Sunday, March 20, 2011

FIRST THE CLIMB NOW THE FILM


A SHOT OF THE SUPER MOON FROM OLD RAG
Trebor  Kool’s review of:

 Almost Alpine

The greatest rock climbing film ever made.

Mega Shabang
Giga Golly Gomshka,
and Yotta Awesome.
Every once in awhile a low budget film sky rockets to the top of the underground cult movie charts.    The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Blair Witch Project come to my mind.   This last weekend I had the pleasure of viewing a pre-release of a low budget underground film,  Almost Alpine  which  is destined to become a future classic.


This film has it all:
  • The mystic discovery and the June 2009 First Free Ascent of a West Virginian 46 pitch 5.9+.
  • The trials and tribulations of young climbing friends whose relationships are tested in the pressure cooker tension filled pursuit of a common dream.
  • The rejection, baptism, death and resurrection of one of those friends.
  • Manky gnarly credit card crimpers.
  • The rare real time capture of an OH MY GOD NOOOO!  screaming fall of a young climber whose rope is cut in two causing him to plunge from the top of his climb all the way to the base of the cliff during the filming.  
  • Insights into three radically different but radically effective new training regimens.
  • Hilarious animatronic antics of Lego climbers who I swore looked right out through the film and winked at me.
  • A death defying false-summit to real-summit slackline walk over hundreds of feet of open air.
  • A climbing spirit so pure and intense in his pursuit of the perfect line that he creates parts of the perfect line out of thin air, levitating rocks, and pooping his shorts. 
  • A rewrite of art history.
  • The inspirational coverage of one of the worlds greatest belayers.
Watch for the future release and on-line sale of this refreshingly creative film which will hopefully be premiered at either or both of this years Telluride and Banff Film Festivals.    When it comes out you got to; Jump on it.   Its a classic.  

             

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