Aloha Bobby and Rose
Garage mechanic Bobby (Paul Le Mat) and his new fast food cashier girlfriend Rose (Diane Hull) become innocently involved in a liquor store robbery in mid-1970s Los Angeles, and are subsequently forced to lead a life on the lam. Driven by the ultimate fantasy of escaping to Hawaii, they wander southern California encountering various and sundry oddballs and psychopaths. This offbeat road picture, with a soundtrack featuring songs by Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and the Temptations.
1975 (1 DVD) [PG] Color 85 minutes.
Against All Odds (1984)
She was a beautiful fugitive. Fleeing from corruption. From power. He was a professional athlete past his prime. Hired to find her, he grew to love her. Love turned to obsession. Obsession turned to murder. And now the price of freedom might be nothing less than their lives.
Actors: Rachel Ward ... Jessie Wyler, Jeff Bridges ... Terry Brogan, James Woods ... Jake Wise, Alex Karras ... Hank Sully, Jane Greer ... Mrs. Grace Wyler, Richard Widmark ... Ben Caxton, Dorian Harewood ... Tommy, Swoosie Kurtz ... Edie, Saul Rubinek ... Steve, Kirsch Pat Corley ... Ed Phillips, Bill McKinney ... Head Coach Stassen, Allen Williams ... Bob Soames, Sam Scarber ... Assistant Coach Sam, Jon St. Elwood ... Ahmad Cooper, Tamara Stafford ... Kirsch's Girlfriend
Director: Taylor Hackford
Writers: Daniel Mainwaring (1947 screenplays) Eric Hughes (writer)
Rating: M
Aspect Ratio: 1.85 : 1
Runtime: 128 min
American Graffiti
Where were you, in '62? Two boys are scheduled to leave for college in the morning. Each has his own doubts. They spend a final evening cruising the strip and have every adventure possible before dawn when they will each have to decide what they will do. Rediscover drag racing, Insipiration Point and drive-ins all over again in this nostalgic looks at the 60's. The incredible soundtrack brings you the most memorable rock 'n' roll hits of the era.
1973 (1 DVD) [M] Colour 110 minutes.
Blues Brothers
After the release of Jake Blues from prison, he and brother Elwood go to visit the old home where they were raised by nuns. They learn the church stopped its support and will sell the place to the education authority, and the only way to keep the place open is if the $5000 tax on the property is paid within 11 days. The brothers want to help and decide to put their blues band back together and raise the the money by staging a big gig. As they set off on their "mission from god" they seem to make more enemies along the way.
1980 (1 DVD) [M] Color 133 minutes
Blues Brothers 2000
Elwood, the now lone "Blues Brother" finally released from prison, is once again enlisted by Sister Mary Stigmata in her latest crusade to raise funds for a children's hospital. Once again hitting the road to re-unite the band and win the big prize at the New Orleans Battle of the Bands, Elwood is pursued cross-country by the cops, led by Cabel (Morton) the Curtis' son (and Elwood's step-brother), the Russian Mafia, and a militia group. On his new "mission from God" Elwood enlists the help of a young orphan (Bonifant), and a stip-club bartender (Goodman). Is in the 2000 Guinness Book of World Records for having the most car crashes in a motion picture.
1998 (1 DVD) [PG] Color DTS 123 minutes.
Born to Be Wild (1961)
Love cars? You'll love these movies! The Wild Ride - This cult classic stars Jack Nicholson as a rebellious punk of the beat generation, who spends his days as a amateur dirt track driver in between partying and troublemaking. He eventually kidnaps his buddy's girlfriend, kills a few police officers and finally sees his own life end in tragedy. Hot Rod Girl - A small town community is turned upside down by illegal drag racing and out-of-control youngsters in this 1956 classic. A concerned police officer played by Chuck Connors (The Rifleman) organizes supervised racing in an effort to bring peace and safety to the town. Features great rods from the golden age of street rodding.
T-Bird Gang - A high school student, working with local law enforcement, goes undercover to infiltrate the teen-based T-Bird Gang, but things get hairy! Fast cars and troublemaking teens star in this 1959 classic!
The Choppers - Arch Hall Jr. writes and stars in this 1961 classic about a young hot-rodder who becomes involved with a gang of car thieves and a crooked salvage yard owner. When the cops turn up the heat at the chop shop things take a deadly turn. The cars are the stars!Actors: Arch Hall Jr., Marianne Gaba, Robert Paget, Tom Brown, Burr Middleton
Directors: Leigh Jason, Leslie H. Martinson, Richard Harbinger
Format: Black & White, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Language: English
Region: Region 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 2
Rating: PG-13
Studio: Bci / Eclipse
DVD Release Date: October 16, 2001
Run Time: 280 minutes
Bullitt
Starring Steve McQueen and Jacqueline Bisset. The fast-paced, stylish detective thriller set in San Francisco features some of the most intense car chase sequences ever. McQueen is the detective who suspects hes not intended to do a good job of protecting the witnesses in a Mafia case. The DVD version includes production notes, the theatrical trailer and English, French, and Spanish language and subtitles.
1968 (1 DVD) [M] Colour 113 minutes.
Burnout (1979)
Formula story about a man who wants to make it on his own without his dad's help. Productions values are one step above home movie. Considering it's a movie about drag racing, there is very little racing in the movie, although there is a never ending string of blue grass music to keep you from falling asleep.
Mark Schneider Bob Louden (as Robert Louden) John Zenda Crystal
Ramar Randy Troxel Jerry Jones Marvin Graham Tony Nancy Dale Funk
Linda Vaughn Eloise Buford Darryl Buehl Nick Cirino Walter Rhodes
Director: Abraham Meech-Burkestone Writer: Martin J. Rosen (writer)
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG
Runtime: 90 min
California Kid
A sadistic small town sherriff has a habit of deliberately forcing speedsters to their deaths on mountain roads leading into town. The brother of one of the victims rolls into town in his hot rod to investigate his brother's death. Made for TV movie.
1974 (1 DVD) [UNRATED] 74 minutes
Cannonball (1976)
The Car Crash Cult Classic From The Director Of EATING RAOUL And
DEATH RACE 2000!
Buckle your seatbelt for The Trans-America Grand Prix, the infamous
cross-country road race from Los Angeles to New York City. David
Carradine of KILL BILL stars as Coy Cannonball Buckman, an ex-con
and fallen stock car champ who puts pedal to the metal for one last
shot at glory. But competition on the open road is a killer and
Cannonball is the target! Veronica Hamel (HILL STREET BLUES), Bill
McKinney (DELIVERANCE), Gerrit Graham (PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE),
Mary Woronov (ROCK N ROLL HIGH SCHOOL), Robert Carradine (REVENGE
OF THE NERDS) and Dick Miller (GREMLINS) co-star in this high-speed
demolition derby directed by Paul Bartel, co-written by Don Simpson
(controversial producer of BAD BOYS and THE ROCK) and featuring
wild cameo appearances by Bartel, Simpson, Sylvester Stallone, Martin
Scorsese, Roger Corman, Joe Dante, Judy Canova and more.
"This Movie Rules! More Cars Crashing Than Just About Any Movie
In History!" Harry Knowles, Aint It Cool News
"A Definitive Drive-In Car Chase Flick With Babes, Crashes And Truly
Amazing Cameos!" The Austin Chronicle
EXTRAS INCLUDE:
Kicks and Crashes: Interviews with Stars David Carradine & Mary
Woronov and the Legendary Roger Corman
Theatrical Trailer
TV Spots Poster & Still Gallery
Actors: David Carradine, Bill McKinney, Veronica Hamel, Gerrit Graham, Robert Carradine
Directors: Paul Bartel
Writers: Paul Bartel, Don Simpson
Producers: Gustave M. Berne, Run Run Shaw, Samuel W. Gelfman
Format: Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Original recording remastered, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only.
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating: PG
Studio: Blue Underground
Run Time: 93 minutes
Cannonball Run (1981)
A wide variety of characters participate in an illegal cross-country
road race. It's a hilarious comedic chase as the eccentric participants
are willing to do anything to win.
Review - Like The Gumball Rally (1976) before it, former
stuntman Hal Needham's The Cannonball Run was inspired by the same
real-life cross-country road race. If The Gumball Rally was the
critical favorite, The Cannonball Run was the box-office favorite
(spawning the almost-as-successful sequel, Cannonball Run II, a
few years later). Aside from top-billed stars Burt Reynolds and
Dom DeLuise (stars of Needham's Smokey and the Bandit series) plus
Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. (as horny priests), the movie features
many of the same actors (Bert Convy, Jamie Farr) that could be found
on a typical '80s episode of The Love Boat (along with the same
caliber of writing). But as the tagline notes, "You'll never guess
who wins"--and it's true. As in most road-race movies, it's the
journey that counts, not the destination. This particular journey
includes cool cars (like Adrienne Barbeau's black Lamborghini),
crazed bikers (led by Peter "Easy Rider" Fonda), hot martial arts
action (from Jackie Chan as a Japanese racecar driver), a conspicuously
braless Farrah Fawcett (recipient of a Golden Raspberry nomination
for her performance), and possibly the most egregious use of product
placement featured in a movie up until that time (one vehicle has
"GMC Trucks" noted prominently along the top of the windshield,
another has "Hawaiian Tropic" painted on the hood). As with many
of the films Jackie Chan has made for Golden Harvest, the Hong Kong-based
production company behind The Cannonball Run, wacky outtakes are
included during the closing credits. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Actors: Adrienne Barbeau, Terry Bradshaw, Jackie Chan, Bert Convy, Sammy Davis Jr.
Format: Anamorphic, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
Region: Region 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating:
Studio: Hbo Home Video
DVD Release Date: June 5, 2001
Run Time: 95 minutes
Cars
Christine
John Carpenter brings Stephen Kings novel to life in this chilling thriller. Deep within her chassis lives an unholy presence. She is Christine, a 1958 Plymouth fury.
1983 (1 DVD) [R] Color 110 minutes.
Cobra
City cop is on the trail of a serial killer. Loaded with action and violence. Stallone fans will love this Rambo-like movie with Stallone on the chase instead of the run.
1986 (1 DVD) [R] Colour 87 minutes.
Corky (1972)
A country boy wants to make it big as a stockcar racer. Corky's
comin': Smell the rubber burn. Hear the women scream.
Review - The story opens with Blake's character Corky Curtiss, out
for a drive in the country with wife, kids and his best friend,
Billy (Christoper Connelly) in his cherry '69 Cuda. Then there is
a street race with a '69 Camaro and Corky wins. The story of Corky
is basically an auto mechanic/sometimes dirt track racer from a
small Texas town who yearns for the big time as a stock car racer.
After a run-in with his boss during a dirt track race, Corky, who
is dissatisfied with the meager existence of family and job life,
walks out on his family with hopes and dreams of being a famous
stock car racer. After picking up Billy (Christopher Connelly) the
adventure starts when a drunken Corky gets punched in a honky-tonk
bar for harrassing a young woman named Rhonda (Pamela Payton-Wright).The
two men travel across the South as drifters, heading for Atlanta.
When Corky's attitude costs him his friendship with Billy, he moves
on with his quest alone. Corky enters into a stock car race, and
when he is near the finish line, he waves to the crowds and confident
he's first place champ. Then his race car spins out, and loses the
race. After demanding a trophy anyways, he is forced to hock it
for needed money. Eventually he heads home when his luck runs out.
When Corky finds out his wife got a job and was hired by his ex-boss,
he accuses her of having an affair with the boss. He gets a gun,
shoots and kills the boss, and is chased by the police. He drives
into a demolition derby, and smashes all the cars up before his
car flips, explodes and that is the end of Corky, and the movie.
Cameo appearances by NASCAR legends help, such as Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, and others.Robert Blake gives a superb performance,
in his own way, in his own Blake style. His character is that of
a born loser, but at the same time likeable. Corky's wife, Peggy
Jo (Charlotte Rampling) gives an alright performance, even if Ms.
Rampling is British. Roddy McDowell has a small part in the movie
too.
Actors: Robert Blake ... Corky Curtiss, Charlotte Rampling ... Corky's Wife, Patrick O'Neal ... Randy, Christopher Connelly ... Billy, Pamela Payton-Wright ... Rhonda, Ben Johnson ... Boland, Laurence Luckinbill ... Wayne, Paul Stevens ... Tobin Hayes, Bobby Allison ... Himself Donnie Allison ... HimselfGlen Wood ... Himself Cale Yarborough ... Himself
Director: Leonard Horn
Writer: Eugene Price
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG
Aspect Ratio: 2.35 : 1
Runtime: 88 min
Corvette Summer
(1978)
Days of Thunder (1990)
Cole Trickle enters the high-pressure world of Nascar racing. He's
a hot driver with a hot temper, and this attitude gets him into
trouble not only with other drivers, but members of his own team
as well.
Review - With Days of Thunder, director Tony Scott tried to do for
the Indy 500 what he did for the U.S. Air Force with Top Gun. But
without Top Gun's go-go soundtrack and visual feats, Scott merely
ends up with a Tom Cruise vehicle that's out of gas. Cruise plays
(what else?) a cocky, upstart stock-car racer who faces down ruthless
racing opponents. Nicole Kidman, Robert Duvall, Cary Elwes, and
Randy Quaid do the laps around this movie's tiresome track with
Cruise, while director Scott attempts to propel the action along
with his trademark visceral, gritty but glamorous visual style.
Days of Thunder is notable, however, as a turning point in Cruise's
then one-dimensional career. After this film--having tired even
his most devoted fans by playing a bartender, an air force pilot,
and a stock-car driver--Cruise was forced to take on real character
parts. --Ethan Brown
Actors: Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, Cary Elwes
Directors: Tony Scott
Writers: Tom Cruise, Robert Towne
Producers: Don Simpson, Gerald R. Molen, Jerry Bruckheimer
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Letterboxed, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Subtitles: English
Region: Region 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating:
Studio: Paramount
DVD Release Date: May 25, 1999
Run Time: 107 minutes
Death Race 2000
(1975)
The Devil on Wheels (1947)
John Clark (Damian O'Flynn) is a successful real estate broker with a wife (Lenita Lane) and three children, 24-year old ex-Navy flier Jeff (James Cardwell), 16-year old Micky (Darryl Hickman), and little Judy. After lecturing Micky about racing cars, John picks up his own big, new car and takes the family out to the lake, speeding and weaving his way along until there is a minor accident involving Judge Roger Tanner (William Forrest) and his daughter Sue (Noreen Nash). Once unrepentant John gets a suspended sentence, Jack recruits Micky to help Jack start to woo Sue at the country club swimming pool. Then Micky has his own hot rod ready to go and the trouble starts. When Micky, his best friend Todd (Robert Arthur), and their girl friends, Peggy (Sue England) and Rusty (Terry Moore), respectively, go off to drag race, the authorities shut the race down and warn the parents. Later, when the teen foursome are on the beach late at night, they hear on the radio that an unidenfified hot rodder was killed in a plunge off a cliff. Thinking they may know the person, they sneak into the county morgue, where they learn the truth. There is a chase, an accident, consequences, and some resolutions. There is actually quite a lot of story and character evolution packed into this film, all rather well told and acted. The explicit thrust of the film is that parents must supervise and be responsible for the behavior of their children. Setting a good example is key. No one is sent to therapy or counseling; acting up is inevitable if there is no supervision. Although the bulk of the time is spent with Micky and friends, the father's belated acceptance of his share of blame is the climax. This is a black and white film made in 1947. Things are swell and keen. Most girls have standards. The drag race and driving scenes have a few special effects. The youthful leads and their significant others all have bathing suit scenes, but there is no sex or bad language. The picture quality and sound are all right but show some wear.
Actors: Ann Burr, James B. Cardwell, Sue England, Janice Ford, William Forrest
Directors: Crane Wilbur
Format: Black & White, DVD-Video, NTSC
Language: English
Region: Region 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating:
Studio: Alpha Video
DVD Release Date: January 31, 2006
Run Time: 67 minutes
Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry
Mary and Larry are two lovers who, with Larry's ace mechanic, rob a grocery store and flee the police with hopes of making the professional racing circuit. They are chased over hill, over vale by the cops, who deploy everything from a 426 Hemi to a helicopter to stop Larry's Dodge Charger culminating in a memorable ending.
1974 (1 DVD) [M] Color 93 minutes
Drag Racer (1971)
U.S. film. Very rare and seldom seen youth-oriented racing movie featuring Deborah Walley. It's the story a young man's efforts to get a ride in a top fuel dragster. Jeff, a wannabe drag racer, lucks-out while flogging his street-car at the local strip when a dragster team fires their driver and gives Jeff a chance to prove himself. Absolutely tons of cool drag racing action! While trying to stay focused on racing, Jeff has troubles with his snooty, upper-class girlfriend. He dumps her and starts to dig a cute little hippie chick (Deborah Walley). Cool rock and roll club scene with hip-hugger-mid-drift-go-go girls (with pointy nipples), shakin' their butts on the dance floor! Rock group performs "Florida," and "Virginia." Songs by Dick Campbell and Keypashine. Mark Slade, Jeremy Slate, Deborah Walley, John Davis Chandler, Preston Pierce, Mark Hopkins, Karen Swanson, Paul Smith, Kitty Murray, Stafford Morgan, Jeff Bushelman. Drag Racer!
Actors: John Davis Chandler ... Dave Mark Hopkins ... Stan Kitty
Murray ... Sheila Preston Pierce ... Norm Mark Slade ... Jeff Jeremy
Slate ... Ron Karen Swanson ... Julie Deborah Walley ... Chris
John 'Bud' Cardos Writer: Robert Glenn (writer)
Genre: Action
Color: Color
Runtime: 93 min
Dragstrip Riot (1958)
U.S. film. Hard to find film. Motorcycle gangs, hot rodders, tragic
death, sex and redemption. A teenager promises his mom that he won't
get into any more fightsespecially like the one that put him in
jail a few months back. But when a bunch of motorcycle punks begin
harassing his drag-racing pals all hell breaks loose! During the
brawl one of the cyclists is killed, the teen gets the blame and
then tries to prove his innocence. Cool Malibu beach party scene!
Also terrific scenes in a teenage juke joint with rock n roll dancing,
black leather-jacketed hot rodders and an all-out cat fight! (All
the guys stand around smiling!) And, of course, cool dragstrip and
hot rod footage! Great rock and roll song, Teenage Riot.
Review - After a run-in with a tough motorcycle gang, where Gary
Clarke is blamed when one of the bikers is sent out of control over
a cliff, he and his girl are threatened and pursued. On to the beach
riot, where the real culprit is unmasked and retaliates with his
spear gun.
Actors: Yvonne Fedderson ... Janet Pearson (as Yvonne Lime), Gary Clarke ... Rick Martin, Fay Wray ... Mrs. Martin, Bob Turnbull ... Bart Thorsen, Connie Stevens ... Marge, Gabe Delutri ... Silva (as Gabe DeLutri), Marcus Dyrector ... Cliff, Ted Wedderspoon ... Gramps, Barry Truex ... Gordie, Marilyn Carroll ... Rae, Marlo Ryan ... Helen (as Marla Ryan), Tony Butala ... Joe (as Tony Butula), Carolyn Mitchell ... Betty, Steve Ihnat ... Dutch, Marc Thompson ... Gary
Director: David Bradley
Writers: George Hodgins (screenplay) George Hodgins (story)
Language: English
Color: Black and White
Sound Mix: Mono Filming
Locations: Santa Barbara, California, USA
Company: Transworld Productions
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 68 min
Dragstrip Girl (1957)
Originally double-billed with Rock All Night, Dragstrip Girl is a typical J.D. potboiler from American-International. The title character, played by Fay Spain, is insatiable in her search for new thrills. Fay derives great pleasure in playing her two boyfriends, garage mechanic Steve Terrell and wealthy, arrogant drag-racer John Ashley, against each other. The story comes to a lively conclusion during a winner-take-all race, but not before the viewer is treated to a rip-off of the "Chickie Run" in Rebel Without a Cause. The 1994 entry in Showtime Cable's "Rebel Highway" series titled Dragstrip Girl bears little relationship to the original.
Actors: Don Shelton, Dorothy Bruce, Fay Spain, Frank Gorshin, Grazia Narciso
Directors: Edward L. Cahn
Format: Import, PAL
Region: All Regions
Number of discs: 1
Studio: DV1
Run Time: 70 minutes
Dragstrip Girl (1994)
DRAGSTRIP GIRL is a fast and furious story of a bad boy who'd like to be good ... and the good girl who just wants to be bad! A working-class hoodlum caught up with a ring of car thieves, Johnny (Mark Dacascos -- NO CODE OF CONDUCT) is floored when he meets Laura (Natasha Gregson Wagner -- TV's PASADENA, HIGH FIDELITY, URBAN LEGEND), a beautiful rich girl riding in a hot set of wheels! But nothing can prepare these teenaged lovebirds for the head-on collision of cultures that results when passion fuels their high-octane relationship! Also featuring Raymond Cruz (TRAINING DAY, CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER), Traci Lords (BLADE, BLACK MASK 2), and a sizzling soundtrack with music from Grammy Award-winners Los Lobos -- indulge your rebellious side with this movie treat!
Actors: Mark Dacascos, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Mara Celedonio, Christopher Crabb, Raymond Cruz
Directors: Mary Lambert
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Language: English
Region: Region 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating: R
Studio: Dimension
DVD Release Date: January 22, 2002
Run Time: 83 minutes
Duel (1971)
The unseen driver of a tailgating semi tries to run a traveling
salesman off the road.
Review - This is the TV movie that put Steven Spielberg on the map,
shortly before he made The Sugarland Express. Working from a script
by Richard Matheson, the film stars Dennis Weaver as a mild-mannered
traveling salesman who unintentionally angers the driver of a semi
truck. Suddenly, the truck is not only riding his tail but trying
to run him off the road. No matter what he does (pulling over, stopping
at a diner, calling the cops), he can't get rid of it. Spielberg
makes the wise decision of never showing the driver, even as he
cranks the voltage on the film's suspense elements. As a result,
the truck itself takes on an air of satanic menace--even a personality
of sorts--as it seems to hunt its human prey. Spielberg made a lot
out of a little, suggesting just how skilled a storyteller he would
become. --Marshall Fine
Actors: Dennis Weaver, Eddie Firestone, Gene Dynarski, Tim Herbert, Charles Seel
Directors: Steven Spielberg
Writers: Richard Matheson
Producers: George Eckstein
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Collector's Edition, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (DTS 5.1)
Subtitles: Spanish, French
Region: Region 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating: PG Studio: Universal Studios
DVD Release Date: August 17, 2004
Run Time: 90 minutes
Dukes of Hazard
In Hazzard County, the cousins Bo Duke and Luke Duke find that the corrupt Boss Hogg is plotting the destruction of the location, intending to transform the lands in a huge coal mine. Hogg diverts the dwellers with a rally to hide the judgment of his plea in court. Bo and Luke, assisted by their delicious cousin Daisy, Bo's car General Lee and their Uncle Jesse, fight to save the town from the claws of Boss Hogg and the also corrupt Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane and their men.
2005 (1 DVD) [M] 104 minutes.
Easy Rider
Two long-haired bikers from Los Angeles take off on a cross-country trip to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. On the way they meet several unusual characters. A rancher and his family, a hitchhiker and the hippie commune where he lives, hookers, red-necks, but most noticeably George Hansen played by Jack Nicholson. Mr. Nicholson gained national attention for his role as the "law'er with the ACLU". Dennis Hopper won "Best New Director" at the 1969 Cannes Film Festival.
1969 (1 DVD) (M) Color 94minutes.
Eat My Dust! (1976)
Way back in 1976, actor-director Ron Howard made a bargain with shlockmeister producer-director Roger Corman. It went something like this: Corman agreed to produce Howard's feature directorial debut, the 1977 Grand Theft Auto, and Howard agreed to star in another of Corman's pieces of drive-in fodder, the quirky Eat My Dust! Written and directed by Charles B. Griffith (a favorite screenwriter of Corman's who penned the original Little Shop of Horrors, among many others), Eat My Dust! is as wacked-out as anything to come out of the American International Pictures factory, and it is still surprisingly fresh and funny. Howard plays Hoover Niebold, son of a small-town, no-nonsense sheriff (Warren J. Kemmerling) and a prime candidate for dreary obscurity with his nowhere job and dull love life. Hoover takes a risk and asks out a popular girl (Christopher Norris), but after she demands that he steal the car of a professional racer (Dave Madden), the young hero abandons his innocence for a wild ride. Griffith hammers on the chase action sequences, bolting a camera to the car's hood to instill maximum vertigo in viewers, and constantly finding new and witty ways to jazz up scenes of speeding autos terrorizing the roads. But the real hook is the film's distinctive mix of youthful energy and comic irony, the latter exploding in Griffith's gallery of rural half-wits and neurotic, middle-class stereotypes. A whole cloth Z vision of teen rebellion writ large, Eat My Dust! is a corker. --Tom Keogh
Actors: Ron Howard, Christopher Norris, Warren J. Kemmerling, Dave Madden, Robert Broyles
Directors: Charles B. Griffith
Format: Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0)
Region: Region 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating: PG Studio: New Concorde
DVD Release Date: February 23, 1999
Run Time: 90 minutes
Eat My Dust! (Supercharged Edition) (1976)
Put the pedal to the metal and burn rubber with the clutch-popping excitement of this digitally mastered supercharged version of Eat My Dust, starring Ron Howard. Young Hoover (Howard) is dying to impress Darlene. Shes into going fast, hes into Darlene, but when they both get into a red-hot race car, the reckless fun accelerates into a trunkful of hot pursuits. Theyre off on the open road for a tire-squealing, fender-bending adventure to who knows where and all Smokey can do is eat their dust!
Actors: Paul Bartel, Corbin Bernsen, Don Brodie, Robert Broyles, Brad David
Format: Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Special Edition, NTSC
Language: English
Region: Region 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating: PG Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
DVD Release Date: September 25, 2007
Run Time: 89 minutes
Funny Car Summer
This DVD contains some amazing footage of 1960's and 1970's drag racing, and a chance to see current TV drag racing commentator Mike Dunn as a teenager working with his father. You're better off if you know the story before you watch this DVD, as the editing is a bit choppy, and at times the lighting is horrible. Overall, it's an interesting moment in time.
1979 (1 DVD) [G] Colour 88 minutes
Fast Company
This David Cronenberg film starred William Smith as the owner of a Canadian two-car top fuel dragster and funny car drag racing team. Smith thinks he has hit the jackpot when he lands a major sponsor for his race team. Unfortunately, he finds out in short order that the sponsor is ethically challenged. Smith tries to end the relationship, but the sponsor ends up confiscating his Pontiac Firebird funny car. In the best part of the movie, Smith finds the flopper on display at a car show and steals it back by driving right out the side door of the building! How he got the car started--where he got the fuel--and how he got the body lowered and latched by himself while in the drivers seat is never fully explained, but nevermind! The most memorable part is that in the process of driving it away, he ends up in a street race with a couple of high school kids on the main drag through town! Whadda ya mean?.....It could happen! Anyway, all's-well-that-ends-well when he gets back to the big race, and the sponsor gets what he deserves in the end. What a movie!! The Top Fuel and Funny Car racing scenes are great! Also, watch a 1969 GTO stocker running through all four gears at the strip! Hard to find, but don't miss this one!
1979 (1 DVD) [M] Colour 91 minutes
Fast and Furious
They've got the adrenaline rush and the mean machines, but most of all, theyve got the extreme need for speed. On the turbo-charged streets of Los Angeles, every night is a championship race. With nitro-boosted fury, Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), rules the road turning all his challengers into dust. Intense, full throttle action from beginning to end.
2001 (1 DVD) [M] Color DTS 107 minutes
2 Fast 2 Furious
The adrenaline-fueled thrill ride that began with The Fast and the Furious takes an explosive new turn in 2 Fast 2 Furious! Its the nitro-fueled answer to the question: how fast do you like it? Now an ex-cop on the run, Brian O-Connor (Paul Walker) hooks into outlaw street-racing. When the Feds strong-arm him back, OConnors no rules, win-or-die skills are unleashed against an international drug lord. With his velocity-addicted buddy (Tyrese) riding shotgun, and a drop-dead-gorgeous undercover agent (Eva Mendes) dialing up the heat, 2 Fast 2 Furious! accelerates the action into a desperate race for survival, justice . . . and mind-blowing, jaw-dropping speed!
2003 (1 DVD) [M] Color DTS 103 minutes
Fast Lane Fever (1984) aka Running on Empty
Young factory worker takes his life into his own hands when he tries to woo the girlfriend of a champion drag racer. In the film's climactic race, it's winner-takes-all.
Starring: Terry Serio, Deborah Conway (II), Max Cullen, Richard Moir (II), Penne Hackforth-Jones
Directed by: John Clark
Produced by: David Roe, Pom Oliver (II), Mark Egerton
Genres: Action/Adventure
Running Time: 1 hr. 26 min. MPAA
Rating: R
Distributors: Cannon Releasing
Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow (1959)
The first half of the movie is a teen comedy about drag racing. The twist is that the only ones who race in the movie are two chicks! You know that the movie is set in squaresville when the rival drag-racing gang wears suits and ties. The second half of the movie is a real gas, daddio. The gang can't raise the bread to keep their old clubhouse, so they're given an old, haunted house to fix up. These rock and roll ghostbusters drive the ghost out of the house with their swinging costume party. And the lingo the teenagers use in the movie is a blast, man!
Actors: Jody Fair ... Lois Cavendish Russ Bender ... Tom Hendry Henry McCann ... Dave Martin Braddock ... Stan Elaine DuPont ... Rhoda Leon Tyler ... Bonzo the Clown Jack Ging ... Tony Nancy Anderson ... Nita (Annita) Dorothy Neumann ... Anatasia Abernathy Sanita Pelkey ... Amelia Kirby Smith ... Wesley Cavendish Jeanne Tatum ... Alice Cavendish (as Jean Tatum) Beverly Scott ... Hazel Bill St. Johns ... Ed Tommy Ivo ... Himself
Director: William J. Hole Jr.
Writer: Lou Rusoff (writer)
Genre: Comedy | Horror
Color: Black and White
Sound Mix: Mono
Runtime: 65 min
Grand Prix
John Frankenheimer`s classic masterpiece is finally available on DVD after much internet petitioning in recent years!
James Garner stars as a Formula 1 driver in this award-winning tale of speed and spectacle. Frankenheimer memorably crafts split-screen images to capture the overlapping drama and puts you in the driver`s seat to intensify the hard-driving thrills in this landmark film. With Bob Bondurant as technical advisor and 30 other contemporary top drivers taking part in the excitement, buckle up and enjoy the racing!
This 40th anniversary DVD release is a must have for all racing enthusiasts` DVD collections, Frankenheimer would later return with another car-related film, Ronin, in 1998.
1966 (1 DVD) [PG] Color 168 minutes
Grand Theft Auto (1977)
Cross Romeo and Juliet with the Demolition Derby and you have Grand
Theft Auto, Ron Howard's directorial debut. Can a young runaway
couple get hitched in Vegas before two sets of parents, a jealous
boyfriend, a private dick, and a mob of bounty hunters catch them?
Review - Ron Howard directs and stars in this Roger Corman-produced
feature-length car chase, and Grand Theft Auto was made to appeal
to the 12-year-old in all of us who likes to see stuff blow up.
Poor boy Sam Freeman (Howard) and rich girl Paula Powers (Nancy
Morgan) are in love, but Daddy disapproves. They steal the Powers
family Rolls Royce for a Vegas elopement, Paula's ex-fianc puts
a bounty on her head, and from then on you can just forget about
the plot and watch a zillion cars crash into each other, not to
mention a couple of helicopters and an ice-cream truck. In many
ways this is a quintessential PG-rated '70s movie: plenty of wholesome
fun involving the destruction of public and private property, and
every now and then someone says the S word to liven things up. And
yes, it is surprisingly satisfying to see a Rolls Royce Silver Cloud
get smashed all to hell. The 25th-anniversary special-edition DVD
includes interviews with Roger Corman and Ron Howard, audio commentary
from Corman and Howard, and a reproduction of the original press
pack. --Ali Davis
Actors: Paul Bartel, Lew Brown (II), Barry Cahill, Bill Conklin, Clint Howard
Format: Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
Region: All Regions
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating: PG Studio: New Concorde
DVD Release Date: June 22, 1999
Run Time: 84 minutes
Grindhouse, Deathproof
A double-bill of thrillers that recall both filmmakers' favorite exploitation films. "Grindhouse" (a downtown movie theater in disrepair since its glory days as a movie palace known for "grinding out" non-stop double-bill programs of B-movies) is presented as one full-length feature comprised of two individual films helmed separately by each director. "Death Proof," is a rip-roaring slasher flick where the killer pursues his victims with a car rather than a knife, while "Planet Terror" shows us a view of the world in the midst of a zombie outbreak. The films are joined together by clever faux trailers that recall the '50s exploitation drive-in classics.
2007 (2 DVD) [MA] Color 191 minutes
Gone in 60 seconds
Kip Raines, a young car thief, was contracted to steal 50 specific cars but something went wrong. Now the man who hired him, Raymond Calitri, wants his head. When his brother, Memphis, once a great car thief, who retired a few years ago, learns of this, he comes back to town to see if he can help his brother. The only thing that will appease Calitri is if the order is fulfilled. So Memphis has to assemble his old crew, and he has to do the job in a few days. And a cop who hounded him, upon learning of his return, is keeping an eye on him. And another car thief, whom he competed with before wants to get the Calitri job, and is telling Memphis to back off, but he won't.
2000 (1 DVD) [M] Color DTS 117 minutes.
Greased Lightning (1977)
Pryor has a driving ambition in Greased Lightning, the decades-spanning true story of Wendell Scott, who cracked the all-white world of stock-car racing, built cars from junkyard parts, endured taunts, overcame setbacks and won NASCAR and Grand National crowns. "There's not a more likable movie currently on view," - Richard Schickel
Actors: Richard Pryor, Beverly Todd, Beau Bridges, Stacey Dash, Raphael Harris
Directors: Alan Metter, Michael Schultz
Writers: Andy Breckman, Kenneth Vose, Lawrence DuKore, Leon Capetanos, Melvin Van Peebles
Producers: Hannah Weinstein
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: English
Region: Region 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating:
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Release Date: August 22, 2006
Run Time: 90 minutes
Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man
The tuff biker Harley and his no less tuff Cowboy friend Marlboro learn that an old friend of them will loose his bar, because a bank wants to build a new complex there and demands 2.5 million dollars for a new contract in advance. Harley and Marlboro decide to help him by robbing the corrupt bank. Unfortunately they target the wrong safety transport and get hold of an amount of a new synthetic drug. Now they are targeted both by criminal bankers and killers of the drug mob.
1991 (1 DVD) [M] 98 minutes.
Heart Like A Wheel
Hell on Wheels (1967)
Remember those classic movies with a singing cowboy? Well, this
isn't one of them. This is a laughable attempt to create the singing
race car driver!
Marty (race car dirver and singer) wins race after race, and his
little brother Steve (played by Robert Dornan, who was obviously
so ashamed of this flick he went into politics), feels left out.
To make matters worse, his girl is hot for Marty! So Steve decides
to get his own car and beat Marty at the Big Race! To earn the dough
for his new wheels, Steve takes up with moonshiners! Meanwhile,
Marty's other brother Del works for the Feds, and is out to bust
the boozers!
Actors: Marty Robbins, John Ashley, Gigi Perreau, Robert Dornan, Frank Gerstle
Directors: Will Zens
Format: Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Language: English
Region: Region 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating: R Studio: Rhino Theatrical
DVD Release Date: November 7, 2000
Run Time: 96 minutes
Hollywood Knights (1980)
Led by their comedic and prank leader newbomb turk the hollywood
knights car gang raises hell throughout beverly hills on halloween
night 1965. Everything from drag racing to vietnam to high school
love. Special features: directors commentary theatrical trailers
talent files interactive menus and more.
Review - You've got to give credit to the Hollywood Knights. They
may be crass, juvenile, sex-mad pranksters, but they have an open-door
policy: nerds and jocks alike are welcome, as long as they show
proper disrespect for authority. The Hollywood Knights, a minor
1980 cult comedy poised somewhere between the innocent nostalgia
of American Graffiti and the raunchy humor of Animal House, chronicles
the antics of a practical-joking high school gang on Halloween night,
1965. In tribute to the last night of their favorite hangout, a
Beverly Hills drive-in marked for destruction by the snooty Chamber
of Commerce, the gang's court jester Newbomb Turk (Robert Wuhl in
his film debut) leads the Knights in an all-out assault on the forces
of law and order, conformity, and good taste. Nestled in the parade
of toilet humor, fart jokes, mooning rebels, and topless co-eds,
however, are the ruminations of the end of an era: the times they
are a changin'. The doo-wop and surf soundtrack gives way to Motown,
the Mamas and the Papas, and the Byrds as high school sweethearts
Tony Danza and Michelle Pfeiffer weather the transition from puppy
love to adult romance and Vietnam looms on the horizon. It's a schizophrenic
film, bopping from juvenile anarchy to thoughtful drama and back
again with a sloppy but energetic drive and a rowdy rebelliousness
that will never be accused of sensitivity, decency, or dignity.
Fran Drescher, Gary Graham, and a hilarious Stuart Pankin also star.
--Sean Axmaker
Actors: Robert Wuhl, Tony Danza, Fran Drescher, Leigh French,
Randy Gornel
Directors: Floyd Mutrux
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned,
Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Widescreen, NTSC
Language:
English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround),
English (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
Region: Region 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating:
Studio: Sony Pictures
DVD Release
Date: May 9, 2000
Run Time: 92 minutes
Hometown USA (1979)
A low-grade imitation of American Graffiti/Animal House/Hollywood Knights, et. al. that was all the rage in the late 70s/early 80s. The adventures of a geek named Rodney C. Duckworth and his efforts to end his virginity. Directed by Max Baer, Jr. (Jethro Bodine from the Beverly Hillbillies, who was better off as a brain surgeon or double-knot spy). Quack on, brother Rodney, you RULE!
Actors: Gary Springer, Cindy Fisher, David Wilson, Brian Kerwin, Pat Delaney
Directors: Max Baer Jr.
Format: Anamorphic, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
Region: All Regions
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating:
Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
DVD Release Date: February 8, 2000
Run Time: 92 minutes
Hot Rod (1950)
David Langham (James Lydon), the youngest son of a hot-rod hating father, Judge Langham (Art Baker), buys an old jalopy, but out of respect for his father, doesn't convert it. He changes his mind when Jack Blodgett (Tommy Bond), the local speed demon, impresses David's girl, Janie Pitts (Gloria Winters), and David makes his car the fastest in town. Jack steals David's hot rod, and flees the scene of an accident he causes. The car is traced back to David, but the truth comes out in court, although David's father is still unhappy about the car...until David and his friend, Swifty Johnson (Gil Stratton Jr.), use it to apprehend some escaping robbers. The Judge decides to back a movement for building a hot-rod race track for the town.
1950 (1 DVD) [UNRATED] B&W 61 minutes.
Hot Rod (1979)
A drag racer enters a local championship race. However, he runs up against the town boss a corupt sherriff who has already made arrangements to ensure his own son wins the race. Scenes filmed at the now defunct Baylands Raceway Park (also called the Fremont Drag Strip) in San Jose California. Made for TV movie.
1979 (1 DVD) [UNRATED] Color 120 minutes
Hot Rod Gang
Kid who wants to enter his car in the drag races joins a rock band to make enough money to do it. Features some classic Gene Vincent
1958 (1 DVD) [UNRATED} B&W Mono 71 minutes.
Hot Rod Girl
After his kid brother is killed in a street race, a champion drag-racer quits racing. However, a new kid comes to town determined to force him back into racing so he can take his title and he's already taken his girlfriend.
1956 (1 DVD) [UNRATED] B&W Mono 71 minutes.
Hot Rod Rumble (1957)
Arny (Richard Hartunian) joins a hot rod club, but his eccentric mannerisms (a Marlon Brando rip-off performance from "The Wild One" by look-alike Hartunian) make him unpopular. At a party, Terry (Leigh Snowden) rebukes him for his coarseness and centers her attantion on another boy. A fight between the two men is stopped by Jim Lawrence (Brett Halsey), but Ray Johnson (Wright King), pretending friendship with Arny, keeps the antagonism going and tries to win Terry for himself. Driving home, Hank and Terry are harassed by a hot rod which they think is driver by Arny. Swerving to avaid a collision, they are thrown from the car, and Hank is killed and Terry badly injured and unconscious. Ray, the actual driver of the hot rod, carries Terry to his car, but frightned by approaching vehicles, he returns her to the wreckage and flees. All, including Terry, blane Arny for the wreck, but there is no proof. Vindictive club members destroy Arny's car and beat him mercilessly. He rebuild his car for the big race. Terry goes to the race with Ray and, in his car she finds an earring she lost in the accident and realizes it was Ray who drove the fatal car. Arny wins the race, sour disposition and all, wins the race and Terry forces Ray to admit the truth about the wreck. Written by Les Adams
Actors: Leigh Snowden ... Terri Warren Richard Hartunian ... Arnie Crawford Wright King ... Ray Johnson - Arnie's sidekick Joey Forman ... Benny, club president Brett Halsey ... Jim Lawrence Larry Dolgin ... Hank Adams John Brinkley ... Bill Chuck Webster ... Race official Dorothy Adams ... Ma Crawford Than Wyenn ... Arnie's Boss Ned Glass ... Auto Parts Dealer Phil Adams ... Club member Joseph Mell ... Pops
Director: Leslie H. Martinson
Writer: Meyer Dolinsky
Genre: Crime | Drama
Hot Rods To Hell (1967)
HRTH has been a favorite BAD movie of mine since I was a teenager
in the 70s, when I first saw it on late-night TV. It was gloopy
even then. Sure, Dana is awful, wooden and pedantic. But that is
what fans of this movie really love. And how about Duke's immortal
line when he tell's Laurie Mock's character that her father better
not take over Dailey's Motel (which also contains the "cool kids"
nightclub hangout) or "No one's going to have any fun...not even
you." Heavens what a threat!
The movie is chock full of dopey lines and Jeanne Crain's overacting
is a real hoot. Anyone who is buying this should be doing so with
their eyes wide open, knowing that while the makers had no idea
they were making a Camp Classic, that is just what this is. Filmmakers
could not make it as unintentionally funny, if they tried. In fact,
I've heard that someone is trying to remake the film under it's
original title: "52 Miles to Terror." If they ever do, I'll probably
see it, knowing that they'll update it and make it like the "Fast
and Furious." And I'll probably be a little sad, as the original,
for all its flaws has an undercurrent of naivite that is endearing.
A modern remake will be brutal and remorseless, much like our world
is today.
Actors: Dana Andrews, Jeanne Crain, Mimsy Farmer, Laurie Mock, Paul Bertoya
Directors: John Brahm, James Curtis Havens
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: English
Subtitles: English, French
Region: Region 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating:
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Release Date: June 26, 2007
Run Time: 100 minutes
Italian Job (Original)
Charlie has just left prison, and now wants to do a 'big job'. The job is to steal $4m of gold arriving in Italy from China. Charlie's job needs financing, so he goes to Mr Bridger (a Mafia-type boss) who is in prison (Charlie has to break in !). In Italy, a clever plan is used to distract the authorities, while the raiders make their get-away in three Minis. This leads to an excellent car chase sequence through Italian streets, buildings, rivers, sewers.
1969 (1 DVD) (PG) Color Mono 99 minutes.
Italian Job
Based on a 1969 Michael Caine film of the same name, thieves plan to pull of the heist of their lives by creating Los Angeles largest traffic jam ever. The plan was flawless... the job was executed perfectly... the escape was clean. The only threat mastermind thief Charlie Croker (Wahlberg) never saw coming was a member of his own crew. After pulling off an amazing gold bullion heist from a heavily guarded palazzo in Venice, Italy, Charlie and his gang -- inside man Steve (Norton), computer genius Lyle (Green), wheelman handsome Rob (Statham), explosives expert Left-Ear (Mos Def) and veteran safecracker John Bridger (Sutherland) - can't believe when one of them turns out to be a double-crosser. Enter Stella (Theron), a beautiful nerves-of-steel safecracker, who joins Charlie and his former gang when they follow the backstabber to California, where they plan to re-steal the gold by tapping into Los Angeles' traffic control system, manipulating signals and creating one of the biggest traffic jams in LA history. Now the job isn't the payoff, it's about payback.
2003 (1 DVD) [M] 111 minutes.
Johnny Dark (1954)
A young auto racing enthusiast and automotive engineer, Johnny
Dark (Curtis) designs a new type of race car that his auto manufacturer-employer,
Fielding Motors, won't build, so he enters it in a Reno, Nevada
to Tijuana, Mexico road race. His girlfriend, Liz (Laurie), daughter
of the CEO of Fielding Motors, as strong-willed as he is, finally
realizes how important his passion for racing is, and fully supports
him to win his heart.
A really fun picture, in glorious Technicolor. This film was made
by many of the same personnel who worked on THIS ISLAND EARTH (1955),
including the producer, and featured some prime examples of a custom-fiberglas
bodied sports car made in Lynwood (a suburb of Los Angeles, Calif.)
in limited numbers by a small auto-maker company. The car was the
Woodill Wildfire, made from 1953 to 1957 in small, hand-crafted
numbers by Woody Woodill Motors. Film also features many other rare
early-1950s American sports cars, made in small numbers by independent
manufacturers. They are rare collectors' cars today. This movie
was remade exactly ten years later by Bill Alland and director Jack
Arnold as The LIVELY SET (Universal, 1964). Great fun for all.
Actors: Tony Curtis ... Johnny Dark Piper Laurie ... Liz Fielding Don Taylor ... Duke Benson Paul Kelly ... William H. 'Scotty' Scott Ilka Chase ... Abbie Binns Sidney Blackmer ... James Fielding Ruth Hampton ... Miss Border to Border Russell Johnson ... Emory Joe Sawyer ... Carl Svenson (as Joseph Sawyer) Robert Nichols ... Smitty Pierre Watkin ... Ed J. Winston Scatman Crothers ... Himself Ralph Montgomery ... Morgan
Director: George Sherman Writer: Franklin Coen (writer)
Genre: Action | Comedy
Color: Color (Technicolor)
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 1.85 : 1
Runtime: 85 min
Junkman
Junkman and movie-maker Harlan Hollis struggles to stay alive when a jealous partner in his company hires goons to kill him. Full of amazing car chases, fantastic crashes, and edge-of-your-seat action.
1982 (1 DVD) [M] Black and White / Color 96 minutes
Landspeed
Disappointing
2002 (1 DVD) [PG] Color 94 minutes.
King of the Mountain (1981)
A group of friends race their high-powered cars up and down a dangerous and deadly mountain road known as Mulholland Drive to see who can claim the title of "King of the Hill."
Actors: Harry Hamlin ... Steve Joseph Bottoms ... Buddy Deborah Van Valkenburgh ... Tina Richard Cox ... Roger Dennis Hopper ... Cal Dan Haggerty ... Rick Seymour Cassel ... Barry Tanner Sloan Roberts ... Billy T (as Jon Sloan) Steve Jones ... Policeman Ashley Cox ... Elaine Lillian Mller ... Jamie Winter Cassandra Peterson ... Neighbor Buddy Joe Hooker ... Fast Joe Otis Ron Trice ... Keyboard player Curt Ayers ... Fatburger
Director: Noel Nosseck
Writers: David Barry (article) H.R. Christian (writer)
Genre: Drama
Rating: M
Color: Color (Technicolor)
Sound Mix: Mono
Runtime: 90 min
Mad Max
In an Australian dystopia of decaying order and violent highways, a police pursuit driver is drawn into a path of vengeance after a motorcycle gang targets him for the death of their former leader.
1979 (1 DVD) (R) Color 93 Minutes
Mad Max II
A former police officer is now a lone wanderer, travelling through a devasted Australia after a nuclear war looking for the now-priceless fuel of petrol. He lives to survive and is none too pleased when he finds himself the only hope of a small group of honest people running a remote oil refinery. He must protect them from the bike gang that is terrorising them whilst transporting their entire fuel supply to safety.
1981 (1 DVD) (MA) Color 91 minutes.
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
Two men enter. One man leaves. Mad Max is a former cop who finds himself in a post-apocolyptic desert town called Bartertown. He is hired by the leader of the city to fight in a gladiator like arena called Thunderdome, so he can kill Auntie's rival master blaster. He is later banished and finds a group of children that survived a plane crash during the war. They believe he is their former pilot Captain Walker. Some of the children leave to find their fabled tomorrow morrow land. So Mad Max has to save them from the desert and from Auntie's Bartertown.
1985 (1 DVD) [M] Color 107 minutes.
Macon County Line (1974)
One of the great independent movies of the 1970s, Macon County Line transcends the "redneck nightmare" genre simply by making its characters fully-rounded human beings. Two brothers, Chris and Wayne Dixon (played by real-life brothers Alan and Jesse Vint), are tooling around the South in a convertible, killing time before they have to show up for army basic training. They pick up a hitchhiking girl named Jenny Scott (Cheryl Waters), then cross the path of Deputy Sheriff Reed Morgan (Max Baer, Jr., most famous as Jethro on The Beverly Hillbilllies), who doesn't like having strangers in his town. But also passing through are a couple of smalltime crooks, one of whom has a traumatic response to cops. Bad things happen, Morgan thinks the Dixons are responsible, and the situation gets very tense. This plot could have been a lurid exercise in bloody revenge, but instead Macon County Line (which was produced and co-written by Baer) takes every opportunity to make the people real and unpredictable. Scenes move fluidly from comedy to suspense; moments that look like they're going to be cliches instead reveal unexpected dimensions. The women--usually little more than props in movies like this--aren't given as extensive a role in the story as men, but they're still individuals with their own ideas and desires. The cast is studded with the familiar faces of steady-working character actors like Geoffrey Lewis (Every Which Way But Loose) and James Gannon (Major League), who give even minor characters grit and texture. Macon County Line has all the sex and violence of its exploitative genre, but treats them with empathy and smarts; the result is a roughhewn classic. --Bret Fetzer
Actors: Alan Vint, Cheryl Waters, Geoffrey Lewis, Joan Blackman, Jesse Vint
Directors: Richard Compton
Format: Anamorphic, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
Region: All Regions
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating:
Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
DVD Release Date: February 8, 2000
Run Time: 88 minutes
Midnite Spares
In this standard auto-racing-mixed-with-murder tale from Down Under, a gang steals and then strips cars to sell the parts for profit but meets their match when they literally run into Steve, a young racecar driver, and some tow-truck operators. From that point onward, mangled metal appears on the scene regularly, as Steve pursues his career as well as the people who caused his own father's disappearance. Steve has some help from his father's partner Tom (Max Cullen), and his two pit-stop mechanics (Bruce Spence and David Argue), but his love interest Ruth (Gia Carides) is only a token woman in a nearly all-male world.
Actors: Bruce Spence, David Argue, Gia Carides, Graeme Blundell, James Laurie
Directors: Quentin Masters
Format: Import, PAL
Subtitles: English
Region: Region 4 (Read more about DVD formats.)
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Reel
Run Time: 87 minutes
Moonrunners (1975)
It drives me crazy that this movie is as obscure as it is. It was after all the basis for The Dukes Of Hazzard tv series. The movie stars James Mitchim(Robert Mitchims son) and Kiel Martin( J.D.Larue on Hill Street Blues) This movie tells the story of Grady and Bobby Lee. 2 Outlaw cousins running shine for there wise old uncle Jesse but when Jake Rainey tries to buy up Jesse stiles they'll be hell to pay and naturally along the way Bobby Lee meets the beautiful Beth Ann Eubanks(Chris Forbes). This movie has it all great chases, Car Crashes, A Love story and Walyion Jennings and the baladeer.I urge everyone to see this movie. Its kind of like a newer remake/sequal to Thunder Road which also stared James and his dad Robert Mitchum.The movie played up heavy ties to Thunder Road in its day spouting tag lines such as THUNDER ROAD WAS JUST A PRACTISE RUN, THIS IS THE REAL THING and AND YOU THOUGHT THUNDER ROAD WAS BAD. This movie will always be one of my favorite movies. Watch it once and you'l love it forever.
Actors: James Mitchum, Kiel Martin, Arthur Hunnicutt, Chris Forbes, George Ellis (II)
Directors: Gy Waldron
Format: NTSC
Rating: PG
More American Grafitti (1979)
Six years after American Graffiti, George Lucas answered the call for an update on his classic characters with this ambitious sequel. You definitely need to know the original to have an emotional investment in More American Graffiti, as the action is spread over four different New Year's Eves in the sixties. Milner is drag racing, the Toad is dodging bullets in Vietnam, Debbie is a San Francisco hippie, and Steve and Laurie weather a domestic crisis. The cast is back, save for the AWOL Richard Dreyfuss; even Harrison Ford pops up for an amusing cameo. The busy rock soundtrack is there too, but the old magic is dissipated in labored comedy and obvious social comment. The most interesting thing about the film is director Bill Norton's decision to shoot the segments in different styles, a bold move that pays off in the gritty, TV-news look of the Vietnam sequences. --Robert Horton
Actors: Candy Clark, Bo Hopkins, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Mackenzie Phillips
Directors: Bill L. Norton
Writers: Bill L. Norton, George Lucas, Gloria Katz, Willard Huyck
Producers: George Lucas, Howard G. Kazanjian
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: English (Dolby Digital 4.0)
Subtitles: Spanish, French
Region: Region 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating:
Studio: Universal Studios
DVD Release Date: September 2, 2003
Run Time: 110 minutes
No Mans Land (1987)
With its synth-pop soundtrack and Eurotrash attitude, No Man's Land is the slick 1987 equivalent of 2002's The Fast and the Furious. Instead of Asian-import "rice rockets" and hip-hop street gear, it's got Armani suits and Porsches--the latter being the specialty of ace car thief Ted Varrick, played by Charlie Sheen in a trashy break between the successes of Platoon and Wall Street. Fresh-faced D.B. Sweeney plays the undercover cop assigned to infiltrate Varrick's chop shop, and the predictable screenplay (by Dick Wolf of Law & Order fame) asks all the expected questions: Will Sweeney's loyalties turn? Will Varrick's sister (vacuous newcomer Lara Harris) learn his true identity? Will Charlie's hair remain perfectly groomed? The Faustian formula provides a few moments of standard suspense, and Sheen's bemused remark about "lifestyles of the rich and aimless" carries a sharp note of retrospective irony. Otherwise, you're better off with an episode of Miami Vice. --Jeff Shannon
Actors: D.B. Sweeney, Charlie Sheen, Lara Harris, Randy Quaid, Bill Duke
Directors: Peter Werner (III)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
Language: French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
Region: Region 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating:
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
DVD Release Date: February 4, 2003
Run Time: 107 minutes
Outrage (1973) (TV)
One man decides to wage war against a gang of teenage punks besieging
an affluent California community. Based on a true incident.
Review - This is a great movie from the lost age of reactionary
made-for-television drama. My all-time favourite actor, Robert Culp
skillfully plots a trajectory through uptight liberal fairmindedness
and faith in the system, kneejerk conservativism and fear of crime,
and homicidal psychosis. The teens are a collection of pure sneering
evil stereotypes, and the eventual message of this film makes episodes
of Dragnet look evenhanded by comparison. But what really shines
in this is the great pace of the movie, building the fear and paranoia
by degrees, as well as the feel of the whole California setting.
The cars are really great as well, as I recall. I give this film
a 10, and I defy anyone to watch this film and not enjoy every minute.
Remember, just because it's made-for-television doesn't mean it
isn't great art.
Actors: Robert Culp ... Dr. Jim Kiler Marlyn Mason ... Muriel Kiler Beah Richards ... Thelma Jacqueline Scott ... Mrs. Chandler Ramon Bieri ... Deputy Tottif Thomas Leopold ... Vance Chandler Mark Lenard ... Mr. Chandler Nicholas Hammond ... Ron Werner Don Dubbins ... Phil Werner Ivor Francis ... Judge Cox Sid Grossfeld ... Attorney Markham James Sikking ... Officer Geary Paul Jenkins ... Deputy Christopher Gardner ... Aaron Kiler Shelly Hines ... Beth Kiler
Director: Richard T. Heffron
Writers: James E. Moser (writer) William Wood (writer)
Color: Color
Aspect Ratio: 1.33 : 1
Sound Mix: Mono
Genre: Crime | Drama | Thriller
Runtime: 74 min
Pit Stop (1969)
Cult director Jack Hill earned his reputation largely for his energetic
exploitation classics: The Big Doll House, Coffy, Switchblade Sisters,
and the mad black comedy Spider Baby. This edgy, tight racing drama,
virtually unseen for years, is less flashy but more intense and
assured than those quirky pictures, a well-written, solidly acted
drama highlighted by dynamic racing scenes. Dick Davalos (James
Dean's brother in East of Eden) is a curt, quiet street racer lured
by conniving promoter Brian Donlevy to the dangerous, short-lived
sport of figure 8 racing (a hair-raising collision of stock car
and demolition derby). He just wants a grudge match with his quick-tempered,
strutting champion (Hill favorite Sid Haig), but cool customer Davalos
has bigger ambitions: He wants to use the crowd-pleasing track as
a catapult to the pro circuit, and he'll run down anyone in his
path.
It's a surprisingly handsome picture, considering--shot quickly
and cheaply in black-and-white to make use of fast film stock for
the high-energy nighttime racetrack scenes. Those wild amateur races
are so vibrant that the pro rally is anticlimactic, but Hill makes
that work for him in a chilly coda. Davalos is appropriately surly
and Haig wild and boisterous, but the best turn belongs to the understated
Ellen Burstyn (under the name McRae) in her first major role as
the mechanically minded wife of a racing champ. -Sean Axmaker
Actors: Brian Donlevy, Richard Davalos, Ellen Burstyn, Sid Haig, Beverly Washburn
Directors: Jack Hill
Format: Black & White, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: English
Region: Region 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating:
Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
DVD Release Date: June 20, 2000
Run Time: 91 minutes
Rebel without a Cause (1955)
Jim Stark is the new kid in town. He has been in trouble elsewhere;
that's why his family has had to move before. Here he hopes to find
the love he doesn't get from his middle-class family. Though he
finds some of this in his relation with Judy, and a form of it in
both Plato's adulation and Ray's real concern for him, Jim must
still prove himself to his peers in switchblade knife fights and
"chickie" games in which cars race toward a seaside cliff.
In one of moviedom's most influential roles, James Dean is Jim,
the new kid in town whose loneliness, frustration and anger mirrored
those of postwar teens -- and reverberates 40 years later. Before
the feature are three Behind-the-Cameras segments from the Warner
Bros. Presents TV series (including a "safe-driving" interview withdrawn
from airing following Dean's September 30, 1955 death) about Rebel
Without a Cause. A documentary segment exclusive to this Warner
Bros. Classics edition contains recently recovered screen tests
and outtakes that show intriguing variations on what ended up in
the final film.
Review - When people think of James Dean, they probably think first of the troubled teen from Rebel Without a Cause: nervous, volatile, soulful, a kid lost in a world that does not understand him. Made between his only other starring roles, in East of Eden and Giant, Rebel sums up the jangly, alienated image of Dean, but also happens to be one of the key films of the 1950s. Director Nicholas Ray takes a strikingly sympathetic look at the teenagers standing outside the white-picket-fence '50s dream of America: juvenile delinquent (that's what they called them then) Jim Stark (Dean), fast girl Judy (Natalie Wood), lost boy Plato (Sal Mineo), slick hot-rodder Buzz (Corey Allen). At the time, it was unusual for a movie to endorse the point of view of teenagers, but Ray and screenwriter Stewart Stern captured the youthful angst that was erupting at the same time in rock & roll. Dean is heartbreaking, following the method acting style of Marlon Brando but staking out a nakedly emotional honesty of his own. Going too fast, in every way, he was killed in a car crash on September 30, 1955, a month before Rebel opened. He was no longer an actor, but an icon, and Rebel is a lasting monument. --Robert Horton
Actors: Corey Allen, Jim Backus, Tom Bernard, Virginia Brissac, Marietta Canty
Format: Anamorphic, Black & White, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Subtitles: English, French
Region: Region 1
Rating: M Aspect Ratio: 2.55:1
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
DVD Release Date: September 21, 1999
Run Time: 111 minutes
Red Line 7000
Rendezvous
Better than any chase scene ever filmed, because its real. Renowned French director Claude Lelouch mounted a camera on the nose of his Ferrari, then drove flat out through the streets of Paris, running countless red lights, using pedestrians as apexes and sidewalks as streets. The sound of his roaring V-12 is stirring enough, but the sight of Paris rushing by on the Champs Elysees at over 100 mph makes this "... A must-see piece of auto cinema." Car and Driver. It may be only nine minutes but its non-stop excitement.
1976 (1 DVD) [UNRATED] Colour 9 minutes
Roadracers
Ronin
Featuring some of the most intense, stomach-churning chase sequences ever filmed, Ronin is a tough, uncompromising thriller that will leave you breathless. The director, John Frankenheimer, also directed the landmark racing movie Grand Prix.
1998 (1 DVD) Color 121 minutes
Running On Empty
This film collects just what it was like to be in Australia in the early 80's. It's about hot cars, hot chicks and hot times. The story begins when two local street racers agree to race Fox, the faster street drag racer there is. After two of the three race rounds, the race is no longer a game, but more of a survival! This movie features 1 of Aussies greatest muscle cars, the XYGTHO. Yeah so the acting not the greatest - it was never made to win an oscar. The car action will keep you comin back for more and more. There is a cool collection of muscle cars from the 70's and an Awesome '57 Chev - with a real cool cat drivin it! Also there is a really cool song sung by Terry Serio the main actor. The acting is pretty funny when taken lightly, but the tyre smokin and drag racing is the main focus in this movie. Big fast cars with pleantly of steel(NO PLASTIC CARS), and some cool street dragging.
1982 (1 DVD) [M] Color 83 minutes.
Smokey and the Bandit
It's easy to assume this is just another dumb redneck comedy from Burt Reynolds's years of underachievement. But it's not bad as a dumb redneck comedy at all. Directed by career stuntman Hal Needham, Smokey and the Banditis just a goofy chase starring a bunch of Reynolds's Hollywood cronies. New to the job as film boss, Needham brings a silly but energized sensibility to the production and an action man's need to see things moving. But he also has a distinctive feeling for relationships, and he's good with a joke. Put all that together, and Smokey is, at the very least (and unlike its sequels), a simple and original pleasure.
1977 (1 DVD) [M] Colour 96 minutes
Talladega Nights The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby
NASCAR stock car racing sensation Ricky Bobby is a national hero because of his "win at all costs" approach. He and his loyal racing partner, childhood friend Cal Naughton Jr., are a fearless duo -- "Shake" and "Bake" by their fans for their ability to finish so many races in the #1 and #2 positions, with Cal always in second place. When flamboyant French Formula One driver Jean Girard challenges "Shake" and "Bake" for the supremacy of NASCAR, Ricky Bobby must face his own demons and fight Girard for the right to be known as racing's top driver.
2006 (1 DVD) [M] Colour 108 minutes
The Getaway
Doc McCoy has been granted parole. The catch is that Sheriff Beynon expects a small favor from McCoy for his generosity: robbing another bank! Beynon does not really intend to let McCoy walk away after the heist and neither does co-robber Rudy Butler, but stopping Doc proves a trifle difficult.
1972 (1 DVD) [M] Colour 122 minutes
The Great Escape
Based on a true story, "The Great Escape" deals with the largest Allied escape attempt from a German POW camp during the Second World War. The first part of the film focuses on the escape efforts within the camp and the process of secretly digging an escape tunnel. The second half of the film deals with the massive effort by the German Gestapo to track down the over 70 escaped prisoners who are at this point throughout the Third Reich attempting to make their way to England and various neutral countries.
1963 (1 DVD) Color [PG] 172 minutes.
The Worlds Fastest Indian
The life story of New Zealander Burt Munro, who spent years building a 1920 Indian motorcycle - a bike which helped him set the land-speed world record at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats in 1967.
2006 (1 DVD) [PG] Colour 127 minutes
Thunder & Lightning
A young man who hauls liquor for moonshiners comes up against a competing gang of moonshiners who intend to get rid of him and take over his operation.
Directors: Corey Allen Actors: David Carradine, Kate Jackson, Sterling Holloway, Patrick Cranshaw, Charles Napier Running Time: 95 min. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: PG
Two Lane Blacktop
Story of two men drag racing across the USA in a primer grey 55 chevy. Wilson is the mechanic, James Taylor is the driver. The Driver and The Mechanic are two car freaks driving a 1955 Chevy throughout the southwestern U.S. looking for other cars to race. They are totally dedicated to The Car and converse with each other only when necessary. At a gas station, The Driver and The Mechanic, along with a girl who has ingratiated herself into their world, meet G.T.O., a middle-aged man who fabricates stories about his exploits. It is decided to have a race to Washington, D.C., where the winner will get the loser's car. Along the way, the race and the highway metaphorically depict the lives of these contestants as they struggle to their destination.
1971 (1 DVD) [M] Color 102 minutes.
Stroker Ace (1983)
Burt Reynolds is a champion stock-car driver who races and romances
in high-speed good-ol-boy style.
Review - Burt Reynolds plays the title character, a cocky racing
veteran with a rep as a ladies man, to perfection and Parker Stevenson
is the young gun after him on the race track. Jim Nabors, Bubba
Smith and Loni Anderson also turn in great performances, working
with Stroker Ace's team. There are lots of racing scenes and physical
comedy. Stroker Ace needs a sponsor and Ned Beatty, the owner of
a fast food chicken franchise, steps in. Stroker becomes known as
'the fastest chicken in the south', which makes him the butt of
a lot of jokes at the track. So then he spends the rest of the movie
trying to get fired so he doesn't have to do ridiculous things like
dress up in chicken suits and cut ribbons at restaurant grand openings.
With appearances by some of the biggest drivers of the time like
Benny Parsons, Ricky Rudd and the late Dale Earnhardt, this movie
is a quirky look inside the world of drivers, sponsors, crew chiefs,
the media, the fans and love of the sport.
Actors: Loni Anderson, Ned Beatty, Neil Bonnett, John Byner, Earnhardt, Dale
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
Language: English (Dolby Digital 1.0)
Region: Region 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating:
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Release Date: October 20, 1998
Run Time: 96 minutes
Super Speedway
One of the best directors of IMAX films, Stephen Low (Titanica)
has always been a race fan. After obtaining permission from CART,
a governing body of Indy car racing and Newman/Haas racing (a Championship
team co-owned by Paul Newman), Low found his stars for Super Speedway:
the racing Andrettis, father Mario and son Michael. Mounting cameras
fore and aft on the Andrettis' cars, IMAX offers a better vantage
point than an ESPN camera, at a superior grade of clarity. Add to
that the excellent sound and you can "feel" the bumps on the asphalt
as the cars zoom in and out of corners. The large format can turn
a pit stop into a dramatic 12 seconds as we see the driver's eyes
dart away from his cockpit for a few brief seconds. We watch Michael
Andretti on oval tracks and exciting road courses going over hills
and sharp turns. There's even a spin--probably staged--from an angle
we've never seen before.
Although true race conditions were impossible (the camera is just
too bulky), Low sneakily edits his film to stretch the imagination.
On race day, several Indy cars drove alongside the camera car hours
before the main event, passing and drafting each other with crowds
whizzing past them. When edited with footage of the race, it feels
like the real thing. Low takes a few off-beat choices in setting
up his story. The first image is the biggest chicken you've ever
seen. The last shot is a '50s car (lovingly restored during the
film) racing through perfect golden foliage on an autumn day. It
gives his movie of modern technology a wonderful sense of nostalgia.
--Doug Thomas
Actors: Paul Newman, Richard Garneau, Jim Paulson, Jeff Andretti, Mario Andretti
Directors: Stephen Low
Writers: Alexander Low
Producers: Stephen Low, James Lahti, Goulam Amarsy, Neil Richter, Pietro L. Serapiglia
Format: NTSC
Language: French (Dolby Digital 5.1), German (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Region: All Regions
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Run Time: 50 minutes
T-Bird Gang (1959)
A Car-Lover's "Must Have!"A high school student working with local law enforcement goes undercover to infiltrate the teen-based T-Bird Gang. But this gang plays for keeps and when his cover is blown things get hairy!Fast cars and trouble-making teens star in this 1959 black and white "beat" generation classic!
Actors: John Brinkley, Ed Nelson, Tony Miller, Pat George, Coleman Francis
Directors: Richard Harbinger
Writers: John Brinkley, Tony Miller
Producers: F. Amos Powell, Roger Corman, Stanley Bickman
Format: Black & White, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Language: English
Region: Region 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating:
Studio: Bci / Eclipse
DVD Release Date: April 24, 2001
Run Time: 65 minutes
The Car (1977)
A murderous car wreaks havoc on a small Western town in this thriller that has gone on to achieve a small degree of cult status in spite of its own silliness. After a pair of bikers and a horn-playing hitchhiker are viciously mowed down, local police realize they have a motoring maniac on their hands. In a show of boldness, the mysterious black automobile kills the sheriff (John Marley) on the town's main street, leaving the post to officer Wade Parent (James Brolin). A supernatural element enters the picture when the car motors through a parade practice, but refuses to enter the hallowed ground of a cemetery. The cops chase the car through the desert, but it takes out several squad cars and disappears after injuring Wade. Things take a personal turn when the car eliminates Wade's girlfriend Lauren (Kathleen Lloyd) in a shocking sequence. Gathering his remaining officers, Wade concocts a plan to stop the horsepower-laden psychopath. ~ Patrick Legare, All Movie Guide
Review - Often criticized as being Jaws in the desert, Elliot Silverstein's The Car is a straightforward thriller that plays a lot more like Steven Spielberg's earlier classic Duel, which was also about a killer vehicle in a barren wasteland. While the film does feature a number of exciting car stunts and is sharply lensed in widescreen, it continuously sinks itself with a combination of ridiculous scripting and bad acting. Looking at the film from a different perspective, however, those same negatives, when combined with the overly serious tone and the wacky, sped-up chase scenes, make the film a humorous watch. The car itself is not fully revealed until nearly halfway through and is in keeping with the film's cartoonish feel. Customized by George Barris, it is a highly modified machine with a huge front bumper and two headlights that look like eyes. It is accompanied by the throaty roar of a racing engine and a constantly blaring horn. Stars James Brolin, Kathleen Lloyd, John Farley, and Ronny Cox (who is constantly on the verge of tears) are somber to the point of being laughable. Lloyd has one particularly awful scene in which she insults the car from the safety of holy ground. Thankfully, the screenplay by Dennis Shryack, Michael Butler, and Lane Slate (three writers!) stays focused on the action, although it does stray into two extraneous subplots involving domestic abuse and alcoholism. The stuntwork by Everett Creach is the film's strongest suit, the highlight being an amusing but cool sideways flip by the car onto two oncoming police vehicles. Special effects by Albert Whitlock are saved for an apocalyptic finish that appears phony and cheap. ~ Patrick Legare, All Movie Guide
Actors: R.G. Armstrong, Tony Brande, James Brolin, Ronny Cox, Doris Dowling
Directors: Elliot Silverstein
Format: Dolby, Dubbed, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Language: English
Subtitles: English
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Studio: Universal Studios
DVD Release Date: May 6 2008
The Choppers (1961)
This is a movie for car guys. There are two bitchin' cars in this movie and you must be a car guy to appreciate them. The first is a very well built T-bucket (a T-bucket is a Ford Model T from the '20s which has been made into a hot rod) powered by a Buick nail head engine with 6 carburetors. The other car is a beautiful '59 Buick convertible. To most people these are just old or weird cars, but car guys would flip out when they see them. I know I did. The movie itself is nothing special. It looks like it was shot in a week with a budget of $100.00. The plot of this movie is very simplistic. You have 5 teenagers, ages 16 to 18, who go around stripping cars and selling the parts to a low-life junk yard owner. The police set up a sting and catch them in the act. One of the kids has a gun and he kills a cop. The movie ends with an exchange of gunfire and two dead kids and two dead junk yard men. The rest of the kids are arrested and escorted to a jail. To give you an idea how low the budget was for this movie the only car you see being stripped is an old Kaiser. They smash the windows, take the radio and battery and torch off the exhaust system. The car is pushed onto its side to better access the exhaust system. The next car they're to strip is the beautiful '59 Buick mentioned earlier in this review. Since the budget is so small they don't dare destroy this beautiful car. They show the bottom of the already stripped Kaiser tilted onto its side and we are supposed to believe it's the expensive Buick convertible. There are other things in this movie which make you break into laughter. For cover, the kids ride around in a live poultry truck. When they get to the next car to strip they unload some of the caged chickens to get their chop equipment. Also, the kid in the T-bucket is a spotter who looks for trouble and warns the others with a giant bread sized walkie-talkie. This movie is somewhat entertaining even though it was shot on a shoe string. The DVD quality is not the best. I don't think the quality of the film used to make the transfer to the DVD was very good to begin with. Only car guys would like this movie. Most people would consider it a piece of junk, although I just saw it on AMC. This is an American classic? It's a fun movie though, and entertaining.
Actors: Arch Hall Jr., Marianne Gaba, Robert Paget, Tom Brown, Burr Middleton
Directors: Leigh Jason
Format: Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Language: English
Region: Region 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating:
Studio: Bci / Eclipse
DVD Release Date: January 1, 2002
Run Time: 70 minutes
The Driver (1978)
Ryan O'Neal drives the getaway car for his buddies' robberies.
Bruce Dern is determined to catch him.
Review - A tres cool mix of noirish grit and slam-bang action
this caper film from director Walter Hill (48 Hrs, The Warriors)
is required viewing for car-chase fanatics and devotees of '70s
cinema. Ryan O'Neal and Bruce Dern are terrific as opposite sides
of the law: respectively, a supernaturally skilled getaway car driver,
and the dogged detective who's pursued him at the expense of all
else. For his second feature film, Hill keeps dialogue and character
development at bare-bones level (the characters are named after
their primary function: O'Neal is the Driver, the stunning Isabelle
Adjani is the Connection) and focuses on mood, tone, and, above
all, some of the most stunning automotive action captured on film.
The DVD offers widescreen and fullscreen versions of the film; unfortunately,
a number of scenes cut from the theatrical release, including a
prologue featured in The Driver's TV prints, were not included in
this long-awaited DVD release. - Paul Gaita
Actors: Ryan O'Neal, Bruce Dern, Isabelle Adjani, Ronee Blakley, Matt Clark
Directors: Walter Hill
Writers: Walter Hill
Producers: Frank Marshall, Lawrence Gordon
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Language: French (Dolby Digital 1.0), English (Dolby Digital 1.0), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
Subtitles: English, French
Region: Region 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating: R
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Run Time: 91 minutes
The French Connection (1971)
William Friedkin's gritty police drama portrays two tough New York City cops trying to intercept a huge heroin shipment coming from France. An interesting contrast is established between 'Popeye' Doyle, a short-tempered alcoholic bigot who is nevertheless a hard-working and dedicated police officer, and his nemesis Alain Charnier, a suave and urbane gentleman who is nevertheless a criminal and one of the largest drug suppliers of pure heroin to North America. During the surveillance and eventual bust, Friedkin provides one of the most gripping and memorable car chase sequences ever filmed.
Actors: Gene Hackman, Fernando Rey, Roy Scheider, Tony Lo Bianco, Marcel Bozzuffi
Directors: William Friedkin
Format: NTSC, Widescreen
Language: French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Subtitles: English, Spanish
Region: Region 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating:
Studio: 20th Century Fox
DVD Release Date: February 1, 2005
Run Time: 104 minutes
The Gumball Rally (1976)
It's fast, funny, outrageously illegal - and the granddaddy of the cross-country speed spectacles that have raced across movie screens in the past two generations. Put your pedal to the metal for The Gumball Rally. New York City is the starting point and this supersonic contest ends 2,900 miles later in Los Angeles. In between, director Chuck Bail (coordinator of many classic movie stunt sequences) and a crew of actors and stuntpersons treat you to a truly breakneck road comedy. Gary Busey plays a daredevil in a 600-horsepower Camaro. Raul Julia portrays an Italian Grand Prix champ who's also an incurable romantic in a fast Ferrari. Michael Sarrazin as the race's crafty, overconfident organizer pilots a classic Cobra. Ready, set, zoom!
Actors: Michael Sarrazin, Norman Burton, Gary Busey, John Durren, Susan Flannery
Directors: Charles Bail
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: English
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only.
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating: PG
Run Time: 107 minutes 1976
The Last American Hero (AKA Hard Driver) (1973)
Based on Tom Wolfe's magazine article, this film follows the unlikely career of race car driver Junior Johnson. Jeff Bridges stars.
Actors: Jeff Bridges, Valerie Perrine, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Ned Beatty, Gary Busey
Directors: Lamont Johnson
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Language: English
Region: Region 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating: PG
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Run Time: 94 minutes
The Lively Set (1964)
The Wanderers (1979)
Tully High School seniors Richie, Joey and Perry run with a gang called the Wanderers in the Bronx. The time is fall 1963 but their experiences are universal: falling in love, surviving in school and defending turf against rivals like the Fordham Baldies, the Del Bombers and the Ducky Boys.
Actors: Ken Wahl, John Friedrich, Karen Allen, Toni Kalem, Alan Rosenberg
Directors: Philip Kaufman
Format: DVD
MOVIE Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Running Time: 117 min
The Wild Ride (1960)
Racing down a highway at a break-neck speed, Johnny, a wild teenager with plenty of dangerous attitude, plays a deadly game of "chicken" with a police officer. The policeman is killed, but the cops are unable to make any charges stick to the rebellious punk. Tough-as-nails gang leader, Johnny, is unfazed by the incident, and manages to keep a protective eye on his friend Dave. Meanwhile, beach parties, drag races and booze all mix for a formula that spells big trouble for Johnny and his band of troublemakers. When Johnny gets ideas about Dave's girlfriend, it results in a furious race down a winding highway on a collision course with tragedy. Jack Nicholson's portrayal of Johnny Varron in The Wild Ride (inspired by Marlon Brando's The Wild One) came early in his career, but still showed the kind of presence and power that would eventually make him a superstar. In time, Nicholson would hold the honor as the most Academy Award nominated actor in film history. B-movie producer and director Roger Corman gave Nicholson his first major acting opportunities, releasing such beat generation flicks as The Wild Ride (through his Filmgroup company) and cult classics The Terror, Little Shop Of Horrors and The Raven. Co-stars Robert Bean (Creature From The Haunted Sea) and Georgianna Carter (Night Of The Blood Beast) were also regulars from Corman's repertoire company.
Starring: Robert Bean, Georgianna Carter
Director: Harvey Berman
Run Time: 60 min.
Format: DVD MOVIE
Genre: Rating: Unrated
Thunder Road (1958)
The preeminent moonshine movie, the 1958 Thunder Road stars Robert Mitchum as a backwoods bootlegger in Tennessee, getting squeezed by both the federal government and organized crime. Transporting illegal alcohol over dark two-lane mountain highways Lucas Doolin (Robert Mitchum) races wildly through the night crashing road blocks and outrunning ambushes defying anyone who tries to stop him. A man has a right to do anything he says including making whiskey as long as he makes it on his own land. But when ruthless racketeers muscle in on Doolin s territory and kill one of his men in the process the Kentucky bootlegger declares war fiercely determined to maintain his hard-won business and independence...even if it costs him his life. Boasting breathtaking auto chase scenes (The Film Daily) and a superb performance from Robert Mitchum Thunder Road is breathtaking excitement the most exhilarating road thriller of them all.
Actors: Robert Mitchum, Gene Barry, Jacques Aubuchon, Keely Smith, Trevor Bardette
Directors: Arthur Ripley
Writers: Robert Mitchum, James Atlee Phillips, Walter Wise
Format: NTSC
Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
Subtitles: Spanish, French
Region: Region 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating: PG
Studio: United Artists
DVD Release Date: April 25, 2000
Run Time: 93 minutes
MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE
To Live And Die In L.A. (1985)
Secret Service agent Richard Chance will do anything--whether legal
or not--to nail the creep who murdered his partner. Then he gets
a lead on the killer...but the wily criminal is smooth enough to
keep eluding capture.
William Friedkin briefly revived his faltering career with this
sleek, bleak thriller of a pair of secret service agents on the
trail of a counterfeiter. William L. Peterson is the hotshot protg
of a career agent killed by the ruthless, almost feral counterfeiting
genius Willem Dafoe (Platoon). Now Petersen, teamed with the smart
but still green John Pankow (TV's Mad About You), is ready to twist
arms, lean on criminals, steal, and even murder to exact his revenge.
The harrowing chase through the streets of Los Angeles that climaxes
on the freeway at rush hour, where Friedkin's brilliant twist sends
them heading the wrong way, careening through a sea of cars coming
straight at them, is still one of the most breathtaking car chases
ever filmed. Friedkin's edgy crime thriller, stylishly shot in steely
blues against hazy red and orange skies by Robby Muller (Paris,
Texas), paints a very thin line between the good guys and the bad
guys, and Wang Chung's techno soundtrack sets the proper mood--jumpy
and alienated. It's a cynical and very brutal look into the world
of law enforcement (adapted by Friedkin and former Secret Service
man Gerald Petievich from his novel) and a cold portrayal of the
power games between cops and feds, and cops and informants. John
Turturro, Dean Stockwell, and Robert Downey Sr. are featured in
supporting roles.
Actors: William Petersen, Willem Dafoe, John Pankow, Debra Feuer, John Turturro
Directors: William Friedkin
Writers: William Friedkin, Gerald Petievich
Producers: Bud S. Smith, Irving H. Levin, Samuel Schulman
Format: AC-3, Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
Region: Region 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating:
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
DVD Release Date: December 2, 2003
Run Time: 116 minutes
Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE
Used Cars
Jack Warden is brilliant in a double role as two feuding brothers Luke and Roy L. Fuchs who own competing car lots and are trying to drive each other out of business. Rudy Russo (Kurt Russell) is Luke's ace salesman a charming and conniving cheat and liar who is merely in training for his true ambition - politics. In one of Rudy's most outrageous advertising ploys he hires a model (Penthouse Pet of the Year Cheryl Rixon) to strip on television and the all wind up in a crazy automobile stampede involving 200 vintage cars in a high-speed chase that becomes a free-for-all demolition derby.
Starring: Kurt Russell Gerrit Graham Deborah Harmon Frank McRae and Jack Warden.
Directed By: Robert Zemeckis. Running Time: 113 Min. Color. This film is presented in "Widescreen" format. Copyright 2002 Columbia TriStar. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: R
Vanishing Point
Kowalski, the hero of the story, works for a car delivery service. He takes delivery of a supercharged 1970 Dodge Challenger to take from Colorado to Frisco, California. Shortly after pickup, he takes a bet to get the car there in less than 15 hours. After a few run-ins with motorcycle cops and highway patrol they start a chase to bring him into custody. Along the way, Kowalski is guided by Supersoul - a blind DJ with a police radio scanner. Throw in lots of chase scenes, gay hitchhikers, a naked woman riding a motorbike, lots of Mopar and you've got a great cult hit from the early 70's.
1971 (1 DVD) [M] Color 98 minutes.
Viva Las Vegas (1964)
It's pretty tough to beat Jailhouse Rock in terms of sheer entertainment, but Elvis lovers are particularly fond of this 1964 hit. The Big E plays race-car driver Lucky Jackson, who arrives in Las Vegas for an upcoming Grand Prix race. Lucky's car needs a new engine, so he gets a waiter job at a casino and starts working his crooning charms on Rusty Martin (Ann-Margret). It's their on-screen chemistry that makes this flick a lot of fun; Presley never had a better costar than Ann-Margret, and their race-car romance is quintessential 1960s fluff. Then there are the songs, of course, including the snappy title tune, a rockin' rendition of Ray Charles's "What'd I Say?," and "The Yellow Rose of Texas." Viva Las Vegas is one of the Elvis movies that stands the test of time, when the legend was still at his peak. And if you're wondering if the King gets his car fixed in time to win the race, well, check out the movie to find out. - Jeff Shannon
Actors: Elvis Presley, Ann-Margret, Cesare Danova, William Demarest, Nicky Blair
Directors: George Sidney (II)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Language: English, French
Region: Region 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating:
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Release Date: August 1, 2000
Run Time: 86 minutes
White Lightning (1973)
Burt Reynolds is Gator McKlusky a moonshine runner who wages war against corrupt police officials in this two-fisted four-wheeling action extravaganza. With adrenaline-pumping car chases bone-crunching brawls and terrific acting by an all-star cast including Diane Ladd and Laura Dern White Lightning will give you the jolt of your life!Gator is serving time in the Arkansas prison when he learns that his brother has been murdered by ruthless Sheriff J.C. Connors (Ned Beatty). Swearing vengeance Gator agrees to go undercover to expose Connors going to any lengths to get the goods on the sheriff and make him pay for the crime... with his life.
Actors: Burt Reynolds, Jennifer Billingsley, Ned Beatty, Bo Hopkins, Matt Clark
Directors: Joseph Sargent
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
Region: Region 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating:
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
DVD Release Date: July 15, 2003
Run Time: 101 minutes MOVIE Genre: MYSTERY/SUSPENSE Rating: PG
The Wild One (1954)
This is the original motorcycle movie, starring Marlon Brando as
the brooding leader of a biker gang that invades a small town.
A gang of 40 motorcyclists the Black Rebels gatecrash a legitimate
motorcycle race. They are eventually thrown out but one of the gang
steals the first prize trophy and gives it to their leader Johnny.
The gang then rides into Wrightsville where they cruise up and down
the main street and pile into Bleekers - the local bar. The owner
of the bar the Sheriff is happy to let the bikers spend their money
so does nothing to break up any disturbances. Johnny falls for the
Sheriffs daughter and tries to impress her with the trophy. When
a rival gang ride into town trouble is just around the corner.
Actors: Marlon Brando, Mary Murphy, Robert Keith, Lee Marvin, Jay C. Flippen
Directors: Laslo Benedek
Writers: Ben Maddow, Frank Rooney, John Paxton
Producers: Stanley Kramer
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
Language: French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
Subtitles: English, French
Region: Region 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating:
Studio: Sony Pictures
DVD Release Date: November 10, 1998
Run Time: 79 minutes
MOVIE Genre: Drama Rating:
Winning (1969)
Paul Newman plays a racecar driver, Frank Capua, who steps out of his professional and personal isolation long enough to marry a single mother, Elora (Joanne Woodward). The two have a brief but happy life together with Elora's 13-year-old son, Charley (Richard Thomas), but it comes to an end when Frank goes back on the racing circuit and Elora assuages her loneliness in the arms of her husband's chief rival, Luther (Robert Wagner). Frank checks out, and Charley travels across the country to find him and effect a reconciliation. A touching movie (with some good racing footage) by director James Goldstone, Winning is about the real pain of people who have become used to a certain way of safe, arm's-length living, and who have to learn to get beyond it to find redemption in love and faith. Good performances by Newman, Woodward, and Thomas, who makes a terrific impression in one of his earliest roles.
Actors: Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Robert Wagner, Richard Thomas, David Sheiner
Director: James Goldstone
Rating PG
Running Time: 123 min.