Evolve DVD Review - 11/10/2008
I just received my copy of PJ McMillan's latest water ski DVD, Evolve. I ordered my copy from H2OProshop.com and as usual it was in stock and was promptly shipped.
Evolve is PJ McMillan's second water ski film. PJ's debut film Momentum came out last year and had a "one man, one camera, one summer" theme to it. Evolve is similar in this respect, with an earthy, real-deal quality to it. In my opinion this is why PJ's films stand out from the rest- because they have an organic and "real" grassroots feel to them. There's not one scene in either film where you wouldn't feel out of place if you stepped through the TV screen and cracked open a cold one with these guys. Evolve picks up where Momentum left off, delivering amazing skiing and music to DVD players around the world.
What I like most about Evolve is that it has a good balance of educational and artsy shots. Evolve has lots of full pass and nearly-full-pass shots which allow you to really see how these guys and gals ski. The camera angles, zoom levels, and lighting on most of the passes are ideal for seeing what's really going on. I love the side-by-side close-up chase boat shots where you can clearly see the skier hook up, fire across the wake, pause with the handle, release into the turn, and hook up again. You can see the patience in the turns. You can watch the ski finish with awesome angle. This has to be one of the most educational non-educational ski films out there. You can really pick up a lot by watching this film- you start to "get it".
The pace of Evolve is well thought out. The movie starts with a skiing montage, breaks with a montage in the middle, and ends with a montage. In between, skiers are featured individually with audio introductions from PJ. The mix of featured skiers is interesting as well- you have some familiar names such as Jamie Beauchesne, Terry Winter, Marcus Brown, Jason Hutchins, Freddy Krueger, and Seth Stisher, and some not-as-familiar-names such as Breanne Wagner, Carly Clifton, Tom Henderson, and more. Again, the camerawork makes it easy to see stuff such as Terry "T-Whisper" Winter's non-existent hookups and smoothness. Sprinkled throughout the film are candid off-water shots such as JB's lawn tractor antics and various shots of the totally over-the-top Face-To-Face Peterbilt semi rig (with drive-by shots making you wonder how they got turned around to pick up the cameraman). In most cases, skiers are clearly indicated with a sub-title on screen, as is the accompanying music. This is a great feature which already prompted me to purchase two albums featured in the film by Jah Sun and Rebelution. Merely specifying the title and artist of each song will avoid numerous threads on numerous forums asking "What was that song playing during so-and-so's scene?", etc.
All the footage is shot in HD and looks terrific. I watched it on my 40" Samsung LCD TV with my old-school standard non-up convert DVD player. Still looked awesome. The recording level on the audio is through the roof on this DVD- I normally have the volume on my TV set to 18 or 19, but 10 was just fine with this DVD in the house. The soundtrack is spectacular and lots of the video in the movie has been carefully choreographed in time with the music. The choice of Rebelution's "Feeling Alright" for the DVD's main menu is great.
The bonus features on the DVD are just icing on the cake. Lots of icing. Cream Cheese Icing. The 39 Off section shows "some of the best 39's slayed [new word?] in 08", including a lake-to-lake 39 by Marcus Brown. I won't get into much detail on the bonus features- you'll just have to buy the DVD to see them for yourself!
Overall, this DVD is awesome. Most important of all, it shows how fun water skiing is. It's fun, artsy, and educational, and it's raised the bar for everyone else.
I got my copy from H2OProshop.com and I wouldn't hesitate to order this one if I were you.
FTC Disclosure: this product was provided to me for free.
Comments:
Terry_in_nc, 11/11/2008: I second everything Joel said. It is a must buy if you like to watch the best doing what they like to do.PJ McMillan , 11/12/2008: You can also get the film direct from me off the new website, www.edgeskifilms.com
thanks for the killer review, good to hear that you guys are liking what i am doing. Makes it all worth it.
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