Thirty years after the Runaways, Joan Jett still f-ing ROCKS my socks off!
The Runaways movie, starring Kristen Stewart (yes, Bella from the movie Twilight) as Joan Jett, comes out this summer. It will no doubt succeed in exposing a brand new generation to a band that was assembled waaay before their time.
Hello world, I’m your wild girl!
Joan was on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno the other night. She performed the classic song “Cherry Bomb”, talked a little bit about motorcycles, the movie and the band.
If she’s the benchmark for life as a 51 one year old then sign me up! So what if there’s so much botox in her face that it barely moves…
OK, I have to admit that back in the day I went through a bit of a comic book nerdery phase. If you read comics somewhere in the early 90’s *and* are a biker, then you might be familiar with the Lobo comics. I was definitely a Lobo fan-girl!
Who or what is Lobo?
Lobo is an blue-skinned, red-eyed, cigar-chomping alien who is an interstellar mercenary and bounty hunter. He is a fictional character that appears in the comic books published by DC Comics. In the 1990s, he was popularized in Lobo: The Last Czarnian by writer Alan Grant, with artwork by the amazing Simon Bisley.
Lobo is the MAN!
The success of that series led to many more including Lobocop (a RoboCop parody); Blazing Chain of Love (in which he is sent on a job to a harem); Paramilitary Christmas Special (in which he is contracted by the Easter Bunny to assassinate Santa Claus which became a short film that was done back in 2002.); Infanticide (where he kills his daughter and all of his other bastard offspring that she has gathered to try to kill him); Convention Special (a send-up of comic book conventions); and Unamerican Gladiators (in which Lobo takes part in a deadly televised game show). Lobo also starred in his own title for 64 issues, from 1993 to 1999.
The Lobo Paramilitary Christmas special
Lobo was meant to serve as a parody of violent heroes such as Wolverine and the Punisher, with his stories featuring a nihilistic streak tinged with dark comedy and excessive violence and was one of the comic world’s most popular characters.
Lobo: the movie
Bringing Lobo to the big screen has been in Hollywood development limbo for years. The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that Guy Ritchie (Snatch, Lock Stock & 2 Smoking Barrels) is set to take on the Main Man in a feature film. A script is written and allegedly is set to begin production early next year.
According to Variety, Lobo will be a seven-foot tall, blue-skinned, indestructible and heavily muscled anti-hero who drives a pimped out motorcycle, and lands on Earth in search of four fugitives who are bent on wreaking havoc. Lobo teams with a small town teen-aged girl to stop the creatures.
They are going for a fraggin’ PG-13 rating. (Ha, yeah…good luck with that fellas!) I have to wonder if these guys have ever read a Lobo comic? Lobo is an extremely violent (yet hilarious) character and I can’t help but to wonder if he will translate well at all to the big screen. To saddle him with a teen-aged girl sidekick is completely out of character. Next thing you know he’ll be carrying around a lil fuzzy kitten in his pocket…oh wait, that’s HellBoy!
Well, never say never. We’ll just have to see how this one plays out.
Ever dream that you were the Dark Avenger? Want to be that broody, mysterious guy who saves Gotham from insane, criminal masterminds? And let’s not forget about all the ladies hanging all over you…
Or maybe you just think the Batmobile and Bat Cycle are mother-frickin’ COOL. It’s all about the gadgets and the gear, right? Admit it, at one time or another you’ve been watching one of the latest Batman flicks and thought to yourself: I want one of those…
Well, you may never get the “Bat Pod” from The Dark Knight, but soon you can own some replica gear and pretend that you do!
The Bat Pod from The Dark Knight movie
Universal Design Replicas will be offering Batman’s motorcycle gear to purchase. Soon you will be able to get the motorcycle jacket, gloves, pants and boots that Batman wore in The Dark Knight! Here are some details:
Strong Cordura Mesh Base with Heavy-duty 4 way stretch Spandex inserts.
Removable CE Approved Body Armor in both Jacket and Pants
The Officially Licensed Replica (by Universal Designs) motorcycle gear from The Dark Knight.
I’m not so sure what I would think if I saw someone wearing this getup in a real life situation, but if it’s your dream to be dark and brooding while riding around your inner “Gotham”, well this gear will get you one step closer.
"You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain."
Happy 2009 everyone! I trust everyone has made it through the holidays and if you’re like me, you’re glad to get back to regular life. I have some cool things up my sleeve for the near future and a big road trip planned for this summer. While this may be the year of the Ox according to the Chinese calendar, I’m declaring it Year of the Kitten instead!
So, while I recover from the shock of getting back to the daily grind, I’ll leave you with the top 10 viewed posts of 2008!
Steampunk Motorcycles-even though I wrote this post a year ago, it is the most popular post of my site. The Steampunk movement has gained much popularity since then.
BikerorNot.com: bikers and social networking pt. deux-social networking sites are booming. It seems that every subculture has formed their own social community these days. Since this post was published I have received numerous emails informing me of yet another new biker social community and asking me to join or write about their site. I can only keep track of so many accounts these days and it makes me wonder if more is better.
Bikers and tattoos-Two of my favorite subjects! A brief history of tattoos in America and how they touch my world.
Bring Exile Cycles back to TV-the popularity of this post surprises me a little. Prior to this post I had read a myspace bulletin from Russell putting out the call to fans for some help. This year we’ve seen Russell on VH1’s Rock of Love and of course, that silly Comcast commercial that featured Exile Cycles, with an actor playing the part (instead of “hardcore” heavily-tattooed Russell) that confused so many people. Here’s hoping we see a lot more of him in the future.
Anatomy of the Kawasaki Vulcan-in the summer of 2007, Greg White contacted me and hooked me up with Kawasaki to test ride the Vulcan 900 Custom. I spent a few gleeful weeks riding this bike and this is my dissection of various elements of the bike in detail. Thinking back on the experience makes me remember how much I enjoyed riding this bike. And yes, the skinny front wheel felt safe!
Biker Movie Hell Ride in theaters August 8-this movie was all the buzz for us this summer and it came and went in the blink of an eye. It had a very limited release in theaters and when it finally came out on DVD it would be an understatement to say it is a love/hate kind of movie.
Slayer launches a line of helmets-*RAWK!* Rockhard helmets launched a line of motorcycle helmets emblazened with graphics of our favorite thrash metal band. They’ve since increased their lineup of bands that include: Lynard Skynard, KISS, Slip Knot, Motorhead (yes!), AC/DC and The King. These suckers ain’t cheap but if you’re a fan I’m sure they’re well worth the cash!
Garage Girls: a new site for women, or is it?-this was my initial review of Sara Liberte’s new online venture. I was as honest as I could be while reading through the site (maybe too honest?). So much so that I actually received an email and blog comment from Sara letting me and everyone else know that the site was brand-spankin’ new and to cut her some slack. I revisited the site three months later and was pleasantly surprised at the changes that had been made and the fresh content that had been added. Props to Sara.
Video Tuesday: Harley-Davidson Dark Custom-this video accompanied the announcement of HD’s newest and coolest motorcycle. I also went on a bit of a tirade about how out of touch Bruce Rossmeyer is with a younger demographic.
My first motorcycle love-I’m so happy to see this post made it to the top ten! This is a guest post, written by my nearest and dearest, recounting the love of his first motorcycle, the experiences he had while owning it, and then eventually trading it in for a newer Road King. Definitely a good read. Hmm, that reminds me…I think I’ll bug him to guest post more often!
I’ve been meaning to write this review for almost 2 weeks now.
Quite honestly, I was left perplexed after I watched the movie. I really didn’t know what to make of it. Is it bad? For the most part: yes. Is it a “good” kind of bad? Sometimes.
Let’s face it, most of the acting is not really good, the dialog is utterly ridiculous and the notion that chicks are falling over themselves to bang Larry Bishop’s Pistolero is laughable. He clearly needed an ego boost when he cast himself as the lead character. I almost wonder if this movie would have been better had someone else written and directed it. It had ALL the potential in the world to be a great campy flick, but it definitely falls short.
From the opening menu of the dvd you can already tell that this movie is comic book-ie,cartoon-ized and over the top. But isn’t that part of the fun? I don’t think anyone went into this movie thinking it was a straight-up representation of biker gangs. It’s meant to be cheeky (both figuratively and literally!).
In the first seven minutes we see someone who has been shot in the gut with an arrow, two people get their throats cut and are burned while tied to chairs, a bunch of dudes shot in retaliation and a trailer explode. There’s a lotta boobs, gun play and violence. And Vinny Jones’ Billy Wings is a bad, bad dude.
I didn’t love it and I didn’t hate it, but I could see where other people would fall to either side of the fence. It really seems to be one of those movies that you have to watch to formulate your own opinion. All in all, it certainly was one hell of a ride!
Getting back into the swing of things over here in Kitten-Land. Life is finally returning to normal.
When I got in from work last night I grabbed my pile of mail that was sitting on the floor. Bills, bills, bills…NETFLIX! Jackpot. For, in my hot little hands, I knew that I held a movie I’ve been itching to watch. That’s right, Hell Ride on dvd had finally arrived.
I didn’t have time to watch it last night, but I’m using today’s Video Tuesday to psych myself up for it. Plus, I just read a review over at Road Captain USA’s blog and now I’m even more excited to see it!
I’m a little mad today: I saw that “Hell Ride” was playing in limited release at a theater near me last weekend. Unfortunately the timing wasn’t right and I was unable to go. I checked the same local theater near me today, only to discover that it’s not playing anymore. Not only is it not playing there any more, it’s not playing ANYWHERE anymore. I guess I’ll just have to wait for it to come out on DVD. Boo.
Did anyone get to see it in the theater??? I know that critics blasted it in their reviews, but I’ve heard that actual movie goers enjoyed it. If you saw it, please let me know what you thought of it.
Today’s video has nothing to do with Hell Ride, really, other than the fact that it’s from a movie and it’s about bikers. It’s a clip from the classic movie “The Wild One.”
“Chopper Zombie” is a new graphic novel created by Thom Beers (yes, the same guy that brought us “Monster Garage” and “Deadliest Catch”), which was unveiled last month at Comic Con. For the occasion, a custom-built zombie chopper was created by Russell Mitchell and Exile Cycles (dressed with specially created zombie parts).
Beers got the idea to create a chopper/zombie movie for his ten-year old son, melding his own love for choppers and his son’s love for zombies. The graphic novel (and eventual movie-due to go into production in 2009) is about a motorcycle builder who refuses to sell his formula for a new super-fuel to a dangerous corporation. When a team of thugs drowns him in his own toxic creation, he rises from the dead with a score to settle. It sounds a bit like “The Crow” with motorcycles, but I’ll take it! You can be sure that I’ll be following any news about the movie when production starts.
Choppers and zombies are two great tastes that taste great together (not to mention trendy these days)! Since I was unsuccessful in finding any videos of this event from San Diego’s 2008 Comic Con, I decided to go with a video of Russell Mitchell and Exile Cycles celebrating their 10 yr. anniversary.
Last week the movie poster for the eagerly anticipated, Quentin Tarantino produced Hell Ride (which I posted about back in December) was released to the waiting world.
Hell Ride premiered at Sundance earlier this week (and was reviewed favorably, which you can read here) and is a throw back to the 60’s & 70’s style biker movie that promises to be filled with lots of testosterone and violence (or according to the movie review, the three B’s: bikes, beer, and booty!)
According to another recent article on shocktilyoudrop.com, Hell Ride could eventually become a trilogy:
Leave ‘em wanting more. Films with the Quentin Tarantino touch seem to have that effect. Hell Ride may be no exception. Larry Bishop’s revenge tale, presented by Tarantino, premiered last night at Sundance to a sold-out crowd and already those involved in the project have the word “sequel” on their lips.
Co-star Michael Madsen tells us during an interview, “I hope this is going to be a trilogy.” In the film he plays a well-dressed biker named The Gent and it’s a role he’s looking forward to revisiting. “The Gent’s story has not been completely told.”
When we later spoke to writer-director-actor Bishop, we inquired about a possible “trilogy” and Madsen’s desire to slip back into The Gent’s skin, to which Bishop merely sat back, raised his eyebrows over his dark shades and smiled, “Absolutely.”
As of right now, there is no release date for the movie. Dammit.
I’ve been hearing rumblings about a Tarantino-produced motorcycle movie for most of this year. I had heard that it was given the green-light, which doesn’t always mean it will get made but, lo and behold, this one is a GO.
I absolutely love Tarantino movies and the cast of this movie looks really interesting. I’m excited!
“Hell Ride is a feature film from Larry Bishop being released under the “Quentin Tarantino Presents” banner. The film promises to be a blood and sex-soaked tale of motorcycle revenge and retribution.
Larry Bishop will star as bad-ass biker Pistolero, (named after the original title for Robert Rodriguez’s Desperado) who along with The Gent (Michael MadsenRK: who wouldn’t really have a career if it weren’t for Tarantino) and Comanche (Eric BalfourRK: one of my favorite young actors from Six Feet Under and 24), hit the road to avenge the death of Pistolero’s old lady Cherokee Kisum (Julia Jones), by the 666ers a rival motorcycle gang.
Vinnie Jones (RK: a great character actor recognizable from Guy Ritchie’s movies “Lock, Stock & 2 Smoking Barrels” and “Snatch”) and the ultimate bike riding legend Dennis Hopper to star as members of the satanic biker gang the 666ers. (RK: of course they’re satanic!)”
