DVD Review: Blood, Pride & True 1/2 - 08/04/05

In the world of rollerblading, Sixwonsix made an unconventional business move with their second team video release, Blood, Pride, & True: hiring an extremely qualified, professional videographer to produce the DVD. I didn't say it was a bad move.

Following In Code (2001), a "love it or hate it" video that is still being discussed and debated to this day, Blood Pride & True takes a different approach than the "video sampling" approach Drew Bachrach took with his stockpile of bizarre medical lab footage. What better way to execute this than to get Daniel Kinney on the job? We all know the type of slick, consistent, and stylish video work Daniel has taken part in over the years, so instead of sitting here and waxing the dude's car for another paragraph let's get straight into the video, section by section.

Cameron: When you're Cameron Card, you are somehow capable of experiencing an almost career-ending near-death experience right in the middle of shooting, and still have enough footage to pull off a killer section. Right away the section starts off with the one thing I didn't want to see: his fall. Daniel manages to keep it tasteful, while accenting the situation's confusion with a subtle echo over the clip's audio. I liked the decision to open up the section with this clip, as opposed to ending with it. This profile may very well be Cameron's last profile, so it's good to see it end on a positive note.

Even the filler clips in this profile are sick as hell. You might ask yourself, "How is a bank to top porn to true top soul rewind 540 out on a high ass extending rail a filler clip?" Just watch the rest of the section; this guy pulls some serious stunts. Roof gaps, rail transfers, drop rails, spins over big gaps, and large gap to rails are all part of this short but sweet profile.

Mikey Blair: Mikey Blair is an up and comer out of the Midwest. He's a little bit less known than everyone else on the team, but this section will surely be the one to get his name out there. This section surprised me with the growing level of difficulty in the tricks as the section progressed. About half way into the section Mikey sets it off with a perfect 270 back farve to soul from a square down rail to an extending ledge. From this point on the music grows more intense, and tricks become more and more jaw dropping. I didn't know too much about Mikey before this section, but now I can say I'm a fan of his.

Team Interviews: Unfortunately, the average blader will find the team interview section to be boring. However, it's the perfect opportunity to show some diversity, personality, and team synergy. It was this concept that brought one of the best elements to Coup De Tat. There's a little less personality in these interviews than Arlo's classic "What is that guy?" monologue, but we still manage to see a human side of every one of these team members.

JC/Friends: Within the interviews you hear JC mention how hard it is to shoot a section while working full time. You can see how this statement directly relates to his section because it leaves much to be desired. I would have preferred the section to be 2-3 times as long since he is really starting to mix up his once "more clean cut than Zach Morris" style of blading with some grabs, shifties, and stunner shades. The guy has an incredible amount of control, which really shows throughout this short section.

During a lull in the song the section switches over to a friends montage. It is comprised mostly of mid-westers, with some noteworthy tricks coming from Brett Dasovic, Matt Osantaski, Mark Wojda, Max Ballestero, and Josh Jones. Cameron Card also has a mini encore performance in this section, and laces some more smooth moves.

Gary: When Gary's section starts up it will make the hairs on the necks of all of the Gary Murphy fans across the world stand up. Something about Gary's skating exudes pure confidence. No matter of how much he is reminded of this from friends, fans, and message boards, it never seems to go to his head. His fast skating, precision, perfect execution, and classic GMurph flare are all present in this section. You can expect fast lines, huge airs, and arguably the best alleyoop top acid on a drop rail you will ever see. I loved this section.

Don: Don Bambrick is quickly becoming one of the best rollerbladers in the world. His section in Icons is considered by many to be the best section of the video. There is no doubt in my mind that people will be saying the exact same thing about this video. I'd be lying if I said it was intense as his last two sections, but a tame section of Don is still a Hammerfest. I can recall more than a handful of tricks that made my jaw drop. And you might want to throw on an adult diaper before you watch the last clip, because it's that good.

Brian: As far as I can tell from this video, the graphic video wall is used to represent history. It is used in the beginning to show the history of the company, and as the video winds down to the closing profile the video wall appears again, only this time it illustrates the history of Detroit legend Brian Murphy. Daniel couldn't have used a better song to accent the intensity of Brian's skating. He is known for his fast skating, his big airs, and huge stunts, all of these qualities exist in this profile. This point is exemplified perfectly when at one point you see the camera man get left in Brian's dust during a line, followed by the camera man yelling "God damnit!"

It's probably debatable whether or not this particular section should have closed the video, especially since Don's section is easily the best, but it is obvious to understand why. Brian Murphy is practically the face of Sixwonsix, so it is no surprise that this man gets the curtains. I am reminded of some of the more recent MDP snowboard videos, when the video is about to close out with a profile of the newest young superstar, and out of no where you see JP Walker's name appear on the screen so he can throw down some of the sickest tricks to end the video with. The legend gets the curtains. Brian closed out In Code this way, and the way he closes out Blood, Pride, & True is no different.

The credits start rolling in after twenty-six minutes. This was just about twice the length of In Code, so it was satisfying to get a proper length DVD this time around. What I noticed instantly when watching this video was a consistency in the look and feel of the editing. Lots of smooth transitions take the viewer in and out of each clip, and subtle film style vignettes are used to help spot shadow the subject in a lot of clips. Combine this with solid shooting and great skating and it quickly becomes apparent that this is going to be a real entertaining DVD to watch from start to finish. Blood, Pride, & True is a strong testament to the quality and professionalism companies will get when they hire someone who looks at the production of the video like a job, instead of a favor.

Mike Torres
Roc City Skate

Photos by Jero