TOP FIVE FRIDAY WEEK 9(Feb 28) Favorite Racing Films So last week I did Sport Films leaving off Racing and Fighting as I merit that they’re worthy of their own category. Now I like to run, high endurance is some of the only exercise I truly advocate, but there’s various types of races between various forms of transport, track, and goal. Race against time type film don’t really count. RAD (1986) My 7th favourite film of all time. A defining 80s film. BMX paperboy races against the pros. Filmed in Alberta. This film made me not only want to learn how to ride a bike, but do cool tricks. Great soundtrack, it’s the ROCKY of race films. This film is just magic to me, it always makes me smile and I could quote it all day. I was very lucky to attend the 25th reunion and see this on the big screen. For years, this has been the #1 movie that fans have been demanding to come to DVD. BetaMax & VHS copies are still sought out, but you can view the movie on YOUTUBE. Ever frame of this film is just a great moment: The Bicycle Boogie to “Send Me An Angel”, Escaping from the Cop on his motorcycle at the lumber mill to “Get Strange”, “Thunder in your Heart”, “Break the Ice”, and finally the ending at Helltrack. At only 90mins the film goes by too quick that the only thing that make me happy to watch it again. “Ok dudes, let’s walk this sucker!” VANISHING POINT (1971) A cult classic that was introduced to me only a few years ago, but made an impression. Tarintino’s DEATH PROOF was a love note to this film, making references and even using the car. Lots of people consider this flick the ultimate car chase film. But as much as the car scenes rules, this film is about the character: Kowalski: the last American Hero to whom speed means freedom of the soul. The question is not when’s he gonna stop, but who is gonna stop him. He takes delivery of that white 1970 Dodge Challenger; to drive from Colorado to San Francisco, California. Shortly after pickup, he takes a bet to get the car there in less than 15 hours. He has the skills of an ex-cop & racer, plus the fact that he’s doing pills the whole time to keep him going. For him it all about to just keep on pushing forward. It makes a hell of a question as to why and what he decides to do at the end, is the best answer we can get. On a side note; The band Audioslave, their music video “Show me how to live”, which is a great song, is just the entire Vanishing Point movie. Yes they took all the scenes from the film, and summed it up and a few mintues as to what happen, oh they replaced Kowalski with the band of course, and you know what: it works. Listen to the lyrics of that song: it’s probably the best explanation of the character: sorta Frankenstein like. WITHOUT LIMITS (1998) True story of Steve Prefontaine. This film taught me that there was a lot more to running well after the fact that I discovered the joys of exercise. Maybe I didn’t exactly have a label as to what I liked particularly about running, and maybe this film put what I liked about running into context. I may have never been the fastest growing up, but I gave it my all. We all run. We run for life. Therefore I think you should run for all you’re worth. Pushing yourself, challenging the boundaries of your limitations, something we should all do. “Running, one might say, is basically an absurd past-time upon which to be exhausting ourselves. But if you can find meaning, in the kind of running you have to do to stay on this team, chances are you will be able to find meaning in another absurd past-time: Life.” If the real purpose of running isnt to win a race, but to test to the limits of the human heart, then I honestly believe I’m top competitor in that aspect, one that can’t be beat. This film taught me that. That’s why it’s here on the list. DAYS OF THUNDER (1990) Very Cool Race film. It’s an essential that everyone has probably seen. Stock car races with Tom Cruise. So why do I like it? I don’t know, maybe it’s the Mello Yellow Car, a very favorite drink of mine when I was younger. Very cool soundtrack. I love it when Cruise & Rooker are racing in the rental cars; giving the finger to eachother, then showing up together with the smashed up cars to the valet parking. Two competitors finally coming to terms with each other, “What do you think? Too close to call?...Yeah” Then there’s earlier in the film where he’s still learning to drive and his mentor is like, “I want to rush out and hit the pace car. Because you hit every other god damn thing out there, and I want you to be perfect!” I don’t know, people might see this as an average guy film, but there’s nothing wrong with that, it just works for what it is. RAT RACE (2001) Ok now for the black sheep of the list. My racing comedy. I thought the flick was hilarious. The more recent comedy from the vain of IT’S A MAD MAD MAD WORLD, GUMBALL RALLY, & CANNONBALL RUN. Simple formula that works, get a large assortment of characters have them race along a large distance for huge prize. Let high-jinks ensue. The film has it momments, the Hitler’s car scene made me cry out in laughter & John Cleese always is a riot. The Cody brother destroying the airport antenna. Put yourself in the situation you’re gonna do crazy things. As far as honorable mentions: DEATH RACE 2000, the original where running over pedestrians on the streets gave you bonus points- they couldn’t get away with that in the remake. MAD MAX 2: THE ROAD WARRIOR, another essential car film, but will show up in the apocalypse list I do later this year hopefully. RUN LOLA RUN, Great race against time film, three 20min situations where the character tries alternate ways to save her lover, you can do a lot in 20mins if you run your ass off! CRANK; now trying to keep your adrenalin up, that’s a tough race to do, and because of it, this film as zero slow points, it just goes! DRIVE; too cool a character and soundtrack, I love it, but sorry didn’t make the list, might need to age a few more years. GONE IN 60 SECONDS; I love the remake, true race fans love the original, I have both, Nicolas Cage rules and there are some great cars in it. SPEED; another film that just goes goes goes, bomb on bus, keep it above 50 mph. I really like the part where he suits up, lays down on the dolly and goes under the bus---while in motion, “THIS GUY IS NUTS!” love it. WORLD FASTEST INDIAN; great true story of a motocycle land speed record with Hopkins as the essentric old man just wanting to go fast. SCOOBY DOO AND THE RELUCTANT WEREWOLF, yes it’s a cartoon, but it sets a really get race: Shaggy is turned into a werewolf and has to win a race in Transylvania against Dracula, Witch, Mummy, Frankenstein, Ghosts, & Swamp Monsters all in their crazy monster themed cars, with spooky gadgets. This film was a part of growing up, so it deserves a shot out. NEXT WEEK Fight Films, Can’t decide to do Martial arts and other fight films separately or which one first. Tune in to find out!
Posted on: Sat, 01 Mar 2014 01:06:17 +0000
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