Image Galleries Movie Reviews

Most people seeing the beautiful stone walls of a Western canyon would be content to gaze at the view or snap some photos. But not the fun-loving maniacs in this production, whose natural inclination is to jump, bounce, skid, and careen down the canyon walls on bicycles. Besides some truly spectacular cliff jumps, this tribute to "new school mountain biking" also features segments showing off deliriously reckless riders balancing precariously atop a strange elevated roadway made of logs and boards in the middle of a pine forest, plenty of "dirt jumping," and clips of riders going all out in more conventional downhill mountain bike racing. A few comic interludes, including scenes accurately titled "Nuns with Guns" don't get in the way too much, and this is mostly a beautifully shot and exciting tribute to daredevils pushing their pedals to their limits. --Robert J. McNamara

The grandfather of surf movies, Bruce Brown introduces his third film by showing off the microphone he would use onstage while narrating Barefoot Adventure when he would show it in the early 1960s in auditoriums around southern California. He notes that a tape recording of his original narration couldn't be found in his attic, so he and his son have written a new narration for the film. That seems unfortunate at first, but the necessity of coming up with new commentary allows Brown to speak wistfully of surfing days gone by. Most of the film was shot in Hawaii in 1960, when the islands were already a magnet for tourists, but visitors were mostly content to take hula lessons and lounge around their hotels. Fanatics seeking the perfect waves of Hawaii were still a relative rarity, and Brown reminisces about traveling the islands, seeking out incredible new surfing spots in rattletrap cars that could be purchased for $45. The film shot by Brown, who would encase his camera in a watertight Plexiglas box, is often gorgeous, though the footage does show some scratches and other minor flaws that speak to its authenticity. While the camera never strays too far from showing surfers riding spectacular waves, there are some quirky comedic bits, generally playing on the dangers of going barefoot or the problems surfers faced living with virtually no money. This is a beautiful document of the earliest days of the surfing craze. --Robert J. McNamara

Strictly for aficionados of what used to be called "hot dog" skiing, Propaganda amounts to an hourlong display of extreme-ski routines by a who's who of the stars of the sport, set to mostly speed-metal tunes (Motley Crue is about as mainstream as the music gets). There is no plot or narration-- just a lengthy highlights reel of skiers such as J.F. Cusson, J.P. AuClair, Julien Regneir, and Jon Olsson, doing everything from skiing virgin powder down drastic mountainsides to performing loop-the-loops in man-made snow tunnels to doing tricks on stairs, roofs, and railings around various ski lodges. If you're looking for insight into this sport, you're better off watching ESPN. But for strictly visual sensations, this is the DVD for you. DVD features include two music videos and brief interviews with Cusson, AuClair, and Steele Spence. --Marshall Fine

If skateboarding has its St. Paul, then that brittle apostle may very well be Mike Vallely. Intense, serious, purposeful to a fault, Vallely took to the (still vaguely disreputable) sport in the early 1980s and found not just a hobby but a ticket to personal expression bordering on the mystic. Instantly embraced by the then-reigning champions of skateboarding (e.g., Lance Mountain), Vallely became legendary for the intuitive brilliance of his movements and stunts. This 55-minute documentary finds him still in great form and inspired by an alternative vision of the world as a miracle of potential: walls, sidewalks, and benches awaiting the brushstroke of his motion. Like Paul, Vallely has loads to say (in an unnervingly repressed voice) wherever he goes; here he picks up converts in Russia, Alaska, and Finland. Vallely may never be an ambassador of cheer, but he has the soul of an artist and prophet. --Tom Keogh

The definitive surf movie, this 1966 documentary by Bruce Brown is beautifully shot and thrilling to see in its portrait of youthful freedom on the world's shores. Brown followed two surfers around the globe in their quest for the perfect wave, finding it eventually on a remote beach far from home. The narration by "Big Kahuna Brown" cuts through the reverence a bit, being cheeky in tone. --Tom Keogh

This frenetically paced tribute to freestyle mountain biking follows hotshot riders in glamorous locations as they show off their best tricks for the cameras, which are frequently shooting from helicopters. A segment aptly titled "Hell Track" follows two riders as they hurtle down an absurdly steep and high wooden ramp and proceed to rocket across dirt humps, more wooden ramps, and various other gnarly obstacles assembled in the California desert. Throbbing music and plenty of slo-mo daredevil tricks showcase the action appropriately. Other segments shot in Morocco, New York City, British Columbia, and Utah follow riders at breakneck speeds as they defy gravity (and common sense) on zigzag courses and mountain jumps, and even perform some urban BMX style tricks. There's a lot of variety (including a unicycle trick segment) and the camera work is uniformly excellent, so this production holds up as a great look at some of the wildest action on spoked wheels. --Robert J. McNamara