Sunday, September 9, 2007

Women + Basketball = BOIOIOING!!!

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,


Apparently, I like Husky women. Allow me to explain. Yes, I do like a curvy, voluptuous woman with a little meat on her bones...but in this case, it's slightly different. I watch the WNBA whenever I get a chance...and yesterday was Game 2 of the WNBA Finals. Anybody who knows me, knows that I really love two things - Women and Basketball (and probably family up there too). The WNBA is like the mix of them...so what's not to like? In reference to the Husky women, I'm referring to the sexy starlets of the WNBA that I would really like to meet...and buy a drink or someting - Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, & Svetlana Abrosimova, all of which played for the University of Connecticut. Go Huskies!!! Maybe it's their ability to run an offense, maybe it's their toned athletic bodies, maybe it's their smiles that can light up an arena, whatever it is, I like it...a lot.


As I was watching the game between the Phoenix Mercury (Diana Taurasi's team) and the two-time champion Detroit Shock, I found myself analyzing the strategies as I usually do...and enjoying the close-ups. If you didn't know, former Bad Boys of Basketball Bill Laimbeer & Rick Mahorn coach the Detroit Shock...and rather effectively (hence the two championships). I just think it's odd that the former NBA hitmen are now coaching a team they don't even share a locker room with...or do they? Hmm, maybe I'm in the wrong profession...again. Anyway, it was a great game...even though the Mercury won by 28 points (Ratings Conspiracy?). Unfortunately, I'm probably not going to be able to see the rest of the finals games during my New Orleans trip, but I'll get over it. The Hurricanes will help.


After the game, my buddy Chris showed up to hang out...so we watched some of the first season of "Kids in the Hall." Now, this show is funny...about half the time. The rest of the time...it just gets a little weird for me...which is saying a LOT. We also watched the classic car chase movie "Vanishing Point" (1971) with Barry Newman & Cleavon Little. I am a HUGE fan of car chase movies. This is probably the greatest pure car chase movie ever made...because there's really no plot other than a guy who has to deliver a car from Denver to San Francisco in fifteen hours (doesn't seem that tough really...but he's driving a souped-up 1970 Dodge Challenger, so he has to stop for gas every couple of exits). The story is complete with a countrywide manhunt of highway patrolmen, a blind guide on the radio, pills of speed at every turn to keep him 'motivated', a helpful old rattlesnake collector, a naked blonde biker chick & her drug dealer man, and enough classic car chase cutting than you can shake a stick at. Pre CGI car chases are the best...and on that note...here's today's list...


Car Chase Movies


Medal Winners


Gold - Bullitt (1968) - Steve McQueen is the patron Saint of Car Chase Movies. Frank Bullitt (McQueen) is selected by Chalmers, a politician with ambition, to guard a Mafia informant. Bullitt's friend is shot and the witness is left at death's door by two hit men who seem to know exactly where the the witness was hiding. Bullitt begins a search for both the killer and the leak, but he must keep the witness alive long enough to make sure the killers return. Chalmers has no interest in the injured policeman or the killers, only in the hearings that will catapult him into the public eye and wants to shut down Bullitt's investigation. Robert Vaughn costars in this car chase extravanza...and if you'd like to see more McQueen movies involving cars, there's always "LeMans", "The Getaway", and many others. Steve McQueen rules!!!


Silver - The French Connection (1971) - Gene Hackman & Roy Schieder star in this movie about a pair of New York cops stumbling upon a French drug smuggling operation and many a car chase & cap poppin' ensues. Probably the coolest thing about this car chase is the reality of it...because they didn't even block off the streets to film it...so all the scared reactions of pedestrians are real...and the danger is real...even Gene Hackman's hair is real. Again, I just really like old car chase movies.


Bronze - The Italian Job (2003) - Okay, so I've never actually seen the original Italian Job (1969), but this one had Marky Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Edward Norton, and Jason Statham (by the way, LOVE the Transporter movies, Crank, and everything that I've ever seen Statham in...and I think he's the future of action movies). I enjoy the versatility of the Mini Coopers as a getaway vehicle...and the whole robbery aspect (frustrated bank robber, maybe?) but this is just a cool movie to watch & I thoroughly enjoy it.


Suggestion - Death Proof (2007) - I loved "Grindhouse" but apparently, not everybody did nationwide. If you love muscle car movies though, this is how Quentin Tarantino does car chase movies...and he does it well. Complete with a tribute to "Vanishing Point" as the most badass car movie of all time, I think that everybody who enjoys this kind of movie should check it out when it comes out on video September 18th. That's one week from Tuesday, not that I'm counting down or anything.


Flush It - Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) - I really didn't like the whole trilogy of Fast & the Furious...but the first one had the Charger at the end (get hit by a semi) and the second one had Eva Mendes. The third installment though, it just had a bunch of rice rockets doing donuts in Tokyo. Who the hell cares? "Biker Boyz" (2003) and "Torque" (2004) would have been here...but they're motorcycle movies...and that's even worse...but a different category. Seriously, what was even the plot of Biker Boyz? Laurence Fishburne gets told by baby mama that her late teens son...is his. He's shocked. The kid's shocked. The dad apologizes. The kid whines like a bitch. They race. Still whining. Drugs & money involved. They race again. The dad secedes. It's all good. They hug. Roll credits. Oh yeah, did I mention they were scared of Kid Rock? Oh yeah, and Lisa Bonet was in this movie...but no smearing chicken on herself. I talk too much about crappy movies...but you've been forewarned.


Future Watch - Death Proof on DVD? (9/18/07) - Well, car chase movies are still okay nowadays. The Bourne Identity movies, The Rock, hopefully a third Transporter's in the works, they adapting the Driver video game, there's a lot of car chases in movies (especially Michael Bay & Tony Scott movies) but I really enjoy the movies were it's all about the car that they drive & the adventures that they have. There's a special bond between a man & his vehicle...and I can just wait for the adventures that my Baby & I will be in...hopefully more along the porno plotlines than involving druglords and automatic weapons...but we shall see.


Have a great, relaxing Sunday everybody!!! I'll catch ya tomorrow.

7 comments:

JLee said...

I loved the car chases in "Bourne Ultimatum"! Nice car...

$teve said...

Thank you J-Lee!!! I've put a lot of blood, sweat, tears, money, & tetnus shots into her restoration. She's almost a real show car...but a work in progress. (Sigh...)

Boldly Serving Up Wheat Grass said...

Yeah, Bullitt is the gold.

Any thoughts on Gumball Rally? Silly, I know, but I always enjoyed that as a kid. (I was in the Gumball Rally generation as opposed to the later Cannonball Run one.)

What of Gone in 60 seconds?

$teve said...

Gone in 60 seconds was considered & I swear I put that in there with the whole Rock, Bourne Identity, etc. listing near the end...but I was multitasking. It was good...and Angelina was in it being her sexy self...with blonde dreadlocks. It was very close to making it...but it's competition was simply too astounding. Great flick though. Excellent ensemble cast of characters.

Cannonball Run was considered as well as Smokey & the Bandit...but they fell short too...possibly because of the simple badassery of the other titles.

Bone Junior said...

I love love LOVED "Grindhouse." It's got everything I want in a movie - heavy on action, car chases, blood, guts & blowing stuff up; light on plot.

$teve said...

As did I. I can't believe they're really making a Machete movie. Now all I have to do is wait for Werewolf Women of the SS for Rob Zombie's next movie...with Nicholas Cage as Fu Manchu. BWAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHA!!!

TK Kerouac said...

What about Thelma and Louise?

Where should I go next?