PLAN B "TRUE" REVIEW

          Plan B True, one of the most anticipated videos of the last decade, did not disappoint. The iconic brand's newest full length graced the big screen of the Montalban Theater in Hollywood on November 23rd, 2014. A little over a week later the video finally surfaced on Itunes on December 2nd. With a team roster as deep as any and multiple legendary fullengths under its belt, the Plan B brand was forced to live up to tremendous expectations. 

          The Plan B team significantly changed since their videos from the 90's and even from the more recent SuperFuture Promo video from 2008. The loss of legendary riders like Paul Rodriguez and Jereme Rogers had many questioning if the video would ever show. Since the SuperFuture promo Plan B has added the talents of Chris Joslin, Trevor McClung, and Felipe Gustavo to its roster. This video most definitely lived up to its hype.

 

Soundtrack from http://www.skatevideosite.com/skatevideos/plan-b-true/soundtrack

Chris Joslin #1 - Fuck Buttons - Brainfreeze

Chris Joslin #2 - Heart - Barracuda

Intro - Holy Fuck - Tone Bank Jungle

Felipe Gustavo - Rick Ross - Pirates

Pat Duffy - Fidlar - Cheap Beer

Scott Decenzo - Jethro Tull - Locomotive Breath

Trevor McClung - Goat - Gathering of Ancient Tribes

Ryan Sheckler - Hanni El Khatib - Pay No Mind

Torey Pudwill - The Rolling Stones - You Can't Always Get What You Want

Credits - Ofege - It's Not Easy

          The video starts off with a tribute to the late Mike "MT" Ternasky. It shows a clip from November 23, 1991 (exactly 23 years before True came out) featuring a younger Pat Duffy skating an 11 stair handrail in the rain. Mike is seen as a motivating factor in this clip, gladly filming in the bad weather and risking his camera equipment. Pat Duffy then backside lipslides the rail twice for the Questionable video (1991). This clip shows the camaraderie of the duo and displays Mike's willingness to get the job done. This clips seemed a good fit for the video as it appeals to Plan B's original fans during the 90's and shows what they are about as a brand. RIP Mike Ternasky.

Chris Joslin- In arguably the greatest introduction to the team video part of all time, Chris Joslin shows himself as a new breed of skateboarder. Despite previous clips in Bones' "New Ground" and a full part in the homie video "Ground Control", Joslin was still relatively unknown for a Southern California skateboarder of this caliber prior to this epic part. Chris comes off as the skaterat of skaterats in the intro clip as he breaks his board attempting to nollie heelflip one of San Francisco's biggest gaps while nursing a broken finger. Viewers knew his part would be heavy as he ends his first line with a ghetto bird down 11stairs at (3:52). Joslin shows us he can do just about every flip trick down a set of stairs as he bigspins Hollywood 16 just a few clips into his part. Shortly after, Chris' part changes pace as he switches from skating to the intrumental "Brainfreeze" to "Barracuda". The California native's part gets heated quick as he throws a nollie hardflip down the famous 6 block (6:39). Chris shows us he's the real deal as he does a nollie backside flip on a 7 flat 3 double set going at least 20 miles per hour (7:03). Just 30 seconds later Chris stomps one of the best tricks ever done on the famous Clipper hubba in San Francisco, nollie flip frontside 5050 (7:32). A minute later Chris does a rarely seen trick on another famous spot, inward heelflip Lincoln 14 (8:24). Joslin's last three bangers include bigspin on from on top of the Macba ledge to the street, hardflip 18, and 360 flip the UC Davis gap. (8:58-9:20). Chris proves that at only 18 he can ride with the best, tre flipping a gap that Andrew Reynolds kickflipped as his ender in Emerica's "Stay Gold" (2010). On top of a momentous amount of bangers, Chris apparently filmed his entire part in less than a year's time and with a partially torn ACL. Chris' part is certainly an introduction of whats to come from him in the skateboarding world. Following Ryan Sheckler's footsteps and joining Etnies' team, Chris Joslin's future looks exceptionally bright.

Felipe Gustavo- After a short intro from the rest of the Plan B team, Tampa Am 2007 winner Felipe Gustavo skates for "True". Getting offers from Plan B before he could even speak English, Felipe blossomed under the brand. The DC rider proves he is one of the most technical skateboarders on the planet currently with a wide variety of flip-in flip-out variations. Among the most impressive are nollie tre flip backside 5-0 grind and fakie tre flip fakie backside nosegrind; mirror images (12:53-13:02). The newest professional on the Plan B team demonstrates his perfect switch frontside flips, doing one intro a 5-0 grind on a full size picnic table (14:15). Felipe whips out a barrage of Chinese ledge lines, one of which he ends with a nollie bigheel fakie nosegrind (15:24). Felipe then whips out an NBD with a switch flip frontside tailslide on a classic handrail (15:40). The Brazilian ends his part in good fashion with a tre flip crooked grind on a picnic table (The NAC). Felipe has turned into one of Plan B's heavy hitters due to his persistence and ledge mastery.

Pat Duffy- Pat Duffy's begins his part with a clip of himself and Plan B filmer Eric Bragg being chased out of a spot by locals. Pat is sure to grab a line with a clean backside wallride before exiting (16:33). Just weeks shy of his 40th birthday, Pat proves he can still shred with the best. Among other notable tricks is a backside smith grind to backside tailslide on a steep bank (17:22). On a fun, wavy kicker spot in China, Pat blasts a clean frontside heelflip (17:59). He ends his part with a scary frontside wallride. Its refreshing to see a part from Pat as he is the only original member of the Plan B roster that was willing to use his footage for "True". Pat has come a long way and shows no sign of slowing down.

Scott Decenzo- The younger brother of the Decenzo family shows his talents in this epic part. Scott claims fourth part in the video, landing a switch frontside boardslide frontside shove out on a rail with knobs (20:00). Scott whips out a switch frontside hurricane on a hubba for his next trick, a banger to say the least (20:05). Scott's unique style and trick selection shows as he does a backside smith grind inward heelflip out on a picnic table (20:54). Later Scott does a switch gap to backside smith grind with ease on a tall pier ledge (21:32). In classic Barcelona ledge style, Scott does a backside 180 switch frontside crook fakie heelflip out, an NBD (22:21). In the next clip Scott does a feeble grind frontside flip out on a mellow handrail. The younger Decenzo ends his part with a massive nollie noseblunt on a large Barcelona hubba. Scott will most likely be Plan B's next professional as he has been committed to the team since the SuperFuture days and shows an epic proportion of progression.

Trevor McClung- This McClung brother holds true to their family's skate abilities and throws down a wild variety of tricks. In a quick two trick ledge line, Trevor lands a switch frontside nosegrind half cab flip out in quick foot fashion. (24:11). Later on the famous Uni 8 rail, the McClung brother does fakie ollie to switch frontside feeble grind. Trevor shows he can skate anything, doing feeble to backside noseblunt on a rusty flatbar in a line (25:26). Shortly after, Trevor does one of the biggest switch backside 180s, off a ledge intro a street with traffic. He shows off his switch skills as he ends a line with switch backside flip alley-oop style over a handrail (26:04). At (26:39) Trevor McClung does one of the best crooked grinds of all time, grinding the rarely skated "S" rail in China all the way to the flat. Coming back to California, Trevor ends his part with a picture perfect switch backside flip down a 5 flat 5 flat 5 triple set. Despite being one of the newest additions to the Plan B roster, Trevor shows he is no novice to the game.

Ryan Sheckler- Ryan starts off his part with one of the gnarliest drop-ins of all time (27:54). Neither the wind or the hole in the skinny quarterpipe could phase him. The ex-MTV star came through with something to prove in his part. Besides his SuperFuture promo video, Sheckler hadn't had a full part since Oakley's "Our Life" in 2006. Among Ryan's best tricks in his part is a perfect half cab flip down a gap in classic Sheckler fashion. Ryan shows us he can skate much more than just stairs as he does a fakie manual fakie flip on a high Chinese manual pad (29:04). Sheckler demonstrates his progression as he backside tailslides a rail that he boardslid as a grom in Almost's "Round Three"(29:23). After fakie hardflipping the Bricktown stairs (30:11), Ryan sets up cruiser wheels and blasts out of a bank for one of the highest back tails of all time (30:17). Shortly after, Ryan reminds everyone of his kickflip expertise as he floats one down a massive 6 block (30:50). Sheckler clinches his second to last part with a proper backside 360 off a bump over a rail and over a gap (31:04). Ryan's part reigns my favorite in the video as he skates clean and with tricks that he has never done in any of his previous parts. He shakes all the doubters who claimed that his television antics were detrimental to his skating.

Torey Pudwill- The ledge master himself guns for SOTY in this part of parts. The Grizzly griptape owner proves no one can stop him as he does a backside flip to switch frontside crooks on a colorful ledge that he has frequented before (32:39). Torey shows he still has NBDs to do as he does nosegrind nollie flip to frontside lipslide on a flatbar (33:21). The king of wax continues his slaughter with a backside smith frontside flip out on a Chinese bank to ledge (35:36). Despite pedestrian interference, Torey continues his annihilation of Chinese marble, ending a line with a nollie backside flip to switch frontside crooks (36:33). A little after, Torey pays homage to his late friend Lewis Marnell as the Australian makes a cameo with a kickflip to lipslide on a gap to ledge (37:28). After backside smith grinding up a Canadian handrail (37:38), Torey marks off another NBD with a backside lipslide kickflip backnoseblunt to fakie (37:50). Pudwill's ability to combo just about every trick has greatly increased his fan base. In the next clip,Torey brings a flatbar trick to a mellow handrail as he does a backside smith grind varial heelflip out (37:53). After a barrage of other tricks Torey solitifies his ender part with a backside 360 kickflip over a famous street gap that he skated back in Transworld's "Hallelujah" (38:25). Torey's part seems like an instant classic as he skates to a song as passionate as his skating. Torey definitiely deserved this ending part in Plan B's "True".

       Overall Plan B's "True" is an excellent video. The HD filming from Eric Bragg and the team's deep roster really contributed to the film's success. Despite the heavy hammers, speculation still remains about Sheckler at El Toro and the lack of footage from the older riders. In the credits Ryan is seen sticking backside flip down the legendary 20 set, but barely clipping the last stair. In an interview with Phelper from early 2010 Ryan claimed he landed the trick. I speculate thart his deliberate lie was to give himself the motivation and push to actually go to the stair set and throw down. Regarding the older riders, PJ Ladd, Danny Way, and Colin McKay all did not have parts in this video. Colin claims that him and Danny are dropping parts in the near future. These two most likely did not want their parts to be in "True" in order to let the younger riders shine. Plan B's "True" marks another chapter in the legacy of the historic brand, focusing on the younger riders and their quest to the top of the skate world.

The video can be downloaded at https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/true-plan-b-skateboards/id943640765