Wavelength Issue 186 September 2009
Mr B has been a bit quiet of recent, mainly due to the fact that he's wizened up and realised that the surf industry is no place to get rich. But to keep his hand in, he has re-made '21 Days Later'. It's original format was edited by yours truly for the front cover of Slde Magazine and I have to be honest - it was crap. I only had ten days to with some shoddy music to play with and I wasn't getting paid either.
So, what Mr B has done is is take all of the footage, added all the bits that I accidently threw together threw onto the cutting room floor that should have been in the movie, then glued it all together with true skill and class. There's also plenty of talking with guys on the trip - Stokesy, Lamiroy, Mike Morgan, Reubyn Ash and Lee Bartlett, all of which gives the viewer a great insight on life afloat in the Mentawais. But what makes it is the bullshit surfing. All the boys plus two girls (Robyn Davies and Easkey Britton) destroy the perfect conditions and with a decent soundtrack 21 Days Later winds up as a fine package of British surifing.
I've just watched Mr B's awesome new version of 21 Days Later and I'm wiping the tears of mirth from my eyes. The re-edited, rejigged, re-soundtracked version seems a whole different world compared to the hurried, bare bones version we put out with issue 3 of the magazine back in 2006. That was a 20-min promo clip, this is a film. B's editing and production skills are sublime and he's created an amazing package from a pretty huge stock of footage from the trip but what makes the DVD for me are the extras. Surf DVD extras aren't something you'll normally trouble yourself with but it's worth buying this purely for the commentary version...
Mr B plus Stoker, SamChop and Lee Bartlett supply slice after slice of fried gold... it's hilarious whilst also being informative and adds a whole heap of depth to the film. Whilst British surfers get short shrift on the world stage we at least have some of the warmest, wittiest and most engaging pro's around. The other extras like Bored on a Boat and the Commentary Cam also had me crying with laughter. The film is a bit of time capsule freezing three perfect weeks in the worlds best waves that none of us will ever forget. If you ever want to go to the Mentawais, have any interest in British surfing or want to remind yourself that surfing has been and always should be fun then buy it... Don't copy it. British surf media types don't make a bean and do it for the love... when they're gone we're going to miss them.
Sunset Surf Website September 2009
We always like Mr B’s productions, they are down to earth and featuring “local” talent always makes for an appealing film. The familiar accents, the common way of relaxing and chilling out all strike a chord and seem a long way from some of the surf super stars where they seem to be rich beyond belief but without the soul. The result is the film 21 Days later – Mentawais takes you away almost on an autobiographical holiday. As with all Mr B’s films they are wave packed. Rather than have seperate scenes for interviews and surfers comments, its dubbed over the action, so you get the best of both worlds – you get to hear what the guys think about a spot, whist watching them or one of the others surf it.
As always the footage is well shot, and the camera person (can’t be sexist) gets in a good position to really help you capture the feel for the waves, the perfectness of them, and also the risk to skin on the nasty looking shallow reefs. Whilst the perfect, seemingly endless waves of the mentawais seem a million miles away from windy september swells in the UK / Ireland its great to showcase the talent that our Islands produce and to show that in really great conditions these guys are ripping it up with the best in the world.
So to sum up. With this film you get to see a load of great UK / Irish surfers – both male and female, living the dream! Spending 3 weeks in world class surf, ripping up it. The film is a veritable wave fest, I dont know exactly how many shots there are but there is lots and lots. Its another one of those films that by the end of it you feel like you are there on the trip with them... and then when you realise you are not, its time to start saving!
Well done Mr B, Another diamond job, keep them coming. Sunset Surf A++ Approved.
PitPilot Magazine Issue 31 September / October 2009
Cast your mind back three years or so, when people had so much money, they would buy houses rather than clean their old one. Back then Slide Magazine did a Mentawais trip with some of the UK's finest surfers, scored perfect waves and mounted a free DVD of it all, which was, well, average. Now Mr B has taken his time and completely re-edited the movie by himself, with a decent soundtrack and footage that was criminal to leave out of the first effort. If you want a job done properly...