Steinesongo Too many fans seem to be blown away

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GazerRise Fantastic!

BroadcastChic Excellent, a Must See

Red-Barracuda The Sunshine Superman of the title is Carl Boenish, who was a recreational skydiver who developed a new offshoot extreme sport which would go on to be called BASE jumping (Buildings – Antennas – Spans (bridges) – Earth (cliffs)). This sport involved the participant diving off vertigo inducing heights in order to free-fall for a number of pulse-pounding seconds only to pull a parachute as late as is safely possible. The sport became Boenish's life and he went on to plan a series of jumps including the El Capitan cliff-face in Yosemite and skyscrapers under construction in Los Angeles. Needless to say, he was (quite reasonably) at odds with the authorities who were very nervous about the safety of such a new and seemingly dangerous pastime. Of great benefit to the film-makers here, Boenish made recordings of most of the dives he was involved in; in fact he said that the recording of it was completely integral to it. Aside from a few dramatic re-enactments with actors, this is all original material. As such, there is a lot of great footage to be enjoyed here, including some stunning new aerial photography made specifically for the film, where we sweep over cliffs and latterly follow a man in an extraordinary flying suit. This is a very handsome looking documentary, which is also sound-tracked to a selection of very well chosen contemporary music.While this is primarily a celebration of its main character and the sport he created. It also has an important love story too. Boenish met his wife Jean at one of the early screenings of his films and they would go on to become an important team who would ceaselessly promote BASE jumping. This led to them travelling to Norway to take part in a television event where they broke the world record after jumping off the imposing Trollveggen cliffs. The following day Boenish died while attempting a second jump off a cliff he had previously considered too dangerous. His reasons for doing so remain largely a mystery.BASE jumping is certainly a very cinematic sport, with the incredible visuals it offers. These days it perhaps seems second nature to make these dives with helmet cameras but back then it was a new idea and Boenish had to attach bulky cameras to himself in order to achieve it. And in the film's most uncomfortable event we watch him climb a home-made ladder device which extends way out into space over the sheer drop of a huge cliff. We watch him climb this with no safety harness and then turn awkwardly around at the top to sit on a bike seat so that he can film his friends jump off from the best angle. I'm getting feelings of vertigo just thinking of this, it was so absurdly daring. Boenish, of course, looked like he was having a laugh.

David Ferguson Greetings again from the darkness. When at a dinner party someone introduces themselves as "an engineer", we don't typically settle in for a long evening of tales describing their daredevil and death-defying hobbies. Filmmaker Marah Strauch teaches us being too quick to judge could cost us the exhilarating story of Carl Boenish, the father of BASE jumping.Mr. Boenish was an engineer turned cinematographer turned skydiver and cliff jumper. Despite his unbridled energy and enthusiasm, his engineering background (Hughes Aircraft) provided the analytical foundation that helped him plan "safe" jumps for years. And it was his love of film and cinematography that produced a treasure trove of film clips from some breathtaking jumps … beginning with his 1978 leap from Yosemite's El Capitan.The film is about Boenish's thirst for the next big jump, but it's also about his jumping partner and wife Jean, and the bond between them. GoPro cameras have spoiled us today. We are accustomed to film clips of just about anything that involves speed, height or any person looking for a thrill. Thirty plus years ago, such clips weren't possible … except with Boenish and his clunky cameras strapped to helmets on these jumps.BASE jumping is an acronym for Building, Antenna, Span, Earth … the types of jumps required to join the ranks of Boenish's group. We witness the fights against national park Rangers, and the clandestine operations that led to jumps from under construction skyscrapers in Los Angeles and Houston. Boenish truly pushed the Nature's Law vs. Man's Law conflict.Director Strauch takes us through the Guiness record jump at Norway's Troll Wall, and we even hear Jean stating that Carl would have been right there with today's wing suit jumpers. The final shot of a modern day "flyer" is quite the contrast to those early Boenish jumps. The film answers "How and Why", and leaves little doubt that the genetic make-up is quite different for this group of thrill-seekers than for the rest of us … and being an engineer doesn't exclude one from either group!

ylester This film made me cry and I am a man... It was a love story and also very visually exciting. I saw it in Toronto and I am going to see it again and again!! Carl Boenish was inspiring and really an amazing character study. I wish the film were a bit longer but other then that a perfect film. The old film footage was good to see. I loved the old news footage and the great style of the current day stuff. The ending scene was SICK!!!! IMDb is making me write more but really what I want to say is you should see it. My GF even liked it despite the fact she is afraid of heights. I felt like I wanted to try BASE jumping something I never would actually go and do. I think seeing is this film on the big screen is essential it is not a normal documentary.

maxlaststop It is rare to see a documentary that feels like a full film Sunshine Superman feels like you have been to movies. It has drama, a love story and gorgeous aerial photography. I highly recommend seeing on the big screen. I saw the film in Atlanta with a crowd that gave it a standing ovation. It is a crowd pleaser yet also something deeper. The film explores themes of mortality , faith, inspiration, and what it means to be fully awake in the mad world. The soundtrack is fantastic the film is worth seeing for the soundtrack alone. Some will compare the film with Man on Wire. I think that is a bit too easy and not really true the film is deeper and and the characters richer. The poetic sensibilities are different and a bit more soft (in a good way) in Sunshine Superman.