Mad Max Minute - Happy Feet (2006)

More than 20 years after directing Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, George Miller returns to the director’s chair again for the animated children’s movie: Happy Feet. Elijah Wood is Mumble, an emperor penguin born with the curse of a terrible singing voice, something unheard of in a colony that relies on singing songs in order to find a mate. Despite his vocal shortcomings Mumble has the secret power of dance and uses it to strut, shuffle, and kick-ball-change his way into the hearts and minds of his fellow penguins. Surprisingly, there is a lot more to this movie than that: fish shortages, penguin religion, fearsome seals and whales, and of course the mystery of alien abduction.

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Mad Max Minute - The Salute of the Jugger (1989)

It’s back to the wasteland of the post-apocalypse as we join Rutger Hauer and Joan Chen in the Australian love child of ‘Mad Max’ and ‘Hoosiers’ as a Team of Juggers struggle to make a living playing the only game they know. Whether you know this movie by its original title or the American recut: ‘The Blood of Heroes’, it’s a story of a young woman’s dream of claiming glory, and an old man’s quest to reclaim his honor. Along the way we meet colorful characters, strange, yet familiar, locations, and learn that, at the end of the day, mastery is its own reward. A huge "Thank You" to Joe Devitt-Rix for helping us find a copy of the international version.

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Mad Max Minute - Alison's Birthday (1981)

Joanne Samuel is back in a film that Bleeding Skull’s Joseph A. Ziemba called, “a decent rip-off that moves slow and never crosses the line.” When young Alison Findlay and her friends decide to play with an Ouija board their fun in interrupted by an ominous spirit warning our heroine to stay away from “them” on her nineteenth birthday. Flash forward a few years and despite the otherworldly warning, Alison is heading home to spend her nineteenth birthday with her Aunt and Uncle. Before she’s aware of what is going on, Alison is trapped in the clutches of a demon-worshipping cult and it’s up to her boyfriend, Peter, to rescue her before it’s too late.

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Mad Max Minute - Stone (1974)

It’s time to watch the film that was lauded as the precursor to Mad Max, the familiar tale of a cop and a gang of bikies who work together and gradually come to mutually respect each other as a shadowy assassin seeks to kill members of the gang. Okay, so it may not be the same story, but the elements are there: Motorcycles, high-speed chases, awkward ear-piercing, and a cast so full of actors that will later appear in Mad Max that it’ll make your head spin. Before you listen, please be aware that the version of the movie we saw on YouTube had an abnormally long run time, so there are some ultimately inaccurate statements about how long this movie actually takes to watch.

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Mad Max Minute - Braveheart (1995)

This week it’s the nearly 3-hour-epic that tells the story of Mel Gibson losing his wife and exacting his bloody revenge on the men who took her from him (this should sound familiar). As William Wallace, Gibson leads a colorful cast of Scotsman on a bloody campaign to oppose King Edward “Longshanks” of England, in the First War of Scottish Independence. A long movie warrants a long podcast, so buckle in with us as we praise Gibson’s improved acting ability, rage against prima nocta, and end up talking more about court intrigue than battle. Did we like Braveheart? Should you spend 3-hours on a Scottish war epic directed by an American raised in Australia? Listen and find out.

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Mad Max Minute - Vanishing Point (1971)

Our Hiatus between Mad Max and The Road Warrior kicks off with 1971’s Vanishing Point, the story of a man, his car, and the authorities that want to stop him. Anyone worried about spoilers should watch the movie before listening to us talk about the movie because we go through everything that happens. There’s a blind radio DJ, inept police officers, a naked woman on a motorcycle, and even some faith healers on the long road from Colorado to California. We also talk about what we liked, what we didn’t, and whether we would recommend this film. (This episode may sound strange, we changed recording spaces and microphone settings)

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Mad Max Minute 93 - End Credits [Part 3]

This is it, the final chunk of credits featuring the props and mechanical department, stunt team, post-production team, and special thanks. The discussion questions focus on our villains: 1) How was Toecutter as an antagonist for Max? Could he be considered a rival? 2) Does Johnny the Boy have a character arc? Could he also be considered a main character in this movie? Last of all, we outline how we’ll handle hiatus material and give our final thoughts on Mad Max.

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Mad Max Minute 92 - End Credits [Part 2]

It’s another day of end credits, that covers the second half of the cast credits and gets into the crew listings. Special note is given to the TV newsreader, most of the directing staff, and some of the special effects people. Discussion questions for this episode: 1) Was Jessie a fully realized character? Should she have been featured more or less? 2) What role did Jim Goose play in Max’s story? How does he compare to Jessie as a companion to Max?

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Mad Max Minute 91 - End Credits [Part 1]

Max drives away from the wrecked ute as a fiery explosion erupts behind him. With his vengeance complete Max drives along an empty road and the movie fades to black. We talk about Max leaving Johnny the Boy behind, Max having nothing left to live for, and the excellent choice of music for the end credits. We also discuss the following question: 1) Who is Max? What kind of person was he at the beginning of the movie? At the end?

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Mad Max Minute 90 - The chain in those handcuffs is high-tensile steel

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Our last full week of minutes ends with Johnny the Boy pleading for mercy as Max collects a hacksaw and informs Johnny that if he wants to survive, he will need to free himself. With that, Max turns and walks away, leaving a crazed and desperate Johnny to his fate. There’s a lot of consideration for the pros and cons of Max’s contraption design, and the conversation turns to what we would do if we found ourselves in Johnny’s situation. We are joined by special guest Alex Robinson from www.starwarsminute.com.

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Mad Max Minute 89 - Listen, will you Listen to me!

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With Johnny at his mercy, Max drags the bikey to the overturned ute and cuffs him to the undercarriage. Deaf to Johnny’s shouting and pleading, Max takes the lighter from Johnny’s neck and begins putting together a contraption using the bits and pieces scattered around the wreckage. We are joined by special guest Alex Robinson from www.starwarsminute.com.

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Mad Max Minute 88 - I just come down here to check it out

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Skid marks and a broken guard rail lead Max to a familiar looking motorcycle. Meanwhile, Johnny the Boy is hard at work trying to get himself a new pair of boots until Max arrives with a shotgun to Johnny’s head. Johnny tries to talk his way out of the situation, but Max is unwavering and commands Johnny to attach a handcuff to his own ankle. No animals were harmed in the making of this episode. We are joined by special guest Alex Robinson from www.starwarsminute.com.

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Mad Max Minute 87 - Rollin' Into The Night

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With Toecutter disposed of, Max turns his sight back to Johnny the Boy, the last remaining crim on his hit list. As Max drives into the prohibited zone once again the sun goes down and though his eyes are heavy, Max refuses to succumb to sleep and the next morning finds something that may lead him to the man he’s after. Along the way we wonder how much time has really passed, call attention to a deleted scene, and propose an alternate storyline wherein Max would find redemption. We are joined by special guest Alex Robinson from www.starwarsminute.com. Visit us at our Website: www.madmaxminute.com

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Mad Max Minute 86 - Toecutter’s wild ride

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Back behind the wheel of the Black on black, Max is pulling out all of the stops to catch up to Toecutter. The two engage in a high-speed game of cat and mouse before an unexpected third party appears and catches Toecutter off guard, resulting in arguably the most iconic crash in the movie. We are joined by special guest Alex Robinson from www.starwarsminute.com

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Mad Max Minute 85 - The Mad Max Shuffle

As Johnny the Boy follows Toecutter’s lead and beats a hasty retreat we are left watching Max hop and shuffle his way back to his waiting Interceptor. It’s a brutal minute that sees Max falling down, picking himself back up again, and finally getting back in the driver’s seat before speeding off to catch Toecutter. We talk about tight pants, the tricky task of identifying Australian birds of prey, and do a bit of math concerning speed and distance. Also, The Mad Max Minute does not advocate vigilante justice.

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Mad Max Minute 84 - Quit toying, Bubba

Toecutter and Bubba Zanetti have caught Max in a trap, but as Bubba takes another pass at the injured Bronze, he is suddenly gunned down as Max retrieves his shotgun. Seeing the tables start to turn Toecutter retreats leaving Max to his long painful walk back to the parked Black on black. We bid farewell to the best second-in-command Toecutter could ask for, even as we blur the line of who exactly we’re rooting for to win, and talk about Toecutter running away instead of staying to fight. Visit us at our Website: www.madmaxminute.com

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Mad Max Minute 83 - Unauthorized use by a Main Force Officer

Freed from the awful prison of slow motorists, Max ventures into the prohibited zone and soon comes across a downed motorcycle on the side of the road. Stopping to investigate, Max is on his guard but notices far too late that he has been caught in Toecutter’s trap. Bubba Zanetti adds injury to insult by running over Max’s outstretched arm as he grasps for his shotgun. We hear the return of the Code 3, talk about exploding knees, and explore the ways that Max is and isn’t like a Jedi. Visit us at our Website: www.madmaxminute.com

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Mad Max Minute 82 - Caught on Dogtrap Road

Max is in pursuit of Toecutter and Bubba Zanetti but suddenly finds himself trapped on a narrow road behind a large truck pulling construction equipment. It’s an exercise in futility as Max tries to get around the massive, slow-moving obstruction, but eventually, the road widens out and Max is able to resume his chase. Rick has some rather strong feelings about this minute, mostly stemming from his own feelings about being stuck in slow traffic, whereas Julia is much more understanding.

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Mad Max Minute 81 - Photographs in a helmet

Week 17 makes quite a splash as four of Toecutter’s lieutenants find themselves off their bikes and plum out of luck. Elsewhere, Johnny finds a highway call box and alerts Toecutter of the Bronze that is now hunting them. Before long Toecutter and Bubba Zanetti are back on the road, with a familiar face shadowing them. We address the infamous stuntman rumor, talk about some rather illegal traffic wrangling, and spend a fair amount of time wondering how Max was able to plant photographs in Toecutter’s helmet.

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Mad Max Minute 80 - The Kirks Bridge showdown

It’s a bad day to be in a biker gang as Max catches up to Mudguts and the other lieutenants, unleashing the full fury of the Black on black to bait them into a showdown that ends on a narrow bridge. Suffice it to say that it does not end well for the gang. Rick talks about how he likes watching people do things, Julia wins the mannequin argument, and we spend several minutes talking about Clunk. In related news, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior released in US theaters 35 years ago (May 21, 1982). Visit us at our Website: www.madmaxminute.com

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