{"id":13353,"date":"2026-10-27T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/?p=13353"},"modified":"2026-10-21T14:00:28","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T14:00:28","slug":"two-tickets-to-seventies-excess","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/two-tickets-to-seventies-excess\/","title":{"rendered":"Two Tickets to Seventies Excess"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>7 Minute, 56 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>

MOVIE REVIEW
\nHot Rods & Hot Chicks Double Feature (Bad Georgia Road & Mag Wheels)<\/strong>
\n –  <\/strong> <\/strong> <\/strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n

Genre:<\/strong> Action, Comedy, Exploitation
\nYear Released: <\/strong>1977 \/ 1978, 2026 Blu-ray
\nRuntime: <\/strong>2h 47m combined (1h 26m \/ 1h 21m)
\nDirector(s): <\/strong>John C. Broderick (BAD GEORGIA ROAD); Bethel Buckalew (MAG WHEELS)
\nWriter(s):<\/strong> John C. Broderick, Jeffrey Bernini (BAD GEORGIA ROAD); Bethel Buckalew, John D. McNally (MAG WHEELS)
\nCast: <\/strong>Carol Lynley, Gary Lockwood, Royal Dano, John Wheeler, Cliff Emmich, John Kerry, John Laughlin, Shelly Horner, Phoebe Schmidt, Verkina Flower, Steven Rose
\nWhere to Watch: <\/strong>available October 27, 2026; pre-order your copy here: www.mvdshop.com<\/a>, www.vcientertainment.com<\/a>, or www.amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

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RAVING REVIEW: <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>Whoever decided to package BAD GEORGIA ROAD and MAG WHEELS together under the HOT RODS & HOT CHICKS banner certainly understood the assignment. These are two very different but very similar flicks from an era when a customized vehicle, a little exposed skin, and outrageous advertising could justify just about anything. VCI Entertainment brought them together for their Blu-ray debuts, restoring both from new 4K scans of their original 35mm negatives. Neither is particularly groundbreaking, although MAG WHEELS is far and away the better movie; both contain genuinely uncomfortable scenes, but this forgotten corner of American exploitation cinema deserves attention.<\/p>\n

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The interesting thing about this pairing is how differently the two films approach the audiences. One sends a refined New Yorker into the Southern moonshine business. The other follows California teenagers whose customized vans seem to be their most significant personality traits (and at times, the most interesting things about them lol). Both offer a unique blend of automotive excitement, though their interests often wander elsewhere. The packaging suggests a much livelier double feature than either production consistently delivers. Again, MAG WHEELS tends to deliver closer to the promise.<\/p>\n

John C. Broderick's BAD GEORGIA ROAD gives Carol Lynley the role of Molly Golden, a New York socialite who abandons her surroundings after discovering she's inherited property from a deceased uncle. Unfortunately, the expected financial windfall turns out to be a rundown Southern farm with an illegal moonshine operation. Her new employees include Arthur Pennyrich (Royal Dano), an aging preacher with considerable business knowledge, and Leroy Hastings (Gary Lockwood), whose manners leave much to be desired.<\/p>\n

A reasonably entertaining comedy is buried in there. Watching someone accustomed to an entirely different lifestyle try to run an illegal enterprise has potential, especially with local authorities and competing moonshiners making her situation increasingly difficult. Molly isn't particularly equipped for her new responsibilities, but she's also unwilling to surrender just because things aren't what she expected. Lynley brings enough personality to keep her frustrations alive, even when the screenplay makes some questionable decisions on her behalf.<\/p>\n

Lockwood, whom audiences will recognize from 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, takes an entirely different approach to Leroy. He's deliberately unpleasant, leaning into the abrasive behavior and disregard for basic social etiquette. The problem is that the film relies on Molly and Leroy's relationship to hold our interest, and their interactions aren't nearly as entertaining as Broderick seems to think. What resembles an exaggerated clash of personalities eventually exposes some particularly unpleasant stances toward women and consent. The film's treatment of sexual aggression as an acceptable component of romantic pursuit is difficult to overlook, even allowing for the period in which it was produced.<\/p>\n

Dano is a welcome presence, bringing his distinctive delivery to Arthur. He's far more interesting than most of what’s around him, though the screenplay doesn't give him enough to become the memorable supporting character he could've been. Competing criminal interests and threats from revenue agent Dub Douchette add enough complications, but the overall narrative never develops the way its setup suggests. For something being sold around moonshine running and action, there's an awful lot of time spent waiting for the excitement to arrive.<\/p>\n

MAG WHEELS takes us somewhere else entirely, trading rural roads for beaches, teenage relationships, and the late-70s customized-van culture. Directed by Bethel Buckalew, the film follows Steve (John Laughlin), whose interest in newcomer Anita (Shelly Horner) provokes a hostile response from his jealous girlfriend Donna (Verkina Flower). What begins as fairly ordinary teenage relationship drama develops into a lengthy run of accusations and retaliatory behavior, with Anita increasingly caught in circumstances she never deserved.<\/p>\n

The vehicles are arguably the biggest draw here. Legendary custom-car designer George Barris, whose creations include the television Batmobile, served as an executive producer and contributed custom vans to the production. He also has a particularly enjoyable connection to the automotive culture the film tries to celebrate. These machines, with their personalized interiors and extravagant designs, capture a specific moment in American popular culture when owning a van could be an entire lifestyle.<\/p>\n

Buckalew had already established himself in low-budget exploitation filmmaking, and MAG WHEELS retains plenty of that style. Its cast spends much of their time hanging out at beaches, pursuing relationships, and doing activities that seem designed primarily to fill screen time. Some of these sequences feel carefree, particularly when the vehicles and locations get all the attention. Unfortunately, the film gradually introduces considerably darker ideas without showing much understanding of what it's depicting.<\/p>\n

Its treatment of Anita is especially frustrating. The screenplay repeatedly subjects her to hostility and sexual aggression while expecting audiences to remain invested in the surrounding romantic struggles. Donna's behavior also becomes increasingly hard to interpret as ordinary teenage jealousy, and the male characters frequently show a troubling disregard for the women around them. These developments don't make the film particularly daring or provocative. They expose how casually certain exploitation productions incorporated sexual violence without giving sufficient consideration to the characters experiencing it. I was bummed that Lynn Kuratomi’s Kim never really got more of a role, as she seemed like one of the most interesting cast members.<\/p>\n

Laughlin has a welcome screen presence, but Steve is hardly someone worth supporting. Horner fares somewhat better as Anita, largely because she's given an identifiable role within the increasingly unpleasant situation. Both performers are restricted by a storyline that struggles to establish a consistent attitude toward its characters. MAG WHEELS occasionally resembles a cheerful youth comedy before abruptly becoming something considerably darker, and that inconsistency makes it hard to invest in its dramatic turn.<\/p>\n

As a double feature, these make for an interesting historical comparison. BAD GEORGIA ROAD belongs to the Southern action and moonshine cycle that enjoyed considerable popularity during the 70s. MAG WHEELS represents the comparatively short-lived enthusiasm for films built around customized vans (yep, those were both minigenres of the day). Watching them together shows how specialized the exploitation market had become.<\/p>\n

VCI's presentation makes this release the strongest argument for purchase. Both features are on Blu-ray for the first time, sourced from new 4K scans of their 35mm negatives. Preserving productions like these matters, especially when so many lesser-known drive-in pictures spent decades circulating on inferior home-video editions or simply disappeared from the public. Making them accessible again matters, regardless of their individual shortcomings.<\/p>\n

The supplemental content adds another worthwhile bonus. Film historian, podcaster, and artist Rob Kelly provides commentary tracks for both. A poster gallery, restored theatrical trailers for the featured films, and additional trailers celebrating Southern drive-in action round out the collection.<\/p>\n

The promise of fast cars, rebellious characters, and outrageous situations repeatedly gives way to uneven storytelling and some poorly aged content. Nevertheless, VCI deserves credit for bringing these obscure productions back into circulation with a release that treats them as pieces of film history worth preserving. Sometimes the most interesting thing about an old movie isn't how good it is, but what its existence tells us about the audiences, attitudes, and entertainment trends of its time. These two certainly have plenty to say in that regard, even if sitting through them is considerably less enjoyable than their advertising would have you believe.<\/p>\n

Bonus Materials:<\/strong>
\nCommentary tracks on both movies by Rob Kelly, noted Film historian, podcaster, and artist.
\nHot Rods & Hot Chicks Movie Poster Gallery.
\nBonus theatrical trailers for other Southern Fried drive-in action movies.
\nRestored high-action Theatrical Trailers of both movies<\/p>\n

Please visit https:\/\/linktr.ee\/overlyhonestr for more reviews.<\/p>\n

Follow me on Letterboxd, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. You can also find my social media accounts on most platforms by searching for 'Overly Honest Reviews'.<\/p>\n

I’m always happy to hear from my readers; please don't hesitate to say hello or send me any movie questions.<\/p>\n

[photo courtesy of VCI ENTERTAINMENT, MVD ENTERTAINMENT]<\/em><\/p>\n

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MOVIE REVIEW Hot Rods & Hot Chicks Double Feature (Bad Georgia Road & Mag Wheels) –      Genre: Action, Comedy, Exploitation Year Released: 1977 \/ 1978, 2026 Blu-ray Runtime: 2h 47m combined (1h 26m \/ 1h 21m) Director(s): John C. Broderick (BAD GEORGIA ROAD); Bethel Buckalew (MAG WHEELS) Writer(s): John C. Broderick, Jeffrey Bernini (BAD GEORGIA […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13354,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/img\/0367\/0367937.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t