Review 'Any Sunday' sequel rides in as energetic eye candy

LA Times

Nov. 6, 2014

Bruce Brown's 1971 Oscar-nominated documentary "On Any Sunday" celebrated motorcycle racers and enthusiasts (like Brown himself) in the immersive manner of his noteworthy surf movie, "The Endless Summer"

 

Now his son Dana (of "Step Into Liquid" fame), clearly intent on updating Dad's work, has directed and narrated "On Any Sunday: The Next Chapter," a high-energy sequel spotlighting two-wheel passion around the world, including motocross champs (James Stewart), daredevils (Robbie Maddison) and the international stars of the global MotoGP circuit (Marc Marquez).

The movie zips from place to race — the Bonneville Salt Flats, the Pikes Peak hill climb, a crazy off-road competition in Austria — with the attention span of someone over-juiced on Red Bull, whose logo is emblazoned everywhere because the company's media arm produced the movie. As lifestyle flicks go, it's energetic eye candy, with the Ultra HD slo-mo, slick aerial views and thumb-size cams putting a 21st century stamp on the original film's POV innovations.

But over-editing too often disrupts the flow of the more beautiful shots, and some engaging personalities, like deaf racer Ashley Fiolek, get short shrift in an effort to sell motorcycles as a community builder and even a tool for bringing healthcare to remote regions of Africa.

"Next Chapter" may not exhibit the scrappy charm that characterized the first film's glimpse into a marginalized but colorful world, but for devotees, Dana Brown has assembled a love letter to a now-global culture.

"On Any Sunday: The Next Chapter."

Rated PG for perilous action, crashes, brief language.