1. Mad Max: Fury Road (Warner Brothers, 3,702 Theaters, 120 Minutes, Rated R for intense sequences of violence throughout, and for disturbing images, Rotten Tomatoes: 99% Fresh [184 Reviews]): Mad Max is the grand father of the post-apocalyptic thriller. It made a star out of Mel Gibson (for better or worse) and became an enduring cult classic. It spawned two sequels then went away for 30 years.
But now it’s back, with original director George Miller at the helm. Miller also is back as co-writer, joining comic book scribe Brendan McCarthy and Nico Lathouris (who acted in the first film). This time, Max becomes embroiled in protecting a group of women looking to escape a desert warlord who means to enslave them.
That’s all I really have to say about this, except to tell you to look at the Rotten Tomatoes score above. That is a legit 99% fresh, with a whopping 182 “Fresh” reviews. You almost never see a summer blockbuster with those numbers.
2. Pitch Perfect 2 (Universal, 3,473 Theater,115 Minutes, Rated PG-13 for innuendo and language, Rotten Tomatoes: 70% Fresh [114 Reviews]): Continuing our Australian theme, we welcome Australian Rebel Wilson into the New Releases post. Hi, Rebel!
Pitch Perfect was an unexpected success, making over $115 million worldwide against a $17 million budget. With that kind of profit margin, a sequel was inevitable.
This time around, the Bellas have set out to win an international acapella competition in order to refurbish their good name. This will be tough, as no American team has ever won the tournament before.
This film is directed by actress Elizabeth Banks, her first full-length feature behind the camera.
