Showing posts with label Drive-In. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Drive-In. Show all posts

Monday, July 3, 2023

Commercial Driver's License (CDL) Films

This is mainly about the world of having a Class A: Commercial Driver's License (CDL). 

18 Wheels of Justice (2000-2001)
Based on 18 Wheels of Justice by Ray Brown [First Published in 1997]. Michael Cates is an agent for the US Justice Department who loses his family to an assassination attempt by organized crime boss Jacob Calder. Michael goes undercover/into hiding as a truck driver Chance Bowman as he travels the country helping people and disrupting Calder's business when he can.

Big Trouble In Little China (1986)
Trucker driver Jack Burton is in San Franciso while in town his friend Wang Chi when finance is kidnapped, and Jacks truck is stolen by a street gang called The Lords of Death for an ancient evil wizard can break a curse placed on him. The two hero's go on a supernatural journey through China Town to save the girl, get the truck back, and stop the evil wizard from threatening the world again.

BJ and the Bear (1978-1981)
BJ is an independent truck driver hauling cargo with his pet chimpanzee Bear. They get into trouble and adventures while helping people he runs into. 

Black Dog (1998)
Jack Crews is just out of prison for vehicular manslaughter and is working as a mechanic in New Jersey. In need of money and about to lose his house Jack decides to take a sketchy job to drive a load from Atlanta, Georgia to New Jersey. While on the road Jack has to fight off hijackers and avoid the FBI, ATF, and the Police. 

Breaker! Breaker! (1977)
Truck driver John David Dawes is searching for his brother a fellow trucker who disappeared in a corrupt town under the control of a criminal Judge and Sheriffs dept.

C.B. Hustlers (1976)
Truckers and pimps use C.B. to set meetings and avoid law enforcement. 

Christmas Comes to Willow Creek (1987)
Willow Creek, Alaska is going through a tough time with the main employer going out of business. So, the Mayor and city council hire a pair of brothers from the town to bring up a load of Christmas presents for the towns children and supplies to start a new business venture. The brothers as well as a son and pregnant wife join the pair on the trip to Alaska. 

Convoy (1978)
Starting in Arizona Martin Penwald aka Rubber Duck and a couple of fellow truckers are caught in a trap set up by Sheriff Lyle. After paying off the sheriff they stop at a diner for food and to meet with friends, or family. At the dinner Martin picks up a hitchhiker Melissa a photojournalist. While this is happening Sheriff Lyle starts to harass the truckers resulting in a fight. Wanting to avoid being arrested the truckers head east. Their story is heard by other truckers a mile long convoy is creating a political rally so their grievances can be addressed.  On the other side Sherriff Lyle draws support from law enforcement to stop the convoy. When one of the truckers leaves the convoy to attend the birth of his child; he is arrested. Martin destroys the jail and the town before heading to Mexico to escape. Resulting in a final standoff between Martin and the law. 

Deadhead Miles (1972)
A group of criminals hijack a semi and get it repainted and altered. One of the men Cooper steals the truck again and tries to make some fast money as a trucker. After a series of failures, he abandons the truck and his plans and goes on his way. 

Duel (1971)
Based on the short story Duel by Richard Matheson [First Published in 1971]. Businessman David Mann gets into a road rage incident with a tractor trailer while on a long trip. The driver of the truck starts to chase, and torment David as he tries to get to his destination. 

Flatbed Annie & Sweetiepie: Lady Truckers (1979)
After Sweetiepie's husband is injures, she partners with Flatbed Annie to finish a contract. Unknown to them a load of cocaine has been hidden with the cargo and various groups are after it. 

The Great Smokey Roadblock aka The Last of the Cowboys (1977)
Elegant John is dying from a terminal illness in California decides to take one last trip cross country. While on his trip he picks up a hitchhiker and a job transporting six prostitutes and their madam to South Carolina because their house has been shut down. While on the way the girls decide to make some money along the way. Which results in law enforcement chase them and set up a roadblock. 

Hell Drivers (1957)
Tom Yately is beginning a fresh start by driving for Hawlett Trucking Company. Hawlett is a difficult employer that will get rid of an employee for not being productive enough. Tom does well and even attempts to beat a company record. However, a friend of Tom's is hurt on the job and punished for it. Tom decides to expose the illegal activates Hawlett Trucking is involved with.

High Ballin' (1978)
Local boss King Carroll is driving independent truckers out of business. When a pair of truckers stand up to him resulting to a violent conflict. 

Hijack (1973)
A pair of truckers is hired to transport a secret cargo from New York, New York to Huston, Texas. While they make the trip a mercenary team tries to steal the cargo. In the end it is revealed the truck was a decoy.  

Hi-Jacked (1950)
Parolee Joe Harper is working for a trucking line when his truck is hijacked. Due to his past, he becomes main suspect and has to clear his name or pay for a crime he did not commit.

Hoffa (1992)
Based on the life of Jimmy Hoffa a labor Union leader that had success in creating a successful and powerful labor union and got involved with organized crime before disappearing in 1972.  

The Ice Road (2021)
After a mine disaster in Northern Canada that traps 26 miners. To save the miners a plan is created but requires special equipment to be delivered over ice roads and a frozen lake. Four trucker's volunteer for the mission under the leadership of Mike McCaan. However, someone is out to sabotage the mission.  

Ice Road Terror (2011)
Truckers driving across frozen Alaska encounter an ancient creature, The people that encounter the creature try and survive. 

Joy Ride (2001)
Brothers Fuller and Lewis are on a trip from California to New Jersey and to pick up a friend along the way. Play a mean prank on a trucker that goes by Rusty Nail. After the prank goes wrong the brothers continue on their trip and pick up a friend. However, Rusty Nail found them and starts to take revenge on them. At the time of writing this there are two sequels Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead (2008), and Joy Ride 3: Road Kill (2014) which has Rusty Nail still on the road.  

The Long Haul (1957)
Based on the novel The Long Haul by Mervyn Mills [First Published in 1956]. After WWII ends Harry Miller American solider settles with his English wife in Liverpool, England. He takes a job as a long-distance trucker and runs into trouble with a criminal organization trying to take over the industry.

Movin On (1974-1976)
Sonny Pruitt is an experienced independent long-haul trucker that teams up with a recent college graduate Will Chandler to haul cargo and keep his operation going. 

Over The Top (1987)
Lincoln Hawk is an independent owner/operator of a semi-truck that arm wrestles on a semi pro basis. When his ex-wife Christina Hawk is going to have major surgery, she reaches out to Hawk to spend time with their son Michael. The two have a rough start but bond as they travel the country. When Christina dies a custody disagreement between Hawk and Michaels Grandfather gets heated. To stay with his son, he enters the World Arm Wrestling Championship in Las Vegas, Naveda to win a cash prize and a new semi-truck. 

Paradise Highway (2022)
To save her brother's life Sally a truck driver aggresses to smuggle illegal cargo. This last trip involves taking a young girl. The FBI are working to stop the smuggling operation. 

Red Ball Express (1952)
In 1944 General Patton's third army is making rapid advancement toward Paris. To keep the army supplied the allies create an elite unit and convoy to get supplies where it is needed. 

Revenge on the Highway (1992)
Claude Sams son is killed in a hit and run while changing a tire while changing a tire on his way to Las Vegas. Believing that it was a murder rather than an accident, Claude searchers for the driver to get justice or revenge. 

Road Movie (1973)
Independent truckers Gil and Hank struggle to live as they have to pay the bank, bribe traffic managers, deal with the law and make the deliveries on time. 

Smokey and the Bandit (1977), Smokey and the Bandit II (1980), Smokey and the Bandit III (1983) 
The first three movies in the franchise have the Bandit played by Burt Reynolds driving a Pontiac Trans AM fast to draw out the smokeys while his brother drives the rig with the illicit cargo. The basic story line has Big Enos and Little Enos making bets on whether Bandit can deliver his cargo on time. Sherrif Buford T. Justice tries to catch the Bandit. 

Smokey and the Bandit: Bandit Goes Country (1994), Bandit: Bandit, Bandit (1994), Bandit: Beauty and the Bandit (1994), Bandit: Bandit's The Silver Angel (1994) 
For this part of the franchise The Bandit is played by Brain Bloom and drives a Dodge Sleath. In this spinoff the Bandit is an independent owner operator that hauls cargo, helps the people he meets along the way.

Snitch (2013)
Business owner and family man John Matthews's son is arrested and facing 10 years in prison. John makes a deal to help a DA and the DEA to get his son released from prison. 

Sorcerer (1977)
Based on the book The Wages of Fear by Georges Arnaud [First Published in 1950]. Four men from different parts of the world are hiding out in South America. When an oil refinery fire requires dynamite to be transported up a narrow rough trail. The four men take the job for money as well as for something they need. They are provided two old trucks Sorcerer and Lazaro to transport the dynamite. While on the trail they face many dangers including their unstable cargo.

Space Truckers (1996)
Space truckers John Canyon is having a rough time, so he takes a job transporting strange cargo from an irreputable source that turns out to be killer robots.

Steel Cowboy (1978)
About to lose his truck independent trucker Clayton Pfanner decides to make some quick cash by taking a job transporting a load of rustled cattle. 

Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story (1992)
After Jimmy Hoffa disappears the top position of the Teamsters Union is vacant. Jackie Presser a long time official in the union takes over as union president. 

They Drive By Night (1940)
Based on the book They Drive By Night (Long Haul) by I. A. Bezzerides [First Published in 1938]. Joe and Paul Fabrini are brothers that operate as independent truckers. When overwork and exhaustion cost them their truck, and Paul loses an arm. Joe gets a management position with a trucking company gets Paul a job as well. As Joe works his way up to part owner of the company, he is accused of murder he did not commit and is put on trial. 

Thieves' Highway (1949)
Based on the book Thieves' Market by A.I. Bezzerides [First Published in 1949]. WWII veteran Nick Garcos has come home from war to take over his father's truck hauling produce in Southern California. Only to find a rival has injured his father and is intent on sabotaging Nick.

Think Big (1989)
Twins Rafe and Victor have been hired to take a load of toxic waste to California from a tech company that uses teen geniuses. One of the teens Holly Sherwood stows away with an invention on the truck to get to her boyfriend in California. The brothers decide to help her and the three of them try to stay one step ahead of a repo man, company men after the device, before the deadline.

Thunder Run (1985)
Veteran of the Korean War Charlie Morrison takes a large payment to transport a load of plutonium form Nevada processing plant to a high security location in Arizona. While making the delivery terrorist try to steal the cargo.  

Truckers Woman (1975)
Mike Kelly is a college student whose father was killed in a strange accident. Believing it was a murder Mike drops out of college gets a semi and investigates on his own. 

The Wages of Fear (1953)
Based on the book The Wages of Fear by Georges Arnaud [First Published in 1950]. Four men are hired to transport dynamite to stop an oil refinery fire. While on the road they face mental and physical danger including their unstable cargo. 

White Line Fever (1975)
After completing his enlistment with the US Air Force CJ comes home to marry his girl start their life together.  CJ buys a rig and starts a new career as an independent trucker out of Tucson, AZ. When he discovers that the main employer is shipping contraband CJ refuses to cooperate. Making it more difficult for him. When his wife is attacked, house set fire to, and a friend of his killed he attacks the organization with his rig and a shot gun starting a movement with the truckers refusing to haul contraband for the business that attacked CJ and his family. 







Thursday, August 13, 2020

Movie Theater as the Setting and or Plot/Theme + Video Rental Stores

Due to the shortness of the cinema background, I combined the video rental store post. 


I really miss Movie theaters so I thought it might be interesting and fun to see a movie theater or drive in on film. 


Big Time Operators Aka The Smallest Show on Earth (1957)
Bill Travers inherits a barley operating business a cinema called The Bijou from a distant Uncle. Bill and his wife Jean decide to sell the business only to find it in bad shape. Bill and Jean start the work to make a profit from the inheritance. 

Bikini Drive-In (1995) 
Kim Taylor inherits her grandfather's old drive-in movie theater. Having fond memories of the place she wants to get it up and running again. However, there is $25,000 in taxes due in about a week. So, Kim her friends and the employees of the drive in create and implement a plan that involves wearing little to nothing. 

Cinema Paradiso (1988)                                                                                                                            A successful Film Maker reflects on his childhood, his family and mentor the projectionist at the town's only movie theater in a small Sicilian town.    

Christmas at the Drive-In (2022)
When the local Drive-In is going to be closed and torn down. A property lawyer/professor that wants to save it has to prove the worth and value to the community by Christmas which is in three weeks. As she works to revamp the business, she reconnects with her first love a property developer that wants to tear it down and owns the McCarthy Drive-In. 

Christmas Movie Magic (2021)
Reporter Allie Blackman sent to write about the 65th anniversary of a Christmas movie and song “Christmas With You” at the filming location, White Falls, New York. While there she finds message to a mysterious woman from the movie star/song writer. She joins with a movie theater owner and film expert Brad Westfield to find the woman and the origin of the song.

Dead In Drive-In (1986)
Set in the future where sickness, economic collapse, food shortages, and 5 Rambo movies have been made. A recently unemployed teen and his girlfriend go to a drive in only to discover it is a trap/concentration camp for the unemployed and other unwanted members of society. Can he escape? 

Demons (1985)                                                                                                                                  Several people are given free tickets to a screening to a new horror film. After the film starts demons start attacking the people trapped in the theater. 

Drive In (1976)
A group of people (mostly teens) in 1976 Texas have adventures at the local drive-in theater one weekend night. 

Drive In Massacre (1977)
The police in a rural California town search for a serial killer that uses a sword to kill at a Drive -In theater. 

Electric Shadows (2004)
Two childhood friends come back together after an accident with one of them reading the others memoir of their childhood and an outdoor theater and the movies that was a big part of their lives.  

Empire of Light (2022)
Set in England in the early 1980's a cinema manager and a new employee bond and heal while dealing with challenges of mental health, everyday life, and wanting to escape. 

It's A Wonderful Knife (2023)
this is a reimagining of It's A Wonderful Life (1947) and It Happened One Christmas (1977) as a teen horror movie. A year after Winnie Carruthers stops a masked killer on Christmas Eve. Winnie is having a bad Christmas with grieving her friends who died, not getting into college, and finding her boyfriend cheating among other things. She wishes things had turned out different, so she finds herself in a world where she had never been born. In this world the killer was never caught and is still murdering the people of the town, and nobody knows who she is. Winnie tries to find people who believe her story as well as a way to get home. 

The Last Horror Film (1982)
A New York City taxi driver dreams of being a famous director and decided to follow/stalk actress Jana Bates to the Cannes Film Festival if France to get her to be in his film. While in France the people close to the actress start getting killed one by one. 

The Last Matinee (2020)
Set in the 1993 people go to the Montevideo Opera Cinema to see a Frankenstein Film. As the show starts a killer starts to take out audience and staff one by one. 

The Last Matinee (2021)
In a small town in an old-fashioned movie theater a killer goes after the patrons and the employees in the theater one by one during the last show of the day. 

The Majestic (2001)                                                                                                                                  Set in 1951 a Hollywood screen writer Peter Appleton has a car accident after a night of drinking and bad news he loses his memory and washes up in a small town where he is mistaken for the lost MIA son of the local movie theater owner Harry Trimble. Peter revives the local treater and brings life back to the town before he regains his memory.  Having regained his memories, he has to face congress and the House on Un-American Activates after being accused of being a communist. 

Matinee (1993)                                                                                                                                        
Set during the Cuban Missile Crisis a showman promotes a science fiction movie in a South Florida. While a boy has a coming-of-age adventure at the theater that the film promotion is taking place. 

Midnight Matinee (1989)                                                                                                                            A small town is restarting a horror movie marathon after a murder at a previous movie marathon. Will tragedy strike again? 

Midnight Movie (2008) 
A special screening of a lost horror film the audience and employees are trapped in the theater as the killer comes off the screen and attacks everybody trapped inside. 

Phantom of the Megaplex (2000)                                                                                                            At a 26 screen megaplex an assistant manager must keep the theater running after the manager disappears, look after his younger siblings and set up for a special premier: while a Phantom sabotaging and haunting the place. 

Popcorn (1991)
 A group of film students put on an all-night horror movie marathon. As marathon progresses a killer kills the students usually with the theme of the movie that is playing. 

Popcorn (2007)                                                                                                                                          Dany falls for a hot girl bus is unable to get her attention. So, he gets a job at her place of work a movie theater.   

Porno (2019)
Set in 1992 a 2-screen movie theater staffed by Christians discover a basement level with a third screen which showed adult content in the past. While exploring they find an old film reel. Curious about it they vote, and a majority of the staff decide to screen the old reel. Doing this releases a succubus trapped within the film. The succubus traps, temps and attacks the people in the theater until they are able to trap or destroy the demon. 

Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)                                                                                                                    Set during the Great Depression a waitress goes to the movies regularly. During her latest visit a charter comes off the screen from the film she is watching.   

Ruby (1977)                                                                                                                                              
16 years after Ruby's boyfriend and father of her child is killed/vows revenge; Ruby runs a Drive In employing the gang members that killed her boyfriend. The gang members/employees are killed in creative in a supernatural drive-in theme.  

Save The Cinema (2022)
Based on the true story of Liz Evans who worked to save The Lyric Cinema a local cinema and theatre in Carmarthen, Wales.  

Splendor (1989)
Splendor is the name of an old movie theater in an Italian town that is on the verge of closing due to debts and low attendance. The current owner and manager Jordan who inherited the business from his father reminisces about his past and the glory days of the theater. 

Special Mention 

Dimension 404: Episode 2: Cinethrax (2017) A film buff and his niece attend a new 3D movie that opens a gate to another dimension. They try and stop what is trying to get thru. 


Video Rental Stores in film 

I miss video rental stores where I live all of them have closed is this is the closest thing to seeing them again
. These films take place or have important scenes in video rental stores.

An interesting fact is that the video rental setting is used 6 times during the 80's and 90's While 2000 to 2019 The time of Netflix, Redbox and Streaming the video rental setting is used 9 times not including the South Park special mention.  

Another interesting fact is that Blockbuster is used only twice South Park and Yes Man. The rest are independents or are portrayed as independents. 

Remote Control (1988)
A video store clerks stumbles onto an alien plot to take over earth by brainwashing people with a B grade1950s science fiction movie.

The Fisher King (1991)
After inspiring a listener's mass shooting a shock jock Jack Lucas falls apart until he starts helping Parry a man whose wife was killed in the shooting.

There’s Nothing Out There (1991)
A group of friends and their girlfriends are going to spend spring break at a cabin by the lake. Mike one of the friends and a fan of and an expert in horror and science fiction realizes that patterns that reveal that they are in a horror film. Unable to convince anyone of this he tries to save them when a mutant alien attacks. 

Clerks (1994)
A day in the lives of two clerks Dante (convince store) and Randal (video rental store) as they annoy customers, discuss movies, and play hockey on the roof of the store.

Scream (1996)
After the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorized by a killer, who targets the girl and her friends by using horror films as part of a deadly game.

Superstar (1999)
A girl working for a video rental store works for attaining her dreams of fame and kissing the Big Man on Campus.

Loser (2000)
University freshman, Paul Tannek is branded a loser by his hard partying roommates and set up to be kicked out of his dorm, he gets a place off campus. After saving Dora Diamond from being overdosed at a party; he falls in love with her however she is involved with elitist Professor Edward Alcott.


Sugar and Spice (2001)
When high school cheerleader Diane gets knocked up by her boyfriend. They get married and get low paying jobs at a grocery store bank and a video rental store. Wanting to give the best life for her twins Diane and her squad mates plan to steal needed money. Researching bank robbery from movies and using their cheerleading skills, the girls devise a plan to rob a bank.

Jersey Girl (2004)
After his career is destroyed by an unexpected tragedy and a personal melt down, a single father Ollie Trinke grieves and just getting by. Until meeting a beautiful love interest Maya at a video rental store she works at; he starts to turn his life around.

I Am Legend (2007)
When an unstoppable virus that turns human race into bloodthirsty mutants, civilization's last hope for a cure lies with scientist Robert Neville, the sole survivor in New York City. Based on I Am Legend and Other Stories by Richard Mathenson[First Published in 1954].


Be Kind Rewind (2008)
A video-store employee accidentally erases every tape on the shelves, in order to stay in business, the employees try and re-create all the films, with their own camera, with a budget of zero.

Good Dick (2008)
An extreme introverted girl that rents soft-core porn from a local video rental store.  While there she meets a video store clerk who vows to win her heart.

Yes Man (2008)
Based on the memoir Yes Man by Danny Wallace [First Published in 2005]. Banker Carl Allen has gotten through a bitter divorce, lives his life going to work and watching rented videos after work. Until he goes to a self-improvement seminar; at the seminar the guru makes Carl say yes to everything that comes his way.

This Means War (2012)
A pair of best friends and CIA agents wage an epic battle against one another when they discover they are dating the same woman.

A Nightmare on Facetime (10/24/2012) Season 16; Episode 12*
The 235th episode of the series overall. Randy Marsh purchases a Blockbuster video store and demands that his reluctant family work in it on Halloween with him. Aspects of which parody the 1980 film The Shining, and an episode of The Simpson's Treehouse of Horror V: Season 6: Episode 109 (1994) Act 1: The Shinning

Beyond the Gates (2016)
After their father's disappearance, two brothers Gordon and John reunite to close down his video store. While doing this they find an old VHS board game and decide to play. On the tape, a ghostly woman offers them a way to rescue their father.

Blockbuster (2022)
A Netflix sitcom about the last Blockbuster store the manager trying to keep it open and the employees that still work there. (Netflix making this seems ironic).  (Update Netflix killed Blockbuster again). 

The Last Video Store (2023)
A woman comes to Blaster Video Store (the last video rental store in Canada) with a cursed VHS tape which results in the people at the store experiencing a strange supernatural experience. 

The Last Video Store (2023)
In a video rental store in Australia two young employees start a romantic relationship until the girls criminal ex shows up to cause trouble. 


* While several TV shows have episodes use a video rental store as a location This is a special inclusion because it covers what things were like with video rental in 2012. 
Blockbuster ceased operation in 2013 with only a few stores left only one left as of today. 

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