DIV ER SIONS
MOVIE REVIEWS
Mad Max: Fury Road
Pitch Perfect 2
RATING: 7 out of 10
RATING: 7 out of 10
VIOLENCE IS GOLDEN
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HIS FILM HARKENS BACK TO A SIMPLER TIME. IT WAS 1981. A time when Mel Gibson was just a handsome up-and-comer with an Australian cult hit (Mad Max) about to become a worldwide boxoffice smash (Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior). I remember pretending to like it because the cute guy sitting next to me did. The same is pretty much true this time, except the cute guy sitting next to me was my son. Ah, the circle of life. One again, we find ourselves in a post-apocalyptic dystopian world where mankind—now mostly an irradiated group of lemmings— scrounge for fuel, food and water. Max (Tom Hardy) is a loner fighting for survival when he is captured and held for, of all things, his blood. Meanwhile, Furiosa (Charlize Theron) is making her routine fuel run through the scorched earth no-man’s-land. Only this time, the fuel run is anything but routine: She’s helping the wives (miraculously untainted by the world’s toxins) of the self-proclaimed immortal leader, Immortan Joe (Hugh KeaysByrne), escape. Max finds himself an unwilling part of the hunt and the effort to help the women. So, what you have here is one studly, un-killable guy and a bevy of beautiful, scantily clad damsels in distress, all being chased by a violent group of mutants. If you have a teenage boy living in your home... I would be remiss if I did not mention Tom Hardy. He’s the kind of actor who’s so talented you almost don’t notice. His acting is brilliant, and effortless. This film is no exception—his resolute performance pairs perfectly with Theron, whose character really is the focus of this installment. Add in some obvious political commentary, some heavyhanded religious parallels and unlimited CGI, and you have yourself a pretty decent remake.
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MAY 22, 2015 {LadueNews.com}
ENCORE
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BY DEBBIE BALDWIN
FEEL THE NEED TO QUALIFY MY REMARKS: AS THE MOTHER OF a 17-year-old girl, I am more than familiar with the original film. More accurately, it has been running on a continuous loop in my home since 2012. Needless to say, we were all very excited for the sequel...very, very excited. So without further ado... Our story continues with Beca (Anna Kendrick) and her group, The Bellas, competing in a big a cappella event. When Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) has a major wardrobe malfunction, the group is banned from competing in the U.S. The only contest available to them is the world championships, an event that they have no chance of winning. Zero, nil, nada, none. Get it? Off-stage, there’s romance and shenanigans and Snoop. Beca gets disheartened—and like every overweight bestie in movies (i.e. Melissa McCarthy in Bridesmaids, Rosie O’Donnell in Sleepless in Seattle, etc.) Fat Amy consoles her. Best of all, there is great music. The main reason to see the sequel is the same reason you saw and loved the first movie: the songs. The music is inventive, inspiring and just really, really fun. Two of my children have already seen it twice, and I have no doubt they will be back for more.