The 4th Phase

[Dee Hubbs]

SHIT I meant to watch it last night. I guess I'll never know how bad 2 years of filming could turn out.

[Z]

I was underwhelmed also. Some cool vantage points and drone footage...

I was expecting to see these guys doing some next-level riding and "progressing snowboarding" as they say. Unless that was happening in the booter segments (I have no clue) - that wasn't really happening. Go watch the Absinthe flick. That's the next-level.

[puma]

I was underwhelmed also. Some cool vantage points and drone footage...

I was expecting to see these guys doing some next-level riding and "progressing snowboarding" as they say. Unless that was happening in the booter segments (I have no clue) - that wasn't really happening. Go watch the Absinthe flick. That's the next-level.

I just checked out that trailer. looks ridiculous. thanks for the suggestion!

[#######]

b) you're not fucking philosophers.

+1

I though it was pure comedy with all the added "wooshing" sound effects and gushing, heart felt sound bites about "tributaries flowing into lakes and streams."

http://yobeat.com/2016/10/03/under-r...-fourth-phase/

"...I blame Red Bull mostly. Lets face it, at the end of the day this is a multi-million dollar marketing piece for an energy drink company that sells poison to kids, dudes who vote for Trump, and drive teched out diesel trucks who like to ‘roll coal’ on cyclists and people who might have a world view wider than about six inches........Films like the Fourth Phase are amazing visual journeys no doubt, but the problem is, they aren’t accessible. I don’t know that many people travelling the world and making a living from snowboarding. Yes, there are some exceptions, but lets face it, it’s not 2003 anymore.... "

[raisingarizona13]

Interesting review. Well I can't speak for everyone obviously but I think a lot of us are ready for an all resort or at least sidecountry and in bounds film with more regular every day local rippers. Not to take away from these awesome big budget Hollywood movies, these are awesome but I would like to see a film with a bit more grit. Fuck, I want to see the bump and freestyle segments come back. Something more down to Earth but with some budget. Bring back the dirtbag ski bum element to the ski movie.

[::: :::]

The resort segment in MSP's days of my youth was fun as hell. I'd watch that over and over to get stoked for skiing.

(Skip ahead to just after a minute)

[TahoeJ]

Or of course there's always...



(won't embed)

[raisingarizona13]

YES! More of that.

I would love to see a whole night skiing segment too, with a bunch of rowdy mogul skiing!

[redacted user]

my snowboarding spiritual sherpa

[#######]

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...e-with-Meatsaw

[boltonoutlaw]

I was pretty disappointed with it. I found it odd they made such a big deal out of one of the riders bailing because of crappy snow, sketchy conditions. It seemed so dramatic. He just wanted to go ride. Then Travis has a pout session about his buddy bailing because conditions were sketchy and he wanted to go ride somewhere else. There was a lot of dialogue about how Travis sets his mind to something and does it no matter what. He also got nailed in a huge slide and is really lucky to be alive! Slow your roll and make some smart decisions. Anyway, there was some sick riding in spots but overall it was disappointing. Glad Travis survived that slide!

It's not as simple as you make it out to be.

[muted]

Art of Flight was cheesy, had little snowboarding, and was made for the masses. As in masses of non-snowboarders or once-a-year snowboarders. Not surprised 4th Phase was same but worse. I am surprised everyone was expecting something different than Art of Flight though.

Story is king, and 4 mill won't buy a bunch of bros a good story. (It will buy great cinematography.) Who knows though, it will be a complete success if it gets enough views for the sponsors. Easily can happen.

[AlexC]

It's such a fine balance to add story and meaning to a ski or snowboard movie. The ones that do it well are some of favourite in the genre, but the ones that do it poorly make me cringe.

All I Can succeeded, but that's more because the cinematography and skiing was next level, and they structured the movie well to tease you with these big lines, then show them all at the end of the movie. Into the Mind did a good job with the "story" but went overboard on the camera tricks, editing and effects. Valhalla probably did it best. Supervention is also a great example of it done well. There's no scripted voice overs, just a lot of scenes of the skiers talking about their lines, watching them crash, then watching them go back up and succeed. If you're relying on the athletes to sound deep and provide meaning, you're probably going to fail because most of them aren't too bright.

My other thought is it works better when the athletes have to earn their turns. When you're scaling Alaskan faces or venturing into the Himalayas like Jeremy Jones, your thoughts have a lot more meaning than when you're just some bro being flown around in a helicopter.

I haven't seen The Fourth Phase but I'll catch it when it goes up on Netflix.

[nickwm21]

I went to the global premier last month at the Shrine in LA. It was fun people watching. Front half of the theater was all industry and athletes. Back half of the theater was all USC kids.

As for the movie, it was not as bad as you all make it out to be.... but It did not live up to the hype, nor did it get anywhere close to "That's It That's All", which to me, as a skier, is the gold standard of action sports films. (All I Can comes very close)

[TahoeJ]

My other thought is it works better when the athletes have to earn their turns. When you're scaling Alaskan faces or skiing in the Himalayas like Jeremy Jones, your thoughts have a lot more meaning than when you're just some bro being flown around in a helicopter.

Well said. Even though I'm a skier I still think Deeper / Further / Higher are three of the best snow sports movies ever made. Very engaging.

[media310]

snowboarding, story telling, weed, psychedelics and mt baker. you are welcome

[SILENCER]

Interesting review. Well I can't speak for everyone obviously but I think a lot of us are ready for an all resort or at least sidecountry and in bounds film with more regular every day local rippers. Not to take away from these awesome big budget Hollywood movies, these are awesome but I would like to see a film with a bit more grit. Fuck, I want to see the bump and freestyle segments come back. Something more down to Earth but with some budget. Bring back the dirtbag ski bum element to the ski movie.

Sounds like...a classic Warren Miller flick. Funny how things come full circle.

(sign me up too)

[raisingarizona13]

Well said. Even though I'm a skier I still think Deeper / Further / Higher are three of the best snow sports movies ever made. Very engaging.

higher was fucking sick.

[SILENCER]

The resort segment in MSP's days of my youth was fun as hell. I'd watch that over and over to get stoked for skiing.

(Skip ahead to just after a minute)

My favorite segment of that film...so rad. Thanks for posting!

[raisingarizona13]

Sounds like...a classic Warren Miller flick. Funny how things come full circle.

(sign me up too)

Sort of but with today's standard of quality skiing footage. Stumps films were like that too. Less Alaska/heli time and more resort and hiking places that we can relate with better. When was the last time there was a good segment of in bounds skiing at Alta and Snowbird? Telluride? Or the in bounds classics at Jackson? I'd like to see more of that. I'd love to see a night skiing segment at some small east cost ski area that has a bitchen park and mogul ski scene. Maybe visit locations like Las Vegas and here in AZ when there is snow. Have our ski hero's go on a hitch hiking mission on psychedelic mushrooms and like 10 bucks in their pockets while surfing couches across the ski bum universe. It's time for an aspiring film maker with some fire under his ass and some fun creative ideas.

Or maybe I'm just old and ski movies aren't the same any longer, I don't know. I do know that Valley Uprising was better than any ski movie I've seen in a long time. I can't wait to see Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckey. That looks super interesting. Sure those are documentaries but wouldn't it be cool to have a ski movie that shows the grittier side of dirtbag ski bumming?

[klar]

Well said. Even though I'm a skier I still think Deeper / Further / Higher are three of the best snow sports movies ever made. Very engaging.

Funny how tastes vary. I disliked all three of them because I thought the story was way, way over the top and overly dramatic, to the point where it was plain bullshit in some scenes (parts of Further were shot close to home and making such a big deal out of skiing in that zone is just ridiculous). IMO earning your turns does not make people philosophers either. Art of Flight had one episode that made me cringe for similar reasons. Onekotan was another one that tried the adventure story telling approach and was horrible, imo. Blame for that one goes to redbull.

For philosophical story telling Mr Manley is hard to beat, new one is out by the way (no snowboarding):

[TahoeJ]

Love A Skier's Journey... I was bummed when he had to stop after the mtb crash. Thanks for posting that, didn't know the new one was out.

Arizona - that inbounds segment from DOMY posted above was half filmed at Snowbird, btw.

[christoph benells]

Travis Rice learned about the hydrologic cycle. Now he wants to share his amazing knowledge with you!!!

(i learned about it 5th grade dude, maybe you should have too...)

[mike]

My favorite segment of that film...so rad. Thanks for posting!

As we were watching the fourth phase the other night, my buddy called me on the phone and said "I'd watch the resort segment in DOMY, over and over instead of this fucking movie".

agreed

[danmelon]

Glad I caught it for free! Some good free stoke! But def other films more worthy of my $. Cheesier than AoF (it is what it is) and not as good. I was hoping there was gonna be a b/c camping and split/bootering segment, but nope. Cool that https://earth.nullschool.net/ made a cameo. Pretty neato weather tool.

Thinking of DLing the full moon film from iTunes to support the ladies, n it might b good for Netflix n chill.