Friday, July 23, 2010

We Heart Bicycles

I've been watching a lot of television streamed from Netflix's instant queue lately and online (via official websites, okay? I am not a pirate) which has made me realize how excited I am whenever I see a bicycle on a TV show or in a movie. In fact, I swear that I can actually feel my ears perk up every time. (Maybe it's just my brow lifting, but it's all the same motion - upwards.) The two most recent instances I can recall this happening are (a) regularly on Arrested Development (Michael Bluth [Jason Bateman's] bicycle and (b) on an episode of LOST... during the final season there was a bicycle in Jack's apartment. It meant nothing to the symbolism of the show, but I noticed it.

I'm sure there's more somewhere, but that's what I'm reminded of right off the bat. Oh yeah, on Law & Order: Special Victim's Unit, the district attorney at the time - I think it was Casey Novak - rode her bicycle to the courthouse; they dedicated a brief scene to it. Movies - Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, obviously. The Goonies. ET. And Juno... see?! Bicycles are fabulous and most everyone agrees that it feels good to hop on one and fly through the air with the greatest of ease and that it would be a moot point to even try to argue that it isn't. Sure, that's bias you smell, but naturally it's based on truth.

Perhaps one day - before I get the nerve to move to New York, that is - I'll feel the same way about public transportation in Southern California. I can even mention a couple of movies/music videos that have featured a Metro Red Line subway car/station. But trust me, this is not Manhattan, nor is it San Francisco, or Boston, or Paris. Hell, it isn't even San Diego... at least it isn't on this side of the hill.

Sadly.

How about you? This was really a quick list, but can you think of any movies/TV shows that have featured bikes in which your radar went off like "Aw, yeah!"?

2 comments:

  1. I feel exactly the same way when I see bikes on TV or movies. I wonder if non-bikers notice this as much as us cyclists do?

    They are also showing up in more and more music videos as well. Two recent ones that I like were 30 Seconds to Mars and Ben Harper.

    Maybe the next thing should be a movie about this girl who lives in LA and goes on many adventures as she goes car-less. What do you think?


    Darryl

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  2. Darryl, did I tell you that I tried out for a reality show about female bloggers? My angle was going to be that I ride a bicycle all around town. I don't even know if the show got off the ground, but they sounded interested at the time. :)

    Ruthie, I'm going to have to check out that episode - for the most part, I love The L Word. It's just... after what happened with Dana, I found it too hard to watch anymore. I cried so hard.

    On a very related note, I just saw a fixie mounted on the wall of a drug dealer's place on the Dexter (season 3/episode 2). :) Always watching...

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