Suprise Uprise Skate Shop
2002, 20 minutes
Current Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Suprise is the aptly titled premier video from Chicago’s own Uprise Skateshop. The video was filmed almost entirely in the windy city, so you get a good look at the local talent in their natural habitat. The terrain ranges from ledges, stairs and rails to some makeshift launch ramps and lines at the infamous LSD skate park (Lake Shore Drive, that is, for all you narcs). Also included is a 16mm segment documenting the perils of Midwestern winter, as a driven skater shovels a snowy path to clear a runway for a ledge. It shouldn't take Perry Mason to figure out where you can get your copy.
November 27, 2002
Any schmuck knows that skateshops don't have the time or money to put together a blockbuster skateboard movie that they’re going to market with loads of magazine ads and a tour. The purpose of a shop video is to show a smaller niche with new heads, terrain and styles. Suprise fits this mold perfectly. First off, there are a variety of skaters with different styles. Chris Burnett is the resident ledge wizard pulling nollie k-grinds and kickflip noseslides and Nate Oleson gets tech with hefty kickflips and treflips off banks. The filming and editing is top-notch and it can easily hang with today’s videos. Overall, Suprise is definitely worth your time.