March 21 - April 3: Movies and Music This week

RL's Picks

The Chevrolet SS was sold in the U.S. from 2014-2017. This sports sedan is powered by a LS3 V8 engine that is good for 415 hp and 415 ft-lb torque. It was Chevrolet's first rear-wheel drive V8 sedan in eighteen years when it went on sale. This car is actually a Holden Commodore VF from Australia which General Motors rebadged as a Chevy in the U.S. The Chevy SS is kind of rare to see out in the wild, only 12,000 were sold in America, and it is equally rare to see in film and television.

Chevy SS

The Chevy SS makes a quick cameo in Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! After the Sharknado hits a NASCAR race, a radiant, red Chevy SS pace car brings the stock cars into the pits at 43:05.

In the opening scene of the movie Chips, a beautiful, black Chevy SS, driven by undercover Ponch, is used as a getaway car in a bank heist. We first see the car at 2:15 when Ponch gets in and drives away. The action starts a minute later at 3:14 with a close up of the Chevy SS's spinning wheel as it peels out to start its escape. This is the best use of the Chevy SS I've seen in film, there are several nice powerslides.
Dax Shepard, the director, is a car guy and actually did the driving in this scene even though it was not his character.

Holden Commodore VF

The Holden Commodore VF is used in law enforcement in Australia and New Zealand. I found two shows with dark green police cars that look just like Wilma!

In series 1 ep. 1 of Brokenwood Mysteries, a detective drama TV series from New Zealand, there is a great shot of Kiwi Wilma right at 7:00 minutes. Kiwi Wilma pulls over to inspect a suspicious looking vehicle on the side of the road.

In series 3 ep. 6 of the Australian TV series Janet King, Aussie Wilma turns her lights and siren on at 10:49 as she speeds up to go save the day! She pulls into an underground parking garage at 11:03 with her pretty blue and red lights reflecting off the walls.

Debra's Picks

There are so many great American road trip movies, and a few foreign language ones too. Here are four favorites:

Little Miss Sunshine: a comically dysfunctional family goes on a cross-country road trip, determined to help their pudgy, bespectacled young daughter (Abigail Breslin in her breakout role) realize her dream of getting into the finals of a beauty pageant. Toni Colette, Steve Carell, Paul Dano, Alan Arkin and Greg Kinnear round out the incredible cast. I fell in love with this adorable, quirky family and will never hear the song "Super Freak" in quite the same way. You can hear it on the soundtrack or on Freegal.

Faces Places is a French hybrid road trip/documentary that follows 89 year-old filmmaker Agnes Varda and 33 year-old photographer and muralist JR, as they travel around French villages in JR's truck, meeting the locals and creating huge portraits of them on public surfaces. Along the way the stories and humanity of their subjects reveal themselves, and a friendship develops among these two very different artists. On dvd and bluray and streaming on Kanopy.

The Motorcycle Diaries is a Spanish language film based on the book "The Motorcycle Diaries: Notes on a Latin American Journey" by Ernesto "Che" Guevara, about the life-changing trip he took across South America as a young man about to graduate from medical school, before he became "Che". More than a historical bio, it's a scenic travelogue that takes you on a fascinating journey across different countries and cultures. And you can listen to the soundtrack on a road trip of your own.

The Big Year: Three fanatic birders (Jack Black, Steve Martin, Clive Owen) upend their life to go on a year-long journey across the country to participate in the Big Year (a real thing!), a competition to spot the most bird species. A gentle, simple low-key comedy with a bit too much "heartwarming life lessons learned" at the end, but still fun. Instead of spotting birds, try spotting all the actors that show up in minor roles, including Angelica Huston, Jim Parsons, and Brian Dennehy. If you're a birder, you'll love it and if you're not, you might become one! It's based on the book by Mark Obmascik.

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Don's Picks

Being on the road can mean different things. From roaring races to quiet contemplative journeys.

Long time readers know I have an enormous affection for Americana influenced children's band, The Okee Dokee Brothers and their three albums chronicling their journeys through the American landscape: Can You Canoe? (Mississippi), Through the Woods (Appalachian Trail) and Saddle Up (the Continental Divide). Each CD comes with a DVD with gorgeously shot footage of their travels. A treat for all ages.

Revving up the engines considerably, check out the Oscar winning split screen wonder of 1966's Grand Prix which follows the competitors in nine races as their personal lives collide with their ambitions of becoming the top racer of the group. The sixties cars are fun to watch as is the star power of the international cast lead by James Garner, Toshiro Mifune and Eva Marie Saint.

Two street racers, who live in their 1955 Chevrolet 150 two door sedan make their way through different towns challenging residents to different street races. Eventually they develop a rivalry with a 1970 GTO driver who starts following and challenging them. Director Monte Hellman's moody and spare Two-Lane Blacktop has become a cult classic for its look at the loneliness of street racing. Popular singer, James Taylor makes for a surprising protagonist!

From the reflectiveness of the 1970's to the hyperkinetic stunner of George Miller's Mad Max: Fury Road (2015). This movie comes at the viewer with so much energy and somehow sustains the pace throughout its two hour running time. The film is a wild ride with tons of death defying stunts and thrilling special effects all set against an apocalyptic future where people travel around in enhanced vehicles dueling each other. to survive.