Thursday, July 9, 2015

Thursday Movie Picks: Road Trip Movies


Chances are you've loaded up the family or some friends in a car and taken a trip somewhere. If not, you've probably been one of those loaded up. Movies that depict road trips are the theme for this week's Thursday Movie Picks hosted by Wanderer at Wandering Through the Shelves. That's the weekly meme where she has us bloggers suggest a trio of movies to fit the topic she's selected. If you're not taking part, click over to her site an get on it. I need more suggestions from you guys. As for my own picks, it wouldn't be me if I didn't put my own twist on things. So here are some trips down the road less traveled.

Death Race 2000
(1975)
Forget about loading up the family, the people in this movie are in a no-holds barred cross-country race. By people, I mean a bunch of race car drivers and their sexy navigators of the opposite sex, ya know, for something to do on their overnight breaks. By no-holds barred, I mean...well, it's called Death Race 2000 for a reason.  Let's start with that number, 2000. It's set in the future...in the year 2000. You youngsters laugh, but back in 1975, when this was made, the year 2000 seemed like it was a really long way off, like 2000 years. Now for the wording. You don't win Death Race just by finishing first. The winner is determined by some combination of which place you finish and how many points you've accumulated along the way. How do you get points? That's easy, by running over and killing pedestrians. How many points you get depends on the type of person you hit. For instance, senior citizens earn you 100 points. Don't you go getting the wrong idea, though. This is no glum, post-apocalyptic nightmare. This is a satire/exploitation flick filled with both humor, both intentional and unintentional. It features David Carradine in a role that surely plays differently after his real-life death than it did in 1975 since he's often clad in leather from head to toe, mask included. It also features a pre-Rocky Sylvester Stallone over-acting his heart out. Yeah, it's so bad it's awesome!


The Bingo Long Traveling All-Star & Motor Kings
(1976)
This time, we're replacing the family with a baseball team and exchanging a 1970s movie set in the future for a 1970s movie set in the past. Bingo Long is a pitcher in the Negro National League and is the top drawer. People pack ballparks to see him play. When he doesn't get the raise he asks his team's owner for, he decides to strike out on his own. He rounds up a bunch of other players, also tired of management's nickel and diming, and forms his own barnstorming team. We travel with them from town to town in search of games to play. When they start to become a success and infringing on league territory, they have to deal with the shady characters they used to work for. The cast is headed up by Billy Dee Williams in the title role with James Earl Jones and Richard Pryor as key supporters. It's one of the more fun baseball movies you'll ever see.


The Warriors
(1979)
Still no family. Instead of racers or baseball players, we're hanging with a street gang. Rather than a 1970s movie about the future or the past, we're in the present...their present, of course. And we're doing the road trip thing in reverse. While the adventure happens on the way to some destination away from home in most road trip movies, this time all the fun takes place on the way home. And the guys don't even have their own mode of transportation. They're from Brooklyn, the famed Coney Island to be exact. They were invited, along with almost every other gang in New York City, to a big meeting in the Bronx put on by Cyrus, the leader of the biggest, baddest gang of them all. He wants to call for an all-out truce so that the gangs can unite and really take over the city. Can you dig it? He explains that this will work because there over 100,000 gang members and only 20,000 police officers. Can you dig it? Anyhoo, the gangs were asked to leave all weapons at home, but wouldn't ya know it, someone brought a gun and kills Cyrus. They don't just kill Cyrus, they blame the Warriors for it. Suddenly, our heroes have to fight their way back to Coney Island with every gang in the city after them. CAN YOUUUU DIGGG IIIIIIIT? I can. It's one of the Movies I Grew Up With.


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22 comments:

  1. Oh, The Warriors.... come out and play!!!!!

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  2. I haven't actually seen any of these. I've heard a lot about The Warriors (it kinda sounds like it should have an Escape From New York kind of vibe) and Death Race 2000 (though more the Paul W.S. Anderson remake). I don't think I've heard of this baseball movie you refer to.

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    1. The Warriors is just fun. The Death Race remake is dreadful. The original is goofy, fun, and isn't too far off in predicting our infatuation with reality TV. On a note that will please you, a couple of the drivers, who are characters, are females.

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  3. Great picks and a 70's flashback to boot! I've seen all three but none of them for quite some time. Bingo is my favorite of the trio and the Warriors is such a film of its time. Death Race 2000 isn't one I'd go running back to see but it might be time to revisit the other two.

    Like you I tried to find picks that are more obscure although my last one was a big hit at the time of release and is one of the best of the road trip genre I think. Here's my three:

    The Trip (2002)-The multi decade story of Alan and Tommy, soulmates that are drawn together and pulled apart by love, differing beliefs, fears, secrets and the machinations of others over the turbulent 70’s and 80’s. Low budget (some of the period wigs are beyond terrible), moving comedy/drama, with a better than average cast for something this small-one-time Bond girl Jill St. John is a hoot as Alan’s former showgirl mom, looks at the rise of the gay rights movement, the shame inflicted by Anita Bryant’s hate crusade and the beginnings of the AIDS crisis. The road trip in the film only comprises the final act of the picture but all that comes before is a lead up to that journey.

    The Daytrippers (1996)-A young suburban wife, Eliza (Hope Davis), discovers what seems to be a love note shortly after her husband Louis (Stanley Tucci) leaves for work one morning. Unsure what to do she turns to her mother (the recently departed Anne Meara) for advice who encourages her to drive into the city and get an explanation from her husband. So Eliza, both her parents, her sister and her sister's boyfriend (Parker Posey & Liev Schreiber) pile into the station wagon and hit the road to the city and so starts an odyssey as they travel from place to place trying to find him and discovering far more than they bargained for. Quirky and engaging.

    The Sure Thing (1985)-Walter “Gib” Gibson is a freshman at a Northern college whose sole desire over his Christmas break is to somehow get to his friend Lance’s college in L.A. where a “sure thing” awaits, a tan, blonde and very young Nicolette Sheridan. Short on cash he answers an ad to share the ride out West which is also being taken by Alison, a classmate who can’t stand him. Once they’re on the road many adventures and calamities come between him and his goal, among them show tune loving drivers, money troubles and unexpected feelings. Engaging comedy made a star out of John Cusack who is quite brilliant in the lead.

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    1. I haven't seen any of your picks. I've been meaning to see for a while. Haven't even heard of The Trip. Sounds cool, though.

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    2. Okay it's driving me crazy, which one have you been meaning to see for a while? You forgot to say which film it was in was in the sentence! Ach!

      I have a real soft spot for The Trip, for whatever reason I really connected with it when I saw it and went back innumerable times to see it in the theatre always taking someone new with me, and occasionally a few repeaters who fell for it like me. I have a framed poster from the film signed by the cast that my sister surprised me with the Christmas after the film came out hanging in my hallway by my front door.

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    3. The Daytrippers. Sorry 'bout that typo. Wow. that is a soft spot! Kudos to your sister for finding a gift you truly love.

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  4. LOL, and once again I've seen none of these...and why does that guy in that Warriors pic look like Heath Ledger?

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    1. He does! I've seen that movie at least 25 times and I never picked up on that. It is pure 70s fun, though.

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  5. I keep hearing that The Warriors is worth seeking out. I've seen none of these but I LOVE Richard Pryor and James Earl Jones so now I've gotta find that one somehow!

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    1. I love The Warriors so I would agree. As for Bingo, not sure if it's online anywhere, but I've seen the DVD in a number of cheapie bins in places like Wal-mart and Best Buy.

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  6. Every time I think of The Warriors I think of that stupid "Warriors come out to Plaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyy" line.

    Gah! lol (I haven't seen the first two, though I've heard of Death Race)

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    1. Iconic line, if you ask me. It's clearly memorable.

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  7. I love that car! I have heard of the first one only:) I would love to see the 2nd one because it looks like it would be hilarious especially since it was made in the 70's before everyone went politically correct. Billy Dee was so handsome...now what went wrong

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    1. All the cars in this movie are outrageous. I have a good time with Bingo Long. As for Billy Dee, well, age.

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  8. I've only seen Death Race 2000 out of your picks this week. I've gotta agree with you on it rightfully belonging in the "So bad that it's good" category. Oh and the remake WAS horrible. Adding The Warrior to my to-watch list.

    Mike's Cinema

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    1. Cool. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on The Warriors.

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  9. I'm hoping there will be a week where I can read your post and say 'OH, I've seen that one!', but until then, you just keep adding to my 'must watch' list, ha!
    - Allie

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  10. I'm ashamed to say, I've not seen any on the list! But my friend has been telling me to watch The Warriors for years! I think I better start listening.

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    1. No shame in that, but I will say you have a wise friend.

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