Jesse James Movies
A native of conservative Long Beach, CA, and the son of a used-furniture salesman father, Jesse James -- the great-great grandson of the notorious Western outlaw -- survived a beleaguered youth and time spent in juvenile detention to become one of the U.S.'s top celebrity motorcycle enthusiasts. He began his motorcycle career in secondary school, by designing a lucrative line of clothing patterned after classic period biker wear. By his early twenties, James moved into a highly successful business venture building custom motorcycles for celebrities including Keanu Reeves, Shaquille O'Neal, and Kid Rock. (A periodical reported in 2005 that the cycles were selling for between 60,000 and 120,000 dollars each.)James' greatest public recognition, however, undoubtedly came from the Discovery Channel reality series Monster Garage, in which he turned average automobiles into souped-up "monster machines" on-camera. He also was featured in several Discovery Channel specials under the banner Motorcycle Mania, in which he did the same for motorcycles. On a business level, James continued his active pursuits and eventually branched out into diverse areas, including a line of female apparel christened "Jesse's Girl" and an all-organic, solar-powered burger restaurant called Cisco Burgers. James made headlines in 2005 for wedding the popular Hollywood actress Sandra Bullock. He had previously been married to Karla James and adult film actress Janine Lindemulder. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 2005
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One wild year in the life of an outlaw motorcycle designer is captured on film by a camera crew in this documentary. Motorcycle Mania, Vol. 3: Jesse James Rides Again follows Jesse James as he designs and builds a special custom chopper fashioned from copper parts using vintage power equipment. James has a few distractions along the way -- most notably a stormy relationship with adult film star Janine Lindemulder that ends in a bitter divorce. Once his marriage is over and the bike is finished, James enjoys a well-earned vacation with his pal Kid Rock; however, their road trip to Mexico proves to be nearly as nerve-rattling as the troubles he was trying to escape. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jesse James, Kid Rock, (more)
Master mechanic Jesse James leads his posse into further awesome automotive adventures as Monster Garage zooms into its third season. Setting the tone of metamorphosis is the first episode of the year, in which a 1981 Cadillac Fleetwood is converted into a drag-racing vehicle, with the added challenge that the team is given a mere four days to finish the job. In later episodes, a 2001 Toyota Tundra serves as the foundation for a "Gorillamobile," a Dodge Magnum becomes "faster than a speeding bullet" when it is transformed into a train, a 1969 Rolls-Royce lowers its social status by becoming a portable toilet cleaner, and in a special season finale, the James Gang joins forces with the cast of another cable series, Monster House, to "monsterize" six ordinary household items! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jesse James, Thom Beers, (more)
Documentary filmmaker Dana Brown, who created a visually striking look at the world of surfing in 2003's Step Into Liquid, hits dry land running in this portrait of the world of off-road racing. The Baja 1000 is one of the world's premier desert racing events; taking place both on and off the roads in and around Baja California, the annual road rally pits drivers against punishing conditions as they attempt to cover the thousand-mile course in 36 hours or less. With a wide variety of different vehicles competing -- from modified trucks to stock Volkswagens -- Dust to Glory takes viewers into the middle of the race, with camera crews following in the action while several drivers race with cameras mounted to their cars for a "you are there" perspective. Dust to Glory also puts a special focus on driver Mike "Mouse" McCoy, who hopes to achieve a unique distinction as one of the first drivers to drive the entire one-thousand-mile course by himself (most vehicles employ a team of drivers for the long and demanding race). Dust to Glory director Dana Brown is the son of Bruce Brown, director of such legendary sports films as The Endless Summer and On Any Sunday. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Mechanical magician Jesse James and his team of merry workpeople continue to transform old vehicles into new and entirely different conveyances during season two of Monster Garage. In the season opener, a 1981 Kayot Pontoon is transformed into a shark observation boat (with cage), in honor of Shark Week elsewhere on the Discovery Channel. But Jesse and his gang are just getting warmed up! In the next episode, a 1998 vintage police squad car is rebuilt as a mobile donut shop (talk about "form follows function"). In future installments, a 1982 DeLorean morphs into a hovercraft, a 1954 Cadillac hearse is given a new lease on life as an automatic gravedigger, a 1986 Pontiac Firebird is combined with a 1991 Ferrari to create an "Evil Santa" parade float, a 1954 Chevy goes back in time as a Roman chariot (somewhat modernized, of course), and in the season finale, two of Jesse's mechanic teams race to reconstruct a Scion XB and Scion XA as a brace of gigantic "Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jesse James, Thom Beers, (more)
Although not an outlaw like his famous namesake, Jesse James carves out quite a reputation for himself as a builder of custom motorcycles during season one of Monster Garage. The season gets off to a rousing start, as Jesse and his talented band of mechanics transform a Ford Explorer into a garbage truck. A 1996 Lincoln Town Car stretch limo gets the treatment next, as Jesse and company convert the vehicle into a fully operational fire truck. Later metamorphoses this season include a VW beetle that becomes a swamp boat, a 1990 Mustang GT that is refashioned into a lawn mower, a 1995 Geo Tracker that turns out to make a great hot air balloon, a 1970 Ford Ranchero that enjoys a second life as a bucking mechanical bull, and, last but not least, a 1973 Corvette Sting Ray that is twisted and molded into a drag-racing "mud bogger." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jesse James, Thom Beers, (more)
- 2002
The show where "ordinary cars become extraordinary machines", the Discovery Channel's Monter Garage was hosted by antiques expert and motorcycle enthusiast Jesse James (a descendant of his outlaw namesake). Essentially the series was an extension of James' segments on another series, Motorcycle Mania, in which he constructed custom built bikes. Each episode featured a traditional vehicle transformed into a truly unique and often super-powered conveyence: on one program, for example, an old Mustang was converted into a lawn mower. With episode titles like "Swamp Buggy", "Switchblade" and "Grim Ripper", Monster Garage debuted in June 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jesse James
