Every Monday night at 9:00 Central Time, my wife Sierra and I host a “Live Movie Tweet” event on X using the hashtag #MondayMuggers. We rotate movie picks each week, and our tastes are quite different. Tonight, Monday December 2nd, we’re watching DEATH RACE 2000 starring David Carradine, Sylvester Stallone, Simone Griffith, Mary Woronov, Roberta Collins, and Martin Kove.
So why did I pick DEATH RACE 2000, you might ask? It’s pretty simple. I think it will be a fun movie to watch with a group. Unlike most of my choices, which are movies I’ve seen many times, I’ve only seen DEATH RACE 2000 one time before and it’s been awhile. I’m looking forward to seeing it again myself. I like that it’s a B-movie from legendary producer Roger Corman. That’s usually a good thing. I like that it’s directed by Paul Bartel. Bartel’s EATING RAOUL was one of those movies that helped me appreciate black comedy when I was growing up. I really like the cast, especially David Carradine and Sylvester Stallone. And finally, I like that it’s 80 minutes long. In today’s world where every film feels the need to be between 2 and 3 hours, I’ve grown to really appreciate movies clocking in at 90 minutes or less!
It’s on Amazon Prime and Tubi. Join us if you’d like!
Through the Shattered Lens 
Watched it tonight for the first time, also love the 80 minute running time. This movie is ‘part of the parlance-and-culture’ to the point where just a few years ago I witnessed a 10-year old declare a near-miss pedestrian crash as ‘two points!’ Where did he get that from? Doesn’t matter, as Brad notes, the dark comedy is appreciated. Not embarrassed to say I saw the remake with Jason Statham before the original. Same fun idea, but the newer one had ‘Machine Gun Joe’ (Stallone, pre-Rocky) changed out to a black gay ‘Tail Gunner Joe’ (Tyrese Gibson, who will do anything for money and I’m not just talking about his rapping). Watched related ‘Deathsport’ (1978) directly after, running time 82 minutes. Recently learned that the shorter runtime movies of the 50s/60s/70s were so they would be booked for drive-in double-features. Shorter times would mean more bookings, and also the chance for just one more nightly showing. There would be no chance these B-movies would be a solo marquee booking for a first-run movie house. Lastly, I just loved the ‘game-show’ type announcer, played by legendary L.A.’s ‘The Real Don Steele’. He was 36 at filming, and passed at only 61 of lung cancer. He was a fun, ubiquitous part of my life, Boss City, Solid Gold, Sounds of the City, POW!, all those DJ expressions I first heard from him, and still love the constant enthusiasm. Saw him speak to young people about entertainment, and his best advice the applies to a lot more than radio was this: “when you open that microphone, make EVERY time BIG time!”
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Thanks for sharing, John! I didn’t realize that Don Steele was a legend in LA. That certainly adds an element to the viewing for those familiar with him!
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