Hello Everyone,
I got frustrated with the official Stepchild Snowboards This Video Sucks HD download process so I created a torrent. Start seeding so everyone can get it without waiting weeks. The 100 limit per day download is dumb.
http://www.mininova.org/tor/3184925
Enjoy,
The Speedy Descend
Stepchild & 32 just put out the new teaser for their 2009/2010 snowboarding video called, This Video SUCKS!!!. But don’t worry this video won’t suck. Featuring JP Walker, Stian Solberg, Markku Koski, Simon Chamberlain and Joe Sexton this video is bound to be action packed and showcase some of the best snowboarding….Stepchild now has the best team in the biz. Enjoy
To follow up last years snowboarding flick Absinthe Films released the 2009 film, Ready. Ready features the usually Absinthe riders like Nico Muller, JP Solberg, Romain DeMarchi, Gigi Ruf, and Wolle Nyvelt to name a few. One rider you see that is not on the list is Travis Rice. Travis created his own film for 2009 called That’s It That’s All.
Much of the film takes place in Europe, British Columbia Canada (Whistler and BC interior mountains) and of course what made Absinthe famous, in
I was really excited to see this movie because last year two of my favourite riders were not featured in last years Absinthe flick, JP Solberg and Romain DeMarchi, due to injuries.
So without further adieu here is my review on Ready.
1) Soundtrack
Well I have to start of by saying that Absinthe Film was always experimental with their soundtrack, but they always seem to put it together well. This years soundtrack, in my opinion was not very good at all. It lacked any type of energy and climatic moments. It was really mellow from start to finish, almost putting me to sleep. Even the closing scene with Nico and Gigi was so mellow…I mean come on finish strong. I thing that really pissed me off about the soundtrack was JP Solberg’s and Romain DeMarchi’s part, the music did not compliment the riding and I was so looking forward to getting amped by their parts.
Absinthe, for next please step in the soundtrack department to inject more energy….the soundtrack sucked for this years flick Ready.
2) Cinematography
The cinematography in Ready was high quality as per the usually Absinthe flicks….not most cutting edge but good. Colours came out well and camera positioning for each scene was on point. Alot of the
3) Scenes / Rider Segment
Putting the shitty soundtrack aside, the riding in this flick is awesome. I mean how could it not be with heavy hitters like Nico, JP, Gigi, Romain, Wolle and Jeremy Jones. My favourite scene had to have been JP Solberg’s segment. He had been injured for awhile now and partaking in filming for a bit but this years put was off the hook….he definitely killed it….right on JP. The guy is so smooth when launching off backcountry booters…he spins are so tight. I also really like watching the closing scene, baring the music, from Nico and Gigi as they put on a good show together. It gave me the sense of riding with my buddy just having fun.
4) Extras / Bonus Scenes
The bonus scenes didn’t have must but there did put in the Flipside to Optimistic, which is the making of last years movie. The Flipside to Optimistic is pretty cool to watch because it gives us an insight to a day in the life of a professional snowboarder….it not all gilts and glam.
5) Overall
To sum it up I really didn’t enjoy the soundtrack as I thought it was lacking energy and to bland. To me a soundtrack is what makes the flick that much better, not get me wrong the riding was awesome but because of the shitty music I think this years Absinthe movie is just average.
I give it a 6.5 to 7 out of 10 and would consider it just a one time rental type of movie. Meaning if you see it once it’s good enough, as I don’t think it’s worth the buy. It’s too bad because I really love Absinthe films but this one lacks the energy they once had.
The second film for 2009 from Mack Dawg Productions is Down With People. This follow-up film to With People stars Louis Fountain, Josh Mills, Pat McCarthy, Shaun McKay, Jordan Mendenhall, Stephen Duke, Jon Kooley, Austin Smith, Bryan Fox, Simon Chamberlain, Zac Marben, Filippo Fratter, Ryan Thompson and Joe Sexton. Some of the locals that the flick is shot in are
The Down With People crew is a bit younger than the Double Decade crew, so it’s kind of like Down With People is the minor league version of Double Decade. But don’t get twisted the riders in Down With People are some of the best in the world at rail and park riding in particular. The film shows the riders strengths off well because it’s pretty rail and park heavy with little snippets from the backcountry.
1) Soundtrack
I really enjoyed the soundtrack to Down With People because it complimented the rider’s scene well and provide some variety from segment to segment. Some of the artists that were featured in the film where Judas Priest, Boy Dylan, Run DMC and Jimi Hendrix to name a few. The music kept my attention throughout the film and added to the enjoyment of watching Down With People. My Favourite segment with respect to music had to have been Zac Marben’s with Jimi Hendrix’s Crosstown Traffic, the beginning to that scene was awesome and it just flowed right.
2) Cinematography
Cinematography in Down with People is similar to other Mack Dawg films as in it is pretty high quality. I mean nothing like the gold standard, which is now That’s It That’s All, but well done. There are some unique camera angles during the street riding segments and the editing is done really well as Mack Dawg does. For some reason the way Down With People was filmed reminded me of Mack Dawg’s film from a couple of year ago called Shakedown….not really sure why?
3) Rider Segment / Scene
As I mention I really enjoyed watching this film as all the riders parts were solid. I was hard to choose a rider that really out did the other but guys like Bryan Fox, Jon Kooley, Joe Sexon and Simon Chamberlain had amazing parts. But if I had to choose I would say the intro from Austin Smith and last scene from Zac Marben were the best. I really liked Zac’s intro to the scene with that cool segment of him riding through a residential neighborhood with Hendrix pumping in the background.
Since the film is rail and street heavy each rider is really pushing to put out the most tech jib tricks and that is so evident in riders like Marben, Kooley, Sexon and Chamberlain’s part. If you’re a park / street rider, watch those guys because their riding and tricks are off the hook.
Also another really cool and funny part is the end of the film just before the credits were guys like JP Walker, Jeremy Jones and Todd Richards are dissing the crew from Down People. I guess Mack Dawg just wanted to create a little rivalry because the two Mack Dawg crew. Check it out because their disses are pretty funny.
4) Extras / Bonus
The Bonus scenes in this film are so amazing. It’s like having two movies in one because the bonus is each riders extra scenes that didn’t make final cut put together….that makes it like a second movie. If you’re thinking that the scenes in the bonus section won’t be that good because it’s the out takes from the main film, you’re wrong because the bonus material is just as good as the movie itself. Actually I enjoyed some of the bonus segments more than the final movies ones. Riders like Austin Smith, Jon Kooley, Zac Marben and Simon Chamberlain’s had awesome bonus features.
5) Overall
Overall I really enjoyed Down With People as the film had a ton of bangers, amazing riders and good music, all the right elements that make a good snowboarding flick. If you’re into park and street riding I would suggest picking this one up because of the high level of riding and with the added scenes in the bonus scene it makes $35 seem well spent….a cool, fun flick with some of my favourite riders.
The wait is over for the much anticipated follow up to Travis Rice’s Community Project and the 2009 film is called That’s It That’s All (TITA). TITA was a two year project by snowboarder Travis Rice and film maker Curt Morgan that features a sleuth of amazing riders like Mark Landvik, Nicolas Muller, Terje Haakonsen, Jeremy Jones (big mountain rider), Scotty Lago, John Jackson and of course the creator Travis Rice.
The film is all about exploration, big mountain riding and snowboarding progression. This flick features scenes from New Zealand, Whistler, the BC interior, Part City, and Jackson Hole to name a few.
So cutting to the chase, here is my review of That’s It That’s All. And trust me this is going be a good one!!!
1) Soundtrack
The soundtrack for That’s It That’s All is fitting to the riding style of Travis Rice, hard hitting and powerful. Most of the tracks in each scene are straight up alternative and heavy rock/metal. This snowboarding movie shies away from the normal by packing a powerful dramatic punch to each scene. Snowboarding movies in the last couple of years have got the mellow route in my opinion, which is cool too. From the opening scene the music sets the tone of the whole film, there is no dull moment music wise. It’s just high energy and intensity all the way through. Even if you don’t like hard rock this soundtrack will amp you up to go out to your local mountain and ride as hard as Travis Rice does.
2) Cinematography
Oh my God, the cinematography in That’s It That’s All was out of this world. The director Curt Morgan used a film technology call cineplex filming that made so high high quality. Morgan mentions in one of the scenes that the cineplex technology really puts the audience in the moment of what the riders are experiencing. I also have to mention that the colours in the flick just popped. I have never seen a snowboarding movie that was filled with so much colour from the scenery…it was just visually vivid. TITA is now the new standard in snowboarding filming production, if not the standard for all action sports. Filmmakers take note because this is the best flick visually I have ever seen. I just wish I had a HDTV to see this movie the way it was intended.
Best looking snowboarding movie ever produced, it was worth the wait.
3) Rider Segments / Scenes
This movie is so so fucken good that it’s hard to pick the best scene but I really like the opener because it sets the tone for the whole flick and it display the cinematography really well. All through the movie Travis Rice is banging out trick after trick. T.Rice is killing it in order to make the best movie possible and progress snowboarding to the next level. I mean there were so many tricks that Travis did that I’ve never seen before, this guy is what snowboarding is about. Also another rider who kill it was Jeremy Jones with his big mountain lines in Alaska. I really enjoyed watching Jones helmet cam ride because you really go the sense of what it’s like to snowboard in the Alaskan backcountry.
You really have to give it up for the riders in this film because they displayed to the world what the new standard is for riding in a snowboarding film.
4) Extras / Bonus Features
Unlike other movies for this year That’s It That’s All packs a lot of bonus clips from the making of TITA to a photography slideshow to all the teasers. Also included is an intro to the snowboarding competition, Natural Selection, which was invented by Travis Rice. But my favourite bonus feature was called “Travis Does Tahiti”. It was Travis Rice and Quiksilver snowboarding team mate Todd Richards going to Tahiti on a surf trip with the amazing surf and also Quiksilver sponsor surfer, Dane Reynolds. I almost jumped out of my chair when I saw this because the filming was so good and getting to Dane surf he is definitely one of my favorite surfers. Rice and Richards are pretty good surfers too, it was really cool to see one of the most famous waves in the world be shredded by snowboarders.
5) Overall
As you can already guess, That’s It That’s All is definitely my favourite snowboarding movies of 2009 and maybe of all time. It just on another level compared to everything else out there these days. From the riding to the quality of film this has to be movie of the year and is really worth the money. Even if this movies was $100 I would still buy it, it was that good.
Overall I give this movie a 10 out of 10. But really it should be more like a 100 out of 10. Awesome movie Travis and after watching That’s It That’s All I’m so amped to hit the mountains.
For 2009 Mack Dawg Productions is celebrating their 20th year in the business with the release of Double Decade. The title is fitting because back in 1999 they released Decade. Double Decade features your favorite riders that MDP has been filming for the last couple of years like Jeremy Jones, Andreas Wiig, Seth Huot, DCP, Eero Ettala, Jussi Oksanen and more. Also riding are returning stars that use to film with MDP like my favouite rider JP “The Don” Walker and Devun “Whistler backcountry master” Walsh. Double Decade was film in places like Whistler, Mt. Baker, the Tahoe area, Finland and I think I even saw a couple scenes within Montreal hitting up handrails/jibs.
The concept of the flick is to give the audience a history lesson on the progression of snowboarding and filmmaking, along with a great movie that MDP is know for. You will also notice a lot of homage to past flicks by the places that were filmed in this movie, especially the jibbing scenes.
So without further adieu here is my review on Double Decade.
1) Soundtrack
One major thing you will thing you will notice when you watch Double Decade is that there is only one hip-hop track, weird…and it’s not even in JP’s part. Regardless of the lack hip-hop that music throughout the film works with music from the Doobie Brothers, Pet Shop Boys, NOFX, The Cardigans and the Ramoans. The soundtrack kind of gels together in a more laid back way rather that hard hitting like in past movies. I don’t mind this collection of music for the film but I don’t think it’s MDP best. I think they could have put in a bit more climatic hard hitting tracks to give the movie more pop…come on MDP this is your 20th year anniversary.
2) Cinematography
Cinematography in this film was good…very much the same as Picture This. Shots were clean, crisp and the colours came through well…high quality filming techniques. Also editing was done well as no scenes were cut off at the beginning or end…they showed all riders tricks from start to finish including a good amount of run out. The tricks within each scene were seamlessly put together and flowed really well.
3) Rider Segment / Scene
Each rider in the movie did a good job so it’s hard to choose to a scene that stands out….one doesn’t standout more than the other. But if I had to pick I would say the history lesson 201 and JP Walker’s part…these two scenes are well placed and fit together back to back. It’s great to see JP back filming and his final scene jump was off the hook. I still can’t believe JP’s song is not a hip-hop one, but the Pet Shop Boys song does fit to my surprise. Devun’s part was really good too...it flowed amazingly.
As I said all the riders were awesome and the level of snowboarding high with tech tricks accompanied by amazing locations and conditions.
4) Extras / Bonus Features
There are not a lot of true bonus scenes in Double Decade. But the one they have are pretty cool it keep inline with the concept of the film by ask riders of the past and present who is the best Jumper, Jibber, Pipe Rider and what is the MDP film of the last 20 years. At first I thought, oh man what a waste, but as I watched them I really enjoyed hearing who the riders of the past picked for the best of.
5) Overall
Overall I enjoyed watch Double Decade, I think it was a well made film with solid riding from a star studded cast. I really liked the JP Walker was back filming and it was good to see him reunite with Jermey Jones and Devun Walsh. A couple of amazing riders from the old Forum team…brought back memories of my favorite MDP movie, True Life. Also the flick did get me amped to go out ride and it does that then it’s a pretty good movie. The only downside to Double Decade was the soundtrack. As mentioned before it should have been a bit more climatic for their anniversary movie. So sum this review I up I give Double Decade an 8 to 8.5 out of 10 and think it’s money well spent.
Well I had to put off Movie Review Monday for this week because I have yet to receive my order from ActionSportsVideos.com (ASV). So I have decided to review ActionSportsVideo.com. I’m pretty steamed with regards to not receiving my ordered 2009 snowboard movies on time, so this review won’t be pretty.
1) Navigation / User Friendly Site
ASV is a pretty easy site to navigate through. All their videos are categorized by sport such as Surfing, Snowboarding, Skiing, etc. Once in the category of your choice the movies are generally sorted by release year so the newest videos are on the first page. They also offer a short synopsis of the movies, to let you know who’s in it and any other notable information. If you find the movies you want to buy it’s pretty easy to add them to your check out cart and complete the transaction.
So for user friendliness of their site I think it’s pretty simple and basic, which is want a buyer wants.
2) Pricing
ASV pricing of all their videos is decent. On a lot of the bigger flicks they offer a couple of bucks off but it's not that much different than their competitors. Also the shipping costs, unless you live in the US, are average. It works out to about $4 US per purchased video for Canadians, unless you buy over $250 worth of movies then it’s free.
3) Variety
The variety of videos is good at ASV. They carry all major titles from a broad spectrum of action sports from Snowboarding, Surfing and Skiing to Mountain Biking and Wakeboarding.
4) Customer Service
Ok now it seem like ASV is a good place to order movies from….well this is where it get bad because to me customer service is crucial.
I placed my order online with Action Sports Videos on Sept 5th and purchased 5 snowboard videos (Double Decade, Ready, Down with People, No Correct Way and That’s It That’s All). As to this day I have yet to receive them. Now I have e-mailed ASV over 10 times requesting they give me information as to when my order will be arriving but I have only gotten one response saying that there was a delay in distribution of the video to there warehouse. Also you are told on the website not to call their customer service phone numbers with questions about order status because they say to e-mail them in. So I did that and really got no solid answer from them that way. So I called their phone number to ask about my order status and I got attitude from the customer service rep saying that I should not be calling in to ask about order status….what bull shit.
So it’s been over a month from the date I ordered the videos and I haven’t received them yet, when there site clearly states that shipping to Canada takes 3 to 10 business days…..well it’s been 20+ days. Where are my videos??? Wait, contact customer service by e-mail so that they can ignore you….nice.
So since customer service is highly important to me when I’m purchasing a product I give ASV a failing grade. I would never purchase any thing from them again due to this lack of communication with their customers….nice way to run a business, fuck ups!!!
YOU FAIL....ACTION SPORTS VIDEOS
Here is the first out of many reviews I'll be posting on this years snowboarding video releases...enjoy.
I know it's last minute but I just wanted to pass on a great chance to check out Rome's new 2009 snowboarding flick, No Correct Way, live premiere online tonight. The Live webcast of the premiere starts at 9:30pm PST so go to the following link and check it out....it should be a good one.
No Correct Way Live Online
Just wanted to pass along some exciting news about an upcoming snowboarding movie premiere. Absinthe Films is premiering their new film, "Ready" in Vancouver on Wednesday Sept 3, 2008 at 8pm. Not only are they premiering the film by there will be an autograph session with Matt Beardmore, Romain De Marchi and Wolle Nyvelt. Here are the details:
Ready?
Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008
THE RIDGE THEATRE
3131 Arbutus Street, Vancouver, BC
Doors @ 7:30, Movie Starts @ 8:00
PRIZES+VIDEOGAMES+AUTOGRAPHS
RIDER APPEARANCES BY
Matt Beardmore, Romain De Marchi, Wolle Nyvelt
http://www.sphereofinfluencetour.com/
http://www.absinthe-films.com/
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT ($7.00):
WESTBEACH THE SHOP http://www.westbeachtheshop.com
THE BOARDROOM http://www.theboardroom.com
PACIFIC BOARDER http://www.pacificboarder.com/
COASTAL RIDERS http://www.coastalriders.com/
FLUID http://www.fluidsports.com/
$2 from each ticket sale goes towards Protect Our Winters and Zero Ceiling!
http://www.protectourwinters.org/
http://www.zeroceiling.org/
Afterparty to be Announced!!
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