Rated: R

Running Time: 120 minutes

«««« out of 4 Stars

Well, it’s hard to imagine another action film of this or any year in recent memory topping the adrenaline-pumping, motor-charged, post-apocalyptic world of Mad Max: Fury Road. Some 30 years after the last movie featuring the character, everything has been updated and to some extent reinvented. Regardless, the end result is just as strong - it’s a nitro-charged thrill ride.

That’s not to say that director George Miller (Mad Max, The Road Warrior, and curiously enough, Babe: Pig in the City) hasn’t thrown a few new wrinkles into the mix. This is essentially a two hour chase that begins mere seconds after the opening narration and doesn’t let up until the final scene. It is a bold approach is one that could have easily numbed the audience.

Max (Tom Hardy) is still a loner in the wasteland, struggling to simply survive and haunted by the memory of his deceased family. When he’s taken prisoner by a society controlled by ruthless dictator Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne), his only instinct is to break free. But events take a more complicated turn when he crosses paths with Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron), one of Joe’s ranks attempting to escape with precious cargo. While the two don’t trust each other, they soon realize they need one another to survive the horde.

If you’re familiar with previous movies in the series, rest assured. Digital effects are in use at times, but there are still plenty of real thrills and stunts. Everything about the pursuits is amplified to the tenth degree. There are multiple roving gangs with more cars, not to mention some stunning vehicular carnage. In fact, each gang appears to have its own specific kind of sense of style, almost as if the engines themselves are their own characters.

It’s all shot in a colorful desert landscape. As expected, this is a director who knows how to shoot action. It’s cut together brilliantly, with characters moving over and under cars in an exciting and dynamic fashion. Heck, they even hop from vehicle to vehicle and use poles to move the distances between with thrilling abandon. Despite multiple characters all doing separate things in a crazy chase, every movement is clear and easy to follow.

Truthfully, it may be a little overwhelming at first. The action is grand from the outset and we’re placed right in the middle of it, with only basic information about the participants. It’s gorgeous to watch and well put together, but the first act doesn’t feature much of an emotional hook. However, a funny thing happens as the movie progresses. Brief conversations and actions allow us into the heads of these people. In the end, they are simple but relatable figures and over the second act we get to know and (in some cases) even like the characters.

Early on, Max has a selfish survival instinct, but this changes as he spends more time within his party (and just to make the message clearer, becomes more human as he removes a mask affixed and covering his face). Furiosa has her motivations for escaping clarified too, and even the supporting characters become interesting. There’s a sickly “War-Boy” named Nux (Nicolas Hoult) desperate to please his leader and willing to do anything to prove his worthiness. Even within his society, he has to contend with violent co-workers out to steal his thunder.

Viewers watching will find that the movie actually manages to build more tension, drama and pathos as it develops. By the blood-pumping finale, it has completely worked its spell. Of course, helping alleviate some of the intensity are some equally radical moments of humor interspersed amidst the chaos (particularly funny is a moving vehicle with a guitar-player and drummers adding a musical score within the film during their hunt).

It is clear that director Miller is a fan of samurai and western film archetypes - applying them to Max and a fantastic, unreal world in a consistently dazzling fashion. Not only has he succeeded, but he’s experimented and made a few brave alterations to the formula that should excite audiences in entirely new ways. What starts as a merely solid action film ends up a fantastic one. Mad Max: Fury Road is a resounding success, an epic thrill-ride that will set a new standard for action.

To read more of Glenn Kay’s movie reviews, visit www. cinemastance.com

Rated: PG-13

Running time: 142 minutes

Rating ««« out of 4 stars

You will no doubt find Avengers Age of Ultron delivers the rush and rampage of a typical mega-massive-blockbuster. This is celluloid that is stuffed with stupendous spectacle, every second of action obviously costing millions of dollars to render and will easily gather a cool couple of billions worldwide.

Yet while the film provides proper entertainment there is something a bit flat about the second installment of everyone’s favorite clump of champions. It’s more than a genre getting too much attention. Let’s call it Superhero Saturation.

Even though there are a little quality issues, this marks the 11th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that has been shot out of the Hollywood cannon since 2008. That is crazy pace to keep up and fatigue is inevitable. Not all of these films have been fantastic but Marvel has been stunningly successful at producing quality films during this run. But Age of Ultron has an unwelcomed repetitive quality and the freshness has waned. This is not the end of the Cinematic Universe but there is a crack in the veneer.

The repetition comes from visiting the same themes, the same conflicts. We find our heroes are still battling the evil Hydra which is now S.H.I.E.L.D if you haven’t been keeping up. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) decides that they will never win the war unless they can provide the world with an undefeatable defender. Without the knowledge of the rest of the team (here comes more trust issues) Stark and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) create an artificially intelligent being named Ultron (James Spader). Have they not read Frankenstein? This never goes well.

As Ultron decides that the only way to save the world is to rid it of mankind, the team has its normal internal struggles and has to decide-again-if they are able to work together for the greater good. They do add a little love interest action between Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Banner but it doesn’t quite gel. We also learn a little more about the “real” Hawkeye (Jeremey Renner) which provides the movie with its most boring, lifeless moments.

Now some positive because there are plenty of reasons to like this movie once you get past the rust. Writer/Director Joss Whedon once again captures the chemistry of the crew which is no small feat considering there are six main characters. He also introduces even MORE villains and superheroes and is able to balance the storytelling where you still feel connected to everyone on screen. There is plenty of humor in the film and you will laugh just as much as you gasp from the explosions. In fact it is this humor that gives the film heart and keeps you invested despite the flaws.

In Ultron, Spader gives us a layered and hilarious villain. The robot provides many of the best one-liners while capturing a sense of innocence of a child with too much power. Imagine a monster with the sensibility of a pubescent teenager. Wicked stuff. There are little in the way of surprises that we have grown accustomed to with these films and while there is a brief scene right after the beginning of the credits, THERE IS NOT A SCENE AT THE END OF THE CREDITS SO DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME.

So everyone is a little tired at this point. A little lazy. In nearly all the coverage of the film, director Whedon has really said nothing more than after working on these two Avengers films for the past four years he is done and needs a break. That comes across in the final product. The worry is they have these movies slated out until 2020 (!) and they need to breathe some new life into it or the bubble will burst. If you are a fan, you will cheer and get your money’s worth. But you may also feel just a little duped.

David Pinson writes for the entertainment website www.cinemastance.com. Go check it out!

Water is dry. Not the H2O molecules, the subject. And the wells. And the mountains. Which brings us back to the subject, which is how to ensure there’s enough water to sustain our lives and lifestyles in the future.

Enter the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project, a yearlong effort that will provide drinking water to 43 chapters in the eastern Navajo Nation, the southern region of the Jicarilla Apache Nation and Lybrook and, eventually, the city of Gallup. At buildout, the project will provide drinking water to an estimated 250,000 people, based on population projections out to 2040.

The water to feed the project starts as mountain runoff in Colorado, drains through streams to the San Juan River and is piped from there. The multi-agency project consists of 300 miles of pipeline, 20 pumping stations and two treatment plants.

About a third of Navajo Nation homes don’t have running water, forcing residents to haul water for themselves, their crops and livestock. The NGWSP, which is part of the Navajo Nation Water Rights Settlement with the federal government, will eventually bring water to many of those homes.

The NGWSP has two separate pipeline laterals that will provide water for the entire project: the Cutter Lateral and San Juan Lateral. (“Lateral” is shorthand for a water transmission system.)

It’s not exactly making it rain, but the federal Department of the Interior belatedly marked the completion of the Cutter Lateral, a treatment pipeline that has been delivering clean water to more than 1,500 households in 13 Navajo Nation chapters and the southwest area of Jicarilla since October 2021, on June 9. It was finished at the end of 2020 and went through a year of testing before it was declared in service.

The Cutter Lateral takes water from the Cutter Reservoir, which was originally built for the Navajo Indian Irrigation Project, through transmission pipelines and pumping plants to deliver the raw water to the Cutter Lateral Water Treatment Plant for treatment and delivery to the Navajo Chapters Huerfano, Tiistohsikaad (Burnham), Nageezi, Counselor, Ojo Encino, Torreon/Star Lake, Whitehorse Lake, and Pueblo Pintado and the Jicarilla Apache Nation.

The western portion of the project, the San Juan Lateral, is still under construction (visible along Highway 264) but is about halfway finished and is scheduled for completion by 2027. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation oversees planning, engineering and construction of the project.

WHAT ABOUT GALLUP?

Improvements for the city of Gallup are expected in 2029, and it can’t be too soon. Delays are already forcing the city to dig two new wells to replace old ones that are drying up. The city has 15 operational wells, of 45 drilled over time.

When the project was authorized, the estimated cost (based on 2007) was $870 million and project completion was expected in 2024. With long-term inflation and project changes, today “the working cost estimate to  complete this project is $2.029 billion,” city engineering consultant Kurt Spolar, of DePauli Engineering, said.

Of course, the city isn’t on the hook for all of that. Gallup has invested about $33 million so far.

“We’re probably about halfway done paying for our end of the project, with some legislative changes,” Spolar said. Gallup’s part of the project is about 71% complete.

NGWSP participants are seeking federal legislation that would close a $600 million funding gap, cap the city’s costs at $76 million and provide $15 million to drill interim wells to serve the city until the NGWSP is finished. “We cannot wait 10 more years,” Spolar said. “We’re in a water crunch.”

The biggest part of the legislative request, Spolar said, is tied to permission to use a reservoir that PNM is abandoning with a power plant.

“Incorporating that into the project, and all the infrastructure that goes with it, has caused a delay. [...] We’re not expecting surface water until the end of fiscal year 2029. It’s probably going to be 2030, realistically, before it’s completed,” Spolar explained.

When that happens, Gallup will also be a central distribution point for surrounding areas, so local governments need to develop policy for accessing the water.

“The City of Gallup has owned and built the Gallup regional water system,” Spolar said. “We’re going to take delivery from Farmington. When it gets close to Ya-ta-hey, it’s going to enter the city of Gallup regional system. From there, the city of Gallup acts as a hub to deliver water to all the Navajo communities around us as well as nearby private property owners or communities. It’s becoming a regional issue, how to get access to this water.”

The city is also doing a “blending study” and sending sections of existing pipes for testing to make sure they are safe.

“We are trying to make sure the scales on the inside of those pipes don’t come off so we don’t have Flint, Mich., on our hands,” Spolar said.

Congress appropriated funding for the project under the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 as part of the Navajo Nation San Juan River Basin Water Rights Settlement in New Mexico.

President Joe Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure law included $2.5 billion to implement the Indian Water Rights Settlement Completion Fund which includes $123 million for fiscal year 2022 for design and construction of the NGWSP. The project was expected to create 650 jobs over its life. Construction started in 2012.

The next Project Construction Committee meeting will be held from 9 am to 12 pm July 28 at the El Morro Event Center, 210 South Second St. The meeting will be open to the public and available virtually via Microsoft Teams. Contact Sterling Acree at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (505) 324-5004 to access the meeting over the internet.

Rating «« out of 4 stars

Here’s a rather unfortunate situation. While every cast member of the new comedy Hot Pursuit is funny, the end result is a mediocre collection of hit-and-miss gags. It delivers a few chuckles during its short running time, but is the type of film that will be completely forgotten when you arrive back home.

Cooper (Reese Witherspoon) is a stiff and officious cop assigned with providing police protection to a man testifying in a high profile drug-trade trial. When mysterious mercenaries show up and fire rounds, Cooper escapes with the witness’ wife, Daniella (Sofia Vergara). The two heroines go it alone when they learn that they may be the targets of not only the crooks, but corrupt policemen as well. This bickering duo form a camaraderie of sorts as they attempt to survive on the run and evade capture.

Unfortunately, early scenes with Cooper do little to inspire audience sympathy. While audience members are repeatedly told that the main character is a cop who just caught a bad break or two, the evidence on display suggests otherwise. She can’t seem to do anything properly (be it use her weapon or climb out a window). That is, except repeat police code rules and regulations. It’s not an engaging character trait and Cooper ultimately comes off as too incompetent to root for.

This isn’t the fault of the performer. In general, the cast are let down by a script that doesn’t give them much opportunity to develop their roles or get into outrageous situations. Instead, it goes for the easy breast gag, menstruation joke or slapstick pratfall. And that’s only part of the problem. They’re forced to behave and deliver the material in such an exaggerated manner that several segments don’t feel particularly relatable or believable. There are also a few ill-timed gags featuring accidental police brutality that are supposed to elicit laughs, but fall incredibly flat.

That isn’t to say that there are no laughs to be had. The movie opens with an entertaining sequence showing Cooper essentially being raised to adulthood in the back of a police cruiser. Comics Mike Birbiglia and Jim Gaffigan also appear briefly in individual scenes, generating some chuckles as a fearful blind date and a country bumpkin. And the two leads dole out a funny barb here and there. Together, they earn the film’s biggest chuckle by donning a ridiculous disguise in order to sneak past a driver checkpoint.

However, the movie doesn’t produce enough laughs to merit a recommendation. The very small-scale climax feels particularly uninspired and routine, almost as though it was hashed together at the last moment. It’s really too bad, because the two stars have been very amusing in other projects. But simply pairing them up and hoping for the best has resulted in a bland effort. As buddy pictures go, Hot Pursuit generates little in the way of comedic sizzle.

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