afterbang

Absinthe's Optimistic: DVD Review

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

I'm a fan of Absinthe films, especially the last two, so I was really looking forward to this season's Optimistic. It didn't disspapoint - I think Optimistic's a good snowboard movie with some exceptional parts... but for me, overall, it didn't grab in quite the same way as Futureproof and More.

So which bits didn't work? Mostly, I think it's the case that having really liked Futureproof and then thinking that they took More farther still, Optimistic had a tough benchmark to beat. I do feel that as the film gets going, it kinda settles in. My favourite bits are mostly at the beginning, so it seems to mellow out as the movie goes on. Don't get me wrong, the riding and filming is strong throughout, it just bobbed around my personal that's so good meter, whereas More kept leaping above it.

What about the excellent parts?
Gigi's section really appealed to me. The music's funky and the riding is varied. There are some heli follow-cam shots of Gigi and Danny Davis hitting this backcountry kicker that might be some of my favourite ever. The action smoothly follows the rider showing how big the jump is and you get an idea of what the kicker might look like from the rider's perspective on the run in, yet the rider and the kicker appear small in the vastness of the whole scene; awesome. There's also this sequence of Gigi riding down a side street with steps and rails, how can he make that sequence look so good? It just oozes style.

As well as some pretty sick shredding (I really like the way he rides powder), MFM's part has a true laugh out loud section - a snow-spray assault on skiers. You might think it's a little harsh, you might think some of it's justified, either way you'll probably think it's hillarious. The film is worth watching just for this bit!

Trees. There's some excellent tree action in Optimistic. Trees and deep powder. The section shot in Canada towards the beginning of the movie shouldn't be missed. Visually it looks fantastic, the trees, deep snow, the sun. And then check out the riding, Marco Feichtner and Wolle, it's like the trees aren't there, except when they're jibbing off them!

Perhaps most impressive in the movie is Wolfgang. I reckon Wolle Nyvelt was on a mission last season. Seriously, he has so much footage in Optimistic, so much powder, so many good shots. It's like he owns the DVD. The guy is riding deep pow on a wooden stick with no bindings better than most people when they've got both feet hooked in, it's insane. His riding alongside Matt Beardmore is also top drawer. I can't always tell who is who, but it's all good. Wolle really kicks this film going, he's killing it!

Other parts that I liked
Annie Boulanger is representing female snowboarders and has some really nice backcountry riding, pushing it pretty hard. I found myself liking quite a lot of the urban scenes. Mikey LeBlanc provides a lot of charisma along with some gutsy street moves. Then there's Hans Ahlund putting down some really sweet jibs, making it all look varied. The section with Romain De Marchi and Danny Davis has a handful of hits from a backcountry kicker that deserve to be watched over - super smooth riding/filming and a sick tail grab in there.

If you're into extras you may find the DVD a little thin in this area... having said that, Flipside's The Making of More (part1) is included, and it's really good!

The Soundtrack
I really like the soundtrack to Optimistic, there's some nice tunes in there, the mix is good. I'm not going to try and classify it, I'll just say it's right up my street. The production of the movie's intro is especially noteworthy. Excellent song, it's pretty inspiring. Here's the track list in the order played, with uk iTunes hook-up:

"Rusted Wheel", album "Carnavas", by Silversun Pickups
"Wolf Like Me", album "Return to Cookie Mountain", by TV On The Radio
"Season of the Witch", by Donovan Leitch
"Calling For The Dissolution", album "Criminal Saints", by Scott Sullivan
"Don't Sweat the Technique", by Eric B and Rakim
"Frosty", Meka
"Cadillac Dust", by Elliot Brood
"John The Baptiste", album "File Under Forgotten", by The Ants
"C'mon C'mon", album "Pawn Shoppe Heart", by Von Bondies
"Ain't Cha", album "Hell Hath No Fury", by Clipse
"Jamna Plagor", by Dungen
"Spring and by Summer Fall", album "23", by Blonde Redhead
"The Man Who Came To Stay", album "Killamangiro", by Babyshambles
"I Love My Bitch", album "The Big Bang", by Busta Rhymes
"Presentazione Orchestra", album "Stasera Shake! Volume 2", by Rafaella Carra
"Fragments", Meka

Labels: absinthe films, dvds, review

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Hungerpain's Otium: DVD Review

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

I bagged a free copy of Hungerpain's Otium with the November issue of WhiteLines and this sucker won't be featuring on eBay! It's sitting nicely in my collection.

Bottom line: I really enjoyed watching it. There are some nice effects in there with the editting and the production of the DVD, and some good riding too.

In fact, it's the riding level that's most interesting to me when it comes to watching British snowboard films. For sure some of the tricks stand out as being below the level that's seen consistently in the International films. But likewise, some of the tricks stand out as being worthy of an International snowboard film. More than once I was like: "that was massive" or "his style's really sick". It's this range that makes our films seem feel current, fresh.

To me, the British riders have much more scope for progression, and that's not meant as a criticism. Each year the riding gets better, and seeing people develop is great. Some of the moves that Chris Chatt is putting down on rails are excellent. James Thorne has some sick riding (again); effortless-style. I thought Nelson Pratt was going really big off the kickers with nice, compact style to boot; tight airs.

My favourite section was from Roland Morley-Brown. I was impressed by his smooth operation, but more than that - the variety of his shots. Park hits, some back country hits, urban ledges, rails, deep powder landings. Good stuff.

But Tom West closes it out with maybe the best move in the film: a sick frontside 10 melon... huge, smooth, tight grab and stomped. Two angles on it and the sound is great. He's killing it in the park. Awesome finish to the DVD.

A lot of effort went into the production side of things and it shows. According the interview in WhiteLines, Pete Ellis spent two months working on the invisible boards part. Dedication. The soundtrack is pretty cool too with some original remixing and creative use of sound. I didn't love every song, but hey...

When you consider that the Hungerpain crew probably has nothing close to the budget of international film crews; and given that the season produced pretty poor snow conditions, I think they've created a really good film.

Here's the soundtrack for Otium:

Introduction: The Roots - Don't Say Nuthin' (Instrumental)
Opening Montage: Directed, Edited and Composed by Phil Barber and Pete Ellis
Plumley: Ratatat - Seventeen Years (Remixed by Pete Ellis)
Wear and Evans: DJ Yoda - Playin' Around (feat. Jungle Brothers)
Thorne, Purucker and Van Gassal: Contains samples of Incubus - Hidden Track after Calgone; Aphex Twin - Windowlicker (Remixed by Pete Ellis)
Jackson and Newton: Ellen Allien and Apparat - Do Not Break (Remixed by Pete Ellis)
Pratt: Skibadee - Tika Toc
Friends Montage: Ed Enayat and Rich Simpson - Back in Black Remix
Harington: Reachout - Stimulation of Chaos (Instrumental)
Campbell and Revill: Akala - Stand Up
Invisible Boards: Coldcut - More Beats and Pieces (Remixed by Pete Ellis)
Chatt and Morley-Brown: Aphex Twin - Actium (Remixed by Pete Ellis); Motley Crue - Kickstart My Heart
West: Nikkfurie De La Caution - The a la menthe
Credits: MCD; The Deckwrecka - Priceless

Labels: dvds, review

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Teaser Watch

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

There are three films that I'm already really excited about seeing this season. The first, which I've previously mentioned, is Absinthe's Optimistic.

The second is an all girls production by Runway Films - La La Land. I found out about La La Land on the megadasher site and was totally impressed by the riding in the teaser. It looks pretty sick! I've really enjoyed previous all-girl snowboard movies, especially DropStitch and As If. I reckon La La Land's gonna be good - here's the trailer.

The final film is the new movie shot at the DC Mountain Lab. I don't know whether there's an official trailer yet - as I read recently on (the awesome) Pierre Wikberg's blog (more on that later) that the music hasn't cleared yet - but there is something on YouTube showing a few variations. The first DC MTN.LAB was so good I've got to see this new one! Here's that YouTube video...

Labels: dvds, video

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Absinthe Films: Optimistic

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Simon sent me a link to the trailer for Absinthe's next snowboarding film: Optimistic. But it's not the first time that I've been pointed towards it, and seems as though it looks pretty damn good, I figured it's about time I mention it here...

You can check out the trailer and the blurb on Absinthe's site, which is currently undergoing some work; but, as you might expect you can also watch it on YouTube, so I'll happily embed it below.

The trailer does look great - I'll certainly be getting hold of a copy as soon as it's available. I've been really impressed with Absinthe's films over the last two seasons: Futureproof and More. I know that many people feel that Vivid and Pop were great/better - but not me. I became attracted to Absinthe's style more recently.

Here's the trailer...

Labels: absinthe films, dvds, video

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Absinthe's More: DVD Review

Thursday, October 26, 2006

"More" was the film that I was most looking forward to watching this season. Mainly because I really liked Futureproof, but also because the trailer looked so good. So how did it stack up against last year's production from Absinthe?

Opening
The opening sequence with Gigi Ruf, Nico Muller and Travis Rice riding huge pillows really sets the precedent for the rest of the film: lots of powder, great shots and great riding. There isn't a park kicker in sight. If you like the powder scenes in Futureproof you're sure to like this opening. I do think it would have been cool to see some of those lines in normal speed, but you can't complain, the riding here is great.

Stand Out Sections
All of the riding in the film is good - but these are the parts that stood out to me:

Erik Christensen's section is full of great shots and for me it probably represents the best editting in the film. Add in some sick, varied riding and a cool beat and it's just so good to watch. One of the better sections I think. You've got to check out the extra in this part with Philip Damianakes, just after Eric 50-50s the gnarly kink both regular and switch...

Wolle Nyvelt has some excellent back country action: impressive powder terrain, pillows and big, natural jibbs. Sweet style in there and it really is hit after hit after hit - impressive. I'm just not sure about that black and white getup...

Mark Frank Montoya. Nice powder riding. His nollie cliff drop is beautiful and there are 3 box hits that I can easily put on rewind and watch again and again. If you like smooth lines and slashes in deep powder you're gonna love Kurt Wastell's part. I think they filmed this really well - some of the moving camera shots give you a perfect, smooth view of the sweet, floaty style on display.

Chris Coulter and JP Solberg have some awesome shots and locations, including some lovely back country follow-cam clips. Matt Beardmore is riding to the same tune in this part: his FS 5 off a back country hip is mint, and I also really like the tweaked, off-axis 7 to close this part.

Justin Bennee and his friends bring a real urban, jib-heavy feel to the film, with loads of street and concrete jibbs, varied and gnarly. There's two great displays of style from Justin hitting a park rail. Mikey LeBlanc continues the urban vibe with a lot of skate-like, aggressive hits in his section.

Any Bad Bits?
Of course it's not possible for each section to stand out as far as the next: different riding styles, shots and locations are going to appeal to different people. The super-urban jibbs aren't totally for me - but I do appreciate them. That said, there's no riding in the film that I don't like. However I do think the the song for Mikey LeBlanc's section represents a low point on the soundtrack.

Favourite Sections
Although the best riding may be elsewhere, there are two sections that really stand out to me.

Gigi Ruf. He brings a funky tune, awesome powder and such an easy, smooth, fun style to this movie. The reason I like his riding so much is that despite how big his tricks really are, it still manages to come across as just 'playing' around in the powder, filming with your friends, which we all love to do. Sick riding, sick angles and the way Gigi closes the film is pretty clever. That front flip looks wicked!

Jules Reymond's part, to me, brings so much to More. To begin with it's introduced really well with them all skating through the street. His frontside 180 from the piste over the barrier tape and shed is the type of shredding that I love to see in movies - a glimps of pro riders doing something a little more normal and making it look so good - great style.

There's some popup text that reads "Jules 1st AK Line" - things like that really help you relate with the rider. I swear it looks to me like he went to Alaska for the first time, was so happy to be there and decided to start jumping off everything. The editting flicks to show some of the other riders hitting the same lines and it really works. It just looks like they're having so much fun - which is what it's all about. I liked Jules' riding in Futureproof and I like it more here. It's all aided by what I think is the best tune in the movie - great section.

Best Riding?
I'm not sure how, but it took a second, maybe third viewing before I realised how good Nicolas Muller's section is - that's got to be an indication of how good all of the riding in this film is. I can't really say anymore than Muller's riding is insanely good, freestyle anywhere and everywhere, he never dissapoints. It's better to just watch it yourself.

So for me, it's between Muller and Travis Rice. Muller's ability and desire to use all the terrain around him puts him so close to the ideal of all-mountain freestlye. But Travis has similar qualities, and honestly, his part in More is full of hugely impressive riding. It seems like there's no end to it. There's a boned shifty that has so much style, followed by a sick double backflip. Check out the double corked frontside 10 - which has a funny-as-shit hidden extra to back it up. Travis goes huge, with sweet moves on big mountain steeps. His level of riding in More is pretty amazing!

Soundtrack and Filming
The soundtrack to More is pretty good. I'm not clinging to it the whole way through, but there are some good sounds there and I like the way Absinthe match the music to the video.

The filming is again, top notch. Absinthe really push the production side of things and the results are good. Not every shot from a hanging wire stands out, but the majority do and there are some truly great clips that enhance the whole experience.

Extras
There's a lot and they're pretty much all good, but for me the best two are:

The Making of Futureproof. An excellent addition. Lots of documentary style footage from the making of Futureproof. It's a must-watch. Romain De Marchi trying to blag a free flight for his girlfriend - excellent!
The Scott Sullivan music compilation. That's right, you get a free music CD, and it's really good. I first heard Scott Sullivan's music on Robot Food's Afterbang, so I was well pleased when my favourite tune, Seatown, appeared on this CD. Sweet.

Conclusion
Great riding on varied terrain. You've got big mountain stuff, back country kickers, natural back country, pillows, trees, rails and urban jibbs. Lots of powder.

The film is excellently put together, a good soundtrack, maybe with one or two exceptions, and progressive filming. There's also lots of it. Lots of riders, a long film, good extras, even a free music CD. It's what I'm coming to expect from Absinthe - a top class snowboard movie.

More Soundtrack
If you're after some of the music from More, here's a list of the tracks, with links to iTunes:

"Gangsters" - by The Specials
"Code of the Streets" - by Gang Starr
"Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)" - by Arcade Fire
"Mutual Slump" - by DJ Shadow
"Don't Need It" - by Bad Brains
"Random" - by Lady Sovereign
"Sugar Pill" - by Ambulance Ltd
"Hard Times" - by Baby Huey
"Retreat" - by The Rakes
"Dirty & Stinkin" - by Ol' Dirty Bastard feat. Method Man
"Aerodynamic" - by Daft Punk
"Remote Control" - by The Spits
"Map of the Problematique" - by Muse
"The Killing Moon" - by Echo and the Bunnymen

More Teaser
Here's Absinthe's teaser for More.

Labels: dvds, review

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Afterlame: DVD Review

Thursday, July 20, 2006

Time and time again I go back to watching Afterlame. Without doubt it is my favourite snowboarding DVD. Some others come close, and it might be worth me listing them so you can get an indication for the type of films that I like, such as: Lame, DC MTN.LAB, White Balance, DropStitch and Afterbang, but Afterlame remains at the top. It feels very "film-like". It's the DVD that most makes we want to ride. The first time I watched it I was like "wow, that was different. I wanna watch it again".

The Intro
Afterlame has a great intro. It's quite long which seems to work as it does a good job of setting the pace and style for what's to come. Oh, and the opening track is excellent - "Yours to Keep" by Teddybears. There's a cool part in the extras that takes a look at how they put it together - it's worth watching. David Benedek kicks things off by answering the question "Is it fun?" For me, that's why the film is so successful - it perfectly communicates how much fun snowboarding is.

Favourite Section(s)
It would be weak to say that I like the whole thing :-) I think my favourite section/chapter is "VIII: Hampus and Jacob cruising around". It simply shows them jibbing around the park having fun. Jacob comments that you don't really get to show that type of riding in a conventional video part... and I think he's right. That's one of the reasons that this part is so refreshing. However, for me it's not just that this is a little different; I love this aspect of snowboarding, so seeing some of the world's best jibbing around is so good.

For a similar reason I really like chapter VII.II - which includes Parker and Giom riding some amazing powder. But it's not the usual big mountain riding or back country kicker shots. It's a glimps at them just riding. Effortless style. I like it because it gives you an idea of what it might be like to go riding with these guys... how they ride when they don't have to worry about filming and stuff.

There's a sequence right at the end of "VI: the other group goes to AK" that I really love. It's David Benedek riding the AK powder and he attempts a 360 cliff drop and doesn't make it. For me the sequence is great for two reasons: (1) it has a very natural feel to it. It's not a kicker with a straight run in, he's kind of negotiating his way towards the cliff. (2) After failing the 360 he goes back to try again and nails a 540.

Extras
If you like a DVD to have extras then you'll really enjoy Afterlame - there are loads of them! It's not just the quantity though, there's a good mix too: more riding, skating, "how we made this part", goofing around... Here's an idea of the ones that stood out to me.

"Trancers". The beginning is funny - some guy dancing on the 'sidewalk'. With a cool tune playing, "Trapped But Still Got Two Ways Out" by KMAX, the extra then moves on to some pretty sick riding. There are some really good camera angles making for some interesting shots.
"Stair Masters". Scotty and Charlie getting shots on urban rails. Funky track - "On The Recline" by A.Kruse.
"Git Yer Poles". Hampus and Jacob playing around in the park on skis...
"4 Wheel Thunder". It's a long section full of skating - some good skating. Watching snowboarders skate is good!
"Alaskan Thunder". Check out Benedek and Parker wrestling in the back yard :-)
"It's So Gnarly Up Here!" Some of the crew sessioning a kicker and playing around in powder...

Any Bad Bits?
Not really. Section "V - Bobby and his crew go to AK, kinda" tells of their failed trip to AK and then leads into the success that the other crew had. There's no riding in this section - hence the failure. This isn't a bad thing, in fact I think it adds to the film. However, when it comes to re-watching I pretty much skip this part and get on with the riding.

Afterlame Soundtrack
The music from Afterlame consistently adds to the film, it's an excellent soundtrack. Don't wanna go through the credits pressing pause? Here are the track listings: