Skateboarding Reviews - Videos & DVDs

If I had to rollout a new skateboarding video magazine every month, I'd probably spend more time thinking about shooting myself rather than shooting compelling sk8 footy. Things used to be very rushed for 411, but they've now gone to a new format that I'm slowly warming up to. Instead of a myriad of clips and such, they hire a graphic artist to do animations to tie the whole issue together with fewer shorts. This month's guest artist Todd Francis, of Element, comes up with some cool stuff to make things suck less - which is a good thing!

Corey Duffel is a mad-man. You have to wonder how much longer he can skateboard at this pace. For now, he kills on his part and makes skating look like the energetic frenetic sport it is. in contrast Marius Syvanen and Tyler Bledsoe round up the younger generation and the energy they bring to skating. The Billabong Road Trip segment seemed insanely short - maybe I bumped the remote and shot through it.

When it comes to collecting things, many of us seem more inclined to gravitate towards things that have some sort of representational order. 411 Video Magazine for instance used to come as numbered issues and now arrives in volumes with issue numbers, making it easy to figure out which ones are missing from your collection.

Other collectables - like cereal boxes - are harder to keep track of. A serious collector has to first figure out what was produced and match it against his/her own collection. I never collected cereal boxes (OK, I have a few Boo Berry boxes laying around), but I was a huge FREAKIES fan in the 70's. Who wasn't? I mean what's better than a malevolent group of freaks that band together? Sounds like skateboarders...

Donny Barley has a full part. Gotta respect the Don as he tears it up with some pals from Zoo York. Jack Curtain is back - not sure where he went - and is off to Barcelona with cameras rolling. Mike Vallely MCs the ongoing Versus Contest for round 3 as these pros get closer to $25K.

This was a pretty good issue, but it seemed a little weaker than others. Ya can't be on all the time and 411VM pioneered the video Mag concept, so I'm sure things will even out over time.

Finally, you can't end a review of 411VM without mentioning the new color zine they pack into the oversize package. It seems little more than another opportunity to garner ad revenue, but this issue had a few interviews. This time around they interviewed Corey Duffel, Jack Curtin, and Donny Barley. There's also a sk8 shop feature, "What's In Store," spotlighting two stores, Caliskatz and The Finest. Next on the agenda is figuring out what to do with a folded up poster with Popwar on one side and Globe's Mark Appleyard on the other. It ain't exactly suitable for framing...

If I had to rollout a new skateboarding video magazine every fucking month, I'd probably spend more time thinking about shooting myself rather than shooting compelling sk8 footy. Things used to be very rushed for 411, but they've now gone to a new format that I'm slowly warming up to. Instead of a shit-load of clips and such, they hire a graphic artist to do animations to tie the whole fucking issue together with fewer shorts. This month's guest artist Todd Francis, of Element, comes up with some cool stuff to make things suck less - which is a good thing!

Corey Duffel is a fucking mad-man. You have to wonder how much longer he can skateboard at this pace. For now, he kills on his part and makes skating look like the energetic frenetic sport it is. in contrast Marius Syvanen and Tyler Bledsoe round up the younger generation and the energy they bring to skating. The Billabong Road Trip segment seemed fucking short - maybe I bumped the remote and shot through it.

When it comes to collecting things, many of us seem more inclined to gravitate towards things that have some sort of representational order. 411 Video Magazine for instance used to come as numbered issues and now arrives in volumes with issue numbers, making it easy to figure out which ones are missing from your fucking collection.

Other collectables - like cereal boxes - are harder to keep track of. A serious collector has to first figure out what was produced and match it against his/her own collection. I never collected cereal boxes (OK, I have a few fucking Boo Berry boxes laying around), but I was a huge fucking FREAKIES fan in the 70's. Who the fuck wasn't? I mean what's better than a malevolent group of freaks that band together? Sounds like skateboarders...

Donny Barley has a full part. Gotta respect the Don as he tears it up with some pals from Zoo York. Jack Curtain is back - not sure where the fuck he went - and is off to Barcelona with cameras rolling. Mike Vallely MCs the ongoing Versus Contest for round 3 as these pros get closer to $25K.

This was a pretty good issue, but it seemed a little weaker than others. Ya can't be on all the time and 411VM pioneered the fucking video Mag concept, so I'm sure things will even out over time.

Finally, you can't end a review of 411VM without mentioning the new color zine they pack into the oversize package. It seems little more than another opportunity to garner fucking ad revenue, but this issue had a few interviews. This time around they interviewed Corey Duffel, Jack Curtin, and Donny Barley. There's also a sk8 shop feature, "What's In Store," spotlighting two stores, Caliskatz and The Finest. Next on the agenda is figuring out what to do with a fucking folded up poster with Popwar on one side and Globe's Mark Appleyard on the other. It ain't exactly suitable for framing...