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Mad Max Minute - Pocahontas (1995)

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In the same year that he portrayed Scottish Hero William Wallace, Mel Gibson lent his voice to the colonial explorer John Smith in Disney’s Pocahontas. Join us, along with Julia’s family, as we watch and discuss Disney’s 33rd feature-length animated production, with music by Alan Menken. A fanciful depiction of the first contact between the Powhatan tribe and English settlers in what would one day become Jamestown, Virginia. Along for the ride are sassy animal sidekicks, landscapes that look nothing like Virginia, and more magical leaves than can be believed.

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Mad Max Minute: Beyond Microphone

Mad Max Minute - The Return of Captain Invincible (1983)

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In the fight against Fascism in Europe Captain Invincible was a shining hero and beacon of freedom for all Americans to look up to. A man mysteriously imbued with superhuman powers, taking the fight to the Nazis. But in the throes of the Red Scare and McCarthy era scrutiny, Captain Invincible disappeared. Forty years pass and in the wake of the emergence of the evil Mr. Midnight, the President of the United States call for Captain Invincible to return, a call answered by a Police Detective in Sydney, who is certain that a local drunkard is just the man they need.

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Mad Max Minute - Commando (1985)

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After going toe-to-toe with Mel Gibson in The Road Warrior, Vernon Wells is back as Bennett, the Army special forces commando who was expelled from his unit for excessive violence by his commanding officer, John Matrix, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Together with a deposed South American Dictator, Bennett is determined to ruin the man who wronged him by kidnapping his daughter, and he’s even doing it for free. It’s up to John Matrix, along with his sidekick Cindy, to track down his daughter and rescue her from her kidnappers before he runs out of time.

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Mad Max Minute - Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn (1983)

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It’s the film that MadMaxMovies.com describes as “Mad Max 2 mixed up with Star Wars.” Metalstorm is the tale of Dogen (Jeffrey Byron), our leather-clad, fast-driving hero and his pursuit of the villainous Jared-Syn (Mike Preston) who is determined to harvest enough soul energy to dominate the wasteland. To defeat his enemy, Dogen must find a mystical crystal mask which can defend him from Jared-Syn’s evil magics, but sinister forces hunt our hero, including the villainous cyborg, Baal. If this movie sounds ridiculous, rest assured, it is.

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Mad Max Minute - Where the Green Ants Dream (1984)

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From acclaimed German director, Werner Herzog comes the story of modernity versus antiquity and the geologist stuck between them. Bruce Spence is Lance Hackett, an employee of the Ayers Mining Company who finds his search for a uranium deposit in the Australian outback held up by a group of Aborigines who are bound by tradition to stop the company’s expansion into the area in order to preserve the land where the green ants dream. Unable to reach compromise, the two sides meet in High Court to decide if the future belongs to commerce or tradition.

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Mad Max Minute - Gallipoli (1981)

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Hot on the heels of Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior our hiatus begins with Peter Weir’s story of two Australian sprinters in 1915 and the brutal cost of war. Mark Lee stars as Archy Hamilton, a gifted young runner, who meets up with Frank Dunne, played by Mel Gibson, and together they set out to enlist in the Australian Light Cavalry. From Australia to the training grounds in Egypt they revel in the status afforded them by military service until the day comes that they are shipped to the front lines and the realities of the First World War begin exploding around them.

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The Road Warrior Minute 95 - Fury Road Warrior

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It’s the return of Yuri Lowenthal and Travis Sentell, from You Are Awaited: A Mad Max Fury Road Podcast, as we open the Thunderdome and pit Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior against Mad Max: Fury Road to see how George Miller’s sophomore effort stacks up against his 2015 mega-hit. Who was the better Max? How does the Lord Humungus stand up against Immortan Joe? Does Pappagallo stand a chance against Furiosa? All this and more as we bid a fond farewell to The Road Warrior.

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The Road Warrior Minute 94 - The man we called Max

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In this penultimate episode of our deep dive into Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, we take a step back to examine the movie as a whole. We talk about our favorite parts, as well as discuss some elements that just didn’t work for us. We also talk about how The Road Warrior fits into the circular storytelling road map of the hero's journey and we try to come to a consensus over whether Max has a character arc.

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The Road Warrior Minute 93 - Another time

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With one final departing look at Max, the movie fades to black and the end credits begin. With the conclusion of this chapter in Max’s story let us take a step back and examine how the end chase would have been different if the film had more closely followed the original screenplay. With added instances of fighting, details that clarify questions from watching the movie, and a twist that upsets the entire structure of the horde, the screenplay is a must read.

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The Road Warrior Minute 92 - In the fullness of time

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The Gyro Captain finds Max and the two share a moment before they bring the Feral Child to the rendezvous point to meet up with the other compound dwellers. While the Gyro Captain and the Feral Child choose to travel with the convoy to the coast, Max refuses and chooses to stay behind in the wasteland, drifting into legend. The narrator’s voice returns to share the success of the convoy and how they found new leadership in their new home.

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The Road Warrior Minute 91 - Dust in the wind

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With the rig overturned and the raiders departed, Max collects himself and makes his way out of the wreck. With the Feral Child in hand, Max makes his way around to the side of the tanker and after placing the child down He turns to notice that sand is streaming from a spout on the side of the tanker. Max places his hand under the spout and it quickly fills with a small pile of dirt. This moment of realization is interrupted by the sound of a small motor approaching.

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The Road Warrior Minute 90 - There and back again

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The Lord Humungus is dead, the rig and tanker lie wrecked beside the road, and the raiders who make up the horde find themselves at a loss. The tanker is revealed to be full of dirt, far from the bounty that the marauders were promised and so the raiders turn and leave. Inside the wrecked truck, it is revealed that Max and the Feral child have survived the crash. We are joined by Norman and Cassandra of The Lord of the Rings Minute podcast.

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The Road Warrior Minute 89 - Not dead yet

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The Feral Child sits on the bonnet of the rig, staring at the shell that is just out of reach. He moves closer, but just as he’s about to grab the shell a blood-covered hand reaches up from the cow catcher, followed by the terrible visage of Wez. Punctuated by screaming, Max pulls the Feral Child back into the cab as Humungus appears on the road ahead. Humungus drives headlong at the rig resulting in one of the most spectacular crashes in all of cinema.

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The Road Warrior Minute 88 - Get the shell

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Alone against the fury of Humungus’ Horde, Max makes the bold decision to turn the rig around and head back along the way he came. Desperate for ammunition, Max sends the Feral Child out of the missing windshield towards a single shotgun shell sitting at the end of the Mack’s bonnet. Further up the road, Humungus has shaken off the firebomb and engages all of his trucks enhancements to speed towards the rig that evades him.

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The Road Warrior Minute 87 - The unfriendly skies

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The tanker is losing tires, the rig is losing speed, and Max is almost out of defenders. Humungus grabs another trident and speeds towards Max, but before he can throw his terrifying weapon, the Gyro Captain swoops low to deliver a molotov onto the warlord. Suddenly covered in smoke and flames, Humungus back off from the tanker, but the victory is short-lived as the Snake Truck disables the gyrocopter sending it hurtling towards the ground.

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The Road Warrior Minute 86 - It’s over, boy!

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The Feral Child goes on the offensive and attacks Bearclaw Mohawk with tooth and nail. Pappagallo finally catches up to the rig and after getting a look at Max tries to convince the Feral Child to jump from the Rig and make an escape, but a thrown spear (or perhaps trident) puts an end to the oil executive turned wasteland leader. Max and the Feral Child watch as Pappagallo’s vehicle drifts into the bush and rolls to a stop in a cloud of dust.

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The Road Warrior Minute 85 - Crossing the rainbow bridge

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With all other defenders killed, the raiders begin to assault the rig directly. Max is able to quickly dispatch two raiders, but Bearclaw Mohawk and Wez quickly overwhelm Him. Assaulted from above and behind, Max gets creative with His driving and brakes hard, sending Wez flying over the front of the rig. Despite Max’s quick thinking Bearclaw Mohawk manages to hold on. Our special guests today are Caitlin, Karen, and Liz from the Foxes in the Henhouse podcast.

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The Road Warrior Minute 84 - Still in the running

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Having disappeared over a week ago, Pappagallo returns to the chase trailing all of the raiders that he led away initially, proving his efforts largely fruitless. Also returning to the chase is the Gyro Captain, flying high over the speeding vehicles giving us a clear view of the raiders that have begun to infest the tanker. Among these raiders is Wez, helped along by Bearclaw Mohawk, who has his sights set on ruining Max’s already terrible day.

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The Road Warrior Minute 83 - Going flat out

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After seeing his compatriot shot through the windshield, the remaining Bad Cop in the red XA Falcon continues to pester the tanker, until he makes the mistake of cutting in front of the rig and is plowed through. Despite this setback, the raiders continue to press the attack with marauders mounting the tanker from multiple points. Amidst all of this, the horde suffers an unexpected casualty as one of the motorcycle raiders is caught up in the tires and sucked underneath.

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The Road Warrior Minute 82 - The Cannonball Stunt

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As the Snake Truck is forced off the road, Max turns his attention back to the road ahead. Meanwhile, the Mechanic struggles in a tug of war with a pair of raiders over the Warrior Woman’s body, a contest that ends with both tanker defenders meeting their end on the paved road. Seeing this, Max uses his shotgun to kill one of the raiders which sets off a chain reaction that results in the now infamous Cannonball stunt that sent Stuntman Guy Norris to hospital.

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