of the grifter, played by Ryan O'Neal. It is kind of strange, but this is a "coming of age" film on the road.

The Blues Brothers (1980)

Now this is what I am talking about. Two brothers go on a trip after being released from jail because they got a message from God. I am pretty sure that this film still holds the record for most crashed vehicles in a single movie. It is also interesting that the film is technically a musical. The brothers stop at different locations and songs break out. In between stops, they are chased by the police in an almost demolition derby style chase. I really enjoy this movie and believe that it really keeps a fast pace (literally and figuratively), but, like many road films, I can't say it is good because it is more of an experience than a story.

Thelma and Louise (1991)

This was an interesting twist on the "run from the law" type of film. Two women are friends and decide go on a weekend retreat. They get in trouble after killing a man who tries to assault them and have to run from the authorities. It has a reputation for being very feminist (despite being directed by accused mesogenist Ridley Scott) because of the negative portrayal of men. It obviously wasn't that bad since it was nominated for 6 Oscars including both leads for best actress. In fact, Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon were both nominated for best actress at the Academy Awards, the BAFTAs, and the Golden Globes. It is the quintessential road film since the end goal is constantly changing and best defined as "away from here."

Natural Bork Killers (1994)

This was kind of a strange film. It is a crime drama where the audience follows two killers with traumatic childhoods as they meet and go on a murder spree. Similar to Bonnie and Clyde, but with gory murders as the focus over bank robberies. It is directed by Oliver Stone, and criticizes the glorification of violence by the media. It is most definitely a road movie because the end goal for the two is simply to be together and enjoy the rush of breaking the law. Hm. It is actually quite a bit like Bonnie and Clyde. Interesting. I would like to make a note that my mom hates this film because of the shaky cam and Dutch angles. It made her feel sick at the theater.

Road Trip (2000)

OK. This is far and away my least favorite film on this list, but it is the most famous "boner road comedy" that I am familiar with. It is a high school/college coming-of-age film that focus on the sexual pursuits of a group of young men. These types of films are marked with gross out humor, gratuitous nudity, and boys trying to have sex. There was a bunch of films like this that came out around the early 2000s and they all had to do with boys traveling some place in search of idealized sex (the plot on this one is a little different, something to do with a sex tape) and generally they find that the best girl for them was there by them all along. It takes a nice idea of character development and throws raunchy jokes and boobs at it. I was not a fan, but it was definitely a thing.

Death Proof (2007)

This is much better shlock. It is the Tarantino version of exploitation grindhouse films of the seventies, but updated to be a women empowerment film. It was part of a double feature that was paired with a horrific zombie outbreak film directed by Rod Rodriguez, but this one is much better on its own. It is the story of an old stunt man who travels around looking for unsuspecting victims whom he can run down in his indestructible car. This is a great example of what a road movie can be because Tarantino took the concept of a slasher and put it completely on the road.

Mad Max Fury Road (2015)

Here is an action revenge film in a post-apocalyptic wasteland where most of the film is driving. The producers couldn't find a director who they trusted with remaking George Miller's Mad Max franchise so the 70 year old Miller said "hold my beer" and made this masterpiece that is arguably better than any of the first three (edit: I guess Miller always intended to direct but it took so long to go into production that he joked in interviews about giving up on it). The original trilogy with Mel Gibson presents an amazing world where most people are nomadic and traveling can be a life or death proposition. Fury Road is the further adventures of the character and his interaction with one Furiosa. The use of many practical effects on moving vehicles that was garnished with CG effects made for one of the best action films in the last decade. It was more than a simple movie about traveling; it was a land were the road was life and everything surrounded the ability to be mobile enough to get supplies in a dead world.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is by no means all of the road movies. The Wizard of Oz is technically a road movie. The Grapes of Wrath is a critically acclaimed road movie from around the same time. Comedies like The Cannonball Run, Smokey and the Bandit, and National Lampoon's Vacation can all be classified in the genre. Rain Man is one of the best films of all time and it can be classified as a road movie. What it comes down to is that, when considering characters, a writer should think about the journey itself and think of how the leads interact with this entity. The road might be the best character in the whole story.

[brokehorrorfan]

4K Ultra HD Review: Mad Max

Much like actors are prone to typecasting, so too are filmmakers often pigeonholed in the genre in which they first find success. When doctor-turned-director George Miller made his propitious debut with 1979's Mad Max and followed it up with two sequels over the next six years, he seemed destined to continue to work in action. Instead, the Australian filmmaker explored comedy (The Witches of Eastwick), drama (Lorenzo's Oil), and family fare (Babe: Pig in the City, Happy Feet) before returning to his roots with Mad Max: Fury Road, earning six Academy Awards.

Miller's skill in the visual medium was apparent from the start with Mad Max. Rather than highlighting Australia's lush landscapes, he and director of photography David Eggby (Pitch Black, Scooby-Doo) show a desolate, muted Melbourne. While it's often overshadowed by the ostentatious, post-apocalyptic dystopia of its sequels, the original film depicts a near-future that takes place prior to - but on the cusp of - the complete collapse of society. Miller and co-writer James McCausland maintain a sliver of normalcy, but an energy crisis has triggered the beginning of the end.

Mad Max wastes no time getting to the madness, opening with a reckless, high-speed chase in which the unruly gang wreaking havoc on the streets of Australia kills one of the few remaining members of the disheveled police force attempting to uphold the law. Leather-clad lawman Max Rockatansky (a young Mel Gibson) joins the hunt, and it becomes personal when the gang's ringleader, Toecutter (Hugh Keays-Byrne, who also plays the villainous Immortan Joe in Mad Max: Fury Road), targets his wife (Joanne Samuel) and infant son. The rage-filled Max takes his supercharged car and seeks vengeance against the leader and his loyal acolytes.

Mad Max may be tame by today’s standards, particularly when compared to the insanity that would follow in the franchise, but consider the context upon its initial release. This low-budget, independent film from a first-time filmmaker with an inexperienced cast and crew in Australia unexpectedly delivered 93 minutes of the most death-defying stunts committed to celluloid at the time. The cast and crew threw caution to the wind, resulting in a palpable sense of danger, while dramatic elements accentuate the action.

Mad Max drives onto 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. It has been restored in 4K from original elements with Dolby Vision High Dynamic Range, resulting in a sharp, vibrant picture that blows the previous Blu-ray releases from Scream Factory and MGM out of the water. Three audio options are available: the original mono Australian track, a 5.1 lossless Australian track (in which the many explosions and crashes sound massive), and the American dub. A slipcover with alternate artwork is included.

Both the 4K UHD and Blu-ray discs include a casual, enjoyable audio commentary by Eggby, art director Jon Dowding, and special effects artist Chris Murray, while the Blu-ray houses the rest of the special features. Most notably, Miller sits down for a new, 30-minute interview about the film and its legacy. It's filmed via video chat due to Covid-19, but it's great to have the director's input, as he was absent from previous editions. He discusses the movie's origins as a contemporary story, being smitten by Gibon's audition, the guerilla filmmaking tactics, and more.

Scream Factory's 2015 interview featurette with Gibson (who looks back on the film with fondness and honesty), Samuel, and Eggby is ported over, as are two mini-documentaries produced by MGM in 2002: Mad Max: The Film Phenomenon, a 25-minute piece about the movie's impact, and Mel Gibson: Birth of a Superstar, a 16-minute featurette about Gibson’s rise to fame featuring Eggby, actors Piper Laurie (Carrie) and John Jarratt (Wolf Creek), and more. Other extras include a trailer commentary by writer Josh Olson (A History of Violence), two theatrical trailers, three TV spots, and three radio spots.

Mad Max is available now on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray via Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

[365days365movies]

January 29, 2021: Mad Max (1979)

I’ve made it no secret how much I love the movie Mad Max Fury Road.

It’s a chase movie through the dystopian Australian desert featuring guys in souped-up, tricked out cars and motorcycles, and Charlize Theron has one metal arm and is a bad-ass, and also this shit.

Look, I’m not exactly a testosterone-fueled basic bro, but...COME ON MAN THIS MOVIE ROCKS. I just love it SO MUCH. So, why the hell haven’t I seen the other movies in this franchise, all of whom are directed by the same person? Well, my answer to that is the same as it always is.

I genuinely don’t know. I just never have. BUT THIS IS ACTION JANUARY! What better time to fill in this missing blank than RIGHT GODDAMN NOW?

LET’S GO. SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Recap

So, it’s “a few years from now,” in Australia. Given the past year, this has become slightly more realistic, but anyway. A cop-killer named Nightrider (Vincent Gil) is on the loose, and the cops are on the case. Soon, an entire platoon appears to be chasing the Nightrider and his girlfriend. All the while, we get a glimpse of another policeman, gearing up to join the chase.

We get some car chase action, crashes included, with a couple of cars destroyed, a phone booth tipped over, half of an RV demolished, and one cop possibly dead. All the while, a car labeled Interceptor pulls onto the road, ready to join the case.

The driver of the Interceptor is none other than Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson), who, uh...intercepts. Also...Rockatansky? Is...is that silly or the best last name I’ve ever heard? I genuinely do not know, and that disturbs me. 

They drive right into a construction zone, with Max right behind, and Nightrider’s car explodes, and Max stops in time, and we get our first full look at him as he stares on, surprised.

Max goes home to his wife and son, who are totally gonna be alive by the end of this movie, probably throughout the whole franchise. He heads to work the next morning to meet with a colleague, Goose (Steve Bisley), a motorcycle cop who broke his leg in the chase. With a friend, they’ve put together a new car, a Pursuit Special.

This, however, appears to be some kind of plot by two high-ups, Commissioner Laboutache (Jonathan Hardy) and “Fifi” Macaffee (Roger Ward). Seems like they’ve provided the car to keep Max on the force, as he’s their top cop, and yearns to quit the force. I can only assume that it’s because of his wife and kids, who will definitely be alive by the end of this movie. The proof of that just KEEPS PILING UP.

Max appears high in demand today, though, as a group of motorcycling nomads ride into a small town, looking for the body of Nightrider. They’re led by the TOTALLY SANE Toecutter (Hugh Keays-Byrne), and they wreak havoc on the town and its citizens. A young couple try to escape the town, but they soon find themselves chased by the gang, their car is destroyed, and they are...well, they aren’t killed, but it’s not good.

Their fate is soon discovered by Max and Goose. The young man is seen running away, the girl is rescued, and a drugged-up gang member is discovered screaming “Nightrider!” Max and Goose now have an idea of what’s going on.

The gang member, Johnny the Boy (Tim Burns), is arrested and brought back to HQ. Toecutter’s right-hand man, Bubba Zanetti (Geoff Parry), is sent back to get him. To be specific, he sends his attorneys to fetch Johnny. On the day of his trial, nobody shows up, including the young couple. Therefore, Johnny’s allowed to walk. Goose is NOT OK with that outcome, and assaults Johnny and his attorneys.

Back with Toecutter, Johnny Boy is almost killed, as the group find some surveillance devices planted on a...manakin? Yeah, they have this weird sexual fascination with a realistic shop manakin, and the cops bugged it. Not sure what else to tell you, that’s just what happens.

The next day, Goose leaves home, and we see that Johnny Boy’s figured out where he lives, as he’s waiting outside. Goose rides to work, but the wheels of his motorcycle look up, and he FLIES off the highway.

He’s...completely OK? Yeah, like, he’s totally fine. No idea how the hell THAT happened, and the guy that picks him up shares my sentiments. Goose borrows the man’s truck, and heads out, but Johnny Boi intercepts him with a well-thrown brake drum. HA! He stops him with brakes.

The truck crashes, and Goose is still surprisingly alright as Toecutter arrives. Toecutter, violently ant-cop, orders Johnny Boy to set the truck and Goose on fire, as it’s leaking fuel. Johnny doesn’t want to, but Toecutter gets it done anyway. Geez, what is it with action movies and guys named Goose? LEAVE GEESE ALONE, MOVIES!

At the hospital, Max arrives to see his critically injured partner, who’s badly burned and on a respirator. Max is VERY affected by his old friend’s massive injuries, and heads home. He quits, for good this time, although Fifi insists otherwise. Max insists that he’s scared that he’ll begin to enjoy the danger of it too much, and would rather stay rational for the sake of his family. Fifi convinces him to simply take a few weeks off, and think about it further.

So, Max takes the time off, going on vacation with his family. He talks to his wife Jess (Joanne Samuel) about his father, and his feelings for her, and they’re toooootally gonna live until the end of the movie.

They stop in a town, and stop at a shop to fix the car. Jess takes her son to a beach get some ice cream. And also staying at the beach is...Toecutter and his gang…yup. Yup, here we go. They obviously assault, since ME WANT WOMAN OONGA BOONGA, and she escapes with their son. She picks up Max, and they take off. 

Feeling unsafe, the family heads to a friend’ s farm to stay safe and fix up their car. Jess goes down to the beach near the farm...and so does Toecutter and his gang. On her way back through the forest (how much property do these people OWN), she finds herself followed by the gang. And then, she…

...makes it back to Max. Huh. I was sure she was a goner. Anyway, Max gets their friend to take her back to the house, and he goes hunting for them. However...their son is still out there. Shit.

Jess, a devoted mother, goes to find him, only to find him in the hands of Toecutter and his men. But damn, they’re SAVED by their friend, May Swaisey (Shiela Florence), who comes with a gun in tow. She fires it, alerting Max to the trouble, then grabs the baby alongside Shields. They flee, with Toecutter’s gang eventually escaping.

Unfortunately, Max never finished fixing the car, and it dies on the highway, with the gang in hot pursuit. Despite May’s best efforts…

Fuck.

Sprog’s dead. And Jess is in a coma, and they say that she’s going to recover. But, uh...yeah, that doesn’t matter to Max. After Goose, Jess, and HIS SON? Toecutter’s DEAD. And Max goes and gets his car at the police station. First stop is the mechanic from earlier, who told Toecutter where they were. And Max ain’t playing around at this point.

Turns out that the group hangs by the beaches in order to intercept fuel trucks, and siphon off their fuel. With that intel, Max goes hunting. And OH BOY, he’s out for blood.

He runs four of them off a bridge, then heads to find more.  He goes after more, then sees someone downed in a field. Unfortunately, it’s an ambush, and Johnny, Bubba, and Toecutter shoot him in the leg and run over his hand. Bubba tries to run him over, but gets shot in the process. Johnny and Toecutter take off, as a...falcon begins to eat Bubba?

Yeah...yeah ABSOLUTELY not how falcons work, but OK then.

Max runs Toecutter down in his car, then causes him to ram into an oncoming truck. We get some CRAZY ASS EYE SHOTS (they are weird), and Toecutter bites it...in a really unceremonious fashion, considering that he was the one to kill your son. Anticlimactic, but OK.

Still gotta find Johnny, though, and Max drives all night in search of him, only to find him having killed a man and driven his car off the road. Max meets him at gunpoint, and cuffs him to the downed car as be begs for his life, claiming his own innocence. Doesn’t matter at this point, though.

And that...is Mad Max. Huh. That was...interesting. And somehow, very different than I expected! But here’s the deal...

No Epilogue.

Yup, I’m tackling ALL of the Mad Max films at the same time! See you tomorrow for the next one!

January 30, 2021: Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)

[dipulb3]

Analysis: Female directors are having a moment

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/analysis-female-directors-are-having-a-moment/

Analysis: Female directors are having a moment

In the year of our Lord 2021, it feels like female directors are finally getting more opportunities — and more acknowledgment.

Take, for example, this past Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards.

Three women were nominated in the best director category for the first time.

Only one woman had ever won the category prior to Sunday, and that was Barbra Streisand in 1984 for “Yentl.”

Here are some of the women who are making waves and headlines in Hollywood:

Chloé Zhao: The “Nomadland” director became the first woman of Asian descent and only the second woman ever to win the best director award at this year’s Golden Globes.

The film’s star, Frances McDormand, told The New York Times Zhao really understood the actress’ affinity for the character who packs up her life in a van and becomes part of an older community of people who work odd jobs across the country.

“Chloé tapped into the truth of it which was at different points of my life, I’ve said to my husband, ‘I can’t take this anymore, I’m dropping out,'” McDormand said.

Regina King: The acclaimed actress-turned-director was up against Zhao at the Globes.

She has been on quite a streak in her career the past few years, including nabbing the best supporting actress Oscar for “If Beale Street Could Talk” in 2019.

Now, the former child star is being hailed for her big screen directorial debut in “One Night in Miami,” adapted from Kemp Powers’ stage play about a meeting between Cassius Clay, Jim Brown, Sam Cooke and Malcolm X.

The night of the Golden Globes, King told “E!” it was “bittersweet” that she, Zhao and Emerald Fennell marked the first trio of female nominees, given that this is 2021.

Emerald Fennell: Another actress who has stepped behind the camera (we are starting to see a trend here), she has received critical acclaim for writing, directing and producing the thriller “Promising Young Woman,” starring Carey Mulligan.

The movie is not only cheeky but gets into some uncomfortable territory, so much so that it has been praised for turning the revenge genre on its ear.

“It’s just part of the fun of making something, the smoke and mirrors and the misdirections,” Fennell told IndieWire. “I love all that stuff, all of my favorite movies have that sort of thing in them. It’s very interesting, isn’t it, how much we want violence, how much instinctively as an audience we’re begging for blood.”

Robin Wright: “The House of Cards” star did some directing on that Netflix series, so she wasn’t a total neophyte when it came to both starring in and directing her first feature film, “Land.”

Wright plays a woman struck by a family tragedy who gives up her successful life in the big city and moves to a remote area in Wyoming.

She told Women’s Wear Daily that she was delighted with the film’s reception so far.

“We feel so blessed that people are feeling the movie,” Wright said. “It is very relevant to what’s going on today, of being disconnected from our loved ones. We’re not living the norm. The message in this movie is about that very thing.”

These leading female directors represent just a handful of creatives proving women are making inroads on the Hollywood scene.

The numbers don’t lie: For the second consecutive year, the percentages of women directing top-grossing films increased, reaching “recent historic highs,” while the overall percentages of women working in key behind-the-scenes roles remained relatively stable, according to a study by San Diego State University released in January.

“Women accounted for 16% of directors working on the top 100 grossing films in 2020, up from 12% in 2019 and 4% in 2018,” wrote study author Martha M. Lauzen, founder and executive director of SDSU’s Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film. “Women comprised 18% of directors on the top 250 films in 2020, up from 13% in 2019 and 8% in 2018.”

A rising tide raises all ships, especially when a woman is at the helm, so here’s to more female directors on the horizon.

For your weekend

Three things to watch:

‘Coming 2 America’

Prince Akeem and Semmi are heading back to Queens, New York. Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall reprise their respective roles for the sequel to the hit 1988 film.

This time the prince is in search of his son and heir to the kingdom of Zamunda. My question is what have the rose petal droppers been up to all this time?

“Coming 2 America” starts streaming Friday on Amazon Prime.

‘Boss Level’

Former special forces agent Roy Pulver (Frank Grillo) is trapped in a time loop that constantly repeats the day of his murder. To break the cycle, he must hunt down Col. Clive Ventor (Mel Gibson) while also trying to save his ex-wife (Naomi Watts).

That sounds like some seriously fast-paced action.

“Boss Level” starts streaming Friday on Hulu.

‘Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell’

March 9 marks the 24th anniversary of the unsolved murder of rapper Christopher Wallace, aka Biggie Smalls or The Notorious B.I.G., at age 24.

Arguably one of the best and most beloved hip-hop artists of all time, Wallace is the subject of a new doc that looks at the legacy of his life and death. Currently streaming on Netflix, with “rare footage and in-depth interviews, this documentary celebrates the life of The Notorious B.I.G. on his journey from hustler to rap king.”

So, call your friends and let them know so your crew run-run-run, your crew run-run to catch it.

Two things to listen to:

Sweden has blessed us with the likes of ABBA and Spotify. Now add Zara Larsson to that list.

The 23-year-old singer, who got her start as a youngster on a TV talent show, is dropping her third studio album, “Poster Girl,” on Friday.

March is the month we celebrate women — and who is more empowering than Oprah Winfrey?

The answer to that is no one.

Check out “Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversation‪s” podcast if you want to feel motivated, inspired or just need the uplifting vibe that is trademark Oprah. ‬

One thing to talk about:

Are we over awards shows?

My Appradab colleague Brian Lowry reported that “Globes ratings plummeted more than 60% from the 18.3 million viewers who watched last year, per Nielsen data, to an average audience of 6.9 million.”

Yikes.

With the pandemic going on you would think plenty of people would be tuning in to shows like the Golden Globes, but, apparently, not. Even in a “normal year,” there seems to be less enthusiasm for award shows than there used to be, and that begs the question if Hollywood needs to find a different way to celebrate the industry.

The pandemic is causing us all to reevaluate things.

Something to sip on

Looking for a new show to watch? We asked some of our friends around Appradab what TV binge has helped them decompress in the time of Covid.

Phil Mattingly, senior White House correspondent

I basically have an encyclopedic knowledge of Bravo shows due to my wife’s fandom/the disappearance of sports the first few month of Covid. Not sure I should acknowledge that publicly.

Alisyn Camerota, Appradab New Day anchor

I’ve been watching “Succession.” It depicts a dysfunctional, rotten world, and somehow I find that soothingly distracting from our daily stress.

Stephanie Elam, Appradab correspondent

Fantasy, take me away! I’ve turned to shows that allow me to escape reality — “Once Upon a Time” with my daughter, “Lovecraft Country” and “His Dark Materials” without her.

Ana Cabrera, Appradab Newsroom anchor

“Criminal Minds” on Netflix. I know it’s old, but I’m a newcomer to it! I’m a sucker for mystery and suspense.

Pop back here next Thursday for all the latest entertainment happenings that matter.

[m39]

I’m rambling about June Egbert before my Homestuck^2 break starts.

Originally, this was supposed to be posted day after 6/12 but I’m posting it now because I’m sick of Homestuck^2.

For those who don’t know what I’m talking about and/or lived under the rock for a decade, June Egbert is a very popular headcanon of a Trans woman version of John. To this day I’m still confused how it all happened. Don't get me wrong, I’m not saying that the idea of John becoming Trans woman is bad, far from it, I just find this headcanon overrated. Maybe I find it all overrated because my mind is not woke enough and I can’t analyze/find the most miniscule things that (supposedly) indicate that John is actually Trans. But hey, that’s just me.

Besides being overrated, I have two major problems with June headcanon.

The first one is: How June will become canon?      

Now before you start scratching your heads thinking Wait wha-, a quick summary: Someone found a magical, genie-tier Toblerone that Hussie had hidden, and her wish was for June to become canon. This makes me go questioning myself on how the flying fuck can she actually become canon. The best possible scenario that I can come out with is that June Egbert is from yet another, third timeline (not the Alpha one). It would made most of the sense since in over 11 years since the release and 8000+ pages of the original comic, John had never shown any thoughts that he was born in wrong body, neither with him expressing feelings about it. It’s basic writing 101: when you create the character who is Trans, do not use a character that was never indicated to be Trans. Sure, both Johns from both timelines are not exactly the same as the Alpha John, but there were still no clear examples/proof that one of them were trans in Epilogues and/or Homestuck^2. Candy John shaving his mustache? Well it might indicate that he decided to clean himself up, start a life once more by getting over the fact that his timeline is (possibly) the doomed timeline and have a time of his life. The same John wearing his God-Tier pajamas? It can be shown as a joke that he’s not a teenager anymore but a 38 years old fart who outgrown his old clothes and forgot to change it to his current size. There are still other things similar to these but I am mostly focusing on the Homestuck^2 stuff so, yeah.

The second problem is the one that I find more… sickening for the lack of better words. Some people tend to act like John never existed at all.

They act like he was always named June. They act like he was always Trans. They are calling him June in the comments despite the fact that it’s still John that we see! I saw one comic with A young man stands in- text with its author blurring out the word man in it!! These people are calling other artists transphobes for just drawing John!!! ALL OVER SOMEONE WHO DIDN’T EVEN APPEAR IN THE DUBIOUSLY CANON SEQUEL TO THE ORIGINAL COMIC AND ITS EPILOGUES!!!!!!!

You struggle to calm yourself.

This feels like taking a dumb over Hussie’s work. John doesn’t deserve this shit! I mean, we are talking about the guy who was with us from the very beginning! He is considered the main character of Homestuck! And now what? We are supposed to dumb him to the trashcan like some worthless filth?! After 8000+ pages of Homestuck?! All over one version of him that never appeared in official media?! Never had a single page with her showing up?! Never spoke?! What is wrong with you people?!

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t draw June. You want to draw her? Great, good for you. There are many drawings of her that I love. But please, don’t spread the idea of June at the cost of John himself. Both John and June can coexist together.

I am not however ending on the negative vibe. I’ll go more neutral to tell you my headcanon look for June, both her normal clothes and her own version of her god-tier clothes to distinct her look from John. So her normal clothes would be just the original John’s clothes that we saw in the beginning of Homestuck. It would basically look like that drawing @sarcasmprodigy did of June wearing cargo shorts or something like that. As for her God-tier outfit, I would change a few things. First, instead of a normal shirt, she would wear a tank-top. Second, her outfit would have more yellow-colored zigzags/ornaments/elements overall. Finally, while still wearing Heir’s pants, June would also wear a puffy ass skirt. It would be hilarious and adorable at the same time.

And, well, that’s it. It’s time for me to leave Calliope’s Insanity Land and Caliborn’s Theory Goldmine.

You stand up. You take a deep breath.

I feel free.

maniacal giggling

Now, there is one last thing for me to do.

See you all next time.

You exit your room.

Bogan: Y̶o̴u̵ ̶k̵n̵o̵w̵ ̷t̸h̵e̵y̵ ̴w̸i̷l̶l̵ ̴l̸i̴k̵e̸,̶ ̶s̵k̶i̷n̷ ̶y̵o̵u̵ ̷a̵l̴i̷v̴e̷ ̴f̴o̸r̶ ̴w̵h̶a̴t̶ ̷y̴o̵u̴ ̷s̴a̷i̵d̶,̶ ̷r̴i̵g̶h̴t̵?̸

I know…

You put a gigantic target wheel on yourself.

AND I DON’T GIVE A SINGLE FUCK ABOUT IT!!! WHOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

You burst through the exit door screaming “freedom” like Mel Gibson in “Braveheart”

[aion-rsa]

Rome: The Long Road of the Original HBO Epic

https://ift.tt/36frbPD

It was the biggest show ever produced when it premiered on HBO. Filming in exotic international locations and on sets that went on for blocks, it was an epic spectacle that many whispered couldn’t be done on television. Not with its hundreds of extras in lavish costumes, and not with its cast of more than a dozen major characters. Yet HBO gambled big with a budget that exceeded $100 million on its first season.

These details might be mistaken by many as the genesis of Game of Thrones. But before HBO’s song of ice and fire, this was also the origin of the first actual modern TV epic. It was the story of Rome.

In its debut, Rome was even more gargantuan in scale and opulent in design than Thrones’ first few years. Filmed at the legendary facilities of Cinecittà Studios in the actual Rome, HBO and showrunner Bruno Heller oversaw a vast recreation of antiquity during the life and times of Julius Caesar. From the austere grandeur of the pre-imperial Roman Forum to the eventual seediness of the gangs on the Aventine Hill, the final days of the Roman republic were reimagined in sweaty, shocking, and spectacularly expensive detail.

“We used the most modern scholarship, which suggests that all the sculptures were painted,” Heller says over Zoom as we reminisce about Rome and its Cinecittà extravagance 15 years after the series’ 2005 premiere. Every morning Heller would  be up at 4am, arriving early on set and getting lost in the art direction’s colors. “Walking out there at dawn into the Forum and seeing this world created, it was just magical. It gives me goosebumps now thinking about it, seeing a hundred [Gaul] tribesmen on horseback with great furry helmets charging down a hillside yelling, that sort of thing. No one makes things like that anymore. Even something like Game of Thrones would use CGI for the kind of things that we were doing for real.”

Actor Kevin McKidd, who played one half of Rome’s soul, the honorable to a fault Lucius Vorenus, expresses similar awe when he thinks back at what they accomplished.

“I mean listen, none of these budgets were small, but I think Game of Thrones ended up being smaller than ours,” McKidd correctly points out. Whereas Rome was budgeted at $100 million when it premiered, Game of Thrones debuted with a more reasonable starting price tag of $60 million. Says McKidd, “Ours, it was the first time anybody had tried this, so we just had to spend the money. And I think they figured out, it seems, ways to do it smarter or for less… because our show came out of the gate just huge and bawdy and big, and unapologetic.”

Heller is even more succinct in describing Rome’s making.

“Most films, and even TV, is planning for battle,” Heller says. “Planning for a big TV series like [Rome] is like planning for war, for a campaign. It’s invading Russia.” He pauses, “You have to think about the retreat, as well.”

This was Rome’s war: brief, bloody, and beautiful.

‘Very Unlikely to Be Made’

When HBO first hired Heller to take a crack at a Rome treatment, he didn’t think for a minute it would get made. In the early 2000s, HBO was a different place than it is now. The Sopranos and Sex and the City of course turned the premium cable network into the leader of the prestige cable revolution—or harbinger of peak TV as it would later be called—and the network had its eye on bigger and more dazzling projects. In 2001 HBO even released the most expensive miniseries ever up to that point with Band of Brothers. But that World War II-set series also had the names Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks attached as producers. The network still relied on bankability.

So when Heller took a meeting about Rome, he was acutely aware he’d be unable to lend that same prestige to a sword and sandals epic. He’d written some scripts before at HBO and admired the vision of then-HBO chairman Chris Albrecht and Carolyn Strauss, then-president of HBO’s entertainment division. But he was being called in to discuss a show based on a preexisting miniseries pitch by John Milius and William J. MacDonald—a pitch the network was already wary toward.

“It’s one of those projects that’s really going for broke and very unlikely to be made, [given] the budget that was required,” Heller recalls of HBO’s attitude toward Milius and his vision. “They were paying me to write a script to take it at least to a respectable point at which time they can say, ‘Okay, thank you.’”

Citing himself as “cheap” at the time, Heller recognized it was easier to pay a young writer for a treatment than a whole production crew for a pilot. So he used the opportunity as an excuse to immerse himself in Roman history and lore. This began via conversations with his co-creators Milius and MacDonald. Their central conceit already had in place the three characters of young Octavian, the boy who would be Augustus, first Emperor of Rome, as well as Roman centurions Titus Pullo and Lucius Vorenus.

In history, as with the series, Pullo and Vorenus were the only Roman soldiers who Julius Caesar mentioned by name in his journals. But other than being Roman centurions in the 13th Legion, not much else is known of the men. And Heller took his first major liberty when he lit on the idea of changing Pullo from a centurion to a coarse, insubordinate soldier beneath Vorenus’ command.

It was a savvy move that mapped the heart of the Rome series. Whereas most other fictions about this oft-dramatized era in history focused on the lives of the legendary patricians—be it Caesar and Octavian, or Marc Antony and Cleopatra—Rome would maintain all those characters and the lower tiers in daily Roman life. Through the introduction of Pullo and Vorenus, and their contentious friendship, the fall of the Roman republic suddenly becomes an upstairs/downstairs dramedy.

Says Heller, “The model that first sparked me on ‘oh, this is how to play it’ was [Tom Stoppard’s] Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, because the larger story is so well known, like Hamlet, that it’s hard to tell that story. The downstairs story has to be more compelling than the upstairs story, because the upstairs story, a little like Batman, is a given. It’s a myth. Everyone knows what happens.”

It also allowed Heller to dive into modern research.

“There was a lot of very recent scholarship at that time that transformed people’s sense of what Roman [history] was,” Heller explains. “There was much more about the everyday life of Roman people, about how people would have lived in apartment blocks in the insular working class life, and looking at it from that modern perspective.”

Reflecting on the dirtiness and filth that would be in the Roman Forum, the showrunner adds, “It’s lucky that practically every previous representation of Rome on any scale kind of went for the grand imperial late Edward Gibbon velvet drapes and marble columns. Even Gladiator went for that. Whereas, in fact, it looked much more like Calcutta or Bombay, and smelled like that.”

This also provided the writer the chance to explore Roman culture and custom with a greater push for authenticity than many Hollywood films of yore. For example, Heller attempted to learn how to read Latin at least as well as the uneducated Pullo—though he says he only got about as far as being able to recognize “oh that’s a pub” if he were walking the streets. More successfully he came to understand his vision of the Pagan working class mentality when he wrote a scene of Pullo praying to Portunus, the Roman god of locks and keys.

It all informed an extravagant treatment for a series he’d end up writing half the episodes of (and he tells us all 22 installments of the show passed through his typewriter before shooting). Yet, at least per the co-creator, what got Rome greenlit was as much his innovations as the developments of an entirely different epic series at HBO.

“[Chris Albrecht] was looking for something that had to be big and that they had to put money behind,” Heller says. “I think it was going to be Mel Gibson doing Alexander.” Indeed, at the same time HBO was developing Rome, the network was also working with the then-beloved Oscar winning director behind Braveheart for a 10-part series on Macedonian conquest.

“Then it turned out that Mel Gibson was going to do Alexander but he wouldn’t be Alexander,” Heller says. “[But] they didn’t want to be in business with Mel Gibson as a director-producer without Mel Gibson as [the star].”

As Gibson’s project imploded, Rome’s prospects would rise, sans any stars. Clearly things in the entertainment industry were about to change.

A Bottle of Tequila in the Roman Forum

When speaking with McKidd over Zoom, the actor’s affection for Rome is profound. Not 20 feet from his screen rests Lucius Vorenus’ sword, which he safely keeps in his own home. Similarly, within the actor’s mind resides nothing but warm memories. He reminisces about seeing his children spend summers growing up around the actual ruins of the Roman Forum and Colosseum during production; and he savors still the long nights at Cinecittà with British theater legends like Kenneth Cranham, a fellow Scotsman who played Pompey Magnus.

“It was an incredibly social time,” says McKidd. “It was almost like summer camp for British actors. We all got to live there; we went out for long dinners every night and we’d speak to Kenneth and all the older actors, who told us such amazing stories about all their time in the theater.”

But one relationship, perhaps the most significant of the entire series, was that shared by McKidd and his co-star Ray Stevenson, aka Titus Pullo. While there were of course other vital parts to the series, from worldly Ciarián Hinds as Caesar to Tobias Menzies’ despairingly well-intentioned Brutus—and one must never overlook Polly Walker’s Machiavellian Atia of the Julii (Heller’s favorite character)—the heart and soul of the series belongs to Pullo and Vorenus, the odd couple of 48 BCE.

Off-screen McKidd and Stevenson had known each other for years through mutual friends, but it wasn’t until they were in the final round of chemistry auditions in a Covent Garden hotel that they began a significant lifelong friendship. But then, it was a late epiphany to cast the red-haired and fiery McKidd as the straight-laced Vorenus.

For the actor, the process began early when he bumped into Heller, as well as executive producer Anne Thomopoulos and director Michael Apted, while in Romania. At the time, McKidd was there filming the TV movie Gunpowder, Treason & Plot (2004), as it was cheaper to shoot a period piece about 16th century Scottish court intrigue in eastern Europe than actual Scotland. The Rome team was entertaining a similar idea.

“I’m strutting around in my thigh-high leather boots and period costume, and we’re riding horses and swinging swords, and all that stuff and having a great old time,” says McKidd. “And I hear these American voices in the corridor, so I come out, and here is this guy called Bruno Heller.” They immediately got to chatting about the Danny Boyle movie McKidd did, Trainspotting (1996), and about this new TV series focused on ancient Rome. McKidd quickly prepared with his current director a film reel of himself riding horses.

Yet when HBO finally sent him a script, the producers didn’t want him for the Vorenus role; they saw him as Pullo.

Read more

TV

HBO’s Rome Ending Was Originally Very Different

By David Crow

Movies

Why Gladiator Continues to Echo Through Eternity

By David Crow

On the casting process, McKidd remembers, “I said to them, ‘I’d love to come in and read, but I would really much rather read for the part of Lucius Vorenus.’ And they were like, ‘No, we really see you as maybe Pullo, can you read for Pullo?’ So I said, ‘Okay.’ So I came in and I read for Pullo. And they’re like, ‘Okay.’ Then a week goes by, and they call and they say, ‘We really love you, but maybe can you come in and read for Marc Antony?’”

So it continued until McKidd begged to get a screen test for Vorenus. It even took so long he initially considered turning the series down in favor of indie projects he was already committing to. That was at least a thought he had on the set of Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven (2005) until word got around at the pub to co-star Liam Neeson.

“I came down to the bar and Liam was pointing his finger at me and he was like, ‘You, I need to have a word with you outside,’” McKidd says. “And I was like, ‘Ah shit.’” Out in a snow-covered Spanish countryside, Neeson commanded, “Go to a phone booth, find a phone right now. Call your agent and hope and pray they haven’t offered that part to somebody else.”

They had not, and soon enough McKidd was flying alongside Stevenson to the actual city of Rome.

“I remember me and Ray going to Rome in the spring… with Michael Apted, walking around this back lot at Cinecittà, and it was all just scaffolding at that time, there was no frontage. I remember Michael turned to me and Ray and said, basically, we can’t fuck this up, because it was so huge. It was so beyond anything that any of us had ever seen.”

With red paint chipping across weathered doors, and mules grazing in the squares, a Roman Forum unlike any other came alive in the same space where Martin Scorsese just filmed Gangs of New York. The sense of size and scale was overwhelming, as was the pressure on Stevenson and McKidd to anchor it. Fifteen years later, McKidd is candid about how that tension shaped each man and, in the actor’s mind, the series.

During the last day of production on the first season, after shooting had wrapped and festivities began, McKidd and Stevenson found themselves sharing a quiet set of stairs leading up to their Roman senate. Between them was a bottle of tequila. Off in the distance, the faint sound of wrap party debauchery was rising to a muffled roar, yet the central stars of Rome were keeping their own company and having a long overdue conversation.

“I don’t think Ray would be mad at me for telling this story because we’re still close friends and I love him dearly,” McKidd says with a measured tone. “Initially, he and I clashed. We just had very different styles. Ray’s this big larger than life personality, and as Bruno would say, I’m much more this ‘Presbyterian,’ or you could say a little more controlling… and we ended up at loggerheads a lot, and fighting, and being difficult in the first season.”

Yet as McKidd is quick to point out, this translated to perfect chemistry on the screen, as Pullo and Vorenus were often “at loggerheads” during the first season, which culminated with Vorenus’ life imploding on the same day as Caesar’s assassination. Meanwhile Pullo found some semblance of peace. But here in the twilight of a recreated Roman Forum, the season was getting a much needed post-script.

“The wrap party is going on somewhere, and we can hear the music,” McKidd says, “and he and I just sat out there sharing the bottle of tequila. And we had it out, you know? Because we both had been holding stuff in for the season about things that annoyed each other… We got all of it off our chest and we ended up just having a huge hug, and we threw this bottle, this [now] empty bottle of tequila, into the middle of the Forum. We made a pact with each other that from that point on we were going to be the closest of friends, and we still are.”

In many ways, it mirrored the coming dynamic between Pullo and Vorenus in season 2, which McKidd likewise recognizes.

“Our bond was unbreakable in the second season,” he says. “You see that chemistry shift and move, and morph throughout the two seasons, and it pretty much tracks Ray and my relationship.” And it would prove indispensable that second year, especially as both characters, like their actors, were forced to close ranks and face that the end was nigh.

The Cost of Doing Business Like the Romans Do

Founded in 1937 by Benito Mussolini, the international renown of Rome’s Cinecittà Studios has long superseded its less than auspicious beginnings. Celebrated as the home to a highly skilled community of filmmaking artisans, Cinecittà’s name is inseparable with legendary filmmakers like Federico Fellini, Roberto Rossellini, and Sergio Leone. And it’s been the site of landmark Hollywood productions, such as Roman Holiday (1953), Ben-Hur (1959), and even the notorious Cleopatra (1963). Yet as Heller points out, no American production has been back to Cinecittà since Rome.

Says the creator, “It’s Italy, I love it, and it’s part of the culture, but you were there to be picked over and for them to, in completely formal and legitimately legal ways, take as much money out of the production as possible.” He pauses to smile and choose his next words carefully about the difference between shooting a movie and TV series in that environment.

“With a series, you’re making long-term relationships,” he continues. “It’s like a marriage. A movie is a one-night stand. You can be a bastard to everyone on a movie and you’re never going to see them again. So the result is more important than the relationships. In a TV series, the relationships are more important, in the end. It’s pointless having a successful first season of a show and then you can’t do the second season because no one will work together.”

This is not to say the only reason Rome was prematurely cancelled had to do with frustrations over the cost of doing business in Rome—McKidd also cites, for example, Rome eating up too much of HBO’s production budget from other projects in 2006. Nonetheless, reports of high-finance rigamarole even reached the cast.

Says McKidd, “I heard enough to know [about] the scaffolding. I don’t know how many tons of scaffolding was used to build that set, but I remember one of the earlier conversations was, ‘We need to buy this much scaffolding.’ And the people at Cinecittà were like, ‘You can’t buy that much scaffolding, but you can rent it from my brother.’”

Both Heller and McKidd insist there was no criminality or dishonesty about this, and it was simply the way things are done. But for the creator, word was executives high above his pay grade were disturbed by the Byzantine labyrinth of Italian politics. So much so it became contagious throughout Hollywood.

“At one stage, the Italian government issued arrest warrants or provisional arrest warrants for all the fiduciary producers of the show,” Heller recalls. “And that’s a sort of a standard Italian business practice, but when buttoned-down straight-laced lawyers from New York are flying out to Rome and discovering that this is [how business is done], people were spooked.”

It was also just a contributing factor to Rome’s untimely cancellation, which occurred during the pre-production process of season 2—and before the series’ popularity would explode with the international DVD sales and second season launch.

Heller was so far into writing the second season that they were in prep, gearing up to film the second season premiere, when he got the call it was over. The havoc this wreaked on Rome’s remaining 10 episodes, with one of them ready to shoot, was immediate.

When the first season concluded, Gaius Julius Caesar was dead, Vorenus had lost the love of his life, and Rome was headed toward civil war. The second season was always meant to be the fallout of that war, with a study in the brief and doomed alliance of Marc Antony (James Purefoy) and young Octavian (Max Pirkis), as well as the woman between them, Octavian’s mother and Antony’s lover, Atia. All of that, plus the death of Brutus and the other conspirators, would still occur in season 2… but so would Antony’s flight to Egypt and the eventual civil war between a now adult Octavian (Simon Woods) and Antony and Cleopatra (Lyndsey Marshal).

“I had to reconceive the second season basically from scratch,” Heller says with lingering exasperation. “Because when you take out that much history, the jump between the death of Caesar and Marc Antony taking over, and his death in Egypt, it was a huge amount of quite obscure but great, scandalous, fascinating, eventful history.” Most of it had to be jettisoned, too, between Brutus’ death and Antony declaring in his will that Caesar and Cleopatra’s son is Caesar’s true heir.

Some critics and fans were disappointed with the visibly breakneck pace of the second season. Others found it an exciting retelling of that period. One of Rome’s stars seems to be in the middle.

“I think the second season was successful in some ways, but it also feels, in my mind, a little rushed,” McKidd confesses. “And I think Bruno would say that too. Just because so much story was crushed and sort of concentrated down into season 2. I love [it], but I definitely felt like it was a lot condensed in.” 

And yet, McKidd and Heller both seem to lean more toward a satisfaction with it. In fact, the producer even suggests the ending with the ascension of Octavian to imperial status (he takes the title “First Citizen”) was the perfect grace note. While it’s well known among fans the series had a five-season bible with Cleopatra and Antony’s deaths originally marking the end of season 4, and season 5 following Vorenus and Pullo going to Palestine in time for the birth of Christ, that was never Heller’s favorite part. 

“That was one of the elements that Milius was fascinated by that I had no interest in whatsoever, frankly, trying to tie it in to the birth of Christ. Because, at the time, it meant nothing. It would have to be a completely different story. Put it another way, no Romans were worried or thinking about the coming of the Messiah.”

It was a Christmas story Heller didn’t want to tell. Even so, he had some interesting ideas already in place, including a vision of the ancient Holy Lands being closer to Monty Python’s Life of Brian than Ben-Hur.

“Palestine was in ferment at the time, and messiahs were popping up all over the place,” Heller says. “Judaism, at that point, was in a moment very much like Islam at the moment, full of passion and ferment and faith, and dreams of martyrdom.”

Like much else with Rome, it feels like a fascinating opportunity left unfulfilled, but one that the creator is glad to leave unexplored.

All Roads Lead to Rome’s Legacy

Rome shined briefly but brightly on premium cable. Premiering in the fall of 2005, it was gone by spring ’07. But even shortly after its cancellation, there were some small whispers of regret because of the show’s DVD sales; whispers that continue to be heard by stars of the series. McKidd says if you asked HBO in 2020, some would likely wince again at cancelling it, as he heard they did by the time season 2 aired. But “they couldn’t go back on that, or felt they couldn’t.”

But if it burned off like a Roman candle—with fire and thunder in its wake—the show still provided a roadmap for how to produce a massive spectacle as a television series.

“I think a lot of the producers that aren’t the ones that you hear about mostly, like Frank Doelger…  were all pivotal on Rome and went directly into Game of Thrones,” McKidd says. “Frank Doelger was one of the main producers, and he very much was the guy who whipped our show into shape and we learned a lot of lessons. So yeah, I think very directly, those people went into Game of Thrones and had learned a lot about how to do this kind of level [of production.]”

Heller likewise marvels at how HBO learned from Rome’s problems with its initially more affordable and tighter fantasy epic.

“The way they divided crews up in Game of Thrones, it was clever because there was always a general staff of central command, but they had more than one general, and they didn’t lose control of the generals,” Heller says.

And just as Rome carved a path for the modern era of epic television shows, Game of Thrones has now created a space for more diverse TV epics like Netflix’s The Witcher and Amazon’s upcoming Lord of the Rings series.

“[We were] ahead of the curve in the sense that it was too early,” Heller says. “But it’s not so much the audience [changed], as it is the appetite and the ability of networks and studios to make things of that size and to promote them and to market them, and to have faith and the courage to back them up.”

This series walked so that Peak TV could run. It’s a formidable legacy, and one that proves all roads in blockbuster television really do lead back to Rome.

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[lokisgame]

A Generous Donation [4]

[part 1] [part 2] [part 3]

Scully took Mulder's blood sample to the lab and called Walter, asking him to get back to her with his opinion, as soon as he got the results. The past few weeks, worry was her default state of mind. Once Will went through all the children's ailments, he never really got sick. He laughed about it, running around in shorts when she burrowed in scarves and long sleeves. Now the thought of loosing his warmth made her blood run ice cold. The minute she saw Mulder walk through her door, she thought, not you, too. He was practically a stranger, someone she laughed with over chicken marsala and cheesecake desert. Yet in that moment, his face and kind eyes and warm hands, made her feel like he could, and would, put himself between her and the edge of darkness. Most guys would stop taking her calls and run, but he came looking for her and for the first time in weeks, she felt comforted. Scully's phone chirped and she sighed, seeing the caller ID. 

"Hi mom." "Hello honey, how's Will?" "He was alright this morning when I went to see him." "Good, that's good, and how's the other thing going?" "It's not like opening a phone book, we're looking, and I told you, it's a precaution, we're waiting to see, how he responds to treatment." "And if the treatment doesn't work and you won't have any time left?" "I am not sitting on my hands." Scully said, thinking, I just stuck a needle into someone I just met. "If you would let me find some private foundation, it would go…" "I know it would go faster," Scully said bitterly, "but let's wait with kicking someone out of the line, till we know there's no other way around it." "I see no reason to wait." "Well, I do, mom," I'm not giving up yet, "and I have to go." "Alright, we'll talk more about this later." I hope not, Scully thought and hung up.

She went to see Will around dinner time to keep him company, and as usual, he tried to send her away. "Go home mom," he said smiling faintly, "you'll need your strength to save me." "I've got plenty," she replied patting his hand, "I'm so strong, you can't even imagine." "I can imagine quite a bit." "Well, multiply that by one hundred and you'll know how strong I can be." "Wow, can I have some of it?" "You can have it all," she sighed, keeping her voice even as tears stung her eyes. "Good, I always wanted to leap over buildings and race speeding cars." "My hero," she smiled and picked up the book from his night table, found the bookmark and stared at the picture. "You did some reading today." "I had help." Will said, turning to his side, "professor Mulder stopped by. I hope Harvard won't charge us extra for home visits." Scully huffed out a laugh and closed the book, when Will added. "I like him." "He's a great teacher, from what I heard," she said. "No, I mean for you." "Will." "I'm almost twenty, mom, it's time for you to start dating, for real this time." "I'm too old," Scully sighed, but the memory of the kiss softened her smile.   "Maybe in dog years," Will chuckled, laying on the sarcasm, "you keep up that talk, and I'll make you a grandma." "What?" "As soon as I get out of here." "You will most certainly not." She laughed, swatting his arm. "Ouch!" Will faked a yelp, but didn't let go of the subject. "Mother, you're forty six, which is the new thirty five, you're hot, and you already have a guy lined up." "William," she warned. "I'm just saying." "How about we make a deal." She said and he crossed his arms, "you get better and I'll give the dating game one more shot." Will paused, his expression cleared and he grinned, sticking out his hand out, "You're on, shake on it?" "Deal," she said and smiled. "Now tell me, why won't you take grandmas' calls." He groaned and threw the sheet over his head, making her laugh.

An hour later she was sitting in the ringing silence of her car, no one to go home to, no one to talk to. Will was right, it was time.

"Coming!" Mulder yelled, trying to rub water out of his ear and zip up his jeans, all at the same time. Failing at both, he let the towel drop around his neck and with the button undone and his t-shirt untucked, he opened the door, and froze. "You're not my usual delivery guy." He said and smiled, leaning on the doorframe. Scully smiled back and held up a takeout bag. "29.99" "Got change for a hundred?" He stepped back and gestured her in. "Nope," she said and, climbing on tiptoes, kissed his cheek. "Keep the change." He grinned and took the bag, saying, "Hi, again." "Hi." She smiled and looked him up and down, from towel-dried hair and six-o-clock shadow on his cheeks, grey t-shirt and faded jeans, all the way to his bare feet. He looked warm and solid and completely at ease. "Can I have your coat?" Mulder said, then added, a little uncertain, "I assume you're staying." "You assume correctly," she said, then paused, "wait, you ordered already?" "Yup, Chinese, great minds think alike," he took her coat and hung it on the rack. "We'll have seconds," he said and headed for the kitchen, giving her a minute to look around. The room was warm, another pleasant surprise after the wide porch and warm light from the outside. There was fire in the fireplace, a rug under the couch and the coffee table, papers and knickknacks and books in bookcases. Actually, books seemed to cover every inch of free space, even stacked on steps leading to the second floor, which made her chuckle. Well, he was a professor of psychology at Harvard, she might have expect that. She followed Mulder and found a kitchen that was just right, with its' small dining area. Cutting boards and oven mitts looked used, knives had worn handles and banged-up mugs hung by their ears on a railing over the work table. There was even some dishes left in the sink, and she loved the place for what it was, not a flashy bachelors' pad, not an overgrown sleeping area, but a home, lived in and comfortable. "There's beer in the fridge," Mulder said, taking plates and napkins to the table. "You want some?" "Why not." She opened the fridge and to her surprise, there was more than just beer there too. She picked two bottles of Shiner Bock and opened them both, handing one to Mulder. "Cheers," he said, clinking his against hers and pulled out a chair for her, like a real gentleman. "Sorry about the mess, I didn't expect company." "What mess?" She said and started to unload the cartons of fried rice, spicy pork and sweet and sour chicken. "You should see our place when I work double shifts. Will does most of the cleaning anyway." "Wow, you raised one hell of a catch." Mulder chuckled, draped the towel over the back of his chair and sat down, accepting chopsticks she held out. "There was only the two of us, so we grew up fast." "Yeah, I know what that's like." "And what made you grow up?" "My little sister, she went missing when I was twelve." "I'm sorry." She dropped her gaze, and Mulder could almost see the light in her fade. He couldn't have that.   "Hey, it was long time ago," he said, and started forking out rice on her plate. "Here, eat, you need it." She picked up a chunk of sticky rice, put it in her mouth and tried to chew, but suddenly her throat closed. She looked at the food, at his hands, and the room turned into a warm-coloured blur. A sob broke free and huge, hot tears ran down her cheeks, and then warm darkness took her in. "Shhhh, it's okay, let it all out, don't hold back" Mulder crooned, his arms tight around her for the second time that day, and she sobbed even harder into his shoulder, feeling gentle hands cradle and soothe her. She fell in deeper, pulling him closer and did as he said. She thought about the injustice of it all, felt the pain and anger and helplessness, and let it all pour out of her, not in words but raw emotion. She fell apart, letting him hold her together as she bawled, while the food grew cold on the table. When she quieted and her breath came almost even, he asked softly. "Better?" "I'm sorry," she whispered, "it's so unlike me. I never break down like this." "Your kid is sick, I'd be worried if you wouldn't." He said, his own voice not quite steady. Scully looked up and there were tears in his eyes, wet trails on his cheeks. "Hey, and why are you crying?" "You should never cry alone," he said and his eyes fell shut when she wiped his cheeks, "it's bad luck." "Who makes up these rules?" "Fuck if I know, think you can eat now?" She glanced at the cold pork, it still looked fine. "Yes, sorry about that." "Stop apologising for everything, it's bad luck." "Mulder?" She said, letting go and missing his arms instantly. "Yeah?" "Kiss me." Mulder grinned and leaned in, brushing her tearstained cheek. "For luck," he whispered and pulled up a chair to sit beside her.

They ate the second delivery while it was hot, packing up the first as leftovers and took their third beers to the couch. "You wanna watch something?" Mulder asked, jumping because he almost sat on the remote. Scully leaned on his shoulder, pulled her feet up and sighed. "I'm so full, I can't think right now." "Good." Mulder said and flipping through channels found Julia Roberts on third try. Short hair, ugly dress, Sally Fields. He changed it, and fast. "Thanks," Scully murmured. "No problem, let's see it we can find something safe," he chuckled, "like WWE." "Hokey," she chuckled. "Tenis?" "Swimming," she said, teasing, "young, toned and practically naked." "Did I tell you I was on the swim team?" "You have now." She giggled and snuggled closer. Mulder stopped flipping through channels, when he saw Mel Gibson feeding biscuits to a Rottweiler. "Lethal Weapon." "That's a very guy movie." "You've seen that one too?" "I have a son." She said, but there was no pain in her voice anymore, only drowsy, full stomach contentment. "Okay, so you pick a movie and I'll make popcorn." "You still have room left?" "For popcorn? Always." She took the remote and turned to look after him. 6 feet tall, he couldn't weigh more than 180. "You have a gym in the basement I should know about? Where do you put it all." "I lied, I never quit the swim team," he chuckled rummaging through one of the cupboards, "and I run." "Where?" "Oh, here, there, depends on the day, why?" "I might join you sometime." "You see, we do have things in common." He said and slammed the microwave doors shut. It whooshed and soon enough, began to pop.

She fell asleep, with her head on his shoulder and her whole weight leaned under his arm, and when the credits rolled and Sting sang how he'd lay down his life for a friend, Mulder thought, "You and me both, man." God, she was a beautiful, with her features relaxed, lips parted in sleep, and a stand of hair falling over her cheek. Awake she was too distracting, he couldn't keep up with her smiles and tiny frowns, she was a sensory overload, and he didn't even dare to imagine, what she'd be like to touch. If he tried, he wouldn't be able to stop, and after the day she had, she needed rest to regain her strength. He knew how to be patient. Shifting, he stretched out on the couch, never easing the grip on her, making her shift with him, and Scully went down with him. Wedging herself between him and the couch, half draped over his side, not even half awake as he pulled the blanket over them both. "Shhh, it's okay," he whispered, when she shifted to fit his arms more comfortably. "Kiss," she mumbled, "bad luck." "Right," and stifling a laugh, he kissed her forehead. "Goodnight." "'Night." She sighed and was out. Mulder clicked the tv off, and last ambers in the fireplace were the only light that was left. "I don't want to love you," he thought, but as he did, he knew it was already too late.

[365days365movies]

January 30, 2021: Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior

So, now that I’ve gotten through the first of these movies, it’s probably time to talk about the director of all four films, George Miller.

Miller’s an Australian director and medical doctor. Yeah, dude went to medical school, and in his last year there, started getting into filmmaking! Nice. He immediately came off as a budding director, and made his official directorial debut with his first film...Mad Max. Yeah. Very interesting guy. Today’s entry is his second film, and he’s since made films including Twilight Zone: The Movie, The Witches of Eastwick, Lorenzo’s Oil, Babe (yes, the pig one), Babe: Pig in the City (yes, the OTHER pig one), Happy Feet (not the pig one) and its sequel, Happy Feet Two. So, a pretty good filmography!

But throughout it all, Miller’s flagship passion was the Mad Max franchise, continuing with this movie, and eventually ending with Fury Road. And from what I’ve heard about these remaining two films, I’m in for a ride. Pun half-heartedly intended. SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Recap

An elderly narrator brings us in, telling the tale of the Road Warrior, Mad Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson). He speaks of the downfall of modern society, punctuated by increased savagery, and the takeover of gangs on the world’s highways. People are ruined and forgotten, and they lose themselves. And these people include Max, who’s wandered out into the wilderness since losing his family. Yeah, Jess from the last movie? Dead. Guess she wasn’t doing so great after all.

Max and his dog are on the roads of Australia, where things have definitely changed. Ho longer around any vestige of civilization, the Road Warrior’s driving the Interceptor, being chased by punks on motorcycles, led by Wez (Vernon Wells), a cray, screaming dude with a bike and a mohawk..

After the chase, Max happens upon a recently-wrecked truck leaking gasoline, a much treasured resource in this post-apocalyptic landscape. Wez leaves, having been defeated, and Max gathers the fuel and goes his way. He drives through the desert until finding a mini-helicopter (a gyrocopter, it’s called), abandoned on the ground. 

After taking care of a carpet python (Morelia spilota; don’t know the subspecies), he finds himself ambushed by the Gyro Captain (Bruce Spence), who holds him up for his fuel. However, using his dog, Max gets the upper hand. Frightened, Gyro tells him of a huge supply of fuel somewhere in the desert. He agrees to show him in exchange for his life. Max agrees, and does this.

Yeah, he tied a string to the trigger of a gun, and tied the other end to Dog’s bone. Fuck yes.

Gyro’s true to his word, and he takes him to an oil refinery in the middle of the desert. It’s being used and guarded by a gang of some kind. Max sets up camp, tying Gyro to a dead tree and spying on the gang. That night, many gang members leave the refinery, and return the next day. I should mention, at this point, that we start to see some of the crazy vehicles I love so much in Fury Road. Which, yeah, HERE for that!

Anyway, the bikers, including good old Wez, go after a guy in a tricked-out buggy, incapacitating him and...taking...his wife. Yeah, these movies are really leaning on that to vilify their bad guys, huh? First it was Toecutter’s gang and the young couple, and now it’s these random people. Not the best gimmick in the world, but...OK?

Well, Max goes down to take their gasoline, and finds that the man has lived. Max brings him back to a small settlement, where they take him in. Meanwhile, a child with a boomerang, called Feral Kid (Emil Minty), watches. Cool.

Max is taken into the settlement, where oil is being refined as well. The settlers definitely don’t accept Max, and are ready to take his car and oust him into the wilderness without fuel. And then, the bikers return. And there are a LOT of them.

These are the Marauders, and they’ve taken some of the settlers captive. They’d gone out, only to be taken captive by Wez and the others. But Wez isn’t their leader. No...no, that would be the Warrior of the Wasteland! The Ayatollah of rock-and-roll-ah! THIS...is Lord Humungus (Kjell Nilsson)!

...Am I in love with this movie? Holy shit, I might be I mean, LOOK at that dude! With his voice and his scraggly-ass hair and Jason mask, he notes that the settlers sent out sentries to find a truck, with which to carry their gasoline and take it out of the desert. And as this is taking place, Feral Kid pops up, throws his steel boomerang, and kills Wez’ right hand man. WHAT

YES. MORE PLEASE. Feral Kid’s boomerang is thrown at him, misses, comes back and severs the fingers of the hand of Humungus’ mouth of Sauron dude, Toadie (Max Phipps). Humungus tries to calm the throngs, Wez included, and ends up putting Wez in a Sleeper. He tells the settlers to “just walk away, and [he] will spare [their] lives. Just walk away.”

...Yeah, I love Humungus. And his inevitable death saddens me more than I can properly say. Anyway, the settlers start debating whether or not they should walk away, and Max uses a little music-maker that he found to befriend the Feral Kid. The leader of the settlers, Pappagallo (Mike Preston) tries to convince them to flee with their fuel to a safe place. They continue to argue, until Max interjects with an offer.

Max can get them the vehicle to carry the tanker of gas that they have, but demands as much gas as he can carry, and the return of his vehicle. They agree to his terms, and Max heads off into the night to get the truck from earlier, with gas canisters and Dog in tow. With a little help from Feral Kid, he escapes the notice of the Marauders waiting nearby.

He catches up to Gyro, who’s managed to break free of the tree (well, mostly), and is quickly caught by Max in order to carry the gas canisters for the truck. They get back to Gyro’s gyro, where someone has died after being bitten by his...nonvenomous snake. Yeah, these films haven’t shown very high knowledge of zoology, huh?

They take to the air in the gyrocopter, and easily fly to the truck from the beginning of the film. They get it started, and Max leaves Gyro behind, although he protests to this, and follows behind in the copter. And then.he drives past Wez, who’s still enraged after losing his partner to boomerang hit.

By the way, I didn’t mention this about the gang, but they’re literally all wearing what looks to me like leather bondage gear? Like...I’m pretty certain that’s exactly what that is; it’s pretty obvious. ESPECIALLY Humungus and Wez’s partner, lemme tell you. Just a note, as this change in visual tone and style is going to carry throughout the rest of the series.

The Marauders run Max down, and Gyro saves the day with his snake, throwing it at one of the cars chasing him. Max JUST makes it into the Settlement, but a couple of the Marauders make it in as well, Wez amongst them. He kills a Settler using his favorite weapon, HIS OWN HEAD (fuck, this movie rules), and makes his was through the compound.

Max climbs the top of the wall, and uses a flamethrower on some of the men. Feral Kid throws a boomerang at Wez, who runs off with the rest of the Marauders. Gyro also arrives, landing in the settlement. Pappagallo, in the process, is shot in the leg with an arrow. Unfortunately, the damage sustained to the truck will take 12 hours to fix.

The Settlers thank Max for his help, but that doesn’t mean he’s staying there. That night, however, Humungus retaliates, and strings up their captured settlers for all to see, torturing them throughout the night. Nobody will make it out alive, by his promise. 

For the time being, Max and Gyro are still in the settlement, waiting for their chance to leave. Gyro tries to sneak away with a young woman, but she opts to stay out of loyalty to the Settlers. Also, her hair looks like a Who from Whoville. It had to be said...it had to be said. Pappagallo berated Max for just leaving, rather than helping the rest of them and driving the tanker. Max shoves aside Feral Kid, and he takes off.

However, this is NOT the best move on Max’s part, as he drives RIGHT THROUGH the Marauder camp, and Wez isn’t far behind him. Using a NOS system (EAT IT FAST AND FURIOUS FRANCHISE), they easily overtake Max and run him off the road, DESTROYING the V-8 Pursuit Special, and injuring Max something fierce. Somehow, though, he manages to escape. But one of them KILLS DOG WHAT THE FUCK MAN

Max crawls away and escapes, but is found by...Gyro! Gyro picks him up with the copter, and takes him back to the settlement. He wakes up in a medical tent, still quite hurt. Pappagallo details the plan: use the tanker as a distraction to allow the others to escape. Max, although still injured, volunteers to drive the tanker after all. He doesn’t say exactly why, but he is now stuck there without a method of egress, and he’s the best chance they have. I’m going to choose to believe that he does it for Dog. JOHN WICK STYLE BABY

The time has come. On both sides, they head for conflict. Gyro’s air support, dropping bombs on them. But he’s quickly shot down. Meanwhile, the settlers get out in vehicles of their own, taking advantage of the distraction of the tanker. And once they’re all out…

Now, all eyes are on Max and the Marauders! With the assistance of Warrior Woman (Virginia Hey), Feral Kid, and a few more settlers, Max tries to outdrive Wez and his group. And a LOT of shit happens here, so do yourself a favor and watch this video!

Rebecca and the other two settlers die, leaving only Max and Feral Kid behind. A LOT of Marauders die in the process, and then Lord Humungus catches up. As they shoot out the tires, Gyro (still flyin’, baby!) and some of the Settlers show up as backup. And...yup, another video. Yes, really.

After ALL OF THAT, Humungus ONCE AGAIN goes the way of Toecutter, and is killed by a head-on collision with a truck. Said truck careens off the road, and Mac and Feral Kid get out. It’s then that we see that the truck NEVER had fuel in it! No, instead it was a decoy! It allowed the vehicles, which actually contained the fuel, to escape to the safe North, away from the gangs.

The Narrator comes back, revealing that he’s the Feral Kid, and that their new leader was Gyro! And the Road Warrior. That was the last they ever saw of him. He lives now...only in his memories.

And THAT...was The Road Warrior, AKA Mad Max 2. WHOOOOOOOO!!! Second verse, same as the first; epilogue at the end of the weekend! LET’S GO PART 3

January 31, 2021: Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)