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The Dirtstar Army's latest DVD release Let WHAT happen....? The Dirt Star Army are one busy bunch of dedicated US mountain board riders. The DSA consists of names that have been in the scene for years; Mr Van DeWitt - creator of the MVM (mountainboard video magazine) series, Dave Starfighter, Devin Garland, Halston 'HBomb' Rhodes et al. They take the sport out n' about into the USA's public eye, holding try-out days, getting local press column inches and have featured on regional TV, getting great exposure for the sport. 'Let IT happen' is their latest film offering, available free online (premiered mid-June 09), or on soon to be released high res DVD with loads of extras. It is basically a compilation of short clips, representing the DSA and what they did in '07, filmed in Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, and Nevada. Big Air and long downhill/BX has been almost completely omitted for a more casual jib fest. According to Van, it was originally going to be released around a year & a half ago, alongside Shralpdown, but due to unforeseen events had to push it back... The DSA are also well aware just how hot One-five projects are, but to them dirtheads it's not about making the BEST movie ever, it's about awareness of the sport: " more shops, more crews, and more riders getting involved, that is our goal!!!!" To the film itself: The formula is pretty formulaic (sic ;). Starting with the compulsory sponsors logos ( including Bourbon co. Jim Beam ?! ), we go straight into a compilation mix of things to come. Carving on grass & tarmac, trains, a taste of dirt jump/dirt park, jibs, a random kid on a board etc. It makes riding look mellow (like the initial music) and fun. Fairly basic moves are thrown, and there's a distinct lack of pads n helmets... Each rider then has their own short section. Mason Moore heads up with some BFC style jibbing in semi-urban enviro's. No comply's, sk8 style, sick step gaps, niice fence tap and grinds. Big hair. There's a slightly dumbass tiny roof drop (to nothing), but the riding is generally pretty decent & flowy. The skatepark featured looks cool, however the hills in the distance look awesome... The camera work is fine though not exactly innovative, while the hip hop soundtrack at this point is too gangster rap for my liking. This is clearly an American film! Casey Thomas is a sick rider but his section lacks visual magic. We're back to the same dirtpark (couple of flips), smooth skatepark hits, no comply's, taps, pretty styli airs, yet nothing has a big wow moment. The soundtrack's a bit nu-metal now, and we're into the very short and very average Collen Mahoney section - It's good to give newbies & girls the taste, that it's not all crazy dudes man, but it doesn't add a great deal to the mix. Paul Johns has a token section for his small gaps and goodish air then Millie Wallace has a named section despite it being one short shot of her rolling staight down a short mellow slope (?!). There is no let up from the incessant short hits/edits; no lingering landscapes or lifestyley shots, therefore we don't get to really feel our surroundings or indeed garner any 'personality' from the crew. Van the Man amps up the metal and pulls out some 180's off 4ft drops, nice 50-50 rail, dirt-park, car park, public park etc... Dave Stiefvater ( to a now rockabilly soundtrack) has a good little section but it's too short. He pulls a sweet switch-slide maneuver on a dirt table that made me go "niiiice" out loud for the second time since pressing play... Devin Garland has: a fun-looking roll about the skatepark, step gaps, and pulls off freestyle moves in a freeride setting. They also build a big log rail to boardslide a couple of times. Finally, HBomb. He's a sick rider: he has a natural, fluid style with a sweet arsenal of moves. Stalls, no comply's, one-footers, the odd rodeo, but all executed so effortlessly: his section is a pleasure to watch and wraps proceedings up nicely. The end credits contain some of the footage that surrounds the riding- dirt, the woods, outakes, a bx comp, a backyard ramp party and ( going against the generally passive feel ) someone smashing an acoustic guitar up. Rock n' roll lite! So, honestly? This vid lacks the magic promised by the wicked cover shot of HBomb, which is actually one of my all time coolest mountainboard photos. It is great as a stand-alone snapshot of some mates having a laugh with their boards, but to be frank, with names that have been in the scene for so long, we expected more pizzazz. It seems not much has moved on (production wise) since MVM disapeared. It's a bit samey, the music's all over the place, it's averagely shot, yet it makes me want to go and ride. It would be great for newbies or better yet mountainboard-muggles, who've never seen the sport before, as it is very non-threatening. ( If however you're a skater or snowboarder, i doubt you're gonna rush out screaming " i MUST get one of those!" ). It seems even less agressive maybe because there's only a couple of bails in the whole thing... As a mountainboarder though, it just isn't aspirational enough. It starts to look like a YouTube best-of compilation, but i guess that's what it is really! There's nothing terribly wrong with it, it just lacks the narrative and humour of The BFC films, nor indeed the sexy production levels of OneFive's films. So, 'Let IT happen' is a darned good effort with some good riding and locations; it just fails to convey how proficient these riders really are, how beautiful dirt can be, or just how much fun this wheelie-board lark actually is. However, it's FREE online and at over 20 minutes long will get you pumped for a ride, dude, and for that you can't complain. The DVD will retail for around ten bucks, and will be loaded with extras like a photo slide show, bio's of the riders, director's commentary, and best of MVM, which should be a pretty cool old skool & gnar compilation in itself. The commentary will be Van the Man giving history about the locations, riders, and trying to help the public understand the difference between the DSA and other USA crews: "I think a lot of people think we are in the same business as One5, which is funny because our primary goal is not video.....we are a grass roots team trying to organize the sport from the bottom up. ....We feel there are other ways to get the word out." Here, here. Good work DSA, keep it up. For the film... OK, but must do better next time ;) Check out the trailer on yootoob y'all.. Read an interview with HBomb on Rem here Find out more about the DSA at DIRTSTAR HQ review by Wilz |
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