We didnt have the locations confirmed nor half the crew. Jim cummingss minute onetake short thunder road tells the story of a son eulogizing his mother and won the grand juryprize at sundance. The film, written and directed by jim cummings, was among the short films honored at the park city, utah festival. Thunder road leads to the river an analysis bret black. Having impressively upped the ante on its shortfilm roots, thunder road then faces the daunting task of stretching that queasily hilarious air of distressing character comedy over the course of a. Largely dialoguedriven, the film follows arnaud in the days after his mothers funeral as he begins letting his grief interfere with his job, personal relationships, and custody battle for his daughter. Read the full synopsis of thunder road, 1958, directed by arthur ripley, with robert mitchum, gene barry, jacques aubochon, at turner classic movies. Thunder road international speedbowl, a short track speedway in barre, vermont.
Right from the extraordinary opening monologue, the film grabs the viewer and reels you into the heady mix of comedy and tragedy. How hollywoods streaming era has changed the game for short. It also stars kendal farr, nican robinson, macon blair, jocelyn deboer, chelsea edmunson, ammie leonards, and bill wise. Thunder road is a great example of a homegrown short filmturnedkickstarterturnedbreakout feature. Thunder road jim cummings writes, directs, and stars in the uncanny tale of a middle american cop whos a funny, crazy, moving, indelibly authentic lost soul. How do we know the lightnin is greased if it doesnt have the opportunity to show off.
From a cinematic point of view, there is a lot of skill on show. Bruce springsteen thunder road lyrics genius lyrics. Shot in one take, the film depicts a police officer giving a eulogy for his mother. Thunder road is a 2018 american comedydrama microbudget film directed, written by, and starring jim cummings, based on his 2016 short film of the same name. Having impressively upped the ante on its short film roots, thunder road then faces the daunting task of stretching that queasily hilarious air of distressing character comedy over the course of a. The whole thunder road sequence kind of comes out of nowhere, almost as if the producers decided, midmeeting, this aint on broadway. In many ways, sxsw film embodies the upstart production aesthetic over more refined pipelines. Thunder road was awarded the short film grand jury prize at the 2016 sundance film festival on tuesday. Thunder road is a prickly, goofy film, powered along the unpredictability of its protagonist and some terrific reactive turns, particularly from newcomer nican robinson. It was a movie that whet americas appetite for the muscle car era which started six years later with the release of the first pontiac gto. Thunder road international speedbowl, a shorttrack speedway in barre, vermont. Based on his 2016 short film of the same name, its the remarkably accomplished directorial debut feature of writer and star, jim cummings, who delivers a bravura performance of dignity, shame and sarcasm as a socially awkward local cop.
Though when the struggles and demons within marys past find themselves in between their romance they together must ultimately make the decision to repeat their parents mistakes or take the risk to find something better for themselves by defining their own future taking off on thunder road. Jun 02, 2019 having impressively upped the ante on its short film roots, thunder road then faces the daunting task of stretching that queasily hilarious air of distressing character comedy over the course of a. Lowell meyers vision behind the cinematography of thunder road. Using stop motion and special sound effects, i made a movie short about a fight for survival on a post apocalyptic. Thunder road is a song written and performed by bruce springsteen, and is the opening track on his 1975 breakthrough album born to run.
Oct 12, 2018 the film that follows reflects cummings background as a shorts director in that its very episodic, arguably containing a few variations on the original thunder road as jim loses his cool in key moments, including a courtroom and the parking lot of his police department. To push things even further, the film was shot in one unrelentless 15 minute take, all brought together by jim cumming who wrote, directed and performed in this memorable piece. Not only did mitchum star in the film, he wrote the story and the films theme song. Thunder road is something of a disappointment, but one thats not without interest. The fame of this work is certainly caused by the ability to generate an unsettling emotional ambivalence. I was watching thunder road the other night, noticed the triple carbs on robert mitchums ford. Looked like triple single barrels, which would be a really cool set up, in my opinion. Thunder road is widely considered the best movie about.
A police officer faces a personal meltdown following a divorce and the death of his mother. To me, the film may be more fact than fiction, but the actual characters of the day were not portrayed. Thunder road is a masterpiece in achieving this glorious combination, all while placing you in an uncomfortable, but relatable situation. Making indie movies for fun and profit thunder road caught on as a sundance film festival awardwinning short. Fullscreen has signed up for 6 new shorts from cummings, which will all adopt the singleshort format of thunder road, and those are expected to land online in september. Nov 05, 2011 thunder road leads to the river an analysis posted on november 5, 2011 by bret black a few months ago i was struck dumb when i noticed the similarities between bruce springsteen s thunder road and the river. The film was directed and written by jim cummings, who also stars alongside melissa. Thunder road is an original and perfectly constructed short film, winner of the grand jury prize at the 2016 sundance film festival as well as the special jury prize for acting at 2016 south by southwest. Jim cummings short film thunder road didnt get a distribution deal, but it did open all the right doors for a career in filmmaking. Oct 16, 2018 making indie movies for fun and profit thunder road caught on as a sundance film festival awardwinning short.
To me, the film may be more fact than fiction, but. The result does of course make for uncomfortable viewing. Inside the heartbreaking short film that won sundance. As always, sxsw filmmakers did not disappoint with interesting anecdotes about diy rigs and runandgun production tips. Thunder road is a singletake, 12minute movie of a man giving a eulogy for his mother through the words of bruce springsteen. Thunder road 1958 out of the past a classic film blog. Fullscreen has signed up for 6 new shorts from cummings, which will all adopt the single short format of thunder road, and those are expected to land online in september. Jul 14, 2017 jim cummings short film thunder road didnt get a distribution deal, but it did open all the right doors for a career in filmmaking. The screen door slams, marys dress waves like a vision she dances across the porch as the radio plays roy orbison singing for the lonely hey, thats me, and i want you only. Jim cummings is raising funds for thunder road on kickstarter. There is a fascinating balance of being impressed and being amused with thunder road. Pulling back the curtain on the distribution process. Thunder road is a great example of a homegrown short film turnedkickstarterturnedbreakout feature.
Thunder road, a 2001 song by judas priest from point of entry. Luckily for jim cummings, hes done the boss justice and won the grand jury prize for best short film at sundance. The film was adapted into a longform feature film and was a giant hit in france. Exploring the process of taking a short film and developing it into a feature film. Here is a full length video base on the thunder road game by milton bradley. Bruce springsteen thunder road lyrics songmeanings. Jim cummings, who won a sundance jury prize with his 2016 short thunder road, told thewrap that hes afraid that upandcoming filmmakers dont realize that they might be signing away. The result is that this excellent short, fully deserving of sundances best short prize, is now screening online, for free. Largely dialoguedriven, the film follows arnaud in the days after his mothers funeral as he begins letting his grief interfere with his job.
Jim cummingss springsteenfueled sundance grand prize. Jim cummings thoughts on directing and editing his own performance. Thunder road leads to the river an analysis posted on november 5, 2011 by bret black a few months ago i was struck dumb when i noticed the similarities between bruce springsteen s thunder road and the river. The film essentially made me laugh, made me emotive and made me think which is all a viewer can ask for really. If you like thunder road by jim cummings be sure to rate it and share it. Thunder road the first muscle car movie old car memories. How having the right gear and crew can enhance a story. Sundance short film winner thunder road claims grand jury. How you see thunder road says a lot about the movie. Thunder roads greatest accomplishment is without a doubt its ground breaking role as the first muscle car movie. Were so charmed by the trajectory of jims success, the development of his voice, and thunder road itself, that were ecstatic to announce that the film is making its online premiere on vimeo today. The success of the short led to a production deal between cummings and the streaming platform fullscreen to create six singletake short films in the style of thunder road, which were released as a series under the title minutes throughout 2017. Cummings also served as coeditor, composer and visual effects artist. Following a heartfelt public campaign to convince bruce springsteen or, perhaps, his battery of lawyers, publishers and master owners to let him affordably release his short film, thunder road, director jim cummings prevailed.
It would be hard to argue that there is a lot of story in this short film, or that it is laughoutloud funny, but the monologue and acting really is superb, the awkwardness tangible and its simplicity impressive. The car chase is almost a natural fit for a car named greased lightnin. The short film thunder road, written and directed by jim cummings, has been. Mar 20, 2018 as always, sxsw filmmakers did not disappoint with interesting anecdotes about diy rigs and runandgun production tips. Officer arnaud raises his daughter as a love letter to his mom. Preorder the feature of one of the best short films ever made. On top of all that, a new independent film, us funny, was successfully kickstarted just this month. Not only did mitchum star in the film, he wrote the story and the film s theme song. While never released as a single, thunder road is ranked as one of springsteens greatest songs and one of the top rock songs in history. Things are happening fast for cummings at the moment, and audiences. Its not as dramatic as perhaps the one for out of the past 1947 which starts with a plane crash, but its still full of juicy bits of trivia that will keep any film buff entertained. The film that follows reflects cummings background as a shorts director in that its very episodic, arguably containing a few variations on the original thunder road as jim loses his cool in key moments, including a courtroom and the parking lot. Roberts son jim plays his younger brother in the film. Its not often i enjoy a film with such constant tonal shifts throughout, but i did with this one.
Thunder road is a prickly, goofy film, powered along the unpredictability of its protagonist and some terrific reactive turns, particularly from newcomer nican. I wanted to do it in one shot because i knew that it would make general audiences feel present. The ballad of thunder road, a 1957 song cowritten and performed by robert mitchum for the 1958 film. Its not as dramatic as perhaps the one for out of the past 1947 which starts with a plane crash, but its still full of juicy bits of. Its a tale of bootleggers running shine on thunder road, and the final, exciting run from the authorities which ends in tragedy. Thunder road is a short comedydrama film written, directed by, and starring jim cummings. Get your team aligned with all the tools you need on one secure, reliable video platform. Apr 15, 2010 thunder road 1958 has one of the most interesting backstories of all the films robert mitchum made in his long career as an actor. Practically creating a whole genre and with it laying the groundwork for burt reynolds career, it stars robert mitchum as a moonshine runner facing the wrath of both the revenuers and a crime syndicate trying to muscle in on the good ole boys trade. Three short films examine key issues in the american cultural conversationincarceration, race, life, death, digital culture, genderthrough a distorted lens. Jim cummings writes and directs the sundance film festival awardwinning thunder road. Thunder was shot in two parts, the first during the summer of 2014. Jul 19, 2016 following a heartfelt public campaign to convince bruce springsteen or, perhaps, his battery of lawyers, publishers and master owners to let him affordably release his short film, thunder road, director jim cummings prevailed.
A former cia agents search for a lost colleague exposes a deadly conspiracy involving his own family and sovietera secrets in the mountains of east. Thunder road 1958 has one of the most interesting backstories of all the films robert mitchum made in his long career as an actor. Jim arnaud, a police officer in a texas town, always tries to do the right thing, but he has more often than not done the wrong thing resulting in having a less than perfect life. You can see the film is easily a mix of fact and fiction. We couldnt finish the other half of the film because we didnt have the main location, a desolate road. May 11, 2015 here is a full length video base on the thunder road game by milton bradley.
Sundance awards short film thunder road grand jury prize. Ohoh come take my hand riding out tonight to case the promised land ohoh thunder road, oh thunder road, oh thunder road lying out there like a killer in the sun hey i know its late, but we can make it if we run oh thunder road, sit tight take hold, thunder road bruce is offering his hand as assistance to mary in finding her new adult. Short of the week thunder road one room with a view. The short, thunder road, was promptly adapted into a feature that hit select theaters in 2018. Thunder road is an indie 2018 dramedy film written by, directed by, and starring jim cummings as officer james arnaud.
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