Words: McLovin
Let’s not lie, Coccoluto’s ‘ALL IN’ is the biggest freestyle kite video release since Tom Bridge’s LIGHT WORK.
To watch the movie you go to vimeo “on demand” tab which instantly makes you all confused and lost. And by having to pay for it, your expectations rise. Which is fine because this thing delivers. But, it has its flaws. So here are 5 good things about ALL IN, and 5 bad.
- GOOD The first badly executed trick appears in the 19th (!!!) minute of the movie. It’s a BS319 and IT’S NOT EVEN Cocco who fucks up the trick! In the movie he lands two BS319s- one is good and one is excellent (25:40 and 21:40). Anyway after watching 20 different double passes I stopped counting. The 90 seconds intro with Coccoluto riding is already a crazy technical part which alone would be one of the best freestyle filmed in the entire 2022. How can anyone top that? BAD Why do filmmakers always make it about themselves? Like why does Laci need a part in this. He’s not the focus. Don’t put yourself in it just for the sake of it? To be fair to the bloke tho, he filmed all this on a gamble. He bet on Coccoluto winning, and designed the whole production around that. Which is kinda epic.
- GOOD Guest riding in the movie are Noe Font and Maxime Chabloz. In the movie they resemble Ron and Hermione a bit. Maxime, a dependable sidekick who doesn’t steal the show but instead lets the star shine (legend) pushes Cocco to even more risky stuff and is always by his side whether Cocco wins some golden cup, gets touched up by hagrid or eats dinner in a common room.
Then, the clever and unexpectedly sexy Noe Font speaks some wisdom and lays out the biggest Leviosa moment during his interview. Colin and Adrian cover this in the podcast.
The most muggle-ish thing though is the fact he must have spent hours in a media library helping Laci doing clip selection while Cocco and Maxime are getting into more trouble on a lagoon, avoiding Dementors on downwinders. If you’re a bit too hufflepuff to enjoy this lame banter, you’ll at least accept the fact that Gianmaria and Maxime make a really killer duet and that they both have a pretty good chance of dominating during this year’s Taiba GKA event in November.
BAD Where’s the Crow7, Gianma? Eh!? Maxime!? There’s been a whole lotta talk. And not much crow. But, if you follow Cocco, which you obviously should, you’ll see that he’s working on it. I just wish he’d hurry up.
On that topic, here is the list of NBDs in the video:
– KGB 5 stalefish mummy wrapped (I checked that Valentin did a KGB5 without a grab in Taiba last year) 26:08 and again here:
^Front to blind Osmosis – except it isn’t osmosis because he is in-fact catching with the opposite hand. It just looks like it. So not an NBD. Not that crazy. Good job we’re here, eh?
^backroll sbend rewind mummy wrapped (but what’s the proper name of this trick that’s a better question?) 25:36
and if you’re an idiot you’ll think that the stalefish KGB7 is an NBD. It isn’t – Maxime did a kgb7 stalefish last year or some shit. it’s filmed in gka mens move of the year awards 2023. Suck on that
- GOOD ALL IN is filmed in an anamorphic format, it is the widest aspect ratio used in modern cinema. Premium dramatic features best showcase its wide field of view and ability to capture broad, scenic landscapes. Which works in ALL IN as most of the tricks are so huge that watching the excess of beach and sky in those shots would be simply distracting. Laci did smash the videography, to be fair to him.
Side note, I have a theory about white long sleeves: they make you do freestyle better. It all started with Aaron Hadlow in the legendary “2006” edit and throughout kiteboarding history you might recognize best video parts with similar outfit, so if you still have troubles with death looping after raleys to blind, you know what to do.
How fucking big is this FBM5 ^
- GOOD The Quarter Final with Manuel Soares was a historic one and for that reason it is worth watching it again. It’s probably from where the movie got its title “ALL IN” as it describes exactly how the stakes were high and what Gianmaria gave us in that heat. 38,74 points is an incredible score which for sure will be remembered by all riders competing in Taiba this year.
There is one emotional moment in the movie when Coccoluto comes back to the beach right after the final heat of the comp and realizes he has become a World Champion.
It is mindblowing how his World title seems justified and well deserved by the entire freestyle community even though he had not performed at his best during other events and only managed to score one win (ever) at the final tour stop of 2022. Just like Noe says in an interview before competition finals “Cocco would be a riders’ favorite rider winning”.
BAD Where’s the drama? The Final in Taiba was high voltage for the riding – and for the controversy. Basically, for Cocco to become world champion, Maxime had to get a shit score on his last attempt – this would make Manuel Soares world champion. Maxime enters the box, and performs a weak slim7. Cocco wins the championship. The Brazilian riders thought it was rigged. It was controversial and interesting, and I think Laci missed an opportunity there. The story telling was too “clean” and predictable. This video was made for kite dads who show it to their lazy kids to motivate them into sharing their d-lab kite on a session together. Kite dads don’t know that if the video hit their kids right, the little fuckers will be snorting cocaine in Braz after landing their first dangled slim in a few years time.
- GOOD Gianmaria said once that he only claims some moves during competition because thanks to it judges tend to score them higher. It is probably true.
What’s definitely true is that it’s impossible to see Cocco claiming any trick on a freeride session. This is contrary to some bigair riders who nowadays claim their moves like there is no tomorrow. Watching bigair competition is sometimes like watching wrestling or Nascar with hot heads performing a crazy freak show for the love of a crowd. Coccoluto on the other hand is like a pianist who after a breathtaking winning performance leaves a scene angry with himself that he allowed to make one tiny mistake which no one really cared for. He probably still remembers that mobe 7 crash from last year’s final. That’s his mindset, that’s how crazy you must be to reach his level.
BAD The music sucks. Yes it is all copyright free. Yes that is probably the right thing. But fuck it is shit. Ain’t nobody requesting those tunes from the DJ. In general it felt like a ripped CD mixtape bought at some shit hole with fake perfumes and ipads. Actually on 4th watch they’re not that bad. And last one kinda slaps.
When he talked about sacrifices he had made for freestyle it’s probably that one which is so hard to describe for regular people. Gianmaria lives in a world of madness. Once he enters the water there is nothing else allowed but perfection.
Watch ALL IN yourself:
It’s an amazing display of kiteboarding and finally a worthy tribute to Coccoluto who is without a doubt the best freestyle rider on the planet right now.
Verdict: 7.5/10
Simply put: If you’ve ever been a fan of freestyle, it is a must watch.
by McLovin