Austin Cinematheque Presents Two-Lane Blacktop

The weather's been turning your face into Crisco. Gas prices are exorbitant. Truly, there is no better time than the present to sit inside a cool, darkened theater and watch James Taylor (famous '70s male chanteuse!) and Dennis Wilson (the less-famous Beach Boy!) chase Warren Oates (not the dude from Hall & Oates!) across dusty stretches of highway at 140 mph in life-sized Hot Wheels.

In Monte Hellman's Two-Lane Blacktop (1971), Taylor and Wilson portray nameless drifters who eke out a hardscrabble living full of mantimacy and drag-racing in their 1955 Chevy. Driving east from California on Route 66, they pick up a hot, listless hitchhiker; in New Mexico, they pick up a rival: an older drag racer in a 1970 Pontiac GTO (played by Oates, one of the era's baddest character actors). When they challenge him to a cross-country race, the ultimate bro-down caper ensues.

Quentin Tarantino has long been a fan of director Monte Hellman (who was also executive producer of Reservoir Dogs), so it's probably safe to assume that much of his recent effort Death Proof was inspired by the salty, '70s roadhog vibe that permeates Blacktop. Meanwhile, fans of greasy diners and history alike can revel in non-stop footage (in "a lovingly restored 35mm print", no less) of a much sexier, pre-Interstate Route 66. Perhaps best of all, this screening is free, thanks to your buds at Austin Cinematheque.

Austin Cinematheque Presents Two-Lane Blacktop
Monday, May 7
Texas Union Theater
7:30pm, FREE
[Austin Cinematheque]