Why cant Hollywood make a good car movie?

[the68project]

Hello, I'm kind of green to the posting thing, but I've been reading and learning a while and still trying to piece together my old Camaro.

For some reason, I just wanted to see who all is with me in wanting a decent accurate car movie with some good real exhaust notes, accurate handling, and realistic performance. My wife just laughs at me when I get grouchy about inaccurate things people say and do in movies. What got me started ranting about it was...

We were watching the Transformers movie the other night, and when the yellow Camaro quits on the kid, the girl jumps out, pops the hood and says something intelligent like "wow, a high rise double pump carb" while the engine bay showed a fuel injection set up.

Anyone care to help me think up some more? Here's a few that stand out in my mind. (yes, i realize these are fiction but c'mon)

Fast and the Furious - Nitrous Oxide being the end all be all of blurred vision instantaneos speed.
Gone in 60 Seconds -not too bad until.. launching Eleanor the Mustang to get away from 500 cops
Dukes of Hazzard - Jumping just about everything and landing it
Knight Rider - Watched 30 seconds of a scene on YouTube and realized it was completely terrible.
Almost any movie - people can't take off from a stop without chirping a tire.

[Jim Nilsen]

People mostly have no sense of reality much less any sense.
If it is not unreal it doesn't have anything for our blurred imagination to connect to. You ever heard someone say " that's totally unreal man!" and it was not in the way it is meant. Unreal is what is cool to people these days.

You want reality. Look at reality shows. Most suck because most reality isn't entertainment.

Car shows work for us when they are real, when they are drama we all get sick of it right away. A few shows come to mind when I say that to you?

Chop Cut Rebuild,My Classic Car, Dream Car Garage, Hotrod TV, Trucks, etc. are all reality that shows you what you dream about. But we are car guy's with an imagination.

Most people these days are so bored with their imaginations and expect to be entertained by someone else. They rely on it to a point that they get depressed when someone isn't manipulating their every thought. If you tell them they are mindless and manipulated they get angry. It's a wonder they even have that emotion left to their imagination. How would they know what to be angry about in reality. They do nothing for themselves most of the time that they are not told what to do by a commercial ,a doctor, a boss, the government and their kids. It really makes me wonder when kids run the house and not the parents?

So you are not alone .I am right there with you. We are both probably in the garage too much for others to understand with their limited imaginations.

You can't fix stupid and that is most of America these days.

I wish I could cheer you up , but maybe I did by letting you know that you are not alone !

[the68project]

Thanks for the backup!

Its mostly humorous to me how skewed they can make things and how many misconceptions they can portray. I think I was just venting because especially in a movie/show thats not supposed to be unrealistic, I get "THE LOOK" from my wife when I say "that would never happen like that". I think a lot of people's misconceptions about a lot of things are based on hollywood's take.

I forget about the reality shows since we don't have cable or satellite. I do wish I had the Speed channel. I'm really hoping to get to see some of this Ultimate Street Car Challenge. That sounds like it would make some fine entertainment!

[jst8a5.0]

Fast and furious Tokyo Drift was better than the rest as far as reality goes. Minimal CG. But honestly, in the first F+F where the supra vs Charger race happened, it would have been nice if they modeled the hero car off a real car or built one that could have really pulled the wheels on the street. We don't need a pole vaulting charger. I am with you guys on this. Enough explosions and musclecar destruction with an oh well attitude afterward. Lets see some real footage but with better angles than your typical streetfire vid.

Jim Nilsen is right about people's imagination. It just sucks because real car guys have that imagination, just look at the project updates. We are the ones that want these movies, it's just a shame they are not catered to us. Let's look at the first F+F:
1 I went hunting and won my first street race bet that night to a modded WRX pushing 20 lbs.
2 How many ricers came out of the wood work after that movie in addition to what was out there. I mean REAL rice. There are websites dedicated to pointing it out.
3 The word ALL true car guys HATE "noss" in reference to N.O.S.

I actually kicked a customers friend out of my shop for using that word. Hollywood is not your father!

[Young Gun]

they are mutually exclusive, plain and simple haha

[novanutcase]

Jim hit the nail on the head!

I would like to add one thing. Hollywood is in the business of entertaining people. That means exaggerating something normal to peak their interest. Us gearheads get all wet seeing a twin screw blower because we know what it can do and the feeling you get inside the car. Most people have no idea and to try and get that feeling through film alone would be next to impossible so the next best thing is to exaggerate it to that point so that anyone can feel that same feeling even though the actual experience isn't the same.

John

[65 347]

Guys your not alone, some of the other unreal things are tires squeeling when they are on dirt or gravel or hearing a deep v-8 growl when it's 4cyl Cavalier.

[V8TV]

I have not seen it yet, but I did meet the man behind it, and he's a total gear head. Let's hope "Clutch" is a film we all dig.

http://clutchthemovie.com/

[72 RS/SS]

Another pet peive I have is when a car is shown racing through the streets banging gears but in other scenes it's clearly an automatic. I hate to see a car do a jump, knock off the bumper or fold the fenders and in the next scene no damage...does anyone not notice this? Do they think we are all idiots and won't be able to tell?:willy:
I really prefer the older chase scenes in movies like Bullet, French Connection, Blues Brothers and the original version of Gone In 60 seconds. It seems todays movie makers can't do anything anymore without CGI. Some of it's cool but most is over the top and completely ruins it for me. Don't get me started...

[jst8a5.0]

oh yeah, there is another movie supposed to come out too. It's called cruise night or something to that effect. There was a booth at SEMA that had the cruise night stickers and they looked out of place so I asked about the stickers. That's when he told me it was a movie they were doing. So keep our hopes up. There may be at least 2 good movies coming out. Oh yeah and F+F 4 will be out in summer '09.;)

[DRJDVM's '69]

The car movies are alot like all the rest of the movies and TV..... 99% of the people watching have no clue about the details..

When I watch medical shows like House or ER or Greys Anatomy, I always scream at the TV .... 99% of the medicine on those shows is complete bull****!!! It doesnt work like that !!! It drives my wife crazy....

I have a friend that is a lawyer....he cant stand to watch Law and Order and all the other "law" based shows... same thing....99% of how things go on those shows is totally unrealistic....but for me they are entertaining....

[OOCustoms]

Id have to say just about every real car guy or girl that knows anything about cars gets irritated at these movies. dont get me wrong i LOVE transformers but when i saw that beautiful injected motor i voiced my opinion to my tv set as well! tho megan fox helped calm me down pretty quick! the only thing that set it straight in the end was when it transferred to the 2010 camaro. You would think with all the people used in movies, they could get some of those details right. I mean who was there to tell them the line they used in the first place? im sure there were some GM exec's there to tell them what it had. now as for other movies, i stopped watching transporter movies all together because of how fake transporter 2 was. the cgi was the worst too! As for the dukes, well we had two gorgeous girls to take or mind off the fact they destroyed hundreds of 69 dodge chargers. see regardless of how bad the car stuff is they do have a way of distracting us back to the movie through girls....and to think they are most likely fake in one way or another too. damn!

All in all we can only hope hollywood will slowly get better through more amateur directors or more true car guys getting into the system.

ill say one thing though. least with movies people know they are movies. because when it comes to reality shows like boyd coddington and OCC. those shows make me sick!!! those shows truly give professional builders bad reps i think. i know nothings perfect but the stuff they show is rediculous. boyd was a great hot rod builder but he ruined himself in my book by doing that show. For OCC, me and my dad go round and round like that but i would NEVER air my laundry out like that! but then again its what makes all those non car nuts love those shows. How bout some more shows like overhaulin with some downright good car building!

i will keep my fingers crossed for that movie CLUTCH. i like the cars in the trailer and yet again the girls arent to bad either!:thumbsup:

[69MyWay]

Believe it or not, that was part of the inspiration for writing my book:

www.thekeytomyheart.net

I had become fed up just like you (had just seen the remake of Gone in 60...) and started thinking of some way to not only make a car realistic in a story...but to also not get so detailed that the non-car people wouldn't tune it out. I despised the 300 yard jump at the end of that movie...after being fairly well satistfied of all the "abilities" the different cars excersised until that momement. I get frustrated with not only the inaccurate verbage, but the inaccurate portrial of their abilities - flying in the air - riding on two wheels...etc.....

I think I came real close in this story to a 800 hp (with Nitrous) big blog Vette...and other exotic cars that wrap around an otherwise emotional story.

Now...need to find some movie guys out there to turn this into a movie and we'd all have something to watch! :lateral:

[stylEmon]

There are TONS of lines like that "carb" line from Transformers... do you really think a GM Exec would be able to give them any help in the tech department??!?!?

In the first F&F, when the little brain-iac looks at Paul Walkers eclipse, he says it has piggy back fuel controller AND a full standalone ECU...

That had me rolling on the ground!!

Not to mention, the 3rd Gen RX-7 that Vin drives... For one, it sounded like an indy car, not a rotary.

Then they showed a fly-thru animation through the combustion chamber and it was a 3-Rotor!!!

AND the rotors where spinning backwards...

At first, I respected them for at least trying. But seeing the effect it's had on so many kids is disgusting.

[V8TV]

Hell, even Springsteen screws up... the "396 with fuelie heads.."

[the68project]

Glad a lot of folks are with me on this. I had my wife watch the chase scene from Bullitt yesterday and she cracked up when the the Mustang and the Charger were flopping down the San Francisco hills and screeching around. She then says, "thats not how your Camaro is going to ride, is it?" :_paranoid

I'll probably keep watching movies, but I think next time we're watching a movie and the unthinkable is said or done, I'll hop up and have a good laugh while I'm adding it to this list.

In the mean time, noone spray too much of that "NAWSSSS" stuff.

[jst8a5.0]

OK, I'll say it first. I am down as an actor/stunt driver in 69myway's movie. I get dibs on my choice of car!

[Scotch]

It's tough to focus on cars and carry enough story to be popular.

American Graffitti pulled it off. So did World's Fastest Indian (with a motorcycle). It can be done, but it takes a great story, good tech input, and a director who "gets it."

Few do, but it IS possible.

[98ssnova]

Guys these are movies and most people don't want to see cars doing normal driving or "realistic driving" scenes they want tire shredding, smoke belowing, motor revving from light to light this is what sells these movies. Trust me it pisses me off to and the F+F series is what it is but the "ricers" go crazy after these movies come out and act like total idiots. I wish that these guys would have more respect for themselves and so some class instead of how big their exhaust is. Sorry rant off:D

[Jim Nilsen]

Heart like Wheel, I think that is the name?

The story about shirley Mulldowney is a good movie.
Grand Prix is one of my favorites too.

I think when it was said that it takes a good story and a good director who gets it !!!! A good movie or show can happen.

The Rockford Files had a plain jane Firebird that always impressed me for what it could do, mainly survive the punishment:lol:

[shiro666]

I have tried to see the best stuff out there for car movies. Only a few recent ones:

Highwaymen: Starring Jim "Jesus" Cavezil. More of a suspense movie, but great car stuff.

Vanishing Point: THE BEST CAR MOVIE EVER. Brings more glory to white RT Challanger's then anything I could imagine. Great plot and acting. The remake from the 90's is awful.

The Driver: Classic chase movie from the 70's.

Dirty Mary Crazy Larry: Non stop car excitement. Peter Fonda in his prime.

Fast Company: Tough to find, but great Funnycar movie. Highly Dubious, but you will enjoy.

Fast and the Furious: "He was in my face!" "well now i'm in your face!" Just kidding that was awful.

Go get 'em from netflix and you will be happy. Your wife/girlfriend/pet will look at you strangely for yelling at the tv.


-Nick

[svp]

I agree with you guys as well.....I am often commenting or yelling at the screen. I hated boyd's show...especially when they had a full quarter panel and cut it in half seeming it straight up over the wheel...I mean, come on! Also that Wrecks to Riches show....so many things to pick apart....like when they did the Marauder...painted the car and then AFTER paint they steam clean it to clean up the dirt and grease! Monster Garage with all the "FREEBIE" commentary. I did like Overhaulin......in the end though I have found that many people now seem to think that all shops can build an entire car in 7 days....they fail to realize the behind the scenes support and sheer number of people they used. No common sense among many today.

Dukes of Hazzard with the tire squealing on dirt constantly.

I have corrected more kids than I can remember about using the word "NAWS"

I hate what the 2nd Gone in 60 seconds has done....nearly everyone now looks at a 67 Shelby and calls it an "Eleanor" and I have yelled at a couple of people who looked at my '67 in the corner of the shop and said "Are you going to build an Eleanor?" The color combo and the wheels are what made that car....I can't stand the skateboard ramp hood bulge and the faux fuel door on the side of the car.

Knight Rider....I can't see how ANYONE thinks this is a good show....I saw 30 minutes of the first episode and that is 30 minutes of my life I will never get back!

Anyone remember the Auto Fix it show called "Shade Tree Mechanic"....I always found it funny that despite the name of the show they always had the latest and greatest in gadgets and $30K worth of tools and tool box in the corner. Finally they changed the name but if you are going to call a show "Shade Tree mechanic" then you better have an oak tree in the back yard with a chain fall on it!

As for the part that reality isn't interesting....I disagree or maybe I am the only one that feels this way but watching vintage Trans Am Racing is enjoyable to me....that is real and not some CGI exaggerated stuff.

There can be movies made that entertain but have realistic values with the cars and actions....unfortunately I suspect that many of these that make the films just have no credible technical advisers or maybe no desire at all to have such.

[Orng Crsh]

Does anyone remember a movie from the 80s entitled "King of the Hill?" Granted it's been 20 years since I've seen it, but, as I recall, it had some pretty good car scenes. Harry Hamlin played a mechanic who worked at a Porsche shop owned by Dan "Grizzly Adams" Haggerty. On the weekends, Hamlin would race people down Mulholland in his modified Porsche spyder. The climax was when he raced Dennis Hopper at the end in a primered mid-sixties Vette. Hopper had a stopwatch taped to his rearview mirror. As I recall the racing action was filmed pretty well.

[rwhite692]

The most hilarious thing I have seen in a car movie is that scene in "Fast and the Furious" where the black charger is supposed to be doing a wheelstand with rear tires spinning, smoke pouring out the wheelwells at the same time...The producers needed a little help to overcome the laws of physics, LOL....



http://inlinethumb09.webshots.com/42120/2043432160011691741S500x500Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb45.webshots.com/41836/2792054460011691741S500x500Q85.jpg

[countryboy]

I'm with you fellers,(oops aint that a movie quote). I just got the original gone in 60 sec, loved it. I wanted to go off on them at the theater when i watched f&f 2 at that jump scene. Had a buddy and the ole lady with me trying to calm me down. I felt sorry for them! lol

hey V8TV hows your deal going, seen you at the frog follies and lookin for an update.

BTW I sell nitrous and when that noss crap started it was a nightmare. I just wanted to strangle those morons. And they thought it went on everything from hondas to geos!:lolhit:

[jst8a5.0]

Who wants a part in a Lat-g movie? I already called the position for studly actor that does all his own stunts.:lol:

[terryr]

The Transformers? You say it has inaccurate car lingo? A show about cars that turn into giant robots? Most of the ones you mention are kids shows.

Ronin, Bullitt, Mad Max, Road Warrior, American Graffiti. And the Blues Brothers too. Some crazy stuff there, but hey, "they're on a mission from God".

[Rob07002]

We were watching the Transformers movie the other night, and when the yellow Camaro quits on the kid, the girl jumps out, pops the hood and says something intelligent like "wow, a high rise double pump carb" while the engine bay showed a fuel injection set up.

Let's just get something straight right now... Megan Fox can say whatever she wants:unibrow:

[Bandit Ls-1]

this is because no one in hollwood that writes this stuff has ever actually gotten dirty turning wrenches on a car in their lives.

but i must say transformers was a very very good movie, and in defense when the chick pops the hood to fix it and explains what parts r on the motor the real motor that was in the car actually has a high rise with a double pumper not that fancy individual throttle body set up and the smoothed out firewall so im sure they added that after just to make the car apear kooler.

[s10kool]

Well lets start a good car movie collection list::cheers:

Vanishing Point
Bullit
Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry
Gone in 60 Seconds
Two Lane Black Top
American Graffiti
Blues Brothers
Road Warrior
Ronin
King of the Hill
Corvette Summer
Fast Company
The Driver
Highwayman
French Connection
Rockford Files
Heart like Wheel
Grand Prix
Shirley Muldowney Story
Bourne Identity and seq.
F&F Tokyo

[TonyL]

Guys these are movies and most people don't want to see cars doing normal driving or "realistic driving" scenes they want tire shredding, smoke belowing, motor revving from light to light this is what sells these movies. Trust me it pisses me off to and the F+F series is what it is but the "ricers" go crazy after these movies come out and act like total idiots. I wish that these guys would have more respect for themselves and so some class instead of how big their exhaust is. Sorry rant off:D


Uh. that model Rx7 *did* have a three rotor wankle.

[andrewmp6]

The first gone in 60 sec was great two lane black top was great too.My science project,lone wolf mcquade and mad max had a part where they turned the blower on.Death proof is the only newer car movie i seen i liked and was more real then rest.

[deuce_454]

Well lets start a good car movie collection list::cheers:

Vanishing Point
Bullit
Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry
Gone in 60 Seconds
Two Lane Black Top
American Graffiti
Blues Brothers
Road Warrior
Ronin
King of the Hill
Corvette Summer
Fast Company
The Driver
Highwayman
French Connection
Rockford Files
Heart like Wheel
Grand Prix
Shirley Muldowney Story
Bourne Identity and seq.
F&F Tokyo

x2 nice list.... the french movie "le mans" isnt bad either.. and "driven" is watchable.. and "CARS" :unibrow: