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An error has ocurred. Please try againMovies presented in the book by Michael Leader and Jake Cunningham
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Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)
A kinetic synergy of style with substance
All the things that could have gone wrong with this film (prequel, re-casting etc) thankfully work out amazingly well. George Miller is a master storyteller, he is like a rock opera orchestrator of motion pictures. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, in this film that serves style over substance (ie story). It is an action movie but its language harkens back to master storytellers (Buster Keaton and Kurosawa in particular), who knew that everything within a frame and especially movement, is paet of the visual vocabulary of the film. The themes are epic, timeless and archetypal as well as personal, contemporary and quite often political, all at the same time. But, first and foremost, this is a visual feast, one that comes once in a decade (if we are lucky) with the complexity of a (post) modern graphic novel.
Judge Minty (2013)
Visually stunning short Comic Book Film
A little over 20 minutes, "Judge Minty" chronicles the retirement of the eponymous Mega City Judge and his survival in the post-apocalyptic wasteland of Cursed Earth. Apart from a short prologue it is a really long, visually stunning action sequence, bringing to life the gritty universe of the comic book. Edmund Dehn does a terrific job, bringing the old lawman to life with only a number of lines at his disposal. Budgetary limitations aside, it fleshes out characters and setting with strong performances, top-notch Visual SFX and an exemplary sound design. Watched this on a screening at a local Comics Festival (Comicdom Con - Athens 2013). Definitely a short film that should spread out and be seen...
TPB AFK: The Pirate Bay Away from Keyboard (2013)
Whale and Whale louse or the Furious and the Fast
TPB - AFK is a documentary structured like a political thriller and vice versa. It employs traditional film-making conventions (irony, drama, fact presentation) although the means by which it is produced, shot and distributed, are highly unconventional. It chronicles the persecution of the founding members of The Pirate Bay by members an objectively corrupt force. The film remains open-ended which is not only the right choice (dramatically) but also a realistic choice, as the ghosts of copyright infringement will probably haunt us longer than the war on drugs or terror. So, watch this first and pay later (or don't) if you like it, which is a far better deal than most cultural objects require from their audience nowadays...
Beyond the Black Rainbow (2010)
What a trip...
"Beyond the Black Rainbow" is a love-letter to '80s SF & horror cinema, early Cronenberg (The Brood), Carpenter (The Fog) and even Buckaroo Banzai! (there is a Banzai quote after the end credits). For me, it felt more like an infusion of "Suspiria", "Lost Highway" and a Tool video clip. Regardless of influences and homages, the film maintains an original vision. The only recent SF films that could be shown back-to-back with "Beyond the Black Rainbow" would be: "Eden Log" (2007 - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1087842/combined) and "Chemical Wedding" (2009 - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0974536/combined). Really looking forward for Cosmatos' next film, hopefully not an '80s reboot...
Radio Free Albemuth (2010)
Most faithful adaptation of a P.K. Dick book and a great film...
I had the fortune to watch this film during a local SF festival (SFF Rated - Athens) with the director introducing the film and doing a Q&A session afterwards. As most reviewers mention, it's the most faithful screen adaptation of a P.K.Dick book to date. The actors were great (I was happily surprised by Alanis Morissette's performance) and the Valis design was perfect. What I loved most about the film is its timeless look. The story could have taken place 20 years ago, today, or even 5 years from now. It's a quality that is hard to find in films lately, either in period films where everything looks antique, or most Sci-Fi movies where everything takes place in an unapproachable future...
I would gladly watch it again and anxiously waiting for a DVD release.