Thursday, September 07, 2006

Futureproof: DVD Review

Snowboard films, they're all the same, right? Well I don't think so, and going into a new season with a bunch of new DVDs on the way (some are ready now) - I wanted to review this film first... what sets Futureproof apart?

You see the thing is, when I first bought Futureproof, I watched it once or twice and thought "nice, but it's not that different". I kinda preferred DC MTN.LAB, which I bought at the same time, so Futureproof didn't get much viewing.

But I was wrong; not just wrong, way off the mark. About a month ago I read something on the Internet that prompted me to watch it again. Since then I've probably played it all the way through ten times, maybe more. Futureproof isn't just different - it's one of the best boarding films I've seen.

Soundtrack & Video
The first thing that hit me was the soundtrack. Sure, there are some great tracks on the DVD - and it's a good mix of sounds too. But it's not one or two individual songs that impesses me, it's the composition. The soundtrack fits. It flows. It's addictive. As the film changes from back country riding to urban jibbing and then back again the music changes with it, reflecting the style and feel of the riding. The soundtrack works really well with the video - it makes you want to watch it again and again.

The soundtrack is backed up by the quality of the filming. The Absinthe crew uses a good range of different angles and shots, meaning you get a good view of the tricks, you really appreciate them. The film just looks great. Check out the jibbing in Jules Reymond's section and Chris Coulter's jump over the halfpipe. I really like some of the shots used in JP Solberg's and Romain De Marchi's section - filmed right at the top of the arc. And by the way, Romain De Marchi is holding some really sick grabs, totally compact, stomping a lot of the landings...

Favourite Section
Which leads me on to say, let's not forget the riding itself, which is excellent. Gigi Ruf's opening section has some nice back country riding matched up with Nina Simone's "Sinnerman", which is a great tune. There's some insance powder shots during the DCP/Muller section, which is again, filmed really well. I really like Jules Reymond's section. Jussi Tarvainen's section, despite being short is great also: nice jibbing, sick beat and he's riding an Agent :-)

However, if I have to pick a favourite section it will be Nicolas Muller's. He takes so many moves to the back country. It feels like you see more of his overall riding. There are some really nice drops in there and towards the end of his section he is pulling some sweet grabs. The very end bit on the snowy-rock-face is impressive, and pretty damn cool.

Extras
There's some nice little touches with in-DVD extras. The hidden section with the "tree-rail" really makes you appreciate what it takes to get some of the sequences - and it's fuuny too. There's one in JP's and Romain's section that I also like - I don't know why, but I love watching clips of riders hitting a kicker for the first time as they try to judge the speed...

So, going into the new season of snowboarding DVDs this is the film that I will be holding the new ones up against. I'm not sure that Futureproof ranks as my favourite DVD, I still really like the format of Afterlame, but I am totally impressed. I'm looking forward now to seeing Absinthe's new film, More.

Futureproof Soundtrack
Looking for the songs from Futureproof? Here's a list of all the tracks:

  • "Here Comes Everybody" - by Autolux (opening sequence)
  • "Sinnerman" - by Nina Simone (Gigi's section)
  • "In Particular" - by Blonde Redhead (Gigi & Kurt Wastell)
  • "Pledge of Allegiance" - by Louis XIV (Romain De Marchi's section)
  • "Do It Now" - by Mos Def feat. Busta Rhymes (JP Solberg & Romain)
  • "Divine Invasion 2" - by Trans Am (DCP & Muller)
  • "Herald! Frankenstein" - by Cursive (Niseko)
  • "Class System" - by Handsome Boy Modeling School feat. Pharrell Williams & Julee Cruise (Muller, DCP & Pischke)
  • "Man In The Hole" - by Flit? (Yannick Amevet's section)
  • "Break" - by Fugazi (Chris Coulter's section)
  • "Rock & Roll (Could Never Hip Hop Like This) Part 2 Instrumental" - by Handsome Boy Modeling School (Jules Reymond, Nicolas Droz, Jussi Tarvainen, Christophe Schmidt & Trevor Andrew)
  • "Sinnerman" - by Nina Simone (Jonaven Moore's section)
  • "Hustle Rose" - by Metric (Matt Beardmore's section)
  • "Celebrity Sanctum" - by Dog's Die In Hot Cars (Wolle Nyvelt's section)
  • "Dare" - by Gorillaz (Nicolas Muller's section)
  • "Big Wheelie In The Sky" - by AMS-#1 (end credits)

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