B.I.K.E. -- Black Label Bicycle Club doc! at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown | Do512

B.I.K.E. -- Black Label Bicycle Club doc!

WHEN:: Sun. 03/25 | 9:45PM
WHERE:: Alamo Drafthouse Downtown, at the Ritz on 6th Street map

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B.I.K.E. - Black Label Bicycle Club doc!
Theater: Alamo Downtown

Director: Anthony Howard & Jacob Septimus
Rating: NR
Runtime: 89 min

Age Policy: 18 and up; Children 6 and up will be allowed only with a parent or guardian. No children under the age of 6 will be allowed.

March 25th - 9:45pm (Fundraiser for YellowBike)
April 1 - 7:00pm

If you've been to underground noise shows, unlawful bicycle events in the streets, or believe in the impending apocalypse, you might've noticed some of the members of the Black Label Bicycle Club. They build their own bicycles. Tall-bikes, in particular: frames welded on top of other frames so the seat rides six feet off the ground. They're easy to spot cruising down a crowded avenue, or jousting under a bridge, carrying a long plumbing pipe and trying to knock an opponent to the tar. But if you've only ever gawked from afar at these very exclusive pedal-powered Hell's Angels, you don't know the whole story.

Granted, they're hard to get to know. As visible as they are, the Black Label Bike Club remains a tight knit, self-protective, secretive sort of group. Anthony Howard wanted to know more, so he tried to join the club. And he made a film about it.

Howard throws himself headlong (and headfirst off more than a few tall-bikes) into the Black Label lifestyle, and, along with co-director Jacob Septimus, discovers that Black Label is about a lot more than booze, brawls and bikes. Comprised mainly of artists driven by anti-materialism and a belief that the impending apocalypse will render cars useless and bicycles in power, BLBC battles mainstream consumer culture and rival gangs for its vision of a better tomorrow. Howard's vision, however, becomes increasingly blurred by drugs and self-destruction. In his desperate attempts to appease the group, Howard loses perspective on what the group values, and loses control of his own life.

This fascinating and gorgeously gritty film provides insight into a passionate political subculture, and exposes the darker aspects of living on the wild side.

"Heads break, necks crack, drugs are consumed in mass quantities, and the inherent contradictions of radical individualists attempting to maintain a group identity implode, reform and implode yet again, in an absolutely fascinating tour of a modern netherworld." (Ray Greene, Box Office Magazine)

"At first, B.I.K.E. seems to be about people who are nothing like us, but...moments of relatable sincerity...make the film far more than a dissection of a movement. Its central conflict between individual need and group comfort is something we can all understand." (John Thomason, Orlando Weekly)

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Yellowbike is a community supported ALL-VOLUNTEER 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing human-powered transportation for the people of Austin, running a community bike shop, and educating kids and adults. People-power is a way to limit the traffic congestion of a rapidly growing city. It also provides a sane, inexpensive, and sustainable alternative to the reliance on motor vehicles. Our project promotes cleaner air, land, and water, while encouraging people to meet their transportation needs through an active lifestyle and community participation.

Official Movie Website

MUTANT BIKE GANGS OF NEW YORK article in Village Voice

Showings (click on a show time to buy tickets):

Sunday, March 25

9:45 pm

Sunday, April 1

7:00 pm