December 2015 Watchlist

Article by Gabe Zia
2015 is almost over, and it's time for the December 2015 Watchlist (or as I prefer to call it, Star Wars Episode VII and some lesser films). Now, as is the usual fashion for December, a good chunk of the films everyone else wants to see won't come out where I live until January. So, I'll be putting any limited release films, or films I'm not 100% sure will show here in the "limited release" sections.

December 11th

In the Heart of the Sea

This is one of stranger situations of the year involving a film being delayed. It was supposed to come out sometime in March, and until very recently I was under the impression it already came out. The film is supposedly based on a true story, specifically based on the true story that inspired the famous novel Moby Dick. Ron Howard directed this film, this being the second one in a row starring Chris Hemsworth, and from what I can tell it looks like it should be a fairly interesting movie.

The Big Short

Another film I've been interested in for most of the year, The Big Short seems to be about the housing crisis, and about how the banks responsible were a bunch of greedy scumbags. More specifically, it's about four guys who decided to go against the banks in some big way. The film has a great cast, Ryan Gosling, Christian Bale, Steve Carrell, and Brad Pitt, and from what I can guess the film will probably win a couple of awards.

December 18th

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens

It's times like these I'm really glad I type these things out. A lot of critics would take to video, and if I were talking about Star Wars in video form, this section of the watchlist would essentially consist of me screaming with joy at the top of my lungs. I've been hyped for this movie all year, and most of the time, with any other movie, I'll usually try to keep myself distanced from any hype. However, here, I have no concerns, and I'm just freaking out about this, as I have been for years now.

December Limited Release Films

Macbeth

Macbeth is one of the more interesting Shakespeare plays, and although I've never been able to understand the way characters talk in Shakespeare (in fact I find it infuriating how they talk). However, regardless of that, this film still looks really cool, in that kind of "Game of Thrones" way. Not to mention, it's got two really talented actors in the leads, which is more than enough to be worth mentioning.

The Hateful Eight

Honestly, it really bugs me that this movie is only getting a limited release because it was filmed on 70mm film for... Some reason. Hopefully, I'll be able to get to Toronto or something in time to see the film, if it'll even show in Toronto. If not, don't expect my review until January 8th at the earliest. That being said, the name "Quentin Tarantino" will 100% of the time always be an easy sell for me.

Best of November 2015: Spotlight

I know I gave Creed a 5/5, but unfortunately I didn't see it by my cut-off date, which would make it (to me anyway) a December movie. However, Spotlight is by no means a bad film for a backup choice, in fact it's also one of the best movies of the year. Michael Keaton and Rachel McAdams are both fantastic in this film, the writing is really interesting, it follows a compelling and really dark true story, and it's a captivating film. It's one of the few dialogue oriented films where I never once wanted to check the time, or found myself bored with a scene. Spotlight is without a doubt one of the best of the year.

November 2015 Watchlist

Article by Gabe Zia
October and Halloween have unfortunately come to a close, which means it's that time of the year when everyone pre-maturely puts their christmas decorations up, and you'll hear "All I Want For Christmas" on a constant loop. However, it also means that there's a whole new lineup of movies to look forward to, and these are the ones I'm eagerly anticipating this month.

November 6th

Spectre

Spectre has been one of my most anticipated movies of the year since late 2014, and I've been excited for a new Bond movie since I saw Skyfall. And from the looks of it, Spectre is looking to be a pretty dope movie. First off, they got an amazing actor to play the villain, being Christoph Waltz from Inglorious Basterds, and the director of Skyfall,  I see little to no reason why this movie would fail to amaze.

November 13th

By the Sea

I'm going to be completely honest here, I don't have incredibly high expectationss for this movie. I hope Angelina Jolie can pull off a really good movie, and both Jolie and Pitt are talented actors. The only thing that really intrigues me about By the Sea is how little I know about the plot. From what I can tell, I think it's about a couple on a vacation, and there's some domestic problems. That's it, that's all I know.

November 20th

Mockingjay pt. 2

The Hunger Games series is coming to an end with Mockingjay pt. 2, having read the books I don't know why they split Mockingjay into two films, but what's important is that we're finally getting the conclusion to the film series. It seems like director Francis Lawrence has saved the best for last, having all the really memorable parts of Mockingjay in this film, which should be awesome to see on screen.

Spotlight

I am a huge fan of the whole "web of lies" conspiracy type genre, where a bunch of people have to solve this huge conspiracy about something. Spotlight deals with the real life investigation into child abuse commited by preists at the Catholic church in Boston, and about how that investigation unravelled a whole web of lies spanning on a national scale. That's already an interesting enough story, so the fact that this movie has a near perfect cast (Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffallo, Rachel Mcadams, Stanley Tucci, Billy Crudup, Leiv Schreiber, etc.) slates Spotlight as one of my most anticipated movies of the month.

November 27th

Creed

Creed has surprised me so-far, in terms of the trailers, it looks a lot better than I thought it would look. Creed is the seventh film in the rocky series, and this time Rocky is now the trainer. He's specifically training a kid named Adonis Johnson, but what makes this kid important is that he's actually the son of Apollo Creed. The Danish Girl also comes out on the same day, and having already seen The Danish Girl I honestly think Creed would be a much better choice.

Best of October 2015: Steve Jobs
Honorable Mentions: Bridge of Spies

So apparently this movie totally bombed at the box office, which I have to say is a total shame. Steve Jobs is one of the best, most well made movies of the year. Danny Boyle delivers a fantastic movie written by one of the most praised writers in hollywood, Aaron Sorkin. Steve Jobs isn't just a great film, but an astonishingly unique film as well, and tells the story of Steve Jobs in a really creative non-linear way. Michael Fassbender and Kate Winslet should both be up for oscars for this movie, and I seriously recommend everyone check out this movie.

October 2015 Watchlist

Article by Gabe Zia
So after both the Calgary and Toronto International Film Festival impressed me with a series of mostly fantastic films, I'm still waiting for The Walk, Sicario, and Before I Wake to come out where I live. On top of that, it's also October first, which means that there's going to be a lot more horror and oscar bait movies coming out soon.

October 16th

Crimson Peak

Tom Hiddleston is one of my personal favorite actors working today. Between his role as Loki, or his performance in Only Lovers Left Alive, I'll usually watch something he's in, kind of like my thoughts towards Sam Rockwell. However, what sold me on Crimson Peak is the fact that it's a horror movie from Guillermo Del Toro, which means that this movie will likely give me nightmares on top of nightmares.

Beasts of No Nation (Netflix)

This movie looks downright chilling. The fact alone that there are people in the world who take kids and use them as child soldiers is enough to bum me out, but now there's a movie coming out that is specifically about this, from the perspective of one of the brainwashed kids. Honestly, I'm so glad this movie is coming out on Netflix, because I'm going to need a few breaks from this, as to retain my emotional stability.

Bridge of Spies

Bridge of Spies is the latest film from two of the most influential people in movie history, being Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. The film is set during the cold war, when an American spy has been captured by Russia, and a Russian spy has been captured by the US. Tom Hanks plays a lawyer called on by the US government to make the trade, being that the US will give Russia back their spy in order to save the American spy.

Room (limited)

Room is one of the more interesting films of the year, and it's looking to be an oscar contender after winning some awards at both Toronto's and Calgary's Film Festivals. Whether or not it's a true story I don't know, but I know the plot is intriguing enough. It's essentially about these two people, a kid named Jack and his mother, who were kept in an isolated room for most of Jacks life. The film is apparently mostly about after they escape, and this kid discovering the outdoor world.

October 23rd

Steve Jobs

After this movie was in development limbo for years on end, going back and forth between directors, cast members, the Aaron Sorkin Steve Jobs movie is finally here. The film stars Michael Fassbender as the famous founder of Apple, Steve Jobs. From just the overall visual look of this movie, it looks like it's likely going to be much better than the Ashton Kutcher Steve Jobs movie of a few years ago. And with Danny Boyle directing, they really can't go that wrong here.

Best of September 2015: Sicario

Sicario is without a doubt one of the best movies of 2015, it very well might end up my favorite movie of the year. Emily Blunt and Benicio Del Toro both give some of the best performances of their careers. Sicario is a powerful, amazingly written, and beautifully crafted work of art. The cinematography in this movie is some of the best I've seen in years. Sicario is the kind of movie that reminds me why I got so into movies in the first place, and it's an absolute masterpiece.

September 2015 Watchlist

Article by Gabe Zia
Summers, over. It's a bummer, sure, but what's not a bummer at all is the fact that now we can move on to the Oscar bait season. This is my personal favorite part of any yearly movie calendar, simply because this is when the films trying to win an oscar come out. Say what you will about the Academy awards, but they are an important event. So, today we're starting the oscar month with September, the month in which every film is either kind of oscar bait, a half decent action film that didn't make the cut for summer blockbuster, and usually one or two gems. Aside from TIFF 2015, there really isn't too much this month.

September 18th

Black Mass

The story of Whitey Bulger, one of the most infamous crime lords in US history is being brought to life in the upcoming crime thriller, Black Mass. The film stars Johnny Depp as Whitey, and by god, he looks terrific. Depp has done a few quirky roles in the past (in the same way Jordan Belfort ripped off a few people), and although I wouldn't say this is "quirky", it's certainly not normal. From the makeup, to the voice, to the way he's portraying this character, Black Mass is looking to be one of the earlier oscar bait films of the year.

September 25th

Sicario

I've been waiting to see this movie for so long now, ever since it premiered at Sundance I heard great things about it. The reason for my excitment is simply that Denis Villeneuve is behind it. If you don't know who that is, he directed Prisoners, Enemy, and Incendies, all of which are amazing films. I say amazing also noting that they're all deeply emotionally and psychologically disturbing, so I expect nothing less from Sicario.

Before I Wake

Before I Wake is an odd film for me. Normally, I'd avoid a movie like this as if it were the plague. However, it has two really good things going for it. One: A fantastic director, the same man who directed Oculus, a film I very much loved. Two: Real creativity in a horror film! Sure, the initial premise is fairly common, some foster parents adopt a creepy kid and he has a secret. However, he's not satan, and he's not being possessed. Instead, the premise is that whenever he's asleep, his dreams literally come to life, including his nightmares.

September 30th

The Walk

Anyone who's seen Man on Wire (or just knew about this story) may know about Philippe Petit, the French high-wire artist who decided to have a line of wire across the towers of the world trade center. I'm interested in this film for a number of reasons, but the main one is that I want to see how Joseph Gordon-Levitt does with this role. The kind of genius/madman role isn't always easy, so I want to see how this will go.

Best of August 2015: The Gift

Not only was The Gift the biggest surprise of the year, but it has been the biggest surprise - to me at least - in years. I went into this film with low expectations, mainly due to it's marketing campaign, and came out astonished. The Gift is more than just a really excellent thriller, it's a powerful movie, with fantastic performances all around, and an amazing story. The characters are excellently written, and outstandingly performed, and the way this story plays out is fantastic. If you haven't seen The Gift already, go see it. It's well worth it.

August 2015 Watchlist

Article by Gabe Zia
So July is coming to an end, and if you're a regular reader, you know what that means. It's time for me to take a look at some of the most intriguing or interesting films coming out this month. Since we're nearing the end of summer, we're also getting closer to my personal favorite time of the year, which is oscar season. But, before we can get to that, we've still got some movies to see. And by some, I mean holy god there's a ton of movies in August.

August 7th

Fantastic Four

Much like Terminator Genisys, this is another movie coming out that I'm not entirely sure about. From the mixed messages all the trailers are sending, to the review embargo being the day of release, to simply the fact that it's yet another needless gritty reboot. Just to be clear, I'm on Josh Tranks side here, I want this movie to be good. However, the closer we get to release, the less likely that seems.

Ricki & the Flash

Much like with Big Game and putting Samuel L. Jackson as the president, there are some movies that I will arbitrarily go see simply because a certain actor is in a certain role. Another example is Meryl Streep in any role ever, because she's fantastic. In Ricki & the Flash, she plays a rock star guitarist. Thankfully, this is one of the few movies I've managed to avoid any trailers and plot details for, so I'll be going into this movie knowing absolutely nothing, aside from Meryl Streep plays the guitar. If you ask me, Meryl Streep playing the guitar for a rock band is more than reason enough to see this movie.

Dark Places

Last year, I went into Gone Girl completely blind, I had no idea what the book was about, the only thing I knew was it had some talented people behind it. And now another book by Gillian Flynn, Dark Places, is being adapted to film. While I have no clue who this director is, just about everything in this movie looks promising. You've got a stellar cast, good cinematography from what I've seen, and a rare trait for modern mystery thrillers, which is that I can't tell what the big reveal is going to be from the trailer. Knowing Gillian Flynn, it's going to shock me, whatever it'll be.

August 14th

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

I've never watched the original tv show this movie is based on, in fact up until about a couple of months ago, I head no idea there was an original series. But even before that I was pumped, this movie's got fun spy action, Henry Cavill as basically American Bond, Armie Hammer as a badass Russian, a lot of talented actors, and it's handled by Guy Ritchie. So, I was already on board for this movie before I knew anything else.

Straight Outta Compton

NWA is one of the most controversial groups of all time, so to say that an NWA movie was to be expected is frankly an understatement.  There was so much surrounding this group, between news controversy, their lives in Compton, public backlash for the topics of their songs, and how iconic it all was. This movie has a lot building up to it, and I think it looks really good, from both an entertainment and critical standpoint.

Backcountry

The survival horror film genre is usually one of two things. Intriguing and complex, or zombies, and there's no in between (except for 28 Days Later). However, much like The Grey, Backcountry is a man vs. nature survival film, only instead of wolves, it's a bear. The film follows a couple, whose hiking/camping trip goes wrong when they find themselves in a black bears territory, and have to survive because bears are terrifying.

Air

Air looks kind of like a dream come true for me. It looks kind of similar to the movie Moon, which is one of my favorite movies ever made, and it's got Norman Reedus and Djimon Honsou in the leading roles. Granted, this isn't the biggest blockbuster of the summer, so, like a lot of movies unfortunately, it may be a while before I actually see this movie. That being said, I've been waiting for it for a while now, so I'm willing to wait.

Eden

Apparently August 14th is the big day for August, this is the fifth film hopefully coming out then. Eden was a movie I was trying to see at last years Toronto Film Festival, and although I couldn't see it then, it's now getting a limited release, and unlike way too many limited releases, I know this one will be coming out in my area. Like Ricki & the Flash, I know nothing about Eden. In fact, I know less about Eden than I do about any movie coming out this year, I know nothing about this movie.

August 21st

American Ultra

When I first saw the trailer for American Ultra, It seemed like the director of this movie watched Dazed and Confused, and said "I wonder if this was an action movie". That's exactly what American Ultra is, the premise for this movie is that a stoner cashier guy is a sleeper cell, who gets activated by the CIA, but is still a stoner, only now he can do CIA stuff. Jesse Eisenberg looks funny, Kristen Stewart looks a lot funnier than she usually is, and I'm really looking forward to American Ultra.

Auguest 28th

Regression

Regression is one of the few movies coming out this year I know close to nothing about, even after watching the trailer, and hearing about script details from a friend. The plot synopsis on IMDB makes it sound like one thing, the trailer makes it look like something completely different. I'm not sure if it's about a cult of some sort, or about recovery from trauma, or it could very well be both. All I know is I've heard it's a fantastic movie.

Best of July 2015: Ant-Man

Ant-Man is probably one of Marvels biggest, toughest moves yet, and it absolutely pays off in the form of one of their best films as of yet. This, along with Guardians of the Galaxy, is Marvels funniest movie so-far, and the action sequences are fantastic. The way the Ant-Man gimmick is used here is fantastic, it's so original, and so well-done. I hope that in the years to come we can see some more Ant-Man films, because Paul Rudd as Ant-Man is one of the most compelling characters in Marvel films right now. I liked Ant-Man a lot more than I thought I would, far more than Age of Ultron, and I would even put it up there with Winter Soldier.

July 2015 Watchlist

Article by Gabe Zia
So with June over tomorrow, I'm going to take a look at some movies coming out this month. Some movies from June I didn't post any reviews of. I saw Slow West, but haven't found the time to write my review, and Dope never came out where I live, so that was an obstacle for obvious reasons. However, I'll try to see Dope sometime this month. In the meantime, here are some new releases to look forward to.

July 3rd

Terminator Genisys

This was the movie that, for the longest time, I had given the benefit of the doubt. But in more recent days, I have all but entirely given up on this movie. Especially with this whole thing where John Conner has been somehow transformed into some kind of human/terminator hybrid (which is really weird and not at all needed), I've pretty much lost hope in this movie. I have a few reasons for keeping this on the list, the only big one being that the T-1000 is in the movie, which is pretty awesome.

The Overnight

This is another film I heard of from Sundance, and I've heard nothing but good things about it. First off, it's got a fantastic cast, with Taylor Schilling from Orange is the New Black, Adam Scott, and Jason Schwartzman, all usually hilarious actors in whatever they're in. Based on the trailer, this movie looks really funny as well, featuring a sense of realistic humor, which is something I always love to see in films. It's one of the more underground films of the month, but one I'm certainly looking forward to.

July 10th

Big Game

I've been waiting for this movie for so long, it looks like a total cheesy 80s action movie, which is never a bad thing. In case you haven't heard of it before, the plot here is that Air Force One has been attacked, the president escaped, and landed in the middle of Finland. This Finnish teenage hunter meets him, and the two of them have to survive against the terrorists trying to kill the president. Oh, did I mention the president is played by Samuel L. Jackson? Because the president is played by Samuel L. Jackson.

Self/Less

This movie is a bit of a difficult situation for me, because I honestly have no idea of what to think of it. On the one hand, I really like the premise, and Tarsem Singh has shown us that he can deliver a film with a unique visual style (for example, The Cell). However, this film also looks a little confusing, and Singh has also been known to be a little pretentious and confusing (for example... also The Cell). The trailer it intriguing enough, but I'm still reasonably skeptical.

Minions

When I heard there was a Minions movie being made, I was really conflicted at first. Because it could be hilarious slapstick, but it could also be really stupid, with the main characters never really speaking any comprehensible language. The trailers have surprised me though, and the more trailers come out, the more surprised I am by this movie. Normally, the idea of a bunch of characters who speak gibberish getting their own spinoff would seem really dumb, but I keep finding myself wanting to see this movie.

July 17th

Ant-Man

Ant-Man is one of those movies that, the closer we get to release, the more excited I am for it. I started out really skeptical about this movie, especially with Edgar Wright no longer being attatched to the project. However, with more trailers and a better look at the film overall, I gotta say, Ant-Man looks fairly impressive to me. I still have a bit of cautious optimism, but as of right now, I think it looks really good.

Trainwreck

Judd Apatow movies can go one way or the other for me. They can either be really good and really funny, or they can get way too serious in the final act of the film and drag on for 30 minutes way too long. Hopefully, Trainwreck is the former. I like Bill Hader, I like Amy Schumer, and from the trailer it looks like they have good chemistry. This is another movie I'm hoping is good, despite fairly mediocre expectations.

The Stanford Prison Experiment

This movie caught my attention a while back. Not just due to what I've heard from Sundance, but the fact that it's about an interesting story. The Stanford prison experiment is one of the most controversial and one of the darker experiments at Stanford, the results of said experiment being fairly terrible. So, it's fair to say that I'm interested to see this story and this experiment brought to life on film.

July 22nd

Sharknado 3

I feel as though I should feel ashamed about myself when I talk about the Sharknado movies. They're, in my opinion, the ultimate guilty pleasure. They're so stupid, and so over the top ridiculous. The first movie was the average, run of the mill, B movie, which was fun enough. Sharknado 2 was straight up Army of Darkness territory, with ridiculous action and hilarious cameos. Sharknado 3 just looks off the rails bonkers, and I can't wait to watch it.

July 24th

Paper Towns

I'm usually not in any way a fan of the "teen drama" sort of thing, however having recently finally watched and surprisingly enjoyed The Fault in our Stars on Netflix, I'm pretty interested to see some of John Greens other work put to film. Keep in mind, I haven't read the book for either Fault in Our Stars or Paper Towns, but nonetheless I'm interested.

July 31st

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

The Mission Impossible series has been slowly getting better and better over time, with the last film, Ghost Protocol, being easily the best in the series. So, with that, Rogue Nation has a lot to live up to. I was fairly surprised when I found out Brad Bird wouldn't be returning to make this movie, seeing as how he did such a good job with the fourth film. However, I trust that they won't mess this up, and I trust that Rogue Nation will live up to the hype.



Vacation

I love the original Vacation, hands down one of my favorite comedies. So when I found out there was a remake, at first I was really worried, because comedy remakes can be either really good or really bad, usually the latter. However, having recently seen the trailer, my thoughts on this movie have completely changed, and I'm really looking forward to it. I'm not sure how Ed Helms will do if being compared to Chevy Chase - which he will, it's inevitable, he'll be compared to Chevy Chase - but I have high hopes for this movie.

Best of June 2015: Me & Earl & the Dying Girl

At first, I absolutely thought this movie would end up as just another Fault in Our Stars teen drama. However, I was delightfully surprised with Me & Earl & the Dying Girl. It was one of those movies that had a near-perfect balance of comedy and drama, with some of the most hilarious bits of narration I've seen in a while, and later some of the real somber and unexpected moments where you feel absolutely broken inside. It's entertaining, it's memorable, and it makes you feel all sorts of emotions. It's one of the pleasant surprises of 2015, and it was my favorite film of last month.

June 2015 Watchlist

Article by Gabe Zia
We're a quarter way into Summer 2015, May was absolutely packed with some pretty cool movies, and one godawful movie *cough, Hot Pursuit, cough*. But enough about that, because June is just around the corner, and looks just as packed. So, here are some of the movies I'm looking forward to this month, indie and blockbuster alike.

June 1st

Kung Fury

In the realm of cheesy, intentionally ridiculous movies, some of my friends and I have no equal to Kung Fury. We've been looking forward to this movie for at least a year and a half now, because this movie looks completely nuts. I would tell you what the plot of this movie is, but instead I'm just going to post a link to the trailer, I guarantee you this movie does not disappoint in terms of being completely ridiculous.

June 5th

Entourage

Entourage is one of those shows I haven't watched much of, seeing as how I live in Canada and it's not available on Netflix here. However, from what I have seen, I really enjoyed it. So, with a movie based on the show coming out, I'm honestly really intrigued to see how it'll turn out. Again, I have very little frame of reference regarding the show, so there's that too.

Love & Mercy

I didn't really know all that much about this movie until very recently, but from what I've read, I'm intrigued. I don't know much about Brian Wilson, and I don't know anything about the Beach Boys, other than the fact that they made some fairly popular songs. I've never seen Paul Dano in a leading role before, so I'm guessing with him at the helm this film will probably be interesting.

June 12th

Jurassic World

This movie has been slowly ramping up in terms of how hyped I am waiting for it. They got a really good director, some really good cast members, and then Chris Pratt which almost sealed the deal for me. However, the real seller here is the tone of the movie that I've seen from the trailers, this movie looks like it has a really fitting tone. And the closer we come to release, the more I understand the plot. At first, the whole genetic modification thing seemed stupid, but now It seems like it makes sense to me in a weird way. Not to mention, it kind of feels like the movie Aliens, which is never a bad thing.

Me & Earl & the Dying Girl

I heard about this movie awhile ago from Sundance, hearing that it was getting great reviews all around, and that people loved it. From the trailer, I'm honestly not surprised people really enjoy it, because it looks like an interesting movie. This movie looks like what would happen if you took The Fault in Our Stars and mashed it with Be Kind Rewind. That's not a combination I ever thought would happen, but having seen the trailer, it makes perfect sense.

Slow West

This is yet another big Sundance hit, so much like the Me & Earl, I'm really looking forward to seeing this movie. And there are other reasons as well, such as the fact that it's a western and I really enjoy Westerns. Or the fact that it has Michael Fassbender and Ben Mendelsohn who are both actors I really enjoy watching. Maybe it's all of the above, but the point is I'm looking forward to this movie.

June 19th

Inside Out

Pixar has been on a bit of a downhill spiral recently. Cars 2 was lame, Brave was disappointing, Monsters University was unnecessary, so I'm really hoping Inside Out will be the movie that turns things around for them. And it looks interesting enough, granted it's not Pixars most original concept, but it's worth enough that it'll probably be entertaining.

Dope

I don't mind high school movies, just as long as they're good. The problem is, most of them are kind of unoriginal and cliched. However, thankfully, Dope looks like it has the originality it needs to be a memorable high school movie. The characters seem well written, it seems really funny, and I love the way they've executed the style of this movie, just everything about this movie looks really well done and... Well, dope.

Best of May 2015: Mad Max: Fury Road

Mad Max: Fury Road is a rare variety of action film, the kind that only shows its face every couple of years. This movie is packed with insane non-stop action, unique set-peices, and amazing practical effects. Tom Hardy totally kills it as the new face of Max Rockatansky, and Charlize Theron completely steals the show, and makes for an amazing and interesting protagonist for this film. Nicholas Hoult is fantastic, playing what is hands down his most complex and intriguing character yet. This film creates a whole new world to explore for the Mad Max series, and creates some fantastic characters to keep the audience interested. The pacing is spot in, with no action scene dragging on too long, and never taking too much time with it's slower parts. This is the single most entertaining and memorable movie of the year so-far.