Zoom Zoom: Catch That Movie! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Rat Race

Many stars featured in this movie, such as Whoopi Goldberg and John Cleese. The lucky contestants were chosen as there were six special tokens in Donald Sinclair's casino and the owners of these would get the chance to engage in the race (a little bit like Willy Wonka's golden tickets!).

They had to do highly amusing things such as survive a Nazi-celebrant museum and a bus full of mental patients to get to the money, but eventually the contestants got their own back. When finding the money at a Smash Mouth charity concert, they didn't have the heart to reclaim it, but did get Donald Sinclair to double the donations, so that he would have to pay even more out and be the only real loser of the game.

Answer: Days of Thunder

Initially, Cole Trickle struggled with NASCAR mechanisms. The cars were bigger than he was used to, he struggled to communicate with his crew and he became intimidated by rival Rowdy Burns (Michael Rooker). However, after both being involved in a huge crash called 'The Big One', they became friends, and Rowdy eventually had Cole take his place in the final race, which he won, leading to celebration and joy throughout. Hurrah.

Interestingly, Cole Trickle's love interest, Dr. Claire Lewicki, who treated him when a crash gave him a brain injury, was played by none other than Nicole Kidman, his personal love interest at the time.

Answer: 2 Fast 2 Furious

"2 Fast 2 Furious", released in 2003, was the sequel to "The Fast and the Furious". It is set in the aftermath of the first film where cop Brian O'Connor (Paul Walker) let Dominic Toretti (Vin Diesel) free intentionally.

He left Los Angeles to live a new life in Miami and became involved in thrilling yet dangerous street races for high win stakes cash prizes. However, once the cops caught him, he agreed to help them in a special undercover mission to detain Carter Verone (Cole Hauser), a big time crook, in exchange for his eventual freedom. He succeeded and planned to set up his own garage with money stolen from the mission, perhaps wanting to get back into the racing scene once again.

Answer: Speed

"Speed", released in 1994, was an exciting and explosive movie. Literally. Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves) and Harry Temple (Jeff Daniels) were faced with an explosives expert called Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper) who demanded severe ransoms or else there would be a nice fireworks display in a skyscraper and, later, a bus.

On the bus, Annie Porter (Sandra Bullock) helped Jack Traven by driving the bus and keeping Jack calm, eventually becoming his love interest despite the chaotic circumstances.
Although there were several casualties, and several close shaves, Jack and Annie won in the end, and the movie kept the pace high throughout, fitting its name of "Speed".

I was being slightly sarcastic when describing Keanu Reeves as 'highly expressive', just in case anyone was wondering.

Answer: Back to the Future

The DeLorean DMC-12 model was produced in 1981-2. Funnily enough, it was the only car the DeLorean company ever made, and the company had gone bust before "Back to the Future" had even aired!

"Back to the Future" featured a teenager called Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) who, one one fateful night, met his friend Doctor Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd), who had made a time-machine from the DeLorean car. However, to power it, he had stolen plutonium from terrorists and they came to reclaim it. In escaping in the DeLorean, Marty accidentally hit the 88 mph barrier and went back to 1955, 30 years in the past.

In the past, Marty bravely saved his father-to-be, George (Crispin Glover) from a car crash, but this made his mother-to-be, Lorraine (Lea Thompson), fall in love with him instead! So, he had two objectives; to get back to his time, and to make his parents love each other again. He succeeded at both with the help of the young Doctor, and it was a happy ending for sure... until the next film in the series started, of course!

Answer: Speed Racer

The comic "Speed Racer" was an Anglicised adaptation of the anime series "Mach Go Go", first released in 1958, and was the basis for the movie. Reportedly, the movie had a budget of at least $120 million, and made about $94 million back, which was an overall loss. It has been praised for its energy and graphic effects, but panned for its lack of appeal for people over the age of ten and its overdependence on action sequences.

The movie featured Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch), an 18 year old who loved automobile racing. He, his family and girlfriend were involved in a motor company called Racer Motors (these names aren't the most original, are they?) and his brother, Rex Racer (Scott Porter), was disowned after joining a corporate racing team and being accused of cheating and was then killed in a car crash.

When Arnold Royalton (Roger Allam) offered Speed a signing, Speed refused because Royalton owned a corporate business. Royalton was enraged and admitted he controlled all the key race outcomes for his own profit. Speed, with the help of a rival company, and a masked racer who turned out to be his brother Rex who had plastic surgery, eventually won a key race that would bring down Royalton's company. Speed saved the day and they all lived happily ever after (well, probably not really).

Answer: It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World

Similar in some principles to the plot of "Rat Race" (2001), there was a split-up race to see who could get to the treasure of $350,000 first. It was hid in Santa Rosita State Park and 'Smiler' Grogan (Jimmy Durante) told five motorists, who had come to help him when he crashed his car, of the treasure's location. After that, a crazy race for the cash ensued with much hilarity and fun.

When they finally found it, a policeman called Captain Culpeper (Spencer Tracy) apprehended the cash and suggested they hand themselves in, but eventually tried escaping with the cash himself. Although he failed amusingly, since the police and others chased him up a derelict building. The cash was eventually dropped to a hungry crowd by accident and everyone involved was arrested.

The movie was generally a success, making a large profit at the box office, and it was perhaps the most successful film of 1963. Interestingly, it was first shown on 17th November, and president John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated less than a week later (random trivia for you there!)

Answer: Cannonball Run

"Cannonball Run" documented a team-based, cross-country race which took up the whole duration of the movie. The contestants had to avoid the police, as well as defeat each other to reach the finish line first and there were many amusing capers which took place in order to get ahead in the game.

Despite all of them pulling tricks such as cutting tires and dressing up as priests, all of them arrived at the ending car park at the same time and therefore all were on an even footing for the finishing foot race. However, in the end it was one of the underdogs who ended up winning the race, surprising everyone.

Answer: Cars

"Cars" was a commercial success, earning almost four times the $120 million budget it had at the box office. It was given positive reviews, although other Pixar films were said to be a little more finessed. It was the last independently produced Pixar film before they were bought by Disney, although they still remained an independent entity, and this was an important condition they had before the transaction could go ahead.

"Cars" was a movie about a forbidden romance between two lovelorn squirrels... no, just joking. The movie started with a race between animated cars Strip Weathers, Chick Hicks and Lightning McQueen, which ended in a tie. Lightning McQueen was the main protagonist of the movie, and in wanting to win the race, he inadvertently ruined a pavement. When doing community service to mend the pavement, he learned tricks and tips from some new friends and, in the final race, he lost on purpose as he saw that Strip Weathers was tricked into an accident by Chick Hicks. He went back to push Weathers over the line and was applauded for his bravery... and they all lived happily ever after, until "Cars 2" began, anyway. Hurrah.

Answer: Top Gun

As they were walking away from an airplane bay, 'Maverick' started the quote "I feel the need..." and then 'Goose' joined in and both of them say "... the need for speed!", and then high-five each other. Let's hope they weren't drug addicts.

"Top Gun" was an aviation movie and Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell, played by Tom Cruise, was the main character. Early in the film, he helped protect his colleague and friend Nick 'Goose' Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards) from an airstrike and both of them became enrolled in the Top Gun school, presumably what the movie was named after, which was an aviation school for the marine corps.

Maverick was skilled, but was criticised for his reckless behaviours whilst flying. In an accident where his vehicle was thrown out of control, he and Goose were forced to eject. Unfortunately, Goose ejected into the aircraft canopy and instantly died, which gave Maverick much guilt. Despite this, he engaged in an airfight with hostile enemies and won, and the film ended with him meeting his romance once more.