First off, shout out to the line '...films by twenty-year-olds who don’t know there are ages between “waif” and “crone.”', as well as your description of "Manosphere-adjacent bot on Twitter".
I have to admit I my thoughts on Furiosa are completely the opposite of yours. I felt that the action, storytelling and camera work were on par with what was in Fury Road, not to mention the overall production design. Honestly things like Dementus' motorcycle chariot, The Octoboss, and the airboat/jetskis automatically earned this film a three and a half stars out of five from me (full disclosure: I also enjoy seeing close ups of Anya Taylor-Joy on a big screen, so my standards in general are embarrassingly less sophisticated). Regarding the character of Furiosa, I felt her "masculine freedom of complication" (another fantastic line) was conveyed with her desire for revenge at any cost versus guiding others who have suffered like her to the Green Place. This comes into play when she decides to rescue Praetorian Jack at the Bullet Farm when it would have been more pragmatic to just drive off while Jack kept Dementus and his cronies distracted. It's the contrast between leaving no witnesses of the Green Place alive and treating it as a haven for those who have suffered from the cruelties of the Wasteland. The end brings this full circle too, not just with the explicit way it ties itself into plot of Fury Road but also with the peach seed and how that leads to Dementus' comeuppance.
That said, I do agree with you about the character's central hypocrisy in Fury Road and the implications that carries. For a movie I consider to be one of my all time favourites, this reading is something I feel I didn't really pick up on, let alone could express with such pointed clarity as you have. To reiterate, "masculine freedom of complication" is another example of this; that line of criticism helped me solidify and articulate the things I loved about Furiosa that are more than just surface level. It's a testament to your skills as a critic that even I when I disagree with you, your writing remains a compelling source of inspiration.
TBH I am glad to hear other people liked it. I left feeling totally discombobulated.
I fully did not get Jack at all (but have also really struggled to ~get~ Tom Burke) and feel like this movie was kind of the perfect mix of three actors I simply cannot connect to (at least post-Emma. with ATJ).
TBH I think you're on to something with ATJ. I've enjoyed her performances in everything I've seen her in (and the films they're attached to), but they don't come close to the bar set by Emma. or even Thoroughbreds for that matter (she and Olivia Cooke had impeccable chemistry). I wonder if she's become a bit typecast, and as a result not being as well utilized as she could be.
I haven't struggled to 'get' Tom Burke since this is the first thing I've seen him in. I have struggled to accept the fact that he is a English nepo baby with a rather extensive filmography. For whatever reason I left the film thinking he was just some relatively unknown Australian actor and assumed as much until today, when I finally glanced at his Wikipedia entry. Finding out that he plays the titular role in the Cormoran Strike tv series left me feeling discombobulated (I don't watch that show or read the books it's based on, but my parents are huge fans of both).
First off, shout out to the line '...films by twenty-year-olds who don’t know there are ages between “waif” and “crone.”', as well as your description of "Manosphere-adjacent bot on Twitter".
I have to admit I my thoughts on Furiosa are completely the opposite of yours. I felt that the action, storytelling and camera work were on par with what was in Fury Road, not to mention the overall production design. Honestly things like Dementus' motorcycle chariot, The Octoboss, and the airboat/jetskis automatically earned this film a three and a half stars out of five from me (full disclosure: I also enjoy seeing close ups of Anya Taylor-Joy on a big screen, so my standards in general are embarrassingly less sophisticated). Regarding the character of Furiosa, I felt her "masculine freedom of complication" (another fantastic line) was conveyed with her desire for revenge at any cost versus guiding others who have suffered like her to the Green Place. This comes into play when she decides to rescue Praetorian Jack at the Bullet Farm when it would have been more pragmatic to just drive off while Jack kept Dementus and his cronies distracted. It's the contrast between leaving no witnesses of the Green Place alive and treating it as a haven for those who have suffered from the cruelties of the Wasteland. The end brings this full circle too, not just with the explicit way it ties itself into plot of Fury Road but also with the peach seed and how that leads to Dementus' comeuppance.
That said, I do agree with you about the character's central hypocrisy in Fury Road and the implications that carries. For a movie I consider to be one of my all time favourites, this reading is something I feel I didn't really pick up on, let alone could express with such pointed clarity as you have. To reiterate, "masculine freedom of complication" is another example of this; that line of criticism helped me solidify and articulate the things I loved about Furiosa that are more than just surface level. It's a testament to your skills as a critic that even I when I disagree with you, your writing remains a compelling source of inspiration.
TBH I am glad to hear other people liked it. I left feeling totally discombobulated.
I fully did not get Jack at all (but have also really struggled to ~get~ Tom Burke) and feel like this movie was kind of the perfect mix of three actors I simply cannot connect to (at least post-Emma. with ATJ).
Thank you for your kind words!!!
Thank you for indulging my wall of text lol!
TBH I think you're on to something with ATJ. I've enjoyed her performances in everything I've seen her in (and the films they're attached to), but they don't come close to the bar set by Emma. or even Thoroughbreds for that matter (she and Olivia Cooke had impeccable chemistry). I wonder if she's become a bit typecast, and as a result not being as well utilized as she could be.
I haven't struggled to 'get' Tom Burke since this is the first thing I've seen him in. I have struggled to accept the fact that he is a English nepo baby with a rather extensive filmography. For whatever reason I left the film thinking he was just some relatively unknown Australian actor and assumed as much until today, when I finally glanced at his Wikipedia entry. Finding out that he plays the titular role in the Cormoran Strike tv series left me feeling discombobulated (I don't watch that show or read the books it's based on, but my parents are huge fans of both).
Wow I did not know Tom Burke had actor parents! Something in me is just built to hate I guess.
giggling together every time tom hardy appeared on screen to cosplay brando
this is yet another tragedy in the loss of dvd bonus features .... where is the bts w/ the dialect coach....
I giggled every time they cut to Mike Faist with that damn microphone looking *bemused.*
Only realizing now the full genius of Faist's performance ... he is the *exact* type of person you would be willing to confess anything to.