RICHTER SCALE // Ian Stewart
This is Ian’s latest release. No surprise here, Ian always releases good vids, with good footage and the best riders riding the most critical waves. The footage quality is good, the editing is quite simple yet effective, and the music could be more diverse. You’ll watch cool Shipsterns, Luna park and chopes footage as well as Indo and Oz footage. Good overall video.
RETROSPECT Vol.3 // Rush Prod.
This is the third DVD of the Retrospect Serie of DVDs, it’s pretty good, and both old spongers and beginners or younger guys will dig it cause you’ll see rare footage of the best spongers (former pros as well as the new generation of guys) back in the days. I specially appreciated the Shark Island Story DVD which comes with this third retrospect DVD set. You gotta the island footage from the early days, it’s really entertaining. The editing and music is basic but good and the quality of the images is good too considering that some of the footage is really old and wasnt filmed with the equipment that we have now…
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TENSION 9 // Chris White
Tension 9 ! It seems that there’s a new Tension video every month ! And each one is as good as the other if not better ! I think i liked Tension9 better than Tension8 but this is just my opinion.
What’s in Tension9 ? Massive waves, freaking ledges, fat lips, ridiculous tow in and tow out footage, yellow and blue churchill fins, stupid skits, funny shit, good riders, different countries, cool experiences and really nice Hardy, Rocky & Wingy sections, plus awesome footage of Hughes, Schell, Tobes, Lester etc.The level of riding is rising day after day and the means Chris White & the riders put together to film the Tension videos seem bigger and better every time a new video is out.The music is good and diverse, the quality of the footage is good, the editing is better than the previous video and i liked the font used for the titles and riders names. Super good all around video, with fresh stuff and untertaining in-between the scene shit. Gotta watch it !
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DENIS // Waldron Bros Prod.
The Waldron Bros’. third video. Like their first two DVDs, this DVD is really good. Some will say that the reviews on playbord are too ’soft’ and that i’m cool with all the vids i watch but here’s what i gotta say about this one : it’s the DVD i enjoyed the most since TENSION 7. It’s fuckin’ nice, it’s got good music, awesome footage, original ideas, the editing is good and the Waldron Bros. definitly have their own style. They added a few cool bonus here and there and managed to get this DVD a little more ‘interactive’ than usual. You’ll choose between two Winny’s section for example while watching the DVD, you’ve got 5 sec. to choose, if you don’t Winny will choose for ya ! Bonus sections are hidden, you’ll have to hunt them throughout the video.
All the riders and the sections are awesome. The Mexico sections are my favorites, Hardy, Rawlins and Benny P. own the zicatela breaks. The video will get you amped and i’m waiting for their 4th vid. like a kiddo waits for xmas day. (almost). Anyway, DENIS is cool.
You will L O V E this video.
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ROADHOUSE NF8 // No Friends Prod.
The latest release from No Friends Production ! Aaaah No Friends ! An institution now…
Filmed by Crawly, edited by Stoker. Great video but this time the video feels a little bit like it’s not really a No Friends video because you wont find the sections you were used to when watching a NF video. (no Roach section for example). The video is well edited, the choice for the soundtrack is really good, the riders rip, you’ll see a lot of new faces, new waves, cool angles to shoot and nice video quality.
To sum it up : all the standards that made No Friends videos what they are today are here but the video lacks of something. You dont really feel the same vibe that you find in the other No Friends video.
It’s really hard to compare videos though and even if this one feels different than the other NF productions, let me tell ya, it’s still out there in the top 5 boogie videos for 2005.
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A BLANK CANVAS // M.Smith & Redefynd.
Damn ! I dont know where to start with A BLANK CANVAS. Mickey Smith and his buddies did a great job. Well, i shouldnt say job : the video sounds more like an endless surf trip mixed with a taste of human adventure and it feels good, really good !The video is different, the waves and spots are different, the riders (Crashy, Harry Dixon and Brendo) are some of the best out there, the editing is different, the music is (or tries to be) different. I dont want to describe the video and tell you that they surfed “Motherland”, “Middleearth” and “Mars” during a 4-month crazy trip, because you’ll discover all this by yourself. Why will you discover all this by yourself ? Because you need to get your hands on this video !
Everything we love about bodyboarding is out there : the journey, the destination, the unknown road, the unknown spots, the true friendship, the barrels, the adrenaline, the new discoveries and the freedom. Also read the RIPTIDE issue featuring the whole trip Mickey and his buddies did, it’s worth it.
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NO FRIENDS 3 & 4 DVD Set // No Friends Prod.
It’s not new but it’s all good ! and it’s on a dvd this time !
Classic NF videos : “This is your life” and “Guilty by Association” back by popular demand…
Both videos are awesome and a must have for any NF fan. If you’re an “old” sponger you’ll be amped to watch those again and if you’re a newbie you might be curious and try these, you wont be disapointed. It feels good to watch the Roach, Skippy, Hubb, Ross, Ronk or Botha’s sections again.
The DVD has a couple bonus sections, they’re nice and cool to watch but short.
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RETROSPECT Vol.2 // Rush Prod.
RETROSPECT VOL. 2 is the second baby of the RUSH Retrospect trilogy. Read the review we did for RETROSPECT VOL. 1 if you havent seen what it’s all about. This time the DVD has 2 separate videos : one for prone and one for DK !
On the prone video you’ll discover or re-discover (depends if you’re a 40 year old dad or a 12 y.o kiddo) a bunch of all time pros and sessions from the last 10 years or so. Even if we’ve already seen most of the footage in the old ‘Underground Tapes’ or Rush videos, it feels good to watch a nice ‘best of’. The editing isnt really good but the images and the stoke are here.
The DropKnee video is a nice mix of influent riders, short interviews, and a little bit of DK history. I wish there were more Roach footage in it but his pipe footage is nice. All the crème de la crème of dropkneeing is in the video. Rush production have so many hours of footage that it was probably really hard to choose which images and sessions should be in the video.
Retrospect Vol.2 DVD isnt a perfect bodyboarding anthology and isnt really an arty video but it’s a cool best of what happened the last 10 years, and damn ! it’s got an all-dropknee video inside !
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TENSION 8 // Chris White
Tension 8 : “Crouching tension hidden camera”. The dvd is as nuts as its title : it’s awesome ! Once again Chris White came up with a great video. Probably not as good as Tension 7 because Tension 7 was very well edited and had a special ‘vacation’ mood which was really really nice. Tension 8 is action packed with great sessions, great riders and great locations.
The crew is pretty much the same : Virtue, Toby and Benny Player, Hardy, Rawlins, Whitey, Winny, Hughes, Jackson etc. You’re guaranteed to burst out laugh with the stupid ideas White and his mates have when they dont surf. The music is electro oriented this time with old school dance stuff and house shit. Like it or not, those crappy songs set a special mood in the video which you will enjoy (or get used to at least) very quickly. Only Tension videos have the right to use such crappy music in bbing dvds. Dont try to imitate this at home kids !
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MATCHBOOK ROMANCE – Voices
Style : Emo
Good new record, following another good record (in 2003) with melodic and creative Emo songs. I’m wondering if this record is not softer than the previous one, not sure though. MR are really developing their own style of Emo and all the songs are good on this record. Will definitely get ya amped before you go surf. Nice tunes for a video soundtrack i reckon.
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