This Time Tomorrow has been long in the making, and Chris Mulhern has overseen the whole project from start to finish. 3 years since capturing the first tricks for this video Chris has travelled from his native Philly streets, all across America and spent the best part of a year in Europe linking up with core street skaters and filming in Paris, London, Athens and Berlin. I dread to think how much footage was edited down here, but the end result in video has to justify the means – and here we have a perfect example of that.
Right, on to the film – this video is LONG, I’m talking best part of an hour here, with a mixture of US as well as UK riders, too many to list them all in this review. The video kicks off a montage of cityscapes, the feel of the production and edit is akin to a Fred Montagne Cliché release, or a Habitat film. The slick graphics and intros lead not into seasoned pro’s at perfect spots – but in to street soldiers in some unforgiving street battlegrounds. Jimmy McDonald and Devon Connell definitely get commendations for quick footed, harsh terrain abuse. The American skaters carry on taking the East Coast apart with Stereo Field Agent Curtis Rapp leading the line, showing his recovery from a particularly nasty car crash hasn’t stripped him of any style.
The UK steps up, no place has grimy spots like here, London should be a prim, shiny marble skate mecca……it’s not. Spots 90% of pro skaters would turn their noses up at are systematically destroyed with the focus on intelligent tight lines rather than the simplicity of “going big”. Rory Milanes likes to do awkward tricks, gaps to grind, flip gaps to manual – all as standard in his repertoire. Steph Morgan shows he can match the East coasters with quick, tight lines, while Lucien Clarke takes the longer section with his laid back style managing to avoid the clichéd spots in London to bust out his bag of tricks and innovation.
This DVD stands out for a few reasons, the editing is crazy tight with a perspective on a rolling day of footage, sections starting off light and working through to dusk and with London’s short days the night time footage takes up a bulk of the minutes. All in the video will appeal to fans of Static and the earlier Zoo York releases; not one for the ESPN viewers but undoubtedly a must for all the 1am skaters, the innovative skaters, the street soldiers out there holding it down in every town and city with the “everywhere is a spot” attitude – hats off to Mr Mulhern, this is a great vid, order it now and enjoy these offcuts that went live today.
PP