Furious 7

It was a little different watching this movie knowing that one of the main characters had died in real life (Paul Walker).  Even how he died, crashing a high performance sports car like the ones in this film, made it like there was something "more" to this than just a normal movie.  When it started, all I could think about was the death of Paul every time he came on the screen.  But, the more I watched, the more I was able to get into the movie and allow myself to be distracted by the unbelievable, over-the-top, almost ridiculous crazy stunts they were able to pull off and cheat death over and over.  There wasn't much to the actual plot other than a guy wanting revenge for his brother, but the plot isn't why people watch this series - they want to see fast cars and action that could never actually happen in real life - and if that's what someone is looking for, this movie definitely delivers!  As the movie wound down, you could see it turning into more of a Paul Walker tribute, which was nice.  He has been a part of this movie series since it started back in 2001, and it all seemed like a fitting way to allow everyone - the actors and the viewer - a way to say "goodbye" to Paul and thank him for his contribution to the movies and allow everyone to move forward.  It seems strange feeling that way after a Fast and Furious movie, but I guess I do...

Mad Max: Fury Road

Was this a good movie?  Not really.  Did I enjoy it?  Yes!  I think this is one of those movies people will either really like or really hate, with not many opinions in between.  I have a soft spot for the Mad Max movies, so this felt like kind of a “guilty pleasure” for me.  Charlize Theron plays a woman leading a rebellion against a tyrannical leader, taking his favorite women, Max and others along with her.  They are being chased across post apocalyptic Australia by the ruler and his people with very cool souped-up muscle car/monster truck type vehicles.  There were constant wrecks and explosions and all kinds of things going on almost the entire time.  It was quite an adrenaline rush watching this one.  It wore me out.  I normally don’t go for films that are all action and not much else, but for some reason, I did enjoy this one.  Truthfully, I probably would have liked it no matter what.