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Tracing Skylines. A difficult review

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hemlockjibber8
Posts: 5977 - Karma: 3,543
I just watched Tracing Skylines the other day and I felt the need to write a review. Not to critique the skiing per se but to comment on the filler and attitude of the movie.

Sean Petit should not be an actor. His skiing is sick but what editor decided that we needed to listen to him hog the stage and make lame jokes in various forced environments. It is not funny at all. That leads me to the Kids. What is up with these highly contrived, empty parties set up by sponsors with a few dudes jumping at any chance to look like they are having the time of their lives in front of the camera. For fuck sakes, that is just so awkward to watch. You want a party scene? Let Cosco have a segment. Take a note from SKIDS, not just their name. The phone skit? mid-2000s MSP called and they want their screen writer back.

Then there was JP, Julien, Plake and Seth. In the Haute Route of all places. Why was there more talk about a truck full of guys in ski masks in Detroit (another film crew obviously) then there was about these legends on a legendary traverse and the implications of skiing lines while doing it. Holy legit batman. It's unfortunate the filming wasn't top notch during that segment but at least give the situation credit.

Detroit. Do people not feel embarrassed by this segment? Great skiing, creative location, huge effort on those builds. props. Just show that shit. What I don't need is a thug life documentary of slow motion shovel carrying baggy pant pans. Hard beats and balaclavas. I'm not shitting on the hip hop influence. I like baggy shit too. Just remember, it is an influence, not your life. Do you guys actually act like this on a day to day basis? Why act for the camera.

Great skiing to all the athletes. PBP, that was an embarrassing movie. I feel ashamed saying that. 16 year olds flame on.
Sep 24 2013 12:24PM
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Bittner
Posts: 3675 - Karma: 1,573
Are you sad?
Sep 25 2013 12:19AM
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hemlockjibber8
Posts: 5977 - Karma: 3,543
I can obviously tell you were involved in the making of this movie. Thanks for reinforcing my thoughts. I do now know that the crew is living the thug life. While I appreciate your film making skills I think you should brush up on your reading comprehension. I never said you were pussies nor did I claim to be 'last one day on [your] program', whatever the fuck that may be.

Well done champ.
Sep 25 2013 12:22AM
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gpitcher
Posts: 2626 - Karma: 1,691
It was my car, and I was driving. /claim.

But yeah playing chicken with a lifted f250, when im in my fwd chevy cruze in a few inches of snow was not fun. I was pretty scared.



Also, pretty ironic how they had the ski masks on, but apparently didn't want to ski with us.
Sep 25 2013 10:01AM
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IllusiveJoejoe
Posts: 39 - Karma: 63
T_rob your a fucking idiot and should stop acting like you know something about anything! Shut up and start using another one of your NS accounts! Fuck off, Im sick of seeing your name and dumb comments!
Sep 25 2013 10:30AM
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t_rob
Posts: 6433 - Karma: 11,458
sig'd.
Sep 25 2013 11:05AM
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Troy.
Posts: 5070 - Karma: 12,549
It doesn't work like that.
Sep 25 2013 11:13AM
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ianj
Posts: 536 - Karma: 167
Look, not saying that they are total pussies for being scared, but having been to Detroit numerous times over the past 18 years of my life, my family living outside of Detroit and all of the stories my grandpa told me about working at the GM factory, I can say it isn't as sketchy as people portray it. It's the same with any city, just don't be an idiot and go to the wrong place. The same could be said for any city really, Frisco, Sac, Chicago, DC, Pittsburg (these are cities I have been to and can relate with) all have REALLY sketchy areas. There is no point in saying that all of Detroit is a dirty, thug filled cess pool.

You want to get scared, try driving to a dock to pick up a buddy's sailboat and getting lost in both Watts and Compton at 2:30 in the morning. That's some scary shit.
Sep 25 2013 2:58PM
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j.bird
Posts: 6680 - Karma: 15
How may times did they all hide their bandanas and 6xl shirts when real thugs came around?

Be you. Do what you want, but don't try to be something you're not.
Sep 25 2013 3:11PM
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skibumb2929
Posts: 1119 - Karma: 1,475
i do agree they make it seem sketchy but they have reason to be keep in mind skiers look like gangsters when really we are doing the whitest sport on earth and normally come from familys that dont have to worry about money and live in places like boulder co or other towns that dont have a big problem with crime but i do agree sean was forced into making jokes but i thought it was a great fucking movie probably one of the best ive seen jps segment was so sick BC was so sick and also i bet you would be freaking out too if you went into a ghetto and where making a feature dressed like your in a gang
Sep 25 2013 9:20PM
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east
Posts: 1073 - Karma: 94
I couldn't agree more with review. Detroit segment, wtf? How embarrassing to the ski industry. Lets dress and act like tough gangsters, pound heavy beats and then........run like idiots when the real life "homies" show up. This gangster shit has to stop, you all look like idiots, pro or not....
Sep 25 2013 9:30PM
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elinde
Posts: 1467 - Karma: 3,053
I thought the Mexico part was the most outstanding (i use it as in sticking out, not the most amazing as the skiing was dope) part of the movie. Seeing the skiers chilling out and surfing I thought was pretty cool and something new to see. Maybe that's just cause I love surfing though.
Sep 25 2013 10:18PM
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crazy_karl
Posts: 774 - Karma: 5,042
You should try to have a little more respect. I've driven through Compton and it was one of the least scary things I've ever done.

Detroit: We showed up at an abandoned hospital at 6AM. We were immediately confronted by a crack head who drove up and told us to leave. We told him to call the cops if he didn't want us there and kept building our feature. Cody carter trucked in snow from 3 miles away while I built the feature. The feature was a stall on the entrance of the abandoned hospital.
(The smell that leaked from the gated up building entrance was the most potent and disgusting thing I've ever smelled. The windows of the hospital had been smashed out, and then boarded back up with broken desks, ceiling panels, and other rubble.)
By 9am the sketchy crackhead had tried to get us to leave on 3 separate occasions. Around 9:30 a second truck showed up. The guy driving the truck claimed to be the building manager. He made it apparent that he wasn't going to leave til we packed our shit up and left. After our bribes and bluffs failed, we started packing up. Around 10am the whole mood became super tense as a 3rd truck pulled into the hospital parking lot. As soon as this truck pulled up, the "building manager" started freaking out and telling us that we had to get the fuck out immediately. Everything sorta turned into a blur as the 3rd truck rolled up. The next thing I knew I was in a car that was playing a game of "chicken" with the truck. We almost got into a head on collision as we narrowly avoided getting bumper locked into the hospital parking lot. The last truck that rolled up was not fucking around, as the guys in the back were wearing ski masks, and almost certainly strapped.

Turns out the abandoned hospital was controlled one of Detroit's most notorious white gangs. They were using the hospital to cook meth (cause of the terrible smell I described) and mule other drugs. I spent almost 4 hours blatantly drawing attention to their operation, and resisted leaving until shit truly hit the fan.

Have some respect for what we did. We worked our fuckin asses off to make that seg, and put ourselves in some risky situations for your viewing pleasure. I can't believe you are trying to compare driving through compton to what we did. Did you even get out of your car you pussy?


Sep 26 2013 12:11AM
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jblaski
Posts: 5566 - Karma: 1,078
It's actually pretty cool how two people can watch the same movie, and take two completely different things from it. Not hating or anything, because to each their own.

I actually thought the segments with Sean Pettit and friends were my favorite. It was very obvious that the "party" scenes were staged for the movie. You don't think he actually called in a helicopter in the backcountry to deliver inflatable palm trees and Red Bull tables? And the party at Steven's Pass? You don't think they were partying like that, and the PBP film crew just "happened" to show up and start filming?

Whenever I watch Sean Pettit segments, he always seems like he's having the funnest day of his life while skiing. He's not super-serious comp skier, or wanna-be thug street skier. He's out shredding pow and and jumping off everything, and has the most positive attitude doing it. And that's the vibe I got from his segment in TS. Plus, Sammy was absolutely crushing it off the jumps, with all types of doubles into the pow. He was fun to watch.

As for the Euro-touring segment, I actually thought that was the most boring part of the movie. Sure, they were skiing some ultra-gnarly lines, and I can appreciate that. But, watching people taking 20 jump turns down some crap snow and talking about it, just didn't do it for me.

As for Detroit, I just didn't get it. The only thing I was thinking the whole segment, was watching a bunch of over-privileged white suburban kids doing the most white thing you can do. I felt they were trying SO hard to be thug and street, that it just came off as lame and try-hard. Some of the tricks they threw were certainly sick, but I couldn't get it out of my head that they came off as the biggest posers that I've seen in a movie in a long time. And then the whole part where they got scared off by the "real gangsters"...I just couldn't get into it.

Overall, I liked the movie. I may or may not buy it, maybe after the price drops next year or something. But in all honesty, it's worth it just for Sean, Sammy, and Pep's gnarly lines.
Sep 26 2013 12:27AM
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hemlockjibber8
Posts: 5977 - Karma: 3,543
I agree with this. Some likes were quirky but it was a cool start of movie/start of season. And I was impressed by the surf skills
Sep 26 2013 12:31AM
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hemlockjibber8
Posts: 5977 - Karma: 3,543
Definite respect there. Sounds like a hell of an experience. It's unfortunate that it wasn't expressed so well in the segment.
Sep 26 2013 12:35AM
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ianj
Posts: 536 - Karma: 167
If you read the beginning of my post, I said that I was not trying to disrespect you guys, but that I think giving a whole city a bad rap and making it seem like shit because of the area you were in was sketchy as hell. Do I think you had a right to be a little freaked out? Yes. That wasn't my argument

You also failed to state what time you passed through Compton. During the day it wasn't sketch, but at 2:30, it's a lot creepier than you'd think.
Sep 26 2013 12:58AM
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Aidan-G
Posts: 9415 - Karma: 10,861
Did you watch Tracing Skylines? I feel like if you did you wouldn't be saying this because they definitely contrast where they were in Detroit with downtown Detroit
Sep 26 2013 1:38AM
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ianj
Posts: 536 - Karma: 167
Aidan if you read other posts, you would notice that I wasn't the only person who watched the movie with this opinion.
Sep 26 2013 1:43AM
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Aidan-G
Posts: 9415 - Karma: 10,861
I read the posts involved, yours and Sklee's, and I don't see where they characterized all of Detroit as a dirty city. They were recounting their experience on the outskirts where it is really sketch and said that the segment only had a fraction of what they really encountered. Then you called them pussies and made an argument about how all cities have sketchy areas. Then something about the time of day, which in my experience it's still sketchy as shit in the day (go about 4 miles east of downtown Baltimore and tell me you aren't sketched out to be walking around).
Sep 26 2013 1:48AM
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jensen
Posts: 2576 - Karma: 1,267
why did you guys delete my picture of turd?
Sep 26 2013 1:55AM
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ianj
Posts: 536 - Karma: 167
Adain, you didn't read my post... I didn't call them pussies.
Sep 26 2013 2:35AM
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ianj
Posts: 536 - Karma: 167
Sorry for the dub post, but I lived in MD until I was 10. My dad was the only white teacher at a middle school in Baltimore and has told me plenty of stories about his experiences and stories students told him. If anything, you just backed up my post by saying that whole Baltimore sthick.
Sep 26 2013 2:37AM
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Aidan-G
Posts: 9415 - Karma: 10,861
I don't see how I backed up your post by saying the Baltimore thing. You were saying that during the day places aren't sketch which I was refuting.

And anytime you say something like "i'm not calling them pussies but" what you're really saying is "I'm not calling them pussies but you guys are pussies."
Sep 26 2013 2:50AM
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ianj
Posts: 536 - Karma: 167
My one reference to a specific area is not universal to all cities Adain. You should know better than to assume that.

Please, show me where I said that. Because I am seeing that I said "look you guys aren't pussies, but the whole city isn't as sketchy as many people portray it. Just don't go to any sketchy ass part and you'll be fine"

Should I have clarified and said that they had a right to be scared due to their location? Yes. Oh well, can't fix it now.
Sep 26 2013 3:01AM
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Aidan-G
Posts: 9415 - Karma: 10,861
Okay 1 one at a time here.

Your first part: You said the same can be said for any city so now you are contradicting yourself. And if your one reference is Compton isn't scary during the day wouldn't it stand to reason by that logic that most places wouldn't be scary by day? Because I've been to Compton. There is not a time of day you want to be there

Second part: You said "I'm not saying you guys are pussies but..." which holds a much different connotation than "look you guys aren't pussies but..." They did go to a sketchy part, had a scary confrontation, and then went out of their way in the edit to include testimonial from a resident of Detroit clarifying that it's not the whole city

Third part: Should you have clarified? It seemed the whole point of what you were writing was they shouldn't have been scared or else why would you have called them out? That would be the only reason to write what you wrote because they did clarify about how the whole city isn't bad. So either you were calling them out for being scared or (if you did watch the movie because you never actually answered, just said that a lot of people felt the same way about the segment) you completely missed that part
Sep 26 2013 3:11AM
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Aidan-G
Posts: 9415 - Karma: 10,861
I'm just confused because either you called them out for being scared or for saying Detroit was a bad city and it can't have been the second option because they didn't do that
Sep 26 2013 3:19AM
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J_Tapper-Norris
Posts: 58 - Karma: 496
This

Sep 26 2013 4:59AM
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danbrown
Posts: 11939 - Karma: 21,826
so you're 18, you lived outside detroit and your grandfather told you stories about working in the gm factory..sounds like you can really talk from an experienced standpoint hahahah. you're trying to turn this into a pissing contest and your strongest point is you got lost driving around compton and watts at 2:30 am? what about when all those dudes were building features (on foot) for hours and hours constantly getting approached? i dont care who you are, unless youve lived it, don't talk shit...your little grandpa story doesnt have a leg to stand on
Sep 26 2013 1:36PM
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sports*creel
Posts: 400 - Karma: 389
Get em' Pete!
Sep 26 2013 1:45PM
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CKpolicy
Posts: 2587 - Karma: 2,463
this whole thread is a pissing contest of second hand stories and assumptions.
Sep 26 2013 1:47PM
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Goku
Posts: 8119 - Karma: 4,223
Everything about this statement is why kids from Colorado shouldn't dress up and pretend to be gangster.
Detroit isn't a shit hole because of the people that live in it, it's from 60 years of corrupt politicians running it into the ground, like the Kilpatrick family.
But you're exaggerating a little bit. No one is just going to come shoot you or try to jump you because you're skiing. Inner city people love action sports and 99.99% of them would just be super stoked to go watch. If you even try to argue that go look at the Belle Isle races, woodward dream cruise, or "Critical Mass" where every third Friday thousands of bikers gather together to ride around the city.
Detroit is no place for X Games, but for shooting an urban ski segment you should not have been as "freaked out" as claimed.
It's ok to be scared but don't pretend you're hard shit or a tough guy because you've been to Detroit once.

Sep 26 2013 1:54PM
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japanada
Posts: 13784 - Karma: 1,957
Haha f that list. Growing up in Chicago, I can tell you that people in Lake county and chicago are happy! Same thing with the peeps I know in STL! If your in a shitty mindset, you could be living in AK or HI and be unhappy!
Sep 26 2013 2:00PM
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Turkelton
Posts: 2829 - Karma: 8,558
Didn't see any problems, Detroit was super sick and Khai was super dope to see, and Karls Nollie was my highlight actually, It's a sketchy place, why the fuck NOT talk about it? I loved everything and I thought Sean Pettit's stuff was pretty funny, c'mon guys, he's been doing dumb stuff for years, get used to it haha
Sep 26 2013 2:01PM
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Jaznewt
Posts: 919 - Karma: 1,686
Every single cop that approached us laughed and said it was a miracle we hadn't been robbed yet, then they would leave in a hurry to attend a homicide call.
We were told that no one would even hesitate to pull a gun on you for 10$, let alone thousands of dollars of equipment. Try filming and hitting a feature while someone is on a bmx bike with a puffy jacket on with his hand in his pocket, circling around the parking lot starring you down. We didn't try to exaggerate anything.
Sep 26 2013 2:30PM
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t_rob
Posts: 6433 - Karma: 11,458
Five or six years ago, a bmx crew went to detroit. They were rolled up on at gunpoint and all of their gear was taken. There were 4-7 of us depending on the day and we were sitting ducks with $50-$100k of equipment on us if anyone really wanted it. There are people desperate enough in Detroit to take our lives for our equipment. Most of the areas we were in, there wouldn't have been any witnesses or good samaritans to help us in our time of need.

We met a lot of super nice guys in detroit in what seemed like not the most welcoming neighborhoods. No one is denying that. The dude who lived across the street from the church was super chill, he was a little intimidating at first but that is just how you have to act in that neighborhood.

We didn't go to Detroit to film in safe neighborhoods or dangerous neighborhoods. We went to Detroit to take advantage of the skeletal remains of a decaying city. If we didn't want to film abandoned shit, we wouldn't have gone to what most can agree is an abandoned city. There are over 10,000 abandoned houses and buildings in city limits.

The segment has nothing to do with thuggery or street cred. If you want to get stuck on that aspect fine. All I can say is have you ever taken two steps in ski boots and not walked like thug? I know I haven't.

All of this danger stuff is a byproduct of Detroit's past and had nothing to do with why we went even though it was always on our minds. There are safe and dangerous parts of detroit and every other city. Detroit has just been less fortunate and has more of those bad parts. It just so happens to be that all of the features that we wanted to hit in city limits and highland park won't be making any list of safest neighborhoods or best places to raise a family.

If you take a look at the crime stats, don't try to say Detroit, especially the parts of the city where the features built, are a safe place to be. Don't tell us we didn't have a reason to be scared.

http://www.crimemapping.com/map.aspx?aid=0c6c72dd-7122-4509-b897-17f60e517d9d

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/99999999/SPECIAL01/120606001
Sep 26 2013 2:46PM
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redrover
Posts: 10 - Karma: 18
Native south-side Chicagoan here, +1 for that list is a load of bull. I've been to the top 4 on that list multiple times (and now go to school 1/2 an hour from Detroit, so I go into the city even more than before). PBP took a risk going into the "hood" with little prior knowledge of the area and came out with a innovative segment because of it. Props to them, though I think they probably could have found abandoned buildings in safer areas.

If PBP wanted to go "thug life", they would go to Kenwood, IL or Gary, Indiana (which should be top of the list imo). Those are two places that scared the **** out of me, even in broad daylight.




Sep 26 2013 3:43PM
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Joshua.
Posts: 2957 - Karma: 6,230
I just watched Tracing Skylines last night.

It was badass and full of beautiful camera work and skiing.

That is all.
Sep 26 2013 3:54PM
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gpitcher
Posts: 2626 - Karma: 1,691
Your pretty oblivious to a lot of things. You sound like someone who has only ever been to Detroit for a sporting event.

Most of those people who go to these action sports events have money and most of them dont live in neighborhoods where their house would sell for only 500 bucks.

Obviously nobody is going to shoot us for just skiing...but there are other things they would shoot us for: EPIC RED Cameras, RC helis, Nate's Camera gear, or being on property that they run drugs through.....just to name a few.

And for your information PBP filmed for weeks in Detroit, not "once"


Sep 26 2013 4:45PM
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Goku
Posts: 8119 - Karma: 4,223
Hahaha yep that's it bud.
Where were you at the fourth of July fireworks during the shooting this year?
Speaking of oblivious, most of those people that wouldn't have money to be interested in this kind , like you said, so how would they even know what those camera's were or their worth? Enlighten me oh smart one from Bloomfield.
Most of this "fear" and "thugness" is a little blown out of proportion to generate hype, which is great for marketing a film, which they did an excellent job at.
Sep 26 2013 6:09PM
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crawley
Posts: 605 - Karma: 729
This is what happens when pretty white kids like Pete from Bend end up in Detroit. They assume that they may at some point be attacked without a gun.

Pete, if everything I've read is true you are fucking lucky you didn't get your shit stolen or way worse. Nobody but you guys in detroit were without a gun in the abandoned areas you were building at, especially all the kids in this thread claiming they are from detroit or hang out there. Those kids are from the suburbs.

The fact that you would even say something like this shows how fucking in over your heads you guys really were. A hammer, are you kidding me! Fuck, some big black mother fucker could have damn well shown you what a hammer really does when one of his homies put the puzzle pieces together what a Red camera is actually worth.

Be very thankful this is a funny thread on NS and not how stupid a film crew from white neighborhood USA acted.
Sep 26 2013 6:16PM
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Tree60
Posts: 1438 - Karma: 4,961
And they've said that multiple times themselves. They went in to make a sick urban segment in a dilapidated cool looking area, and they obviously didn't realize that they were going to try to ski on top of a meth lab....
Sep 26 2013 9:27PM
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NicolasGuyCaron
Posts: 102 - Karma: 1,376
I thought the segment was the highlight of the film. I can't imagine how much work when into this.
Sep 27 2013 12:37AM
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Jessycollings
Posts: 197 - Karma: 916
Why are you critiquing a ski movie? Just be happy with something new everyyear 
Sep 27 2013 3:42AM
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hemlockjibber8
Posts: 5977 - Karma: 3,543
Because they are selling a product and I am a customer. They should want to hear feedback. If the majority of people want Sean Petit to act then so be it but at least they are getting market feedback.
Sep 27 2013 1:04PM
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