Revenge of the Electric Car (Documentary)

Is it a big blockbuster film? Is it a B movie? The name would suggest that. In reality Revenge of the Electric Car is a documentary about the obsession, the passion, and ultimately the need for an electric car in today's environmentally conscious world. 

Focusing on four different electric car manufacturers (GM, Telsa Motors, Nissan, Gregg “Gadget” Abbot), the documentary looks at the different approaches people are taking towards getting a working electric car in the market. It also manages to rope in people like Danny DeVito, Jon Favreau, Anthony Kiedis, and Adrian Grenier in small snippets, which gives the entire issue of moving towards electric cars for a better tomorrow a somewhat celebrity endorsed push. Add to that Tim Robbins narrating the documentary and the electric car already has enough people backing and banking on its success that it is only a matter of time before it becomes the norm on roads.

The wonderful part about Revenge of the Electric Car is that in choosing and eventually following the four car manufactures, it taps into the different mindsets and techniques adopted by each company presenting a varied view to the entire process;

Bob Lutz (General Motors) comes across as the old yet experience horse in the race. GM having been down the path of an electric car with EV1 is initially hesitant to dive again into the market, but eventually public pressure and competitive need leads to the origin of Chevrolet Volt, a hybrid

Elon Musk with his brainchild company Tesla Motors is the Mark Zuckerberg of the electric car industry. Having made his money through PayPal he is all set to produce a fast all-out electric car letting no one, including co-founders (surprisingly very similar to the case of Facebook) in its way, but is he ready for the constant infusion of money required to run a car company, only time will tell.

Reverend Gadget is the more in touch with the common man car enthusiast taking one car at a time converting them into electric cars, including his “masterpiece” an electric Porsche Roadster. While he faces one adversity after another with his shed being burnt by vandals and his second shed being inhabitable, his passion keeps him going towards achieving his lifelong dream of that perfect converted electric car.     

Lastly, Carlos Ghosn from Nissan is the up-to-speed commercial manufacturer who wants to make the electric car available to the mass market and quick before others move into the territory.

Revenge of the Electric Car shows certain camaraderie between the manufacturers in-between all the competition to be out there with the best car. More than that the documentary holds true to its name and looks at how this obsession and need to make the perfect electric car leads almost all the manufacturers to their knees where eventually government grants and IPOs (in case of Tesla) are the only ways of sustaining in the market. It also looks at the mindsets of the old timers from Detroit (GM) and the new hipsters from the Silicon Valley (Tesla).

The entire formulation of the electric car comes a full circle with initially GM launching EV1 followed by pulling it off the roads and now once again, years later, with the electric car craze taking over resulting in the car almost bankrupting organizations in a sort of revenge for not letting it get preference over the years.

Chris Paine’s Revenge of the Electric Car is recommended viewing for all car enthusiasts, environmentalists, or anyone who wants to have a sneak peek into the technology that is being developed and is sure to take over the roads we drive on daily. It’s a documentary that looks at all the different angles of the revolution and doesn’t hide away from the stark realities of the car business which is in the end as much about making a profit and money as it is about helping the environment.  

While the documentary ends on a positive note with support coming to all the manufacturers amongst strong competition from other car makers like Honda and Toyota, Adrian Grenier sums up the common man's thinking and attitude when he says, "I don't want to wait another 60-70 years before we catch up to the reality that is here now, these innovations are here, bring them to me, I want to play."


Revenge of the Electric Car is being released in Cinemas across UK starting 20th July 2012 by Dogwoof.

     

Classic Commercial Sunday - #72

My Week In Movies - Kneel Before Mater

Cars 2 (2011) I think the folks at Pixar are just so darn smart that we as the American movie going public just don't know exactly what to make of this action-packed sequel. Usually a sequel flip flops elements of the first film or just offers up a similar experience to the original. Cars 2 is unlike any other sequel ever made. It's a completely different film from the 2006 original. This is an action picture, a spy thriller inhabited by the world of Cars. We've certainly never seen a spy movie with an all automobile cast and dare I say we've never really seen a sequel that is a different genre than it's original. Cars 2 is funny, action packed and quite clever with it's storyline. It's not the heart tugging kind of picture UP or Toy Story 3 is, but Cars was never really about the heart strings. This is just a good solid entertaining picture which is actually quite above the heads of the kids who will want to buy the toys based on every single character and scene in this movie. For a G rated flick, there is an awful lot of drinking in this movie. It's never really said what anyone...or anycar? is drinking, but it's implied by the way the drinks are presented. None of the characters get drunk, or abuse alcohol - it was just something I noticed while watching the movie. There is also little if any reason to see it in 3-D. We saw a flat 2-D screening and the visuals are simply amazing at the lower ticket prices.



It's A Bikini World (1967) There exists a movie with the beyond awesome title "It's A Bikini World" and I have only now seen it in my 37th year on this planet! That's a crime against humanity, I tells ya! The film involves the extremely cute Deborah Walley as a beach bunny who meets stuck up jock Tommy Kirk. He likes her, but she wants nothing to do with him. So....he puts on a pair of glasses and tucks in his shirt and pretends to be his own imaginary brother. Wouldn't ya know it, she falls for the fake brother. Then some wacky hi-jinks ensure as...no, wait a minute...nothing really wacky happens. She figures it all out pretty quick and then forgives him and then run off into the surf together. As with any film made between 1962 and 1967 with the words BEACH, PAJAMA, PARTY or BIKINI in the title, a large amount of screen time is devoted to showcasing the rock n' roll bands the kids are so fond of.





Superman II (1980) It's amazing that there are kids out there today who haven't seen a Superman movie. When I was little, if you happened upon a Superman movie on TV you dropped what you were doing and watched the rest of it. It's not that we were big Superman fans, it's just something you did as a kid in the early 80's. The plot of Chapter 2 involves some bad guys coming to Earth and refusing to rest until they make Superman kneel down before them. Sounds kind of gay, eh? It's alot less goofy than the first Superman movie where he flew around the globe so fast he reversed the direction of the Earth's rotation. There's a perfect balance of humor and action in these older superhero movies that today's onslaught of comic picture could take a lesson from.


June Movie Count: 14
Best New Movie: Drive Angry
Best Rewatch: Superman II
Worst Movie: The Roommate
2011 Movie Count: 103

Trailer for Pixar's Brave

The teaser and poster for Pixar's much-anticipated 2012 release, Brave, just came out recently, seen first by audiences treated to 3D viewings of Cars 2.  Needless to say, this new film should act as a credible rebound from their latest effort.  The film alone seems to be a major departure for the animation studio, which made its success in showing that animated films don't have to be about princesses.  According to IMDb, the synopsis goes a little something like this:

Scottish princess, Merida, defies her parents by persuing an interest in archery, but inadvertently jeopardizes her father's kingdom in the process.

Directed by Oscar-nominee and short film director Mark Andrews (One Man Band) and penned by the film's erstwhile director Brenda Chapman (scribe of Cars and Beauty and the Beast) and Irene Mecchi.  Featuring voice acting by very-Irish Kelly Macdonald as Princess Merida alongside Emma Thompson, Robbie Coltrane, Julie Walters, Craig Ferguson, and Billy Connolly.  Trailer below.

CARS 2

Written by Ben Queen

Directed by John Lasseter

Voices by Larry the Cable Guy, Owen Wilson, Emily Mortimer

and Michael Caine

Luigi: No fight more important than firendship.

CARS 2 marks the first time where I could not care less about a Pixar release. I didn’t buy the world made up entirely of cars in the first instalment and thought the idea of a race-car learning to slow down in life to be pretty dull. Getting behind the wheel again was the last thing I wanted to do but I’m sure glad I did. CARS 2 is a ton more fun than its predecessor, as it follows the best thing about the first film, tow-truck, Mater (Larry the Cable Guy), through a mistaken identity spy caper. It never reaches the true greatness that most Pixar pictures achieve but by speeding up the action, Pixar revs up for some much-needed excitement for these former clunkers.

Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) is once again racing to prove something in CARS 2, in this case to prove his virility and quiet the taunts of another racer, Francesco Bernoulli (John Turturro). In a bold move on Pixar’s part though, McQueen’s brilliantly animated race around the world is downgraded to a secondary plot for the sequel. This allows us to tag along with Mater as he joins forces with Finn McMissile (Michael Caine) and Holley Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer) to take down a bunch of lemon cars determined to dissuade the world from using new forms of fuel. The lemons are in possession of an untapped oil reserve so alternative energy is their nemesis. All the while, Mater and McQueen’s friendship is tested when McQueen is embarrassed by Mater’s naïve antics. This in turn forces Mater to pop his own hood and look inside so that he can learn to love his own make and model. Good thing too because nobody likes an insecure car.

In many ways, director, John Lasseter (who directed the first CARS and the first two TOY STORY films) has dumbed down the CARS 2 to make it even more accessible. It is completely ludicrous when you piece the plot together but its simplicity allows for a more enjoyable time that I’m certain will get little boys everywhere clamouring for more car toys, especially now that the cars come with guns and missiles attached to them. That said, this is a movie populated with talking machinery so I’m not sure whether ridiculousness should even be a consideration here. As gimmicky and forced as the spy adventure spin is, it adds some serious traction to this budding franchise that should surely carry it safely over the finish line in first place.

Antique Autos Part 2: Mrs. White's Parakeet

Last week we showed you some Herbie cars from the film Herbie Rides Again, on display at the Antique Auto Club of America Museum in Hershey, PA. Today we want to take a look another special car which is part of the museum's collection. What you're looking at here is a 1977 Cadillac Seville once owned by television superstar Mrs. Betty White. This car was a gift from her husband Allen Ludden, and was custom painted in her favorite color Sea-Mist Green. Betty had lovingly nicknamed the car "Parakeet" before donating it to the Human Society in 2002 for a charity auction. From the auction, it lived with a private owner until it found it's way to the AACA Museum in 2009. Along with the car, the museum also has on display several items commemorating Betty White's awesome career in showbiz.

The car was also used in a two-part episode of Mama's Family. Impressed?

Betty White's Cadillac is a permanent exhibit at the Antique Auto Museum.

Antique Autos Part 1: Herbie

Easily one of my favorite film franchises of all-time is the Herbie The Love Bug series of films from Disney. I've seen plenty of Herbie cars in my travels, mostly cars used in the newer 2005 movie or the Disney On Ice production from the 80's. But to see a real honest to goodness Herbie used in one of the original movies is a real treat. So, when I learned that the REAL HERBIE was going to be in my neck of the woods I got pretty excited.

This past weekend I dragged my kids up to the Antique Auto Club of America Museum in Hershey, PA to see two authentic Herbie The Love Bugs used in the filming of the 1974 sequel Herbie Rides Again. The original movie, The Love Bug, was the highest grossing movie of 1969 and apparently stayed the top box office grosser of all time until a little film with some spaceships, robots and lightsabers showed up in 1977.

The AACA Museum has two Herbie cars on loan from the William E. Swigart, Jr Automobile Museum in Huntingdon, PA. They are on display until April 24, 2011. The first Herbie is in beautiful condition:

The original Herbie was a pearl white 1963 Volkswagen (VW) Model 117 Deluxe 2-door sedan equipped with a sunroof.


Also on display is this beat up Herbie:

The beat up interior

Poor Herbie, he's been through a lot.

And for extra nerdy fun, here's the registration for Herbie:

This is a sign that was used when Herbie made public appearances back in the day. Since the original four theatrical films, there has also been a TV movie in 1997 and a 5th theatrical production, Herbie Fully Loaded in 2005.

Herbie is awesome!

Check back later in the week with some pictures of another neat car on display at the AACA Museum.

New Cars Trailer

At first glance, this teaser for next summer's Cars 2 feels like Pixar might be "jumping the shark" but if we've learned anything from the first 10 films of the Pixar cannon: Never Underestimate the good folks at Pixar!