Did you know The Fast & The Furious, the 2001 film that started it all, was named for a 1954 B-picture by Roger Corman? The legendary schlockmeister traded the title for access to Universal Studio’s stock footage library. Now, it’s a billion dollar franchise that made Vin Diesel a household name and street racing cool.
This weekend, the tenth and perhaps last (or second-to-last, or even third-to-last, depending on who you believe) film in the series, Fast X, premieres. What’s it about? Who cares? Big muscle guys make cars go vroom.
In other car-related Memphis movie news, this month’s Time Warp Drive-In is on Saturday (May 20), and the theme is “Sing-A-Long Sinema: Mad Musicals in May.” The opener is based on a Roger Corman film (there’s that name again) from 1960 that became a classic musical in 1986. Little Shop of Horrors is directed by Frank Oz (yeah, the Muppet guy) and stars Rick Moranis as Seymour, a florist with a taste for the exotic who finds a plant from outer space. It’s a hit for the flower shop, owned by Mr. Mushnick (Vincent Gardenia), but Seymour’s got a secret. The plant, named Audrey II, is sentient, has an amazing singing voice (provided by Levi Stubbs of The Four Tops), and thirsts for human blood. When Audrey II offers to help Seymour land his love interest Audrey I (Ellen Greene in an all-time great supporting role) by disappearing her dentist boyfriend (Steve Martin, in an all-time great dual cameo with Bill Murray), things get interesting. The doo-wop revival songs, the impeccable puppetry, and a cast of legends at the top of their game, make Little Shop of Horrors an absolute must-see for people who like to have fun.
The second musical of the evening probably needs no introduction. So I won’t give it one. Instead, let’s just watch John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd cook with an all-star band, including Memphis muscle men Duck Dunn, Steve Cropper, and Matt “Guitar” Murphy, while reflecting on the fact that Belushi broke his foot the night before he filmed this scene.
Rounding out this absolute unit of a triple bill is The Wiz. The 1978 Sidney Lumet film is an all-Black musical adaptation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson, with a score by Quincy Jones. When Indie Memphis revived it at the drive-in in 2020, it was a blast and a half. Watch Micheal Jackson slay, even though he’s stuck on a pole as The Scarecrow.
The Time Warp Drive-In is Saturday, May 20 at the Malco Summer Drive-In. Show starts as dusk.
