(Pictured: the Graphic Novel Cover of Mad Max: Fury Road )
Okie Dokie. After last week's political proselytizing, I feel I owe you all a list. So fasten your seatbelts as I unveil the ranking of George Miller’s Mad Max Saga.
 
For the record, after having seen Furiosa (several times), and the rest in order, I am ready to render judgment.
 
To Valhalla  
 
Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. As I understand it, the film was based on two ideas. One half was a Lost Boys story, the other Miller’s own Mad Max idea. And what better way to tell a cohesive story than to have two directors?  While the world-building of Barter Town works, the rest of the story, in my opinion, doesn’t. Uneven at best, it sits at the bottom of my heap.
 
Max Max is the movie that started it all. It is the story of a post-apocalyptic Max Rockatanski finding his way in a strange new world. This is the one that started it all and is only low on my list based on production values. I know as well as anyone that there would not be the films that came after without this, so let’s just be grateful we have this film to kick off a might series.
 
 
Tied for Second Place: The Road Warrior and Mad Max Fury Road.  Upon seeing The Road Warrior in 1981, I exclaimed to my fellow enthusiasts that it was, and I quote, “A religious experience!” Ironically, I had the same experience and more so viewing Mad Max: Fury Road. From the lightning-fast opening sequence to the arrival of the Doof Wagon (clip to follow), this is the Mad Max Saga that all of us fans were not waiting for and left us wanting more . It is the Road Warrior on Steroids (or silver spray paint)! Brilliant.
 
  “Monster Bike.”
 
Furiosa is the ultimate Max Max saga film. It was the culmination of all the Mad Max stories that came before it. Dementus is a villain worth an entire film. From the opening rev of the engines to the final scene, this is what it’s all about. For the record, I have seen this film in its entirety three times and will most likely see it a couple of times more. This is a film that deserved more love than it got. I am at a loss as to why this film gem did not get more recognition at the box office.

Okay, everyone who has visited knows two things about this blog. One, when I can’t think of anything, I make a list. Two, sometimes I talk politics. Hate to do it but such are the times we live in.
 
The Democratic Convention has just concluded, and I have the missing yard signs to prove it. But seriously, folks…  
 
The Democratic Party is energized right now, and they have good reason to. We have a dynamic candidate, we are coming off a thrilling convention, and we are ahead in almost every poll. The others are tied, and Don Old seems to be melting faster than the Wicked Witch of the West. 
 
All of this means nothing. We must never be complacent or give up. Remember that bus of Biden supporters that was driven off the road four years ago? It proves they will stop at nothing.
 
This is the most crucial election in modern history, and I will prove that in a list someday. Do not get complacent. Volunteer. Talk to friends. Write a blog (I'm not sure if that really helps). But get out there, and let’s win one for democracy.
 
My parents were part of the greatest generation, fighting tyranny and fascism overseas. My father served in Europe. Lori’s father was a gunner and was shot down and spent the war in a German POW camp.
 
Make no mistake: nationalism is a first cousin of fascism. Making decisions for others has not and never will be a democracy. If you want a United States of America, do something!

​But, J.P., we just talked about plans. We sure did. But this is a different blog. This is about when plans go awry.
 
No matter how well you plan, rehearse the plan; there’s always an Archer J. Maggott who suddenly wants to get his groove on with some German lady. This is fine if both parties are consensual, but once he blows your cover behind enemy lines, it does throw everything out of whack.
 
Now, you have two options. One is a backup plan. If you really want to get technical, some call it a Plan B. The other alternative is improvisation. And if you combine the two above, you have a third.
 
To make this all more relatable, I once had a plan—a meticulous plan. It even had contingencies: If this, this, or this happens, do this. Unfortunately, it had some failings. 
 
I had two alternate plans ready to implement if something went wrong. The result is an adjusted backup, with some improvisation resulting in a different timetable.

 
I am currently writing this blog with filthy glasses. I just checked and they are covered in smudges, smears, finger grease, and grime. And yet, I continue on. Maybe there is a lesson here. If we take a minute to clean our perspective. Perhaps take a deep breath. Maybe we will see the challenges ahead just a bit clearer. On the other hand, if we continue on, squinting through the collective smear we may just get to our destination a bit more quickly. Of course, it may be the entirely wrong destination, but what the hell, we’re Americans!  Full speed ahead and damn, not really seeing where you are going. 
 
Wow, that was some heavy shit I just laid on you, and I apologize for it. No metaphor. I think what I am attempting to say is, just clean your damn glasses.
 
Okay, a tab of dishwashing liquid and some water and my glasses are clean. And wouldn’t you know it? For the last ten minutes, I have attempting to write this blog using an old calculator. Now if I can just remember what I was saying.
 

​Three hours of speechifying is not really my cup of tea. But when it is for a very important cause – such as saving the very fabric of democracy, hey, I am there. I mean, where else am I going to get the chance to see not only the world’s finest collection of man buns but also listen to the likes of the dude himself, Jeff Bridges, Bradley Whitford, Sean Astin,  Joseph Gordon Levitt, Mark Hamill, and Paul Scheer. Pete Buttigieg, Tim Walz, JB Pritzker, and some guy who thinks we all look at our phones too much.
 
I did donate and sign up to volunteer, and I urge you to do the same. Dissent is not really the orange man’s thing—neither is democracy, for that matter. No matter what he says, his aim is to become President, stay out of jail, and wreak revenge for the thirty-plus felony convictions. I would be surprised if he and his cronies had been counting my unfavorable Facebook memes. 
 
And if he is elected, there will be plenty of time in the camp for me to think about how I have disappointed him.
 
Oh, and for the record, some of his followers are weird. 
 
Oh, and for what it’s worth, I approve this message.