Corinna Mantlo
The Vintagent Selects: Boycycle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZEFNHod_DU
The Vintagent Selects: A collection of our favorite films by artists around the world.
BOYCYCLE (2020)
Run Time: 4:02
Producer: Business Club Royale & MJZ
Director: Vedran Rupic
Song: Salvatore Ganacci, featuring Sébastien Tellier
Key Cast: Salvatore Ganacci
FILM MAKERS
Emir Kobilić known professionally as Salvatore Ganacci, is a Bosnian-Swedish DJ and record producer. His performances at Tomorrowland Festival in 2018 and 2019 became internet sensations. For 'Boycycle" Ganacci has teamed up with director Vedran Rupic once again, with whom he previously worked on the music video for his track "Horse." Sébastien Tellier also lends his voice on this tune, helping create a soothing atmosphere. "Boycycle" tells the story of a creature that is half-man, half-motorcycle and learning to adapt to a world where he simply doesn't fit in. He then takes off on an adventure to find a mermaid, as it's the only thing he's seen that somewhat resembles him. This strange yet compelling love story is truly captivating due to its highly unique premise.
SUMMARY
Boycycle (lyrics - english translation)
RELATED MEDIA
The Vintagent Selects: Motorcycle Man
https://vimeo.com/234148704
The Vintagent Selects: A collection of our favorite films by artists around the world.
MOTORCYCLE MAN (2019)
Run Time: 29:00
Producer: Daniel Lovering
Director: Daniel Lovering
Editor: Chi-Ho Lee
Key Cast: Dave Roper
FILM MAKERS
We featured this film project by Daniel Lovering back in 2018 when the team was fundraising to complete post production. you can read that post HERE. The film premiered at the 2019 Newburyport Documentary Film Festival, where it won Best Short Film. It has gone on to win awards all over the world, and aired on PBS in October of 2022. See below for how and where to watch.
SUMMARY
MOTORCYCLE MAN is a short documentary about a man who has pursued a single passion in life: motorcycle racing. Dave Roper has raced every year since 1972, competing on exotic vintage bikes at racetracks around the world and winning a reputation as a folk hero of the sport.
But Roper is hardly an adrenaline addict. He takes a philosophical approach to racing, viewing it as a test of mental and physical abilities. As he enters his twilight years, Roper reflects on the unconventional path he has followed in life, the dangers he has faced and the choices he has made.
MOTORCYCLE MAN follows Roper from a workshop in Brooklyn to his home on Long Island to a racetrack in Canada. Along the way he encounters autograph-seeking admirers, old friends and fellow racers eager to test their skills on the track. It also delves into Roper's past, including his victory at the UK’s Isle of Man Tourist Trophy in 1984, when he became the first American to win the notoriously dangerous race.
MOTORCYCLE MAN celebrates the speed, sweat and thrill of motorcycle racing, while offering a meditation on craft, obsession and what it takes to pursue your dreams.
RELATED MEDIA
Film Website - Buy the DVD direct from the Filmmaker
Watch the FULL FILM on PBS
The Vintagent Classics: Man With A Movie Camera
https://vimeo.com/774751741
The Vintagent Classics: The films that inspired us.
MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA (1929) AKA CHELOVEK S KINO-APPARATO
Run Time: 1:08:00
Producer: Silent film Production Co, VUFKU
Director: Dziga Vertov
Writer/Editor: Dziga Vertov
Key Cast: Soviet citizens
FILM MAKERS
Vertov, a Soviet film director, belonged to a movement of filmmakers known as the kinoks, or kino-oki (kino-eyes). Vertov, along with other kino artists declared it their mission to abolish all non-documentary styles of film-making, a radical approach to movie making. Most of Vertov's films were highly controversial, and the kinok movement was despised by many filmmakers. Today, Man With A Movie Camera is considered one of the most innovative and influential films of the silent era.
SUMMARY
Vertov redefined the medium of still and motion-picture photography through the concept of kino-glaz (cine-eye), asserting that the recording proficiency of the camera lens made it superior to the human eye. In a double image in Chelovek s kinoapparatom (Man with a Movie Camera), the eye is superimposed on the camera lens to form an indivisible apparatus fit to view, process, and convey reality, all at once. Other sequences show cinema transforming traditional craft into industrial production through the juxtaposition of a series of images: turning spools of thread are likened to the turning reels of a film projector; the cleaning of the streets is equated to the cleaning of film; sewing is compared to editing; and a hydroelectric plant that provides energy for the textile industry is linked to the power on which the cameraman and the film industry rely.
As The Man with the Movie Camera begins, the cameraman climbs out of the “head” of the camera. The film then takes its viewer on a humorous, kaleidoscopic ride through Soviet cities while drawing parallels between the moviemaker and the factory laborer, and exposing the filmmaking process. At one moment Vertov presents a man riding a motorcycle, and then, surprisingly, he shows us shots of the cameraman filming the motorcycle, then shots of the editor editing those shots.
Making use of all filming strategies then available—including superimposition, split screens, and varied speed—Vertov created a revolution in cinematic art with his defiant deconstruction of dramatic norms. He had previously been a medical student. Under the influence of Futurist art theories and Futurism’s confidence in the machine, he changed his name from Denis Kaufman to Dziga Vertov (meaning “spinning top”) and began to experiment with sound recording and assemblage. After the Bolshevik Revolution of October 1917, along with his wife/editor and brother/cameraman he made films and developed polemics that called for an end to filmmaking as it was then known. “We proclaim the old films, based on the romance, theatrical films and the like, to be . . . mortally dangerous! Contagious!” he stated. Like others of his generation, Vertov believed that the creation of an objective “cinema eye” (or kino-glaz), would, in destroying old habits of viewing, help build a new, proletarian society. - MOMA
RELATED MEDIA
Watch the FULL FILM on Archive.org
Read more about the Motorcycles in the film HERE
The Vintagent Selects: Who Killed Alta?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ApPIEnAjns
The Vintagent Selects: A collection of our favorite films by artists around the world.
WHO KILLED ALTA (2022)
Run Time: 10:12
Producer: FortNine
Writer: Ryan F9 (Ryan Kluftinger)
Cinematographer: Aneesh Shivanekar
Editor: Aneesh Shivanekar
Key Cast: Ryan F9 (Ryan Kluftinger)
FILM MAKERS
Fort Nine creates motorcycle content with a rare twist. The engine behind their channel is fortnine.ca - Canada's largest online powersport retailer.
SUMMARY
Lauded as the best electric dirt bike, the Alta Redshift only lived four years before the company went bankrupt. Who killed this futuristic motocross bike? And why?
RELATED MEDIA
Fort Nine Youtube Channel
The Vintagent Classics: Ghost Rider
https://youtu.be/Mk6K2GYofSQ
The Vintagent Classics: The films that inspired us.
GHOST RIDER (2007)
Run Time: 1:50:00
Director: Mark Steven Johnson
Writer: Mark Steven Johnson (screenplay)
Key Cast: Nicholas Cage, Eva Mendes, Sam Elliot
FILM MAKERS
Long ago, he made a deal... to save someone he loved... What he didn't know was the price he would have to pay...
Ghost Rider is a 2007 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. The film was written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson, known for helming 2003's Daredevil previously, and stars Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze / Ghost Rider, with Eva Mendes, Wes Bentley, Sam Elliott, Donal Logue, Matt Long, and Peter Fonda in supporting roles.
SUMMARY
When motorcycle rider Johnny Blaze sells his soul to the Devil to save his father's life, he is transformed into the Ghost Rider, the Devil's own bounty hunter, and is sent to hunt down sinners.
PLOT: The demon Mephistopheles sends his bounty hunter of the damned, the Ghost Rider, to retrieve the contract of San Venganza for control of a thousand corrupt souls. Seeing that the agreement would give Mephistopheles the power to bring hell on Earth, the Rider refuses and escapes with it. In 1986, Mephistopheles reaches out to 17-year-old Johnny Blaze, offering to cure his father's cancer in exchange for Johnny's soul. The next morning, Johnny awakens to discover the cancer cured, but his father dies later that same day from burns sustained in a stunt accident. Johnny accuses Mephistopheles of causing his father's death, but Mephistopheles considers his side of the contract fulfilled and promises to see Johnny again.
Mephistopheles' son Blackheart comes to Earth and seeks aid from the Hidden (three fallen angels bonded with the elements of air, earth, and water) to find the lost contract of San Venganza.
In 2007, Johnny has become a famous stunt motorcycle rider. He runs into his former sweetheart Roxanne Simpson, now a news reporter, whom he abandoned after his father's death. He convinces her to attend a dinner date.
Mephistopheles makes Johnny the new Ghost Rider and offers to return his soul if he defeats Blackheart. Johnny transforms into the Ghost Rider, his flesh burning off his skeleton, and kills the earth angel Gressil. He then uses the Penance Stare, a power that causes mortals to feel all the pain they have caused others, searing their soul, on a street thug. The next day, he meets a man called the Caretaker, who knows about the Ghost Rider's history. He assures Johnny that what happened was real and will happen again, especially at night, when he is near an evil soul.
Johnny leaves to find Roxanne, who's reporting the previous night's events on the news. At home, Johnny tries to control his firepower. Roxanne comes to visit before leaving town, and Johnny reveals himself as the Devil's bounty hunter. Unconvinced, she walks away in disbelief. After brief imprisonment for murders Blackheart committed, Johnny kills the air angel Abigor and escapes from the police. He returns to the Caretaker, who tells him of his predecessor Carter Slade, a Texas Ranger who hid the contract of San Venganza. At home, Johnny discovers that Blackheart has killed his friend Mack and taken Roxanne hostage, intending to kill her if Johnny does not deliver the contract. Johnny tries to use the Penance Stare on Blackheart, but it proves ineffective as Blackheart has no soul. Blackheart then orders Johnny to retrieve the contract and bring it to him in San Venganza.
Johnny returns to the Caretaker, demanding the contract to save Roxanne. The Caretaker reveals that it is hidden inside a spade, telling Johnny that he is more powerful than his predecessors because he sold his soul for love rather than greed, before giving the contract. The Caretaker then transforms with Blaze, revealing that the Caretaker was actually Carter Slade. Slade then leads Johnny to San Venganza and gives him a lever-action shotgun before bidding farewell and apparently having finally shaken off the curse, fades into dust as he rides away.
After killing the water angel Wallow, Johnny gives Blackheart the contract. He transforms into the Ghost Rider to subdue Blackheart, but is rendered powerless at sunrise. Using the contract to absorb the thousand souls, Blackheart attempts to finish Johnny off, but is distracted when Roxanne uses Johnny's discarded shotgun to separate them. Johnny shoots Blackheart with the gun, holding it in the shadows to allow him to enhance it with his power. Keeping his own body in shadow, he transforms again and uses his Penance Stare to render Blackheart catatonic by burning all the corrupt souls within him. Mephistopheles appears and declares the contract is complete, offering to take back the curse of the Ghost Rider. Determined not to let anyone else make another deal, Johnny declines, declaring that he will use his power against the demon and against all harm that comes to the innocent. Infuriated, Mephistopheles vows to make Johnny pay and disappears with Blackheart's body. Roxanne tells Johnny that he has his second chance and kisses him. Johnny rides away on his motorcycle, preparing for his new life as the Ghost Rider.
RELATED MEDIA
Buy/Rent Ghost Rider (2007)
Buy/Rent Ghost Rider 2: Spirit Of Vengeance (2011)
Read about the origin in Marvel Comics.
Fun Fact: My Dad, Bill Mantlo (the prolific comic book writer) wrote Issue #16 of Ghost Rider in 1973.
The Vintagent Classics: I Bought A Vampire Motorcycle
https://youtu.be/dLhu5SSJTYM
The Vintagent Classics: The films that inspired us.
I BOUGHT A VAMPIRE MOTORCYCLE (1990)
Run Time: 1:41:00
Producer:
Director: Dirk Campbell
Writer: Mycal Miller, John Wolskel
Key Cast: Neil Morrissey, Amanda Noar, Michael Elphick
FILM MAKERS
Clearly the best Birmingham-based vampire motorcycle movie ever made
I Bought A Vampire Motorcycle was the moonlight (literally…it’s a vampire flick after all) project of the production team of the British hit show Boon. Claiming to the TV studio backers about necessary re-shoots, The crew borrowed the show’s sets, props, actors and everything else that wasn’t nailed down, and shot this low budget, cult classic, comedic horror romp.
(Read more behind the scenes info at Eat My Brains)
SUMMARY
Made of steel, forged in hell
When a motorbike gang kills an occultist, the evil spirit he was summoning inhabits a damaged bike. The bike is then bought and restored, but reveals its true nature when it tries to exact vengeance on the gang, and anyone else who gets in its way.
Plot: A motorbike gang kills an occultist with a crossbow during a satanic ritual. One of the motorcycles is damaged during the ritual and an evil spirit inhabits it. Noddy is then seen purchasing the bike from a dealer, but lies to his girlfriend, Kim, about the price. He proceeds to take it home and fix the damage caused by the crossbow alongside his friend, named Buzzer, and Kim. They replace the fuel tank, but when Buzzer steals the petrol cap, the bike kills him via decapitation.
When Noddy goes to the scene of his friend's death, he meets an inspector who smells like garlic. That night, he has multiple nightmares about Buzzer. The next day, Noddy and Kim go to a pub. Ten members of the motorbike gang from the beginning of the film enter the bar, and one of the bikers shoots the building with the crossbow. Kim is attacked by one of the bikers after declining his advances, which starts a bar-wide brawl between the motorbike gang, Kim, and Noddy. During the brawl, Noddy is shot by a crossbow bolt.
Noddy and Kim get Chinese food. When Kim orders garlic prawns, the bike drives off with her. It takes her under a bridge, throws her off, and makes advances at her. When it notices a crucifix around her neck, the bike drives back to the pub, where the a member of the motorcycle gang attempts to steal it. The bike stabs the leader through the leg with a large metal spike, then launches him at some graffiti artists. The bike then proceeds to decapitate the majority of the biker gang, leaving only one member, named Roach, alive.
Noddy discovers Kim has been taken to hospital. When he arrives, she has a hollow look in her eyes and is describing the bike's advances to the inspector. Noddy goes to a priest, who also owns a motorcycle. The two travel to the garage where Noddy's bike is kept, and at first the priest does not believe Noddy. The bike, not wanting to be taken into the sunlight, uses its brake lever to sever the priest's fingers. Determining the bike is a vampire, the priest decides to hold an exorcism. He gives Kim a crucifix and garlic, as he believes the bike will return for her. The priest throws a shuriken at a fly on the wall before exclaiming "Right, let's go kick some bottom!"
The vampire bike telepathically disables the bike Noddy and the priest are riding, so they decide to call a taxi but instead wait for a bus. It is a race against the sun to find the vampire bike before nightfall, when it will be free to roam again. During the exorcism, supernatural events occur around Noddy and the priest. Believing to have successfully vanquished the demon, the priest sprinkles the bike with holy water, which makes the bike angry. It grows spikes and turns a glowing red color.
Noddy steals a police motorcycle, dragging the policeman, who is almost run over by the vampire bike, behind him. The bike is chased by a police car, while the priest attempts to explain the situation to the authorities. Meanwhile, Kim is washed and her garlic is removed. The bike evades the police by driving vertically down a wall and goes to the hospital to kill Kim, but not before cleaving a hospital employee in two. Kim uses her crucifix to scare the vampire bike away, so it goes after Roach, passing the priest and inspector in the corridor of the hospital. Roach crashes while fleeing and lands in a coffin.
The bike then tries to kill Noddy, but it gets its front wheel stuck in a bridge. This gives Noddy the chance to throw it in a river and spit at the bike. Thinking he is safe, Noddy has a victory cigarette, but behind him, the bike glows red underwater. Noddy then sees it and screams, running to hide in a gym. The bike finds him and starts attacking the patrons with its spikes. Noddy then bashes the bike, which feigns death, making everyone feel safe until it starts throwing people's limbs in the air. The inspector scares the bike with his smell. It manages to trap Noddy against a wall, but is stopped when Noddy turns on a sun bed. Everyone works together to force the bike into the light and it melts. Kim asks how much Noddy really spent on the bike and the priest says they are usually reliable. Back in Noddy's workshop, he accidentally cuts his hand. His blood drips onto the bike's old fuel tank, which springs open.
RELATED MEDIA
Read more at Cine Meccanica
Buy the DVD on Amazon
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The Vintagent Classics: Chopper Chicks In Zombietown
https://youtu.be/_njr4tDUMTs
The Vintagent Classics: The films that inspired us.
CHOPPER CHICKS IN ZOMBIETOWN (1989)
Run Time: 1:26:00
Producer: Troma
Director: Dan Hoskins
Writer: Dan Hoskins
Key Cast: Jamie Rose, Catherine Carlen, Lycia Naff
FILM MAKERS
Life's a bitch, and then you die... Usually!
Chopper Chicks In Zombietown, (formerly known as Chrome Hearts) is a 1989 American comedy horror film written and directed by Dan Hoskins. It was released by Troma and features early roles by Billy Bob Thornton and Hal Sparks before they became famous. Former MTV veejay Martha Quinn also appears. Variety called The film "a surprisingly funny B-movie spoof with a feminist edge."
SUMMARY
Jeez, Dad, maybe if you don’t eat anybody, nobody’ll notice you’re a zombie.
The film is about an all-female motorcycle gang named the "Cycle Sluts", who cruise into the isolated town of Zariah looking for a good time. Here, an evil scientist-turned-mortician has been killing local townspeople with the aid of his long-suffering dwarf assistant and turning them into zombies to use as labor at an abandoned mine. The mine is too radioactive after underground nuclear testing to be mined by living people. Although the scientist later admits that the real reason he has been doing it is not the money, but because he is just plain mean.
The zombies escape after a curious little boy removes the lock to explore the mine, becoming the zombies' first victim. Around this point, a bus-load of blind orphans become stranded just on the outskirts of town as their ride breaks down. Luckily their bus-driver always keeps an Uzi on the bus "for sentimental reasons".
With vague memories of life to guide them, the zombies eventually find their way back to town and begin devouring live flesh. Going against the wishes of their leader and despite some rough treatment from the locals earlier in the film, the Cycle Sluts ride to the rescue and begin killing the zombies using chainsaws, baseball bats, welding torches, a garrote and a staple gun.
In the final scene, the Cycle Sluts use fresh meat to lure the remaining zombies to the town church, which they have packed with dynamite. They are now aided by the doctor's dwarf who has decided that there are better lines of work than being a henchman. With all the undead inside and the church sealed up, the timer goes off and the church goes up in flames, zombies and all. The Cycle Sluts are rewarded with a sack full of cash and induct the dwarf and several of the blind orphans as honorary Cycle Sluts. They then ride out of town with some of the men folk in tow (their new "bitches") and throw the sack of money to the wind.
RELATED MEDIA
Read more at Cine Meccanica
Watch the FULL FILM on Youtube
The Vintagent Classics: Wild Zero
https://youtu.be/zzCQQ1bR5nw
The Vintagent Classics: The films that inspired us.
WILD ZERO (1999)
Run Time: 1:38:00
Producer:
Director: Tetsuro Takeuchi
Writer: Satoshi Takago, Tetsuro Takeuchi
Key Cast: Masashi Endō, Guitar Wolf, Drum Wolf, Base Wolf
FILM MAKERS
Only legendary Japanese garage rock band Guitar Wolf (draped in leather and riding motorcycles) can stand between a race of aliens from destroying earth with an army of zombies.
Wild Zero is a 1999 Japanese comedy horror film directed by Tetsuro Takeuchi, who was predominantly known for shooting music videos. The film stars Masashi Endō as Ace, a fan of the Japanese rock power trio Guitar Wolf (who star as themselves). The film was shot in Thailand with members of the Thai military and their families as zombies.Wild Zero was shown as part of the Midnight Madness series at the 2000 Toronto International Film Festival.
SUMMARY
After a meteorite lands in Asahi, Japanese power trio Guitar Wolf—composed of vocalist and guitarist Guitar Wolf, bass guitarist Bass Wolf, and drummer Drum Wolf—performs a concert. Following the show, the band confront their manager, the Captain. As they hold each other at gunpoint, punk rock enthusiast Ace overhears the Captain proclaim that rock music is obsolete. Ace bursts into the room, allowing Guitar Wolf to shoot the Captain's hand. Guitar Wolf makes Ace his blood brother, and gives him a whistle to blow if he finds himself in danger.
Some time later, Masao, Hanako and her lover Toshi stop at a gas station while on their way to see the fallen meteorite. Masao attempts to rob the gas station, but is interrupted by an unwitting Ace, who arrives on a motorcycle. After Masao, Hanako and Toshi drive away, Ace meets the shy Tobio, and soon departs. On the road, he comes across a stopped vehicle, whose passengers are being eaten by zombies. He then turns around and heads back towards the gas station to protect Tobio. Elsewhere, Masao, Hanako and Toshi stop near a lake, and Masao is killed by zombies.
Ace returns to the gas station and rescues Tobio from a group of zombies. They flee to an abandoned building, and once inside, share a kiss. Tobio then reveals to Ace that she has a penis, causing him to scream and run into another room. There, he sees a vision of Guitar Wolf, who tells him that "love has no borders, nationalities, or genders". Ace then realizes that zombies have entered the building, and blows the whistle Guitar Wolf gave him. Guitar Wolf hears the whistle, and the band heads to his location. Ace begins killing zombies with a crowbar, while Tobio finds her way outside and sees an alien spacecraft in the sky.
Guitar Wolf is stopped on the road by Hanako and Toshi, who are allowed to ride with them. They go to the gas station where Hanako and Toshi last saw Ace, and are soon joined by arms dealer Yamazaki. Guitar Wolf dispatches the zombies surrounding Yamazaki using laser-like guitar picks. The group visits Yamazaki's weapons cache, where Toshi is bitten by a zombie. As alien spaceships fly around the world, Guitar Wolf set out again to find Ace. Toshi becomes a zombie, and Yamazaki shoots a bitten Hanako. Bass Wolf and Drum Wolf's car is surrounded by zombies, leaving Guitar Wolf to continue on, with Yamazaki following behind in a military vehicle.
Guitar Wolf saves Ace from a horde of zombies. Ace expresses regret for not having stayed with Tobio, receives a handgun from Yamazaki, and leaves on a motorcycle. The Captain, who tracked down Guitar Wolf with the help of the zombified Toshi, begins launching grenades at the building in which Guitar Wolf and Yamazaki are. Guitar Wolf jumps out of the building as the room he was in explodes. After a fight with Guitar Wolf, the Captain begins shooting explosive beams from his eyes, until Bass Wolf and Drum Wolf arrive and kill the Captain using a rocket launcher. Elsewhere, Ace searches for Tobio and eventually finds her at the gas station. As Ace and Tobio embrace, the zombified Toshi finds Hanako, also undead, and they kiss.
The alien mothership passes above Guitar Wolf and Yamazaki. Guitar Wolf stands atop a building, unsheaths his guitar—his fretboard being the handle of a sword—and uses the blade to cut through the mothership. The mothership explodes, and the zombies are all neutralized. Ace confesses his love for Tobio, and the two kiss. After sunrise, Guitar Wolf gifts Ace a comb, and the band rides off into the distance. Ace says he never again went to a Guitar Wolf show, but that he learned "love has no borders, nationalities, or genders", and that he will remain with Tobio.
RELATED MEDIA
Watch the FULL FILM on Youtube in low res.
BUY THE DVD at Grindhouse Video.
Read: Terror In High Gear! Ten Of The Spookiest Biker Movies, by Corinna Mantlo
The Vintagent Classics: Knightriders
https://youtu.be/-wK9knIL5Do
The Vintagent Classics: The films that inspired us.
Knightrider (1981)
Run Time: 2:26:00
Director: George A. Romero
Writer: George A. Romero
Key Cast: Ed Harris, Gary Lahti, Tom Savini, Honda CBX
FILM MAKERS
I’m not trying to be a hero…I’m fighting the dragon
Knightriders is a 1981 American drama film written and directed by George A. Romero and starring Ed Harris, Gary Lahti, Tom Savini, Amy Ingersoll, Patricia Tallman, and Christine Forrest. It was filmed entirely on location in the Pittsburgh metro area, including Fawn Township and Natrona during the summer of 1980. The film represents a change of pace for Romero, known primarily for his horror films; it is a personal drama about a traveling renaissance fair troupe.
A labor of love, the film was initially conceived as a proper period piece which would portray the Middle Ages in a more realistic fashion. it was rethought after Romero's experience working on racing documentaries. Romero has claimed the medieval hobbyist organization, the Society for Creative Anachronism, to be one inspiration for the film. It was the first of three films financed and released through United Film Distribution. A shorter cut of the film (running 102 minutes) was released in Europe. In the movie's credits, the writer Stephen King is referred to as "Hoagie man," as he makes a few sarcastic comments during the troupe's first performance while munching on a large sandwich.
SUMMARY
Billy leads a traveling troupe that jousts on motorcycles. "King William", as he styles himself, tries to lead the troupe according to his Arthurian ideals. However, the constant pressure of balancing those ideals against the modern day realities and financial pressures of running the organization are beginning to strain the group. Billy is also plagued by a recurring dream of a black bird. Tensions are exacerbated by Billy's constantly pushing himself despite being injured and the arrival of a promoter named Bontempi, who wants to represent the troupe.
After Billy spends a night in jail watching a member of his troupe beaten because Billy has refused a payoff to a corrupt local cop, Billy returns to the fairground where the troupe is next to perform and is shocked that some members want to join with the promoter. His sense of betrayal is heightened when his queen, Linet, admits that her feelings for him may not be the reason she remains with the troupe.
Things come to a head after Morgan, leader of the dissident faction who believes he should be king, wins the day's tournament and a fight breaks out between the troupe and rowdy members of the crowd. Billy faces an Indian rider with a black eagle crest on his breast plate, the black bird of his dreams. Billy defeats the Indian but aggravates his injury; later commissioning the Indian as a knight in his troupe. Morgan and several other riders leave the troupe to follow Bontempi. Billy's loyal supporter Alan also departs with his new girlfriend Julie and friend Bors to try to sort out his emotions. Billy and the remainder of the troupe settle at the fairground to await the dissidents' return.
Troupe member Pippin comes to terms with his homosexuality and finds love with Punch. Alan's girlfriend, Julie, has run away from home to escape her alcoholic and abusive father and her weak-willed mother. While Alan is soul searching, he realizes Julie is using him as an escape and that he really desires Billy's Queen Linet. Alan takes a confused and hurt Julie home to her parents.
Meanwhile, Morgan's riders succumb to infighting. Alan finds Morgan and helps him realize that there can only be one king and he sees about signing with Bontempi. However, after seeing rowdy drunken behavior in his friends, Morgan and his riders return to Billy's fair to challenge for the crown. Billy announces his retirement and sets forth the rules: all knights compete, and any man knocked off his motorcycle is out. Morgan is victorious, and is crowned king by Billy. Angie, the troupe's mechanic, is then crowned queen by Morgan, after he realizes she is the woman he loves. Linet finds love with Alan.
Billy leaves the troupe, accompanied by the silent eagle-crested knight, and returns to thrash the crooked cop. While riding again, Billy, weak and hallucinatory from loss of blood from his injury, has a vision of riding an actual horse. Immediately afterwards he is struck by an oncoming truck. The entire troupe gathers at Billy's funeral to say farewell to its fallen king.
RELATED MEDIA
Watch the FULL MOVIE on Youtube
The Vintagent Classics: Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann
https://youtu.be/ltjLXvm_heg
The Vintagent Classics: The films that inspired us.
TIME RIDER: THE ADVENTURE OF LYLE SWANN (1982)
Run Time: 1:34:00
Producer: Michael Nesmith
Director: William Dear
Writer: William Dear, Michael Nesmith
Key Cast: Fred Ward, Belinda Bauer, Peter Coyote
FILM MAKERS
Time Rider: Tyhe Adventure of Lyle Swann is a 1982 science fiction Western film directed by William Dear and starring Fred Ward as Lyle Swann, a cross country dirt bike racer in the 1980s who is mistakenly sent back in time to 1877.
It's yet to have a full uncut version released on DVD or even Blu-Ray. Every release has something cut or missing.
SUMMARY
Lyle Swann is a well-known dirt bike motorcycle racer who is in the desert competing in the Baja 1000, a multiclass vehicle cross-country race. Swann has a reputation for being a great rider but is plagued by technical problems from the high-tech gadgetry he incorporates into his C and J framed XT500 Yamaha. When Swann accidentally goes far off course, he stumbles across a time travel experiment that utilizes "maser velocity acceleration" to send objects (in this case, a simian subject by the name of Esther G.) back in time.
Swann rides through the field and gets sent back to November 5, 1877. The scientists in charge of the experiment soon realize what has happened, but Swann rides off, unaware of what has happened to him, before he can be returned to the present. While taking a swim break in a local pond, he runs into a gang of outlaws led by Porter Reese, who becomes obsessed with stealing Swann's motorcycle, and the outlaws pursue Swann into the small village of San Marcos, but his red suit and dirtbike scare the local Mexicans, who think he is 'El Diablo' (Spanish for 'The Devil').
There, he meets a beautiful woman, Claire Cygne, who gives him a safe place to hide, and who severely wounds one of Reese's men Carl Dorsett. The village priest compels them to withdraw, but Reese continues to plot the capture of Swann's dirtbike. In the village, Swann is seduced by Claire and sleeps with her, but she is later kidnapped by Reese's henchman Claude Dorsett as revenge for her shooting and wounding his brother Carl.
They also manage to capture the dirtbike, leading to a series of hijinks, while Swann gets help from a posse of two U.S. Marshals, Potter and Daniels, who are trying to capture or kill the gang. Potter has a personal vendetta against Reese, for Reese killed Potter's son two years previously. Swann manages to retrieve his dirtbike and rescue Claire. Potter is killed by Reese in an ambush, and Daniels is mortally wounded and dies later.
In a final showdown, Reese's band of outlaws faces Swann, the last survivor of the posse, and Claire atop a plateau. When a helicopter shows up (sent by the builders of the time travel experiment to take Swann home), Reese's men run away in fear, but Reese stays behind and fires at the helicopter, killing or wounding one of the pilots. The helicopter begins spinning wildly as the co-pilot tries to maintain control, knocking the dirtbike off the side of the plateau. Reese is killed by the helicopter's tail rotor. The helicopter manages to land on the plateau and extract Swann.
Just as the helicopter pulls away, Claire snatches a pendant from Swann's neck that was handed down from his great-great-grandmother, who had stolen it from his great-great grandfather as a reminder of "one incredible night they had together." Swann realizes that he is his own great-great-grandfather.
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Watch the FULL FILM courtesy of Cine Meccanica
The Vintagent Selects: East Bay Rats
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t01oX5nxKSc
The Vintagent Selects: A collection of our favorite films by artists around the world.
EAST BAY RATS (2019)
Run Time: 5:22
A Film By: Joseph Bailey & Leo Pierotti
Key Cast: Trevor Latham, East Bay Rats MC
FILM MAKERS
"The East Bay Rats formed in 1994 with a bunch of bikes mostly zip-tied and safety-wired together. The make of the bike was never important, it only mattered that you could keep up. Over 20 years later, we still call Oakland our home and regularly open our clubhouse to host fight parties and other refined social events. Weekly rides and barbecues turned into bigger events and rides. Flaming beer bottle bowling, car smash parties always ensured a good time. Before there was a clubhouse events would happen wherever we could get away with it. Oakland was a very different place back then.
Eventually, we had a clubhouse. Set up in a former barbershop, the club could host the sort of events we’d always dreamed of: flaming scooter jumping, TV smashing and of course, black tie cocktail parties. The clubhouse is also a place where we can meet up and where the public can join us for the occasional whiskey wrestling or syrup chugging contest. And finally, we built a permanent boxing ring." - East Bay Rats MC
SUMMARY
An inside look at Oakland's most notorious motorcycle club, the East Bay Rats, by a 21 year old UCLA film student. Read more about the East Bay Rats, in the 2007 GQ article by Alex Abramovitz who is also the author of the 2016 book Bullies: A Friendship, on the same subject.
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Filmmaker Youtube Channel
The Vintagent Trailers: The Roost
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/theroost
The Vintagent Trailers: A preview of our favorite feature films out there.
THE ROOST (2019)
Run Time: 1:21:00
Producer: Matthew Roberts
Director: Jessee Koester
Editor: Michelle Madden
Key Cast: Shiro Nakajima, Kengo Kimura, Toshi Nakajima
FILM MAKERS
Created by director and writer Jesse Koester, producer and writer Matthew Roberts, cinematographer and writer William Greenawalt and editor Michelle Madden, the film manages to gain access to groups of motorbike cognoscenti up and down the country. It essentially explores their fascination with bikes and the accompanying culture which runs through it, all the while making it fascinating for those viewers with no previous interest in alt-moto or even mainstream motorcycles.
The documentary also carefully weaves a narrative throughout the production which takes in more than just motorcycles and artisanship. The Roost, like most well-made documentaries, delivers impactful nuances about community, friendship, alliances, the nature of art and creating and perhaps most poignantly, the essence of what makes us human beings. - TW Magazine
SUMMARY
Two Years, Twelve cities, and a wide open throttle. The Roost is the definitive feature-length documentary lifting the covers on Japan’s neo-retro motorcycle subculture. Traversing the land of the rising sun to meet the individuals shaping the custom scene and inspiring a global movement with their mastery of old-world, hand-built and new-world cool.
Japan produces some of the most talented custom motorcycle builders in the world—a rogues gallery of gifted individuals that set trends the rest of the world follows. The Roost captures renowned builders like Shiro Nakajima (46 works and founder of Ritmo Serino) and Kengo Kimura (Heiwa Motorcycles owner and holder of an astounding string of ‘best of show’ awards within Japan and abroad), alongside up and coming builders like Toshi Nakajima (Unfinish) and Rad Yamamoto (Ask Motorcycle). From the country's southernmost tip in the island town of Asakusa with surfer, rider and builder Toshiyuka Kozaka (Switch Stance Riding), to kicking up sand in Kanazawa vintage beach racing with powerful female riders like Ayano Kanno, and everywhere in between with a moving feast of midnight rider meets, rides and races. Each story is unique in their approach though shares an endearing common thread - an unfiltered love of these two-wheeled machines and the sheer joy that fuels the lifestyles around them.
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The Vintagent Trailers: Flat 6 (Plná 6)
https://vimeo.com/704050447?embedded=true&source=vimeo_logo&owner=95031449
The Vintagent Trailers: A preview of our favorite feature films out there.
Flat 6 (2022) - Czech 'Plna6'
Run Time: TBD
Producer: Sounderground - Václav Flegl
Director: Adam Sejk
Editor: Jakub Voves
Key Cast: Kamil Holán
FILM MAKERS
Adam Sejk graduated Písek film school in 2007, and has worked as a cameraman and camera assistant of documentary movies and TV shows. His first film 'Najdorf' was made in 2010. 'Plna6' premiered on May 26, 2022 in the Czech Republic. Further release date to follow.
SUMMARY
What are people willing to sacrifice in pursuit of their passion? To the everyday individual this could be energy, time or money. However, there are individuals that are willing to pay the ultimate price.
Kamil Holan is one of these individuals. Not just a thrill seeker, but arguably one of, if not the best current Czech TT racer. He wins the hardest races of the event, riding at speeds of more than 180mph on one of the most dangerous road racing events in the world. The question is, who is the man who risks so much?
Kamil explains the euphoric moment in which mind and body work together under the most extreme conditions. His reaction time is at a minimum, with only a single mistake on either the part of the rider or minor defect in the racing machine resulting in lethal consequences. In biker slang, the moment the racer reaches the absolute limits of his bike is known as ‘full six.’ With all this pressure surrounding the race and every present hazard around him, there is still an inner power that forces him to repeatedly sit on the racing bike. We will find out what Kamil has to say about his exhilarating career, as well as his family, team, analysts and even spectators.
We will also passionately explore the topic surrounding the relationship between man and machine or human and technology. Through filming, we have been amazed by the incredible landscape surrounding the course, as well as the course itself. Every rider must be able to perfectly visualize every corner by memory, with any omission possibly proving fatal.
The documentary will be formed through spectacular spectator shots, archive materials and commentary with the cast. The unique topic surrounding the documentary will ultimately require a number of unique stylistic choices regarding the composition of both picture and sound. Most likely a first for Czech documentaries would be the usage of the sound format Dolby Atmos, providing a greater sense of presence and spatialization to the picture. For these purposes, we would adjust the filming and editing of the material.
On the topic of “how far are you willing to go in the hunt for a euphoric adrenaline rush,” I was particularly moved by the tragic loss of my close friend. When explaining my experiences to many people, they often don’t know much about the achievements of our road racers, with some not knowing anything about the TT race event at all. This may be due to the fact that a lack of films such as this one exists.
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The Vintagent Trailers: Salt From Bonneville
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_RfB9p6xCM
The Vintagent Trailers: A preview of our favorite feature films out there.
SALT FROM BONNEVILLE (2021)
Run Time: 1:55:00
Producer: Maksim Leschanka, Artem Koliubaiev, Taras Bosak, Anton Khilman
Director: Simon Mozgovyi
Cinematography: Dmytro Gorash, Simon Mozgovyi, Denis Melnik, Sergii Stetsenko
Key Cast: Nazar, Max
FILM MAKERS
Simon Mozgovyi was born in 1992 in Ukraine. He is a Ukrainian filmmaker, screenwriter, film editor, producer and actor. He studied Cinema and Television Arts at the Kharkiv State Academy of Culture (B.A.) After graduating in 2013, he went on to study an advanced-level course of dramaturgy in Kyiv, where he began acting at the DAKH Theater (2013-2018). Now he works as a freelance filmmaker.
SUMMARY
The story of the adventure drama of Nazar and Max, two guys from Ukraine, and an old Soviet bike, and the ambitious goal they set themselves to beat the world speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, USA. This dry salt desert is the meeting point for hundreds of people from all over the world, who spend millions of dollars on their quest to become the next speed racing champion. Nazar and Max spend all their time assembling their bike in a small garage on the outskirts of Kyiv, traveling hundreds of miles and overcoming countless obstacles to make their dreams come true. And then, on the other side of the world, they both come to realize why there are there.
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The Vintagent Selects: The Racer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnexEy87gBo
The Vintagent Selects: A collection of our favorite films by artists around the world.
THE RACER (2020)
Run Time: 11:22
Producer: A Twin Thing Film
Director: Tim and Luke Alderson
Writer: Tim Alderson, Luke Alderson and Trevor Sellers
Key Cast: Trevor Sellers
FILM MAKERS
To mark reaching 50,000 subscribers we decided to create a very different looking Honda CG125 and a longer than usual short film. We want to thank all those that support us by watching, subscribing and following us on our journey....thank you very much. - Twin Thing Custom Motorcycles
SUMMARY
An older gentleman who has fond memories of the motorcycle lays out a challenge for a young man. All the while rooting secretly for him to succeed so he can make his own memories with the beloved machine.
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The Vintagent Trailers: Where The Road Ends
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrK9YFQqvZo
The Vintagent Trailers: A preview of our favorite feature films out there.
WHERE THE ROAD ENDS: CROSSING THE DARIEN GAP (2022)
Producer: Common Tread
Director/Cinematographer: Jake Hamby
Key Cast: Simon Edwards, Mike, Richard, Wayne Mitchell
FILM MAKERS
To this day, most people don’t realize there is no uninterrupted route between North and South America. The main obstacle is the Darién Gap, a 100-mile stretch of jungle and home to the Kuna Indians, known locally as El Tapón (The Stopper). Having been crossed only a handful of times, and only in the dry season from January to April, it presents a significant logistical challenge.
The decision to start the expedition on November 11 was both strategic and symbolic. The team consisted of mostly US Army veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. And leaving on the US holiday for Veteran’s Day meant the first hurdle of the trip, the Dalton Highway from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Fairbanks, would have less commercial truck traffic—a big advantage when on the narrow, snow-covered roads that zigzag up Atigun Pass, 150 miles north of the Arctic Circle.
SUMMARY
From the frozen fringe of the Arctic Circle in November to the roadless jungles of the Darién Gap, and on to the ends of the earth at the tip of South America, four U.S. Army veterans took a ride of a lifetime. Better yet, they made a great film about it.
The feature-length motorcycle adventure film, “Where the Road Ends,” follows the four as they take on the challenges from Alaska to Argentina on Kawasaki KLR650s.
Former combat camera operator Jake Hamby follows Simon, Mike, Richard, and trip leader Wayne as the team relies on each other to overcome challenges of life after the military. The formidable route takes them through blizzards, deserts, and the infamous Darién Gap — a brutal section of jungle without roads between Panama and Colombia. The 14,000-mile trek puts the riders, their motorcycles, and their skills to the test as they attempt the adventure of a lifetime.
Subscribers of RevZilla’s Rider Plus Membership (RPM) program will have exclusive early access to the film.
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Read more at Expedition Portal
Where The Road Ends FACEBOOK
The Vintagent Classics: Bury Me An Angel
https://vimeo.com/729833090
The Vintagent Classics: The films that inspired us.
BURY ME AN ANGEL (1972)
Run Time: 1:29:00
Producer: New World Pictures
Director: Barbara Peeters
Writer: Barbara Peeters
Key Cast: Dixie Peabody, Terry Mace, Clyde Ventura
FILM MAKERS
I’m gonna get my gun and…bury me an angel!
This odd, feminist cult classic was Written and directed by Barbara Peteers, one of the few female filmmakers who specialized in entertainingly trashy low budget drive-in exploitation fare in the 70s and early 80s, and the first woman to direct a biker film. Peters often worked for Roger Corman’s B-flick studio New World Pictures, and was script supervisor on Angels Die Hard (1970). She made her feature debut as co-writer and co-director of the soft-core lesbian outing “The Dark Side of Tomorrow.” Barbara followed this movie with the gritty distaff biker item “Bury Me an Angel.”
SUMMARY
Chicks sure can get weird on ‘ya.
Tautly directed biker film, told from the woman's point of view. The heroine sets out on the road to avenge her brother's murder, toting a shotgun and meaning business.
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Read more at Cine Meccanica
Watch the FULL FILM at Cine Meccanica Youtube
Buy the DVD at Trash Palace
The Vintagent Classics: Speedy
The Vintagent Classics: The films that inspired us.
SPEEDY (1928)
Run Time: 1:25:00
Producer: The Harold Corporation
Director: Ted Wilde
Writer: Albert DeMond (titles), John Grey, Lex Neal, Howard Emmett Rogers
Key Cast: Harold Lloyd, Ann Christy, Bert Woodruff
FILM MAKERS
"Aw, Jane - why worry about losing a job on Saturday, when we can go to Coney Island on Sunday?" Harold "Speedy" Swift, a fan of Babe Ruth and the New York Yankees, saves from extinction the city's last horse-drawn trolley, operated by his girlfriend's grandfather.
Speedy is a 1928 American silent comedy film starring comedian Harold Lloyd in the eponymous leading role. It was Lloyd's last silent film to be released theatrically, and the second to last produced by Lloyd's own production company. It is also the last silent film directed by Ted Wilde, and was shot in both Hollywood, and on location in New York City. The film is now in the Public Domain.
SUMMARY
Everybody in New York City "is in such a hurry that they take Saturday's bath on Friday so they can do Monday's washing on Sunday". But in one slower-paced, "old-fashioned corner of the city", Pop Dillon (Burt Woodruff) owns and operates the city's last horse-drawn streetcar. His granddaughter Jane Dillon (Ann Christy) is in love with Harold "Speedy" Swift (Harold Lloyd).
Speedy, an avid New York Yankees fan, is working at a soda shop. As well as doing his work, he takes frequent telephone calls during Yankees games and passes the line scores on to the kitchen staff by arranging food items in a display case (such as doughnuts for zeroes). But he loses the job after he is ordered to deliver some flowers and lets someone close a car door on them when he gets distracted by a display of baseball scores in a shop window.
Streetcar magnate W.S. Wilton (Byron Douglas) comes to Pop's home to ask for his price to sell the car line, but Speedy spots a newspaper article and realizes that this is part of a plan to form a streetcar monopoly in the city. He surreptitiously raises Pop's written price from $10,000 to $70,000. Wilton angrily refuses and threatens to force Pop out instead.
Speedy is unworried about being unemployed; he is very much used to losing jobs and finding new ones. He and Jane go to Coney Island, where they greatly enjoy themselves despite various mishaps, such as Speedy ruining his suit jacket by leaning against wet paint. On the way home along with a stray dog that decided to follow them, Speedy proposes to Jane, but she will not marry him until her grandfather's affairs are settled.
Speedy is hired as a taxi driver, but for some time a series of mishaps prevents him from actually taking a passenger, and he antagonizes a policeman. Then, to his delight, Babe Ruth (playing himself) hails the cab to get to Yankee Stadium. Although terrified by Speedy's driving, he offers Speedy a ticket to the game; but the taxi owner is there, sees Speedy in the seats when he should be working, and fires him.
At the stadium, Speedy happens to overhear Wilton on the telephone. Wilton has learned that if Pop fails to operate the horsecar every 24 hours he will lose his right to the line, and orders goons to be sent to disrupt the operation. Speedy rushes home and arranges with small-business owners on the street to organize a defense. The goons are beaten off with the help of Speedy's dog, but return and steal the horse and car.
Again helped by his dog, Speedy finds out where the car has been taken and manages to steal it back. In a madcap chase scene, he brings it back across the city to Pop's tracks, stealing fresh horses, tricking police to avoid being stopped, and replacing a broken wheel with a manhole cover.
When Wilton sees the horsecar in place, he agrees to meet Pop's price. Speedy says that Pop is a bit deaf and won't hear him until he offers $100,000. Wilton agrees, and Speedy suggests to Jane that they plan a visit to Niagara Falls by horsecar.
*During the Coney Island sequence, at one point Speedy gives the finger to himself while looking in a distorted mirror. This may be the earliest motion picture depiction of that gesture.
*At the end of the scene where Speedy gives Babe Ruth a ride in his taxi, sharp-eyed viewers can look for an easily missed cameo appearance by Lou Gehrig, Ruth's famous New York Yankee teammate. Gehrig walks by the far side of Speedy's cab, looks directly at the camera through the taxi's window, and sticks out his tongue.
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Watch the FULL FILM on The Vintagent Vimeo
