Episode 69

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Published on:

5th Jun 2024

May Wrap-Up / Mad Max Awards / Movie Musings

Our May Wrap-up episode. A time to reflect on MAD MAY, in which we watched all the films in the Mad Max franchise, including the latest, 'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga'.

00:00 Reflections on the franchise and recent box office

03:05 Mad Max Awards

19:54 Ranking the Franchise

24:24 Movie Musings

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Transcript
Nathan:

Well, and welcome to back to the frame rates may wrap up.

Nathan:

This is a monthly episode that we do to recap prior month.

Nathan:

And this was quite a month cause we did the entire Mad Max retrospective,

Nathan:

the whole saga culminating and furing out a couple of weeks ago.

Nathan:

And this is gonna be a fun episode because we have some final thoughts.

Nathan:

On the saga and reflections on it, and we're going to rank the franchise.

Nathan:

And also we have some awards and superlatives to give out.

Nathan:

Any thoughts before we begin this?

Sam:

Hello.

Sam:

I just want to say this was the best box office ever.

Sam:

May was on fire and we had back the frame where we're there to witness this

Sam:

incredible just, I just, what can I say?

Sam:

Scorcher.

Nathan:

Yeah.

Nathan:

You know what is funny before we get to this, I see so much not so much hate,

Nathan:

but like so much so many people are just kind of like, just digging at Furiosa for

Nathan:

his poor box office, but you know what?

Nathan:

It's the entire box office.

Nathan:

And I hope that Hollywood is not just looking at Furiosa as

Nathan:

like, Oh, this movie bombed.

Nathan:

Every movie is bombing right now.

Nathan:

So I am hopeful that they will realize this is not isolated to

Nathan:

this movie, or any of these movies that are coming out this month.

Nathan:

This is something that is a global thing that's going on, or a

Nathan:

thing that's happening right now.

Nathan:

And eventually, it probably will turn around at some point.

Nathan:

They will figure out, they'll crack the code, and hopefully, Hopefully

Nathan:

people will return or they'll figure out a way to get people back in.

Nathan:

But right now people are not going to the theater for one reason or another.

Nathan:

I have theories about the, the window that movies are coming

Nathan:

to streaming and VOD so fast.

Nathan:

That's one of my thoughts on it.

Nathan:

But I hope that Hollywood doesn't think like, Oh, no more Mad Max

Nathan:

movies because nobody's going out.

Nathan:

It's more, it's bigger than that.

Bee:

And if we choose movies that are going to be bellwethers, maybe we don't

Bee:

choose the legacy prequel nine years later with none of the original stars.

Bee:

Yeah.

Sam:

Yeah.

Sam:

It's, it's I feel like it's a marketing thing too.

Sam:

And I also think there's this saying going around in in Hollywood and movie

Sam:

theaters called survive till 25 because of the writer's strike, all the movies have

Sam:

shifted, you know, big titles in the 2025.

Sam:

But I do think that This has been a trend this month in May, but I also

Sam:

think it has to do with the titles, just the movies themselves, like

Sam:

maybe people were less interested.

Sam:

I do think this, this box office of this summer will improve.

Sam:

And I, it's, I can understand if people disagree, but I think I have a feeling Bad

Sam:

Boys, Ride or Die is going to open well.

Sam:

I'm just talking box office.

Sam:

I think it could be.

Sam:

I think it could do that.

Sam:

And then a quiet place year one, I see hope for this summer.

Sam:

So I don't think it's all doom and gloom, but I'm always an optimist.

Sam:

We'll see.

Sam:

Time will

Nathan:

tell.

Nathan:

Maybe when we get to our June wrap up, we can look back and see what happens.

Nathan:

Well, let's get awards to proletives for the Mad Max franchise.

Nathan:

And I, my apologies.

Nathan:

I recycled some of our categories from last month when we did our

Nathan:

Christopher Nolan Retrospective, but I think there's some fun ones in here.

Nathan:

We can kind of see as we go, but I think obvious one we have to do is best villain.

Nathan:

No,

Nathan:

it doesn't have to be the main villain.

Nathan:

It can be any of the villains on that from this franchise.

Nathan:

No,

Nathan:

it's good here.

Nathan:

Who would like to begin?

Nathan:

We just, we just rock, paper, scissors this.

Nathan:

I don't care who begins.

Sam:

I think B would like to begin, right?

Sam:

B

Bee:

I would thanks, Sam.

Bee:

I.

Bee:

You've heard me say for the last like four or five shows that I think the

Bee:

this franchise has a villain problem That being said I love toe cutter.

Bee:

I really like I never got over toe cutter But Dementus came Pretty close.

Bee:

Mm.

Bee:

Sam!

Sam:

So, and, and, and forgive me, I'm a complete moron because I've been running

Sam:

around today, but I forgot the rules.

Sam:

Does that mean that I can't pick, pick the same villain now?

Sam:

No, this isn't, this isn't, this isn't

Nathan:

a draft, no.

Nathan:

Okay,

Sam:

gotcha.

Sam:

No, you can, no

Bee:

rules.

Sam:

There's no, wow.

Sam:

No rules.

Sam:

What would the world be like?

Sam:

What would the world be like?

Sam:

No, so I, I gotta be honest.

Sam:

It has to be Toecutter for me as well, because So good.

Sam:

It's just his presence, and then one of my favorite lines in all the Mad Maxes

Sam:

with his sarcasm, where he's like, Ugh!

Sam:

I hate guns!

Sam:

And just, the way he delivers that is like, perfect, bad guy, like, he, and

Sam:

I will, I mean, I really like the, I do like the villains in, in The Road

Sam:

Warrior, but I just think Toe Cutter, he's more of a mythic place for me.

Nathan:

Mm hmm.

Nathan:

Well, I'm, we're gonna go three for three here.

Nathan:

I also like Toe Cutter.

Nathan:

Runner up, though, was

Nathan:

Hughie's

Nathan:

other Mad Max villain, Morton Joe, who I think is terrific.

Nathan:

I think Tina, I think Tina Turner is a weak character.

Nathan:

Lord Humongous and Wes look cool, but there's not much to their characters.

Nathan:

And I've already said last week that I think Dementus character I thought

Nathan:

would have been stronger if he was a little bit more of an enigma.

Nathan:

But I gotta stick with the OG, Toe Cutter, because he's so theatrical and

Nathan:

enigmatic and he's just full of chaos.

Bee:

And I

Nathan:

think he's the scariest of them all because he's just so unpredictable.

Nathan:

And

Bee:

he feels so real when he goes after the wife's ice cream.

Bee:

That for me is the moment from the original Mad Max that

Bee:

sticks in my mind so clearly.

Sam:

Yes.

Sam:

He's scary too.

Sam:

He's like a real life, like, like, like psychopath or

Sam:

like, I just said, like, very,

Nathan:

he's also rooted in the real world.

Nathan:

This is not, this is before the apocalypse.

Nathan:

So that's what kind of makes him scary.

Nathan:

Cause this guy exists in a world that we kind of, Live in to some degree, you

Sam:

know, Relatable terror.

Sam:

Yeah, exactly.

Bee:

In a bar somewhere.

Bee:

And there's a woman covering her drink.

Nathan:

Yeah.

Nathan:

All right.

Nathan:

We let's move on to our next category.

Nathan:

I think we can all agree.

Nathan:

This is a good one.

Nathan:

Best vehicle.

Nathan:

And this could be anything that flies or drives.

Bee:

The gyrocopter.

Bee:

It's not even a question.

Bee:

What are we, what are we doing?

Bee:

It's the gyrocopter.

Nathan:

Gyrocopter.

Nathan:

Okay.

Sam:

Sam.

Sam:

You look.

Sam:

So I got to say, you know, I'm so my, my answer surprises me because

Sam:

usually I would go for like you know, something from like the earlier films,

Sam:

but I got to say specifically in Fury Road and excuse me, Fury Road.

Sam:

I like

Nathan:

Fury Road.

Nathan:

Fury

Sam:

Road.

Sam:

I like it.

Nathan:

Or

Sam:

how about Fury Ode Suh.

Sam:

Oh, I'm sorry.

Sam:

Hey, I still got it.

Sam:

No,

Sam:

I would definitely have to go with the War Rig in Fury Road because

Sam:

we spend so much time with it and it's one of the vehicles that lasts

Sam:

a surprising amount of time and does not get destroyed as is often the case

Sam:

with a lot of vehicles in these films.

Sam:

And you get to just see how it's operated and like Charlize Theron's like trick

Sam:

for starting it and it's just, it's, I just feel like I've been on a adventure.

Sam:

I've been with that vehicle more than others, even though I love many of them.

Sam:

It's a tough choice, but I have to say that.

Bee:

I liked in Furiosa how we learned a little bit more about how it was designed.

Bee:

You know, the practicality of what went where I thought that was cool too.

Nathan:

Good pick, Sam.

Nathan:

Cause I also went with that, but you know, I will mention, of course I

Nathan:

had to go with the pursuit special.

Nathan:

Mad Max's car because if there ever was a vehicle in the series that, I don't know.

Nathan:

I think it's just, it's not featured enough.

Nathan:

I wanted more from it, but you know, the, the Warwick has its own personality and

Nathan:

I feel that that truck is just a beast.

Nathan:

And hearing your story from a few weeks ago, Sam, where they, there's

Nathan:

Moby Dick references to that, where there's whale sounds added to it

Nathan:

and made me love it even more.

Nathan:

I'm in awe of the, the war rig.

Sam:

If we ever get the Wasteland movie, maybe that could be Mad Max's,

Sam:

like, car survives all of the film.

Sam:

Cause that would be great.

Sam:

You know, it's been a while if we ever get to it.

Sam:

I don't know.

Sam:

I I'm optimist.

Sam:

I'm forever an optimist.

Nathan:

Okay.

Nathan:

So.

Nathan:

This is where I kind of recycled some of our awards from the past month,

Nathan:

and, but I have our We just kind of

Bee:

liked it.

Nathan:

Our sidekick award.

Nathan:

What character would you want to go into battle with?

Bee:

Charlize's Furiosa.

Nathan:

Furiosa.

Nathan:

Okay.

Nathan:

We'll just leave it at that.

Nathan:

Okay.

Nathan:

That's fine.

Nathan:

No explanation needed.

Nathan:

Sam.

Bee:

Yeah.

Bee:

I mean, she's badass.

Sam:

Oh my God.

Sam:

I don't know how to, you know, I'll be honest.

Sam:

Sometimes you just don't think, you know, the first thing that came to my head

Sam:

right away, I got to say the gyro captain.

Sam:

Because he might not be like the strongest, but he's like clever

Sam:

and he throws snakes at people.

Sam:

So like, yeah, you know, he'd be cheerful about it.

Sam:

Like if we were going to die, he'd be like, still be smiling

Sam:

and that would help, you know?

Sam:

But it's, I don't know.

Sam:

It was a tough choice, but yeah.

Sam:

He would bring

Bee:

some levity to the team.

Sam:

Yes.

Sam:

Exactly.

Nathan:

Yeah.

Nathan:

This is, this is a tough choice.

Nathan:

I'm going a little unconventional.

Nathan:

I'm going with a character that we did not talk about.

Nathan:

Enough last week.

Bee:

Are you going to say Nux?

Nathan:

No, but I was incredibly impressed with the skills of a

Nathan:

character named Mary Jibasa, Furiosa's mother from Furiosa Mad Max Saga.

Nathan:

Yeah, I know I sort of shit on this movie a little bit, but it's been

Nathan:

growing on me the more I think about it.

Nathan:

And there's so many incredible characters in this film, but one of

Nathan:

those standouts was Furiosa's mom.

Nathan:

So much that.

Nathan:

I wouldn't even mind a movie about her character.

Nathan:

Yeah.

Nathan:

Now, I know that will probably never happen based on the box office, but maybe

Nathan:

a limited series would be really cool.

Nathan:

I don't know.

Nathan:

Anyways, Like I said,

Bee:

that opening chase, I think is one of the more interesting Mad Max chases.

Sam:

That opening chase, I, is like my favorite.

Sam:

I just love it.

Sam:

My favorite in the whole film, I think.

Sam:

Yeah, I loved it.

Nathan:

But Mary Jabasa Fioris mom could kick all our asses.

Nathan:

She's incredible.

Nathan:

Yeah.

Nathan:

Yeah.

Nathan:

Next, this I'm calling the Wingman Wingwoman Award, and this is

Nathan:

an award, but what character would you want to be your, your wingman on a date?

Bee:

That's a really good question.

Bee:

Wingman on a date that I probably would have to go, no,

Bee:

no, I'm not going to do that.

Bee:

I was going to say gyro captain, but no, I'm not going to do that.

Bee:

Nux.

Bee:

You know why?

Bee:

Because I think Nux is like.

Bee:

He just, he just is so devout and loyal, and he really like, he's someone who, who

Bee:

quickly evangelizes sort of whatever side he's on, so I can see him really talking

Bee:

me up to, to whomever I need him to.

Nathan:

I like that.

Sam:

I'm going to have to go in a slightly comedic direction and say

Sam:

master blaster, because I think it would be wondrous fun if like they were my

Sam:

wingman at a bar and like master was shouting like, Sam, go talk to her.

Sam:

She nice.

Sam:

Go talk now.

Sam:

I'd be like, I'd be like, okay, this is amusing.

Sam:

So maybe not the best choice in the world, but like.

Sam:

Master blaster.

Nathan:

I'd be worried he'd, he might scare off some, some of the ladies.

Nathan:

I don't know.

Nathan:

That's

Sam:

the thing.

Sam:

It would, it would be kind of a problem, but it would be, it would

Sam:

certainly be a memorable evening.

Sam:

Well, you know,

Bee:

if someone's stuck around, that's a real one.

Bee:

Yeah.

Bee:

Yeah.

Nathan:

For me, no doubt.

Nathan:

I, I, I bring Goose along from the first Mad Max film.

Nathan:

He's, he's funny.

Nathan:

Outgoing.

Nathan:

He probably tells some great jokes.

Nathan:

I can really picture a fun night out on the town with Goose.

Nathan:

Goose.

Nathan:

Goose.

Nathan:

And he'd definitely buy a couple rounds of drinks, for sure.

Bee:

Goose is

Sam:

a great, Goose is awesome, yes.

Sam:

Yeah.

Bee:

That's a good choice.

Sam:

That's a realistic choice.

Sam:

I, I, I yeah.

Sam:

I was, I was going for the laugh on that one.

Sam:

That one I want to

Bee:

redo.

Bee:

I don't know how to be funny.

Bee:

I'm

Nathan:

sorry.

Nathan:

Alright, this is kind of a serious one here.

Nathan:

This is kind of an award for a good performance, a little underrated here.

Nathan:

Who is the, the secret, we're giving this one to the It's

Nathan:

called the Scene Stealer Award.

Nathan:

And this is wide open because there's so many performances

Nathan:

in here that this could go to.

Nathan:

So it's, it's just somebody who steals the scene in any of these

Nathan:

movies here that doesn't maybe get the appropriate recognition.

Bee:

Yeah, actually, Nathan, for this, I had Furios's mother.

Nathan:

Yeah,

Bee:

I mean, just such a powerful performance.

Bee:

One of my favorite, most innovative chase sequences we've seen.

Bee:

Total dedication.

Bee:

And, and she, to me, sort of captures the energy of Charlize Theron's

Bee:

Furiosa more than Anya Taylor Joyce.

Bee:

So, huge fan.

Bee:

All

Sam:

right.

Sam:

Sam, what do you got?

Sam:

Oh my God.

Sam:

Well, you know, the problem is, and he might not be enough of a A

Sam:

character because he never speaks, but like, he is a scene stealer.

Sam:

I'm talking about the guitar guy, the Duke warrior.

Sam:

Yeah.

Sam:

I just, because like, he's a scene stealer, but like he's, you know,

Sam:

we don't know this character, but it's like, it's like the epitome

Sam:

of like, what Mad Max is all about.

Sam:

I love

Nathan:

it.

Nathan:

Good pick.

Nathan:

Good pick.

Nathan:

Mind Stealer Award goes to Wes from The Road Warrior.

Nathan:

And I almost gave this to the gyro captain, but The Road

Nathan:

Warrior is a very dour film.

Nathan:

And even the color palette is quite muted, you know, tans and browns.

Nathan:

We didn't get the lush colors of these later, until these later

Nathan:

movies, but there's one big thing.

Nathan:

Beacon of insanity in this, in this film, and it's in the form of this character,

Nathan:

which looks like a rooster on crack with that blood red Mohawk he dons.

Nathan:

And every time Wes is on screen, he knows something completely

Nathan:

unhinged is going to happen.

Nathan:

And he is my Steen Steeler because I love every moment that he's on screen.

Bee:

You know, this is such a hard category for these films

Bee:

because every character, no matter how small is really fleshed out.

Bee:

Like I think of Road Warrior, I think of the Golden Youth.

Bee:

Oh yeah.

Sam:

Just

Bee:

that random pretty boy.

Sam:

There's 000 good scene stealer options in this, in this franchise.

Sam:

Like

Bee:

there's so many.

Bee:

It's the every frame of painting of good characters.

Bee:

Yes.

Nathan:

All right.

Nathan:

I'm going to, for time's sake, I'm going to jump ahead here.

Nathan:

I'm going to, this award I'm coining, we probably could think of a more PG

Nathan:

name for this award, but I'm calling it the most fuck yeah moment award.

Nathan:

I like that.

Nathan:

Yes.

Nathan:

All right.

Nathan:

Let's just

Nathan:

keep it at that.

Nathan:

So I think this speaks for itself.

Nathan:

If you've seen these movies, you know what we're talking about.

Bee:

Okay.

Bee:

So I kind of have a tie, but they're very different kinds of fuck yes.

Bee:

And I couldn't decide.

Bee:

So maybe you two can help me here.

Bee:

I know.

Bee:

This is kind of cheating.

Bee:

This is a bit of a cop out, but I really couldn't pick.

Bee:

So my first one is Toe Cutter's death in the original Mad Max, the bulging eyes.

Bee:

That's the first time we really see that camera technique.

Bee:

I love that scene.

Bee:

It's, you know, in a movie that I think can lull a little bit.

Bee:

It's awesome.

Bee:

But in my heart of hearts, I think it's the, the sandstorm scene.

Bee:

In Fury Road,

Bee:

I

Bee:

think that's the one like, and when I think of the epicness of this

Bee:

franchise, you know, I want to pay homage to, to the older films, but

Bee:

God, Fury Road, such a masterpiece.

Nathan:

Yeah, it's, it's, it's, it's go with your heart.

Nathan:

You know, it sounds like you already know, but

Bee:

fine.

Bee:

All right.

Bee:

Yeah.

Nathan:

Okay.

Nathan:

I think that's the sandstorm.

Nathan:

All

Nathan:

right.

Nathan:

Sam, what's your fuck yeah moment?

Sam:

I gotta be honest, there is one of well, there's many in

Sam:

Fury Road, and it is awesome.

Sam:

But, but the ultimate choice I have to make I have to go back to, I got to

Sam:

say for me, even though there are much higher Octane action moments and much

Sam:

more fast paced, like wow factor moments.

Sam:

I love the huge helicopter shot of the whole road chase taking

Sam:

place in the road warrior.

Sam:

When you see the gyro like captain in the sky as well, that just pullback moment of

Sam:

that chase, all those vehicles are there.

Sam:

There's no augmentation.

Sam:

It's just like, that's pure cinema to me.

Sam:

Yeah.

Sam:

And that's, it was a tough choice because Fury road, like.

Sam:

It's like, my God, you know, like the whole movie is a fuck.

Sam:

Yeah.

Sam:

Movie.

Nathan:

Yeah.

Nathan:

Sam, I, I agree with you a hundred percent.

Nathan:

That's my runner up.

Nathan:

I'm going to one up you because mine is a similar shot from fury road.

Nathan:

I knew, I knew you were,

Sam:

I knew you were going to one up.

Sam:

I knew it was going to happen.

Sam:

And it's the way of the force that the force wills it.

Sam:

Yeah.

Nathan:

I mentioned this on free road.

Nathan:

I literally stood up in my seat and screamed out when excitement, when I

Nathan:

saw the war party for the first time.

Nathan:

Beating their drums, going off to catch the war rig, and we sweep over

Nathan:

the war boys and the drums, and we settle to reveal the doof warrior

Nathan:

playing the flamethrowing double bass and framing it perfectly as

Nathan:

the war party is seen behind them.

Nathan:

There's actually one of those car transport vehicles off in

Nathan:

the distance with more of the war party sitting on that, riding that.

Nathan:

And that's like the thought.

Nathan:

And the composition of, of all of this is incredible.

Nathan:

And I actually shouted in the theater when I saw this shot, I'm like this.

Nathan:

Is incredible.

Nathan:

This is what Mad Max is to me, that's the whole franchise in a nutshell.

Nathan:

Just the, the, the balls on this movie to, to give me that shot is, is incredible.

Nathan:

So that is, that is my award for that.

Sam:

That is epic.

Sam:

I could, that's like, yes, that's, it is incredible.

Sam:

Oh, man.

Sam:

Incredible.

Sam:

Yeah.

Sam:

So,

Nathan:

And we have, I have one last one.

Nathan:

We probably should have ended it with that.

Nathan:

And maybe I'll swap these up in post, but I kind of like this award because it's a,

Nathan:

this movie has so many incredible stunts.

Nathan:

And I think we need to have an award for that.

Nathan:

Now we could say like best stunt, but I want to call this someone

Nathan:

should have died on the set award.

Nathan:

And it could be your interpretation of the best stunt.

Nathan:

Or it could be it may, yeah, it could be the best stunt or just like the most

Nathan:

outlandish, you know, where someone actually could have, should have died from

Nathan:

the stunt, but just submit to me what you think is something that just needs to be

Nathan:

recognized for a stunt from the series.

Bee:

You know, for me they, Trying to remember, like, one stunt is hard,

Bee:

because there's

Bee:

like a thousand stunts in these movies.

Bee:

So I kind of was just thinking the whole first movie.

Bee:

I mean, going back and watching the documentary of how the original was

Bee:

made, it's astounding that nobody was hurt, but I think especially

Bee:

all those motorcycle stunts.

Bee:

That happened in the other ones, the jumps, the crashes into

Bee:

the, into the big cars where you see them sort of break away.

Bee:

Those breakaway stunts, geez Louise.

Nathan:

Absolutely.

Nathan:

Yeah.

Nathan:

Anything you want to submit Sam?

Sam:

I, you know, it's like in terms of like danger level and like most

Sam:

spectacular, like life threatening stunt.

Sam:

I don't know if this would be the one, cause they were really well

Sam:

organized, but I got to say the, the like pole vaulting in fury road when

Sam:

they're like, you know, jumping, like literally jumping onto the truck.

Sam:

Yeah, it's just.

Sam:

Amazing.

Sam:

Yeah.

Sam:

And I would say I had a hate to like a close second that the one I almost picked

Sam:

is just the when like motorcycles like are coming down the hill and fury road and

Sam:

they like literally jump over the truck.

Sam:

Like, I don't know if that's augmented, but it's just, it's amazing.

Nathan:

I'm also going with the pole cat, Sam, you know, there are a lot

Nathan:

of options for this, but I went with that because, you know, there, he

Nathan:

could have done that digitally, but practically, those are real stunt men.

Nathan:

Pull vaulting from cars onto the war rig, which is incredible.

Nathan:

And I'm sure there is some augmentation here and there.

Nathan:

I mean, they probably weren't going super fast doing this,

Nathan:

but they are really doing that.

Nathan:

So yeah, it doesn't matter.

Nathan:

It is incredible.

Nathan:

Yeah, it is

Sam:

amazing.

Nathan:

All right.

Nathan:

So quickly we're, that is our awards.

Nathan:

I want us to rank the franchise.

Nathan:

And Bea, let's start with you.

Bee:

Okay, so number one, I have to go with Fury Road.

Bee:

I just think it's, it's a perfect movie.

Bee:

I could watch it over and over and over again.

Bee:

And I have after that, I go for Road Warrior.

Bee:

Yep.

Bee:

Then probably the, probably the original Mad Max 3rd.

Bee:

Then Furiosa, and then Thunderdome.

Bee:

But Thunderdome's good, like, that's, you know, last place, but like,

Bee:

it's a pretty good movie, you know?

Bee:

It's fine.

Nathan:

Sam, give us your five.

Sam:

So, my five would be, number one, for me, just cause the experience of excuse

Sam:

me, the experience of first watching it as a kid number one would be Road Warrior.

Sam:

Hmm.

Sam:

Two would definitely be Fury Road.

Sam:

Three would would be Mad Max, the original.

Sam:

'cause that movie's just what it created is so classic and amazing.

Sam:

Fourth would definitely be fur, a Mad Max Saga, and fifth

Sam:

would be Beyond Thunderdome.

Sam:

And I, I like beyond Thunderdome, but like of those five, it's definitely the, yeah.

Sam:

The weakest.

Sam:

Yeah.

Nathan:

All right.

Nathan:

And for me is number one is Mad Max Fury Road followed by two,

Nathan:

the road warrior three is Furiosa Mad Max that did slide into three.

Nathan:

And I know that it was kind of down on a little bit, but as if you recall from

Nathan:

our early episodes, I wasn't, you know, completely sold on the first Mad Max.

Nathan:

I thought there was some production problems with it.

Nathan:

And I was, I, you know, it is good, but I don't love it.

Nathan:

Mad Max was fourth and of course, Beyond Thunderdome fifth.

Nathan:

So I actually don't love Thunderdome.

Nathan:

I, I, I think I gave that like a two and a half.

Nathan:

I was pretty low on it.

Nathan:

That's okay.

Nathan:

Yeah, it's okay.

Nathan:

I,

Sam:

Remember you know, no, I'm not remember, but I was going to say that,

Sam:

like, I have a feeling that Fury Road, I mean, excuse me, Furiosa might go

Sam:

up on my list, like with a second viewing, like, because it is, I'd rather

Sam:

watch it than the first Mad Max 79.

Sam:

It's just cause it's so classic.

Sam:

It's hard to, it's like those movies may oscillate.

Nathan:

All right, so we've done our ranking, we've done our awards.

Nathan:

I know I want to get to some other things before we're done,

Nathan:

but any final thoughts on this?

Nathan:

I mean, maybe, maybe we should just put a bow on this and we're done.

Nathan:

Yeah.

Sam:

I enjoy Mad Max films.

Nathan:

Okay.

Bee:

Big movies.

Bee:

Yeah.

Bee:

I like them.

Nathan:

All right.

Nathan:

I, I do hope that this is not the end.

Nathan:

I do hope that we get to see more and, but we shall see.

Nathan:

It's

Bee:

really interesting that this is what broke out of Australian new wave

Bee:

cinema and, and that of everything that came out of the country at that time.

Bee:

This is.

Bee:

The thing that became the sensation.

Bee:

I'm, I'm grateful for that.

Nathan:

I think the one thing that we really touched on lightly, but not

Nathan:

that much is how influential the, these early movies were, we, you know, the,

Nathan:

the, the action in these it really sets the tone for a lot of films,

Nathan:

action in the eighties that Hollywood was trying to duplicate and not always

Nathan:

successfully, but as you can see, you, you watched a lot of Australian new wave.

Nathan:

So

Bee:

power through a lot of that.

Bee:

It's not, but what's, what's interesting is we talk about it in the context

Bee:

of its influence over Hollywood, but really Australian new wave was

Bee:

reinvigorating Australian's love for old Hollywood that sort of people weren't

Bee:

seeing those movies come out anymore.

Bee:

So in the context of that wave of cinema, you know, we talk about George

Bee:

Miller, this one kind of sounds like it's kind of seems like a silent film.

Bee:

This one seems like it could be sort of a Western.

Bee:

That's the wave of cinema that they were doing.

Bee:

They were emulating all those films that they, that people stopped making.

Sam:

Agreed.

Sam:

And Furiosa definitely had that like, Coming of age, epic vibe where

Sam:

it's like, this is like, like a saga for like through time, a saga film.

Sam:

I like that, which I think

Bee:

speaks to how timeless those storytelling techniques are when we

Bee:

think about film as a movement and its influences, we can always go back

Bee:

to these ways of telling story and trust that they're going to live on.

Nathan:

Great.

Nathan:

Well, let's put a bow and a bow on.

Nathan:

Our Mad Max retrospective.

Nathan:

That was, that was a fun month,

Nathan:

but we are going to be

Nathan:

transitioning into the month of June where we are going to be featuring

Nathan:

our subject is June pride, and we're going to be getting to that soon, but before we

Nathan:

do that, we're going to just transition to movie musings, where we're going to just

Nathan:

talk a little bit about some of the things that we've been watching the past month.

Nathan:

And I, hi.

Nathan:

I will, I high highlight a few things that I want to talk about.

Nathan:

We don't have a lot of time tonight, but who would like to begin?

Nathan:

I can begin first, or me or Sam.

Nathan:

Go for it.

Nathan:

Nate, I'll jump first because there, there's three things I want to mention.

Nathan:

I did a rewatch of Rosemary's Baby.

Nathan:

I haven't seen this movie in ages.

Nathan:

Have you guys seen this?

Bee:

Yeah, I rewatched it a couple years ago.

Bee:

I'm super interested to hear what you have to say about this.

Bee:

I don't have thought I, I've seen the film.

Bee:

If you

Sam:

can believe

Nathan:

it, I've gotta see it.

Nathan:

I saw this movie in the mid nineties in college, and my expectations of

Nathan:

this movie were something that this movie is not, I thought this was

Nathan:

supposed to be some like horror movie.

Nathan:

All like The Exorcist with, right.

Nathan:

It's like, but it's, this is really psychological horror.

Nathan:

So I went into this with fresh eyes.

Nathan:

And it made a world of difference.

Nathan:

I, the basic plot, if anyone out there does not know Mia Farrow

Nathan:

as a wife, she's married to John Casavetes and they move into upscale

Nathan:

neighborhood in the Upper West Side.

Nathan:

I'm sure most listeners know the premise, but if not, I don't want

Nathan:

to spoil too much of this, but.

Nathan:

What is a 55 year old movie, so who knows.

Nathan:

Anyways, what this movie really isn't, it's not so much a horror movie in the

Nathan:

traditional sense, but a critique on the oppression and the manipulation

Nathan:

of women, particularly in the context of reproductive rights, which I never

Nathan:

really Thought about ever, you know, when I, when I watched this the first time,

Bee:

kind of the way that the exorcist, which you just brought

Bee:

up as a critique of mental health.

Nathan:

Yeah.

Nathan:

Much of the subtext went right over my head.

Nathan:

The first time I watched this back in my early twenties and seeing this now,

Nathan:

especially with the current climate with what's happening with Roe v.

Nathan:

Wade, this film, I think is even more prescient than ever.

Nathan:

So I'm thankful I got to revisit this because now I kind of

Nathan:

understand why it's considered one of the greatest films of all time.

Nathan:

I had a really good time watching this.

Nathan:

It really made me think a lot.

Nathan:

So there's a lot of things I want to talk about tonight, but I, I really

Nathan:

loved this movie now seeing it.

Nathan:

Appropriately.

Nathan:

And I got to see this in in on a Blu ray as well, which I think I saw this

Nathan:

probably on cable in the nineties.

Nathan:

So this looked really good.

Nathan:

It was, I, I brought, I took it out of my library.

Nathan:

There's, they have a, they have a criterion version of it, so I

Nathan:

got to see all the documentaries that came with it and stuff.

Nathan:

So it's really, really cool.

Nathan:

John

Bee:

Cassavetes deserves to be seen in high resolution.

Nathan:

And I'll go again, but anyone else have something they want to mention?

Bee:

Totally different vibes to Rosemary's Baby.

Bee:

I went to the theater this week and I saw Babes, which was super fun.

Bee:

It's like the

Nathan:

Babe, right?

Bee:

The Babe.

Bee:

That's right.

Bee:

That's exactly what it was.

Bee:

No, you know, it's, it's good to see just an out and out comedy in the theaters.

Bee:

It kind of was reminiscent of bridesmaids for me, which I'm

Bee:

sure that's floating around a lot.

Bee:

I haven't read a lot of the reviews on this film yet.

Bee:

You know, is this like a perfect movie?

Bee:

No, it's just a good movie to go.

Bee:

Good Tuesday night movie.

Bee:

You know, just go see it, go hang out.

Bee:

It was funny.

Bee:

I really like Alana Glazier.

Bee:

I think she's awesome.

Bee:

So I was glad to see it.

Bee:

Yeah, fun, fun time.

Bee:

Awesome.

Bee:

Cool.

Sam:

So I because it was the 25th anniversary of The Phantom

Sam:

Menace, which I can't believe that that much time has passed.

Sam:

I went and saw that and I honestly, I really had the same reaction that

Sam:

I did to the film the first time.

Sam:

I feel it's like overstuffed with like, Early CGI, some of which is good, some

Sam:

of which isn't, the dialogue is kind of dull, but I do see George Lucas interest

Sam:

in like, geopolitical situations and how like, the Senate can be manipulated,

Sam:

and he's really interested in that, but he focuses more on that than the

Sam:

storytelling I must say that, I, it does have two excellent, like, set pieces

Sam:

from Star Wars Lords, the pod race as well as the battle with Darth Maul,

Sam:

and Obi Wan at the end of the film.

Sam:

So those are always going to be amazing to me.

Sam:

I actually like Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith more.

Sam:

I prefer those films, but I will say lastly, the funnest part of

Sam:

going back to see the movie was not necessarily the movie itself, but

Sam:

it, it brought back so many memories of 1999 that I hadn't thought about.

Sam:

And so I was like, Oh, I remember seeing this at that age.

Sam:

There was a nostalgia factor.

Sam:

So it was fun.

Sam:

I'm glad I went and saw it.

Nathan:

Great.

Nathan:

Great.

Nathan:

I are all three prequels coming to the theater or did

Nathan:

they already come in and out?

Nathan:

I thought

Sam:

they've been like they've come in and out a lot, but I think they'll

Sam:

probably do like, so the 25th anniversary for attack of the clones will be

Sam:

like, you know, two years from now.

Sam:

And then for wrench, this is like, I'm sure they'll have it for everyone.

Sam:

I thought I read that

Nathan:

all three of them were coming out, like one after the other, this This spring

Nathan:

or fall this summer or something, if they

Sam:

are, that'd be great.

Sam:

I would prefer to see the other two.

Sam:

Yeah.

Sam:

I mean, I haven't, I don't know.

Nathan:

All right.

Nathan:

I'll mention another thing that I saw.

Nathan:

This might be spoiling our mid year top five, but there's always a chance

Nathan:

that things could be shuffled around.

Nathan:

But right now, this is my favorite film of the year.

Nathan:

It is love lies, bleeding rose glass.

Nathan:

It has its roots.

Nathan:

Deeply, I think, in the Coen brothers aesthetic have you all

Nathan:

heard the theory that all of their films are in a shared universe?

Bee:

Yes.

Bee:

Okay.

Nathan:

It's, I, I, I feel like this is only internet theory and

Nathan:

the Coens have never confirmed this.

Nathan:

Right.

Nathan:

But I personally would like, I, I buy into this.

Nathan:

If that's a true fact, Love Lies Bleeding feels like it could share

Nathan:

that universe, possibly living adjacently to the events happening a

Nathan:

few towns over from what's happening in Raising Arizona or Blood Simple.

Nathan:

This stars Kristen Stewart, who I think is perfect in this

Nathan:

film, And who else is in this?

Nathan:

I forget the other actresses name.

Nathan:

Well, anyways, so one day, yeah, I think she is going to get the

Nathan:

recognition she deserves, but also Katie O'Brien is also terrific in this

Nathan:

and the supporting cast and Harris, Dave Franco, Jenna Malone's in this.

Nathan:

A few months ago one of my most anticipated movies, of the year really

Nathan:

disappointed me, driveway dolls.

Nathan:

And this feels like it's, you know, every couple of years is like the

Nathan:

doppelganger film that comes out.

Nathan:

This is the much better film about a female couple who are on their

Nathan:

road trip and they get in over the head in the world of crime.

Nathan:

Highest of recommendations.

Nathan:

I love this movie.

Nathan:

This probably will definitely be on my top 10 list at the end of the year.

Nathan:

I love this film.

Bee:

I have heard so much about this film and I haven't seen it yet.

Bee:

And I don't know what's taking me so long.

Bee:

I love Kristen Stewart.

Bee:

It sounds right up my street.

Bee:

I got, I got to get to it, man.

Bee:

This is the motivation I need.

Nathan:

Yeah.

Nathan:

Instead, I

Bee:

watched Jim Henson's Idea Man and it was tepid, fine.

Bee:

It's good to watch, you know, footage of Jim Henson and his kids.

Bee:

I like that they shone such a light on their mom's work

Bee:

and how instrumental she was.

Bee:

They really glossed over the Disney stuff.

Bee:

It was fine.

Bee:

It's fine.

Bee:

Okay.

Sam:

I, damn, I'm really excited about that.

Sam:

I was hoping for more but I'll have to watch it.

Sam:

I'm, I'm hearing some, I love, I mean, I love Jim Henson, but yeah.

Bee:

Me too.

Bee:

I, I'm a huge Jim Henson fan and I think you know, it's just, it's nice to sort

Bee:

of watch a, a compilation of his work.

Bee:

So I think if you go into it with that expectation as opposed to like

Bee:

a, a really great toothy documentary, you're not going to get that.

Nathan:

Right.

Nathan:

Sam, any, anything else you want to mention?

Nathan:

Thank you.

Sam:

So top five, you mean, or

Nathan:

no, no, no, just anything in the month of May.

Sam:

In the, God, I saw nothing.

Sam:

In fact, I feel like I represent the average movie goer.

Sam:

Cause I just didn't,

Nathan:

according to Hollywood reporter, I think you're supposed to watch what was it

Nathan:

supposed to be like two movies of a month in order to support the industry, right?

Nathan:

No one or something like that or no 12.

Nathan:

I forget there's a report and how many movies the average adult person should

Nathan:

watch a year to support the industry.

Nathan:

And it doesn't seem like it's a lot, but maybe if you think about it, it is.

Nathan:

Yeah.

Sam:

I mean, I saw Fury Road and I thought about seeing if, then I was

Sam:

like, I actually do really want to see kingdom of the planet of the apes.

Sam:

That's the one that's actually of those films.

Sam:

That's like the most robust box office in May.

Sam:

And like, it got decent reviews and like, I will see, I'm going to

Sam:

get to the theater and see that.

Sam:

Yeah, but

Sam:

I've missed the fall guy.

Sam:

I'm sure it looked good, but I, Hey, it's probably already streaming.

Sam:

Yeah.

Bee:

I saw, I saw I think 25 movies this month, but they,

Bee:

they weren't all in theater.

Bee:

So I don't know if that counts.

Bee:

I, a lot of them were Osploitation, Australian new wave stuff.

Bee:

So if anybody wants some recommendations for those movies,

Bee:

hit me up, I've got letterbox lists.

Bee:

It was, some of them were a really good time.

Nathan:

All right.

Nathan:

I have one last thing I want to mention that I saw.

Nathan:

I So, late night with the devil.

Nathan:

This is a one of a kind movie.

Nathan:

It's, it's kind of a horror faux documentary found footage film,

Nathan:

but it's so much more than that.

Nathan:

I recommend everybody go out and seek this one out.

Nathan:

It stars one of our most awesome.

Nathan:

underused character actors, David Dastmalchian, who portrays a 1970s

Nathan:

late night talk show host, Jack Delroy.

Nathan:

Without spoiling anything, this entire movie is presented as if we're

Nathan:

watching a found footage, lost episode of one of his episodes of a show

Nathan:

called Night Owls with Jack Delroy.

Nathan:

This film is so good.

Nathan:

It's so good.

Nathan:

It's so original.

Nathan:

And I was really blown away and surprised by everything that happens in this film.

Nathan:

And I'm being intentionally vague because I think everyone just needs to see this.

Nathan:

I don't want to spoil the plot of this, but just trust me, this film is great.

Nathan:

David Dastmalchian needs more vehicles to showcase his talents.

Nathan:

It's on Shudder right now, and you can also, I think, get it on VOD.

Nathan:

Love him in

Bee:

Blade Runner 2049.

Nathan:

Yeah, he is so, he's, he's, he's great.

Nathan:

He needs, I don't know, he either needs a TV show or, or something.

Nathan:

Like, I don't know.

Nathan:

He's, he's really good.

Nathan:

So check this out.

Nathan:

Really is great.

Nathan:

That's it.

Nathan:

I saw a couple of other things.

Nathan:

Bea, I don't know if there's anything else you want to mention.

Bee:

I think we both saw Evil Does Not Exist.

Nathan:

Yes.

Nathan:

How did

Bee:

you feel?

Nathan:

Hmm.

Nathan:

I haven't really formulated my thought.

Nathan:

I mean, it was, it's, it's a slow meandering, but really beautiful film.

Nathan:

And, and I like the fact that it's going in one direction and then characters

Nathan:

who you think are just like minor characters end up being like the subject

Nathan:

and the main characters in the movie.

Nathan:

I And then it has, well, I don't want to spoil the ending of it, but I'm

Nathan:

really puzzled still what it means.

Nathan:

And I actually started researching online what the ending means,

Nathan:

and there are no answers.

Nathan:

And that kind of frustrated me that it's a movie that seems to be so rooted in.

Nathan:

And Grounded goes in a direction that is such a head scratching ending.

Bee:

See, I liked it because I thought the movie was, was

Bee:

very ethereal and dreamlike.

Bee:

And, and there's sort of this intangible quality about the ending, but I

Bee:

definitely left the theater a little unsatisfied in it and it grew on me.

Bee:

But again, I think Drive My Car is the better, the better movie.

Sam:

By the way, I totally forgot to mention this at the Beverly Cinema in

Sam:

in LA, this was in the month of May.

Sam:

I did see Clerks and Mallrats.

Sam:

They were headed to Devil's Features.

Sam:

So that was, yeah, that was fun.

Sam:

It was good revisiting them.

Bee:

That's a good name.

Sam:

And I know Clerks is the more like, well received like, you know, like,

Sam:

independent like, breakthrough film.

Sam:

But I do like the, I find mole rats very amusing.

Nathan:

Alright alright.

Nathan:

And also

Sam:

I saw a part of Die Hard with a Vengeance on AMC.

Sam:

But then I fell asleep, but it was good.

Bee:

And that's May, folks!

Sam:

I won't let you down, folks!

Bee:

Woo!

Nathan:

All right.

Nathan:

I think we are going to wrap it up there and stay tuned for

Nathan:

our June June pride episodes.

Nathan:

We are going to be coming in next Monday with our first episode,

Nathan:

which is the adventures of Priscilla queen of the desert with our

Nathan:

guest Rob Chrissy, who joined us.

Nathan:

So keep our eyes out for that and we'll see you next time.

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About the Podcast

Back to the Frame Rate
Preserving Our Civilization One MOVIE At A Time
Back to the Frame Rate is a movie discussion podcast where filmmakers, actors, and passionate wannabes come together to celebrate the art of cinema. From beloved popcorn flicks of the '80s, '90s and today, to timeless classics and arthouse gems we cover it all. But we’re not just here to talk movies — we’re here to save them!

In a world facing imminent asteroid-induced doom (think Armageddon without the happy ending), we’ve built a fallout shelter for the greatest films of all time. With only enough space for a carefully curated vault of 35mm and 70mm reels, the stakes couldn’t be higher. We comb through the likes of AFI’s 100, Sight & Sound’s Greats, and IMDB’s Top 250 to decide which films are worthy of saving — and which will be purged forever.

Join hosts Nathan Suher, Sam Coale, and Briana (Bee) Butterworth as they passionately debate cinema’s survival, ensuring the future of storytelling one reel at a time. Sadly, the space is tight, just enough for us and our cherished 35mm and 70mm film reels. To friends, family, and old acquaintances left in the cinematic dust, our apologies. But fret not, for we vow to emerge when Earth is safe for repopulation. We've preserved the very soul of civilization, ensuring a future where storytelling thrives. Back to the Frame Rate, saving the world one reel at a time!
Hosted by Nathan Suher, Sam Coale, and Briana (Bee) Butterworth.
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Nathan Suher

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Bee Butterworth

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