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Hello and welcome back to Thursday Movie Picks, the weekly series hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves where you share three movies to fit the theme of the week each Thursday.
If I think about cars and racing there's a film that immediately pops up into my mind. But I'm saving that one for later. Also, it is so good it'd be a sin to put it right next to two inferior movies, so you're stuck with these three.
Cars (2006)
Cocky racecar Lighting McQueen destroys lots of the belongings of the inhabitants of Radiator Springs, and his sentenced to community service to make up for what he did. This one was nice (the second not so much) and it did a pretty good job highlighting the meaning of friendship and family.
Herbie Fully Loaded (2005)
After her dad gets her an old Volkswagen Bug, college graduate Maggie fixes the car and becomes a NASCAR competitor. I used to love Lindsay Lohan and this was one of my favourites movies from her. It was fun, but I haven't seen it in ages and I'm sure now I'd only be able to point out the flaws of the film.
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)
To avoid jail, Sean moves to his father's in Tokyo, where he discovers the dangerous way of street racing in the underworld of the city. My favourite of the series (not the best one though) because of the setting and the driving. Man, I still wish I knew how to drift.
I haven't seen any of these. I actually don't have a desire to...sacrilege! I do like the original Love Bug though:)
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen it but I'll watch it, sooner or later.
DeleteI used to be a fan of Lohan's too. I wasn't crazy about Herbie but I watched it for her.
ReplyDeleteI also watched it for her :)
DeleteWatched all of these movies! Don't really like Cars and Herbie (though I liked Lohan with freckles there). It's quite surprising you picked Tokyo Drift among Fast & Furious franchise. The setting is slick, though!
ReplyDeleteWhat can I say, I just love Tokyo Drift. I've seen it so many times I almost know all the dialogue by heart. I know, it's not okay.
DeleteLindsay Lohan was really talented when she was young (Mean Girls, Freaky Friday)...shame she kinda went of the rails/
ReplyDeleteI know, that's such a shame :(
DeleteI've only seen Herbie which was okay as was Lohan but my heart belongs to the original Love Bug. I'm not an animation fan and Cars struck me as completely risible though I've seen it pop up in a couple of places so it must just be me. The first Fast and Furious was more than enough for me and I've willfully ignore the endless editions since.
ReplyDeleteNot much of a race or fancy car fan but I've seen enough that I was able to come up with some obscure picks, LOVE my second choice actually but then it's a light all-star comedy so easy to like.
Winning (1969)-Frank Capua’s (Paul Newman) dream is to win the Indy 500 and he is spurred on by his messy private life including a troubled marriage to Elora (Joanne Woodward) who is also involved with his main rival Luther Erding (Robert Wagner). The film inspired Newman’s lifelong love of racing and has some exciting scenes of the sport. While it doesn’t deliver on its ambitious tagline “WINNING is for men who live dangerously! WINNING is for women who love recklessly! WINNING is for young people who live for now! WINNING...is for everybody!” it’s a decent film with many of the stars of the racing circuit making appearances.
The Great Race (1965)-At the beginning of the 1900’s The Great Leslie (an all in white clad Tony Curtis) and his arch nemesis Professor Fate (Jack Lemmon equally black covered with a handlebar moustache and top hat to boot) compete in the title race from New York to Paris with henchmen in tow, Hezekiah (Keenan Wynn) for Curtis and Max (a hilarious Peter Falk) for Lemmon. Also competing and covering the race for The Sentinel newspaper is pioneering and rambunctious reporter Maggie DuBois (Natalie Wood at her most beautiful). MANY complications occur along the way including a western town brawl and shootout and an enormous pie fight. Blake Edwards directed tribute to slapstick and old time serials is zany fun with beautiful costume & set design, a game cast and for car lovers fantastic automobiles. The score was provided by Henry Mancini and includes the Oscar nominated “The Sweetheart Tree”.
The Big Wheel (1949)-Watch out Mickey Rooney’s on the skids in more ways than one! Billy Coy (Rooney) has something to prove, his father was a legend in the midget race car game until his death in a crackup, now Billy is trying to show his worth. The story is standard cocky hothead knocked down a few pegs until his learns the necessary life lessons junk but if you're a race fan and don't mind the obvious rear projection shots it has a certain entertainment value. Additionally parts were filmed at the Indy 500 raceway providing a glimpse of it in its infancy. Aside from Rooney there’s a good cast including Spring Byington, Thomas Mitchell and in a small part Hattie McDaniel in her last theatrical feature. This was made just as the Mick’s major star period was ending.
80’s Flashback Bonus-Catch Me If You Can (1989)-When her small Midwest high school faces closure class president Melissa Hanson (Loryn Locklin) is persuaded by school bad boy Dylan Malone (Matt Lattanzi) to gamble on the illegal car races he runs. Everything goes well at first but then the local mob moves in so Melissa and Dylan take drastic measures to save ol’ Cathedral High! Full of 80’s music (the film’s score is composed and performed by Tangerine Dream) 80’s fashion and of course 80’s hair complete with headbands!
I haven't seen any of these but The Great Race sounds great.
DeleteI've seen all three of these, but can't say I'm a fan of any of them. The drifting in Tokyo Drift is amazing, but that's easily my least favorite of the series.
ReplyDeleteI seriously had no idea people hated Cars so much! As for Tokyo Drift, I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who loves it.
DeleteI know what you mean about the Herbie thing. I look back at old movies I loved and oh boy was living in a rose tinited world. But i suppose its more about nostalgia than thinking the movies are good.
ReplyDeleteYes, I guess that's what it is. Well, I want it to be nostalgia because it'd be pretty embarrassing to like those movies.
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