Actor you hate, Movie you love

[House of Mustard]

I used to think Allyson Hannigan was cute, but then I saw her on a talk show, without the aid of her TV/Movie make-up people, and she looked really wierd.

[42]

Allyson Hannigan was really cute unt il about the fourth or fifth season of Buffy when she started to do the American Pie movies. Then she just got wierd and kind of creepy.

And to defend my position, Mel Gison in Lethal Weapon, Conspiracy Theory, etc... are all roles simular to the Mad Max persona. Mel does best in the quirky action hero role. I didn't like him in Ransom and found him to be kind of boring in Braveheart and Hamlet.

[Fellfrosch]

I kind of liked him in Hamlet. My displeasure with him in Braveheart is mainly due to my overriding displeasure with the movie itself, which is unfair. But I do agree with 42--he makes a wonderful quirky action hero, as he is very personable and charismatic (Maverick might actually be his best role in this persona). I liked Ransom, too, but mainly because of Gary Sinise. On the whole, when Mel tries to get too serious (Braveheart, Patriot, etc.) is when he falls down.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

ah, yes. Maverick. I forgot about that one too. Yeah, "quirky hero" describes him there. But it's also really unfair to say that puts him in the same category as Mad Max. In fact, I'd say the mood of his characters in Lethal Weapon and at least the first Mad Max are vastly different too. In MM its all angst and justice -- at first he's a dedicated law enforcer. In LW he's an irresponsible, reckless individual. Sure, they're both dedicated to bringing down the bad guy, but one is by the books till he's forced not to, and the other is "what's a book?" *shrug*

[EUOL]

On this topic, I'd like to ask--is the first MM movie worth seeing?  I mean, if you haven't seen it before, will it stand on its own and be a good movie?  Or is it one of those that requires nostalgia to come off right?

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

well, it's not an artistic masterpiece, let's get that out.

The acting isn't rotten though.

The plot is fairly straightforward and predictable, exactly what you'd expect to come out of an afternoon's outlining and no further development. There aren't a lot of special effects, but they aren't really needed, which is good because it's obviously a low budget flick.

The action is fun, even if it could be better choreographed.

I enjoyed it when I saw it for the first time something like 7 or 8 years ago, so I don't think it needs nostalgia. But it's not a GREAT movie. Just a fun little one. I can't give it a wholehearted recommendation, but it's better than many films. I think it stands out mostly as an early example of post-apocalyptic film. There wasn't a lot of that on an earth-bound, gritty level previous to this. The idea sparked a lot, but the writing's not so great.

[42]

If you are in the mood for an independent scifi movie, Mad Max is definitely worth it. If you want a big-budget blockbuster scifi movie, then don't see MM.

[EUOL]

Was the first one really all that sci-fi-ish?  I've heard that it was very different from the second and third movies.

[Mistress of Darkness]

There were three movies? Which one had Tina Turner in it? I don't remember much about it except for "We Don't Need Another Hero" and a lot of dust. Though, strangely, I kind of want to see it again.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

it is very different. No, it's not scifi-ish. It doesn't even necessarily rely on the future world it's set in to convey it's plot. You could do almost everything exactly the same and put it in the old west (blowing up a car would have to be different, but other than that, most of the automotive roles could be filled by horses). The only thing is the "restricted zone," which you could just turn around and say they're preventing slaves from escaping. Ok, it wouldn't work perfectly, but you could do most of it.

[EUOL]

Did that 'blow up the car' scene (the one where he shoots the gas tank to make it look like he's dead) happen in the first movie?  Maybe I have seen it.  I thought it happened in the second one.  Isn't the first one about Max being a cop, and a biker gang kills his family or something?  Or, maybe you're talking about a different 'blow up the car' scene.  There are probably plenty of them in the movies....

Tina was in the third one, MoD.

[Entsuropi]

I watched the first one and was wildly unimpressed. I seem to remember having a hard time working out whether it was before or after the apocalypse - it didn't seem to be making any real effect on the plot anyway.

But i don't think i loved either of the other two either. Patriot i despised (one film where i really, really wanted the 'bad' guys to win ). Braveheart is not too bad, but is amusingly disconnected from reality. Uhm. LW 4 i saw a bit of. Trash.

[Mad Dr Jeffe]

Sad to say it but americans dont get Mad Max because it was redubbed. Some idiot back in the 80's decided we wouldn't understand how to "Speak Austrailian" so they Dubbed Max for the US release. Oddly no version in the US has ever been released undubbed. (unless you have a bootleg like me) The impact on the lines and the movie itself is irreperable.
MM is crucial to the series because it helps us chart the change of Max from honest clean cut cop to near brigand by thuderdome. The whole argument in the second movie is that the oil drillers want to go back to civilisation (where Max has exiled himself from) and what he tells them they will find. Essentially Max is wild... and mad. I think the loss of his family did that. Sadly his revenge doesnt end his story and he finds that he cant go back to the world he knew and that he doesnt want to join the other world thats rising. Thats why thunderdome is such a great movie too, Max reconnects with the things that make him feel human again (the children) and again falls into the role of law and protector. Its a role he's destined to follow untill it eventually kills him. Its the only thing I've ever liked gibson in too.










Ben Afleck and Dogma....
horrible actor... funny movie.

[Fellfrosch]

Well, perhaps there's some sort of magical dialogue in Jeffe's Mad Max that reveals ingenious secrets, but everything he said about it can be picked up just as easily by watching the dubbed version. It's a much better movie (in my humble opinion) than SE gives it credit for, and one of my favorites. Road Warrior is better overall, but they're both great. Essentially, the first one details a man's decent into revenge and vigilantism--a fall from civilization to sociopathy. The second movie explores the ideas of barbarity and hopelessness, though it ends on an up note (of sorts) as Max is given the incentive to redeem himself. The actual redemption comes in the third movie, which is sadly the weakest of the three--the redemption isn't much, but it's there.

The most intriguing part of the series is the way the environment mirrors Max's mental and emotional state. It's not a movie I'd hold up as a golden sample of sci-fi, because there's simply not much there. As a character study, however, and as an incredibly evocative piece of post-apocalyptic speculation, it's quite good.

I should point out, however, that the overall tone of the series is quite bleak. It's not for everybody.

[Mad Dr Jeffe]

no and I never meant ot imply it... but the movie flows better and sounds better. The actors actually act off each other and it deepens the story