I'm a Tom Hanks Fan

I love the simple red panniers! Photo credit: IMCDB.org

I had the opportunity to see The Man with One Red Shoe recently, a 1985 movie starring Tom Hanks and Jim Belushi. It's a fun flick and if you're a Tom Hanks fan, a cyclist, and lover of older bicycles, it's worth a look. The pair get around Georgetown, D.C. on bikes so there are several scenes involving Hanks's red ten speed (referred to as a "Peugeot Grand Prix") while Jim Belushi rides an old mountain bike, the type that's near and dear to my heart.

Photo credit: Georgetown Metropolitan

I am home today with a stuffy head cold. It's beautiful outside. Fresh snow has fallen with more in the forecast for today. Perhaps I'll discover more Tom Hanks movies on Netflix that I haven't seen!

Summer in Andalusia - Movie Review

After falling in love with the adorable creature on My Neighbor Totoro and enjoying Ponyo I'm often game for other anime films. Enter my pick for this weekend: Summer in Andalusia (Vimeo), featuring Pepe, a likable Spanish bike racer riding in the Vuelta y Espana. It's a light-hearted look at Spanish culture, families supporting racers,  and contrast between two brothers who rode together as children but went their separate ways as adults. The only odd thing—at least to me—was listening to Japanese language (the film is made in Japan), while looking at a hot, arid Spanish landscape, and reading English subtitles. Nevertheless it's a worthwhile film, presented in a manageable timeframe—45 minutes.

After I finished the movie, I discovered there's a sequel: Suitcase no Wataridori (on Youtube, pick subtitles). Pepe is still racing, but deals with a Marco Pantani-esque character, briefly introduced in the first film. I'll watch the second film at another time.

Parpaillon - A Delicious French Film

A clip from Parpaillon.

Picture a lady cyclist, dazed, in the middle of the road, hugging a bruised knee. 6 cyclists come along, fall in a heap. The guys dust themselves off and get back on their bikes, weaving around the fallen lady, oblivious to her predicament. But chivalry isn't quite dead. A solitary cyclist eventually comes to her rescue. He throws his bike down and rushes to her side.

Entrance to Col du Parpaillon tunnel. Photo credit: Wikipedia

This is one episode in Parpaillon, a 1993 film by French director Luc Moullet, that chronicles an exhausting cycling race up graveled Col du Parpaillon, a pass in the French High Alps. There are delicious scenes, highlighting joie de vivre. Characters include: older guys dressed in tweed, kitted packs, single women, a couple who are unabashedly in love and are exuberant when they spy a dark tunnel, and a guy who cheats, aided by a vehicle and another who is pampered by his wife—at least I think it's his wife (read on to see why). Several riders become fed up with their bicycles and discard components and water bottles in a particularly humorous manner.

The film captivated me from start to finish. It had to—I watched all hour and twenty minutes in French (it is without subtitles) on Vimeo. I can only imagine how much more delightful it would be if I understood the language.

Ride the Divide Movie Review

2010 film. Photo credit: IMDb

I had the pleasure of seeing this special documentary recently (and no, it is not new). It chronicles several riders on their first attempt (and some folks already acquainted) with the rigorous challenges of racing The Great Divide Trail. Heart wrenching and heartwarming, with spectacular scenery, it gives you glimpses into the physical and emotional hardships of such an endeavor, whether it's racing or enjoying the divide on tour. If you love adventure, mountain scenery, or camping in the wild, don't miss this flick. I saw it on Netflix.

Three Bike-Themed Movies

Ultra athlete and extroardinary camper,
Mark Beaumont. Photo credit: Wikipedia

Just when I thought I'd seen all the bicycle movies ever made, along comes a review from Randy and Nova's Bicycle Scrapbook, recommending two exciting BBC documentaries. Now, coming into this past weekend with frigid November weather settled over Vermont, I liked nothing better than watching a good flick. Both are of adventure cyclist Mark Beaumont as he pedals around the globe and from Anchorage, Alaska to the tip of South America. If you like cycle touring as much as I do, or at least living it vicariously, make a cup of tea (or four) and settle in for the ride. It's amazing. Available on YouTube.

Mark has also written a book, which appeals to cyclists more than arm chair travelers. I'll add this one to my Christmas list.

The Man Who Cycled the World
The Man Who Cycled the Americas

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Photo credit: IMDb

Another movie of note: The Flying Scotsman. My husband stumbled on this one on Netflix. It's a true account of Graeme Obree's personal trials, plus his ability to smash the one hour record. The Scottish scenery is a highlight along with how Graeme comes up with a unique bike frame design. There are humorous attempts to appease a finicky cycling federation that seems eternally out to get him. It's ultimately an uplifting movie, but be forewarned about the first two minutes of the film: it is disturbing but does end okay, if you need assurance as I did. Personally, I'd fast forward through the rough stretch. You won't miss anything important.