Michael Mirasol, an independent film critic and blogger, put together this fantastic edit of some of the best car chases in the last fifty years. We might take them for granted, but there is a ballet to sending thousands of pounds of metal screaming down a narrow road or weaving in and out of traffic:
This video was borne out of a single shot in George Miller’s action epic Mad Max: Fury Road, when the biker gang chases Furiosa’s war rig, bounding off desert foothills in relentless pursuit. Strangely enough, the scene triggered memories of Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, when Elliot and his friends pedal away from pursuing police on foothills of the suburban kind. Could these two moments have been linked? I love to think so. But only Mr. Miller surely knows.
This labor of love pays tribute to Miller’s ambition, discipline, and filmmaking command that is joyous to behold. It also conveys my admiration for Tom Holkenberg’s pulsating and evocative musical scores which would make any action sequence feel more alive and full of purpose. I try to remember the common threads of noteworthy car chases, which the world of Mad Maxbrings to life so vividly. I was surprised to see the connections I made. I hope you make them too.
Speaking of Bullitt, here's the chase from that movie:
As a bit of a side note, I think it's worth sharing this video about how they made the insane chase for The French Connection, which very well could have resulted in some serious injuries:
And you may have already seen this, but the BTS for Mad Max: Fury Road shows some of the crazy stunts they did to make these car chases happen:
The brave stunt people who make these scenes happen deserve our utmost respect, because even in the safest and most choreographed chase there is the potential for serious injury. No major action movie is complete without a chase scene, and while they all take incredible skill to pull off, just like with movies, some stand above the rest.
The first time I saw Wicked was in Boston with my roommate after her boyfriend dumped her, and I got to take his ticket. So, I will forever be grateful to that dummy because I had an amazing time.
The Wicked movie seems like it has been delayed forever, but when John Chu stepped in to direct, dates were set, the cast was announced, and we had full steam ahead.
Now, the movie is here, and I was so excited to be in a packed theater watching.
The movie is split into two parts, with the second coming out next year.
So today, I want to go over the ending for part one and explain it to you.
Sound good? Let's defy gravity together.
'Wicked' Movie Synopsis
The movie begins in the wonderful land of Oz, right after Dorothy has kileld the Wicked Witch of the West. All of Oz celebrates her defeat.
But then, Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, begins to tell us a much different story, the story of Elphaba Thropp, known to us as the Wicked Witch.
Elphaba was born with emerald-green skin, faces prejudice and misunderstanding due to her pigmentation. Her Mom cheated on her Dad with an unseen man, and that man gave her mom a green potion that messed with her skin color.
As she grows up, she has no friends and is as cast out. Her Dad favors her wheelchair bound sister, Nessa, and is mean to Elphaba.
When it's time for Nessa go to Shiz University, Elphaba tags along to help her, but when she displays her magical powers, she's invited to stay by the Madame Morrible, who is a bit of a mystery to us. But who wants to give Elphaba witch lessons to harness her powers.
At Shiz, Elphaba starts out bullied by everyone, including her roommate, Galinda, who only lets her stay in her room because she wants to be a witch too, and thinks Madame Morrible will teach her how to be one if she's nice to Elphaba.
Eventually, both women become friends after bonding at the Ozdust ballroom.
Despite their differences, they navigate the challenges of school, social pressures, and even find themselves drawn to the same charming man, Fiyero. He's handsome and seems perfect.
Morrible sees a lot of potential in Elphaba, and begins to tutor her in order to help her release her magical powers.
But as Elphaba and Galinda get deeper into school, they discover all is not well in Oz. Elphaba learns from Dr. Dillamond, a talking Goat history professor, that Animals across Oz are being stripped of their rights and voices.
Dr. Dillamond is forced to retire, replaced by a professor who cruelly experiments on animals.
In a fake form of homage, Galinda changes her name to 'Glinda' to honor the way Dr. Dillamond said her name.
Elphaba and Fiyero, disgusted, free a lion cub from the professor's clutches.They bond and we see that they actually have a crush on each other, and that Fiyero maybe doesn't have as strong feelings for Glinda anymore.
Elphaba is summoned to the Emerald City by the Wizard, and Glinda tags along with her as her best friend.
But after meeting the Wizard, whos is charming, they learn of a book called the grimoire, which can only be read by the most powerful magical people. Morrible shows up to encourage Elphaba to read the book, and Glinda concurs.
But Elphaba is tricked into casting a spell that gives the Wizard's monkey guards wings, revealing his true tyrannical nature. We learn that neither Morrible nor the Wizard can read the grimoire.
And they now want to use these winged monkeys as spies to help them stop the talking animals from existing in Oz.
Horrified, Elphaba rejects their offer to help them rule Oz, and tries to escape with Glina. But Glinda is not ready to be part of a rebellion, she thinks it might be better to just be on the Wizards side.
Glinda tries to convince Elphaba to surrender, but Elphaba chooses to fight for the oppressed. Bidding a tearful farewell to her friend, Elphaba uses her magic to escape the city, soaring into the unknown on a broomstick.
As Elphaba embraces her newfound identity and her extraordinary powers, she sets in motion a chain of events that will forever change the fate of Oz.
'Wicked' Ending Explained
That was a pretty crazy turn for part one of the story, but it was also such an emotional and entertaining journey.
At the end of Wicked Part One, Elphaba is tricked into casting a spell that gives the Wizard's monkey guards wings. This proves to her that the people in power are wrong and trying to use her powers.
It sets the story up for Part II, as Elphaba rejects the Wizard's offer and vow to fight against him, solidifying her position as an enemy of the state and showing the audience why she was called the "Wicked Witch."
Elphaba has to embrace her new identity and become a symbol of the resistance against the Wizard and Morrible.
In choosing to do what's right, Elphaba has also created a rift between herself and her best friend Glinda, who is not sure she can support her.
We also see that Morrible hugs Glinda, and you can infer she will finally get the magical tutelage she always wanted by being on their side.
In a tearful goodbye, Elphaba and Glinda acknowledge their diverging paths.
There is no certain future of friendship, as it appears they're going into battle.
This was a crazy ending that set us up for so much to come in the next part.
