# Skid Marks the Movie?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!



## brassguy (Aug 21, 2007)

Has anyone heard of this movie coming out in October??? Great, another movie that sheds "an interesting" light on our profession. R-rated "comedy" about two rival ambulance companies (with acromyms such as B.A.L.S. and D.I.C).

http://www.skidmarksthemovie.com

The website has a clip that is approved for all ages.


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## Ridryder911 (Aug 21, 2007)

Horrible representation of our profession. Even the snippets and clips are horrible and not even humorous. We were informed about it coming out over a year ago, and it keeps moving. Probably can't find a backer to push it. 

I say it is more like coming to a General Dollar 2/$5.00 DVD bin near you... then I bet some will want their money back...

R/r 911


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## Epi-do (Aug 21, 2007)

Don't waste your time.  Watch Mother, Jugs, and Speed instead.  Judging from that trailer, it is a lame rip-off of MJ&S anyway.


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## Ridryder911 (Aug 21, 2007)

Except, MJ & S was the original and was filmed in the era of EMS competition, they never represented themselves as Paramedics, and they had a thing called actors. (kinda hard to compare this U-tube movie actors to Raquel Welch, Larry Hagmon, Bill Cosby) 

I was in EMS during the time MJ & S came out, and yes some of those actions occurred, and we have tried to come shake that image. Now we have this so called film, attempting to bring this image back. 

R/r 911


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## oldschoolmedic (Aug 21, 2007)

*For the love of Pete*

Granted it's not "Dances With Wolves", but I bet you laughed at "Super Troopers", the highway patrol's favorite movie, or laugh at FDNY's pain every week on Rescue Me".

"Mother, Jugs, and Speed" is a classic, but even in that movie we come off looking like morons. 

There has to be a little bit of truth for something to be funny and apparently these guys rode around with a couple of transport companies because they hit the nail on the really broad head. Gross, yes. Unprofessional? Let's not take ourselves so seriously.


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## firetender (Aug 22, 2007)

M J & S was Bill Cosby, Raquel Welch and Harvey Keitel, (Hagman was in it too, yes?) and yes, it was a fairly accurate depiction of the old LA ambulance wars that played over and over again all over the US.


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## VentMedic (Aug 22, 2007)

firetender said:


> M J & S was Bill Cosby, Raquel Welch and Harvey Keitel, (Hagman was in it too, yes?) and yes, it was a fairly accurate depiction of the old LA ambulance wars that played over and over again all over the US.



Larry Hagman was Murdoch.

Yes, my first ambulance company on the East coast was as large as Schaefer Ambulance of LA.  All the private ambulances were contracted by the City and County which did not have much transport capability at the time. The smaller "rival" company actually had franchised out some of its trucks (like taxis) to individuals.  In order to break even, these trucks had to run almost a minimum of 24 calls in 24 hours. You ran hard and fast during your whole shift. The "Ambulance Driver" monitored the scanner, tried to call jump every chance he/she got, did the billing paper work and collections. The driver was at the time thought to have the most important job even though Paramedics were becoming more prevalent in the systems including ours. The EMT made sure the patient stayed on the stretcher while speeding to the hospital. The truck that the call was dispatched (rotation system) to did not like get beaten to the scene.  The FD or County would release the patient to whoever got there first and didn't care.  Many of the "Ambulance Drivers" still drove like they had the speedy road hugging Cadillacs. Scary times and yes, the police chased a few ambulances down to a complete stop, loaded or not.


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## Ridryder911 (Aug 22, 2007)

oldschoolmedic said:


> Granted it's not "Dances With Wolves", but I bet you laughed at "Super Troopers", the highway patrol's favorite movie, or laugh at FDNY's pain every week on Rescue Me".



Actually, no I did not laugh at those as well. I used to think of type of movies as the type one used to take a date to drive in's... not to really see the film, but a place to park. IMHO there not even humorous..rather, just someone taking up time. 

Rescue Me has totally lost me. Another mindless show, I quit watching it, and returned after a year, to see the same thing...  It has grown more bizarre and personally never seen anything associated with firefighting or rescue, except a few snippets so they can at least associate it a F.D. The new rating reflects this as well. 

I guess if we don't take our profession seriously, don't expect the public to do so as well. 

I am not really worried, like I described this has been in post production for over two years, and yet made it out... it keeps shuffling around. 

R/r 911


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## BossyCow (Aug 22, 2007)

Ridryder911 said:


> I guess if we don't take our profession seriously, don't expect the public to do so as well.
> R/r 911



I don't generally find stupid movies funny.  But MJ&S is and always will be a classic.  

I think though that the ability to laugh at ourselves is important.  Not being able to stand a bit of ridicule doesn't show a high standard of professionalism but rather makes us look like we're deep down afraid that it might be true!  

I  believe that a lot of what people do is ridiculous.  I think there are unprofessional morons in every single profession.  Comedy pokes at the raw spots in all of us.  Some I'll pay theatre admission to go see, some I'll wait for DVD and others won't pry money out of my wallet even at a garage sale.


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## Jon (Aug 26, 2007)

I agree... MJ&S is funny... and I think part of why I think it is so funny is that some of the stunts they pulled could have been pulled around here 20+ years ago.

And *20*+ years ago is the important thing. VERY few of us have been doing it that long... so we aren't laughing at ourselves... we are laughing at a generation or 2 before us.

As for this movie... Who knows... it might be funny. Probably not. I will probably watch it... on DVD, so I know what it is.


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## mfrjason (Aug 29, 2007)

I remember this one movie called "paramedics". I think it came out in the late 80's or early 90's, it poorly depicted our profession.


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## cprinstructor (Aug 31, 2007)

A hex on anyone who didn't love Super Troopers.


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## firecoins (Sep 1, 2007)

I doubt most movies represent the professions in their movie in an accurate light much less a positive light.

Lawyers are either corrupt or are extremly honest.  Defense lawyers client's are always innocent. Corporate lawyers are corrupt, represent evil corporations.  Every corporation is evil.  Lawyers never do paperwork, every case is exiciting and every case goes to trial.  In reality, lawyers have tons of paperwork, represent less than evil companies with legit claims, do not always represent the "little guys" and many cases if not most get settled out of court. 

Cops are good or evil, never do paperwork, everyday is an adventure etc etc. Rougue cops look like body builders, shoot alot of things, are justified in breaking civil rights of evil criminals, shoot up the city in search of justice from evil criminals and have a captain that always yell at them. Or Cops are evil, corrupt, break civil rights of innocent victims because of race, religion or just because they want too.  Or they are incompetant and do not care to handle crime at all.  

Doctors always have patients with life threatening conditions and have lots of sex with each other or the nurses. All of them are beatiful people. None are ugly, heave set, going bald exceot for the evil doctors who won't perform life saving operations due to alack of insurance money. And they never do paperwork or have boring cases. In Eyes Wide Shut, Tom Cruise played a doctor who gave breast exams to gorgeous women. Hmmm

Construction workers are in the mob. Plumbers have their *** sticking out. 

Navy Seals, Army Rangers, Marines other military units are invincible and never wearing their official real life uniforms.  In fact individual members are often can not be killed by machine gun fire from bad guys. 

Yor a cop,special force commando, a criminal, a doctor, a lawyer, an actor or a corrupt politician (mayor/govorner or president)


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## Airwaygoddess (Sep 2, 2007)

Mother Jugs and Speed......One of the classics that will always make me and many others laugh, it beats the hell out of crying.......  By the way, would LOVE TO DRIVE ONE OF THOSE CADDY AMBULANCES!!  WOO! WOO! B)


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## Emtgirl21 (Sep 3, 2007)

Okay Super Troopers was freaking funny....any all to sadly....had some truth in it i must admit. I will prob have to see this movie. I went to Youtube and watched some more parts of it. I think I used to work with Neil from this movie. Of course I worked in a area with two rival transport ambulance services...enuff said! But know it prob doesnt do much for our public image.


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## Jay114 (Sep 3, 2007)

I watched the first clip...
that was enough.


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## Meursault (Sep 3, 2007)

The PSAs were pretty good. I'm not sure I could stand 90 minutes of that kind of humor, but I'll probably see it.


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## Tincanfireman (Sep 3, 2007)

Jon said:


> And *20*+ years ago is the important thing. VERY few of us have been doing it that long... so we aren't laughing at ourselves... we are laughing at a generation or 2 before us.


 
I started riding with (then) Fleet Ambulance in Pontiac, Michigan in 1979 and took EMT for the first time in 1980. Ouch...


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## Jon (Sep 3, 2007)

Tincanfireman said:


> I started riding with (then) Fleet Ambulance in Pontiac, Michigan in 1979 and took EMT for the first time in 1980. Ouch...


Right - But Mother, Jugs, and Speed was before YOUR time... about the time of the White Paper (Accidental Death And Disability), etc.


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## BossyCow (Sep 4, 2007)

Okay, wait.... movies.... aren't they for entertainment?????  When I turn on the TV or go to a theatre, I'm not looking for accuracy of the depiction of a particular profession.  I'm going to be entertained.  Generally when I see that bent elbow, Baywatch-CPR I think its funny, part of the entertainment value.  Anyone who is looking at Hollywood to be an accurate depiction of life in any profession is missing the point.


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## Rattletrap (Sep 4, 2007)

BossyCow said:


> Okay, wait.... movies.... aren't they for entertainment?????  When I turn on the TV or go to a theatre, I'm not looking for accuracy of the depiction of a particular profession.  I'm going to be entertained.  Generally when I see that bent elbow, Baywatch-CPR I think its funny, part of the entertainment value.  Anyone who is looking at Hollywood to be an accurate depiction of life in any profession is missing the point.



LOL, Got to factor in the bent elbows in the CPR training video.


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## Ridryder911 (Sep 4, 2007)

Actually, the _White Papers_ was introduced about 12 years before MJS came out. 

I have a sense humor, but I also have a respect for my profession as well. Compare MJS in perspective, was that they did *not* protray Paramedics.  As well, compare sitcom shows such as _Scrubs_, _ St. Elsewhere_, even the old _ Emergency_, has and had humorous satire. 

It is not that it cannot be done, rather that it is done with taste and respect to our career and profession. IT really is not that hard, rather script writers and producers, choose not to. 

R/r 911


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