I agree that Two Lane was fantastic to watch- you felt like you were riding along with these people. The silence in the car, the engine, the road noise.
I have absolutely thought of this as a modern western, with the cars as horses- however I feel the car can be even more central- it's an actual location. You can sleep in it, eat in it, it protects you from the rain, the cold. You can take it to someplace quiet with a girl. At a point in the movie the car really does become the main character's shelter.
What's funny is I've always dreamt of having James Taylor play the main character's father in the movie. There's a garage behind their house, and just for fun I wrote that there's a flip-nose '55 Chevy in there. I'd never explicitly say he's the Driver from Two Lane, but if audiences got the reference I figure they'd dig it. I thought it'd be kinda funny if the Dad is upset at the main character for bringing a Mopar home instead of a GM.
It could also be done with Warren Oates and an orange Goat, but sadly he's passed.
I'll definitely check out "Highwaymen".
Also, regarding nobody cares about our cars anymore, I see both sides. On one level, yes, kids are more concerned with their cell phones. It's sad. But look under the hood of, say, Mom's hand-me-down Accord, and there's nothing there to get their blood boiling. In the 60s, if you got a slant-six Belvedere from Mom and Dad, you know a 383 or bigger will bolt right in. You can't do that now. What are you going to do? Swap out the 2.5 liter four for the "powerful" 3.0 V6? ;)
It's been hard enough just trying to track down parts for the Coronet, with its one-year only quarters and fenders... I can see how people would get frustrated with not being able to personalize their car, fix it up, etc... add to the fact drag strips are closing all over the country, and laws are becoming increasingly severe if you're caught street racing... I can see why kids would rather sit at home on the phone. Why risk getting caught?
On the other hand, the Fast and Furious movies continue to make tons of money. I'm not looking to emulate them at all, but they've moved away from the neon-glow imports (which now look silly) and moved more toward real muscle cars. They're classically good-looking. They looked good new and they look good now. I can't say it's Vin Diesel or the other leads that continue their tremendous box-office... it's the cars.
I dunno. Just my opinion.
