THE DANMAN CAN

Turbo Kid   (2015) is an endlessly fun and funny mashup of  Mad Max  (1979) [ review ],  Escape From New York   (1981) [ review ],  Indiana Jones , BMX movies, and more featuring an impossibly adorable co-lead ( Laurence Leboeuf  as Apple), wildly creative gore gags, and a pulsing, head-bobbing synth score by  Le Matos . Rather than subvert genre tropes,  Turbo Kid  fully embraces them and never stops being a blast because of it—what it lacks in deep characters, finesse, and budget it makes up for in retro diversion and heart. If you had to live in a post-apocalyptic future, wouldn't you want to live in one this colorful and playful, with a soundtrack as great as this? (And remember: eyes, throat, genitals! )

Having just revisited Turbo Kid  (2015) (my review here ) a couple days ago, I was in the mood to also revisit directing trio RKSS '  Summer Of '84 ( 2018) (my original review here ), which I'd been meaning to do for some time anyway. I really enjoyed SO84  the first time I saw it and this rewatch was no different— Le Matos  deliver another stellar score, the actors all give good performances, and the atmosphere created is retro without being showy about it.

Turbo Kid (2015) is an endlessly fun and funny mashup of  Mad Max (1979) [ review ],  Escape From New York (1981) [ review ],  Indiana Jones and BMX movies featuring an impossibly adorable co-lead ( Laurence Leboeuf as Apple), wildly creative gore gags, and a pulsing, head-bobbing synth score by Le Matos . Rather than subvert genre tropes, Turbo Kid fully embraces them and never stops being a blast because of it—what it lacks in deep characters, finesse, and budget it makes up for in retro diversion. If you had to live in a post-apocalyptic future, wouldn't you want to live in one this colorful and playful, with a soundtrack as great as this?

1.    Mary Poppins Returns   ****1/2 ( Review ) 2.    Let The Corpses Tan  (2017) ****1/2 ( Review ,  Take 2 Review ) 3.    Isle Of Dogs  **** ( Review , Take 2 Review ) 4.    Suspiria  **** ( Review ) 5.    The Favourite  **** ( Review ) 6.    Mandy   **** ( Review , Take 2 Review ) 7.    You Were Never Really Here   (2017) **** ( Review ) 8.    The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs   ***1/2 ( Review ) 9.    The Other Side Of The Wind  ***1/2 ( Review ) 10.  Hold The Dark  ***1/2 ( Review ) 11.  BlacKkKlansman   ***1/2 ( Review ) 12.  Unsane  ***1/2 ( Review ) 13.  Hereditary  ***1/2 ( Review ) 14.  Summer Of 84   ***1/2 ( Review ) 15.  Thoroughbreds   (2017) ***1/2 ( Review ) 16.  Sicario: Day Of The Soldado  ***1/2 ( Review ) 17.  Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdo...

The directing trio behind Turbo Kid (2015) return for Summer Of '84  (2018), a very effective serial killer thriller that on the surface appears to be cut from the same cloth as  Stranger Things   and It   (2017) (and there are certainly similarities, namely the nostalgia), but in some way has more in common with The Guest (2014) and It Follows   (2014). Throw in dashes of  The 'Burbs   (1989)   and  Stand By Me   (1986) and you've got the tone down. The four teenage leads are all excellent and the synth score by Le Matos is another winner. Not every choice (or lack of) works and certain characters and plot points feel underdeveloped, however the film takes an unexpectedly dark turn that sets it apart.