Movie Reviews
Rob’s Car Movie Review: Double Nickels (1977)
From the 1980s through to today, the majority of car movies tend to be comfortably budgeted and widely released productions from major studios or distribution entities. Films like The Cannonball Run, Need for Speed, John Wick, and Ford v. Ferrari relied on big-money stars and massive advertising campaigns to spread awareness of the movie and bring in those box office dollars.
In the 1970s, however, the opposite was more commonly true.
Low-budget films produced through the efforts of independent companies were churned out by the dozen, often aimed at the drive-in movie crowd. They usually relied on an easy-to-digest high concept, rarely featured an actor you had ever heard of, and were less than stellar in terms of storytelling and technical proficiency. Falling into this category were such pictures as Bobby Jo and the Outlaw, Moonshine County Express, King of the Mountain, and Van Nuys Blvd.
While I have watched a number of these types of movies in the past, one that I had never heard of before recently came to my attention, and I thought for this month’s episode of Rob’s Car Movie Review, I’d give it a review.
So, without further delay, I present to you Double Nickels (1977)!
The theatrical, one-sheet movie poster for Double Nickels. (Image courtesy of Smokey Productions.)
Double Nickels was produced and distributed in the United States by Smokey Productions. Having worked on H.B. Halicki’s prior low-budget movies, the original 1974 version of Gone in 60 Seconds and he Junkman, a relative unknown, Jack Vacek, took it upon himself to try his hand at being an auteur filmmaker. He wrote, directed, produced, edited, acted, and performed stunts in the picture.
Performing alongside of Vacek was an ensemble of totally unknown actors, including Trice Schubert, Edward Abrahms, Heidi Schubert, George Cole, Tex Taylor, and Mick Brennan.
Shot in my current place of residence, Malibu, California, and other locations in the Los Angeles area on a micro-budget of $150,000, Double Nickels tells the story of a pair of California Highway Patrolmen, Smokey (Vacek) and Ed (Abrahms), who monitor a strip of the US1 Pacific Coast Highway.
Jack Vacek as the main protagonist, California Highway Patrolman, Smokey. (Photo courtesy of Smokey Productions.)
A chance encounter with a speeder, George (Cole) who purports to be in the auto repossession business, leads Smokey and Ed to moonlight for George, ostensibly taking back sports and luxury cars that the owners have failed to make payments on.
The two lawmen prove highly adept at boosting cars, successfully outwitting the owners, and on a couple of occasions, the police, whom they must stay clear of, since moonlighting is against Highway Patrol policy.
All is going well as the two rake in the extra dollars to supplement their Highway Patrol paychecks, until Smokey and Ed discover that the cars they have been reclaiming were not, in fact, being financed by any financial institution. They confront George with this information, who promises to question the man who has been bankrolling his repossession business.
Edward Abrahms as Highway Patrolman, Ed. (Photo courtesy of Smokey Productions.)
George delivers a car personally to his backer, Lewis Sloan (Taylor), and queries the man about the nature of his business. Sloan, in a not-so-veiled threat, tells George to mind his own business, prompting George to tell Smokey and Ed that he believes they have all unwittingly gotten themselves mixed up in an auto theft ring.
Realizing their jobs and their very freedom is in Jeopardy, Smokey, Ed, and George go to Sloan’s home and take back one of the cars they had previously boosted. Subsequently, a high-speed pursuit develops between our protagonists and Sloan, setting up a climactic final act that will decide who prevails.
Double Nickels is perhaps the quintessential 1970s B-movie, as it contains all the aforementioned technical deficiencies of the species and much more.
George the repo man, portrayed by George Cole. (Photo courtesy of Smokey Productions.)
For starters, to my eye, the film was likely shot on Super-16mm and blown up to 35mm for distribution to reduce film stock costs. As a result, the movie is left with a squarish aspect-ratio and huge globs of grain in the image. The version I watched was probably transferred from a very old print that had color-shifted over the years, as the color palate leans heavily towards magenta. I actually didn’t mind this so much, as it lends the film a seedy, 1970s look that films like Boogie Nights strived to recreate decades later.
The other technical aspects, such as the live sound recordings and editing, are also quite poor. Sometimes, you simply cannot hear the dialogue or follow the action. Sloppy jump cuts and abrupt scene exits are scattered throughout.
As was the case in the previously mentioned 1974 incarnation of Gone in 60 Seconds, the acting is pretty much abysmal, with the often laughable and ludicrous written words from the screenplay not doing the thespians any favors.
Tex Taylor as auto theft kingpin, Lewis Sloan. (Photo courtesy of Smokey Productions.)
Likewise, the story itself is nothing to write home about, either. The idea that a pair of cops could not see what they were getting themselves into with the repossession scheme is fairly ridiculous and fails to suspend disbelief. The tone of the story also shifts incongruously from drama to over-the-top slapstick comedy at times.
Having just trashed the film, you might find it incredible that I managed to enjoy it to a degree.
The movie’s running time is a mere 88 minutes, so it doesn’t represent a major ask for your time. On a personal level, it was fun for me to see how Malibu’s scenery and landmarks had changed over the decades before I moved here.
The movie aptly captures the halcyon lifestyle of 1970s Southern California. (Photo courtesy of Smokey Productions.)
The movie also acts as a snapshot of 1970s Southern California in the laconic, beach-and-sun-and-chicks-in-bikinis lifestyle that it presents. Hillarious and kitschy are the hairstyles, mustaches, and wide-lapeled, open shirts and bell-bottomed jeans throughout. Gen-Xers like me just love that stuff as it reminds us of our childhoods.
What’s more, the movie delivers in spades in terms of the automotive action.
While we are not presented with multitudes of raucous, high-end muscle cars from the era, likely because the film’s miniscule budget didn’t permit procuring them, we are treated to a few icons of the period.
Smokey drives this awesome 1968 Chevy Chevelle SS in the film’s climactic chase sequence. (Photo courtesy of Smokey Productions.)
The two best cars are the ones that are used in the 17-minute car chase that ends the movie: a 1968 Chevy Chevelle SS and a ‘73 Chevrolet Corvette C3.
The Chevelle, driven by Smokey, is unusual in that it is painted in code MM Burnished Saddle Metallic, a rare medium brown color, with white over-the-top stripes. It features aftermarket mag wheels, a black interior, and, as we see multiple times, is equipped with a manual transmission, which Smokey aggressively rows.
The C3 is driven by Sloan, who consistently chomps on a cigar while sawing at the steering wheel, with his henchman in the passenger seat occasionally leaning out of the window to fire off rounds at Smokey’s car with his .45.
Lewis Sloan uses this Bright Orange ’73 Corvette to pursue Smokey. (Photo courtesy of Smokey Productions.)
The ‘Vette looks fantastic in code 86 Bright Orange with a black interior, and is an automatic transmission car. Sadly, we never get a look under the hood of either car, but do hear their V8s roar throughout the spectacular pursuit.
Another car that features prominently in the film is Smokey’s dilapidated 1957 Chevrolet Task-Force 3100 series pick-up.
Smokey’s 1957 Chevrolet Task-Force 3100 series pick-up is used in a chase sequence in the Los Angeles River. (Photo courtesy of Smokey Productions.)
Seemingly ancient and covered in peeling paint and primer, the truck features a manual transmission and is involved in multiple chase sequences, including one in the Los Angeles River.
Other vehicles in the movie include multiple Cadillacs, a wild dune buggy, 1970s-style custom vans, super-cool 1974 Dodge Monaco and ’72 Plymouth Satellite police cars, George’s gorgeous 1977 Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL, a 1966 Lincoln Continental with suicide doors, and Smokey’s 1975 Norton Commando 750 for motorcycle fans.
Though far from being a hot car, I’d be remiss in not mentioning the 1971 Ford Pinto that Ed escapes from the cops in by driving it down several flights of stairs. Quite a stunt!
Even the movie’s police cars, like this 1972 Plymouth Satellite are cool. (Photo courtesy of Smokey Productions.)
If you go into Double Nickels forewarned that it is no Citizen Kane and that it possesses some of the worst technical and storytelling facets of 1970s low-budget filmmaking, it’s not impossible to enjoy the movie.
I tend to liken it to something you might watch if it was the only thing on TV at 3 am or if you were sick in bed. For all its bad acting and implausible plot machinations, it does nostalgically capture a Southern California that once existed and has some enviable cars and superb pursuits in it.
As such, I give Jack Vacek’s magnum opus five out of ten pistons.
“Nahir,” a brooding, glamourized and sexed-up account of a notorious Argentine murder case, is a mystery thriller that aims for engrossing and immersive that never falls short of quite watchable along the way.
Screenwriter Sofia Wilhelmi and director Hernán Gu
erschuny take great pains — with flashbacks and flashbacks within flashbacks — to show us several versions of the title character’s account of what happened the fateful night in which she allegedly killed her allegedly abusive lover.
We’re treated to backstory which dissects the aloof and mysterious teen beauty who either planned a crime of lover’s revenge, carried it out and took some pains to cover up her involvement, or didn’t. Not in the ways the earliest versions of her account of that fateful night played out, anyway.
Valentina Zenera plays Nahir as a vain beauty confident in her allure, even at her (seen in a flashback) quinceañera. Nahir dreams of riding the premiere float at Gualeguaychú’s famed carnival parade and riding that to fame as a model.
Not that she says much of this out loud. Nahir is depicted as inscrutable, controlled and controlling. All the boys fancy her and no one gets more of her attention, and manipulation, than 20 year-old Federico (Simon Hempe).
Nahir says they’re broken up. Then they’re together. As the narrative jumps back and forth from “before the crime” (in Spanish with English subtitles) to “after the crime,” we see both their torrid affair — “torrid” at least in his eyes — and her “No, we weren’t dating” way of describing it to her friends and eventually to the cops.
Because one night, Federico rides his motorbike to his doom.
We see how Nahir takes the “news” of his death. “Poker-faced” barely does that reaction justice. We watch the early questioning, the tear she tries to summon up or fake with a tissue.
And we learn that Nahir’s adored and adoring Dad (César Bordón) is a pistol-packing police officer. If there’s one thing that’s become accepted wisdom the world over in recent years, it’s the idea that police in most any country all consider themselves experts in one thing — knowing what they can get away with, and how.
When Dad says “I’ll get you out of here…I’m working on it. You’ll be home by New Year’s,” Nahir believes it. Is it because of what she knows, or what she knows that he knows?
As we see Nahir’s (perhaps) ex-beauty queen mother (Mónica Antonópulos) primp and prep her for a pageant and for a TV prison interview, we pick up on the dynamic of the household and the narcissism of our heroine.
“No crying,” Mom insists before her interrogation. Or did she? Federico’s come-ons are punctuated with a macho “I get anything I want.” Dad wasn’t shy about showing his pistol to would-be stalkers who stare at Nahir in crowds. His icy “princesa” never betrays any emotion at any of this.
The court case reveals more than just the lovers’ exchanged “love of my life” texts. Protesters demand “justice” for Federico, but witnesses paint a more complicated picture of their on-and-off romance. And as her situation isn’t quickly resolved — one way or the other — and her “story” changes, we wonder what really happened.
I like the way the story’s jumps backwards and forwards in time to wrongfoot the viewer. We’re given just enough information to decide on guilt or innocence, and then new information is brought to light. Think again.
Now on Amazon Prime, “Nahir” was longer when it played in Argentina, and reviews of this “true” story there weren’t the best. Perhaps it’s tighter, as the Prime cut of the film is 14 minutes shorter. Or perhaps Argentines are more invested in the story and uninterested in the doubts “Nahir” suggests.
Zenere, underplaying in ways that hint at the character’s similarities to Amanda Knox — accused because she underreacts to news of a murder — makes her character believably guilty or possibly innocent. And whatever verdict, she ensures the narcissistic Nahir is never seen with a hair out of place or eye shadow and earrings that aren’t perfectly matched, even behind bars.
Rating: TV-16, violence, sex, profanity
Cast: Valentina Zenere, Simon Hempe, Mónica Antonópulos and César Bordón
Credits: Directed by Hernán Guerschuny, scripted by Sofia Wilhelmi. An MGM release on Amazon Prime.
Running time: 1:48
Watch Red Rooms on Shudder
This new dark psychological thriller is written and directed by Pascal Plante, who previously made Les faux tatouages (2017) and Nadia, Butterfly (2020). While I feel I have to describe Red Rooms as slow-burn, it really doesn’t feel like a slow movie.
It packs a real punch. Just in a different way!
Every cast member in this movie delivers a strong performance, but for me, it’s still very much about Juliette Gariépy as Kelly-Anne. She’s the character we experience everything through. Even in long scenes, she’s always in the background. Watching and evaluating everything.
This is a Canadian movie (org. title: Les chambres rouges) which means the trial setting is different from the typical US setting. Instead, it’s more like the UK and French (for obvious reasons) trials you may have seen. However, this is another element that works perfectly.
Red Rooms premiered at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. After its premiere, it went on to screen at several leading global film festivals. Including the Fantasia Film Festival, Busan International Film Festival, and the BFI London Film Festival.
Red Rooms begins Streaming On Shudder on January 14, 2025.
2.75/5
2 Hr 24 Mins | Family | 14-01-2025
Cast – Venkatesh, Meenakshi Chaudhary, Aishwarya Rajesh, Srinivasa Reddy, Naresh, Sai Kumar, Upendra Limaye, VTV Ganesh, Srinivas Avasarala and others
Director – Anil Ravipudi
Producer – Dil Raju
Banner – Sri Venkateswara Creations
Music – Bheems Ceciroleo
After delivering a blockbuster with ‘F2’ and a hit with ‘F3’, Victory Venkatesh and Anil Ravipudi teamed for the third time with, Sankranthiki Vasthunnam, to score a hat-trick of successful films in their combination. With a chartbuster song ‘Godari Gattu Meeda’ and a huge round of promotions including reels, etc., the team managed to generate very good buzz around the film. Did Venkatesh & Anil Ravipudi score a hat-trick in their combination? Did Dil Raju manage to score a hit at the box office after a series of disappointing films? Did Venkatesh get back onto the success track after a forgettable film, Saindhav, which was released in theatres during the last Sankranthi? Let’s find out with a detailed analysis.
What is it about?
Y D Raju(Venkatesh), an Ex-Cop and an encounter specialist leads a happy life with his wife(Aishwarya Rajesh), four kids and a joint family in a village near Rajahmundry. His Ex-Girlfriend(Meenakshi Chaudhary), a Cop, reaches out to him one fine day and requests him to help the police department perform a secret rescue operation. Who is that Y D Raju and the team have to rescue? Why did Y D Raju’s wife want to be part of the rescue mission? Forms the rest of the story.
Performances:
Victory Venkatesh played a tailor-made role in the film. Y D Raju’s role is a cakewalk for him as he has done many similar roles in the past. He is as usual very good with his comedy timing. His dialogues in the form of a ‘Message’ to men during a fight sequence in the second half, his act as a loveable husband and his act as a husband who gets sandwiched between wife and ex-girlfriend are sure to bring the roofs down in theatres.
Aishwarya Rajesh as an innocent and possessive wife delivered a very good performance. Her performance as an innocent wife in the first half deserves a special mention. Meenakshi Chaudhary as ex-girlfriend and a COP delivered a good performance. Seems like the appreciation she got for her role in ‘Lucky Baskhar’ instilled a lot of confidence in her and that confidence is evident in the way she carried her role beside a senior hero like Venkatesh & a seasoned performer like Aishwarya Rajesh.
The little kid who played the role of Bulliraju is a show stealer. The sequences involving him in the first half are one of the major highlights of the film. Animal Actor, Upendra Limaye, got a meaty role as Jailer but his performance is over-the-top and patience-testing at times. Srinivasa Reddy & Sai Kumar generated a few laughs in the second half and made their presence felt. Naresh & VTV Ganesh have good screen space but not much fun was generated from their roles. Srinivas Avasarala in a crucial role made his presence felt and looked believable in the role of a CEO.
Technicalities:
Songs by Bheems Ceciroleo are the biggest highlight of the film. It is refreshing to hear good old melody songs after a long time in a Telugu film and equally refreshing to hear Ramana Gogula’s vocals after a very long time. The ‘Godari Gattu Meeda’ song is sure to turn theatres into concerts this festive season. Bheems Ceciroleo’s background score is also good.
The cinematography by Sameer Reddy is pretty ordinary. The film is made on a shoestring budget looking at the ordinary visuals at most of the places. Editing by Tammiraju should have been better in the second half and also during the pre-interval. The drama during the pre-interval is good but it should have been better with some crisp editing.
Production values by Sri Venkateswara Creations are adequate. It seems the team made a deliberate decision to make the film on a limited budget and it is evident with the production quality.
Positives:
- Two Sequences Involving Bulliraju In The First Half
- Songs
- Venkatesh Comedy Timing
- Aishwarya Rajesh’s Innocent Performance
- Pre-Climax Sequence on Venkatesh
- Bheems Ceciroleo’s Background Score
Negatives:
- Over The Top Sequences In Second Half
- Upendra Limaye’s Forced Comedy
- Lack of Proper Story
- Logicless Writing
Analysis:
Anil Ravipudi is one of the very few directors in Telugu who scored seven back-to-back successful films. Selecting a simple story and mixing it with enough fun moments at regular intervals is his success formula. He followed a similar approach even for ‘Sankranthiki Vasthunnam’.
The first half of the film passes without any major complaints. The film started slowly and the pace of the film picked once the setup shifts to Y D Raju and family. A couple of comedy sequences and a couple of songs worked very well in the first half and it gives a good satisfactory feeling to the audience. The editing during the pre-interval block should have been crisp though. This entire block is dragged for at least two to three minutes.
The good thing about Anil Ravipudi is that he knows the pulse of his target audience very well. The dialogues he wrote for the wife’s character and the innocent sequences he conceived involving husband and wife characters are sure to work out very well among his target audience, that is the families. Especially, the married women are sure to relate with Aishwarya Rajesh’s character and are likely to like her character immensely.
The real problem with the film is the lack of a proper story and over-the-top forced comedy in the second half. There are a few laughs generated in the second half but on the whole, the writing in the second half looked rushed, forced, half-baked and loud. Upendra Limaye’s character in the second half did not work as expected due to poor writing and the loud performance. It seems like the deadline to release the film for ‘Sankranthi’ was not given to the team enough time for writing. Also, the sudden inclusion of ‘Social Message’ related to teachers out of nowhere during the climax of the film seems unnecessary and doesn’t sync well with the rest of the film. Ravipudi and the team should have written and conceived at least one hilarious block on Bulliraju’s character in the second half just like how they used his character in the first half.
You may have to stop using your thinking brain throughout the film and excuse the over-the-top loud comedy in the second half to get entertained. Overall, Sankranthiki Vasthunnam is a decent passable entertainer to watch in theatres with family.
Sankranthiki Vasthunnam – Passable Entertainer
Rating: 2.75/5
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