At night in the RV, when the kids are asleep in bed, Amy and I have options. Sometimes we work (I might contribute to this blog, for instance). Sometimes we read (Amy prefers fiction; I tend to read non-fiction). Sometimes we watch TV (many campgrounds – if not most of them these days – have cable TV hook-ups at each site). Often, though, we watch movies. There’s a built-in DVD player and TV in the rear bedroom, so it’s a great set-up. And for some reason, we tend to prefer comedies when we’re on the road. I’m not sure why that is.
Anyway, in honor of last night’s Academy Awards, I offer a list of ten of my favorite comedies. Some of these are out-and-out farces. Others are lighter on the laughs. But if you haven’t seen every one of these films, you’re missing out:
- Waiting for Guffman -- Fictional town plans for its sesquicentennial show – and they take it hilariously seriously. It’s director Christopher Guest’s best movie.
- School of Rock -- Without Jack Black, this would be a mediocre movie, but with him it’s an absolute joy. The guy’s physicality is genius.
- Swingers -- The road trip to Las Vegas is a hoot, as are Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau throughout the film. There’s even a funny scene in a little RV.
- Big Night -- Two great actors – Tony Shalhoub and Stanley Tucci – play two brothers who own a struggling Italian restaurant. A different and delightful film.
- Elf -- Will Ferrell’s best movie. He plays a human who was raised to believe he’s one of Santa’s elves. Nobody does naïve-in-New York better.
- Galaxy Quest -- Stars of a Trek-like TV show are recruited into space by real-life aliens… who have patterned their whole culture after the fake show.
- Dave -- A presidential impersonator – Kevin Kline – is forced to take over for an incapacitated Commander in Chief… and he grows into the job.
- Lars and the Real Girl -- A sweet but delusional man, Ryan Gosling strikes up a relationship with a doll he found on the Internet. His caring friends and family play along.
- Election -- Matthew Broderick (underachieving teacher), Reese Witherspoon (overachieving student) and a high school election gone horribly awry.
- The Dish -- Funny true-life story of a satellite dish amid an Australian sheep pasture… which was vital to broadcasting Neil Armstrong’s moonwalk to the world.
Anyone else have funny (and somewhat overlooked) films that they would recommend? Here’s a photo from the Kennedy Space Center, snapped on the eve of the 40th anniversary of Armstrong’s famous moment:
The Grammy Awards are tonight, so let’s talk music. There is a road in California that plays a 20-second snippet of the “William Tell Overture” as cars pass over it. It involves a sound generator installed in the roadway (originally for a Honda commercial). Specifically, it’s in the westbound left lane of West Avenue, between 32nd and 40th streets, in the desert town of Lancaster.
Now, the “William Tell Overture” is an inspiring piece of music, particularly when you’re winding your way toward Yosemite or cruising through Monument Valley. That kind of sound can supplement the sights in a big way. But you don’t have to go to the trouble of heading for a particular lane in Lancaster to get some good driving tunes. Just make yourself an American Soundtrack.
About 18 months ago, I offered up a great collection of songs for an American road trip. These were my 15 choices:
“America the Beautiful” (Ray Charles version)
“On the Road Again” (Willie Nelson)
“Ramblin’ Man” (Allman Brothers)
“Thunder Road” (Bruce Springsteen)
“Big Yellow Taxi” (Joni Mitchell)
“Turn the Page” (Bob Seger)
“Love the One You’re With” (Stephen Stills)
“Gotta Travel On” (Bob Dylan)
“Watchin’ the Wheels” (John Lennon)
“American Girl” (Tom Petty)
“Take it Easy” (Eagles)
“LaGrange” (ZZ Top)
“I’m Gonna Be” (The Proclaimers)
“The Way” (Fastball)
“Breakdown” (Jack Johnson)
Well, I could probably choose 150 songs that work, but here are another 15 that conjure up visions of the open road, no matter where I happen to be when I hear them:
“Homeward Bound” (Simon & Garfunkel)
“Me and Bobby McGee” (Janis Joplin)
“On the Road to Find Out” (Cat Stevens)
“Life is a Highway” (Tom Cochrane)
“Radar Love” (Golden Earring)
“Slow Ride” (Foghat)
“Roll On Down the Highway” (Bachman Turner Drive)
“Running on Empty” (Jackson Browne)
“Truckin’” (Grateful Dead)
“Up Around the Bend” (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
“Ventura Highway” (America)
“Backstreets” (Bruce Springsteen)
“Here I Go Again” (Whitesnake)
“Hotel California” (The Eagles)
“Jersey to O.C.” (Sam Shaber)
Never heard of Sam Shaber? She now fronts an L.A.-based punk band called The Happy Problem, but she’s also a heck of a singer-songwriter. I hope to use that particular song as the soundtrack to a soon-to-be-released “book trailer” (a book version of a movie preview) for my upcoming travel memoir. More on that in a few months…
Anyone have a favorite on this list? Or other suggestions?
Massive windshield, movie screen,
an epic film
unspooling before me.
Stop for a while
and enter the picture
before the reel continues,
one mile at a time.
Then come the thwarted flights,
Speck by speck.
One splotch.
Three more.
A crunch.
Blackening the screen,
streaking yellow,
backlit by the sun
while I roll westward in the afternoon.
Blinding stripes and splashes and smudges,
as if Jackson Pollack is painting
a portrait of a nation.
The wipers sob their arcs,
dragging the canvas clean.
Then a speck again
and a splotch
and a crunch.
My song of the open road.
