Fury is a foul smelling, diesel guzzling, steel death trap. It’s also a new movie written and directed by David Ayer and starring Brad Pitt. The film is a rolling snapshot of the European theater in World War II and the men that fought there. What it is not is a war picture with a lofty purpose, like Saving Private Ryan, or one with a political motive, like The Hurt Locker. Fury is a gritty, gory story of five guys in a Sherman tank trying to survive the Great War. It’s simple.

Brad Pitt is Top Sergeant Don “War Daddy” Collier, a hard driving taskmaster who’s managed to keep his tank crew alive for years.  His crew: Boyd “Bible” Swan (Shia LaBeouf), Grady “Coon-Ass”Travis (Jon Bernthal) and Trini ‘Gordo’ Garcia (Michael Peña) are trapped with him in a WWII hell not of their own making. They are crawling through Germany in a tank that’s nearly helpless against the much more powerful German Tigers. They are crawling because Germany, at the order of Adolph Hitler, is fighting the allies for every foot of ground.  Enter Norman Ellison (Logan Lerman), a fumbling stenographer and typist, to fill out their tank crew. He is just as green as you might expect.

These characters are what makes Fury so special. There is very little character development, instead Ayer depends on archetypes. Look at nearly any WWII movie with Alan Ladd, John Wayne or Audie Murphy and you’ll see the same. My father was so good he could tell you in five minutes which character would be the hero, which the coward and which one would die. He was never wrong.

Yep, I could have told you what would happen with each member of the tank crew after I met them. Fury is so uncompromising in telling a good story that the background of the characters became secondary. This film is a journey from beginning to end, does it really matter what happened before? If you think so, demand a prequel!

Fury gave me the feeling I was an intimate…a member of the tank crew family, joining in as the group played, fought and even got drunk and obnoxious. That’s the importance of archetypal characters: it’s easy to match them to ones you’ve seen before and match them up.

This is not a movie about “guts and glory,” as some may suggest, but a movie about getting the hell back home in one piece. There is one exceptional moment when Don Collier sees a woman looking at the troops letting off steam in the town square. He takes the green tank driver, Norman, up to a pleasant apartment where they are greeted, not too pleasantly, by a woman and her cousin. Instead of what they expected, the Sargeant is just looking for a little hint of home. He finds it-an island of peace in an ocean of war.

The mistake is in making Fury more (or less) than it is. It’s a really good film, but it’s not about some grandiose scheme to win a war or destroy some foreign ideology. Fury is about squeezing as much out of life in a war and not getting dead. It’s also about killing so many Nazis that there are none left to kill you. George S. Patton once said, “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.” I never got a sense in the movie that anyone gloried in taking life. It was only expedient to kill the “other bastard.”

Ayer’s direction and Brad Pitt’s acting certainly headlined the piece, but everything in the film was top notch. Even the now familiar, “This is the best job I’ve ever had,” from the tank crew, fits. I would strongly suggest seeing Fury in the theater. The action and explosions are just too good to miss on the big screen.

Rating 4 Stars out of 5!

Have you ever been shocked by a surprising hero choice in a movie? Well we at the Movie Madness Podcast sure have. Imagine Nick Frost or Don Knotts as heroes. It boggles the mind, but there you go. We have even more in store for you in our Top 5 Unlikely Movie Heroes. Join Doug, Mr. Jeremy and me, the Movie Maniac, as we pick our favorite and most unlikely movie heroes.You’re going to have to join us and find out, because I’m not saying any more.

Remember, if you’d like to include your own list be sure and let us know. Don’t be shy just email us at: moviemadnesspodcast@gmail.com or call the voice mail # 260-573-0015 or post them to Twitter, Facebook or the Ultimate Movie Geeks community on Google+

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Revenge drama and Sci-Fi, two of my favorite things! Denzel Washington is back with a vengeance in The Equalizer and there’s a surprisingly interesting new film called The Maze Runner: A young adult Sci-Fi thriller with some nice horror elements.

Doug and I both managed to see The Equalizer and have some definite agreements (and maybe a few disagreements). You’ll never know if we’re at each other’s throats if you don’t get right to listening and find out.

I’m also going to tell you about The Maze Runner; a surprising film and quite engaging. It may not be what you think. I was rather surprised. Check us out before you go and then come back and tell us what you think after at: moviemadnesspodcast@gmail.com or call the voice mail # 260-573-0015 or post them to Twitter, Facebook or the Ultimate Movie Geeks community on Google+

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In the great desert of late summer/early fall films there are a few small movie oases that show up to quench the thirst. Trust me, by this time of the year I’m parched.

Join Doug and me while we take a look at When the Game Stands Tall and This is Where I Leave You to see if they provide a little moisture on the way to the holiday tsunami. Yes, I know, but corny metaphors are the little islands in the sea of writer’s block. If ya can’t think of anything clever a little cheese never hurts.

Okay. I promise. I’ll stop. But seriously, we do have a little fun and a nice balance between sports drama and light comedy this week: Football and Jane Fonda’s character’s new boobs. How can that be bad?

Hey, let us know what you think at: moviemadnesspodcast@gmail.com or call the voice mail # 260-573-0015 or post them to Twitter, Facebook or the Ultimate Movie Geeks community on Google+

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Hi there. This is your Movie Maniac saying that we’ve done it again. Doug, Mr. Jeremy and I picked the movies that are just begging for someone to step up and redo them. In fact, for most of the movies, we are begging the studios to remake them. I’m telling you, we dug deep. We looked at miscasting, recasting and even rethinking to come up with those movies that are badly in need of a new iteration. Just like Howard Beale (Peter Finch) from Network, “I’m mad as Hell and I’m not going to take this anymore.” Make the movies right the first time or you must remake them. We are the ones that pay for the tickets and buy the snacks AND THIS IS OUR TIME! Oops, sorry everyone I got carried away.

Seriously my friends listen in and find out what films are ripe for a remake. Even more important…you need to come with your own remakes and show us up. We can take it. Send your own picks to moviemadnesspodcast@gmail.com or call the voice mail # 260-573-0015 you can also post them to Twitter, Facebook or the Ultimate Movie Geeks community on Google+

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Some of the best movies that elicit a wide range of emotion from us are Disaster Movies. You get the full gambit from terror, hopelessness, hope, joy and so many others its impossible to name them all! They put you on the edge of your seat then drive you back all in a matter of seconds. They make you question how can anyone survive? Then give you hope that someone will! When their done right and the credits roll you feel like you’ve been on a roller coaster or put through a wringer. That’s what makes them so great! We’d like you to join us as we discuss our Top 5 Disaster Movies. We want to know your picks for the Top 5 Disaster Movies so send them to moviemadnesspodcast@gmail.com or call the voice mail # 260-573-0015 you can also post them to Twitter, Facebook or the Ultimate Movie Geeks community on Google+

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Hey fellow movie maniacs and mavins, we at the Movie Madness Podcast ask that you join us as we honor some of the film industries unsung heroes. These are the actors that may play second fiddle in our favorite movies, but are often number one in our hearts. They make the stars look good or smart and maybe even save their lives. These are the minor characters, such as sidekicks, comic relief and even straight men that add so much to the films we see. We had a great time picking our favorites and we want you to add yours at: moviemadnesspodcast@gmail.com or call the voice mail at 260-573-0015. You can also post them to our Twitter or Facebook pages.

Remember, without you it’s us just three crazy guys talking to ourselves!

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It’s me again, your Movie Maniac, asking you to help us with one of our most challenging tasks as we try to determine whether some of our favorite actors are just lucky or actually good. We see them all the time on screen, on the red carpet and yes…in all forms of popular media, but do they deserve the attention. Perhaps they were just in the right place at the right time. Jeremy, Doug and I have very strong opinions and we talk about them on one of our favorite episodes.

Don’t be in the dark. Tune in soon to see what we think and then include your own thoughts at moviemadnesspodcast@gmail.com or call the voice mail at 260-573-0015. You can also post them to our Twitter or Facebook pages. Be sure and include which actors belong on our next “Are They Lucky or Are They Good” episode. So get your lists together and let us know.

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Hey everybody…join me and Doug as we do a quick overlook at a tasty treat and a Brave New World wannabee. It’s me, your Movie Maniac, taking a critical look at two of the more interesting films released this summer: The Hundred-Foot Journey and The Giver. It’s Helen Mirren versus Meryl Streep and Jeff Bridges in the heads up. Tune in to see which one wins. As always, you can let us know your thoughts or include your reviews at: moviemadnesspodcast@gmail.com or call the voice mail at 260-573-0015. You can also post them to our Twitter or Facebook pages.

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It’s summer and you know what that means? ROAD TRIP!!!! Some of the most fun you can have is on a road trip, from new places to outlandish characters a road trip is always an adventure just like the movies! What do you get when you combine the two? Some of the most fun and on rare occasions heartfelt movies you will ever see. We invite you to join Jeremy, Craig, and Doug as they countdown their Top 5 Road Trip Movies. Our show wouldn’t be complete without hearing your Top 5 Road Trip Movies so send them to moviemadnesspodcast@gmail.com or call the voice mail 260-573-0015. You can also post them to our Twitter or Facebook page.

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