Peter Yates month!

This month’s films are dedicated to their director, Peter Yates

(24 July 1929 – 9 January 2011)

Summer Holiday (1963), his first film as director, was a “lightweight”vehicle for Cliff Richard. Yate’s decided to make his directorial debut with a musical about a cross country trip in a double decker bus…that’s good enough for us! (insert Young Ones joke at Cliff Richard’s expense here)

*****

Bullitt (1968). probably Yates’ most famous flick, (and his first American film). In this 1968 thriller, McQueen played Lt. Frank Bullitt, a San Francisco detective who, while probing the death of a mob witness, leads two hitmen and moviegoers on the most riveting car chase ever put to celluloid. The movie influenced a generation of action movies, including the Dirty Harry franchise and The French Connection, and earned an Academy Award for Best Film Editing. – E-Online

*****

Mother, Jugs & Speed (1976),Bill Cosby, Raquel Welch and Harvey Keitel head an all-star cast in this wildly inventive comedy about an ambulance service funny enough to cause their own medical emergency. To beat out competing ambulance services, an ace driver (Cosby), an office secretary/paramedic (Welch) and a suspended cop (Keitel) resort to some outrageous behavior to help people in distress. They’re a crew whose condition is even more critical than their clients! – 20th Century Fox

*****

Breaking Away (1979). The cycling drama starring Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern and Jackie Earle Haley is considered one of most inspiring films of the sports genre, focusing on four working-class friends who compete against an Italian cycling team in an annual race in Indiana. Nominated for five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director, Breaking Away won for Best Original Screenplay. – E-Online