They Came, Throttled & Drove into Our Hearts Forever

Remember when Gael Garcia Bernal with his boyish looks and innocent face played Che Guevara motorcycling across the South American continent? Or When Tom Cruise cruised into our hearts when he set the box office on fire back in 2000 in Mission Impossible II as he rode in front of an explosion on 2 wheels?

Yes, we are talking about the throttle that twisted your hearts and pumped the same adrenalin into your blood that was shown on the big screen! Loved the movies that showcased the two-wheeled darings; we loved them too and are bringing for you our top 5! Now we know that every rider is different and just as each one likes a different ride, they would like a different biking story. So your choice may be different from ours but we are sure that these top 5 would feature in your list somewhere, if not in the first 10 or may be 15 but somewhere yes!

Let’s get to the list without further delay and go down memory lane on two-wheels. The list is in no particular preference order:

1. The Motorcycle Diaries (2004) – Now this movie blends in two great things of the world – Bikes & Che Guevara – the doctor-turned-revolutionary who went down history as an iconoclast. The movie presents Che’s life before he became a rebel. Driving the Norton 500 motorcycle through the Latin American continent, Gael Garcia portrays the young Che Guevara in the movie which was released in 2004. It did as much for South America’s tourism as it did to renew interest in this international cult figure. Catch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6jz_b80V5g

2. Faster (2003) – This MotoGP documentary is a first of its kind to showcase how it actually feels like riding and living in the fast lane – riding a 500 cc bike is no joke. Titled most appropriately, this movie is a perfect film for anyone itching to get behind the scenes of the moto-racing world championship. With an adrenalin-filled cinematography and well documented sequences, this movie digs deep into the world of competition and Moto championships. Our Italian fans will love the feature on Valentino Rossi. Know the answers to the ‘whys’ here and what does it take for the fastest man to ride the fastest bike: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEMmKyR11yM

3. ChopperTown: The Sinners – Documentary yet again but one that takes you behind the engine of the powerful two-wheelers. This movie is not only about motorcycle or custom bikes built by the riders themselves but also about the true-blue biking spirit and culture that gears up and rides off whenever and wherever. Biker brotherhood is looked at in this movie from a different perspective which lead this movie to win a whole lot of awards. Choppertown keeps coming up with new movies and has its Youtube channel at: http://www.youtube.com/user/choppertown?feature=watch

4. Tron Legacy 3D (2010) – From the customized choppers to the digitized motorcycle – let’s get talking about Tron! This movie is truly a legacy and it has something for every biker who is dreaming of the superfast, lightcycles of the 22nd century. The day is not far my fellow rider, when the radioactive two-wheels will be under you and not just on the 3D screen. Not the 1982 Tron which was a code breaker in its own regard but the 2010 3D extravaganza that has everyone hooked, relive it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9szn1QQfas

And the last (there’s no saving the best one for the last, as all of them are amazing in their own content and regard but this one is sure interesting!)

5. Easy Rider (1969) – One of the cult films of the 1960s which was neither easy to take it in your stride nor a regular run of the mill biker movie. It brought home questions that main-streamers shrugged off and the counter culture rebels loved to ask. The movie was awarded the best movie at the Cannes festival and brought to fore how freedom feels like and what does it represent.
44 years ago, this wasn’t really an Easy Ride at all for some: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwST6mpT7Ds

Of course there are so many others biker movies and the scenes which we can’t get out of our minds – one of the recent ones coming to mind is Anne Hathaway’s stunning stint on the bike in The Dark Knight Rises.

Motivates us to do another post on women riders in cinema. We might just do it.

Until then, lap this up!