It helps to have seen 1974's "Gone in 60 Seconds" and to know who H.B. Halicki is to get what is essentially the car version of 1989's "No Holds Barred" (Harlan B. Hollis = the 'Rip' that everyone knows is really Halicki). "The Junkman's" first act is basically "Kill Bill's" Deadly Viper Assassination Squad if they were in a live action "Speed Racer" episode. Cars flip, planes fly under bridges and stuff blows up real good for 45 min. straight! Unfortunately there's still an hour of movie left, and the weak acting/predictable story really start taking their toll. Feel free to turn off "The Junkman" halfway through, though you'll be missing out a yellow Corvette pulling a stunt/gag that the James Bond people nakedly stole for "A View To A Kill" three years later. Strictly for people who feel TV's "Dukes of Hazzard," "The A-Team" and "Knight Rider" waste too much time with smart writing and character development. You know, 90% of those shows' audience. ;-)
First category comment?! Feels like an F This Movie badge of honor:)
Vanishing Point (1971, Dir. Richard C. Sarafian)
Sorry to kick off the comments with something probably everyone has seen, but I hadn't until now and I have no idea why!
Totally loved it. The cars, the soundtrack everything about this movie exudes cool. And while it may not quite have the existential 'Easy Rider' type of punch that it probably had in the 70s it is still hugely entertaining now.
Glad to finally see this one. Hoping there's a blu ray I can track down.
Don't worry. Thursday-Saturday and Monday I work overnights, so those days feel free to post first, early and often. ;-)
BTW Grant, did you see the European or the American version of "VP"? Basically did you see Kowalski pick a beautiful British hitchhiker on a dark road before the end (European version) or not (American version)? Great flick regardless of which version you watch, just curious.
Pretty much yeah, that's it. It's a nice character moment for Kowalski that nevertheless padded the movie up just before the final race, which is a no-no for a racing movie. It got taken out of American cinemas to speed-up the pace and rush head-first into the finale. On the DVD I have and the Blu-ray of "VP" both versions are included.
Wasn't a huge fan of this although the stunts and driving are good. I just never really found the leads and their banter as endearing as I think I was supposed to. It did work somewhat well as a double feature with Vanishing Point though.
Its the future and the economy has collapsed causing a major crime wave. A teenage couple gets lured into a drive in movie theater where police have been trapping delinquents where they become prisoners. You go there to see a movie and they steal your tires and have electrified fences so you can't get away.
I've heard alot about this Australian exploitation movie and I was expecting more mad max style action. It finally cuts lose in the last ten minutes but I wish there was more of that kind of stuff. No one crashes cars like the Australians. The rest of the movie follows a wet noodle of a main character who reminded me of a less skinny DJ Qualls from the New Guy. He was very bland and uninteresting. His girlfriend is a fox though. I love the premise and it was interesting to see that the guy wants to escape the situation but his girl wants to stay because there's no life for her on the outside. I wish the movie would've explored that more. I liked it overall it just had potential to be great if the whole movie had the energy of the last 10 minutes. There's enough in it to like to recommend though.
Gas-s-s I think I love this movie. There's a hilarious opening credits sequence with a cartoon John Wayne type, plus lots of weirdness and great cinematography. Imagine an Easy Rider inspired Richard Linklater scribed Mad Max ripoff, with a hint of Alejandro Jodorowsky and Dr. Strangelove. This is incredible. Watch it whenever you can.
Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow (1959) (first time viewing)
I really enjoyed this little 50's drive-in comedy. A group of hot-rod teenagers is about to be evicted from their clubhouse. A reporter doing a story on them is trying to help them out. They find a woman who can't sell a house she owns because it's haunted, so they decide to use that. It's full of crazy 50's lingo, fun weird music, goofy comedy, and it had a Scooby-Doo ending before Scooby-Doo existed. The best part is a sarcastic, smart-ass parrot. Man: "Polly want a cracker?" Parrot: "What the hell would I do with that?" The parrot talks through the last half of the movie and I got a kick out of it. I really enjoyed this movie. It's only 64 minutes long and is on Amazon Prime.
Another TCM Underground DVR watch for. I echo everyone's sentiment. This was fun. Seriously, what was up with the band firing guns? Wildest thing I've ever seen.
I wonder how much property damage they do on nightly basis. Or do they just not have a roof there, because the guy behind the counter somehow shot a bird out of the sky. My 4 year old watched the first half of this movie with me and the only commentary she had was "Daddy, why do they keep shooting guns?" The only response I had was "I have no idea."
Two hours of glorious, nitro-fueled insanity. George Miller takes us back to my favorite post-apocalyptic world, where guitars with flame throwers not only exist, but are put to practical use. Tom Hardy acquits himself ably as Max, and Charlize Theron is terrific as Furiosa. The Road Warrior is still my favorite of the series, but this is easily next on the list.
So I have this bloke who lives about 10 miles away, he is an internet star - he was a plumber turned inventor (Rather like Dick van Dyke in my Junesploitation pick today) he has built his own fire guitar....
Sometimes you have a long day, and you want to come home and watch something shiney, something where nearly every piece of dialogue is a one liner (in a good way not a Die Another Day way), something with Dwayne Johnson, something with very pretty cars, none of them I can name, and a character constantly eating chips, something familar. I have seen this movie many times and I love it. I think this might be one of my favourite action movies. I have no idea what this says about me.
I also watched Fast 5. For me absolutely the best in the whole series. The car chase with the safes is just fantastic, as is the foot chase through the favelas. Perfect action, great one liners, cool story. What else can I wish for?
I'm debating between Fast 5 and Need for Speed. Haven't seen either and have only seen the first Fast when it originally came out. I hear Fast 5 is great fun, but wondering if jumping into a story I'm not familiar with would dull the experience. On the other hand, I hear Need for Speed is just dull.
If you're going to watch Fast Five and you've only seen the first, I would just bite the bullet and make it a marathon. Going from 1 to 5 is a big jump.
Thanks for the advice folks. Went with Need simply since it's a one off. Should've kept Smokey and the Bandit in the hopper instead of watching a few weeks ago.
Over the top action, sci-fi with several genre favorite actors, including a pre-Rocky Stallone! This movie is SO '70s. It's dated to its core, which makes it a perfect junesploitation watch. I also loved all the incredibly on the nose political commentary. It's funny that especially this and The Hunger Games are about the same thing, and yet this little genre movie has so much more to say than that whole series. Even with its total lack of subtlety.
Still my favourite of the Mad Max movies. Mel is on top form and only having 16 lines in the whole movie. Amazing action for the time and with a fraction of the budget of American blockbusters. Plus there's the feral kid with a razor sharp boomerang and a big bad called The Humungous. What's not to love.
Is this a movie about cars? It's going to take a while to digest this one, although I very much enjoyed it. The score was wonderful and really contributed to the atmosphere. Cronenberg always leaves you a little off balance after watching his movies. I love it! Not quite Junesploitation material, but I've never seen a movie quite like this, so 5 stars.
One of the things I like about Cronenberg is how unapologetic he is about setting and filming his movies in Toronto/Canada. Most movies would go out of their way to hide the license plates and landmarks, and claim it's somewhere in the US. I remember my pleasure in seeing the CN Tower in Videodrome, and thinking you don't usually see that in the movies!
Also, Holly Hunter's face and name is front and center on the DVD cover. However, the Canadian actors Deborah Kara Unger and Elias Koteas played much larger parts in the movie. Oh well, I'm sure this is the distributor, and not Cronenberg (and sorry if I'm being negative in what should be a joyous month).
I love this movie. While FAST 5 is the series high point, this one is so gleefully aware of its insanity that it never stops being fun. The FAST team started out as stereo thieves; now they're goddamn superheroes. The "family" truly becomes one in this installment, with some great pairings and bickering throughout. The plot is nonsense, the stunts are insane, but it's just so damn genuine. Franchises like this should always mean what they say and never apologize, no matter how ridiculous.
I feel like this series is the '80's action movies' of today. Just gleefully over the top, cheesey, crazy action flicks. And they're so insanely successful and popular I don't know why studios aren't making more movies like them. Not every action movie has to have superheroes guys.
It's clearly vying to be Jaws on land, but it's more on the level of Jaws 2 on land. It's not terrible, but it sure as hell ain't Jaws (or Christine or Duel for that matter).
Sheriff James Brolin's town is being menaced by a demonic car, which is running innocent people down all willy-nilly. The car itself is a very cool design, a dangerous-looking behemoth of steel and glass. Cool design aside, a driverless car doesn't make for a terribly compelling villain and the movie overall suffers as a result.
Saw that at age 12 on the big screen and have been a fan since then. Of course it´s silly and cheesy, but I still like it. A perfect guilty pleasure for me.
One of Roger Corman's first movies and the first one produced by AIP, back then called American Releasing Corporation.
A wrongly imprisoned man breaks out of jail and takes a woman in a sports car hostage, then enters a cross-border race in order to avoid capture and get to Mexico.
The chemistry between John Ireland and Dorothy Malone is fun on occasion, but the movie as a whole is a great big bore.
Fun fact: The makers of The Fast and the Furious (2001) bought the rights to the name of this movie but not the story.
I spoke too soon. Apparently Roger Corman did license the title to Universal. That's certainly not the norm. Unless he'd heard about the script making the rounds around Hollywood, the title and its premise, and he threatened Universal with legal action if they didn't settle with him. It's possible.
All I know is Corman said somewhere that Universal contacted him, wanted to use the title and paid a fair price for it. Of course there could be another side to it.
He did, as a matter of a fact. If I'd heard this before, it must have been a long time ago, because it didn't ring a single bell when you mentioned it. He did own the title, but he struck a deal with Universal where, in exchange for the title rights, they gave him some stock footage he wanted. I suppose he owns the rights to every one of his titles. Considering how little money went into his productions, he certainly knew how to set up the deals to get the money to make them. You have to be a huckster to be a successful independent producer, and Rover's the best that ever was. That's probably why the Hollywood studios continue to learn from him and apply his methods today. Corman is a slick, and very smart, guy.
The forever cool Steve McQueen is a cop that is determined to find the person responsible for the murder of a witness under his protection. The streets of San Francisco is sight of one of the greatest car chases in movie history. Great performance by McQueen and a fantastic cast including Jacqueline Bisset, Robert Duvall, Norman Fell, and a slimy Robert Vaughn.
THE CHASE (1994) The ads for this movie were everywhere in ’94, but I’ve somehow never seen it until now. You know the plot: Charlie Sheen plays a two-bit crook who takes Kristi Swanson hostage, and the gimmick is they spend the entire movie in the car evading cops. Sheen is a terrific jerk and Swanson is super-cute. Funny how this was the same year as Speed.
HOT ROD GIRLS (1956) Lacking in both hot rods and girls, this is one of those 1950s cautionary tales of juvenile delinquency gone wrong. You’re not missing anything.
ACCELERATOR (1999) A group of misguided Irish youths get involved in a car thievery plot. It’s yet another ‘90s Pulp Fiction/Trainspotting rip-off. But, oh, those Irish girls with their lilting accents and constant swear words.
This is the kind of straight to VHS movie that my siblings and I would have loved as kids, complete with teens committing clear felonies played for laughs outsmarting keystone cops police and authority figures in a small town that's closer to a cartoon than anything in the real world.
In short, a kid name Roscoe steals his friend's car and kidnaps the homecoming queen in order to win over her affection and takes her sheriff father and other cops on a car chase that covers about 89% of the film's runtime. The movie is clearly aping Smokey and the Bandit, and has no qualms about it, as "Smokey" is in the title and there's not a single character in the movie with that name.
It's objectively bad, but it hit on a lot of nostalgia I have for these kinds of 80's movies and I actually kind of enjoyed how silly it was.
Stephen King, in the first and only film he's ever directed, has admitted that he remembers next to nothing about working on this film due to extreme cocaine and alcohol abuse. A band of travelers and locals hole up in a truck-stop diner and fend off killer cars and big rig trucks. Starring Emilio Estevez. $10,000,000 budget. Completely bananas.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062803/
The Italian Job (1969) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064505/
Car Double Bill
That super-cool, hard-as-nails character actor Benny Hill only appeared in two main-stream feature films and these were they.
As they happened to be virtually next to each other on my video shelf & hadn't seen either “for a dogs age” (Thanks JB) I decided, “Sure, why not?”
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
I posted earlier today on Twatter (sic) that if anyone were to question Chitty Chitty Bang Bang being part of a exploitation/genre festival they should be reminded of that scary-ass child catcher, castles with dungeons, toys that come to life & mad scientists!
It also has the best musical and dance scenes of any film I've watched so far in the festival (OK, after Segal’s ballet dancing scene in The Glimmerman).
The Italian Job
If you’re British, by law, you have to be able to do the impression of Charlie Croker saying “You’re only supposed to blow the bloody doors orf”.
I am and can.
I would also think that scene of the mini coopers, lights on, escaping down the tube tunnels as the main theme kicks in is one of the most magical car chase segments ever!
I even got a shiver writing that!
It could also quite possibly have the best ending in film history.
Need for Speed (2014) Revenge is a dish best served by running a meaningless race? Clearing your name is best accomplished by running a meaningless race? POOTS! (to quote Mr. Riske)
One of my favourite underated little movies, A roadtrip gone wrong in redneck country, Hillbillys, Monster trucks, Satanism, Witchcraft, a sexy lady, Gory sewn together body parts, A killer called Fuck Face, lots of blood, what more could you need?
This film is more Comedy horror than Horror comedy, its even got a sex scene with Yoda voices, its a short 91mins, a film that knows what it is and doesent try to be anything else, you can tell it was made by people that know and love the genre, I have always thought it deserved more credit than it got
It really is fun, I hope you get to see it, wait till you find out what Rosebud means and why all the Rednecks are missing limbs? If you like Comedy horror then you will love this
I watched Spielberg's first flick for the first time and really enjoyed it, its a simple story of a Oil Tanker and the mysterious driver following and terrorising a normal motorist. The film is a TV movie but doesn't feel like it at all, its just a solid thriller with an intimidating antagonist which we never see, which added to it.
The Road Warrior (1981) Love cars day on Junesploitation. Didn't have time to watch all of the picks I found today, but I had to make time for my Mad Max.
I really don't have to say why it's worth watching. The 13 minute chase at the end might be one of the best chase scenes ever. Also, razor sharp boomerangs save lives.
The Driver (1978, dir. Walter Hill, on DVD) – First Time Viewing: Stripped-down, simplistic, and awesome. This movie contains 3 legit great car chases (I miss actual stunts these days). Ryan O’Neal is the driver (inspiration to Refn’s Drive), Bruce Dern is the cop trying to catch him. That’s it. I loved Dern’s scene-chewing performance. It was a great counterpoint to the near catatonic O’Neal. Highly Recommended (4 out of 5 Griers).
I got more mileage out of this than others. The titular car is pretty fantastic, and there is a nice sense of dread. No one is safe! A perfect film for Junesploitation, and I'm glad I finally got to see this one.
Not what I was expecting. For some reason, I've thought David Hess was in this thing forever (turns out that's Hitch Hike.) This one has Stacy Keach as a truck driver who talks to himself a lot and thinks he's caught on to a serial killer on the road. He picks up Jamie Lee Curtis hitchhiking, and the general vibe is of Duel meeting Rear Window. Actually pretty impressive, suspenseful, and funny. Keach is great. Trailer.
Watched this on the strength of Chaybee's reaction to it last year in the same category. He was dead on. This movie is lunacy. It feels like something a ten year old dreamt up. Pure nonsense. Sue Lyons rocks blood-red contacts, and uses a psychic connection with her black convertible (thanks to a Hittite amulet) to get revenge against bitter old wheelchair-bound ex-husband Jose Ferrer. Did I mention it doesn't make sense? Trailer.
Maximum Overdrive (1986) (with F This Movie commentary)
There's no way I would have made it through this without the hilarious commentary. I also wouldn't have watched it if it weren't for the commentary so...thanks?
No. Although, someone gets their head crushed by a car so there you go. This has a few good moments but overall it wasn't great. The best part of the movie is how the killer is revealed. I'm lying because it is the dumbest. If you like slashers then this might be worth checking out.
One of Peter Weir's first feature length films. A small town creates an economy based on items salvaged from automobile accidents they actively cause. Fun 70s practical effects (gore, mashed up 'Mad Max' cars) in a filmonth that feels like The Wicker Man or 70s Craven. Can't wait for Scream Factory or someone comparable to get their hands on this baby.
I honestly did not go into this movie thinking it would have anything to do with cars, but here we are. It has a car chase and some of the plot hinges on his dad's Porsche so I'm gonna count it. I really enjoyed this movie! Tom Cruise was fantastic, Rebecca De Mornay was great, Joe Pantoliano was... Joe Pantoliano. I thought the writing was interesting and funny and I was pretty invested the whole time. The famous underwear dancing scene was understandably famous, but way more inconsequential then I thought it would be.
Fast Company (1979, dir. David Cronenberg) I enjoyed this because it's David Cronenberg and I like thinking about his car obsession. The movie feels a little generic but definitely entertaining in a '70s drive-in way.
The ending that feels like they replaced the final reel with a Keystone Cops short and the "motor oil" sex scene (listen to the commentary track and Cronenberg being genuinely shocked that it's back on this print) are alone worth the price of admission.
Haven't seen this in so long I figured it was due for a rewatch. It did not disappoint. My favorite scene is when Christine is engulfed in flames chasing down Buddy.
Eat My Dust (1976) Ron Howard steals a stock car to impress a girl and they go off on a cross country speed-happy romp, always trying to outrun the police and Howard's father, the sheriff. Ron Howard's directorial follow up to his debut feature Grand Theft Auto, Eat My Dust is standard 70s drive-in car chase fare. Howard cracks the storefront off the front of a store. Cop cars get into some inventive fender benders. If there's a difference between this movie and the usual car chase films of the decade, I'd say there's an innocence to this film you don't find in those other pictures. Oh, and there couldn't be a Roger Corman car chase movie without a cameo from Paul Bartel, right?
It had been a little bit since I had seen this one, and while I remember it being ridiculous I forgot HOW ridiculous this flick is. If you told me that this movie was the inspiration for Fast Five I would not be surprised in the slightest, as well as the tower jumping scene from Fast 7, albeit this one is only from one regular building to another. As for car action there is a good amount here but theres also a good amount of fisticuffs and even jet ski work. This movie will not be for anyone looking for any sense of reality however as all the performances are quite over the top (particularly the lead villainess) that being said its all wrapped up in less then 90 minutes and you might be able to learn some French cooking.
I think this was probably Luc Besson's Man on Fire cash-in. It's the kind of movie Cannon might have made back in the day. Only thing is, if Cannon had made it, it would've been rated R. And it would have been great.
Oh Cannon would have added a lot of stuff. I'm reminded of what my wife said when I showed her the Cannon documentary "Electric Boogaloo" "I've never seen so many tits in one movie"
Gone in 60 Seconds (1974) I've had this movie on DVD for a while now, but I've honestly only watched it all the way through one time other than tonight. That being said, It has been in my player several times over the years. It is not well acted, it's not particularly well made. So why has it graced my DVD player so many times? Here's why: Final car chase. 40 minutes long. Over 90 cars wrecked. Carsploitation at its finest
Check out my review of "The Junkman" at the start of this string of comments. Sounds like something that'd be right up your alley, except the 40 min. car chase happens at the start of the movie and the cars wrecked number approx. 300. :-O
Blends soap opera level drama with some good racing footage as we enter the lives of stock car racers on the circuit. This movie is very 60's through and through but us an interesting curiosity since it was directed by the great Howard Hawks, stars a very young James Caan and even has George Takei in a small pre Star Trek role. Plus there's a truly bizarre musical number that has to be seen to be believed. Not the greatest racing movie I've seen but still worth checking out streaming for free on Amazon Prime.
Jim Caviezel stars as a widow who drives around looking for the serial killer who ran down his wife. Somehow this came out the same year as The Passion. Super disappointed that this wasn't also endorsed by the Pope. I think he'd dig the old testament retribution. Yes, it doesn't hold a candle to Robert Harmon's The Hitcher but it's a hell of a lot of fun and at 75 minutes you don't really have an excuse NOT to watch it.
Smokey and the Bandit (1977): HOW HAVE I NEVER SEEN THIS WHOLE THING BEFORE? So dumb and fun. Emphasis on the fun. Read Heath's column on it: http://www.fthismovie.net/2013/02/heath-holland-on-smokey-bandit-and_12.html
Writer/producer/director/star/stunt driver H.B. Halicki's THE JUNKMAN (1982, 96 min.) on DVD for the first time. Also available on YouTube.
ReplyDeleteYou want car porn, britches? Step right up to the greatest show on Earth and genre cinema circa 1982 (oh-oh, that year... again! :-P) to ever be financed and filmed by a millionaire who can't stop showing off his car collection, or how awesome he is. From the moment a series of moving little toy credit opens the flick until it's closing credits (sexiest 'This Movie is Rated PG by the MPAA' tag at the end of a movie... EVER!!!), you are looking at someone's unhealthy, complete obsession with cars and mechanical devices... and themselves. You know how Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" is about humanity being blasé about the awesome everyday things it can do and surround it? "The Junkman" is in awe of cars, planes, toys, explosions, H.B. Halicki and everything gear-related. It's the early 80's equivalent of "Top Gear: The Movie." Even the throwaway scene of firefighters putting out a flaming car wreck conveys a 'Wow! Look at these guys' tools, it's awesome!' feeling. Even the cops in this flick drive decked-out Camaro muscle cars!
It helps to have seen 1974's "Gone in 60 Seconds" and to know who H.B. Halicki is to get what is essentially the car version of 1989's "No Holds Barred" (Harlan B. Hollis = the 'Rip' that everyone knows is really Halicki). "The Junkman's" first act is basically "Kill Bill's" Deadly Viper Assassination Squad if they were in a live action "Speed Racer" episode. Cars flip, planes fly under bridges and stuff blows up real good for 45 min. straight! Unfortunately there's still an hour of movie left, and the weak acting/predictable story really start taking their toll. Feel free to turn off "The Junkman" halfway through, though you'll be missing out a yellow Corvette pulling a stunt/gag that the James Bond people nakedly stole for "A View To A Kill" three years later. Strictly for people who feel TV's "Dukes of Hazzard," "The A-Team" and "Knight Rider" waste too much time with smart writing and character development. You know, 90% of those shows' audience. ;-)
First category comment?! Feels like an F This Movie badge of honor:)
ReplyDeleteVanishing Point (1971, Dir. Richard C. Sarafian)
Sorry to kick off the comments with something probably everyone has seen, but I hadn't until now and I have no idea why!
Totally loved it. The cars, the soundtrack everything about this movie exudes cool. And while it may not quite have the existential 'Easy Rider' type of punch that it probably had in the 70s it is still hugely entertaining now.
Glad to finally see this one. Hoping there's a blu ray I can track down.
I stand corrected. No one beats J.M to the first comment.
DeleteDon't worry. Thursday-Saturday and Monday I work overnights, so those days feel free to post first, early and often. ;-)
DeleteBTW Grant, did you see the European or the American version of "VP"? Basically did you see Kowalski pick a beautiful British hitchhiker on a dark road before the end (European version) or not (American version)? Great flick regardless of which version you watch, just curious.
Just finished watching this for the first time also. Beautiful looking movie. Really loved it.
DeleteJ.M. No such beautiful British hitchhiker in the version I watched. I'm intrigued though, is that the only difference?
DeletePretty much yeah, that's it. It's a nice character moment for Kowalski that nevertheless padded the movie up just before the final race, which is a no-no for a racing movie. It got taken out of American cinemas to speed-up the pace and rush head-first into the finale. On the DVD I have and the Blu-ray of "VP" both versions are included.
DeleteThe Vanishing Point Blu-Ray is $6 on Amazon right now.
DeleteAccording to this thread's title we went back in time. A reference to the DeLorean?
DeleteOops. Fixed.
DeleteDirty Mary, Crazy Larry (1974)
ReplyDeleteWasn't a huge fan of this although the stunts and driving are good. I just never really found the leads and their banter as endearing as I think I was supposed to. It did work somewhat well as a double feature with Vanishing Point though.
What about that ending though?
DeleteYeah, it was unexpected and I liked that the credits pretty much immediately started rolling.
DeleteDead End Drive-In (1986)
ReplyDeleteIts the future and the economy has collapsed causing a major crime wave. A teenage couple gets lured into a drive in movie theater where police have been trapping delinquents where they become prisoners. You go there to see a movie and they steal your tires and have electrified fences so you can't get away.
I've heard alot about this Australian exploitation movie and I was expecting more mad max style action. It finally cuts lose in the last ten minutes but I wish there was more of that kind of stuff. No one crashes cars like the Australians. The rest of the movie follows a wet noodle of a main character who reminded me of a less skinny DJ Qualls from the New Guy. He was very bland and uninteresting. His girlfriend is a fox though. I love the premise and it was interesting to see that the guy wants to escape the situation but his girl wants to stay because there's no life for her on the outside. I wish the movie would've explored that more. I liked it overall it just had potential to be great if the whole movie had the energy of the last 10 minutes. There's enough in it to like to recommend though.
Gas-s-s
ReplyDeleteI think I love this movie. There's a hilarious opening credits sequence with a cartoon John Wayne type, plus lots of weirdness and great cinematography. Imagine an Easy Rider inspired Richard Linklater scribed Mad Max ripoff, with a hint of Alejandro Jodorowsky and Dr. Strangelove. This is incredible. Watch it whenever you can.
Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow (1959) (first time viewing)
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this little 50's drive-in comedy. A group of hot-rod teenagers is about to be evicted from their clubhouse. A reporter doing a story on them is trying to help them out. They find a woman who can't sell a house she owns because it's haunted, so they decide to use that. It's full of crazy 50's lingo, fun weird music, goofy comedy, and it had a Scooby-Doo ending before Scooby-Doo existed. The best part is a sarcastic, smart-ass parrot. Man: "Polly want a cracker?" Parrot: "What the hell would I do with that?" The parrot talks through the last half of the movie and I got a kick out of it. I really enjoyed this movie. It's only 64 minutes long and is on Amazon Prime.
The guy shooting guns during the "Geronimo" musical number is one of my favorite things in a movie ever.
DeleteAnother TCM Underground DVR watch for. I echo everyone's sentiment. This was fun. Seriously, what was up with the band firing guns? Wildest thing I've ever seen.
DeleteI wonder how much property damage they do on nightly basis. Or do they just not have a roof there, because the guy behind the counter somehow shot a bird out of the sky. My 4 year old watched the first half of this movie with me and the only commentary she had was "Daddy, why do they keep shooting guns?" The only response I had was "I have no idea."
DeleteMad Max: Fury Road (2015) (first time viewing)
ReplyDeleteTwo hours of glorious, nitro-fueled insanity. George Miller takes us back to my favorite post-apocalyptic world, where guitars with flame throwers not only exist, but are put to practical use. Tom Hardy acquits himself ably as Max, and Charlize Theron is terrific as Furiosa. The Road Warrior is still my favorite of the series, but this is easily next on the list.
The flame throwing guitar is one of the most epic things I have seen in a while.
DeleteSo I have this bloke who lives about 10 miles away, he is an internet star - he was a plumber turned inventor (Rather like Dick van Dyke in my Junesploitation pick today) he has built his own fire guitar....
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwWw9g0EgHA
We're a funny lot around here!
Fast 5 (2011)
ReplyDeleteSometimes you have a long day, and you want to come home and watch something shiney, something where nearly every piece of dialogue is a one liner (in a good way not a Die Another Day way), something with Dwayne Johnson, something with very pretty cars, none of them I can name, and a character constantly eating chips, something familar. I have seen this movie many times and I love it. I think this might be one of my favourite action movies. I have no idea what this says about me.
I also watched Fast 5. For me absolutely the best in the whole series. The car chase with the safes is just fantastic, as is the foot chase through the favelas. Perfect action, great one liners, cool story. What else can I wish for?
DeleteI'm debating between Fast 5 and Need for Speed. Haven't seen either and have only seen the first Fast when it originally came out. I hear Fast 5 is great fun, but wondering if jumping into a story I'm not familiar with would dull the experience. On the other hand, I hear Need for Speed is just dull.
DeleteDefinitely watch fast five. Need for speed is bad.
DeleteI saw Need for Speed in theaters and I kind of loved it. Haven't seen it since then though
DeleteNeed for Speed impressed me because it wore its drive in influence on its sleeve from the very first scene.
DeleteIf you're going to watch Fast Five and you've only seen the first, I would just bite the bullet and make it a marathon. Going from 1 to 5 is a big jump.
DeleteThanks for the advice folks. Went with Need simply since it's a one off. Should've kept Smokey and the Bandit in the hopper instead of watching a few weeks ago.
DeleteDeath Race 2000 (1975)
ReplyDeleteOver the top action, sci-fi with several genre favorite actors, including a pre-Rocky Stallone! This movie is SO '70s. It's dated to its core, which makes it a perfect junesploitation watch. I also loved all the incredibly on the nose political commentary. It's funny that especially this and The Hunger Games are about the same thing, and yet this little genre movie has so much more to say than that whole series. Even with its total lack of subtlety.
Screw oppressive government!
Dude excellent choice. This movies awesome.
DeleteMad Max 2 (1981)
ReplyDeleteStill my favourite of the Mad Max movies. Mel is on top form and only having 16 lines in the whole movie. Amazing action for the time and with a fraction of the budget of American blockbusters. Plus there's the feral kid with a razor sharp boomerang and a big bad called The Humungous. What's not to love.
Death Race 2000 (1975)
ReplyDeleteDaniel pretty much summed up the movie earlier, so I'll just say it was a blast. This is what Junesploitation is all about!
Crash (1996)
ReplyDeleteIs this a movie about cars? It's going to take a while to digest this one, although I very much enjoyed it. The score was wonderful and really contributed to the atmosphere. Cronenberg always leaves you a little off balance after watching his movies. I love it! Not quite Junesploitation material, but I've never seen a movie quite like this, so 5 stars.
One of the things I like about Cronenberg is how unapologetic he is about setting and filming his movies in Toronto/Canada. Most movies would go out of their way to hide the license plates and landmarks, and claim it's somewhere in the US. I remember my pleasure in seeing the CN Tower in Videodrome, and thinking you don't usually see that in the movies!
DeleteAlso, Holly Hunter's face and name is front and center on the DVD cover. However, the Canadian actors Deborah Kara Unger and Elias Koteas played much larger parts in the movie. Oh well, I'm sure this is the distributor, and not Cronenberg (and sorry if I'm being negative in what should be a joyous month).
Points for creativity on this one!
DeleteCronenberg is Canadian and most of his films are Canadian productions. He's always been a driving force in the Canadian film industry.
DeleteSleazy Spader at his sleaziest best too!
DeleteFAST & FURIOUS 6 (2013):
ReplyDeleteI love this movie. While FAST 5 is the series high point, this one is so gleefully aware of its insanity that it never stops being fun. The FAST team started out as stereo thieves; now they're goddamn superheroes. The "family" truly becomes one in this installment, with some great pairings and bickering throughout. The plot is nonsense, the stunts are insane, but it's just so damn genuine. Franchises like this should always mean what they say and never apologize, no matter how ridiculous.
I feel like this series is the '80's action movies' of today. Just gleefully over the top, cheesey, crazy action flicks. And they're so insanely successful and popular I don't know why studios aren't making more movies like them. Not every action movie has to have superheroes guys.
DeleteGal Gadot is more of a Wonder Woman in this movie than Batman V Superman.
DeleteFF6 > BvS
DeleteThe Car (1977)
ReplyDeleteIt's clearly vying to be Jaws on land, but it's more on the level of Jaws 2 on land. It's not terrible, but it sure as hell ain't Jaws (or Christine or Duel for that matter).
Sheriff James Brolin's town is being menaced by a demonic car, which is running innocent people down all willy-nilly. The car itself is a very cool design, a dangerous-looking behemoth of steel and glass. Cool design aside, a driverless car doesn't make for a terribly compelling villain and the movie overall suffers as a result.
Saw that at age 12 on the big screen and have been a fan since then. Of course it´s silly and cheesy, but I still like it. A perfect guilty pleasure for me.
DeleteThe Fast and the Furious (1955)
ReplyDeleteOne of Roger Corman's first movies and the first one produced by AIP, back then called American Releasing Corporation.
A wrongly imprisoned man breaks out of jail and takes a woman in a sports car hostage, then enters a cross-border race in order to avoid capture and get to Mexico.
The chemistry between John Ireland and Dorothy Malone is fun on occasion, but the movie as a whole is a great big bore.
Fun fact: The makers of The Fast and the Furious (2001) bought the rights to the name of this movie but not the story.
Unless the title is trademarked, they're not copyrightable. I don't think the title use in this case was much of a hassle.
DeleteI spoke too soon. Apparently Roger Corman did license the title to Universal. That's certainly not the norm. Unless he'd heard about the script making the rounds around Hollywood, the title and its premise, and he threatened Universal with legal action if they didn't settle with him. It's possible.
DeleteAll I know is Corman said somewhere that Universal contacted him, wanted to use the title and paid a fair price for it. Of course there could be another side to it.
DeleteHe did, as a matter of a fact. If I'd heard this before, it must have been a long time ago, because it didn't ring a single bell when you mentioned it. He did own the title, but he struck a deal with Universal where, in exchange for the title rights, they gave him some stock footage he wanted. I suppose he owns the rights to every one of his titles. Considering how little money went into his productions, he certainly knew how to set up the deals to get the money to make them. You have to be a huckster to be a successful independent producer, and Rover's the best that ever was. That's probably why the Hollywood studios continue to learn from him and apply his methods today. Corman is a slick, and very smart, guy.
Delete*Roger's the best that ever was
DeleteBullitt (1968 dir. Peter Yates) on Blu-ray.
ReplyDeleteThe forever cool Steve McQueen is a cop that is determined to find the person responsible for the murder of a witness under his protection. The streets of San Francisco is sight of one of the greatest car chases in movie history. Great performance by McQueen and a fantastic cast including Jacqueline Bisset, Robert Duvall, Norman Fell, and a slimy Robert Vaughn.
THE CHASE (1994)
ReplyDeleteThe ads for this movie were everywhere in ’94, but I’ve somehow never seen it until now. You know the plot: Charlie Sheen plays a two-bit crook who takes Kristi Swanson hostage, and the gimmick is they spend the entire movie in the car evading cops. Sheen is a terrific jerk and Swanson is super-cute. Funny how this was the same year as Speed.
HOT ROD GIRLS (1956)
Lacking in both hot rods and girls, this is one of those 1950s cautionary tales of juvenile delinquency gone wrong. You’re not missing anything.
ACCELERATOR (1999)
A group of misguided Irish youths get involved in a car thievery plot. It’s yet another ‘90s Pulp Fiction/Trainspotting rip-off. But, oh, those Irish girls with their lilting accents and constant swear words.
Smokey Bites the Dust (1981)
ReplyDeleteThis is the kind of straight to VHS movie that my siblings and I would have loved as kids, complete with teens committing clear felonies played for laughs outsmarting keystone cops police and authority figures in a small town that's closer to a cartoon than anything in the real world.
In short, a kid name Roscoe steals his friend's car and kidnaps the homecoming queen in order to win over her affection and takes her sheriff father and other cops on a car chase that covers about 89% of the film's runtime. The movie is clearly aping Smokey and the Bandit, and has no qualms about it, as "Smokey" is in the title and there's not a single character in the movie with that name.
It's objectively bad, but it hit on a lot of nostalgia I have for these kinds of 80's movies and I actually kind of enjoyed how silly it was.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMAXIMUM OVERDRIVE (1986)
ReplyDeleteStephen King, in the first and only film he's ever directed, has admitted that he remembers next to nothing about working on this film due to extreme cocaine and alcohol abuse. A band of travelers and locals hole up in a truck-stop diner and fend off killer cars and big rig trucks. Starring Emilio Estevez. $10,000,000 budget. Completely bananas.
I hope you listened to "the only" commentry for this??
DeleteHehe.
Actually I kinda love this film. Kids being killed by coke-tin spewing vending machines - who wouldn't love that?
Dang! Did not realize there was an Fthismovie commentary. Welp, guess I'll have to watch again!
DeleteChitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062803/
ReplyDeleteThe Italian Job (1969) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064505/
Car Double Bill
That super-cool, hard-as-nails character actor Benny Hill only appeared in two main-stream feature films and these were they.
As they happened to be virtually next to each other on my video shelf & hadn't seen either “for a dogs age” (Thanks JB) I decided, “Sure, why not?”
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
I posted earlier today on Twatter (sic) that if anyone were to question Chitty Chitty Bang Bang being part of a exploitation/genre festival they should be reminded of that scary-ass child catcher, castles with dungeons, toys that come to life & mad scientists!
It also has the best musical and dance scenes of any film I've watched so far in the festival (OK, after Segal’s ballet dancing scene in The Glimmerman).
The Italian Job
If you’re British, by law, you have to be able to do the impression of Charlie Croker saying “You’re only supposed to blow the bloody doors orf”.
I am and can.
I would also think that scene of the mini coopers, lights on, escaping down the tube tunnels as the main theme kicks in is one of the most magical car chase segments ever!
I even got a shiver writing that!
It could also quite possibly have the best ending in film history.
A fun but rather mammoth night of viewing!
Personal ratings 5/5
Need for Speed (2014)
ReplyDeleteRevenge is a dish best served by running a meaningless race?
Clearing your name is best accomplished by running a meaningless race?
POOTS! (to quote Mr. Riske)
POOTS!
DeleteRosebud, Rosebud, Rosebud!
ReplyDeleteMonsterman 2004
One of my favourite underated little movies, A roadtrip gone wrong in redneck country, Hillbillys, Monster trucks, Satanism, Witchcraft, a sexy lady, Gory sewn together body parts, A killer called Fuck Face, lots of blood, what more could you need?
This film is more Comedy horror than Horror comedy, its even got a sex scene with Yoda voices, its a short 91mins, a film that knows what it is and doesent try to be anything else, you can tell it was made by people that know and love the genre, I have always thought it deserved more credit than it got
I don't think a film could sound any more perfect!!
DeleteIt really is fun, I hope you get to see it, wait till you find out what Rosebud means and why all the Rednecks are missing limbs?
DeleteIf you like Comedy horror then you will love this
Duel - 1971
ReplyDeleteI watched Spielberg's first flick for the first time and really enjoyed it, its a simple story of a Oil Tanker and the mysterious driver following and terrorising a normal motorist. The film is a TV movie but doesn't feel like it at all, its just a solid thriller with an intimidating antagonist which we never see, which added to it.
Will always remain one of my favorite Spielberg movies.
DeleteThe Road Warrior (1981)
ReplyDeleteLove cars day on Junesploitation. Didn't have time to watch all of the picks I found today, but I had to make time for my Mad Max.
I really don't have to say why it's worth watching. The 13 minute chase at the end might be one of the best chase scenes ever. Also, razor sharp boomerangs save lives.
The Driver (1978, dir. Walter Hill, on DVD) – First Time Viewing: Stripped-down, simplistic, and awesome. This movie contains 3 legit great car chases (I miss actual stunts these days). Ryan O’Neal is the driver (inspiration to Refn’s Drive), Bruce Dern is the cop trying to catch him. That’s it. I loved Dern’s scene-chewing performance. It was a great counterpoint to the near catatonic O’Neal. Highly Recommended (4 out of 5 Griers).
ReplyDeleteI watched this one as well! Great choice.
DeleteWatched this last night! Really fun. Watching O'Neal rip the Mercedes apart with precision was a delight.
DeleteThe Car (1977)
ReplyDeleteI got more mileage out of this than others. The titular car is pretty fantastic, and there is a nice sense of dread. No one is safe! A perfect film for Junesploitation, and I'm glad I finally got to see this one.
Roadgames (1981, dir. Richard Franklin)
ReplyDeleteNot what I was expecting. For some reason, I've thought David Hess was in this thing forever (turns out that's Hitch Hike.) This one has Stacy Keach as a truck driver who talks to himself a lot and thinks he's caught on to a serial killer on the road. He picks up Jamie Lee Curtis hitchhiking, and the general vibe is of Duel meeting Rear Window. Actually pretty impressive, suspenseful, and funny. Keach is great. Trailer.
Crash! (1977, dir. Charles Band)
DeleteWatched this on the strength of Chaybee's reaction to it last year in the same category. He was dead on. This movie is lunacy. It feels like something a ten year old dreamt up. Pure nonsense. Sue Lyons rocks blood-red contacts, and uses a psychic connection with her black convertible (thanks to a Hittite amulet) to get revenge against bitter old wheelchair-bound ex-husband Jose Ferrer. Did I mention it doesn't make sense? Trailer.
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
ReplyDeleteEvery time I watch this, I have an overwhelming urge to carry George Miller around on my shoulders while playing "Simply the Best" on a boom box.
Drive (2011)
ReplyDeleteI just installed some new audio equipment. The sound design on this movie kicks all sorts of ass.
Maximum Overdrive (1986) (with F This Movie commentary)
ReplyDeleteThere's no way I would have made it through this without the hilarious commentary. I also wouldn't have watched it if it weren't for the commentary so...thanks?
Nice, I saw this with the commentary, I remember JB noticing the blood is pouring upwards and why was the blood pouring upwards?
DeleteCOCAINE!
That was the reason for a lot of the executive decisions in this movie
The Dorm That Dripped Blood (1982)
ReplyDeleteWho's the killer? Is it a car?
No. Although, someone gets their head crushed by a car so there you go. This has a few good moments but overall it wasn't great. The best part of the movie is how the killer is revealed. I'm lying because it is the dumbest. If you like slashers then this might be worth checking out.
The Cars that Ate Paris (1974)
ReplyDeleteOne of Peter Weir's first feature length films. A small town creates an economy based on items salvaged from automobile accidents they actively cause. Fun 70s practical effects (gore, mashed up 'Mad Max' cars) in a filmonth that feels like The Wicker Man or 70s Craven. Can't wait for Scream Factory or someone comparable to get their hands on this baby.
Risky Business (1983)
ReplyDeleteI honestly did not go into this movie thinking it would have anything to do with cars, but here we are. It has a car chase and some of the plot hinges on his dad's Porsche so I'm gonna count it.
I really enjoyed this movie! Tom Cruise was fantastic, Rebecca De Mornay was great, Joe Pantoliano was... Joe Pantoliano. I thought the writing was interesting and funny and I was pretty invested the whole time. The famous underwear dancing scene was understandably famous, but way more inconsequential then I thought it would be.
Christine (1983)
ReplyDeleteCHRISTINE may not be great, but it's better than it gets credit for. Also, John Stockwell is fantastic in this movie.
Fast Company (1979, dir. David Cronenberg)
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this because it's David Cronenberg and I like thinking about his car obsession. The movie feels a little generic but definitely entertaining in a '70s drive-in way.
The ending that feels like they replaced the final reel with a Keystone Cops short and the "motor oil" sex scene (listen to the commentary track and Cronenberg being genuinely shocked that it's back on this print) are alone worth the price of admission.
DeleteChristine (1983)
ReplyDeleteHaven't seen this in so long I figured it was due for a rewatch. It did not disappoint. My favorite scene is when Christine is engulfed in flames chasing down Buddy.
Eat My Dust (1976)
ReplyDeleteRon Howard steals a stock car to impress a girl and they go off on a cross country speed-happy romp, always trying to outrun the police and Howard's father, the sheriff. Ron Howard's directorial follow up to his debut feature Grand Theft Auto, Eat My Dust is standard 70s drive-in car chase fare. Howard cracks the storefront off the front of a store. Cop cars get into some inventive fender benders. If there's a difference between this movie and the usual car chase films of the decade, I'd say there's an innocence to this film you don't find in those other pictures. Oh, and there couldn't be a Roger Corman car chase movie without a cameo from Paul Bartel, right?
Transporter 2 (2005)
ReplyDeleteIt had been a little bit since I had seen this one, and while I remember it being ridiculous I forgot HOW ridiculous this flick is. If you told me that this movie was the inspiration for Fast Five I would not be surprised in the slightest, as well as the tower jumping scene from Fast 7, albeit this one is only from one regular building to another. As for car action there is a good amount here but theres also a good amount of fisticuffs and even jet ski work.
This movie will not be for anyone looking for any sense of reality however as all the performances are quite over the top (particularly the lead villainess) that being said its all wrapped up in less then 90 minutes and you might be able to learn some French cooking.
I think this was probably Luc Besson's Man on Fire cash-in. It's the kind of movie Cannon might have made back in the day. Only thing is, if Cannon had made it, it would've been rated R. And it would have been great.
DeleteOh Cannon would have added a lot of stuff. I'm reminded of what my wife said when I showed her the Cannon documentary "Electric Boogaloo" "I've never seen so many tits in one movie"
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteGone in 60 Seconds (1974)
ReplyDeleteI've had this movie on DVD for a while now, but I've honestly only watched it all the way through one time other than tonight. That being said, It has been in my player several times over the years. It is not well acted, it's not particularly well made.
So why has it graced my DVD player so many times?
Here's why:
Final car chase.
40 minutes long.
Over 90 cars wrecked.
Carsploitation at its finest
Check out my review of "The Junkman" at the start of this string of comments. Sounds like something that'd be right up your alley, except the 40 min. car chase happens at the start of the movie and the cars wrecked number approx. 300. :-O
DeleteYeah, My Gone DVD has a Junkman featurette on the disk. Has a bunch of clips in the featurette. Looks so crazy!
DeleteIt's on YouTube, click link above. YouTube is your friend. :-)
DeleteBullitt (1968) first time viewing
ReplyDeleteThat is a beautiful car. You'd drive like that too if you were looking for parking in San Francisco.
Red Line 7000 (1965)
ReplyDeleteBlends soap opera level drama with some good racing footage as we enter the lives of stock car racers on the circuit. This movie is very 60's through and through but us an interesting curiosity since it was directed by the great Howard Hawks, stars a very young James Caan and even has George Takei in a small pre Star Trek role. Plus there's a truly bizarre musical number that has to be seen to be believed. Not the greatest racing movie I've seen but still worth checking out streaming for free on Amazon Prime.
Highwaymen (2004)
ReplyDeleteJim Caviezel stars as a widow who drives around looking for the serial killer who ran down his wife. Somehow this came out the same year as The Passion. Super disappointed that this wasn't also endorsed by the Pope. I think he'd dig the old testament retribution. Yes, it doesn't hold a candle to Robert Harmon's The Hitcher but it's a hell of a lot of fun and at 75 minutes you don't really have an excuse NOT to watch it.
Smokey and the Bandit (1977): HOW HAVE I NEVER SEEN THIS WHOLE THING BEFORE? So dumb and fun. Emphasis on the fun. Read Heath's column on it: http://www.fthismovie.net/2013/02/heath-holland-on-smokey-bandit-and_12.html
ReplyDelete