I thought I was the only one who remembers The Last Run! I’ll raise my hand for Death Race 2000 (1975). Don’t know if it fits this particular grouping, but it’s, y’know, badass.
Did you get Thelma & Louise vibes from Thunderbolt & Lightfoot?
I found Dirty Mary Crazy Larry pretty entertaining. Helicopter chase! Not a fan of Peter Fonda, but he was such an A-hole, I thought it worked pretty well.
I haven't seen THELMA in 30 years or something. I should re-watch! No doubt that Peter Fonda may not be "acting" that much in DIRTY MARY. Thanks for comment
This post inspired me to finish watching a VHS of "Magnum Force" I had hit pause on a few weeks ago.. Michael Cimino co-wrote the script for this one and the score is from Lalo Schiffrin. Eastwood's performance as Dirty Harry basically plays as a comedic fever dream 50 years later, and despite the initial cringe factor of watching a movie about killer cops in 2023 there proves to be some cinematic depth and nuance and a well-executed and satisfying car chase in the third act (even though it's an obvious Bullit rip-off) with real stunts. The score is fantastic. Also there is finally at least some realization that murder is wrong thank God.
Ready to watch Thunderbolt and Lightfoot now.. Thanks for the recs...!
at one point YEARS ago I had a cassette anthology of Shifrin Dirty Harry tracks including Magnum Force. Truly a great moment for film music. Thanks for comment!
I also as a kid saw "The Seven Ups" at that age when anything kinetic on screen was exciting and the rest of it I simply didn't understand. (I have the same memory regarding Hitchcock's "Family Plot" which includes a few moments of a car careening down a valley-edge highway, if I recall correctly). Recently re-watched "The French Connection" and that made me curious to also re-watch "The Seven Ups", especially because it was so easily available on the Criterion thingy. I felt the difference was pretty simple, though this was something I would only note as an adult. "The French Connection" is a kind of "populist" movie, with the grubby life of the detective (Gene Hackman, that is) constantly being contrasted with the fancy-pants life of the wealthy and refined French heroin exporter. Meanwhile, I would call "The Seven Ups" a pretty obviously "fascist" movie where the message very clearly is "criminals bad, and what they need is a good hard spanking" (on top of that the "bad guy" appears to wear eye shadow -- I mean, it appears that's part of his normal make-up, not that we see him applying the stuff in the movie -- and has a Farrah Fawcett blow-dry do; this is the usual fascist thing of saying the sexual deviants are taking over society from the normies). I found the famous car chase underwhelming too (one shot is clearly just repeated). The car chase in "The French Connection" is a lot more imaginative, I felt. I've never seen "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot", have to check that one out...
I am working on a reconditioned 1969 Camaro in Santa Fe New Mexico spearheaded by Cochitii artists and activists Diego Romero and Mateo Romero -- the finished work will use stylings associated with Cochiti pottery. Dan Bern and I checked up on the car -- Dan wrote a song about it. We debuted it live Sunday -- the song about the car -- with a string section featuring Mads Tolling - -who plays In the Wolfpack with Bob Weir and Don Was -- and Charith. The idea is that we will someday park the car in front of the DeYoung museum and Crocker Museum - -places where my parents' pueblo pottery collection is stored or displayed. Supposedly the owner of the La Fonda Hotel Jenny Kimball once rode in said car at speeds in excess of 100 mph. The preview in San Jose Metro mentioned the commission but their use of the term "New Mexico... need for speed" reminded me of "Breaking Bad" -- about a drug dealer, when really Paul Edward Weiss my father was a car dealer only.
I thought I was the only one who remembers The Last Run! I’ll raise my hand for Death Race 2000 (1975). Don’t know if it fits this particular grouping, but it’s, y’know, badass.
Hmm. Ok thanks for recommending!
Did you get Thelma & Louise vibes from Thunderbolt & Lightfoot?
I found Dirty Mary Crazy Larry pretty entertaining. Helicopter chase! Not a fan of Peter Fonda, but he was such an A-hole, I thought it worked pretty well.
right on.
I haven't seen THELMA in 30 years or something. I should re-watch! No doubt that Peter Fonda may not be "acting" that much in DIRTY MARY. Thanks for comment
This post inspired me to finish watching a VHS of "Magnum Force" I had hit pause on a few weeks ago.. Michael Cimino co-wrote the script for this one and the score is from Lalo Schiffrin. Eastwood's performance as Dirty Harry basically plays as a comedic fever dream 50 years later, and despite the initial cringe factor of watching a movie about killer cops in 2023 there proves to be some cinematic depth and nuance and a well-executed and satisfying car chase in the third act (even though it's an obvious Bullit rip-off) with real stunts. The score is fantastic. Also there is finally at least some realization that murder is wrong thank God.
Ready to watch Thunderbolt and Lightfoot now.. Thanks for the recs...!
at one point YEARS ago I had a cassette anthology of Shifrin Dirty Harry tracks including Magnum Force. Truly a great moment for film music. Thanks for comment!
I thought the Tati was an odd inclusion in this set. Since you're new to him I highly recommend Mr. Hulot's Holiday. Great offbeat physical comedy.
nice
I also as a kid saw "The Seven Ups" at that age when anything kinetic on screen was exciting and the rest of it I simply didn't understand. (I have the same memory regarding Hitchcock's "Family Plot" which includes a few moments of a car careening down a valley-edge highway, if I recall correctly). Recently re-watched "The French Connection" and that made me curious to also re-watch "The Seven Ups", especially because it was so easily available on the Criterion thingy. I felt the difference was pretty simple, though this was something I would only note as an adult. "The French Connection" is a kind of "populist" movie, with the grubby life of the detective (Gene Hackman, that is) constantly being contrasted with the fancy-pants life of the wealthy and refined French heroin exporter. Meanwhile, I would call "The Seven Ups" a pretty obviously "fascist" movie where the message very clearly is "criminals bad, and what they need is a good hard spanking" (on top of that the "bad guy" appears to wear eye shadow -- I mean, it appears that's part of his normal make-up, not that we see him applying the stuff in the movie -- and has a Farrah Fawcett blow-dry do; this is the usual fascist thing of saying the sexual deviants are taking over society from the normies). I found the famous car chase underwhelming too (one shot is clearly just repeated). The car chase in "The French Connection" is a lot more imaginative, I felt. I've never seen "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot", have to check that one out...
interesting comment, thanks!
Happy to welcome a new member to the Thunderbolt and Lightfoot fan club!
yes indeed! Brilliant movie! Hi Rosemarie!
I am working on a reconditioned 1969 Camaro in Santa Fe New Mexico spearheaded by Cochitii artists and activists Diego Romero and Mateo Romero -- the finished work will use stylings associated with Cochiti pottery. Dan Bern and I checked up on the car -- Dan wrote a song about it. We debuted it live Sunday -- the song about the car -- with a string section featuring Mads Tolling - -who plays In the Wolfpack with Bob Weir and Don Was -- and Charith. The idea is that we will someday park the car in front of the DeYoung museum and Crocker Museum - -places where my parents' pueblo pottery collection is stored or displayed. Supposedly the owner of the La Fonda Hotel Jenny Kimball once rode in said car at speeds in excess of 100 mph. The preview in San Jose Metro mentioned the commission but their use of the term "New Mexico... need for speed" reminded me of "Breaking Bad" -- about a drug dealer, when really Paul Edward Weiss my father was a car dealer only.
right on