- The Terminator
- T2: Judgment Day
- T2:3D B.A.T
- T:SCC
- T3: Rise of the Machines
- T4: Salvation
- T5: Genesis
- T6: ?!
Hot cars rev up action films
Info: www.poughkeepsiejournal.com
Cool cars are no longer just an option for summer movies. "Cars have replaced horses in our movie iconography," says Ron Shelton, who directed 'Hollywood Homicide', which opens June 13. Never have cars taken on the importance they have this summer.
"With the success of the original 'The Fast and the Furious' (the surprise hit of summer 2001), cars have become much more of an element than they have ever been," says Cyril O'Neil, car wrangler for 'Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle,' which is due June 27.
But any car won't do, says Jan De Bont, director of "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life" (July 25). "Picking the right car is like casting."
De Bont replaced the conventional Land Rover that Angelina Jolie drove in the first film with a tricked-out Jeep for the sequel. Daimler-Chrysler might sell it as a limited edition.
Why cars are driving summer flicks:
- Cars express character fast. And in an action-packed crowd-pleaser, who has time for character development? "In the case of 'Lara Croft,' " DeBont says, "I was looking for a car that represented her daring attitude." To contrast the hero cops of his 'Hollywood Homicide,' Shelton placed staid Harrison Ford in a 5-year-old, boxy Cadillac Eldorado, while hotshot Josh Hartnett drove a snazzy Mustang souped up by Saleen.
- Cars connote cool. "We basically found out what were the hottest cars that kids would like to have access to but didn't," says John Singleton, director of '2 Fast 2 Furious,' which arrives Friday. "Then we asked, 'What would you do to this car to make it the hottest car you've ever seen?' Then we did it."
- A car connection cuts costs. "The filmmaker has to destroy a lot of cars," says director Jonathan Mostow ('Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,'), who put the film's new female Termatrix in a 'sleek, sexy, powerful, fast' Lexus convertible coupe. It helps that Lexus' sister company, Toyota, supplies Tundras for Arnold Schwarzenegger.
- Both car and movie get a boost. Demi Moore drives a Ferrari Enzo in 'Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle,' and Will Smith gets a Ferrari 575M Maranello in 'Bad Boys II.'
"Where else can you capture more than 20 million viewers to look at the world's most luxurious and high-performance sports cars?" says Marco Mattiacci of Ferrari Maserati North America.
comments powered by Disqus
