[Fiend]

i agree with nibs here, but would like to add one more thing "it's fucking shit".

Dense you are such a charmer.

I quite liked King Lines firstly for the quality footage and secondly for Chris Sharma being one of the few people who can carry off / justify the philosophical hippy hero p0rn bollox. But I didn't think it was as good as say the Dosages as it lacked a bit of continuous bite. The Arch does look quite hard tho.

Anyway.

Got Committed on DVD and watched it recently. Actually rating this more now, preferred it on the small screen than on the Works premiere set-up. Same comments as before apply but I like it.

[Johnny Brown]

Chris Sharma being one of the few people who can carry off / justify the philosophical hippy hero p0rn bollox

Nah, he just comes across like every other stoner you meet in Cali. It must be easier being a hippy when you get paid to travel the world climbing. Peace and love y'all.

[Stubbs]

I still like King Lines - it's something a bit different from the standard climbing film, and the climbing footage itself is excellent.  I've got plenty of DVD's with people just climbing hard problems and routes.

[grimer]

I thought King Lines was superb. Sharma does somehow carry it off. I find watching most DVDs you realise how un-magnetic most climbers seem on screen. And in my opinion, he's very watchable. So, okay JB, if he is a typical Californian stoner who (without a hint of jealousy) gets paid to climb, then I must conclude that I would rather watch a Californian stoner than virtually any other climber I have seen on the screen.

And, it's got something to hold it together as a film. I'm trying to think of a Dosage-style DVD that sticks in my mind, ie a sereies of unlinked shorts, that has stuck in my mind. None come to mind.

[SA Chris]

None come to mind.

Colorado Daydream?

yes I am taking the piss

[Moo]

At the film festival i reckon far and away the best film which i saw was underdeveloped

[Fiend]

P.S. Yes the main flaw with all of these videos is the lack of MC Hasta.

[Stubbs]

the best film which i saw was underdeveloped

They seem to have been releasing it for the last three years it should be the best film ever after that!

[a dense loner]

my point is that sharma is, far and away, the most magnetic person out there. yet, to me and nearly everyone else i know, is constantly in drivel way of life climbing films. where when trying to philosophise comes across as a child with learning difficulties. all he needs is a flute, shit it's been done, and he can lead away all the psychophantic clingers, one down, a couple to go. just annoyed really since basically he's the man and josh lowell has been a decent filmmaker. doesn't matter anyway since they'll continue to get money thrown at them cos it sells

that said rampage is not fucking shit

[Stubbs]

psychophantic

Nice play on words!

So if they just made a film where sharma shut up and crushed and Lowell filmed well you'd be happy?

[grimer]

I agree with Dense, although Dense wil probably disagree that we are agreeing, but yeah, Rampage is top class. I think it did what Stone Monkey and Hard Grit did, ie, capture a phenomen just as it was on the ascendant. Any film maker, I would imagine, would count their luckies to have been in that right place at that right time, then probably spend the rest of their careers trying to recreate that magic.

[dave]

ok a copy of committed came my way finally and had a quick watch last night. not got much to say that anyone else hasn't said already (but i will anyway) - its very good but the commentary is a bit annoying and makes it feel less like a climbers video, yet if i was a non-climber it didn't explain stuff enough, like what E grades are or what a headpoint is or what leading is. leaves you wondering what the target audience is - too puntery for real climbers but too climbery for joe public. i would have like to have seen more of The Promise, because on the video it just looks routine, you know, we just nipped out and did an E10 FA which i'm sure it wasn't. would also like to see more of the cratcliffe groove project, and filmed from a decent angle. i skipped through most of the seacliff stuff. also despite having just watched a video of a guy climbing divided years i still don't know what the climbing is actually like. Also i appreciate it was dark when he did blind vision,but i'm sure they could have fucked about with the levels a bit to make it at least viewable without needing a dark-cloth over the screen like ansel adams. music is mainly shit, no mood-building etc (they achieved this amazingly on hard grit, really makes the difference). camerawork was sometimes less than inspiring.

I would also like to have heard more from the non-scottish climbers, like what the fuck neil was thinking having just decked from an E9. or more detailed talk of the moves and climbing of stuff in general, i was watching some stuff not knowing what the crux was or what the deckour situation was. overall its good though and will stand repeated watching, though probably only certain parts, still felt a bit like i was watching a BBC documentary rather than a climbers vid. I suppose the main issue with how much you like a video like this is how high your expectations have been set, which was quite high for this one given all the hype and build-up

personally i think it could have been better if they'd have broken it up with a bit of bouldering or a bit of history, .....and been more grit,...and maybe been made 10 years ago. What i'm saying is it ain't no Hard Grit, but then i think maybe nothing ever will be.

[a dense loner]

So if they just made a film where sharma shut up and crushed and Lowell filmed well you'd be happy?

only if sharma was on his own, thousands of people weren't spotting, and josh wasn't shouting "how does it feel shy"

[reeve]

Just watched underdeveloped. Twice, in a row, actually. Which probably says more about how much I enjoyed it than any kind of pseudo review, but I'll try anyway: Great looking climbing, good music, fun characters and non-climbing banter, really get a feel for the scene. It feels akin to watching your mates having a good time, rather than idolising anonymous heroes. Very good.

[Paul B]

I was going to review it for this thread but thought I might be giving a bit of a biased opinion having seen a lot of the footage in its early stages.
One thing you missed reeve, the photos, especially the ones used on the menu are really damn good.

[reeve]

Very true Paul, we watched the slideshow whilst eating, but then watched it again afterwards cos it didn't seem to do it justice otherwise.
I'm probably mildly biased as well to be honest, but probably not as much as you will be I'd guess! Seems to have had a really good response from people totally unacquainted with anyone on the film too though.

[Fiend]

Psyche. Just saw it at the Works. Was fucking freezing in there. Could just about make out the film through a haze of frosty breath.

Anyway. Better than I expect - Alistair Lee's production is still too much on the gimmicky side, but in this I found it less posey and more entertaining than Set In Stone. Indeed it was entertaining overall and raised quite a few honest laughs. I liked the Steve Mac section the best - was a rich and varied story of his recent exploits, and snappily put together. Patagonia was entertaining in a "hmmm rather you failing on the route and sitting out grim weather than me" sort of way - not so entertaining footage but Ian and Andy were good. Skye Wall disappointed me a bit as I thought I'd like it the most, being trad and all. It was good and had some funny bits, but felt like it was over-stretching how interesting one route could be. I think better, closer footage of the climbing would have helped.

Overall it's good fun and good variety. I think it needed perhaps an overall thread and more of it, maybe some short extra bits in between.

[abarro81]

It feels akin to watching your mates having a good time

but.. um.. it is watching your mates have a good time isn't it reeve?
i thought it was good, and it's got me frickin raging to get to fairhead and the burren but would've liked a bit more commentary etc.. eg when rick knocks the gear out on faith it would be interesting to hear what he thought and whether the other gear was good etc.

[saltbeef]

Is Hard XS in any of the shops in sheffield yet?

[Johnny Brown]

Yeah, it was in cragx yesterday so it should be in all of em. Seen about half of it so far, very good, rather more professional than the other uk films and making a lot more use of the editor's most powerful tool, the bin.

[saltbeef]

sweet.

[r-man]

Thank goodness. Committed had maybe 20min of great footage, but lots I never want to see again. I've heard Psyche is boring, so I'm in no hurry to see that. Thank goodness for Slackjaw.

[Johnny Brown]

Psyche is good, but makes a lot out of relatively little. The impression from HXS is of years of quality footage edited down to just the gold. There's a lot of stuff on there too - 11 shorts I think? Wherea Psyche is 3 slightly longer films.
Shame they couldn't have got it into KMFF, it would have wiped the floor.

[Houdini]

Committed.

+ve 

Visual alacrity, very nice indeed. 
Ed Douglas - c'mon Dave, he has the voice.  Mellifluous/resonant, almost Will Self.  (Anyone but Queen Perrin.  I'd hire Haston: unpolished, earthly, working class). 
The Glaswegian w/stump (sorry name lost [cracking tats  ]) - I was gobsmacked; humbled; inspired.  Hands down the best part of the film.  Loved the subtitles; felt like the US premier of Trainspotting.
Keen Youth in Extras - sweet and touching (really it was).


-ve 

The Indian Face section was a fucking travesty.  Next time you want someone to piss up it on top-rope, pronounce it unjustifiable then fuck off - I'm your man.  This addition to the film (and not the extras, if at all) was a grave error.
Ditto the Cratcliffe Groove; extras, tops.
Angels' Share - it found a home in the wrong film and would have been better spent in a bouldering flick.
Too much Trauma footage.  Too toooooooo much.
The Scottish Crag footage was lovely - but - it's hardly at the forefront on OS standards, in fact it's decades out.  Again, this would've been better used in a more appropriate flick.
Katherine Schirmachers' made-for-camera Do it! comments.  Again wildly off-the-pace.  Wasn't Glenda tearing up N/Stack a decade back?
Spanky - she's my friend but she should be tearing E7's neu arschlöchen.  Again, wrong film.


4/10

[saltbeef]

i enjoyed psyche. the steve bit is the only bit i'd want to watch again. the birkett bit dragged. i enjoyed the patagonia bit, but you wouldn't watch it multiple times. and the night climbing bit with steve on is too dark. if you can't see the holds and the climber pulling on them why would you put iti ina film?