Grand Theft Auto (1977) or, Crash Bam Boom!

1/10/2021

Grand Theft Auto (1977) or, Crash Bam Boom!

♥♥

Eye-popping auto destruction and speed-loving youths are promised on this dramatic poster for Ron Howard's Grand Theft Auto

A young couple wants to get hitched in Las Vegas, but her rich parents are furiously set against it, so they run off in her father's Rolls Royce. The father however sends his agents out after them, and through the radio bounties get put on their heads.

Grand Theft Auto is written by Rance Howard (The Flintstones (1964-65)) and his son, co-writer/director/star Ron Howard (The Missing (2003)), whose debut it is.

The film starts really well with lots of youthful charm and fun bits, and Grand Theft Auto is made with a child-like, rascally sense of humor. But not far into the flick, it runs out of material, and after the somewhat formulaic 'crisis' for the couple, one begins to be bored. Because Grand Theft Auto mostly consists of windows breaking in extreme slow motion and cars that drive ahead very fast due to being manipulated with fast forward editing, an effect that's used over-zealously throughout this minor vehicle.

Related posts:

Ron Howard: Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel (2011) - Stapleton's Corman doc. is among the year's best films (interview subject)

2008 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2008 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2008 in films - according to Film Excess
Frost/Nixon (2008) - Howard's political drama is gripping, superiorly acted
The Da Vinci Code (2006) - Howard's first Brown adaptation is a popcorn thriller hoot

2001 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess
Top 10: The best biopic movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
A Beautiful Mind (2001) - John Nash given the Epic Treatment
EDtv (1999) - Phenomenal cast shine in Howard's witty mega-flop

Far and Away (1992) - Howard, Hollywood's sweethearts visit the old West with dull result (co-writer/director)
Backdraft (1991) - Howard's giant, stupid Chicago-set firefighter movie
American Graffiti (1973) or, Cruisin' Modesto '62 (actor)

Watch a TV-spot for the film here

Cost: 602k $

Box office: 15 mil. $

= Mega-hit (returned 24.91 times its cost)

[Grand Theft Auto was released 16 June (USA) and runs 84 minutes. The film was devised as an unofficial follow-up to the similar major hit with Howard starring, Eat My Dust (1976). Shooting took place in California and Las Vegas, Nevada around March 1977. The film grossed impressive 15 mil. $ worldwide. Roger Ebert gave the film a 2/4 star review, in line with this one. Howard returned with 3 TV movies prior to his theatrical return with Night Shift (1982). As an actor he returned in More American Graffiti (1979). Grand Theft Auto is rotten at 23 % with a 4.84/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

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William Friedkin has died

Born in Chicago, Friedkin accrued TV credits prior to his advance to the big screen as the director of Good TImes (1967), The Birthday Party (1968), The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968) and The Boys in the Band (1970) before his major breakthrough, The French Connection (1971), for which he won his only Oscar. He followed it up with the even bigger smash, The Exorcist (1973), arguably the best horror film of all time, for which he was Oscar-nominated. Later credits include Sorcerer (1977), Cruising (1980), To Live and Die in L.A. (1985), Rampage (1987), Rules of Engagement (2000), Killer Joe (2011) and The Devil and Father Amorth (2017, documentary). Friedkin passed away at age 87. R.I.P.

Louise Fletcher has passed away

Born in Alabama to deaf parents, Fletcher got her first credits in late-1950s TV-series.She took a 10 year-long sabbatical to devote her time to motherhood after the release of A Gathering of Eagles, but then came back and soon saw her career's most important part, as Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), for which she won her sole Oscar. Later credits include Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977), The Lucky Star (1980), Brainstorm (1983), Two Moon Junction (1988), Cruel Intentions (1999), A Perfect Man (2013) and many more. Fletcher passed away at age 88. R.I.P.

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Wolfgang Petersen has died

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Born in Vaucluse, France, Trintignant's theatrical debut as an actor was in If All the Guys in the World... (1955). Later credits include ...And God Created Woman (1956), The Seven Deadly Sins (1961), Inferno (1964), A Man and A Woman (1966), My Love, My Love (1967), A Man to Kill (1967), The Great Silence (1968), Z (1969), The Assassination (1972), Three Colors: Red (1994), Amour (2012), Happy End (2017) and many more. He also wrote and directed two films in the 1970s. Trintignant passed away at age 91. R.I.P.

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Born in Ohio, Hall didn't start acting until he was 30. His long list of credits include Zabriskie Point (1970), Miami Vice (1987, TV-series), Midnight Run (1988), Ghostbusters II (1989), Cheers (1993, TV-series), Hard Eight (1996), The Rock (1996), Air Force One (1997), Boogie Nights (1997), Seinfeld (1991-98), Rush Hour (1998), The Insider (1999), Magnolia (1999), The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), Bruce Almighty (2003), Dogville (2003), The Zodiac (2005), Zodiac (2007), Curb Your Enthusiasm (2004-09), Mr. Popper's Penguins (2011), Modern Family (2011-12) and many more. Hall passed away at age 90. R.I.P.

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1/10/2021

Grand Theft Auto (1977) or, Crash Bam Boom!

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