Discussion Topic |
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Mark Hudon
Trad climber
Hood River, OR
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Dec 29, 2009 - 12:33am PT
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Remake the worst movie ever made, eh? That ought to be funny.
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Melissa
Gym climber
berkeley, ca
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Dec 29, 2009 - 12:52am PT
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Vertical Limit was MUCH worse, IMO.
And I would totally watch either one if I turned on the TV right now and either happened to be on.
Someone should make movie out of "The Wall" to make the ultimate schlocky climbing flick trifecta.
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Spider Savage
Mountain climber
SoCal
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Dec 29, 2009 - 01:02am PT
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LOL! Typical Hollywood. They should make a movie about rebooting "Cliffhanger." It would be a hoot.
"Cliffhanger" was a mash-up of "Angles of Light" the book by Jeff Long. [http://www.amazon.com/Angels-Light-Jeff-Long/dp/0070386927] A good story based on the 2nd golden age at Camp 4.
I guess Largo tried to get it made but by the time they "Cleaned it up" it had no resemblance to the original story. He did get credit for the "idea" at the end.
It was good to see so many good climbers getting paid Hollywood wages for what they love. It's worth watching the film just to see Wolfgang and Ron do the moves for Sly.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Dec 29, 2009 - 01:05am PT
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nowhere else to go but up!
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bhilden
Trad climber
Mountain View, CA
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Dec 29, 2009 - 02:09am PT
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Anybody seen the movie "Sub Zero?" It was basically a remake of "Vertical Limit."
Bruce
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Chief
climber
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Dec 29, 2009 - 02:14am PT
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Cliffhanger might of been a farce as a motion picture, but man.... what a gig if you were lucky enough to get that call!
Perry
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Fletcher
Trad climber
The beckoning silence
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Dec 29, 2009 - 02:49am PT
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I love bad climber movies...the stupider the better! Sign me up!
Now, I'm with Locker on the Mountain... that is a pretty good mountaineering movie. Melodramatic, but they climbing is pretty realistic IMHO. The Spencer Tracy character was a total hardman. And what a wuss played by Robert Wagner as his bro.
Eric
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Fluoride
Trad climber
Hollywood, CA
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Dec 29, 2009 - 04:51am PT
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Oh sweet Christ...I'm watching it right now. If you're up, RUN, don't walk to your tv and put on FX. I happened upon it channel surfing when I got home from work and like an idiot put it on and can't stop watching. It's a trainwreck. Not just the awful acting (WTF accent is John Lithgow supposed to have?) but just tracking the climbing errors alone is engrossing.
I love how they climb with harnesses and nuts and pro but never a ROPE!! He uses a bolt "gun" but doesn't have a rope to clip into the bolt with! And why doesn't he shoot people with his "bolt gun"??
And who can climb all around the "Rockies" (not even close, where did they film this?) in a t-shirt and wet wool sweater. He'd have bought it from hypothermia in the "climbing cave" with it being cold and wet.
And the opening credits it said "inspired by a story by John Long" or something to that affect. Then it follows with "screenplay by someone & Sylvester Stallone" and "directed by Renny Harlin" which combined could ruin anything.
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Fletcher
Trad climber
The beckoning silence
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Dec 29, 2009 - 05:08am PT
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Exactly Fluoride... it's so bad, it's good! :-) The best part is finding all the climbing errors. The bolt gun is the most obvious of them all, but there are many more.
It was filmed in the Dolomites, apparently because the actual Rockies didn't look like "real" enough mountains! LOL!
Eric
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Fluoride
Trad climber
Hollywood, CA
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Dec 29, 2009 - 05:14am PT
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MY BRAIN HURTS!!!! I've never actually watched this hot mess start to finish. Now I can't sleep.
Oh god...I need to watch a Huell Howser show or the Dog Whisperer or something to get my blood pressure down if I have any hope of getting to sleep.
Thanks Fletcher, I thought it looked like the Dolomites.
I should have turned it off after the opening sequence. Hal and his girlfriend (a non-climber) climbed a 4000 FOOT TOWER with 5.13 roofs and NO ROPE and minimal gear and needed rescue....
My brain is spinning. That movie was horrific. Yet such a train wreck I couldn't turn it off. I want the last 2 hours of my life back.
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TwistedCrank
climber
Ideeho-dee-do-dah-day boom-chicka-boom-chicka-boom
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Dec 29, 2009 - 11:44am PT
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Cliffhanger was on TNT this morning. I watched it while I was sprawled out on the rug doing my morning oldfart stretching yoga crapola. The coffee kicked in and I went to the head and took a monster dump. Fuggin huge. Right after the part when Sly crawls out of a hole in the snow and impales the African-American badguy with his ice tool. Was that a Forrest Hammer?
And they want to remake it? I think not.
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Melissa
Gym climber
berkeley, ca
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Dec 29, 2009 - 11:48am PT
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I shouldn't have thrown down my guanlet upthread. I didn't really expect that it would be on when I went up to bed.
I sorta thought about watching it again, but it got beat by a TLC reality show and sitcom reruns. I guess I've seen it too recently to be actually re-amused by it.
If it was Vertical Limit though...I haven't seen that one in a while.
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ydpl8s
Trad climber
Santa Monica, California
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Dec 29, 2009 - 12:14pm PT
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Melissa, I know it was probably a typo, but your use of the word "guanlet" (of guano derivative) instead of "gauntlet" had me chuckling at how appropriate it was for this topic :-)
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Dec 29, 2009 - 12:19pm PT
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a wee bit of guano? like, say, cliffhanger?
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Fluoride
Trad climber
Hollywood, CA
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Dec 29, 2009 - 01:08pm PT
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Twistedcrank, I thought he followed them down the rock/ice chimney (how?? no rope and he wasn't a climber) and they got into a fight and Sly impaled him upon a large hanging icicle. That's how he killed him.
Oh God, excuse me while I go pour bleach on my brain to kill this Cliffhanger infection.
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Zander
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Dec 29, 2009 - 02:57pm PT
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Cliffhanger is awesome! And it's the only way you can really appreciate the scene in Ace Ventura, Pet Detective when the raccoon's harness comes undone and Ace (Jim Carrey) can't save him.
I'm looking forward to seeing Vertical Limit again. I got it for Christmas. I've tried to find nitro to take on my climbs but since 9/11 they don't have it at REI.
Watch on!
Zander
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TwistedCrank
climber
Ideeho-dee-do-dah-day boom-chicka-boom-chicka-boom
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Dec 29, 2009 - 03:12pm PT
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On second thought, why mess with perfection?
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TwistedCrank
climber
Ideeho-dee-do-dah-day boom-chicka-boom-chicka-boom
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Dec 29, 2009 - 04:16pm PT
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They're both performance art. K?
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Josh Nash
Social climber
riverbank ca
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Dec 29, 2009 - 04:32pm PT
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like my four year old asks all the time "why?"
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Anastasia
Mountain climber
hanging from a crimp and crying for my mama.
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Dec 30, 2009 - 03:20am PT
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Will they use the same bolt grappling thing ming jig gun? I love that! I want to walk around Yosemite with it, proudly show it off at the bridge.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Dec 30, 2009 - 03:28am PT
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Hopefully we have evolved to glue-on splat guns by now - and genetically modded and unbreakable spider silk ropes (still waiting for that one myself)...
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Fluoride
Trad climber
Hollywood, CA
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Dec 30, 2009 - 03:38am PT
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I still love that he's placing bolts in the rock with his handy gun but he has no draws or ROPE to clip into them with. It's so random. What's the bolt for if you're freesoloing?
Then again this whole movie was one giant "WTF" after another.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Dec 30, 2009 - 03:43am PT
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As I understand it, the rigging crew on both CH and VL did attempt to chime in with more realistic suggestions and scenarios - particularly on VL after the CH experience - and were totally shutdown both times.
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Anastasia
Mountain climber
hanging from a crimp and crying for my mama.
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Dec 30, 2009 - 03:53am PT
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What!? It wasn't real?
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Mojomonkey
climber
Philadelphia, PA
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Dec 30, 2009 - 09:08am PT
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Cliffhanger is awesome! And it's the only way you can really appreciate the scene in Ace Ventura, Pet Detective when the raccoon's harness comes undone and Ace (Jim Carrey) can't save him.
That poor raccoon.
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TwistedCrank
climber
Ideeho-dee-do-dah-day boom-chicka-boom-chicka-boom
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Dec 30, 2009 - 10:57am PT
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"Congo," which I might add would round out a great double feature of shlock
Add "Basic Instinct" or "Show Girls" and you've got a triple feature for the ages
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JoeSimo
Trad climber
New York
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Dec 30, 2009 - 11:33am PT
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Hollywood has just run out of ideas period. As evidence by the trailer for this "masterpiece"
http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/frozen/
Not sure whats worse a cliffhanger remake or a movie about people stuck on a chairlift with wolves underneath them.
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TwistedCrank
climber
Ideeho-dee-do-dah-day boom-chicka-boom-chicka-boom
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Dec 30, 2009 - 11:54am PT
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In Idaho we hunt wolves for sport and besides, it's the American thing to do. Most snowboarders I know carry a piece - it's a gang thing.
That just shows how hokey the premise is behind "Frozen"
Next.
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Chief
climber
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Dec 30, 2009 - 12:23pm PT
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K2, Cliffhanger and Vertical Limit were definitely dismal attempts at realistic portrayals of climbing or decent screenplays. I worked on all three and these pictures indulge in the usual cliches and misconceptions about technical mountaineering and to the educated, are quite laughable. The same could be said for much of the fodder the film industry churns out to distract the masses from their bleak lives.
Here's another perspective on Cliffhanger. In early 92, a group of some of the worlds best climbers were flown First Class to Milan and on to Cortina D'Ampezzo in the heart of Italy's Dolomites to rig and climb for for a living. The lobby of the Hotel Alaska was quite a sight at breakfast time.
Mike Weis led a crew that included The Bird, Dave Scultz, Brooke Sandahl, Earl Wiggens and Barry Blanchard to name a few. Wolfgang and Ron were doubling the actors and The Kloeberdanz Kid was running a brownie for 2nd Unit. Imagine these guys swaggering around, festooned in full regalia, bristling with radios and crap, waiting for Weis to lead them off to the waiting Hueys for another day at the office. I was agog at the spectacle.
A bunch of us, myself included, had never been to Europe much less been put up in a three star hotel. We were handsomely remunerated, had pockets full of per diem, flew our girlfriends over and had an awesome adventure that lasted four months. There were debacles, near misses, new romances (and some trashed ones), great restaurants and as the weather got better, Sunday cragging.
For most of us, Cliffhanger was our version of the airplane we just missed that spring in Yosemite. It was a windfall most climbers can only dream of. Cliffhanger started careers, paid off mortgages, bought houses, funded a bunch of climbing trips, caused divorces, started lasting love affairs and friendships and left me with fond memories of one of the best times I've ever had.
Perry
ps. Rigging the racoon spoof for the Pet Detective was the ultimate capper to Cliffhanger. Total mirth and mayhem.
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JoeSimo
Trad climber
New York
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Dec 30, 2009 - 12:41pm PT
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As much as I make fun of Cliffhanger and Vertical Limit I always find myself watching them whenever I come across it on tv. I watched cliffhanger a few days ago on FX. They are just so bad they are good. Plus the scenery is awesome.
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Fluoride
Trad climber
Hollywood, CA
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Dec 30, 2009 - 12:45pm PT
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Chief - who was Stallone's stunt double for the opening scene where he's soloing that roof on the tower?
Also, who were the stunt doubles on the Tyrolean, any of you guys? Did they really rig one that high up...since it was pre-CGI time?
Oh man, now we've got an insider's view of Cliffhanger! This could be fun.
I know Renny Harlin was an amazing hack of a director but had a lot of clout back then. Were a lot of the stupid things like the "bolt gun" his idea?
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Chief
climber
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Dec 30, 2009 - 12:58pm PT
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I'm pretty sure Wolgang did that roof scene as he did most of the climbing doubling for Sly. I recall one of the challenges Ron and Wolgang faced was having to bulk up for their characters. As most people know, shortly after Cliffhanger was finished, Wolfgang was tragically killed after falling asleep at the wheel of his car. He was one of the most gracious people I ever knew.
Gia rode the wire for the big fall scene and I recall we dropped her about 400'. That was filmed practically and plate shots were taken to the stage for tighter principal coverage. CG work was in it's infancy and there were some cumbersome motion control rigs, pretty obvious matte work in the BG and some wire removal. Apparently a lot of the work on stage in Rome (I wasn't there) utilized rear projection onto mirrors for background scenery.
I don't know who came up with the bolt gun idea. Most of us couldn't read a call sheet, much less a script and didn't really care.
Renny Harlin was a bit of a wildman and a fun director. Weis, Schultz and I worked for him on Cutthroat Island (biggest box office loss ever?) and Long Kiss Good Night and we were treated well.
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Josh Nash
Social climber
riverbank ca
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Dec 30, 2009 - 01:05pm PT
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no I'm really jonesing to see this movie again. I was 13 when I first saw it and it sorta planted a seed. I remeber sitting there thinking how much I would love to climb one day. 15 years later I got around to it.
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Fletcher
Trad climber
The beckoning silence
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Dec 30, 2009 - 03:21pm PT
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Those are some great tales, Chief! Thanks... it was a good thing and more for those involved.
Since when do the majority of Hollywood movies reflect reality as we know it in the mundane sense? Do people go to romantic comedies because that's what their lives are really like? Or is it just some fun escapism and fantasy? I suspect action adventures with climbing in them are much the same. Reality is not as important because it's not often very entertaining (for the audiences they are targeted to). And it's those audiences who paid the bills so our climbing pals could have had such a fun and at least momentarily lucrative time of it!
Anyhow, when you are watching Cliffhanger with your mother-in-law or Uncle Ned from Iowa, isn't it more fun when they think you use bolt guns too? :-)
Eric
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Tom
Big Wall climber
San Luis Obispo CA
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Dec 30, 2009 - 03:51pm PT
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Vertical Limit is my favorite Three Stooges episode.
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Karen
Trad climber
So Cal urban sprawl Hell
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Dec 30, 2009 - 04:06pm PT
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K-2 is my all time favorite, the dialogue between the two actors, the whole "killer mountain" stuff was a hoot!
The opening scene, rock climbing and (if my memory serves me correctly) they top out on some mtn? so funny, ... totally unrealistic....
loved the whole totally hokeyness of it all!
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Fletcher
Trad climber
The beckoning silence
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Dec 30, 2009 - 05:05pm PT
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I think I own most of these movies here. I should have a "bad climbing movie" film festival someday. I keep buying them from Chessler mostly, so it's for a good outfit. If I do, I better provide a lot of booze to anesthetize the guests to the ridiculousness.
Vertical Limit is especially absurd amongst the absurd. But I remember Scott Glenn hamming it up pretty nicely as a Bridwell-esque character.
And Ed Viesturs small bit part is good reason why most climbers should be behind the scenes doing rigging stunts, etc. ;-) Timmy O'Neill excepted, of course. That guy's gonna get an Oscar some day!
Eric
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Roxy
Trad climber
CA Central Coast
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Apr 21, 2010 - 04:34pm PT
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as long as they don't bring the "bolt gun" back...as Hollywood cool as that was.
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flakyfoont
Trad climber
carsoncity nv
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Apr 21, 2010 - 05:27pm PT
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Cliff Hanger and Vertical Limit are definetly sad depictions of the climbing world, but entertaining. K2 killer mountain was also a good farce.
But not to overlook another terrible farce ,
"SURVIVAL QUEST" I think it was 1989. A Don Coscarelli film.
Gray Alexander and I were the mountaineers stunt doubles in this lame flick. The location was in Dos Pasos 2 at Mammoth Mtn. We made good money on this , ate well during the shoot and had alot of fun with the cast. Our names were in the credits at the end.
So .. aside from being a dirtbag BITD, this is my 15 minutes of fleeting fame, in a horrible film.
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flakyfoont
Trad climber
carsoncity nv
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Apr 21, 2010 - 05:49pm PT
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gonzo chemist
climber
Crane Jackson's Fountain St. Theater
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Apr 21, 2010 - 07:06pm PT
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ok all,
who in tacoland remembers this little gem? Macgyver truly is a jack of all trades!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiST16XwTeo
edit: maybe this is where Dean Potter got his idea about soloing with a base-rig? ;-)
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Fletcher
Trad climber
not very much, recently.
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Apr 21, 2010 - 11:14pm PT
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"Whaddaya doing!"
"I'm making' a rocket thruster!"
MacGyver.... Wow, this clip could be the granddaddy inspiration of many a bad climbing movie.
Eric
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| Messages 1 - 45 of total 45 in this topic |
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