WakeboardNebraska.com Video Reviews

	My Side is brought to you by BFY Productions Film Highlight:
	Natural Born Thrillaz is brought to you by: Sidewayz Films Wakeboard film budgets must be getting alot bigger because Natural Born Thrillaz takes you on a journey 'round the world with Randy Harris as your host. Spots like Argentina, Uruguay, Thailand, Brazil, Hawaii, and even exotic Idaho! NBT features alot of riders you haven't heard from in a while, along with a host of some of wakeboarding's hottest new rider. Randall Harris, Billy McKee, Greg Falzon, Cobe, Shane, Parks, Gregg Necrasson, Byerly, Nunn, Shapiro, and more. Randy Harris is back and hasn't missed a beat. He even shows off that he's also and accomplished skateboarder, as well (both on the streets and in the hotel). Alot of footage from The Projects, including some Carnival footage. My favorite slide is a wakeskate slider to slider shuvit- SICK! Chris "The Bish Bomb" Bischoff shows that he's been cross training in some other water sports (trick skis, knee boards, and combos)! Ronn Seidenglanz' all black Pro Air Nautique is pimped out with alot of thong wearin hotties. If you're lookin' to check out some killer wakeboarding and maybe even find a vacation fun spot... you must check out Natural Born Thrillaz. Plus the VHS tape is red- a film with flava like that is a must own! Film Highlight: Brett Eisenhower's halfpipe to rail (landing and sliding on the skateboard). reviewed by: Ronnie Romero
	Incomplete is brought to you by: Pointless Productions You've been hearin about it in the making for awhile and it came out just the way I like it... home grown. This film gives you a feel different than any wakeboarding film I've watched. Filmed all on Digital Video, you feel like you just went out on a killer riding session with the top young guns of our sport. Shane Bonifay, Erik Ruck, Danny Harf, Parks Bonifay, Francois Roy, Chad Sharpe, Shawn Watson, Nick Weinacker, Brian Grubb and the rest of the Pointless Posse capture some of the sickest riding caught on camera to date... and then edit the film themselves. I really like the way they put this together, by including the falls right with the completed tricks. Most videos you watch a sick trick after sick trick with a bail section at the end. Chad Sharpe definitely lays it all out on the line for this film. He'll have you hittin rewind ALOT! Brian Grubb's wakeskating is unreal. This was my first introduction to Pointless rider Francois Roy... and let me just say the boy is SICK! And he's got some mean Night at the Roxbury dance moves. Screw Survivor... this is reality TV. Oh yea... and like the title states... Incomplete, you're VCR is not broken at the end. I don't know how long I stared at the screen waitin for more, til I realized that the film was "incomplete". reviewed by: Ronnie Romero
	Higher Education- Vol. 1 & 2: is brought to you by: Bump Films Over the past few years I've had a chance to attend a few boarding camps and have purchased and seen a number of instructional videos. I will start off by saying that there is NO replacement for actual on the water training from a professional instructor, but if there was one, it would be Higher Education- Volumes 1 & 2. Higher Education is a great instructional for beginner to advanced riders. It will take you from the basics of equipment setup, terminology, how to get up, & proper body positioning to spinning off axis, Pete Roses, Whirlybirds, and 900's. There are over 69 step by step moves packed into this one DVD or VHS. The majority of the coaching comes from Kyle Schmidt and PJ Marks (The Wakeboard Camp), but also has cameo coaching appearances by Zane, Robby Stru, and more. Everytrick is broken down into the key elements of a wakeboard move: approach, takeoff, and landing. After seeing the move broken down, they show the trick being done by different riders. This shows you the many different ways of doing the same trick, but adding more style. Most of this footage is taken from previous Bump Films productions such as the Shaft series. This video is a MUST OWN for ANY wakeboarder, regardless of level. Also for newbies to the sport, it is an excellent intorduction to the terminolgy of the sport and a great way to learn exactly what different tricks are, so the next time your friend talks about a sweet double back roll, you don't think he's talking about sushi! Buy this video on DVD here reviewed by: Ronnie Romero
	Shaft 3- The Faction : is brought to you by: Bump Films The long awaited THREE-QUEL. Shaft 3 was WELL worth the wait. It is everything you would expect from a Bump Films production- great camera work and editing, killer soundtrack, and some of the sickest riding yet. Let me start off by saying this is the first video I have watched that I have really enjoyed the women's riding. Leslie Kent is friggin hot!!! Oh yea, and she can wakeboard, too. The women are killing it... Pete Rose's, 540's, grabbed rolls, KGB's, big Raley's, and poked grabs. 15 year old Dallas Friday goes huge... she takes all her tricks into the flats- you gotta check out her tantrum to reverts and krypts. Props to the ladies... much needed. The Aussie connection (Watkins/Sanders) section is unreal. Parks' section will blow your mind. You don't see him do a single trick off the wake... his whole section is all slider footage. You will break your rewind button when you see him do a 540 slider to slider transfer (bs landing)... only to better himself by coming back with a 720 slider to slider transfer. Words cannot explain this one. At the intermission they break to some big air snowboarding footage- NUTTY. Gerry Nunn takes a kicker hoochie glide so big you'll wonder if he's ever comin' down. Other riders worth mentioning on Shaft 3- Kyle Schmidt- HUGE double ups, Shawn Watson, Murray, Darin- always huge and styled, I could go on and on. The ending bail section will blow your mind... Maeghen Major gets cut off at the knees by a a picnic table jib box... it'll shoot pain to YOUR knees. Overall.. a MUST OWN. Best slider footage I've seen to this date. Sweetest Move: By far and away... Parks' slider to slider 7 reviewed by: Ronnie Romero
	Wake TV: is brought to you by: Lakefront Productions Why has it taken me this long to get on the WakeTV bandwagon? WakeTV is for real. Forget Switch 22, Shafted, & Mayday. If you want a true inside look at wakeboarding today you HAVE to check out WakeTV. Each and every issue is 60 minutes of PURE wakeboarding. WakeTV's format is set up like your own personal Wakeboarding channel complete with featured rider interviews, trick tips, pro and amateur event coverage, and even a few brief commercials. This type of a format will relate to many more riders... not to say that the 12 Honkeys and the Hype type videos don't show core. WakeTV shows it's true passion for the sport. In the two 60 minute episodes that I have seen there have been a number of riders featured that have even emailed us here at WakeboardNebraska.com- grassroots baby... this is what it's all about! I'm making room on my shelf for ALL upcoming issues of WakeTV- you should too. Who knows, maybe we can get WakeTV to cover some of our events. As they say on WakeTV... ride fun and have safe. Issue 9: Features in depth rider profiles with 16 year old sensations Daniel Harf & Steve Edwards, Buster Lutgert (who did I mention... RIPS... woman or man)- she's pullin' sick whirly's, Brad Hellerich, Clay McCoy and Insane Zane Schwenk. Events featured in Issue 9 are the Louisiana Spring Fling 2000 (LSF 2000), Oklahoma's Southern Plains Festival 2000, and grom, women, and pro men footage from the 2000 Oklahoma City Pro Tour Stop (Harf's first podium). Spend some time with the "White Trash Wakeboard Team". The "scenes from Issue 10" will make you want more WakeTV when you see a slider mishap gone good when a rider hits a 70' slider, board slips out from under him and he finishes the slide on his butt, then pulls it out at the end- SICK! Issue 8: Starts out by giving us a taste of Issues 1-7. This'll make you wanna pony up for EVERY issue. Issue 8 introduces you to a couple German riders and learn about German cable parks and the first German wake film "Wake Up". Get a great video instructional from the Wakeboard Camp on a heelside backroll, a tantrum, and a toeside front. Meet women's up and comer Dallas Friday... you'll be seein' her on ALOT of podiums this year. Event coverage from the 2000 Fort Lauderdale Pro Tour Stop. In depth interview with Mike McClin... check out his sick glide 180's and some killer footage of Kyle Schmidt. More event coverage of Waketoberfest '99. Finally, if sliders and kickers are what you want, you gotta check out the "Slider Comp" at OWC reviewed by: Ronnie Romero
	Project Watson: is brought to you by: Dog on a Bike Films One of the new vids for 2001. This film is basically a documentary on Shawn Watson. It's not really a "day in the life of"... more just like "the life of". You meet his parents, his brothers, & his "Nana". You hear stories about the first time Shawn got caught sneaking out, how Shawn can't part with his cell phone... oh yea, isn't this supposed to be a wake video? Believe me, the wake footage they do show of Watson and friends is killer, but it seems to be playing second to the off-water footage. They have a section of the film that shows slider transfers over an island that is hot.. they even show Necrason crack 3 ribs on a slider to slider transfer. I can tell a lot about a video by the number of times I have to rewind a section to check it out again and when the only time I touch rewind is on a brutal bail, it says a lot. The music in PW didn't pump me up and make me wanna get out on the lake and ride. In my opinion, Project Watson is a "watch once" video. Watson is pure style... off axis 3's, 5's, 7's, 9's, whirly's, slim chance, killer slides... but I don't think the video is worth the buy. For 20 bucks I want more wake and more riders!!! Sweetest Move: Shane Bonifay's rail to dock mishap... but comes out all good reviewed by: Ronnie Romero
	Wide Awake is brought to you by: Rook Productions Liquid Force's team video for 2000. The editing, camera work, and music in this film are GREAT. Riders include Aaron Grace, Brannon Johnson, JD Webb, Tadpole Soven, Froggy Soven, Melissa Marquardt, Emily Copeland, Tina Bessinger, Chase Heavener, Matt Staker, Gregg Necrason, Thomas Horrell , Shane Bonifay, & Shawn Watson. Thomas Horrell's wakeskate section will have you yelling "WHAT THE...." over and over when you see his jump start to slider, or his 180 and 360 shuv-its. The "Grom" section is sick. If you add up the 3 little guy's ages (JD Webb, Froggy, & Tadpole Soven) they would still be younger than me... and they RIP. Wrapped KGB's, tantrum to blind, 3's, Pete Rose... you name it these little guys are killin' it. This is one of the first films that I've seen Aaron Grace featured in... he definitely deserves more film space. This film also features some killer tow-in surf riding. How stylee is Necrason? Back to back 7's like he's just playin', along with his usual big floaty grabs. Watson's section is sick--- everything is corked and grabbed! This film is definite must own. Killer riding, killer music, killer bails, killer production! Sweetest Move: Thomas' entire wakeskating section reviewed by: Ronnie Romero
	Switch 22: is brought to you by: Sidewayz Films And they say sequels never live up to the original. First off... you get a TON of bang for your buck here by getting 45 mins. of killer wake riding. Switch 22, much like Switch is the same "channel surfing" style throwing in some Moto-X, break dancing, rodeo, snowboard, and skate footage for good measure. I have to say that the moto bails in this vid are unreal... you will definitely wear out your rewind. This is one of the only videos that I didn't really mind all of the extra shwag they throw in. Darin starts off in his usual explosive way. I think it was in this video that I actually saw my first 900 and had to rewind Darin's section about 100 times to count the rotations. Parks goes off... seatbelt grabbed bat-wings, roll to blinds...then just dorkin' around pulls an AIR tantrum to blind. There are three different wake bail sections- all of which rock... Wahlman's huge double 3 will have your jaw on the ground. I have to mention the lake to lake slider transfer (includes a few non-successes, too) is sick. Blink 182 gets some footage on this film, with a brief video clip of "Josie". Gator and Byerly have their own "old school- take ya' back to the Flight 69" section of the film. Those two are truly the pioneers of wakeboarding. Ricky Gonzalez deserves some props for his Switch 22 ride- West Coast STYLE. Randy Harris goes so BIG for a little punk... where'd that kid go anyway? Murray's totally poked out frontside indy 180's are so styled (check out what I'm talking about on the cover), and as usual you see him clownin' as Joey Bagonia the "car salesman type" and the gay farmer. If you wanna learn the definition of a hard cut, watch Greg Necrason tear into an Elephant- HUGE. Not to mention, Switch 22 has the best soundtrack on any video. As you can see, Switch 22 is a MUST OWN. Quit reading this and go buy it NOW! Sweetest Move: TIE- Darin's 900 and the moto-xer that lands on top of the other guys head! reviewed by: Ronnie Romero
	Six Pack: is brought to you by: Sidewayz Films Features the riding of six of our sports top riders: Collin Wright, Darin Shapiro, Shaun Murray, Gregg Necrason, Parks Bonifay, Scott Byerly. Collin starts off this film with his usual "see, I don't have to do an upside downer to get your respect" style. What can I say, the dude spins like a top... double grabbin' like it's his job- wait a sec, it is. Byerly says good bye to Wake Tech and hello to Hyperlite. Slider to slider transfers, wake skate tree ollies, HUGE slim chance, what more do you expect from da man. Parks... holy s@$&t Parks... HUGE corked spins, Whirly 5, GIANT Bat Wing, CRAZY triple up whips, and put the cherry on top with a double S-Bend. Darin does his rendition of Dirk Diggler's "Feel My Heat". Does this guy take everything 15 foot in the flats? S-Bend to Blind? Sick, totally sick. Necrason wins my style award... this video or any. Shifty spins, floaty double grabs...smooth. Last on deck is Mr. Entertainment... Shaun Belmont Murray- bowler extraordinaire. Other than the fact that his whole section was in SLO-MO, it was sweet. HUGE blind 180's off the double up, crow mobe 5's,a roll to revert and a krypt 15 foot out, and ya' gotta love that little nose turn thingy he does. Next enter the bails. Murray- OUCH first gets literally EATEN by a double up then tears himself a new one on a blind judge. Parks' S-Bend to blind... see ya shoulder. This film also features interviews with all 6 riders which were alright. I would have rather had more riding. I thought the soundtrack to Six Pack sucked. Definitely a video to add to your collection, but you may wanna see if you can tape it from a friend first. Sweetest Move: 3 WAY TIE- Darin's S-Bend to Blind, Parks' double whirly, AND Park's jet ski slide. reviewed by: Ronnie Romero
	12 Honkeys: 12 Honkeys is brought to you by: Sidewayz Films If you like comical acting and great riding, this is the video for you. Not to say that some of these pro wakeboarders can't act. (You will know what I mean when you see Shaun Murray's part.) I am just stating the fact that these guys are paid to wakeboard. The acting portion of there job is just a bonus. Enough of that, lets get back to the video. Twelve Honkeys does have a great story. It takes place in a backwards thinking southern town where 12 Honkeys (a.k.a. various pro riders) escape from a prison. The warden of the facility, Bubba G. Bubba III (played by Tony Finn), promises the township that he will track down these escape convicts and put them back in prison. The story goes on by catching up with each rider, and filming what they are up to while trying to avoid the law. This video has some of the greatest riding caught film. Watching Darin Shapiro rail into the wake and throwing a tantrum to blind 15 to 20 feet in the flats never gets old. Scott Byerly also has some great riding caught on film. The way Byerly hits sliders with so much style comes across excellent in the slow motion footage that Sidewayz Films brings you. Overall, 12 Honkeys has some great footage of a lot of riders your familiar with and a lot of video of riders you don't get to see ride all the time. Riders such as; Ricky Gonzalez, Shane Bonifay, Zane Schwenk, Gerry Nunn, and many more. This video will be a great addition to your collection. reviewed by: Shawn Keeler
	Mayday: is brought to you by: FLF Films It is weird to refer to three years ago as old skool... but this film is a CLASSIC. When I say old skool I mean, a lot of the footage is behind a Nautique with NO PYLON or TOWER. First of all, Mayday takes place in one of the most beautiful places on earth, Lake Powell. Miles and miles of red and brown canyons as far as you can see. Mayday is essentially some of the biggest names in wakeboarding getting together for a week long house boat trip on Lake Powell. Names you don't hear much from anymore like Mike Weddington, Randy Harris, & Gator join riders such as Byerly, Murray, Nelson, Horrell, & Necrason. Gator's section is pretty short compared to the rest, but filled with BIG Gator type moves. The film even includes one of his knee blowing front to fakies that put him outta commission for a while. Byerly's section is rad, showcasing early wakeskate pop-shuvits, 360 ollies over a 5 foot rock, & he hangs ten with the rope around his neck... SICK ! Plus, he's bustin' tricks that everyone's doin' now like off axis spins, slim chance, and 7's off the wake. Murray goes big as ever... Nelson rides as smooth as ever... and Necrason still makes every grab look better than anybody else's inverts. This was also the first video that introduced me to Igor Reoutt. Igor can be summed up in a few words: powerful, west coast snowboard style. I personally liked the rider narration part of this video. Bonus feature to Mayday: My dream wake chick- Sam Owens gets a brief part along with Sarah Cline. reviewed by: Ronnie Romero
	Shaft and Shafted on DVD: are brought to you by: Bump Films First of all I would like to say, "It's about time!!!!". It is about time they started to put these films we cherish so well on to DVD. The picture quality and color resolution of this DVD is awesome. It would be reason enough to buy a DVD player for this film. The best part of this purchase is the fact that you get two films for the price of one. On this DVD you get the original Shaft and the newer Shafted video. What a deal!!! The original Shaft film is a throw back theme from the 70's. With the polyester pants, bad wigs, and fake mustaches, Shaft is straight out of a Beastie Boys video. One thing Shaft does have is a lot of exceptional riding. It may not be one of those films you have to run out and get right away, but the fact that it is included in the set is a bonus. Let's get to the main event now. Shafted. The footage and editing in Shafted is unreal. If you have not seen this video, don't walk, run to your nearest pro shop and buy this one. Your jaw will be on the ground. From Osmosis 5's to 900's, this video is sick. By having this film on DVD you are able to go directly to your favorite part at a click of a button. Believe me you will have Parks Bonifay's section on speed dial. His part is off the hook!!! Hands down the biggest air I have ever seen somebody achieve on a wakeboard. From 15 to 20 foot Indy Glides off the triple to Switch 900's, it is safe to say that he might not even be human. Also, here is a little tid bit of information for you. There is a second track of audio hidden in the video. The second track allows you to watch the video and have Shaun Murray (among others) give you the play by play and also add a little comic relief. Last but not least, is the soundtrack. Recorded in digital hi-fi sound, this soundtrack is one of the best I have heard. Definitely one you need to pop into dad's home theater and crank up. In my opinion, if there could be only one wakeboard film I could own, this would be it. reviewed by: Shawn Keeler
	My House: is brought to you by: FLF Films Another first of it's kind... My House beat all of the networks to the punch with reality shows. My House trys to take a "Day in the Life Of" approach to Florida wakeboarding. Sorry, Survivor! In this video we are starting to see these new fangled thingamajigs they call sliders. The video takes a brief intermission to show some killer bungee footage with Greg Nelson and the Double Up tour crew. Murray does a back roll on combo skis that is worth mentioning. Ricky rips up the California Delta. Cobe is stylin' on the water and in his Porsche, but loses out to the lady in the end. Shaun does his signature "tractor shot". Necrasson shows you why the trick is called an Elephant... HUGE! Randy Harris, although he goes huge tries to make a fashion statement with his "shorts over wet suit" look that took me back to the early 80's. He made up for it by ollieing a 3 over a 8' floating dock. Grom section: We get one of our first looks at up and comer Danny Harf and bros JD Webb & Bryan Kennedy. All three are tearin' up Lake Willis on boards AND on tubes ! Cast includes Murray, Necrason, Chase, Harf, Byerly, Staker, Gonzalez, Cobe, Collin. One of the only weaknesses I could find with this film is the soundtrack... decent at best. Still worth the duckets, just pop in your favorite "insert favorite artists name here" CD. One last great feature of this film... "The Carnival" slider/fun-box tournament coverage at the end of the video reviewed by: Ronnie Romero
	Monkey on a String: is brought to you by: FLF Films Jump around the country with Monkey on a String as they follow top riders through Florida, California, Lake Mead, Powell, and even a channel in Mexico that redefines butter . This, and My House, were one of the first videos that we started to see alot of sliders and fun boxes in. It also is also one of the first videos that introduces the rest of the world to OWC. Watson grabbed off axis 540, Byerly 360 backside 3's on a wakeskate, Collin HS 5, Switch TS 5, HS 7, TS 7, the spins go on and on, Drew McGuckin showcases his wakeskate skills with a variety of wake to wake jumps, grabs, shuvits, 180's, etc. , Parks' SICK indian line S-Bends at OWC, Ruck whirly 5's off axis spins, Necrason styles on the beautiful, crystal clear water like most from Nebraska will never see. Features both Danny Harf (when he was still riding for Double Up) and Watson sticking HS 9's. Great camera work... this video is a little different than most as it moves from rider to rider very quickly, so try to keep up. My personal fave in this video is Ryan Byerly's face digger attempting a wakeskate pop-shuvit while hanging ten...YEA' reviewed by: Ronnie Romero