F1: THE MOVIE is Fast, Flashy & Familiar

F1: THE MOVIE (Blu-ray)

2025 / 155 min

Warner Bros

#InPartnershipwithWB

Review by Stinky the Destroyer😺

Historically speaking, motorsports haven’t often been given a fair shake in movies, at least in terms of plausibility. Not that there haven’t been some great ones. 1971’s Le Mans was a remarkably realistic depiction of the famous 24 hour race (and you can’t go wrong with Steve McQueen behind the wheel). Despite its soap opera trappings, 1966’s Grand Prix boasts immersive racing sequences that still hold up well today. In balancing action and off-track drama, 2019’s Ford v. Ferrari might be the best one ever made.

But most are to auto racing what Star Wars is to space travel. More often than not, they’re testosterone-driven cartoons anchored by destruction, special effects and rock music. And when not on the track, there’s a soul searching protagonist with something to prove. That ain’t necessarily a deal breaker, since most moviegoers are probably not particularly concerned over a racing movie’s authenticity. After all, Days of Thunder was more Top Gun than Grand Prix, but still a lot of fun.

So to call F1: The Movie this century’s Days of Thunder isn’t intended as total criticism. And comparatively speaking, the racing action in this one makes Tom Cruise’s laps around Daytona look like Talladega Nights. Not only do these sequences feel fast, that’s really Brad Pitt & Damson Idris behind the wheels of those cars and we’re vicariously in the cockpits with them. There’s a greater emphasis on pure speed than crashes & mayhem, and most of it looks like it was done with a minimum of special effects. In terms of pure sensation, the film is a hell of a ride.

Off the track, F1 takes a road well travelled. Pitt plays Sonny Hayes, an aging driver-for-hire who was once a promising Formula One driver until a horrific accident dashed those hopes. He’s approached by old friend/ex-teammate Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem) to join his struggling F1 team, APXGP, as a second driver. There’s a lot at stake. His other driver, Joshua Pearce, is a cocky young rookie who has yet to win a race, which puts Ruben at risk of losing his team to investors at the end of the season. Sonny reluctantly accepts the seat, which doesn’t sit too well with Joshua or the rest of the APXGP.

Brad spots a mirror.

There are the usual plot elements…Joshua doesn’t think he needs a mentor. Sonny’s too old, too reckless. Joshua’s concerned with his public image. Sonny’s older, wiser and ultimately the smartest guy in the room, whose “combat”  approach to racing turns out to be just what the team needs. There are setbacks, including conflicts with team members and the usual soul searching after a terrible crash (twice, actually), as well as a conniving board member pulling the strings in an effort to steal the team from Ruben. And of course, we have a romantic subplot between Sonny and APXGP’s car designer, Kate (Kerry Condon). 

Narratively, there aren’t a lot of surprises, and seldom are we all that convinced this is how the real Formula One world operates (despite countless cameos by famous drivers and team owners). But the characters are engaging and the performances are good, with Pitt being especially enjoyable in his role (though he ain’t really stretching himself here). 

Unsurprisingly, F1 is most entertaining during the racing scenes, which are here in abundance, and the action alone makes the movie worth seeing. Like most sports films - especially motorsports films - this one is best experienced in a theater, as some of its visual and sonic impact is inevitably diminished on the smaller screen. Still, it looks and sounds pretty damn good on Blu-ray.

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTES - Inside the F1: The Movie Table Read; The Anatomy of a Crash; Getting Up to Speed (The two stars learn how to drive); APXGP Innovations; Making It to Silverstone (Silverstone is one of the racetracks); APXGP Sets and Locations Around the World; Lewis Hamilton: Producer; APXGP and F1: How It was Filmed; Sound of Speed (Hans Zimmer’s score).

GRAND PRIX: The Next Best Thing To Being There

GRAND PRIX (Blu-ray)

1966 / 176 min

From Warner Bros

Available at www.MovieZyng.com

Review by Mr. Paws😺

Of all the classic films I truly wish I could experience in a theater, 1966’s Grand Prix ranks very high on the list. It’s not a masterpiece or a personal favorite, and with the exception of a specific faction of fans, maybe even calling it a classic is a stretch.

But from a purely cinematic standpoint, seeing it on the big screen would be a blast. More specifically, seeing it in 65mm Cinerama on a curved screen, the way audiences enjoyed it nearly 60 years ago. Fat chance of that today. 

Grand Prix is an epic melodrama about the lives and loves of four Formula 1 drivers during a single season, but these days, almost no ongoing discussion or appreciation of the film involves the actual plot. What makes the film memorable are the racing sequences, which thankfully, comprise about a third of its three hour running time. That's why it continues to be held in very high regard by motorporn enthusiasts.

Director John Frankenheimer has made better movies, especially during the ‘60s, but as far as technical achievements go, Grand Prix is his magnum opus. Not only are the groundbreaking racing sequences brilliantly shot & edited to create an immersive experience, they really haven’t been topped since (though 1971’s Le Mans came close). And don’t you dare counter with Days of Thunder.

Hopelessly lost.

Not only that, these sequences are authentic. Over the years, countless motorsports authorities - from drivers to historians - have concurred that Grand Prix’s racing scenes are among the most accurate and realistic ever created. Some of those same experts attest to this in the disc’s bonus features…all of which are about the movie’s action or Formula 1 history itself. Nobody interviewed - not even co-stars James Garner and Eva Marie Saint - discusses the fluff in between.

Well, maybe fluff is too strong a word. I guess those subplots are necessary for us to invest in these characters (however slightly). And admittedly, it’s pretty fun seeing Garner play a guy who isn’t particularly likable. The soapier aspects (such as Saint & Yves Montand’s romantic affair) are sometimes an endurance test, but our patience is more than rewarded when the drama takes a backseat to the driving.

But alas, I’ll probably never get to experience Grand Prix they way God intended. The next best thing is this Blu-ray, which features a nice digital transfer, with better overall video quality and sound (DTS-HD Master Audio) than the original DVD. The aforementioned bonus features are also very interesting, though none were created specifically for this particular release. Since the movie is unlikely to ever be a Fathom event or show up at your local revival house, this’ll have to do. 

This is a re-issue of a Blu-ray first released in 2011.

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTES - Pushing the Limit: The Making of Grand Prix; Flat Out: Formula 1 in the Sixties; The Style and Sound of Speed; Brands Hatch: Behind the Checkered Flag; Grand Prix: Challenge of the Champions. 

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A Bizarre BODY ODYSSEY

BODY ODYSSEY (DVD)

2023 / 103 min

From IndiePix Films

Review by Stinky the Destroyer🙀

In the real world, Jacqueline Fuchs is a world famous bodybuilder, so for the most part, playing one in a movie isn’t too much of a stretch. Like most athletes-turned-actors, she’s decent in scenes conducive to her profession, sometimes a bit wooden in those requiring anything more.

Still, her performance in Body Odyssey is nothing short of brave. Not because her chosen profession and appearance could be considered freakish to a lot of viewers. And it isn't because she frequently appears nude and engages in graphic sex scenes that are not only intentionally unerotic, they’re contextually disturbing. Fuchs seems perfectly comfortable being presented as an object of morbid fascination.

What’s brave about her performance is that it serves a bizarre, twisted film that at-no-point depicts the sport in a positive light, especially the alarmingly dangerous steps its participants take to achieve what they view as perfection (including steroid use). In fact, one competitor drops dead right in the middle of a competition. In a way, Fuch’s participation almost seems akin to a confessional.

On the surface, Body Odyssey is about Mona (a fictionalized version of Fuchs?) as she prepares for a world championship under the relentless supervision of her trainer, Kurt (Julian Sands, in one of his last performances). The defacto antagonist, Kurt appears even more obsessed with body perfection than Mona, controlling every aspect of her life and goading her into using illegally imported steroids (even though her own doctor insists she’s causing irreparable harm to herself).

Mona shows Kurt where she last saw her watch.

However, this is more of a surreal psychological/body horror film with an aesthetic similar to David Cronenberg's work. Mona’s internal conflict between her desire for perfection and needs as a woman (exacerbated by frequent trysts with a fetishistic young man) is often depicted through dreamlike sequences and imagery. Her own body develops a “voice” of its own, ominously spouting a lot of ambiguous gobbledegook whenever Mona attempts to assert own will.

For awhile, all this is kind of interesting. Mona’s sympathetic vulnerability nicely counters Kurt’s objectification of her (though we do get the impression he ultimately does care about her). Director Grazia Tricarico also keeps things aesthetically engaging (sometimes voyeuristically so), aided by moody cinematography and ethereal visual effects. But the film’s deliberate pace and increasing pretentiousness eventually grow a little tiresome (as does the camera’s unceasing exploration of Fuch’s body).

By the third act, the narrative dives headlong into bleak, baffling artiness and doesn’t resurface. That would be fine if the climax appeared to have anything resembling a resolution to Mona’s conflict (or maybe it does and I was just too dumb to catch it). Either way, Body Odyssey is one of those what-the-hell-did-I-just-watch movies that might be worth checking out for adventurous viewers (and perhaps late-career Cronenberg fans), but once is probably enough.

Slow RIDE

RIDE (Blu-ray)

2024 / 114 min

FROM WELL GO USA

Review by Mr. Bonnie, the Bull Buster😽

I’m not quite sure what I expected from Ride - if anything - but it certainly isn’t what I initially thought it would be. That’s not to say it was disappointing. The film wasn’t on my radar or watch-list, and as a reviewer, it’s difficult to be let down by a movie I probably wouldn’t have chosen to see on my own.

Still, the press release suggests something akin to a neo-noir thriller centered around a robbery, probably because it's a lot harder to sell a film that’s primarily a character study of a fractured family, even one with a quasi-romantic backdrop of the modern rodeo circuit. 

Director/co-writer Jake Allyn stars as Peter Hawkins, just released from prison after doing four years for vehicular manslaughter, which also resulted in seriously injuring his little sister, Virginia. Because of the accident - the result of his drug addiction - Jake is estranged from his parents, former bull rider John (C. Thoms Howell) and local sheriff Monica (Annabeth Gish). However, his grandfather (Forrie J. Smith) has since forgiven him, mainly because he’s also a ex-rodeo veteran and alcoholic who’s since dedicated himself to helping others recover. 

"Way-to-mosey, boy!"

Additionally, Virginia has been diagnosed with cancer. Even with insurance, the Hawkins family can’t afford the treatment program that could save her life, nor can John draw an early pension to help pay for it. A bull rider himself, Jake enters a rodeo competition with a $10,000 prize in hopes of helping out (and seeking a little redemption along the way). Though he wins, John also owes money to his drug dealer & ex-cellmate, Tyler (Patrick Murney), who plans to collect. Meanwhile, John refuses Jake’s money, not only because he assumes his son got it illegally, it’s still not enough to cover the treatment (it’s never explained how John is completely unaware his son just won the rodeo). 

The entire first hour of Ride is dedicated to Jake’s struggles with addiction, John’s efforts to raise money and the family’s troubled relationships. The characters are thoughtfully conceived and bolstered by dedicated performances, Howell’s in particular. But overall, the languid pace and consistently solemn tone might be off-putting anyone expecting much in the way of action, in or out of the arena. 

It’s only when Jake eventually insists on robbing Tyler’s house to get the needed cash that the film, however briefly, becomes anything resembling a thriller. With themes of redemption and forgiveness driving the narrative, Ride is mostly a well-meaning character portrait that might resonate with others who’ve experience similar crises, but until the resolution that wraps things up a little too neatly, it ain’t exactly a feel-good film.

EXTRA KIBBLES

CAST INTERVIEWS - 7 Individual interviews with the main cast.

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RED LINE 7000: Days of Blunder

RED LINE 7000 (Blu-ray)

1965 / 110 min

FROM ARROW VIDEO

Review by Mr. Paws

Before the melodramatic motorporn of Grand Prix, there was the melodramatic motorporn of Red Line 7000, a story of three hunky NASCAR drivers and the women who love them (and sometimes hate to love them). The similarities, however, tend to end there.

Looking back at this one nearly 60 years later, it’s easy to see why James Cann became a star while most of the other cast didn’t (though if you look quickly, you’ll spot Teri Garr). As ace driver Matt Marsh, he displays twice the charisma - along with flashes of his trademark intensity - than either of his racing rivals, Ned Arp (John Robert Crawford) and Dan McCall (James Ward), who are both blond, blank-faced carbon copies of each other. 

And what are we to make of Howard Hawks? One of classic Hollywood’s greatest and versatile directors, he seems to be working below his pay grade here, cranking out something that looks and feels more like an Elvis movie…Spinout minus the songs. Actually, I take that back…there is one song, “Wildcat Jack,” which is cringingly awful and sang/rapped by Gail Hire as love interest/jazz club co-owner Holly McGregor (and where Garr appears as a back-up singer).

"How'd you get your hair to do that?"

Speaking of which…a lot of the movie takes place in a swanky jazz club, where all the stock car drivers (and their women) hang out between races, prompting me to suspect screenwriter George Kirby didn’t do much research. Though I think most of these guys would more-likely be tipping back beers in a dive, let’s not hold that against him. However, the dull romances and superficial conflicts that dominate the narrative are certainly Kirby’s fault.

1966’s Grand Prix was full of that stuff too, but when focused on the cars, races and drivers, not only did it look and sound authentic, the racing sequences were immersive and thrilling. Conversely, Red Line 7000 gives us grainy stock car racing footage interspersed with rear-projection shots of the actors pretending to drive. These sequences would also have you believe that a devastating crash happens every single lap.

In his first starring role (though he’s really part of an ensemble), James Caan makes the most of the opportunity. But technically and thematically, the rest of Red Line 7000 has aged far worse than other racing & romance movies from the same era. As one of Howard Hawks’ final films, this doesn’t rank among his best work.

EXTRA KIBBLES

NOTE: Free Kittens Movie Guide was provided with a promo disc for review purposes. Physical supplemental material included with the final product (booklets, artwork, inserts, etc) were not available for review.

BRUCE KESSLER: MAN IN MOTION - 45 minute profile/interview with director and former race driver Bruce Kessler (who passed away just this year). He was a 2nd unit director on Red Line 7000.

2 VISUAL ESSAYS - A Modern Type of Woman, by film scholar Kat Ellinger, is about the three primary women characters; Gas, Gears, Girls, Guys & Death, by Howard S. Berger & Angela McEntee, discusses director Howard Hawks and Red Red 7000.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By Nick Redman and Julie Kirgo, who's screenwriter George Kirgo’s daughter.

GALLERY - Promotional artwork and stills.

Revisiting NORTH DALLAS FORTY

NORTH DALLAS FORTY (DVD)

1979 / 118 min

FROM PARAMOUNT

Available at www.MovieZyng.com

Review by Mr. Paws😼

I hadn’t seen North Dallas Forty since I went with my parents to catch it back in ‘79. It was likely my dad’s idea, because he’s always been a sports guy and probably read the book by ex-footballer Peter Gent. Though I wasn’t yet the sports enthusiast Dad was, I certainly loved movies about sports.

There were three things I remember about the movie. One, it was the first film with a sex scene that I watched with my parents, which was sort of uncomfortable since Mom kept glancing over at me. I tried to act like it was no big deal, but at that age, naked women were astounding (they still are). Still, I doubt she knew beforehand that the movie had any grinding.

Second was Charles Durning as foul-mouthed assistant coach Johnson. Almost everything he said was loud, abusive and absolutely hilarious, such as “This is national TV, so don’t pick your nose or scratch your nuts.” But my favorite line occurred when a priest was leading a locker room prayer before the game, and Johnson interrupts with “Take off your fuckin’ hats!” I must have laughed for five minutes after that one.

Finally, Dad loved the movie because he hated the Dallas Cowboys. Though North Dallas Forty is based on a novel, it’s a thinly disguised account of author Peter Gent’s time with the team. Both the novel and film offer an incendiary look at the Cowboys and football as a business - the players being mere equipment - as well as plenty of off-field debauchery. 

Bodies by Bud.

Gent played wide receiver, just like the film’s protagonist, Phil Elliott (Nick Nolte). After the movie, Dad told me head coach B.A. Strother (G.D. Spradlin) represented Tom Landry, while quarterback and Elliott’s best friend Seth Maxwell (Mac Davis) was supposed to be Cowboys QB “Dandy” Don Meredith. I knew who those guys were because Dad rooted against them whenever they were on TV (which seemed like every Sunday, since they were supposedly “America’s Team”). 

Revisiting North Dallas Forty decades later, I still find Durning hilarious, but the rest of it isn’t as funny or uproarious as I remembered…not like The Longest Yard or Slap Shot anyway. And I could've sworn the film had more football scenes than it actually does. In fact, only one game is depicted, which doesn’t happen until the final act. The rest is mostly Elliott partying with teammates and clashing with coaches while trying to stay stitched-up and injected in order to keep playing.

But even back then, I knew the movie was supposed to be sort of a revealing expose on the realities of pro football and not your typical underdog sports flick. And I suppose it was pretty eye-opening at the time. North Dallas Forty is still enjoyable and probably remains topically relevant. However, the players’ drug use & treatment of women, as well the film’s depiction of teams & owners as corporate monsters, doesn’t really surprise us anymore.

This is a re-issue of a previous released DVD. There are no technical upgrades or additional bonus features.