Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) [Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital]

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It’s been thirty years since George Miller made his visit to Mad Max’s apocalyptic tundra, and with “Fury Road,” it’s almost as if he never left. The newest “Mad Max” is a spectacle of pure raw filmmaking, while also brilliantly carving out a new chapter in the world of Mad Max. In a time where most post apocalyptic films are more dread soaked than anything, Mad Max storms the gates once again as the hero of the end of the world that we need, and the man who unwittingly plays a huge role in a massive war, once again. “Fury Road” is an accomplishment on the part of Miller from beginning to end, exploring a world where Mad Max is a hero whose entire persona is carved out by his character and less by the person playing him. This makes it very easy for Tom Hardy to take on the role that Mel Gibson once made iconic.

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Regular Show: The Movie (2015)

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There have been very few good things to come out of the new generation of shows from Cartoon Network. One of them is “Regular Show.” It’s a surreal, trippy, funny, and original series that I’ve been a big fan of since it gained acclaim years ago. “Regular Show: The Movie” is basically for the fans that invest a lot in the relationship between Mordecai and Rigby, our two tight knit slacker park workers that can’t be parted, no matter what the future tells them. “Regular Show: The Movie” pays homage to the eighties and nineties in its typical clever and witty fashion, paying nods to classic pop culture of the decades, while unfolding its own very original time traveling tale.

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Turbo Kid (2015) [Fantasia Film Festival]

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FANTASIA FILM FESTIVAL

In a very ‘80s post-apocalyptic world, The Kid is a scavenger surviving on his own gathering goods while out on his BMX and exchanging the finds at the local watering hole. One day, as he’s gone on another of his rides, he meets Apple who is mourning the recent loss of her friend and desperately needs a new one. Apple imprints on The Kid like a baby duck, following him around and insisting on them becoming best of friends. Her insistence and bubbliness gets The Kid to accept her friendship and constant presence in this lonely world. He shows her some of what he knows, including his favorite comic book and his ViewMaster. As they become closer, disaster strikes and Apple is kidnapped by Zeus’ men to be brought to the representation of evil that is Zeus. The Kid must find his inner hero and save his best friend from the clutches of evil and maybe save the world in the process.

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Blade Squad (1998)

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1998 was a big year for FOX television. Despite handing audiences turkey after turkey (Nick Fury Agents of Shield, anyone?), you have to appreciate their relentless pursuit to deliver genre fare. “Blade Squad” is one of the many failed attempts to build a show out of a TV movie that works as a glorified pilot. As a kid I spent a lot of time in front of the television, and I caught “Blade Squad” one dull Friday night. Suffice it to say despite its interesting concept, “Blade Squad” is a missed opportunity and really dull execution. It’s also a really unique artifact of a decade obsessed with futuristic punk and neon colored dystopias.

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Turbo Kid (2015)

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It’s “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World” meets “Mad Max” with what is one of the most entertaining and fantastic indie films of the year. The trio of François Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissell channels the magic of nostalgia to create a world that’s both perilous but compelling. “Turbo Kid” is painted as a love letter to all things eighties and nineties, but thankfully never loses itself in the winks and nods. It implements pop culture to create a well rounded world and they succeed beautifully. Through and through it’s a soulful and very exciting coming of age tale set in the post apocalypse.

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The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014)

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It’s a good thing that “The Hunger Games” has so much interesting story and undertones about the power of the media and propaganda behind it. It skirts dangerously close to a movie that’s nothing but set up to the second half of the final film. It’s padded and filled with a lot of discussion that seemingly goes nowhere, but through its flaws, I appreciated where it brought the story of Katniss Everdeen. It doesn’t hurt that Jennifer Lawrence single handedly keeps the movie from diving in to the deep end with her powerful turn as the reluctant heroine. As I mentioned, “The Hunger Games” dealt with various stages of Katniss’s life as a celebrity. She built a revolution in the first movie, had to maintain her celebrity status in the second movie, and here she’s now a pawn for a rebellion.

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Insurgent (2015)

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We were so close to having a nearly good new movie series with the “Divergent” adaptation. While the first movie was admittedly mediocre with some entertaining aspects to it, “Insurgent” takes that big leap in to pure abysmal depths and never quite comes up for air. “Insurgent” begins on a high note and never quite recovers, transforming in to a mind bending journey through the consciousness that is dull, monotonous, and painfully tedious. I was bored senseless through “Insurgent,” which is a feat because almost anything starring Shailene Woodley grabs my attention.

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