Reels & Wheels

CONVOY! Hear us out on this one... As a production, Convoy was a bit of a train wreck. A drug-fueled, past-his-prime Sam Peckinpaw was trying to direct a dark film that made a statement about unfair laws. The studio wanted something more like Smokey and the Bandit, which came out the year before. Neither side one. The result is a tonally strange movie, but somehow... somehow... it's super relevant today. Derek Williams once again joins Sid and James to discuss this bizarre movie that has way more to it than you think. It's actually a strong statement against police using the wrong enforcement tactics and a reminder that black lives matter. Remember to subscribe and leave us feedback!

In this special, co-branded episode of Reels and Wheels, Sid and James are joined by Brad McMurran and Sean Devereux of The Pushers, hosts of the Nerds of Comedy podcast! ...and what amazing, special, exciting movie could possibly be important enough to bring these two podcasts together? Cannonball Run 2, of course! All kidding aside, Hal Needham's second Cannonball movie is mindless fun. It's ridiculous. It's over-the-top. It makes no sense. And it's just awesome.  Sean and Brad are partners at The Push Comedy Theater. Like most comedy venues, it has had to close down during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The theater is not only a great place to experience comedy, it is also a key training ground for comedic talent in southeastern Virginia. Please consider going to www.pushcomedytheater.com and making a donation! Don't forget to send us your feedback - and subscribe on all the podcast services you can find us on! @SidBridgeComedy & @S2KJames

There can be only one!!! Sid and James tackle the 1986 classic Highlander, the story of an immortal, caught in a centuries-long struggle to claim a prize by beheading other immortals. And he drives a Porsche 356 Speedster. A discussion ensues on the virtues and not-virtues of the 356 and we take a look at the other cars of Highlander. We also feel the need to single out Clancy Brown, who's portrayal of The Kurgan gave us an outstanding villain. This episode was inspired by a Twitter conversation with our good friend, Lovell Porter - find him on Twitter @AboveAverageLLP. Make sure you subscribe to Reels and Wheels and leave us some feedback! @SidBridgeComedy and @S2KJames

David Michod's The Rover is a bleak, Australian post-apocalypse story. Sound familiar? It's definitely not Mad Max.  Michod's anarchic landscape lacks hope... or even a real hero. The movie is a slog, depressing and gritty from start to finish. It's kind of character piece you would expect from a film that was chosen to be screened at Cannes. James liked it. Sid hated it. Both agree: While relevant, it's a depressing watch during the COVID-19 pandemic. Save it for later and listen to Reels and Wheels instead.

This is the movie we've been waiting for. This is a story so crazy we're surprised it took this long to become a movie. This is Ford V Ferrari. Joining James and Sid is racecar driver Aditya "Deech" Madhaven as we talk about the incredible story of Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles. Ford V Ferrari is a rare example of a car movie that is so good that it can be enjoyed by people who aren't into cars.  Deech brings tons of knowledge to the table and this episode is entertaining and informing - and it was a blast to record. It's a bit longer than usual because we enjoyed this movie so much. Make sure you follow us online - @ReelsandWheels, @S2KJames, @SidBridgeComedy!

Stuber is a movie where the hero car is an all-electric Nissan Leaf. It also stars WWE-wrestler-turned-actor Dave Bautista as a trigger-happy cop with bad eyesight.  Joining us for this episode is Lovell Porter, creator of BlaqueRabbit.com and writer/play-by-play analyst for WrestleZone!  So, is the Leaf a cool car? Can James become a wrestling fan? Is Stuber worth watching? Find Sid @SidBridgeComedy and James @S2KJames online. Subscribe to Reels and Wheels in Stitcher, iTunes or Google Play and leave us some feedback! Find Lovell at BlaqueRabbit.com and at WrestleZone.com!

Merry Christmas from Reels and Wheels! On this special Christmas episode, James and Sid talk about Christmas Vacation and the bizarre 1989 Ford Taurus wagon with custom wood paneling! @ReelsandWheels @S2KJames @SidBridgeComedy

If there's one thing to be said for animation, it's that the sky's the limit. Whatever craziness is hiding in your imagination - if you're good enough to draw it - can become a movie. Redline is a 2009 animated film that takes inspiration from all over the place - Death Race 2000, Aeon Flux, Aliens - you name it! This movie has dystopian governments, mutant bio-weapons, cyborgs, over-the-top hot rods, and a hero who sports a pompadour.  Joining us for this episode is Anime aficionado Remi Treuer, who drops plenty of knowledge on us as we try to process this insane movie. Find Remi at SayTheXPod.com and @SayTheXPod on social - don't forget to follow @SidBridgeComedy and @S2KJames and leave us some feedback!

It's our Halloween episode! It's become traditional at Reels and Wheels to pick a horror movie with a car or two in it to discuss on Halloween and this year it's the movie that gave us the modern definition of zombies - the original Night of the Living Dead (and it's 1990 remake)! Joining Sid and James is their good friend and zombie expert, Derek Williams! Zombies! Classic Pontiacs! Classic Pickups! What more could you ask for? Find Derek online @Derek5letters - and follow @ReelsandWheels and leave us some feedback! @SidBridgeComedy and @S2KJames

Want to cry? Want to be sad? Have we got the movie for you!  The Art of Racing in the Rain is a sad movie based on Garth Stein's really sad book of the same name. It chronicles all the sad stuff that happens to Denny, a racecar driver, through the eyes of his dog, Enzo. It does a great job of showing the blue collar side of car racing. And it does a great job of making you cry. A lot. Joining Sid and James to cry together is JG Pasterjak of Grassroots Motorsports. JG has met the author and, as a racer himself, has a great take on the movie. Cry with Sid @sidbridgecomedy Cry with James @s2kjames Cry with JG at www.grassrootsmotorsports.com Cry with @Reelsandwheels on iTunes, Stitcher or GooglePlay!

Breaking the sound barrier. Going to space. The story didn't require a ton of embellishing to make a great movie. These pilots had the right stuff and speed was their life - from the planes they flew to the horses they rode to the cars they drove. Our good friends Josh Horowitz and Brett Stillo from the 5 Minutes of Trouble and 5 Minutes of Banzai podcasts join us once again to talk about a great 1980's movie that gave us real heroes in some really cool 1950's cars. Make sure you subscribe to Reels and Wheels on iTunes, Stitcher or Google Play and leave us some feedback! @SidBridgeComedy, @S2KJames And find 5 Minutes of Trouble here: http://5minutesoftrouble.com/

Fans of the original Transformers toys/cartoons finally got the movie they wanted in Bumblebee - the first Transformers movie to diverge from the Michael Bay explosion-fest to bring us back to the 1980's. Sid and James are joined by The Salty Seaman, Gabriel Owens, host of the Military Bulls**t podcast in this co-branded episode. Bumblebee kind of took a risk in appealing to all the 40-somethings who loved Transformers when they were kids instead of trying to sell a new generation on new toys. What we got was a great tribute to the 1980's, with some really great cars in the background - including a car chase featuring a Vista Cruiser! Gabe has plenty to bring to the conversation - enjoy as we geek out over Bumblebee! Make sure you subscribe to Reels and Wheels on iTunes, Stitcher or Google Play and leave us some feedback! @SidBridgeComedy @S2KJames @ReelsandWheels Find Gabe's podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNJGW1TV7r_K4lsd7-wEf0A  

Did you know that a young, often shirtless Tommy Lee Jones starred in a 1986 heist movie with Linda Hamilton where they had to steal a Knight Rider-esque concept car?  Neither did we! Thanks to our friend and guest from Plaid Dad Blog, Christian Lee for turning us on to this obscure movie that's so packed with 1980's tropes you'll automatically grow a mullet while watching it. Once we get past all the bizarre casting choices and plot contrivances, there's a hell of a story to tell about the hero car, the Wingho Concordia II. Listen to this one. It's good. Find Christian at Plaid Dad Blog and at Dadsews.com as well as his many other projects!  @ReelsandWheels @S2KJames @SidBridgeComedy Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher or Google Play!

In this mini-episode, James and Sid do something different - reviewing the trailers for two upcoming movies, Ford vs. Ferrari and The Art of Racing in the Rain. Ford vs. Ferrari is basically covers everything James and Sid always argue about and The Art of Racing in the Rain is about a dog. Both are exciting in their own way.  @ReelsandWheels - iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play @S2KJames @SidBridgeComedy

Ask anybody to name the greatest cars in TV history and the list is often topped by the General Lee. Controversy over confederate imagery aside, the Duke boys and their 1968 Dodge Charger somehow struck a chord with car lovers everywhere. The first episode of The Dukes of Hazzard is a lot more adult-oriented because the show runners had no idea it would become beloved by kids. It does a great job presenting the characters, their motivations and all of the quirks in pretty short order. ...and the cars! While the General Lee takes center stage with its obnoxious orange paint and improbably jumps, the supporting cast of vehicles is nothing to sneeze at - from Daisy's 1973 Roadrunner to Roscoe's police Monaco to the rare muscle cars that get bumped around because in the 80's nobody knew they were rare... this show is a car lover's dream. Follow @ReelsandWheels on social media! Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher or Google Play! Follow Sid (@SidBridgeComedy) and James (@S2KJames) and let us know what you think! Also, we

Some background on this episode - Last time we had Steve Lehto on the podcast (for Tucker: The Man and his Dream), we started talking about the Chrysler Turbine Car. It was Steve who told us it actually was center stage in an obscure movie, so... Steve Lehto of Lehtoslaw.com joins us once again to discuss The Lively Set! This 1964 movie is almost a propaganda piece for Chrysler's engineering division and their efforts to make a turbine powered car. The legend at the center of it is Chrysler's experimental Turbine Car - they made 55 of them. 54 were painted bronze and one was painted white just for this movie. Steve is the definitive authority on the Turbine Car. He literally wrote the book on it. He is the source for most of the Wikipedia page, and he got invited by Jay Leno to drive the Turbine Car in his collection. Needless to say you're in for some fascinating stories. This episode is required listening. Enjoy! Follow Sid (@SidBridgeComedy) and James (@S2KJames) on social media! Subscribe on Stitcher, iTu

An episode of Reels and Wheels about Star Trek? Thanks to the classic gangster episode from season 2, absolutely! James and Sid let out their inner Trekkie and geek out for the Cadillac V-12 that Captain Kirk attempts to drive. A Piece of the Action represents everything good and bad about the original Star Trek.  The episode was hokey, but it made great use of a low budget and really capitalized on the interplay between Kirk, Spock and McCoy.  Make sure you subscribe to Reels and Wheels on iTunes, Stitcher or Google Play and leave us some feedback!  @SidBridgeComedy @S2KJames @ReelsandWheels

This is our first episode covering a movie from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and joining us for the occasion is one of our favorite guests, Ed Carden - a resident MCU expert and member of the Pushers comedy troupe! Ant Man and the Wasp shows a light-hearted, fun side of the MCU and we like it because it takes playing with Matchbox Cars to a whole new level. Besides, Reels and Wheels has a moral obligation to cover any movie that includes a chase down Lombard Street. Enjoy the new episode and leave us some feedback - @ReelsandWheels, @SidBridgeComedy, @S2KJames and find Ed at www.pushcomedytheater.com!  

It's a movie about the guy making the movie that references his other movies. H.B. Halicki gave us the classic movie "Gone in 60 Seconds." That gave him enough movie to film himself crashing cars over and over again and show off his collectibles while a flimsy "plot" happened around him. The Junkman - It's a bad movie, but it's still kind of fun to watch. Joining James and Sid for this episode is Ethan Tufts of the Hello Road YouTube channel.  There are almost too many cars to cover in this malaise-era movie, and most of them get destroyed. The stunts are thoroughly reckless and you can see plenty of places where stunt drivers almost died, so, yeah - fun to watch. Kind of. Make sure you subscribe to @ReelsandWheels on Stitcher, iTunes or Google Play and leave us some feedback! Check out Ethan's YouTube Channel, Hello Road while you're at it - it's more than just driving interesting cars - it's interesting destinations in those cars: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCASdNl0eESlmjmCVJ2U0D7A  

Some men are Baptists, others Catholics; my father was an Oldsmobile man. A Christmas Story - It's a silly movie about a very real family dynamic. It's also a tale of a love/hate relationship with an Oldsmobile that would freeze up in the middle of Summer on the equator! James and Sid talk about this holiday classic and the father/car/family dynamic it captures so perfectly.  Happy Holidays from Reels and Wheels! @SidBridgeComedy @S2KJames