Trading Paint

John Travolta is constantly being crapped on by the majority of the entertainment media, not only for his “bad acting” but also for his odd/questionable projects (most recently Gotti and Speed Kills) and within the last year he stated that Fred Durst (of Limp Bizkit fame) was one of the best directors that he has ever worked with. Let’s face it: negative trash/spin is much easier to write about, attracts more readers, and sells more ad space, especially in the social media age (where media companies are looking for “likes,” “shares” and “retweets” more than anything else). Travolta’s latest starring role, a yarn about the sport and business of late-model dirt track auto racing, is another weird pick/low-budget offering from the actor. But having said that, Travolta brings his “A Game” to this film and so does the supporting cast of Michael Madsen, Toby Sebastian, Shania Twain (in her first full length movie), and prolific character actors Kevin Dunn and Barry Corbin (who also played a sheriff character in the low-budget 1980 Kenny Rogers’ stock car racing movie Six Pack). It’s a well written, directed, and filmed movie, especially for its tiny budget… well, in spite of a rather ridiculous/silly ending too. It’s refreshing to see a movie produced about a different/interesting/niche subject matter like dirt track racing, something that’s dying out culturally across America. The movie, only available on VOD demand currently, is slated for a limited theatrical release in March, and is sure to become a cult classic as time goes on.

[R]