Review from Farenheit Magazine

Review from Ska Punk and Other Junk

Control The Airspace (IllRepute Productions)
Starring: A bunch of skaters and surfers and a guy with a monkey mask
Directed By: Casey Kindred

I got this surf/skater film sent to me by Casey who directs the film. I haven't seen too many skating or surfing films before but I've seen stuff on like ESPN and Blue Torch, basically because of Leeann Tweeden because I loved her on Fitness Beach. But anyway, the film consist of skaters and surfers, along with some guy in a monkey mask skating and getting chased by a policeman and chasing around some guy sleeping with his women, ya know silly stuff. But you'll like the skating, surfing and downhill racing. I'd be freaking scared out of my mind to do downhill skating. I'm a pussy though so. Some of the skaters in this are Darryl Freeman, John Dread, Andy McDonald, Dane van Bommel and a ton more!! The style of the film was done well with cool effects shots and some sweet shots for the fellas with some bikini and ass shots of beauiful women. It makes me want to move out to California or go to somewhere tropical and just be a beach bum since I don't have a job. There was also some live shots of bands like Nofx, Bad Religion and some ska-ish reggae band doing "Leaving on a Jet Plane." One thing I love to watch is fast forwarding people doing artwork. The artwork at the top left was painting on a building and it was neat to see from start to finish how it was done. Overall, the skater and surf shots were great to watch and there was some humor thrown into the mix, so if you like that sort of thing, get this film.

Would I buy this movie on DVD? I'm sure skaters/surfers would get this.
How Was The SFX/ Soundtrack/ Score? The soundtrack was good. Songs by Flogging Molly, NOFX, Slightly Stoopid, Ozomatli, and more.
What I didn't like about it? There should have been more talkng with the skaters and surfers.
Favorite Scenes/ Things in the movie? Didn't really have one.
Overall Rating-  3 stars
Reviewer: Bryan

Review from Modern Fix magazine by Melanie Kellog

“Control the Airspace”

A film by Casey Kindred

Ill Repute Productions

                 What do you get when you cross a skating monkey-man with some sick-ass tunes?  The greatest surf/skate film I’ve ever seen.  Local San Diegan Casey Kindred is right on with his latest production, featuring music from Slightly Stoopid, Bad Religion, NoFX, and Flogging Molly.  Ever consider a soundtrack for this one Casey?  Inspired by the events of 9/11, footage of the attacks is skillfully woven throughout the otherwise comedic and random film.  The result is a dynamic flavor otherwise absent within the surf/skate genre.

The energetic antics of the featured surf/skate crew demonstrate awesome skill and dedication.  Smooth transitions between the skating and surfing shots are achieved through Kindred’s mastery of continuity editing.  Most notably are the downhill skating races --you gotta have some big balls for that shit!  Oh, and for all you guys in the house, you’ll love the selection of beach-clad hotties.

 Local artist Alex Lanau adds unique flair to the already expressive film.  Fast-motion shots give the viewer a chance to watch the process of completing of a mural, now adorning the DVD cover.  The trippy, surf inspired art plays into the overall chill vibe, mostly achieved through filming here in San Diego, and featuring locals throughout the film.

For a chick who never watches this type of stuff (unless convinced by some really hot guy), I was surprised at the universal appeal.  The music rocked too!  Even if you don’t skate or surf, it’s definitely one to add the DVD rack!

Review from noreasterzine.com

control the airspace

Directed By: Casey Kindred -- This was a bit of a surprise to get for review.  I was somewhat shocked to see that a surf/skate filmmaker found that this publication would be a good outlet for critique.  With the exception of Matt (the skier), Larry (the Olympic luger) and myself, a one-time surfer that hasn't stepped on a board in about four years, we are not the most athletically inclined (even in X-treme sports) publication when it comes to what we cover.  In fact, most of the music we lend favor to has little or nothing to do with the Warped Tour / X-Games crowd.  So in a nutshell, I was delighted to see that director Casey Kindred saw fit to throw his latest work into our arena.

Control the Airspace  was pitched to me by Kindred as a post 9/11 documentary from the perspective of the southern California (San Diego in particular) surf and skate scene.  That depiction is quite inaccurate, as there is no presence of a theme remotely resembling this.  Just cryptic images of the World Trade Center towers burning along with and a series of quick-timed Q&A's regarding the event.  Little or no political commentary to be found here with the exception of a surfboard that has scrawled across its underside, something to the effect of "stop terrorism."  This was more or less a typical surf-skate highlight reel, that you would see playing in the storefront window of your local skate shop with a few skits and interview drop-ins, breaking up the otherwise non-stop stream of footage.   Does this make it a poor effort by Kindred?  No not in the least, as long as you accept it for what it is.

What Control the Airspace accomplishes is capturing some of SoCals finest asphalt and ocean riders in one package.  Familiar names (for you skaters and surfers) like Darryl Freeman, John Dread, Andy McDonald, Dane van Bommel are shown at their best in this work, at times pulling off the standard and at other times, the death defying.  And there is some comedy here as well, with several skits of a dude in an ape suit  finding his lady getting it on with several other dudes (human/Mexican wrestlers) as well as with another lovely lady.  The swell ape-man comes home and interrupts these interludes.  Each time, embarking on a high speed skate chase after his heartbreaking discovery.  Fun the first few times around, but its repetition wears thin after a while.  I also could have lived without the potty humor (literally) of a surfer taking a shit underwater.  Call me old if you will, but I have a hard time looking at my own fecal matter, let alone that of some Spicolli looking dude.  

The sound track on Control the Airspace shined the most when it featured the more loungy hip-hop tracks, but became brutally annoying when numbers by the likes of NOFX and some honky ska-ish reggae band doing "Leaving on a Jet Plane" kicked in with its whiter than white attempt at sounding Jamaican, mon.  I'm not sure why this scene is still enamored by run of the mill, blissfully ignorant SoCal pop-punk and bad Sublime imitations.  Guess that's why I live on the east coast.  But let's not get hung up on the choice of music here.  Kindred and his cohorts have proven that they have some skills behind the camera and in the edit booth.  The proof is in the pudding, particularly when they take their gear into the surf.  The sped-up mural painting scenes also are done very well and add a nice touch to what otherwise could have easily decayed into, just another homegrown skate video.  For those of you still clinging to your boards, (I'm too fat, too old and too east coast to do so anymore) this will pique your interest as an extremely fun DVD.  I at most times also enjoyed it, as it took me back to a time in my life that seems way in the rear view mirror.  However, I  was just expecting something with a little more focus and that threw me off from the get go.  I hope that Kindred with a little more experience under his belt takes the next step and focuses more on not necessarily scripting, but solidifying a more cohesive framework for his next work.  I will be staying tuned.

Review from hiphopslam

Random Record (and DVD) Reviews
by DnZ (your_mom_likes_it_like_dat@thebakof711.com)

This week I have two records and one DVD to tell you about:

Atmosphere on the Rhymesayers label has a dope new 12" single out called Cats Van Bags off of his album Seven's Travels, but that not the song I want to talk about. The only good song I liked was the bonus track of a unreleased track called Self Hate, Bad Dub. Now this is some funky-ass shit with da dopest rhymes i've heard in a while. Now if you like the real shit and not that damn bling bling type shit then go cop this record and you will be pleased. I give Atmosphere a 8 outta 10.

Next is what I think is going to be the funkyest record of the year. DJ Zeph's Floor Wax brings me back to the 80's when I was out in the school yard pop'n and lock'n and bust'n caps and what not. It's full of funky-ass energy with rhymes by Raashan Ahmad. On the B-side is the track Underscore with DJ Ill Media and that track is like a funky orcastra playing in your ear. I'll give Zeph a 9 outta 10 so I better see a free copy in the mail for me!!!

DVD: iLLRePuTePRoDuCTioNS' Control The Air Space (A Surf Film for Skaters) by Casey Kindred which we watched and enjoyed. Note we are not skate or surf experts but we know a good slap in the face when we see one as this DVD film features many of....... it's pretty good if you are into surfing or skating....It is mostly downhill skating, not X-Game type urban acrobatic skate-trickstaz. Meanwhile the surfing, which is accompanied by a diverse soundtrack that includes NoFx and Ozomatli, rates a 5 out of 10" For more info: www.illrepute.com

!!!OnE!!! you can reach DnZ if your'e 9 feet tall, or at tfsdjz@hotmail.com

Review from Nose Wheelie

I've seen a lot of longboard videos, and I'd have to say that this is one of my favorites. Although there's a little bit of everything in this video, longboard skating is the main focus. At times, you might think you're watching a music video or a student art film, but the skating footage is absolutely first rate.

The bulk of the skating is downhill, not much carving, but lots and lots sliding (mostly standup, not Coleman slides) and probably the best speedboarding footage you'll see anywhere. The first time I watched it I only got about 45 seconds into it before I had to stop and rewind to watch something again. It was a shot of Darryl Freeman skating in the rain and pulling what had to be a 25 foot slide. Freeman is one of the main skaters in the skaters in the video, and he is just amazing. He does all standup slides, doing things like slide to fakie and then slides back to regular stance or massive slides at speeds of about 25 mph.

The speedboarding is incredible, not just some guy bombing a pretty impressive hill, but full on downhill, race boards, full leathers, aerodynamic helmets, and the whole nine yards. There are several great speedboarding sections. Most of them are shot from a lead car, so you really get a feel for what the rider is going through. On one of the sections, they use a superimposed speedometer to show that they are going well over 55 mph.

In addition to skating, the video also features both short and longboard surfing, body boarding, snowboarding, new school skating, and snippets of other things like freestyle motocross and skin diving. Personally, I like this kind of thing. I can sit and watch surfing all day even though I haven't surfed since high school. I'm never sure how good the action is on other sports, but it looked good to me.

As mentioned before, at times you feel like you're watching a music video or an art film. This stuff can range from purely random stuff to the downright clever. On the random side, you have things like shots a snake eating a mouse, a goth chick pulling out one tit for the camera and then running off, or some guys giving one of their sleeping buddies a hot foot. On the clever side, there's a cool tribute to Dr. Strangelove involving some timelapse footage of a mosh pit and an artist creating a mural of the nuclear holocaust and a sequence set to the Specials "Ghost Town" that is probably the most witty thing I've seen on a skate video. I'd tell you more, but it would ruin it for you.

There are probably about a dozen really great speedboarding and downhill sliding sequences. Of the speedboarding, my favorite sequence is with Todd Lehr and Darryl Freeman. It's amazing how low Lehr gets in his tuck. Shot mostly from a lead car, there almost a dancelike quality to their movements. Of the sliding, I think my favorite is one of John Dread and Dane Von Bommell going down this hill doing slides. The film is sped up and there is the sped-up voice of announcer calling the action, like it was a horse race. The sped-up action is fun and the sliding is great, culminating in John Dread doing a great Coleman slide, sliding to fakie and then back and riding away from it.

Of the whole video probably my favorite part is the 4:20 race in Hawaii. This is less of a race and more of a fun run with probably 20 or 30 guys all cruising this hill. Some are great skaters like Darryl Freeman, but most are just guys getting down any way they can, with spectators, lined up at key spots hooting and howling as the riders skid and crash their way around the course. Lots of great spills, there's one hairpin turn where at least eight riders go down. Great fun.

This is a great video. I think what sets it apart from other longskating videos is it's emphasis on downhill, both speedboarding and sliding. You should be able to order it through their web site http://www.illrepute.com/. For info on latest video releases or to get a catalog. E-mail: videos@illrepute.com or write:
Videos
iLLRePuTePRoDuCTioNS
747 1/2 Avalon Ct.
San Diego, CA 92109

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