What to Watch - Warner Bros. Film Club Picks 2024
Are you ready to test your film knowledge? Check out our monthly film club picks and quizzes to see how much you really know...
May Film Club - Mad Max: Fury Road
Test your knowledge of this post-apocalyptic epic with our Mad Max: Fury Road quiz!
About Mad Max: Fury Road
An explosive assemblance of guns, engines, noise, and FURY, Mad Max: Fury Road is gripping from the very start. Mad Max (Tom Hardy), a lone survivor imprisoned by the warlord Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne), makes a leap for survival onto the bandwagon of Imperator Furiosa’s (Charlize Theron) War Rig. The two rebels, alongside Immortan Joe’s wives (Zoë Kravitz, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Riley Keough, Abbey Lee, Courtney Eaton) journey across the desert in an attempt to reach Furiosa’s childhood homeland. But, outraged by the loss of his most valuable possessions, Joe and his band (literally) of crazed fighters follow the still-warm desert dust left by the War Rig in pursuit of Furiosa and Joe’s wives.
The post-production edit is an essential stage of any movie, but no more so than for the action genre. It is where that fast-paced, adrenaline-inducing atmosphere can be perfected. Unlike most action films where a ‘chaos cinema’ approach is taken, which is where numerous frenzied shots are thrown into the frame, Mad Max: Fury Road, contrary to its name, was more orderly and streamlined in its editing style. Using ‘eye trace’ and ‘crosshair framing’ techniques during shooting, George Miller, the Director, ensured the most important visual information was kept in the central frame. This meant the viewer could quickly understand what was happening in the scene, in turn, making it easier for the Editor, Margaret Sirex to amplify and accelerate scenes without worrying about overloading the viewer with too much visual content. With over 480 hours of footage to edit, utilising these techniques allowed Sirex to create an action film that flowed smoothly and augmented the storyline whilst fully immersing the viewer in the action.
The film received ten Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Cinematography, and won six of these nominations with Margaret Sirex winning Best Film Editing. The title has become synonymous with the action genre with several critics calling it one of the greatest action films ever made. It has been featured in numerous ‘best films’ lists including The New York Times’ “The 10 Most Influential Films of the Decade” and Wired’s “The 24 Absolute Best Moves of the 2010s”. So why not strap in and return for the exhilarating ride down Fury Road by watching the film here.
Watch the ten minute preview of Mad Max: Fury Road here!
April Film Club - Miss Congeniality
Test your knowledge of this Sandra Bullock classic with our Miss Congeniality film club quiz!
About Miss Congeniality
Gracie Hart (Sandra Bullock), the FBI’s resident thick-skinned, hardy, tomboy undergoes a miraculous transformation as she goes undercover at the 75th annual Miss United States beauty pageant. With the help of Victor Melling’s (Sir Michael Caine) fairy godfather abilities, Hart gets a makeover many would dream of! She learns how to dress like a pageant queen, walk as if she was gliding, and talk with perfect annunciation – ‘Gracie Lou Freebush’ a.k.a Miss New Jersey is prepped and ready to catch a terrorist.
As pageant proceedings get underway, Gracie must get close to the other contestants and try to uncover the identity of the terrorist. Although she previously thought of the pageant participants as superficial air-heads, Gracie comes to realise that she may have been too quick to judge these women who all dream of ‘world peace’. Gracie’s skills in glass harp playing and self-defence (thanks to the assistance of her FBI colleague Eric Matthews (Benjamin Bratt)), help her make it through to the final round. This is where the threat of a bomb reaches its pinnacle and Gracie and Eric must race against time to diffuse the situation before anyone is hurt.
Interestingly when Sir Michael Caine was preparing to play the role of beauty pageant guru, Victor Melling, he drew on his wife’s experience in the beauty pageant world to help him perfect the role. Shakira Caine was the runner-up at the Miss Guayana contest and in 1967 came third at the Miss World competition!
Miss Congeniality is synonymous with April 25th because of Cheryl’s answer to the ‘perfect date’ question. Not only was the answer supposedly used in a real-life beauty pageant, but the director, Donald Petrie chose to include the date to memorialise his wife’s birthday which is April 25th.
The film grossed over $212m worldwide and Bullock received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress (Motion Picture Comedy or Musical).
Miss Congeniality has continued to delight audiences with its comedic, light-hearted, yet also inspirational message that a person’s intelligence and character transcends superficial attributes and there is value in daring to look deeper.
Watch Gracie’s physical and emotional transformation from the very beginning here.
Watch the ten minute preview of Miss Congeniality here!
March Film Club - The Matrix
Test your knowledge of this Sci-Fi masterpiece with our The Matrix film club quiz!
About The Matrix
If you were offered the red pill or the blue pill which would you choose?
Neo (Keanu Reeves), a computer hacker already suspicious of the world he lives in, takes the red pill and is shown ‘the truth’ by Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) – that intelligent machines have trapped humans inside a computer-generated alternate reality known as the Matrix. Neo joins a group of noir-dressed leather rebels consisting of Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving and Joe Pantoliano, in the fight to free the rest of humanity and destroy the Matrix.
Celebrating its 25th Anniversary this year, the concept of The Matrix was conceived by The Wachowskis at a time when the Internet was becoming more sophisticated and integrated into society. They were always fascinated by mythology, alternate realities and perceptions of the world and we can clearly see how this formed the foundation of The Matrix. The Wachowskis said, ‘we began with the premise that every single thing we believe in today and every single physical item is actually a total fabrication created by an electronic universe.’ This harrowing thought, augmented by innovative camera techniques, Asian-style wire fighting sequences, and comic-book inspired set design, brought a unique take on the sci-fi action-thriller genre, which proved extremely popular.
The Wachowskis were intrigued by Eastern style fighting choreography that used wires to create more controlled and stylised stunts. With the help of Yuen Wo Ping, ‘one of the top Hong Kong stunt specialists in Kung Fu and wire-stunt work’, the cast spent four months training and learning Kung Fu before filming began. Alongside this, to give the action scenes a unique and dynamic feel, a ‘flo-mo’ process was used, which gave The Wachowskis control over actors’ movements in a shot. After filming a scene conventionally, they scanned the images and using a laser-guided tracking system, they planned the path the camera would take in the final scene. Then they placed still cameras along this path, which would take a single still image. The result was a continuous strip of still images in a similar vein to how an animation is created. This meant The Wachowskis could speed up and slow down isolated parts of a character’s movement without losing resolution.
The film was highly popular grossing over $470m at the global box office, the highest for Warner Bros. in 1999. It was extremely successful at The Academy Awards, winning all four categories it was nominated for: Best Visual Effects, Best Film Editing, Best Sound, and Best Sound Editing. Then in 2012, the Library of Congress selected The Matrix for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for the ‘cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance’ that the film held.
So, in celebration of 25 years since The Wachowskis visionary masterpiece first came to fruition, watch The Matrix from the beginning here.
Watch the Ten Minute Preview of The Matrix here!
February Film Club - Crazy Rich Asians
Test your knowledge of this groundbreaking rom-com with our Crazy Rich Asians Film Club Quiz!
About Crazy Rich Asians
Imagine dating someone whose family happens to be one of the wealthiest in Singapore but you only discover this the night before you’re due to meet the family for the first time. Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) finds herself in this situation when she travels to Singapore, unexpectedly in first-class, with her boyfriend Nick Young (Henry Golding). Fortunately for Rachel, good friend Peik Lin Goh (Awkwafina) is aware of the Young’s status in the East and preps her to pass the trials of the family. As Rachel spends more time in the company of Young’s social circle, she discovers just how different Singapore is compared to America – status, position, and wealth are the currency which people’s opinions are founded on. Crazy Rich Asians is a beautiful story about fighting for the person you love amidst the beliefs, opinions, and discernment of those on the periphery of the relationship.
The film was hugely significant upon release as it featured, for the first time in 25 years, a predominantly all-Asian cast. It was extremely important to the Director, Jon M. Chu, and Kevin Kwan, author of the book which the film is based on, to rewrite the narrative of Asian representation in the film industry. Asian characters have previously been sidelined to the stereotypical roles of ‘kung-fu master, chopstick-yielding exchange student, or quiet back-of-the-class follower’. In a refreshing breakaway from this, Crazy Rich Asians gives each character the space to display their intricacies – their insecurities, beliefs, and relationships.
Fashion is an integral element of the film, not only in depicting a lavish lifestyle that is such a huge contrast from Rachel’s New York life, but also in symbolising each character’s nuances. Colour palettes and the structure of pieces are used to convey emotions such as vulnerability and power, whilst the juxtaposition of different characters’ outfits is used to subtly communicate unspoken sentiments between them.
Food is also an essential part of the film with lavish banquets being meticulously crafted and actually consumed on set! There was a team of 50 cooks, food carvers and assistants on set and it is said that $9,000 was paid for live crabs to be used in one of the banquet scenes!
The film grossed a total of $239mill at the global box office with an array of awards nominations including Golden Globe nominations for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Actress – Musical or Comedy for Constance Wu.
So, in celebration of the Year of the Dragon, immerse yourself in the lavish lifestyles of these wealthy Singaporeans by watching Crazy Rich Asians here.
Watch the Ten Minute Preview of Crazy Rich Asians here!
January Film Club - The NeverEnding Story
Test your knowledge of this 80s classic with our The NeverEnding Story Film Club Quiz!
About The NeverEnding Story
Watch The Neverending Story this January and accompany Bastian (Barret Oliver), a bullied schoolboy who takes refuge in an ancient novel, to the mystical land of Fantasia where the impending arrival of The Nothing threatens to destroy Fantasia for good. Atreyu (Noah Hathaway) is their last hope. He must embark on a seemingly impossible journey to get to the Southern Oracle, where he shall discover the key to saving all of Fantasia. Along the way he is helped by an eclectic group of individuals but will their efforts pay off?
The Neverending Story is based on Michael Ende’s best-selling German novel and at the time of release it was one of the most expensive films to be made in the German film industry with a budget of $27m! Despite being classed as a children’s film, the story intertwines deeper themes which speak to the symbiotic nature of life and death. The Nothing can be likened to the impending fear of emptiness and loss of purpose which can come from a loved one’s death. It is through Atreyu’s battle against The Nothing and Bastian’s acceptance of his mother’s death that we realise the finality of death gives life purpose. The light replaces the darkness and life’s cyclical nature becomes a never-ending story.
The Director, Wolfgang Petersen, was quoted saying, ‘the whole idea of the film is that we need imagination, dreams, wishes, and creativity to fight against all these dangerous problems in the world’. So, click here to accompany Bastian and Atreyu on a journey of rediscovery as they battle to save Fantasia from The Nothing.
Watch the trailer for The NeverEnding Story here!