The Wasteland Reviewer

The Wasteland Into the Past: 2015

Welcome to The Wasteland into the Past! Join this journey backwards in time as I take a cinematic look at years past. Each article will focus on a singular year and my Top 5 films from that year. Turn back the clock with me…and let’s get started! 

2015

Mad Max: Fury Road

What is the greatest action film ever created? That is a towering question to ask…but the answer is Mad Max: Fury Road. Dr. George Miller started his filmmaking career as an emergency room doctor and witnessed quite a bit of mangling of flesh. That is where the inspiration came from for his first Mad Max which launched an unlikely franchise in The Wasteland. There were 30 years in between Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome and the pinnacle of action cinema Fury Road. Enough years passed that Mel Gibson was recast, and technology caught up to Miller in a big way. Fury Road is one of the most intense two-hour films ever put to film with perfect perpetual motion and lightening pacing. This thrill ride is more than just some thrilling action. That action is perfectly staged by Miller with there always being a focal pool int that anchors the physics of the scene. Few directors have such control of action as there is defined focus in every shot along with dimensions of action on screen. The cinematography is perfectly framed, and the camera moves in bold and dynamic ways as it captures the thrills of The Wasteland. The vehicle and character designs are so unique and bold with a specific aesthetic never seen in film before. Watching these vehicles race across the desert is thrilling but also oddly beautiful. The color used in the film is bright, bold, and engrossing. Miller takes the color palette of his animated film Happy Feet and throws it across The Wasteland. The pacing is unrelenting, yet Miller is still able to squeeze so much subtle yet effective character development into the action and the few quieter moments in the story. The story is simple but rich in themes including gender dynamics, the dehumanizing of women for the purpose of reproduction, body autonomy, authoritarianism, and survival versus thriving. Max is brought to life with a near wordless performance by Tom Hardy who is one of the kings of physicality as an actor with his impressive body language and facial reactions. But it is Charlize Theron who takes the stage as Imperator Furiosa, a woman who is tougher than steel and unrelenting in her mission to escape an evil dictator along with his group of wives. Theron brings so much emotion to the performance with layers of physicality, expression, and intensity. The antagonist is a perfect embodiment of fascism and authoritarianism. Hugh Keays-Byrne brought Immortan Joe to life with such bile and aggression. His look is disturbing with his tumor covered body representing the decaying world he perpetuates. Finally, the score from Junkie XL is one of the biggest, boldest, and unique scores for any film and brings so much fire to the belly of this beast. The world is one of the most impressive ever created and few films feel so singularly realized as Mad Max: Fury Road.

Ex Machina

What a topical film Alex Garland’s thriller, Ex Machina, has become, hasn’t it? The world of artificial intelligence is growing so rapidly, and the world needs to confront the seismic changes that it will have on our society. Ex Machina looks at an ambitious and driven genius (portrayed by Oscar Isaac) who brings in a young man (Domhnall Gleeson) to his secluded home on an enormous and isolated estate to test a new artificial being (Alicia Vikander). This is a small-scale science fiction film with a low budget, yet Garland can tackle such big ideas and leverage well done special effects to make it feel authentic. This film won an Oscar for Visual Effects against some giant franchises like Star Wars, but the effects are so realistic which makes the conceit of the film work as well as it does. The audience needs to believe that Vikander’s Ava can be a real being who thinks and emotes. Vikander’s performance is incredible with so many layers and plenty of nuance. There is a warmth at times but there is a darkness underneath that helps build plenty of tension. Garland has shown time and time again that he is a talented filmmaker who knows how to build tension and suspense. Ex Machina’s slow burning nature allows so many thematic elements to grow and develop. Garland explores the advancement of technology as well as human nature that has allowed it to happen. We see how humans can build connections with machines and the pitfalls of these connections. This thriller also captures the horrors of what can possibly happen with the evolution of technology. The final revelations of the film are shocking for sure. The climax of the film is also intense, twisted, and exciting for every moment as the narrative crescendos. Garland crafted one of the best science fiction films of the 21st century with this techno-thriller and it isn’t just because Isaac dances his ass off for his own (and maybe our) entertainment.

Brooklyn

What is a romance that feels as classic as you can get? America was built on immigrants and there have been countless immigrant love stories that capture the spirit of the American Dream. Come to America to find success, happiness, and love. A charming love story between a young Irish lass and a young blue-collar Italian American man is a wonderful foundation for a romance film. That is exactly where John Crowley finds the heart and soul of his beautiful film, Brooklyn. This is not just a romance though as Crowley navigates a tale of young Eilis who finds her way to America for dreams of a new and better life. She leaves your small Irish village along with her mother and sister behind. Crowley can navigate the realities of such a big, bold choice. The homesickness, the regrets, and the opportunities are all on display in this immigrant love story. The period trappings are pitch perfect as every bit of production design, costuming, hairstyling, and make-up are impeccable as they capture 1950’s Ireland and New York City so well. There are harrowing moments in Eilis’ journey whether it is the journey over the ocean, the loss of a loved one, and the challenge of being stuck between two available and admirable men. Crowley can craft an authenticity and earnestness that brings so much charm to the film and avoid leaning into melodrama. We see the small-town politics and vitriol that Eilis runs from that poisons her home back in Ireland. We see her navigate the jealousy and loneliness that plagues a young woman in a bordering and trying to find her new life in America. The richness of themes that Crowley imbues his romantic drama with so much respect and tenderness that it feels like a safety net that wraps you so tightly. Saoirse Ronan delivers a mature and self-assured performance as Eilis as she navigates plenty of emotions throughout this journey. Eilis can be a tad quiet and reserved in the face of her new life, but Ronan digs deep with plenty of emotion. She is paired well with her two male leads as well. Emory Cohen brings plenty of charm and character to Tony (a good old paisan) who might be a silent type, but you can feel all his emotions on his sleeve. Domhnall Gleeson captures the refined and stiff upper lip of a respectable Irish gentlemen. His chemistry with Ronan is quite different but you can still feel the connection. The likes of Jim Broadbent. Brid Brennan, and Julie Walters deliver impressive supporting turns to help anchor this drama. Crowley crafted one of the best romances of recent memory packaged in a poignant and moving immigrant’s tale as well.

The Hateful Eight

What do you get when you have a pulpy filmmaker like Quentin Tarantino who wants to mix murder mystery with spaghetti western? You get one of the most provocative and memorable films of 2015. The Hateful Eight is just about as Tarantino a film can get. As a follow-up to his previous western, Django Unchained, Tarantino crafts a thrilling and suspenseful exercise in filmmaking that maximizes its limited cast. There are plenty of impactful elements to The Hateful Eight as you see plenty of big blood and guts, shocking violence, and twists and turns. The technical aspects of the film are quite off the charts. You have some of the crispest and visually tantalizing shots in any modern western thanks to the impressive work by cinematographer Robert Richardson. The stark landscapes of Wyoming are breathtaking to see. The way the camera engages with the close-up paranoia of its characters while still capturing epic scale outdoors is quite impressive. The music is top tier, but you come to expect that from arguably the greatest composer of all time. Ennio Morricone just might have crafted the greatest murder mystery theme ever with its eerie and ominous beats as well as some complex progressions on a variety of instruments. But this film captures the in-your-face aesthetic of Tarantino with its violence, blood, harsh language, and hyper stylized visuals. But there are plenty of nostalgic elements of the film as well. The murder mystery elements are so well realized with some shocking revelations along the way. The coffee sequence is one of the tensest scenes in recent memory thanks to the impressive composition from Ennio Morricone. This film is an intriguing mix of classic and pulpy sensibilities which is expertly balanced by Tarantino and his game cast. Samuel L. Jackson gets a rare leading role, and he chews it up as a wily, intelligent, crafty, and caustic Major Marquis Warren. His unlikely dynamic with the loud-mouthed and rambunctious Sheriff Chirs Mannix is the key to the film. Walton Goggins gets a great spotlight as Mannix, and he makes the most of it. Kurt Russell is swaggering as ever with his big John Wayne energy as John Ruth “The Hangman” whose facial hair needs to be studied. Jennifer Jason Leigh is the real special sauce that brings this all together. Her turn as the repugnant, vile, and dangerous Daisy Domergue is a career-saving one. Throw in the impressive turns of Demian Bichir, Tim Roth, Bruce Dern, and Michael Madsen and you have quite the octave of hate, violence, and aggression.

The Witch

Robert Eggers just gets it, doesn’t he? Few filmmakers can capture the historical depth that Eggers is able to navigate in all his projects. Where James Cameron has that secret weapon of being an inventor and technology guru, Eggers has quite the penchant for being a historian. His vast knowledge of cultures in the past allows him to capture all the little details that make his folk horror ventures so authentic and impactful. The Witch is quite the feature debut that navigates the vastness of the wilderness of 1620’s New England. You have a family whose patriarch lives a religious life too extreme for the community that he belongs to so they must venture out on their own. Alone with only the devil and dark magic to keep them company, they are slowly unraveled in the most shocking and demented of ways. The old language utilized by the characters might be a bit hard to follow but it makes you feel like you have traveled back in time. The production design and costuming are just as detailed and believable. But it is not just the period details that Eggers masters here as he also crafts the most pitch perfect atmosphere that is both haunting and tantalizing. The starkness of the world of The Witch just makes the whole experience so engrossing. The cinematography is crisp and perfectly framed in every moment. There are plenty of evocative visuals from what the titular witch does with the poor baby to the mother’s unfortunate nursing scene, and the arrival of the greatest evil to tempt our protagonist, Thomasin. This is a haunting and bone-chilling film that is not for easy watching and fun entertainment. This is terror for sure and that terror is drenched in rich thematic juices that explore the power of faith in the face of true evil. The music sets the stage. The story is a spiraling descent into madness and darkness. The cast is impressive from top to bottom. There is a reason Anya Taylor-Joy has become a megastar at this point as her turn as Thomasin is moving and powerful. Ralph Ineson and Kate Dickie are strong veteran performers who add depth and weight to the film. Their roles are key to the deeply traumatic human drama of the film that works well within the overall fantasy horrors of the story. The child actors of the film deliver in big ways as well with certain scenes asking a lot out of them in terms of emotion. The film climaxes into a haunting and visceral flick that will stick with you long after the film ends.