Vehicular Viewing: New on Streaming for May 2021
Each month, Vehicular Viewing rounds up the most notable streaming titles for gearheads, car lovers, and anyone else who likes to see interesting vehicles on the big or small screen. The vast majority of May’s newly arrived movies and TV shows take the action route, so buckle up for an onslaught of chase scenes, stunts, and crashes.
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Movies
The Dirty Dozen (1967)
With its irreverent tone and brutal violence, this classic World War II drama was a controversial box-office hit — and it still holds up pretty well today. Come for the suspenseful action, stay for Lee Marvin’s vintage Willys MB Jeep. (HBO Max, 5/1)
Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991)
If you’re in the mood for a trashy good time, this critically unacclaimed blend of buddy comedy and biker action gets the job done nicely. Packed with shamelessly dumb and over-the-top mayhem, it stars Mickey Rourke, Don Johnson, and a whole slew of motorcycles. (HBO Max, 5/1)
Red Dawn (2012)
The original Red Dawn was a Cold War-era fantasy about guerilla teens resisting a Soviet invasion of the U.S. Implausibly substituting North Korean invaders as the evil Commies du jour, this remake also includes plenty of interesting vehicles, including an early-90s Dodge Ram truck and Buick Roadmaster wagon, an AM General Humvee, and an Oldsmobile Delta 88. (Amazon and Hulu, 5/19)
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Skyfall (2012)
Every James Bond movie needs at least a few fancy cars. This exciting entry in the series comes through with a vintage Aston Martin, plus a couple of newer Jaguar and Land Rover rides. (Amazon and Hulu, 5/5)
Zombieland (2009)
Zombieland is an action movie, a horror movie, a road movie, and a comedy, and it manages to hold all of these genres together in entertaining fashion. The film’s most prominent vehicle is a Hummer H2, perfect for handling a post-apocalyptic wasteland swarming with zombies and crooks. (Netflix, 5/1)
Television
Ice Road Rescue: Season 5
In the latest season of this suspenseful reality show, Norwegian rescue crews take on icy, snowy danger every day, saving stranded motorists on the country’s most mountainous roads. (Disney Plus, 5/21)
Trash Truck: Season 2
This kid-friendly animated series follows the adventures of an imaginative little boy named Hank and his friendly garbage truck pal. (Netflix, 5/4)
A longtime editor/writer and recently transplanted Hoosier, Caleb Cook lives in Xenia, Ohio. His favorite activities are reading and listening to music, although he occasionally emerges from the heap of books and vinyl records in his basement to stand blinking in the sunlight. Once fully acclimated to the outside world again, he can be observed hanging out with his wife, attempting a new recipe in the kitchen, attending movies, walking the dog, or wandering into a local brewery to inquire about what’s on tap. See more articles by Caleb.