Crank Media Review: Best of the West

Remember Free Hueco! ? Of course you do, we reviewed it last month. Now its time for Best of the West.  Hueco Tanks, Check.  Chris Sharma, Check. New Projects, Check.

This film is by the legendary Mike Call.  If you ever get a chance to see his flicks, do so.  He’s been out of the game in recent history, but his earlier works stand the test of time.  Best of the West picks up years after Free Hueco.  Chris Sharma is no longer an awkward teenager, Slashface is no longer the hardest line in the world park, but Boone Speed still has most his hair.
This film explores what I’ll call “the Dreadlock era”, where suddenly bouldering double digits was becoming common, mellow music was all the rage, and highballs were becoming popular – sometimes with disastrous consequences when your new line pushes into friable virgin flakes.  Transitions between scenes are narrated by Boone Speed, Nate Gold, Chris Sharma, and Tim Kemple, providing context and insight into the climbs and the motivations of the climbers infront of you. While Sharma is undeniably the star of the show, screentime is split equitably across a sizable cast of other climbers for a film that is just under an hour in length.  Equally important to this film is that no one seems to take themselves too seriously, and the mood is light throughout.  That said, sections of the film do include some great Sharma and Biggie quotes, and Chris’s battle to add a sit start to ‘The Flame” is a running theme throughout the film. Beyond the real stars, the epic climbs of Hueco, the camera often lingers on the crew while spotting or resting, giving you a sense of their bond. At other times just pans to the beauty of a Texas sunset for a moment while the music plays.  The music, even at its most intense is pretty chill, consisting of a mix of ‘hippie jam music’ and simple guitar and drum riffs, techno and dubstep weren’t things yet.  Cut scenes are available, and any of them could have been added to the film seamlessly, many were simply cut as they show climbs already in the film with different climbers summiting.
VERDICT:
If you love Hueco (looking at you Ted), buy it.  If you love bouldering, borrow it.  If you love climbing, still borrow it.
Filmed By: Mike Call
THE WHO:
Chris Sharma, Boone Speed, Nate ‘Biggie’ Gold, Jason Kehl, Tim Kemple, GP Salvo, Ivan Greene, Steve Maisch, Brett Lowell, Mike Beck, Anna Burgos, Justin Bourque, and JBone Stoddard (Nick Duttle can be seen the the background)
THE WHEREWHAT:
Hueco Tanks, TX duh!
2 Days with Gene
Alf in a Blender
Babyface
Barefoot on Sacred Ground
Best of the West
Better Eat Your Wheaties
Between the Sheeps
Call 911
Choir Boys
Daily Dick Dose
Dean’s Dihedral
Doggy Jump
El Chupacabra
Esperanza
The Feather
The Flame
Flamignon
Focus
Free Willy
Frech Tickler
Full Monty
Glass Ass Crack
Martini Right
Martini on the Rocks
Ministry of Truth
Mr.Serious
Platonique
Power of Silence
See Spot Run
Sex After Death