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SMASH: MOTORIZED MAYHEM – Review – We Are Movie Geeks

Review

SMASH: MOTORIZED MAYHEM – Review

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Review by Dane Marti

Starting with a fine example of country music over old photos of NASCAR, shots of horses and the past exploits of moonshiners, the clueless film viewer is immediately transported to another world: A FREAKIN WILD WORLD!

SMASH: MOTORIZED MAYHEM is a kinetic, primal documentary about a fantastic passion—Driving, speeding and crashing old school buses. “ Put the petal to the medal.” The viewer needs to appreciate the finer things in life, such as driving old transportation at wild speeds. It’s all about the adrenalin turn-on of risking life and limb for cheap thrills– driving unwieldy contraptions ordinarily utilized for rowdy, zit-infested school kids, but recently refurbished for a new adventure—the crash, bang and POW!  The Goal of these drivers:  “ To be Redneck Racers!”

Orlando Speedworld is the venue in which the main action takes place. Many fans come out to see this exciting demolition derby. One racer calls ‘Orlando, Jamaica without the breeze.’ The documentary features good editing, firing back and forth between working on the old clunker busses and “mentally preparing for the Big Outdoor Races!  We learn the background life and loves of some of the rehabber/bus drivers. As you would expect from people involved in this profession, they’ve had colorful lives. And their busses are also emblazed with zany names…as if they were WWII pilots adding logos to their B 17’s. One bus was completely covered in hot pink and called The Pink Panther!  There is also ‘Woodstock’ style busses, “All Partridge Familied out! “ Chuck Rush, known as ‘The Junkyard Dog’, considers himself an “educated redneck.” Part of the entertainment in this film is learning the background of these racers.  The film, as well as the literal driving, is “Scary and fun—all at the same time! “

There is something very ‘Movie” about watching school buses violently crashing intro each other. And I felt no guilt in watching this somewhat pointless endeavor. Directed by Kevin J. Burroughs with a nice simplistic touch that never veered too far from what it was great at—Fun. I was definitely caught up in the kinetic, visual energy of the film.  Professionally done, the film, not only shows the most visually, cinematically cool thing—Smashing damn busses—but the job of finding busses that they can refurbish, a process which becomes more difficult as the film (and probably reality) continues.  It’s a question of how long a bus can last and make it through at least one true performance. People involved in this exciting racing profession are always searching and putting out feelers for the possibility of finding another gem—a bus that will fit the bill.

Probably not everyone’s idea of an important film, but there’s a massive amount of serious, “Highbrow,” intellectual documentaries out there covering many fascinating topics.  However, SMASH: MOTORIZED MAYHEM intoxicated my soul with its insane, full-throttle power for CRASH. It’s a jolt of good whisky.

3 of 5 Stars