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Not as much of a movie about cars, Flash of Genius revolves around the industry. Starting during the 60's, Greg Kinnear plays engineer/inventor Bob Kearns who after being completely wronged and having his invention stolen first by Ford and then all the other auto manufacturers, dedicates his life to seeking justice in the courts.

This movie can be boring at times and has some oddly paced sequences, but it is a fantastic story in the Tucker vein. Kearns - according to the movie - lost his entire family, his life and even his mind by the end of the decades-long legal battle with Ford. I really hope the PR people at Ford today are pissed about this movie because they deserve much worse for how they treated people. Bob Kearns was a trusting and loyal person who just wanted to do business on his terms and the assholes at Ford blatantly stole it, and ignored Kearns pleas for justice. They have a huge legal team and attempted to bury him in paperwork. Well, that Goliath got a tire iron right in it's smug shit-eating grin. One of the extremely rare times a giant corporation was defeated - by an engineer no less - this story deserves the spotlight it got.

If you like vintage Detroit and the cars that inhabited it, you will love this movie. Whenever they are not in the courtroom, you get some fantastic shots of the streets, traffic, the old Dearborn company grounds, etc. While it mostly has full-size FoMoCo cars, there is still a decent variety. However(!), I noted nary a Buick in sight which is a travesty. It's not like they were confined to Flint city limits or anything. There was one instance when he got on the Greyhound bus that I think I saw a mid to late 60's LeSabre, but it could have been my hopes instead.

2 Shields!

When one thinks of an IMAX film, they invariably envision majestic dolphins leaping over a boat wake, or majestic Kodiak bears running through a meadow. But thank the Car Gods IMAX movie maker Stephen Low is a racing fan. He - not even arguably - made one of the all-time greatest automobile racing movies ever. EVER.

The late, great Paul Newman narrates the movie and offers an inside look at the manufacture of world-class race cars. The affable and tiny Mario Andretti is the star of the film, explaining and illustrating the facets of doing what he does best. Switching back and forth they show the entire rebuild process of an early Indy racer along the way.

Being an IMAX movie, the quality is unsurpassed. The video is the best, because it is a very large-format film and the crew knows their craft well. The audio is just amazing, due to of course the equipment they used and because the cars are the focus of the movie it is they who provide the soundtrack. As of this writing there are three DVD versions of the movie. The original release is in the format closest to the IMAX ratio - 1.33:1 (or 4:3). While it seems less desirable if you have a widescreen TV, it is the full frame of the original film. The 2nd release has the 1.33:1 film and includes a newer 1.78:1 (16:9) version for wide sets. The latest Blu-Ray edition only includes the wide version.

Super Speedway sets the standard for racing movies and it's somewhere in the troposphere. From the unbelievable on-car footage to the heartfelt storytelling, every moment of this movie is entertaining.

3 Shields!

This Roger Corman classic pretty much kick-started the biker gang movie genre that is only now gaining mainstream popularity. The Wild Angels stars Peter Fonda in what may have defined his typecast as a rebel leader. What is also amazing is Corman was inspired by the Hell's Angels of California and actually used many real Angels in the film! So not only is this film a look at a biker gang, it stars the actual bikers.

It is anarchy from the beginning, with the gang running wild partying, destroying everything in their path and causing general mayhem. Taking in to consideration the time period, this seemingly cheesy movie is actually pretty alarming. It pissed off plenty of people at the time, and actually angered the government enough they tried to revoke it's entry in the Venice Film Festival. While most of the onscreen antics seem tame compared to the average show on today's cable, there is still much violence and drug use.

The shots of California are fantastic and are before the über-development so you get a good idea of how beautiful it really was. The writing and acting are pretty typical for that time, and the movie also has the annoying quick ending which leaves you scratching your head. But if you are a fan of Sons of Anarchy, you will love this very early look at the Hell's Angels. One thing I will probably never understand is the flagrant use of the Nazi symbols and flags. I mean, if you are rebeling against the system, wasn't that the worst system of all? Huh..

An interesting sidenote is the legendary Monte Hellman of Two Lane Blacktop fame edited The Wild Angels.

1.5 Shields!