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Posts tagged ‘road trip’

European Road Trip Movies

Shaun of the Dead

I really wanted to go on a European road trip this summer. That is, until I realized that it would cost, you know, real money. Despite my best efforts to classify the trip as a business expense, it doesn’t look like it’s in the cards.

Instead, the design/development wizards on our team put together a virtual European road trip map. You can click around different countries to see what movies were filmed and/or set there. Then rent a bunch of those movies, and it’ll be just as if you were jaunting around the old country. Okay, maybe not. But it is pretty cool. Here are a few of my favorite European movies featured on the map.

Amélie (France)
Just weird enough to be charming, but not so weird as to be off-putting like some European films. I’m looking at you, Germans.

Band of Brothers (France)
This of course takes place in a few different countries, but it starts in France. And it’s my list so I have all the sweet, sweet power. Anyway, Band of Brothers is one of the best TV shows of all time. It’s seriously amazing how good it is. Way to go, Tom Hanks.

Everything is Illuminated (Ukraine)
Very different from (and not as good as) the book, but it does manage to capture the quirkiness of the setting and characters.

In Bruges (Belgium)
It’s a little dark, but I really enjoyed In Bruges. And it made me really, really want to visit Belgium.

Run Lola, Run (Germany)
Techno! Funny words! It must be a German film!

Shaun of the Dead (The UK)
It’s one of my favorite movies. If every movie combined British humor and zombies, well, I guess I would like every movie. But the Spaced gang did a particularly good job with it.

Trainspotting (The UK)
This is one of my top ten films. I not only love Scotland, but I’m a big fan of Irvine Welsh’s books. Ewan McGregor is excellent as Renton.

Once (Ireland)

It was really hard for me to pick just one Irish movie. I love Irish cinema so much, I did a whole post about it. If it has to be one, though, Once is it. The combination of a really good film and really good music wins out.

Once you’ve checked out the map, don’t forget to take our European Road Trip Poll.

Top 10 Road Trip Movies

It’s your last chance (and probably too late for some of you) to get in that summer road trip. I myself have been trying to plan a Great Southern Road Trip. The idea was to head from Texas to Lorman, Mississippi (home of the Best Fried Chicken in the World), then up through Atlanta, on to Memphis, and finally ending in Nashville.

Alas, since my girlfriend refuses to spend more than six hours at a time in the car and most of my friends are now “adults” with “children,” I don’t think it’s going to happen this summer. To console myself, I’ve put together a list of my top 10 favorite road trip movies. This list tends to run more to the zany side, because I feel zaniness is a key element to a road trip movie.

1) Fandango
This only beat out Smokey and the Bandit because it’s based entirely in Texas and briefly features The University of Texas.

2) Smokey and the Bandit
The best road trip movie car and the best road trip song (/poem) ever:
Eastbound and down, loaded up and truckin’,
We gonna do what they say can’t be done.
We’ve got a long way to go and a short time to get there,
I’m eastbound, just watch ol’ Bandit run.

You’re welcome for getting that stuck in your head.

PS—I listened to that song like 10 times while writing this post.

3) National Lampoon’s Vacation
This movie still holds up as one of the best travel movies ever. And it features the second best road trip song: Holiday ro-ooo-ooo-oooad!

4) Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure
I’m a loner, Dottie, a rebel.

5) Planes, Trains and Automobiles
With Steve Martin and John Candy, this was never going to be anything short of a classic.

6) Easy Rider
Every time I watch this, I’m determined to get a motorcycle for the next week or so. Then the realization that I would quickly kill myself on one sets in. Then I am sad.

7) The Muppet Movie
Muppets are the best.

8) Road Trip
This pretty much had to be on the list for the title, if nothing else.

9) Rain Man
I had a very tough decision to make between Rain Man and Dumb and Dumber here. I put Rain Man to show my serious side. But just know that in my heart, this spot is reserved for Dumb and Dumber.

10) The Cannonball Run
Since this is a race, it may not technically count as a road trip. But I’m putting it here because I love wacky hijinks and shenanigans, and because I thought — nay, I knew —that this list needed two Burt Reynolds movies.

Very difficult decisions were made in selecting these movies. Here are some honorable mentions that didn’t quite make the cut:

Dumb and Dumber
Gymkata (Okay, this isn’t technically a road trip movie, but it is one of the best movies of all time, and it does involve travel. And ninjas. And gymnastics-based martial arts.)
Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle
Into The Wild
Little Miss Sunshine
Lost In America
Midnight Run
Sideways
Thelma & Louise
The Blues Brothers
The Motorcycle Diaries
The Sure Thing

For others of you who can’t make a trip this year, check out our Virtual Movie Road Trip.

Post Movie-Related Travel Pics, Win Fabulous Prizes

I can’t think of one person who dislikes movies, travel, photos, and free stuff. Those are all things I think we can pretty much agree are good, if not great. But if you ARE that kind of person, you might not want to read the next part of this sentence: you can win FREE STUFF by submitting your movie-related travel photos to us!

We want to see your pictures from movie and television scenes (Katz’s Delicatessen in New York from When Harry Met Sally, etc.). All you have to do is submit your photos to our Movie Road Trip Flickr group from now until July 10. Then we’ll pick our top three favorite pictures. The top two submitters will each win a Sylvania Blu-ray player. The runner-up will win a $50 BLOCKBUSTER GiftCard. We’ll announce the winners on July 15, and post the winning entries on this very blog.

We have some example pictures already up on the group, just to give you an idea of what we’re looking for. If you submitted a picture to the group prior to today, you’re still eligible to win.

So comb through your archives and find your finest movie-related pics. These Blu-ray players aren’t going to win themselves. For official contest rules, look down the page about half an inch, to where it says “Official Contest Rules.”

Official Contest Rules:
BLOCKBUSTER MOVIE ROAD TRIP PHOTO CONTEST (the “Contest”) NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Contest runs from 7/2/2009, 10:01A.M. CT through July 10, 2009 11:59 p.m. CT (“Entry Period”). All entries received after the Entry Period will not be considered. This Contest is sponsored by Blockbuster Inc. (“Sponsor”).

Entering: To enter, submit your very own favorite photos depicting a movie or television scene (for example, Platform 9 ¾ in London from the Harry Potter movies) at The BLOCKBUSTER Movie Road Trip Site on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/groups/movieroadtrip (the “Site”). Submission on the Site requires registration at flickr.com, which is free with a free Yahoo account. Sponsor is not responsible for your use of the Flickr site and/or your ability to register on flickr.com and/or yahoo.com. Duplicate entries of the same submission will not be considered.

By entering, you warrant that your materials are original and your own work, do not infringe on any third party’s rights, and that you have obtained any necessary permissions from any third party if a third party or third party’s property appears in the photograph. You must be the sole owner of the copyright of any image submitted. Further, you warrant your materials will not (i) be sexually explicit, unnecessarily violent or derogatory, (ii) promote drugs, alcohol, or firearms, (iii) contain trademarks, logos or copyrighted materials owned by others, or (iv) depict the likeness of anyone or any personal property without their permission. Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any entry if it finds in its sole discretion that any of the foregoing warranties are not true or finds an entry to be inappropriate, in its sole discretion. Sponsor is under no obligation to post any entry. Decisions of Sponsor shall be final and binding.

Entrants retain ownership and all other rights to future use of the photographs they enter except for the following: Your entry to the Contest constitutes your agreement to allow your entered photographs and your name, city, and state, without any fee or other form of compensation, to be published as a winner of the Contest on blockbuster.com and other websites, as determined in Blockbuster’s sole discretion, and Blockbuster may make and retain copies of each winner’s photograph for archival purposes.

Consent by Winner: All entries submitted to the Sponsor become the property of the Sponsor, and no correspondence will be entered into. Sponsor has the right and permission to use, publish, broadcast, reproduce, and distribute the winning photograph in any manner or media through the world in perpetuity, for any purposes whatsoever, including but not limited to, advertising and promotion.

Judging: Entries will be judged by Sponsor’s employees (“Contest Judges”) on the basis of: creativity (50%) and photographic quality (50%). Photos that have been digitally altered beyond standard optimization will be disqualified. Decisions of the Contest Judges are final and binding.

Drawing: On July 14, 2009 at approximately 10:00 AM Central Time, the Contest Judges will judge all eligible photos received during the Entry Period.

Eligibility: Contest open to all legal US residents, 18 and older as of the start of the Contest. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. Contest subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. By participating, entrants agree to these official rules and accept decisions of the Sponsor as final. Void in Puerto Rico and where prohibited by law. Persons who are employees (and those with whom such employees are domiciled) or agents of the Sponsor, its franchisees or their advertising and promotional agencies and the Contest Judges, are not eligible. The promotion is offered in the United States only and shall only be construed and evaluated according to Texas law.

Prizes: There will be two (2) Grand Prizes consisting of two (2) Sylvania Blu-Ray DVD Players (approximate retail value of $199.99 each) and one (1) Runner Up prize consisting of a $50 BLOCKBUSTER GiftCard® (“GiftCard/s”). GiftCards may be applied to the cost of any eligible merchandise sold or rented at participating BLOCKBUSTER stores and online at blockbuster.com and cannot be used to purchase BLOCKBUSTER GiftCards or any third party gift card. Membership rules and certain restrictions apply for renting at BLOCKBUSTER. For complete terms and conditions, or to locate the store nearest you, visit blockbuster.com.

Prizes must be accepted as awarded, are not transferable, assignable, or redeemable for cash. No substitute of a prize, except by Sponsor in its sole discretion. Sponsor reserves the right at any time to substitute a prize or any portion thereof for a prize of equal or greater value.

Winners will be announced via blog.blockbuster.com on July 15, 2009, and winners will
be emailed through their Flickr accounts. Prizes will be shipped to winners. If a winner is disqualified or determined to be ineligible, or if a prize is unclaimed or undeliverable, an alternate winner will be selected using the same judging process/criteria described above. Alternate winners are subject to all requirements set forth in these Official Rules

Entries must be made on the Site by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at the time of entry. “Authorized account holder” is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an Internet access provider, online service provider, internet domain owner, or other person or organization that is responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address. The Sponsor reserves the right to verify the validity and originality of any entry and/or entrant (including an entrant’s identity and address) and to disqualify any entrant who submits an entry that is not in accordance with these Official Rules or who tampers with the entry process. Failure by Sponsor to enforce any of its rights at any stage does not constitute a waiver of those rights.

Limitation of Liability: Sponsor is NOT responsible for printing or typographical errors in any related materials; stolen, fraudulent, entries or mail; or transactions that are processed or lost due to computer or electronic malfunction. Each winner is solely responsible for payment of all federal, state, and local taxes on prize. Sponsor reserves the right to cancel or modify Contest if fraud or technical failure compromises the integrity of the Contest as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion.

Sponsor not responsible for technical, hardware, software or telephone failures of any kind, lost or unavailable network connections or fraud, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmission whether caused by Sponsor, user, or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the promotion or by any technical or human error which may occur in the process of submissions which may limit a participants ability to participate in this Contest. Sponsor is entitled to interpret these rules as needed and its decisions are final.

By participating in this Contest, you agree to release and hold harmless Sponsor and its employees, officers, affiliates, agents and franchisees from any and all damages, injuries, claims, causes of action, or losses of any kind resulting from your participation in this Contest, including without limitation, infringement of intellectual property rights, any prize won, any use of the entry materials by Sponsor, the warranties participants make, or any misuse or malfunction of any prize awarded. IN NO EVENT WILL THE SPONSOR BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES OR LOSSES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THIS CONTEST AND/OR USE OF THE SITE.

Winners List: A Winners Name list will be posted online at blog.blockbuster.com.

Sponsor: Blockbuster Inc., 1201 Elm Street, Dallas, TX. 75270.