Photographed by jbelluch

Oh, but there inside the house,
Upon the hearth, a lovely sight.
For there sat He, in quiet repose,
The One who keeps the flame aglow.
-Keeper of the Flame
by Patsy J. Lewis

– License

Kevin Bacon is one of those actors who just needs a better agent. he is charming, subtle, realistic, and instantly a friendly character. so when i saw this movie, i was truly shocked. Kevin Bacon turns in what could possibly be the best performance of his career as the struggling pedophile.

this movie doesnt justify him or even vilify him, it just shows him as who he is, a greatly flawed human being. his urges and his desires are bad. he knows that.

with that out-of-the-way the film finds itself able to become a movie and passionate film about purification. Kevin Bacon’s character has just gotten out of prison after serving 12 years of a sentence for child molestation. he is still on parole though, so his parole officer (Mos Def) has to come to check in on him periodically. the film is carried by the sheer power of their scenes together. the other actors in the film are well cast and very strong (David Allen Grier, Benjamin Bratt, and rapper EVE), but as far as the adults go, Mos Def and Bacon both turn in their best performances to date. the two of them seem like they arent even acting. they seem like they are funneling their real emotions, their real regrets and their real hatreds into fake characters. the other star actor in the film is the young girl Robin, played masterfully by Hannah Pilkes. i was actually stunned by her emotional power in her ‘big scene’ with Kevin Bacon. the tears in her eyes seemed more real than i was comfortable with. her longing for love and affection and her dark scars tore me to pieces. both times i saw that scene i have actually begged out loud for things to be ok. when i see the way she cries, and the way Kevin tears up… it makes me feel so horrible. but at the same time, it gives me hope. when Kevin Bacon’s character sees how horrible what he wants to do really is. not how horrible a cop says it is, not how horrible he is told it is, not how horrible doctors say it is… how horrible the victim says it is… then he changes. something in him changes. and he understands that his joy isnt worth the pain others would feel from it.

in the second most powerful scene in the film Mos Def talks with Kevin Bacon about ‘the woodsmen’, the man who comes in at the end of little red riding hood and cuts open the wolf to help the little girl out. he finished his statement by saying that there arent any woodsmen in the real world. that there are no people to help save the victims of the world and hold them without a scratch… and its true. but if the ending of the film is any indication, there are people who try.

i recommend this movie wholeheartedly. but not to everyone. its hard to watch, and it is emotionally heavy. it doesnt make him a hero, but at the same time it isnt one of those disgusting revenge films where vigilantism and sadistic vengeance take over. it is a very real film. and because it is so real, it is that much harder to watch.

Talk about getting  your own back! When Samuel Bratt died, he used his will simply to get even. His wife never ever allowed him to smoke his favorite cigars. When he died in 1960, the embittered Bratt returned the favor. He left her £330,000. To get it, however, she had to smoke five cigars a day.

MG

I thought it was time to post another nasty little Harley cafe racer. Here at HONAHA we are aware that HD’s aren’t considered traditional cafe bikes, but I think they have a lot of potential. This bike is very nicely done.  Notice the custom polished tank, the twin pea-shooter mufflers, and at the center – that  nasty American v-twin and a belt drive.  This is a great example of how you can take a normally bland Sportster and turn it into a really cool cafe racer. I took the liberty to find where some Harley cafe parts can be found – airtech streamlining.  Its time to step up Sportster owners.  No excuses.

I thought I should take a break from highlighting all these cool finished products, and give you something that you can easily add to your own project.  These are some of the coolest headlight brackets that I have come across.  They may not be billet with engraved spider webs – but they are classic clean and still noticeably custom – exactly what we like to see at HONAHA. These are made to fit Yamaha SR 400, SR500, and XS 650.  Im sure with a little modification you could make them fit almost any 1970’s bike.  Get yours here.

This bike looks like it came straight out of 1970’s deadstock – looks like James Dean should be leaning over the handlebars smoking a heater. It is funny how the simplest things are often the most stunning – this bike is bare minimum – no fluff, no swag, no bling, just pure cleanliness. I love the bare bones approach to this bike – from the white walls, to the flawless routing of the cables and wires, to the missing air box and battery tray…. absolutely amazing work! Even the tank decor is crisp and simple. I love it. This bike is the purest thing we have seen at HONAHA for a while.  Take a lesson form this bike – keep is clean and simple.

If you own a GL or are in the market for one, this may be the part that really sets your bike apart from the rest. I think this may be the coolest add-on that HONAHA has ever found. I love this supercharger. I even found a little video showing a supercharged GL1000 for you – enjoy!

More information about this supercharger HERE

I wanted to extend an invitation to all my HONAHA readers to check out my new start-up company called ecowell. This is a very exciting opportunity for me as a founding partner. You can find more information on our website so please take a look around and be sure to visit our online store. Thanks for the continued support, I would love to get some feedback on what you think of ecowell.

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=74613269578&ref=mf

click on the link above for the debut trailer

What is with the Helium Club!?

www.theheliumclub.com

(this website doesn’t exist by the way, i dunno with the web developer why endorse if it doesn’t exist)

“5 Faces will change Manila” – the Helium Clb presents their video showing 5 fresh faces that would show the reality series taken in Manila. Yeah right there would be a lot of changes when these 5 people will post all the things around Metro Manila with there attitude as for the video they are those teenagers nowadays we call “Bratts of the Modern Era” . They surely help Manila endorse the nightlife clubbin’ frenzy!

Talking about the cast, is this reality series to be posted into the W.W.W.? Think twice! Observing the cast in the video while they are talking , it is more like scripted!SCRIPTED!… They can’t portray even real emotions, they got overflowing of confidence talking the classy and sosy way but they are like posers.

A blog said “TEASERS are not TEASERS if it weren’t ought to Tease people” for a reason it teases us for the ad of the website which is not yet published. Well yeah they are kinda the talk-of-the-town. They earn fame due to the spicy statements from the people who have watched the 5min trailer. The talk about don’t last anyway. i do agree with x kat x, that these young rich fellas have gain fame due to the ignition of annoyance from the viewers but the fact they are bratts, credits to them for setting the stage on fire.

In their debut for the HELIUM CLUB, would this create a magnet to people who loves clubbin’ or would this create comedy to the Cast. Not to mentioned scripted-sound conversations and distracting enunciation. A collision of DRAMA or COMEDY?

See for yourselves and tell us what you think!?

HELIUM CLUB-
Be in a place where everybody’s at.

WATCH how 5 young lives coming from totally different mini-worlds of their own, would become this season’s hottest bets to the Manila social pawn fixture, while their stellar paths cross, fake fronts crash and life tracks collide ALL into one BIG DRAMA.

HELIUM CLUB

“Lives will change as all roads lead to one ending, where only sharp lines are spoken and dagger stares are thrown.

Where big actions are made,
impulses trusted,
rationales traded,
friendships destroyed
and true love created.”

???NUMBER 1 Reality Series on the Web.”????

I had the good fortune to see a screening at the Sundance Film Festival in Salt Lake City on Saturday night called La Mission. The family team of Benjamin and Peter Bratt have put together a remarkable movie…one of the most interesting and soulful I have ever seen at Sundance. As the title indicates, the film takes place in the colorful and unpredictable Mission district of San Fransisco and deals with a number of different cultural and emotional issues in an intense, riveting and sometimes comical way. ..yet it never loses focus. As a whole, the movie goes to the core of what helps make any important relationship successful…the effort to find the power to overcome what disturbs you most about one to whom you are deeply attached.  I’ll paste the movie synopsis here, but suffice it to say, the movie is even better than the preview suggests. As a photographer I appreciated the storytelling and beautiful cinematography. Benjamin Bratt has to be one of the most talented and daring actors in the film industry today. The audience was also treated to a great Q and A with the filmmaker and cast after the screening.

“Set in the colorful, seedy streets of the San Francisco district that bears its name, La MISSION is a story of redemption imbued with the curative power of Aztec tradition. Feared, yet respected, as the baddest Chicano on the block, Che (Benjamin Bratt), a reformed inmate and recovering alcoholic, resorts to violence and intimidation to get what he wants. A bus driver by day, Che lives for his beloved son, Jesse, his lifelong friends, and his passion for lowrider cars. Che and the “Mission Boyz” salvage junked cars, transforming them into classics.Che’s macho world is crushed when he discovers that Jesse’s been living a secret life. In a violent rage, Che pummels Jesse and throws him out of the house. Lena, an attractive neighbor and a force to be reckoned with, is a woman with a few secrets of her own. Mutual attraction percolates as Lena challenges Che to reconcile the life he thought he had.Sundance veteran Peter Bratt (Follow Me Home) returns with a powerful second feature. Propelled by commanding performances from Jeremy Ray Valdez as Jesse and Erika Alexander as Lena—and featuring an exceptional turn by Benjamin Bratt—La MISSION is a haunting story of healing and transformation: the healing of a broken man, of a father’s relationship with his son, and of a neighborhood struggling to break the chains of violence.”

Here is a little change of pace form the classic cafe, or street tracker style Yamahas. These bikes are from the streets of Japan, and demonstrate yet another way to make these old bikes look pretty sweet. And as all of you know, here at HONAHA, we really appreciate new ways to improve old bikes. Stay tuned-2009 is full of surprises.

Jag som läser på Handelshögskolan uppdateras ständigt om det senaste bratt-modet och om vad som händer i bratt-världen. Men alla på skolan verkar inte gilla bratts. Senast idag på toaletten såg jag att någon i taket hade skrivit “Die bratt, die”. Sådant är naturligtvis oerhört olämpligt och sådant tar jag å det bestämdaste avstånd ifrån.

Alla har ju rätt att vara som de vill. Och alla har rätt att få tycka som de vill, även om det utgår från ett elitistiskt synsätt. Nu är tack och lov inte alla bratts elitister. En del är faktiskt riktigt charmiga. Och en del har till och med haft ett ordentligt sommarjobb och klarar sig utan pappas pengar och lever inte i tron att det viktigaste här i livet är att så fort som möjligt tjäna ihop en miljon. Men det finns en sak som jag inte gillar, och som verkar vara riktigt på modet nu, såväl för original bratt-killar som wannabee-bratt killar. Det är röda byxor och Pippi-Långstrump kappsäck som väska eller ”big bag” som man ska säga för att vara korrekt. Och på sommaren ska det vara esprandillos och lågt skurna strumpeletter. Urk! Jag tycker inte om det. Det är fult och signalerar: Hej hopp, lek och skratt jag är och vill vara en verklighetsfrånvänd bratt!

Sinceramente, nunca gostei de filmes de guerra cujo os americanos se colocam acima de deus. Mas neste caso a história conta um dos maiores feitos já feito pelo exército dos Estados Unidos.

Sinopse: O 6º batalhão do exército norte-americano recebe uma das missões mais ingratas possíveis: resgatar, nas Filipinas, cerca de 500 prisioneiros norte-americanos de guerra que estão nas mãos das tropas japonesas. Enfrentando as condições mais adversas, eles andam 30 milhas por trás das linhas inimigas para tentar cumprir a missão.
Toda a tensão que os soldados enfrentam e o perigo iminente precisam ser controlados pelo líder da missão, que comanda tudo com braço firme, mas que também sabe dos perigos que serão enfrentados.

O diferencial deste filme é que o planejamento todo é montado, e o espectador acompanha desde o ínicio o por quê da invasão, como será o ataque, as armas disponiveis. Sim, há grandes falhas, uma delas ocorreu duas vezes na minha contagem e é do tipo mais chato que pode ocorrer.Se imagine vendo o filme e no meio do ataque ( a parte principal), você ve sombras de câmeras pelo cenário. Será que a edição não notou este claro erro?

Quanto a adaptação da história. Realmente o fato ACONTECEU, entretanto, é realmente é difícil de acreditar que de 127 americanos, apenas um tenha morrido contra 700 japoneses. Sem contar ainda que o apoio americano (filipinos) tinham 200 soldados e 2 somente foram mortos.

Em meio a isso, o filme foi bastante controverso. Enquanto alguns críticos odiaram, outros como Roger Ebert simplestmente amaram. A direção é muito boa, e apesar de algumas falhas, os três anos de produção valeram apena mesmo. Não destaco nenhum ator em principal pois poucos são o que aparecem mais de cinco vezes.

NOTA : 7/10

Elenco:
Benjamin Bratt … Coronel Henry Mucci
James Franco … Capitão Robert Prince
Robert Mammone … Capitão Fisher

I think these are hands down the coolest street trackers built today. These bikes are a testament to the old meeting the new, a perfect blend of tradition and technology. The builders at Mule deserve a cold round of beer and a pat on the back from HONAHA for their traditional approach to modern racing machines. In case you couldn’t already tell – I love these guys. Stay tuned for more.

There looks like there’s trending fading in and out of the UK Scene recently. With some many artists caught wandering around in ‘Money Clothing’, it looks like there is another popular brand with these guys. This time, it’s the British street brand ‘The Ugly Kids Club’. Previously on Grime Garms you would have seen us do a quick article about Chip Diddy Chip in a UKC tee. Well, here he is in another, plus a few others as well:

First up with have Chipmunk himself (again). This time Chip is sporting the ‘Your Time’ tee. Like the other top he got caught wearing, this has also SOLD OUT very quickly! In white AND black. Bit of a disappointment as this is quite a nice shirt to be fair.

Alongside Chippy we have Kano promoting the brand. This tee that Kane is holding (someone tell him those glasses look waste on him, please – Ben) is an INSTORE EXCLUSIVE! So there’s no point scouting the internet to find it, because you simply won’t. If you want this tee, head down to the pop-up store in Camden Town. Check the website for more details (located to the left of the site, under blog role). If you can’t venture down to the store, but still want a SIMILAR tee, here is the link for it in black. Click here!

Maxwell D, remember him? Pay As You Go? Once rollin’ with Wiley…No? Well nowadays I think Maxwell D has moved more onto the UK Funky scene to make ends meet. Anyway, we have Maxwell here modelling the ‘Wild West’ tee in purple. Other colours are available if you don’t fancy purple. The ‘Wild West’ tee is available here.

Moving onto the UK Hip-Hop/Rap scene [we don’t JUST do Grime], we have Skinnyman. Recently, being ever present like Chipmunk on Grime Garms. Skinnyman has also featured in our ‘Money, Money, Money…’ article. Just like Chipmunk did in the previous article, Skinnyman is wearing ‘UCK Rizla’ tee. Which sadly, is also sold out. Once these tops are gone, THEY ARE OUTTAHERRRRRRRE!

And it’s not just the males within the UK Scene who like The Ugly Kids, no. Mz Bratt? (Ms? Miss? She’s the female version of P.Diddy with her name…) has also taken a keen interest in the brand. It seems this top has also been and gone sadly. We’ll get in contact with UKC and make sure we get the info asap about new releases!

(Photo’s courtesy of The Ugly Kids Club)

http://www.theuglykidsclub.com/shop/

-  Another quality post by Graeme Day