Customer Reviews

Warren Miller's Higher Ground

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The best film that the Warren Miller team released, in my opinion, was "Cold Fusion". That movie had the best music and some awesome base jumping in addition to the great skiing and boarding. I get the feeling that many, including the WM team, acknowledge that this was one of their best. The sound track to "Cold Fusion" was their best. I even wrote all of the songs down from that movie and made my own soundtrack CD. I feel that "Higher Ground" was an attempt to return to that formula. I found it more entertaining than the past two films but the soundtrack didn't match "Cold Fusion"; not a big deal though.

Yes, there is a lot of commercialization. Yes, the Warren Miller movie scene is changing. But how can you argue with another installment of a Warren Miller movie. I have been seeing the movies for more years then I can remember and Higher Ground still had the Warren Miller feel.

One of the most confusing aspects was the lack of Warren Miller. I was dissapointed that he didn't have any new lines in it. However, there was still some awesome skiing and a great soundtrack. If you are a Warren Miller fan, this movie is definately worth seeing. If you want a good ski movie, check out some of his other recent movies. My personal favorite is Storm.

This year's film, Off the Grid, definately improved over his past two (Higher Ground and Impact). Go see it if you have the chance!

I'd say this film is THE BIGGEST let down, next to Impact, in the Warren Miller film collection. Like the previous reviewer said, this film is extremely over-commercialized with all kinds of garbage, and there's a lot less skiing/boarding, and more movie-like attempted story telling. Stay far, far away from this film. It was a waste of money to go see, and definitely a waste of money to buy.

On the upside, this year's film, Off The Grid, was very enjoyable. They must have finally got the hint to get rid of the ridiculous amount of commercialization, and go back to the roots of what made Warren Miller films so succesful. Look for that film to be released some time in January of 2007, and get that instead.

As usual, Warren Miller has put out a great snow show. ALl of his movies have great video and music to back up the snow show. I did notice he did not have much to say in this movie, he left it up to his son to do much of the talking. We hope he is in good health.

This is one of the most visually pleasing Warren Miller films yet. I totally loved the places they filmed. Makes me wanna hit the slopes. Plus really cool to see the bigwigs of powder in action. More Warren Miller please!!!!

It's really hard to classify Warren Miller's Higher Ground. All of Warren's films have a mix of awesome skiiing and entertaining extras mixed in. This one seems to have more emphasis on the entertainment than any other of the films I've seen. In addition, while many of Warren's movies have a progression of locations that are tied in well to the title, this one is perhaps most confusing because the title "Higher Ground" seems to have little to do with many of the sequences.

The movie starts slowly with many spoofed comic sequences. More on this later. When they get to Cordova, you get the kind of classic pan and zoom shots that I have come to expect from Warren Miller. YOu get to see some nice ski cuts against big mountain backdrops. Obviously there is an emphasis on heli-skiing in this video.

The music on this one is also mostly the typical eclectic mix of ski documentaries. There's some Incubus thrown in with Pearl Jam and plenty of fast paced hip hop and rock tunes to provide a backdrop for all the tricks.

Lindsay Dyer and Jessica Sobalevski (sp?) have some awesome free range skiing sequences. I have never been to Heavenly or the Tahoe region between CA and NV, but Warren says it best: "Jessica makes men want to become skiiers because where she leads ... They want to follow."

And the footage of Canyon's Resort in Utah is also a high-point. Jeremy Bloom in the Canadian Rockies is also impressive. And Frank Walter skiing over 6 million vertical feet in a season makes me jealous and humble at the same time. The footage of Courcheval France was nice but somehow not fleshed out enough.

The shots of the gap jupms are simply amazing. This is what I was looking for. And the "life-saving right turn" will give you more gratitude that you've managed to avoid getting caught in an avalanche.

The shots of Seth and Shane are also awesome. And when you see this guy skiing off of a sheer face cliff and opening a parachute, you can't help but to wonder why they didn't have more of that in the movie.

There's some nice acrobatic shots at Copper Mountain, but they are mixed in with a comic back-story. Once again, love the tricks, but could have done without the comedy.

There is a very choppy mix between actual ski and snowboard action and those funny moments. Chris Anthony has some funny shots working on a Navy Aircraft Carrier, supposedly to hitch a ride to Alaska for "Arctic Man." But I did find myself wondering why the NY Fire Department going down a mountain with hoses and fireman uniforms wasn't funny to me. It was clearly planned out and I'm sure it's funny to a lot of people, but I just didn't get it.

Then there's segments on a guy hop, skip and a jumping all around the city and then a shot of skiers playing cards. They try to tie this into the segment on "Heavenly" but it's hard to understand the transition. All the skiiers show up in 70s gear and do sily tricks. There's nice vintage footage but it just seems randomly thrown in.

So I guess their deliberate attempts at humor make this one less funny than the others, at least for me.

And there-in lies my principal criticism of this documentary. I believe that if 3/4 of those jokes and comic extras had been removed, this would have been a much better film. For my money, Warren Miller's Storm, Warren Miller's Journey and Warren Miller: Off the Grid are all better films than this one. Yet those who like the bloopers and jokes (which seems like a lot of people) are definitely going to like this one more.

Another thing that seems a little different about this one is the emphasis and random placement of the wipe-out footage. It made me remember other Warren Miller movies and it made me wonder, "Why are all the wipe-outs mixed in at random with the shots of them nailing all these tricks?" I didn't come up with a satisfying answer for myself.

Once you get into the base-jumping / flying, it's a little easier for me to accept the diversion away from skiing. Seeing that guy flying in the wing-suit is truly amazing. But I definitely am curious how he lands. :) Obviously he opens a parachute but it's still scary to see him flyng over the sheer cliff faces and jagged mountains.

Though I will say, the comedy of the closing sequence including the highway stop and "Warren Miller Radio" is actually pretty funny. There's a Napoleon Dynamite reference thrown in there too. :)

All in all, if you like silly humor and bloopers, this might be one of your favorite Warren Miller productions. If you are looking for the most ski and snowboard action you can get in a documentary, this one may leave you wanting more. Seek out some of the others I have mentioned instead.

Enjoy.

My husband and I watched this on TV and thought it was so incredible! We wanted to watch it again and again, so we bought it...it is so exhilerating! This we highly recommend, it is awesome! We purchased 4 copies to give as gifts and we are going to buy everything we can find Warren Miller did...not to mention the Soundtracks! The music is awesome! This movie keeps you on the edge of your seat with excitement, but gives you a peace with the scenery...with much laughter, amazement, and history. It is probably more a documentary, but you don't feel like it! My husband is in his late 60's and I am in my mid 30's..it is for all age groups...and something clean for kids to watch!

Tricks and endless powder skiing + boarding make this movie a winner. cool base jumping and sky diving stuff. Good soundtrack too. Another great Warren Miller movie. 'nuf said. :|

All of Warren Miller's movies are great and this is no different. If you want to get phsyched for a day of skiing watch this one.

Warren Miller is involved with this movie in name only. His catch phrases "if you don't do it this year..." were dubbed in from earlier movies. I could live with the departure of Warren (he's in his 80s after all), but the movies are also over-commercialized -- hitting too many mountains and helicopter trips, and too many product placements. There's very little of the spirit left that makes Warren's millers so wonderful. Buy an old one and skip this garbage.