QOTD: Big Screen Wheels?

by Matthew Guy

Published: April 4th, 2017

Any gearhead with a pulse and an internet connection knows the eighth (yes, eighth) installation of the never-ending Fast & Furious franchise is set to be foisted upon us next Friday. Fun challenge: sneak a fifth of Smirnoff into the theatre and down a shot every time someone says the word “family.” Please make sure to take a cab home.

Nevertheless, here’s an easy question not asked to date in this QOTD series: what’s your favorite car movie?

There’s no shortage of them, to be sure. Hollywood produced racing flicks ranging from Days of Thunder — deploying in-race footage and an entertaining, loosely grounded plot — to the flaming dumpster fire that was Sly Stallone’s Driven. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Ron Howard’s film Rush did a splendid job of depicting the rivalry between F1 stars James Hunt and Niki Lauda during the 1976 Formula One season, a time when the cars were little more than rolling coffins filled with gasoline.

The British documentary about Ayrton Senna, depicting his life and death, relies mostly on archival footage and not-oft-seen home video clips provided by the Senna family. Absent of formal commentary, the biopic allows the viewer to immerse themselves in the Brazilian driver’s tumultuous F1 career. It very nearly shows as a live-action drama and not a posthumous tribute.

Kids movies count too: Cars is a movie that, even as an adult, I won’t turn off if it happens to be on the screen when I walk into a room. (Only the first Cars movie, though; the abomination that was Cars 2 gets zapped off our television quicker than Jimmie Johnson racks up championships). Decidedly non-kid movies like the new Mad Max and The Car are suitable fodder for poker night out in the garage. While some movies have great car chase scenes (Ronin springs to mind), they’re not strictly car flicks but still check the boxes for a suitably octane-charged night at the movies.

For your choice, make sure to stick with celluloid featuring enough car action to make your popcorn taste like 10W-30.

#Film #QOTD #QuestionOfTheDay #TTACAtTheMovies

Matthew Guy

Matthew buys, sells, fixes, & races cars. As a human index of auto & auction knowledge, he is fond of making money and offering loud opinions.

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David C. Holzman on Apr 05, 2017

Not a car movie, but Bridge of Spies had a chase scene with a Volvo p1800, and a '57 Chevy, which conveyed Francis Gary Powers over the bridge back to freedom close to the end of the movie

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JamesGarfield on Apr 14, 2017

One word: GETAWAY OK, more words: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2167202/ "Former race car driver Brent Magna is pitted against the clock as he commandeers a custom Shelby Super Snake Mustang, taking it and its unwitting owner on a high-speed adventure at the command of a mysterious villain on a race against time to save the life of his kidnapped wife." A-W-ESome.

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