Tag Archives: movie

Motorcycle News, News

Royal Enfield stars in Kiwi surf video

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Two Royal Enfield Himalayan adventurer motorcycles have starring roles in an upcoming Kiwi winter surf film called “Lost Track New Zealand”.

There, that’s a sentence you never thought you would hear!

This trailer indicates a film that is beautifully shot and seems to capture the adventure and freedom of both riding and surfing.

For anyone who has ever ridden a motorcycle around New Zealand they will know that it is filled with winding roads through spectacular middle earth scenery.

”Lost Track New Zealand” follows surfer Torren Martyn and film maker Ishka Folkwell as they embark on a four month motorbike adventure to explore the island nation’s roads and surf.

They customised the Royal Enfield Himalaya bikes to carry surfboards as well as their camping gear.

Torren and Ishka ride through storms and survive near-death experiences on their quest to escape into nature and surf perfect waves.Surf sheep livestock roadkill New Zealand

The coming feature film, produced by wetsuits manufacturer needessentials, includes an outstanding original soundtrack composed by Headland and Nick Bampton.

There is no date or screening venue yet for the film, but we will update when it is availablew.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Motorcycle News, News

Deus sues movie over fake jacket

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Australian motorcycle apparel, accessories and custom company Deus Ex Machina is suing two movie studios over a fake jacket used in the “schamltzy” teen romance film The Sun is Also a Star.

The green and yellow bomber-style jacket worn by the film’s female star Yara Shahidi features the brand name on the back.

However, it is not a genuine product of the company. In fact, it is nothing like any of their hipster-style motorcycle gear.

Deus filed the lawsuit for unspecified damages in Los Angeles, alleging trademark infringement by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and Warner Bros. Entertainment.

Fake jacket

They claim the jacket is “gaudy and inferior” and “not consistent with and/or is inferior in quality” to their products.

“The jacket is not a product of Deus Ex Machina,” the plaintiffs allege.

“Deus Ex Machina is informed and believes that the jacket was created by defendants for the movie.”

The company has objected to being associated “with a schmaltzy teen-style love story” and “a flop”.

The movie certainly was a flop, costing $US9 million to make and grossing just $US6 million at the box office.

Deus also alleges the male lead, Charles Melton, posed for promotional photos on social media wearing genuine Deus Ex Machina gear.

They claim this creates the impression that Deus Ex Machina was “involved in promoting the movie and that the use of inferior infringing products and references in the movie to Deus Ex Machina were authorised”.

Yamaha SR400Yamaha SR400 by Deus

 

Deus ex Machina means “god from the machine”.

The company started in 2006 with customised motorcycles and has branched out int a worldwide hipster fashion phenomenon.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Motorcycle News, News

Last Motorcycle on Earth film too real

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In these days of pandemic where many can’t even ride their motorcycles, The Last Motorcycle on Earth depicts a world where motorbikes are banned. The film is almost too real!

Director Eric Ristau tried to get crowd-funding for the movie and failed, but went ahead and produced it anyway.

It is now available for download her from Vimeo on Demand for $A3 or North American and UK viewers can stream it from Amazon Prime.

Apart from the cold reality of the film’s theme, it’s a great show to pass the time during the current pandemic lockdown.

The Last Motorcycle on Earth!Scene from The Last Motorcycle on Earth!

The film depicts a not-too-distant future where motorcycles are banned because they are the last dangerous vehicles in a world of electric automated cars, trucks and buses.

It’s the fictional story of a vintage motorcycle collector and bike builder, Conrad Mendel (played by co-producer Neil “Morto” Olson), as he grapples with a new world of technology that threatens to destroy his passion and way of life. 

Last Motorcycle on Earth goes aheadScene from The Last Motorcycle on Earth!

Down to earth film

The sad fact is that the film may not be too far from reality.

The safety nannies consistently and unfairly target motorcycles and riders. They want motorcycles off the road.

The Last Motorcycle on Earth!Scene from The Last Motorcycle on Earth!

In fact, it’s already happening.

Cities such as Paris, Singapore and Milan ban older motorcycles from their CBDs for pollution reasons and they have been banned in some Mid-East and Asian cites because they are the preferred vehicles of assassins and thieves.

Around the world police and politicians are also seeking tougher laws on “bikies” and loud exhausts.

And in 2017, a group of American motorcycle industry luminaries, aptly called “Give a Shift”, released a report on the future of motorcycling saying bikes are in danger of being killed off by autonomous vehicles.

With the rise of allegedly safe, electric-powered automated vehicles, motorcycles will stand out as the last “dangerous” and polluting vehicle.

Let’s hope the film raises public awareness of the possible dangers to our freedom.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Motorcycle News, News

Eric Bana stars as Mike ‘The Bike’ Hailwood

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Aussie movie star, passionate motorcycle rider and motoring fan Eric Bana will play Mike “The Bike” Hailwood in a movie based on the legendary racer’s life.

Bana will also write and direct the film about the legendary racer who retired from racing bikes in 1967 after 12 Isle of Man TT victories and returned to take back his crown in 1978 on a Ducati 900SS.

His brave return will be the focus of the film.

The bike he raced has also become legendary and is even immortalised in the latest TT computer game.

Isle of Man TT 2 game Mike Hailwood Ducati 900Isle of Man TT 2 game

Hailwood honoured

Hailwood’s widow, Pauline, says the family is “absolutely thrilled” that Eric will adapt Mike’s story into a feature film.

Bana started directing with the 2010 movie Love the Beast about his first car, a 19745 Ford XB Falcon hardtop.

He also has a passion fort motorcycles, particularly Ducatis and is often participating in track days, so no doubt he may do some of his own stunts in the movie.

Eric Bana Mike HailwoodEric on track

It is quite appropriate that an Aussie brings Hailwood’s story to the silver screen.

The British rider had a close connection with Australia having ridden many Ducatis in long-distance races, often with Aussie co-rider Jim Scaysbrook.

He also raced Formula One and once stopped mid-race to pull a fellow racer from his burning car and save his life.

Ironically, Hailwood died, age 40, along with his daughter after a truck crashed into their vehicle on their way to a restaurant.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Motorcycle News, News

Batman crashes Batcycle in filming

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Batman – or at least his stunt double – has crashed the latest Batcycle during filming in Glasgow for the next instalment simply titled “The Batman”.

In the video above they are riding through Glasgow’s Necropolis cemetery on a suitably dreary wet day when Batman’s bike has a couple of rear-wheel slides on the wet road surface.

Finally the front wheel also slides and down goes the superhero!

Perhaps the stuntman should read Chris Vermeulen’s tips on riding in the wet!

The Batcycle is a custom featuring a four-cylinder engine, fat tyres, long wheelbase and heaps of extra weight which we imagine are supposed to be weapons.

It looks like a handful as we see in this BBC footage that shows the stunt rider having a lot of trouble controlling the Batcycle even in slow riding.

Batcycle

The new Batcycle is not the first motorcycle used by the caped crusader.

In the original 1960s TV show, Batman and Robin rode sidecars based on a 1965 Harley-Davidson and then a 1966 Yamaha YDS-3.

Batcycle Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.Batcycle in the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.

They were easy to ride, unlike the Batpods made for Dark Knight and The Dark Knight movies.

Batpod Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.Batpod in the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.

Batgirl rode a Batblade based on a drag bike in the 1997 film, Batman & Robin.

In another photo from recent filming, Batman, played by Robert Pattinson, is seen sitting on what looks like a more traditional UJM (universal Japanese motorcycle).Batcycle

It would be much easier to ride than the Batcycle.

While Batman carries the weapons, it seems Catwoman, played by Zoe Kravtiz, is carrying the luggage on her BMW Boxer fitted with panniers.

Batman and Catwoman on their bikesBatman and Catwoman on their bikes

“The Batman” is due for release in June 2021.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Motorcycle News, News

Peter ‘Easy Rider’ Fonda dies aged 79

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Peter Fonda, the actor who played Wyatt riding a Captain America Harley chopper in the 1969 movie Easy Rider, has died at the age of 79.

The hippy film recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of its first screening.

It was shot on a shoestring budget in a haze of pot smoke and with a plot that was made up along the way by Fonda and fellow actor/director Dennis Hopper who died in 2013, aged 77.

Fonda’s screenplay was nominated for an Academy Award, the film was added to the USA’s National Film Registry in 1998 and it is listed as one of the top 100 American movies by the American Film Institute.

The veteran actor died yesterday of respiratory failure due to lung cancer at his Los Angeles home surrounded by his family.

Iconic moment

He starred in many films including the cringe-worthy low-grade bikie movie, The Wild Angels in 1966.

It includes his line: “We want to be fee to ride our machines without being hassled by the man … and we want to get loaded.”

Fonda also made a cameo appearance in the 2007 Wild Hogs that lampoons Easy Rider.

The opening scene of Easy Rider features Peter in an iconic gesture of throwing away his watch.

The choppers then fire up and roar into the desert to the accompaniment of Born to be Wild. Truly a classsic cinematic moment that has stirred the hearts of riders this past half century!

It has also started a fad with riders and other travellers to discard their watches and disregard the constraints of time.

A watch is a symbol of “the man”, society and capitalism that constrain us.

Motorcycles are freedom machines that allow us to escape the rigours of timekeeping.

In a hilarious parody of the famous Easy Rider scene, John Travolta and his buddies throw away their mobile phones before a cross-country ride in Wild Hogs.

“You don’t need a GPS to discover America; you need a bike and you need the road, ok? Freedom,” says Travolta.

Fonda also rides into town to end the long fight scene.

His closing line is also a classic: “Oh, and guys… lose the watches.”

  • What is your favourite scene from Easy Rider? Leave your comments below.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Motorcycle News, News

Easy Rider celebrates its 50th anniversary

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Today is the 50th anniversary of the first public screening of the cult 1969 movie Easy Rider.

In the USA, many theatres are showing the film again. Here in Australia, you can watch it on DVD and maybe a streaming service.

The hippy film was shot on a shoestring budget in a haze of pot smoke and with a plot that was made up along the way by actor/director Dennis Hopper.

Dennis died in 2013, aged 77.

His film was added to the USA’s National Film Registry in 1998 and is listed as one of the top 100 American movies by the American Film Institute.

50th anniversary

Although the 50-year-old  film may seem anachronistic in these modern times, it still has its merits.

The opening scene where lead actor Peter Fonda famously throws away his watch is a highlight.

The choppers then fire up and roar into the desert to the accompaniment of Born to be Wild. Truly an iconic cinematic moment!

Fad

It has also started a fad with riders and other travellers to discard their watches and disregard the constraints of time.

A watch is a symbol of “the man”, society and capitalism that constrain us.

Motorcycles are freedom machines that allow us to escape the rigours of timekeeping.

In a hilarious parody of the famous Easy Rider scene, John Travolta and his buddies throw away their mobile phones before a cross-country ride in the 2007 movie Wild Hogs.

“You don’t need a GPS to discover America; you need a bike and you need the road, ok? Freedom,” says Travolta.

Exactly!

There are no deadlines on the open road. Even sunset is no limit.

So there really is no need for a watch. Besides, you can’t see it under your jacket sleeve and gloves when riding.

Besides, most bikes these days have clocks, although I have my bike’s screen set to the trip meter, rather than the clock.

  • What is your favourite scene from Easy Rider? Leave your comments below.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

News

Oil in the Blood custom bike film

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A two-hour feature film on the worldwide custom motorcycle phenomenon titled Oil in the Blood is coming to your computer and/or TV screens soon.

Australian custom builders and Sydney’s Throttle Roll custom motorcycle festival are featured in the film.

It was directed by life-long biker Gareth Maxwell Roberts who tells us he is “currently speaking to distributors to secure a release date”.

“It’s most likely to be a digital release. We are looking to secure completion finance, either through investment or sponsorship.”

It follows the recent release of a similar film about the custom motorcycle scene in Australia, called Handcrafted.

Oil in the Blood

Gareth is a former racer and a founding member of the Bike Shed club in London.

He has been filming for the past three years with producer Lucy Selwood.

They’ve interviewed nearly 300 bike builders, riders, journalists, artists and racers in Britain, Europe, Japan, Australia, The Far East, Africa and the US.Oil in the Blood custom motorcycle movie

They’ve spoken to major manufactures Harley Davidson, Yamaha, Royal Enfield, Ducati and BMW.

They filmed at The Bike Shed in London and Paris, The Malle Mile, Wheels & Waves in Biarritz, The Trip Out, The Brooklyn Invitational, The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride in London and New York, Indian Larry’s Block Party, Dirt Quake, Snowquake, The Malle Mile and The Trip Out in rural England, The One Moto Show in Portland, Mama Tried in Milwaukee, Mooneyes in Tokyo, and The Handbuilt Show in Austin.Oil in the Blood custom motorcycle movie

Among the film highlights are riding a custom bike in the Sahara, flat track racing in dusty bowls and indoor arenas, ice racing in Wisconsin and in the Alps, and the American Wall of Death in the Texas sun.

They’ve shot dozens of cool custom bikes being ridden through the urban streets, the twisting mountain roads, through the rolling green countryside and the scorched flat plains.Oil in the Blood custom motorcycle movie

They’ve filmed choppers, café-racers, flat trackers, sprint bikes, electrics, old school specials, urban brats, $100k+ beauties and $500 “rippers”.

Oil in the Blood will also screen at the Mama Tried Show this weekend (February 15-17) in Milwaukee, Chicago’s Logan Theatre on February 21, Petersen Museum in LA on April 5 with more US dates to be announced soon.Oil in the Blood custom motorcycle movie

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com