Just watched the DVD from start to finish, and every bit of the 35 minutes and seven seconds of bonus material.

Probably no surprise for anyone to hear it was INSANELY GREAT, but I will say it anyway!

Everything from the subtle insights into Stu's sense of humor (2:09 "Canoga Nut Cream Pie") to the story of "Rubber Chicken and Romance" (24:35), to the intensity of the "Brothers" section (23:30 - 31:17), which was foreshadowed in the trailer...and finally the "New Beginning" section (39:02), where Tanya talks about their dual battle with cancer within the span of only a few months, back in 2006—it ALL makes for a tremendously soulful 49 minutes.

"Stompin' Stu" did everything a documentary is supposed to do. It made you a fly on the wall at key points in (BMX) history.
It will make you smile a lot, laugh too...and tear up a time or two as well, in the best possible way.

And the bonus material, at over 35 minutes, brought a great added dimension to the feature presentation! Highlights included interviews with Linn Kastan (on the history of the flight crank, and of Redline)...Skip Hess with the history of the Motomag...and a piece from the OTC where Stu talks about the Olympic Trials and how similar it made him feel to the 1974 Yamaha Gold Cup finals in the LA Colesium (and Mike and dR are interviewed, giving their due to the original big dawgs).

To me, the best sequence in the film was at 47:16, where they follow Stu to the 2008 NBL grands, and intercut one of his motos with 8mm footage shot by Stu's dad from the 70s. You hear the announcer from 2008, but it is over the old footage--yet still so appropriate. That was the "goosebumps" moment for me!

I could go scene by scene, but want to leave some for y'all to comment on. So, once you get your copy, please post your opinions, props, critique, whatever.

If you have not ordered your copy yet, check out the "Stompin Stu" or "Colored Tuffs" banner -------------->
THIS is a product that well deserves the support of our community by buying your own "in-the-shrink-wrap" copy.

I'd just like to say to the whole Bang Pictures team...GREAT WORK!

Best,

M

Gillette and I just watched it this afternoon.. All I can say is..WOW!

It brings an understanding of Stu and his relationship with the bicycle to a new level. The personal side of his story was done extremely well as we grew up to know his public face. Tanya, you've got a great guy there!

Great job and kudos to the Bang Pictures team!

Bill

Just finished I and as I expected, it was cooler than cool. Thanks to everyone involved for making this for us.
The footage of the 2008 grands where as a 50-55 racer he just plain rips was amazing.
If you haven't yet ordered this yet, you should.
Thanks Stu and Tanya.

Very , very interesting. A great look inside STU's lives. I highly recommend this one for the fans. Really good stuff form the people closest to THE MAN! Thanks for sharing and giving us a look into your life STU.

Man, great movie. The scene where they mixed the NBL grands race with the early footage was awesome. I will watch this movie many, many more times.


Doug

LOVED IT.... watched it twice...

SO CAL all the way...
Knotts Berry Farm was the bomb.....remember that one.

Proctor

At about a 1 hour run-time, I was left wanting more. However, if it was 3 hours long, I probably would have still wanted more.

I would have liked to have seen a little more insight to the Stu/Greg rivalry. I got the impression that Greg held back just how intense that rivalry was and how it affected the family relationship. I never fathomed that it did put a stress on the Hill family.

I would have liked to have seen more on the Huffy years as well as racing post-Huffy. The magazines BITD talked at length about the Stu Thomsen's Family Bike Center "sponsorship," but at 11 or 12 years old, I didn't really understand what was going on. As and adult, being reminding by the movie what was happening during that time period in BMX, I understand now.

I loved the bonus material as well. Interesting insight to the Flight cranks -- I didn't realize the "bodies" of the crank arms were made overseas.

Overall, it was a great little flick! Very inspirational as well.

I just ordered my copy 5 minutes ago and cannot wait to see it! Hurry up Doug and ship it already!!!!

Already left Jon.

I mean, he pretty much came out and said he had a "hatred" for Stu in those years (a little shy of that, maybe, but pretty emphatic, IMHO). I thought it was cool that, after all that, they could shake hands and reminisce about how it was BITD.



I never knew he rode for Motobecane...that was interesting to me, especially since it happened during my time at the magazine. Maybe it was just a brief thing in Europe or some such.


Incidentally, this is the thread cited in the movie (it warrants a full read):

http://www.vintagebmx.com/community/index....owtopic=1024292

SO glad that things have worked out for Stu and Tanya...they are truly great people, and I am honored to call them friends.

Best,

M

awesome movie and a great ambassador & hero of BMX!!

even though Stu won the 1st Gold Cup the year i was born and i didn't know much about him here in the midwest growing up, it is still an awesome story and i'm now a fan 4life.

I just ordered it and can't wait to watch it.

As expected, it's awesome and well worth every penny!

Ed

Just watched it tonight and it rocked!!! I watched it with some non-BMX friends and they even seem to really get into it. Great movie!!! I am going to watch it the night before I leave for the Grands for a little bit of extra motivation.

I just watched it, for the second time lol..John and Mark did a fantastic job, this movie really gives you an insight into Stu's life as a Pro BMXer, and beyond..I am honored to have spent so many years racing and hangin out with Stu, he is a true professional..The hatred commet Mike mentioned if you listen to what I said, you kind of have feelings like that because it's competiton but you do not truly hate that person..It's competition and you get psyched up, that's all..I have the utmost respect for Stu and have to say our time on the track together was absolute magic win or lose it was magic, thanks Stubob!!!!!

GH

Yes, indeed! I think it may be like, in politics, where someone focuses their angst at "the office" of the President, and not the man. What I was getting at was that the film did a very good job, in my view, of laying those normally-unspoken, and probably uncomfortable, feelings bare. To me, it did not seem like you were holding back. As a viewer, I felt I was getting information that only few would ever know.

M

I watched it twice yesterday. wow... Great DVD! Stu was my hero when I first started racing, and this documentary cements the fact that he deserves to be that hero. GREAT footage, and great interviews. It was cool seeing Scott Breithaupt with modern footage of where the legendary B.U.M.S. track use to be. Kinda like being able to visit the birthplace of what changed so many of our lives...!
Stu- thanks for being who you are. You're still an inspiration, and a VERY class act!

Great vid! I would have liked more, but I was pleased with the video overall.

I hope this really takes off and makes it possible for other documentaries on Greg Hill and other top riders of the era.

i picked it up at J&R on friday after work and watched it four times over the weekend. i must say when tanya name dropped VINTAGE as the place he came to talk about his cancer,i felt like i was a little part of the film. stu is a true role model and was well deserved of this film. the knott's berry farm footage was cool! great job all around on this film. i think i'll watch it again when i get home.
cheers!
mike

I just got my copy in the mail and watched it like I was 12 years old and it was a new issue of BMXA. I thought they did a better job on this than Joe Kid. It seemed a little more coherent, and of course, it was all old school. Stu has always been one of my big heroes, but after watching this my respect and admiration for him increased on orders of magnitude.

Choice!

JP

..A great film for sure! I wanted to head to the track the minute it was over..and I'm a freestyler!!!

Stu is definitely worthy of all the praise he receives, and thanks to BANG for bringing the story to all of us..


..oh..and that story Jesse told about Stu coming by when he left his garage open? 100% true:

I watched this video last week. good watching and put together well.
Stu was the perfect choice for John & Mark to do the video. SUPER BMX talent, SUPER PERSON, and a lot more hidden talent just waiting to get out. all around good guy. i am proud to call him my friend.

RICK T.

I sat down and watched it with my 11 year old son and thoroughly enjoyed it! It's fun to see how BMX has evolved from basically a downhill drag race with a couple of woops to the technical tracks our kids race on today. I wish the Thomsen family many more years of great health and happiness. Thanks for sharing with us!

got it yesterday, watched it and loved it, nicely put together too!!!

what a surprise to find it in the mail box today, watched it within 1 hr of being home and I LOVE it. Stu is an incredible racer and more so in incredible man. To see his mom and dad, wife and son, he loves life and it shows. he has been a life time hero to me and I was lucky enough to meet him at Rockford this year. Mike, you said extras on the dvd, i didn't see that, here i go again!

I really enjoyed it. I wish it was longer and went more in depth. And I wish it had a LOT more race footage. Still, a must for any fan of the sport.

I can't wait to get my hands on it, can anyone tell me if it is "region free" ie will it play on oversea's region coded players. I'm sweet as I have region free player, just asking for a few of the lads down in Australia.

This was so fun to watch and great insight to Stu and all that he had to go through to be that rider we all wanted to be. Awesome job putting it together and a must see for us OSer's and a great see for the new school riders!

I liked it very much and I'm going to watch it again tonite with my bros!

I received my copy last week on the 26th. I enjoyed it so much, that I watched it 5 more times.

It's officially become the video I watch when I need to get psyched up to work out. Works every time.

JP

My copy was delivered yesterday, but I didn't get a chance to watch it until tonight...in fact its not over yet, but I knew as soon as I saw the segment "Brothers" and the interview with Greg Hill that I wanted to add to this thread......

I was by far most touched when Greg Hill said, after the early comments about almosting "hating" Stu, that he was honored that whenever someone mentioned Stu and his greatness, that his name was usually mentioned along with Stu and that it was an honor to be even be mentioned along with him.......WOW, what a statement from a class act like Greg Hill who was Stu's biggest competition and biggest rival, to basically come out and say that Stu is a bigger name then him and to be honored to just be mentioned in the same catagory as Stu...What a statement!!!!!

As I have got back into BMX and now had the chance ot meet Stu for the first time ever (at Rockford this year) and also to see the Joe Kid video as well as the new Stu video I am THRILLED to know that the guys I looked up to as a kid are really truly people who deserve to be looked up to as role models and are class acts......I am honored to be involved with a sport that includes Stu and Greg!!!!!

Man I'm stoked to see it , just ordered it. The Garage Magazine interveiw with him was awesome as well.