Photo: Burton

"The B Movie" Reviewed

Burlington, USA, 1/6/2010 by Max Creasy

For a long time skateboard companies have been producing team videos. This phenomenon is less regular in the snowboard industry, but recently more and more snowboard companies have been embracing the concept. Burton, which has just released its fourth film in three years, is one those companies. Here's our (delayed) review of "The B Movie".

This season Burton snowboards released a team video entitled "The B Movie". The online teasers suggested that the 'The B' could stand for a lot of different things; beautiful, bangers or even backwards, but whatever the 'The B' might actually stand for this film is one of the most brilliant snowboard movies in recent memory.

Like any good project there are multiple elements that make the "The B Movie" amazing. The cinematography in this project is exceptional. Not only are the static/lifestyle shots in the movie varied but the riding is filmed in creative ways. Shot from an extremely low flying helicopter, several snowboarders freeride steep natural terrain while being closely followed by a helicopter. This unique perspective offers up a completely new dimension on snowboard filming. Nicholas Mueller and friends are tracked down mountains in Alaska and Switzerland linking together jumps and turns that do justice to the freeriding experience.

Similarly the locations in the "The B Movie" are varied, covered in powder and mostly unseen. The film has a blend of street, backcountry and park. The rails and jumps are of the highest standard; long, big and amidst epic conditions. However, it is not the cinematography or the locations that make this movie what it is. It's the Burton riders that make this production monumental.

Keegan Vailika opens the show with a blazing part. He steps up to all sorts of terrain and imparts some real style and finesse on whatever he rides. Hitting several long rails and bombing in switch on a few nasty urban drops. Next, Nicholas Mueller is the unquestionable highlight of the video. Apart from looking like he is having more fun than anyone else, his board control is sublime. Coupled with, the previously mentioned filming, his part is quite extraordinary. In one scene Mueller straps in on the top of a giant mountain peak, drops in and does a backside 180 off a hit, lands in knee deep powder, bombs the mountain switch and then spins a cab 540 off the following hit, all the while being closely followed by a helicopter. Mueller's freeriding is incredibly natural.

In contrast Jeremy Jones' part is brutal. Set to a heavy Metallica song, Jones takes no prisoners as he continues to smash all sorts of urban terrain. There is no lack of style from Jones as he does his thing. Jones wallrides around corners, spins cleanly in the backcountry and puts together a part bigger and better than any of his previous ones.

"The B Movie" is full of contemporary tricks and riding but after watching the movie what I am left with is a sense of stoke. A stoke that makes me want to snowboard down big snow covered mountains with my friends. Bombing and hitting everything in my path.

For more on Burton and "The B Movie" go to:
www.burton.com