MovieChat Forums > Running on Empty (1982) Discussion > What the...!

What the...!

posted 19 years ago by deafman
5 replies | jump to latest

Hey ya,

1982 - I was 17... pisshhed and at a drive-in theatre - typical teen. And I was totally blown away with this movie.

Since then I have been trying to have a copy of this movie for my personal collection. On October 10 - some 23 years later I now have one on DVD. Woooohoooo.

Watching it many years later...

Ok the acting - well that was typical small budget aus movies at that time - Max Cullen does shine - but he always has. Deb Conway has gone onto bigger and better going back to her musical side :)

For its time and low budget - it still a good movie. It does remind me of Mad Max (the original) at times in the underlining shots, stunts and using the aussie counrty side - sparse wide open spaces to city scapes - but that was the era.

It is still original in its style.

What got me - ok nit picking - was the use of American cars as the #1's - the 57 Chevy, Ford HTO (ok part aus), etc., as the 'cars to hotup' at that time. An aussie based Monaro gets 10secs in the opening and thats it....

But the '57 Chev burnout near the end and the crowd reaction - that is still the defining burnout on the many 1000's of movies I've watched...

It's only matched and maybe recreated in "Spiderbaits - Black Betty" music video?

Could this movie be remade? I think it should be - can you imagine it now with all the effects and actors that Aus can put together???

I can... but it would have to be done the aussie way - not with the Hollywood hype - warts and all! :)

~ in a demonic voice: "I must find a more suitable host body." ~

[–] Xed_X 17 years ago

Unfortunately, it would cost a lot to get this movie remade. Almost all of the Australian directors just don't have that sort of money, minus the director of Mad Max who's movies are shown in other America. Because not a lot of Australians would go to the Cinemas to watch a movie like this, it would mean the Director wouldn't get much money at all, which means the budget would have to be real low. That's why there aren't many famous Australian directors who are known overseas, because their movies don't have a large enough budget to be liked in places such as America.

[–] deafman 17 years ago

Xed X

Actually there are about 5 VERY large and financially influencial aussie directors in the USA.

There are also about a dozen in Australia too.... but thats here nor there really.

The more I have thought about it - the movie would be dyam near impossible to remake lol.

The main problem I see is not the money, nor director, nor the actors or locations - but the cars and era.

If its kept as a '1970's' set movie the cars and story are not a problem.

If updated to mid 00's - what cars can be used? A yellow Monaro is easy! lol

But a mid 00's Chevy? (the '57 Chevy) And replacement for the Ford GTHO?

And there lies the problem - it is effectatly a Ford vs etc... cant be a Buzz box of anny kind...

Thoughts?

~ in a demonic voice: "I must find a more suitable host body." ~

[–] derail_me_twice 17 years ago

Maybe, you never know. Though I don't know who could be in it. Though it would be funny to replace Max Cullen with Terry Serio, I met him a few weeks ago, man he is short, well, I am very tall but you know what I mean.

[–] deafman 17 years ago

I have a few ideas for a new script - I'll post the soon

~ in a demonic voice: "I must find a more suitable host body." ~

[–] mike_cable 16 years ago

Did you ever get those ideas down for the new script?