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THE WALRUS DREAMS (Brainfood Films/VeeCo) Review: Melissa Larsen (October 13, 1998) Sponsors: Riders: Terje, Johan, some other crusty Swedes Comments: This is not a snowboard video. This is an art project filmed and edited by Ari Marcopoulos and Chris Brunkhart, with narration written by Jeff Galbraith. Shot almost entirely in Super-8, the snowboarding footage is grainy black and white, and the exact opposite of the standard "rider X does trick Y off kicker Z." The focus here is not on what trick a rider does, or even if he lands it, but the feeling of riding itself. All riders are blended into an anonymous montage of fuzzy snowboarding shots, set to background music ranging from acid-jazz hip-hop to some eerie Twilight Zone-type shit. The main focus of this video, though, is not on the content, but the editing of the content. Since Ari, the main editor, is the enemy of traditional (and even linear) thought, the video is true to his vision—total madness. One second you are watching snowboarding, the next you are stuck in a hotel room with Johan and some other crusty Swedes speaking Swedish and watching porn. From out of nowhere comes a kid with a glass eye reciting Galbraithian beat poetry, flash to a dark hotel room with Michi Albin and Terje playing video games, then back to snowboarding. This video must be watched with an open mind. You’ll either like it or completely hate it. Length: 28 minutes Film Type: Super-8 and digital Next Review Mediator Index