Deadpan comedy, ‘The Cars That Ate Paris’, is a classic B-movie from 1974. The absurdist plot finds townsmen plotting car accidents on unsuspecting travelers after an economic downturn besieged the town of Paris, Australia. Scrap parts becomes the most lucrative business in Paris. Plotting against random drivers, the townsmen convert the local dirt road into a hellish path that heads straight into a ravine. Enter, a twist of horror. Following the crash, parts are scavenged and resold or repurposed.
‘The Cars that Ate Paris’ is a surreal sci-fi, horror-suspense that predates the scavenger economy of ‘Mad Max’. One of its unforgettable creations is a VW Bug covered in sharpened steel spikes.
Corvette Summer
In 1978, Warner Bros. studio billed its summer action-adventure comedy 'Corvette Summer', “a fiberglass romance.” And that’s exactly what it is. 'Corvette Summer' is fun and playful and revolves around a Stingray Corvette that is especially precious to one young man who is just finishing high school. The action lights up when the spicy red and flame-licked orange Corvette vanishes. Ken Dantley (Mark Hamill) and his classmates from auto shop poured their hearts into restoring the Corvette, and suddenly, one day, it is gone.
You can expect spectacular car chase scenes on par with those the 'Fast and the Furious' franchise created decades later. This movie is also extraordinary because it stars Mark Hamill right off the heels of Luke Skywalker in the epic 'Star Wars' trilogy. His co-star Annie Potts shines as Vanessa, a would-be prostitute who is thrown off track after meeting Ken. Watch it and see what happens!
Taxi
Reminiscent of 'Taste of Cherry', Jafar Panahi’s 'Taxi' (2015) is a docu-fiction film that takes place in Tehran. Due to political dissent, director Panahi has been banned from filming in Iran for twenty years. Undeterred, he has made three internationally acclaimed movies since then, and 'Taxi' is one of them. He produced, directed, wrote, and starred in the movie. He did everything, including music and cinematography.
Obviously, a taxicab features predominately. Panahi mounted a camera on the dash of his yellow cab and drove around the streets of Tehran transporting people to their destinations. Meanwhile, he is recording the conversations which are often touching and philosophical. As a political dissident, he’s well known, and the self-aware commentary serves as documentary of his exile from filmmaking.
Hell or High Water
'Hell or High Water' premiered at Cannes in 2016 and hit the big screen in August of that year. The film received four Oscar nominations. Movie studio Film 44 brought the neo-Western drama-suspense directed by Englishman David Mackenzie to theaters. 'Hell or High Water' stars Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Jeff Bridges, and Dale Dickey.
Critics loved it. Vulture magazine wrote, "Hell or High Water" is a rare humanist Western: Finality is the true villain.” A masterful score by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis leads the mood. It takes place in Texas, where a pair of bank-robbing brothers (Pine and Foster) stalk small-scale banks for quick cash. For a Western, it’s dialogue-heavy, and the commentary of its final scene outdoes any Western in the genre, according to Vulture. And, of course, there is a car in the picture. The brothers use a 1987 Chevy Camaro as their get-away vehicle. Plenty of other vintage cars co-star.
Need for Speed
'Need for Speed' is a 2014 movie based on a gaming franchise of the same name. If you’re a fan of the popular video game, this is your film. Directed by Scott Waugh and starring Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper, and Rami Malek, it’s a product of Disney Studios and DreamWorks. Michael Keaton makes an appearance, as does Dakota Johnson. Aaron Paul stars as Tobey.
The action-thriller is based on a street racing maverick named Tobey who gets thrown in jail for no reason. He knows the reason, he knows who framed him, and revenge themes take shotgun throughout the film. If watching hypercars race wildly in fast-action suspense is your kind of thing, 'Need for Speed' delivers. Featured is a Lamborghini Sesto Elemento, a McLaren P1, and a GTA Spano, to start. But can you believe a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport and a Koenigsegg also feature in the same flick?