Cult Movie

[BigH]

Wotcher Guys,
Apologies for my absence, zilcho spare PC time at the moment.
Talking about American muscle (great thread McIntyre, well done!), Vanishing Point is being shown on ITV this week. Tuesday night at 11:00.
If you haven't seen it, it's worth a can of light ale and a bag of crisps.
I hear that they're doing a remake using a TVR..
H

[Steve Pyro]

Good film (if a somewhat bizarre / futile ending) and a lovely Dodge Challenger.

One of the great original road movies.

[Andy Zarse]

Steve, you'll pardon me ignorance of such matters, but how does a Challenger (which I've never heard of) vary from a Dodge Charger? I only ask cos there was a slot on the Charger on TG last night.

[Steve Pyro]

A Dodge Challenger is a Plymouth Barracuda with a Dodge badge on (similar comparison to Firebird / Camaro).

Also to compound things, a Dodge Charger with a Plymouth badge on is a Plymouth Roadrunner.

Dodge Charger (as on TG)


Dodge Challenger


Both had similar engines, up to the 440 and 426 Hemi.  The Challenger / Barracuda was a smaller car and was also available as a (rare) convertible.

Personally, I'd have a Challenger / Barracuda given the choice.

[Matt Harper]

Hi Andy,
In Steve's absence, I'll take the liberty of replying...
The Charger was launched in 1964 and was based on the Coronet platform. It reached the peak of it's popularity and prowess with the 1968/69 model years (Dukes of Hazzard, coke-bottle model) and offered with 318, 340, 340 six-pak, 383, 383 Magnum, 440 Magnum, 440 six-pak and 426 hemi. By 72, it had got much bigger, heavier and less sporting - and lost the beautiful flying buttress rear roof line.
The Challenger was a new model launched in 1970 (a bit late) to answer the Muatang/Camaro ponycar battle. It's Evil Twin, the Plymouth Barracuda was the more popular and sporting varient, with shaker hood, bumble-bee stripes and garish colours. Came with similar engine options - the hemi-cuda is legendary and faster than a Ferrari Enzo over a standing quarter.
The Challenger was a more luxurious 'businessmans' sports coupe - had luxuries like carpet, 8-track and electric windows.
Challenger/'Cuda very nice cars and the most desireable of the Mopar muscle cars of the early 70's.
A 426ci hemi-Cuda sold for $375,000 at this years Barrett Jackson auction in AZ.

[Steve Pyro]

...and yes Matt, they're all lovely cars........and they'd whoop a Trev any day  

[gibberish]

Bleed*** he**!!!

It might be a badge different from something else, but H is right, it's a bloody good movie.

True Steve, the end is a little futile, but it somehow fits with the complete futitility of the film.  Futile that is, unless you like to see cars driven at speeds in excess of the starship enterprise.  I'm sure i've got this on video somewhere.  It's magic.  

Time for some Zarse exstencialism??  

[BigH]

Beat that pesky Mr Zarse at his own game:

http://www.elsewhere.org/cgi-bin/postmodern

Hours of fun, breaks the ice at parties.
H

[Andy Zarse]

H,

You're a genius! Did you read through right to the end? If so, you'd see they've got a Dada Engine! I want one and I want it now! It would immediately put an end to all the foolish debate on the TVR thread in one fell swoop. And I bet it would leak less oil than one of them hemi-blockhead things.
 
BTW did you know there's such a thing as "Birmingham Discourse Analysis"? Check with the Missus if you don't believe me.

[BigH]

Gadzooks!!

Birmingham Discourse Analysis!
-I usually have to go through one of those after a particulary hairy night out. This is often followed by a severe round of German Dishwasher Dialysis. Punctuated, inevitably, by a kipper-tie.

You probably picked it up on the postmodernism site Andy, but the beauty of it is, is that it's a different essay every time the site is accessed. I've just opened again to find a marvellous load of bollocks on the conceptual sexuality of Tarantino films.

Aaah, Ian Dury and the Hemiheads, God bless his soul, for he is now sitting on the palm of Gods right hand. Now, between you and me, I'm not sure why the Boss should have someone sitting on his hand, unless of course it's to make it numb, so it feels like, ....feels like, someone elses? Aaaarghh!! no!!! God NO!!
H

[gibberish]

Hmm!!!

Thread disaperaing into it's own hand    As usual!

[BigH]

Sorry Gibberish, old habits, chromosomes etc.
Without dwelling too long on the merits of The Holy Right Hand, I seem to remember watching Vanishing Point on TV as a youngster, I think it must have been on a late BBC2 slot.
As a whippersnapper, it seemed to me to have everything: fast cars, soul music, gratuitous nudity, lunatics, and some fantastic sideburns.
I appear to have developed an almost uncontrollable desire for women with limps as well. The more pronounced the better. I'm not sure why, but that sound of "clunk, drag, clunk, drag..." just sets me off into a frothing frenzy every time.
While we're on about cult movies, have any of you cycling types out there seen Belle Ville Rendezvous? Tread carefully.
H

[Fax]

As a footnote about the Cuda, it was campaigned in the old North American Trans-Am series (THE great muscle car racing series of all time) very succesfully by All American Racers with team founder Dan Gurney and the late, lamented Swede Savage doing the driving duties.  These cars always looked immaculate and sinister in their black AAR livery.
John

[BigH]

Hi Fax,
Any idea who did the driving in Vanishing Point? It sounds like it may have been the same era as the Trans Am Series.
H
Oh God, I've just remembered that a couple of weeks ago whilst seated in front of the TV I lost the use of both of my legs and had to sit, like a rabbit caught in the headlights, through Driven. Fortunately there were no rounds in the chambers. How did he get away with it??

[Fax]

Hi H,
Not sure who did the driving in Vanishing Point but good lord how did you sit through Driven for more than five minutes?  Jesus what a turkey of a movie.  Proves that Bernie is smarter than the average bear.  Stallone originally wanted to make a movie about F1 but apparently someone at the FIA actually read the script and they shot it down.
John