The makers of the upcoming film, Life Cycles, stopped by Pinkbike HQ yesterday to give us a private showing of their soon to be released masterpiece. Inside you can read our thoughts on the movie and have a look at some actual film-camera images from the film!
Read on...Graham Agassiz doing what he does best
Unless you've been living under a rock for the last few years you've no doubt seen some of the amazing images that have been coming out of the filming for Life Cycles over the last while. Ryan Gibb and Derek Frankowski are the two main minds behind Life Cycles and they stopped by PinkBike HQ on their way home after meeting with their sound designers in Vancouver. While it's always nice to catch up with the boys, we were all even more excited because there was rumors that they had with them the one and only nearly complete copy of their much anticipated movie release. After the obligatory pleasantries were over with, we jumped them from behind, hogtied them up with rim strips, and stuffed them both into the shoe closet so that we could watch the entire movie before anyone else!
Trail builder wunderkind Riley McIntosh along with Evan Schwartz building...
... and then tearing it up!
This is a movie that will have you forgetting to blink from the time you push play. Even the opening scenes, before any bike is being ridden, will have you slack jawed and dumb stuck with both the filming and the sounds. The Life Cycles filming crew visited the Devinci factory on Canada's East Coast and came away with some stunning footage that gave me goose bumps. Another highlight is Mike Hopkins railing through some of the freshest, green singletrack that you could even imagine. Hopkins is featured throughout the movie and his style on a bike meshes perfectly with Gibb's and Frankowski's vision - mind bending corners, massive hips, and scrubs that will have you questioning the laws of physics. His riding combined with never before seen film techniques had the entire room quiet with all of us simply shaking our heads in amazement.
Thomas Vanderham filming his night riding section up at Whistler
Feast your eyes on the Whistler shoot with Life Cycles and Thomas Vanderham
Although the whole movie is so stunning that it's hard to pick out only a few things to talk about, Riley McIntosh and Evan Schwartz railing terrain at full speed on their DH bikes and spending most of their time sideways with roost flying in all directions should inspire any rider to let off the brakes a bit more than usual. Oh and my perennial favorite Thomas Vanderham tearing Whistler a new a*shole... at night! There's something about a rider on a DH bike completely sideways even before he comes off the lip that will always get my blood flowing. Even though his section is filmed at night you are guaranteed to experience a full sensory overload!
Mike Hopkins choosing any line he wants
After watching any and all mountain bike movies that have ever been released I've found myself getting a bit jaded over the latest crop of films. I honestly couldn't care less how many times so and so spun his bike around or if the latest screamo band's radio hit is featured, but what I do want to see is standout riding that is captured with incredible filming that truly pushes the sport to new levels. Life Cycles is a film that you could show to anyone, from mountain bikers to people who have never touched a bike in their life, and they would sit through the entire movie spellbound. There has already been quite a bit of hype about this movie, but after watching it in its entirety I can say that it is fully deserved. Get ready world, Life Cycles is coming.
Graham Agassiz
Premiere dates are not set in stone quite yet, but expect the first North American showing to be at the upcoming InterBike trade show and riders across the pond will get to watch it at EuroBike.
Derek Frankowski and Ryan Gibb reppin the PB
Visit the
Life Cycles website to see more incredible photos!
That said it was the same old layout same old style cant says theres anything wrong with that and am sure this style of extreme video will continue but now that MTB style movies may be potentialy going to the next level (Even attracting none riders to the audience) a new approach would be certainly be welcome.... Fingers crossed for something that will blow us away in the same way Roam did back in the day !
I'll be there