Why So Blu?

On Any Sunday: The Next Chapter (Blu-ray Review)

On Any Sunday: The Next Chapter is a follow-up to the 1971 motorcycle documentary On Any Sunday, produced and featuring Steve McQueen.  The doc follows several motorcycle enthusiasts, including racers, stuntman, designers, and the events that they participate in.  Interviewees include well known motorcycle personalities such as Robbie Madison, Roland Sands, James Stewart, Jr., and continuing the initial films celebrity involvement, Bo Derek, Scott Caan, and Mickey Rourke.  The film premiered on July 12^th, 2014 in New Zealand before hitting a limited theatrical run.

Film 

The 1971 feature On Any Sunday perhaps had a great impact on a generation of motorcycle lovers, and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary feature.  Dana Brown, son of On Any Sunday director Bruce Brown, continues an obvious fascination and love for motorcycles and those who ride them.  The Next Chapter is specifically aimed at motorcycle enthusiasts, being much more a tale of the general state of motorcycles today rather than a intimate examination of the personalities involved.

Though it is subtitled The Next Chapter, perhaps saying it was the next two dozen chapters would have been more appropriate.  The film jumps from subject to subject, presenting its topics in short story type vignettes, which limit the film’s appeal as it focuses on a considerable range of events and personalities rather than a distinct few that we can grow with.  Whether it is an amputee who has a specific artificial limb for bike racing, a deaf woman who is an X Games gold medalist, or a paraplegic who has crafted a special motorcycle to fit his knees, these elements are on screen and then off so quickly that the audience barely has time to adjust before being introduced to the next chapter.

The most screen time is given over to the sport of MotoGP and the World Championships which culminate in a final race in Spain.  Other topics include ice racing in Canada, biking the Salt Flats in Utah, AMA Pro Flat Track racing, and several more.  When the film gear shifts into discussing Riders for Health, a motorcycle group that takes aim at health concerns in Africa, the films focus nearly runs off course, to the point where you may find yourself wondering if you are suddenly watching a different movie.

While the film’s sudden aim at social concerns may seem out of the blue, its true aims are exhilaration, and it reaches for the precipice with jam-packed breathtaking footage.  Dana Brown is no stranger to extreme sports, given his family background and his previous directorial efforts Step Into Liquid (2003) and Dust to Glory (2005).  Shot in 4K Ultra HD, the film crescendos in several amazing sequences.  Stunts, race track accidents, and hairpin turns have a visual fierceness that’s undeniable, showcasing a passion for the motorcycle industry and the challenge of the filmmaking it takes to capture it.

Video 

This is a film that’s almost exclusively based on its visual precision, and Red Bull Media’s Blu-ray presentation does justice to Dana Brown’s insane footage.

• Encoding: AVC MPEG-4
• Resolution: 1080p
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Clarity/Detail: This presentation is all about the detail and clarity.  The doc contains about every visual element you would expect to see in a film like this.  Dirt, debris, asphalt, tires and the faces of those who are interviewed are strikingly clear.
• Depth: In terms of shot selection, you name it and it’s probably seen somewhere in this film.  Aerial shots, Go Pro POV footage, and one-on-one interviews are sparkled throughout, showcasing a range of depth in various camera captures.
• Black Levels:  This is a film that gets outdoors and stays there, so there isn’t a lot of black, but when it’s there, it’s good.
• Color Reproduction: Unless it’s a muddy track, the film features a plethora of bold vibrant color that pops in this disc’s visual representation.
• Flesh Tones: The skin tones are all natural and authentic looking throughout.
• Noise/Artifacts: Slight, but barely noticeable

Audio 

The film’s wide variety of visual angles leaves a lot of space for the soundtrack to come into play for maximum impact.

• Audio Format(s): English Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Lossless, Dolby Atmos
• Subtitles: French, Spanish, German, and Portuguese
• Dynamics: Well balanced between clean audio and score tracks.
• Low Frequency Extension: LFE is utilized to bring balance to the presentation.
• Surround Sound Presentation: The film features score, sound effects (sometimes humorous, like the usage of a car alarm), and spoken word that finds a nice balance in the mix of this disc.
• Dialogue Reproduction:  Spoken words were clear and intelligible.

Extras 

Red Bull Media’s Collector’s Edition Blu-ray is a DigiPack release that includes a DVD disc with a Digital Download.  No audio commentary is available, and each disc features the following extras:

• The Brown Legacy (1080p, 5:32): A sit down interview with Dana Brown and his father Bruce, who discuss Bruce’s 1971 On Any Sunday and their love for everything motorcycle.
• KTM/Kurt Caselli Bike Build (1080i, 4:24):  A tribute to late racer Kurt Caselli, featuring designers auctioning off a bike in his honor.
• Riders for Health (1080i, 8:46): A snippet about the organization that is tackling heatlh care issues in Africa.
• Robbie Maddison’s Drop In (1080p, 4:49): This featurette features additional footage of a stunt featured in the documentary.
• Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 2:38)
• Teaser Trailer (1080p, 2:06)

Summary 

If you don’t consider yourself a motorcycle connoisseur, this may not be a documentary that will strike your fancy.  The film is gorgeous to look at, thanks to Dana Brown’s 4K footage of several exhilarating motorcycle stunts and sports, but it is structured in a way that pushes its visual aesthetic far beyond an attempt to tell a story than those uninterested in the motorcycle world could be engaged in.  It’s hard to deny however that filmmaker Dana Brown has a passion toward the extreme nature of motorcycles, and he captures his events with a commendable vigor.