Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

“In a post-apocalyptic wasteland, a woman rebels against a tyrannical ruler in search for her homeland with the aid of a group of female prisoners, a psychotic worshiper, and a drifter named Max.”

Well, technically this is Mad Max 4. I love the Mad Max series. The Earth has been blown to a wasteland, and people have to overcome punks and warlords to survive. Honestly, this one isn't much different. Max has been captured by Immortan Joe's War Boys, and is being used as a “Blood Bag” strapped to the hood of a war car.

He's saved by Imperator Furiosa and her gang of warrior women. They're headed to a mythical “Green place” where the Earth can still grow. Furiosa and Max never really get along. But, that's just the world. Survival is everything, and they're all fighting not to be slaves.

Along the way they're pursued by Immortan Joe's commanders. The Bullet Farmer, The Doof Wagon, and of course the War Boys. They have their own car-based religion, and everything is based on the resources that Immortan Joe controls.

The car battles and chases are top-notch. Really, there's no point where this movie slows down. Everything is so strange and gruesome to look at, it really catches the eye. Whether it's the mask on Mad Max's face, or the flamethrower-guitar player on the Doof Wagon, or Furiosa's amputated arm, there's always amazing visuals, weapons, and stunts.

I'd recommend watching this one any way you can. It's high-speed, no mercy action! Mad Max is a good guy, but more in the anti-hero sense. Furiosa is the same, and gives it right back to Max (She calls him “Fool”.) But, they are still united in this adrenaline-driven war car world by their own need to fight for their freedom. If you wanna get the blood pumping, give it a watch!

ReelAbilities Film Festival 2013 Preview

ReelAbilities Film Festival 2013 Preview:

Well, I always love the ReelAbilities Film Fest in Columbus! You get to see movies dealing with disabilities and even discuss it afterwards, which is a rare opportunity to make one’s viewpoint as a person with a disability heard. It’s even better, because they always have international entries. So, I get to do some intercultural analysis as well.

     This year they have two entries from Germany, one from China, one from Portugal, one from Israel about a disabled soccer (Football to international viewers.) team. Other entries deal with Down Sydrome, (Yo Tambien, Spain.) and Aspberger’s (The clayamation feature Mary and Max, from Australia.) Longtime viewers of this blog know how important it is to me to promote strong, human portraits of disabilities. And I think ReelAbilities gives us all the opportunity to look at those kind of portraits. The festival begins Oct. 4 and ends on the 7th.

I will go to at least one showing…probably on the 6th, as I am close by the Wexner Center for The Arts. They will show “Yo Tambien” (“Me too”, from Spain.) and Renn Wenn Du Kannst (Run If You Can, from Germany.) Renn Wenn Du Kannst is about a paraplegic man in love with his nurse aide’s love interest. Since I speak German, I definitely want to go when one of the German movies is playing.

The Spanish film will probably remind me of Spain, which is a beautiful country. But, anyway, I rarely see disability films in an international context, so ReelAbilities is a real treat for me.
 
If you’re in the Columbus area, you can catch all the times by going to: columbus.reelabilities.org. Tickets are $5 at the door. If you’re an international reader, let me know of some good films with disabilities in them, and I will submit some requests. If you’re too far away to attend, I’ll provide analysis of the films after I see them to give you a taste. Regrettably, I think I’ll only be able to go to the one screening this year. But, we’ll see.
 
As usual, it should be a fun time, and give me a chance to share my human experience with others who have disabilities. We’ll have some guest speakers, one of whom I know is the poet from last year’s festival. In any case, it should be fun to see some disability stories with a little bit of international flavor! Maybe I’ll see YOU there!