This issue’s edition of that soon to be esoteric medium,
the VHS tape, (replaced by the DVD) brings a real cornucopia
of variety. Some are put out by big budgets, some just by a
filmer with the will to express, but all are interesting on
some level. Film, like music, is a killer medium that can be
tweaked in infinite ways by anybody with the tools and an idea.
If you feel the urge, get off yer ass and go film, and send
us your work. It will probably get press right here. All reviews
were done by me, except one. Enjoy! –Sonny Mayugba
Rewinder Series
Homeslice Films
If you are a video librarian, you will remember Homeslice for
such under-rated gems as Off The Top Rope, Roll Models and Grenade.
Those were excellent board warrior flicks with all the latest
tricks, but this has nothing to do with that. This is a collection
of four short stories captured on Super-8. Written, produced,
and edited by Homeslice founder
Pete Koff, this is a most unique and interesting talent showcase
of literary obscurity and cleverness. My favorite, Armed and
Dangerous, features a man who is abducted into a van. In the
struggle to get away, his hand is cut off below the elbow. This
possessed hand gets into all kinds of wild situations, never
needing a helping hand. If you are ready to view life inside
the mind of a video artist, get this. Check Homeslicevids.com
and be exposed to cool stuff.
Big Youth Happening Episode 1
Volcom Entertainment
I’ve seen big ads in the big mags for this title. Seeing
that it’s put out by the big V, I assumed it would be of
epic proportions. I mean, coming off of the involvement in the
Terje movies, I was ready for yet another masterpiece. Well,
leave it to Volcom to not give you what you expect. This was
a trippy and very short collection of action, thrashing hotel
rooms in Japan, and cool b/w imagery. As a piece, I liked it,
but this episode seems incomplete. Perhaps it is a teaser for
greatness to come. Check Volcom.com
for more.
There’s Something About Whistler
This one is in the under 13 minutes category as well, and is
worth a mention… barely! I have a soft spot for Whistler
because that mountain resort kicks so much ass. Directed and
narrated by Greg Stump, this is pretty much a video brochure
for the resort. I don’t know that you would ever want to
check it, but there are a couple lines and some footage that
will make you say, “Shit man, Whistler looks way better
than Snow Summit, I gotta go there.” I bet you could get
a copy of this free if you called them at 1-800-766-0449. Tell
them you are a cosmetic surgeon who has been skiing for 26 years.
You are looking for a secluded resort to bring your mistress
to so you can try snowboarding for the first time. And you have
lots of money.
Progression VM #2
BTM Productions
These guys started out as a VM covering snowboarding and skateboarding,
kinda like Heckler. They quickly moved into the skate-only realm
and seem firmly set there. Opening with a super long intro packed
full of pops, flips, grinds and you know what I’m sayin,’
you definitely get inspired to hit the streets immediately.
There are spotlights with Ryan Kenreich and Airto Jackson who
chills with a sick ol’ skater named Mike Wright. I reviewed
the first issue of this VM and said that they needed to head
in their own direction, away from that other VM everyone knows
the name of. They must have taken my words to heart because
there is some unique, creative work here. The Pat Smith piece
is very well rounded, showing Pat killing everything. They did
a nice job of mixing Dave Mayhew’s part with a rap video
Dave’s in with Sugar Bear. It was a creative trade of jibs:
music, skate, skate, music, chill in my G ride, skate. My favorite
part was the Kris Markovich expose. It is insightful and nicely
shot and edited, plus the skating kicks ass. 360 flip, nosegrind,
crooks, Kris can skate and he never, ever bails. Nah, he is
really good though. If you like that one famous VM, this is
right up your alley. Oh and I gotta mention Toad, b/s 3, in
the place to be. Check ProgressionVM.com
for data input into your skull.
Bedtime Stories
While You Were Sleeping
This vid trouble’s me a little because there are some really
rad elements and some really lame ones too. For those who don’t
know, WYWS is a very fine graffiti magazine with a great name.
Editor/Publisher Roger Gastman has been collecting video footage
over the last couple years of “the craziest, scariest,
most disgusting things that we could find.” If you’re
like me, you’re thinking Big Brother, the masters of genius
idiotic tomfoolery. Well, it’s not quite that good, but
it’s in the same vein. On the rad side, this vid touches
on an honest, hardcore look at the graffiti scene. Pleasantly
(and surprisingly) missing from the soundtrack is the standard
rap you’d expect. Instead, you get 80s rock that, in context,
really works. The 1999 Mullet of the Year Award made me laugh
and the crackhead fallatio made me gag. The bummer part of this
flick was the fucking with bums and the carbashing. Although
bums and cars can be seen as objects of suburban terrorism to
be sought and destroyed, it’s just not my scene and I’m
not down with it. Back to the good points, the SF sequence showed
some really nice pieces that stoked me on graffiti art. Unintentional
to WYWS, I’m sure, they illustrated an analogy: clean trains
to a graff artist are like fresh powder to a snowboarder. The
cream of this vid, and if there is to be a sequel, my vote for
a direction to go, was the piece on longtime graff artist Cool
“Disco” Dan. That was the most interesting and well-done
part and I learned a little history of that scene in DC. If
you’re into this, send $19.95 (includes shipping) to WYWS,
PO Box 34843, Bethesda, MD 20827.
411 #38
Was it Keenan Milton’s b/s flip over the rail, Ryan Johnson’s
super long 50-50 on the curved rail or Daewon’s noseblunt
slide to switch nosemanual 180 out that made me say, “Damn,
411 is the shit!” They’re style is high-tech, ultra-clean,
and well organized, all of which don’t stoke me that much.
However, they do it so well, you gotta be fired up on 411. There
is so much footage here, I’m not even going to go too deep.
Two of my fave’s are Joel Meinholz gapflip noseslide and
Rodney Jones redwood deck gapflip over water. The Kanadian Koston,
Mark Appleyard gets 4 jibs of his own, as well as some play
in the Birdhouse road trip. One of the sickest parts is A Day
In The Life with Tony Hawk. Man, that guy is cool. He’s
so together and so human, he is a true inspiration. He surf’s
with Matty Goodman, I didn’t know that. Alameda skatepark
gets a short plug. Foundation gets the Industry section and
it was very cool. Early footage of founder Tod Swank as well
as current jibs from their sick as team (Ethan, you are kick
ass). Rookie Ryan Johnson shows that his hunger is insatiable
because he skateboards everything. Sacto’s own Mike Rafter
is in the house at Make A Wish and the Santa Cruz road trip.
Being that this is the premiere issue of a millennium (are we
still using that word) there is a premiere section, and a cool
one to boot. It’s called Roomies. This one features Gino
Iannucci, Keenan Milton and Eric Pupecki and it gives you a
glimpse at the daily life of skateboarders who share space.
411, you have once again kicked me off my 10 foot gold couch
and inspired me to go learn how to… skateboard. Check 411VM.com
for links to the top guns.
A Documentary About the Skateboard Life of Mike Valley
Sponsored
On February 5th while most folks in Long Beach were settling
into various post trade show activities, a few hundred people
convened at the theater for a video premier. Unlike most skateboard
videos that are about who did what, where and when, this was
something totally different. What everyone saw that night was
the nearly completed version of Sponsored: A Documentary About
the Skateboard Life of Mike Valley. Mike’s voice narrated
from beginning to end, which created a personal connection between
Mike and the audience. The video starts out with Mike’s
pre-skateboarding childhood and quickly leads into his teenage
years as a skater growing up in New Jersey. Watching anyone’s
old footage is always entertaining and this is no exception.
Following that, a new chapter unfolds: Mike’s whirlwind
ride to sponsorship. He describes the early years with Powell-Peralta
and the reasons that he switched to help be a part of World
Industries. Throughout this section, various members of the
skateboarding community are interviewed regarding Mike, giving
another perspective. It continues with him and Ed Templeton
starting T.V., and Mike eventually going back to Powell. There
are the parts that you just have to see for yourself to fully
understand. It’s here that these are the experiences that
have shaped Mike into the profound person he is today. The video
ends with recent footage of Mike V. that will blow your mind
away. I think it’s safe to say that watching this will
have some sort of emotional impact on you. That night, people
literally left the theater in tears. -Andrew Hutchinson
