Happy Thursday! Since my dad said I recommend too many sad and slow movies that “normal people” wouldn’t like, today’s recommendations are three thrilling, non-stop action movies featuring some stellar car chases. This was originally published in my weekly newsletter that helps readers know what to stream.
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In movie news: The Oscars were this Sunday and… they got weird. Nomadland led the field with 3 awards including Picture, Actress for Frances McDormand, and Best Director for Chloé Zhao — she’s the first woman of color and second woman ever to win the award. Here are my full thoughts.
Enjoy the beautiful weekend!
Mad Max: Fury Road finds us further into the post-apocalyptic wasteland where the original took place where a tyrannical ruler called Immortan Joe has taken four women as his prisoner wives. With the help of warrior Furiosa (Charlize Theron), wannabe soldier Nux (Nicholas Hoult), and a drifter named Max (Tom Hardy) they escape but quickly find themselves hotly pursued by an army. Here’s the trailer.
Why it’s great: Mad Max: Fury Road is one of my favorite Best Picture nominees of all time for its pure audaciousness. It is the fourth installment of a cult 80s post-apocalyptic action series that spent nearly a decade in development hell — yet, it feels like a fully realized magnum opus of an action movie.
From the opening shot, it immerses you in George Miller’s carefully crafted world and then immediately slams on the pedal and goes. Miller utilizes every cinematic tool available to him to take over your senses and completely control your perception of what is happening on screen giving you no choice but to get lost. 120 mins.
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One bus. One bomb. 50 mph. One Keanu. Speed follows police officer Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves) who, along with passenger Annie (Sandra Bullock) has to prevent a mad bomber from blowing up a bus and killing those aboard by keeping it traveling at 50 mph. Here’s the trailer.
Why it’s great: Speed is the quintessential 90s action flick filled with corny dialogue, ridiculous stunts, a hilariously thin plot, and Keanu Reeves — but these are all the reasons it works so well.
Fueled by Keanu doing the thing that makes Keanu Keanu, Speed is an irresistibly fun and fast-paced action-thriller that is literally all gas, no brakes. Before the end, you’ll find yourself cheering for our heroes and saying “okay, we’ll have to base it on sex then.” 115 mins.
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▶ Streaming on Netflix (starting tomorrow)
The Mitchells vs. The Machines follows the eponymous Mitchells, your run-of-the-mill dysfunctional family on a road trip to bring daughter Katie (Abbi Jacobson) across the country to film school. During their trip, however, Mark Bowman (Eric Andre) a tech tycoon reminiscent of another Mark, unintentionally unleashes a robot apocalypse led by a Siri-like smart assistant called Pal (Olivia Colman). Finding themselves as the last humans left to save the planet, the Mitchells have to do something they’ve never done well: work together. Netflix">Here’s the trailer.
Why it’s great: Produced by Phil Lord and Chris Miller — best known for The Lego Movie and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse — The Mitchells vs. The Machines is a colorful and hilarious assault on the senses that functions perfectly as an action movie, family movie, comedy, and audacious exercise in animation.
Like the pair’s other films, The Mitchells constantly challenges and subverts what an animated movie can be while still being completely reverent and masterful. Basically, they punch you in the face with graphics and color and then put you in a chokehold with profound explorations of real issues we find in our relationships. However, unlike some other studios *cough* Pixar *cough* The Mitchells vs. the Machines is unapologetically for kids and it’s all the better for it. 113 minutes. Full review.
? P.S. You can see every movie I’ve ever recommended right here.
? I’m also a Tomatometer-approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes! You can find new movie reviews here and here.
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