Review: Mike V's Greatest Hits
Overall: elekdragon, despite having never seen the DVD sums it up perfectly after listening to me talk about it: It's like, anywhere Mike V goes, he's gotta beat some bitches.
No, really. That's just about all that we see on this DVD. Mike V goes places and ends up having to kick some ass. Through the miracle of DVD technology, we also get Mike V and other skaters/people who were there to give commentary. The DVD covers "The Muska Incident", "Mike's Ice Hockey Punch Outs", "The Europe Brawl/Boycott", "Mike V's Pro Wrestling Footage" and "The CKY 3 Fight" with footage of Bam and Mike V skating in places and getting harassed by security guards in-between each incident. (And one random moment of Mike V getting his ass handed to him by his (then) four year old daughter. Totally adorable.)
Each fight/brawl gets its own chapter and is discussed in-depth by Mike V and other people who were involved. If there was footage, we get to see that too. (The only one we don't see footage of is the UK battle with the security guards.) There's also an intro and a close, plus footage of Mike V with his band.
"The Muska Incident" - At a skating event at the Hard Rock Universal Studios Hollywood, Chad Muska says "fuck" and pisses off a security guard. The guard didn't want him saying "fuck". So Chad retaliates by saying it a bunch of times. The guards try restraining him, so Mike V rushed in and saved him. "I went in there with the purpose of freeing the Muska from the bad guys."
"Mike's Ice Hockey Punch Outs" - Mike V talks about how his fighting style is remarkably similar to those seen on a hockey rink and gets to test out his skillz on the ice against a real NHL enforcer.
"The Europe Brawl/Boycott" - This is two separate incidents. First, in Germany, some jerk decided to keep money that was supposed to be spent on updating the street course in an arena on a new car. During a demo on said course, the people in charge tried to shut it down and expected the skaters to immediately stop. When that doesn't happen, they send out meathead security guards who grab people from the air and tell them "Stop skating!" Mike V (with hair in the footage) gets into it with the security guards. The skaters went to the promoters with their demands and said this is what we want, and the promoters called their bluff. The skaters boycotted. And the next year, they had a new course. hee.
The other European incident was at a UK contest. Security won't let Mike V's wife and daughter in. Mike tells the guards, "Hey, it's okay, it's cool, she's with me." One of them is like, "Fuck you, mate!" And it's on. (Ellis walks up to a bunch of guys and asks what's up. They tell him, "Your boy's in trouble!" And Ellis runs to help. hee.)
"Mike V's Pro Wrestling Footage" - Yes, Mike V was a pro wrestler, and we get to see it. He trained and everything. For a promotion you've probably never heard of. Anyway, he was a hardcore wrestler, so that meant tables and chairs and ladders and skateboards and wonderful things like that. Look, he gets beat up on purpose and bleeds. What more do you want me to say?
"The CKY 3 Fight" - A big selling point for this is that it's available in it's entirety. During the 2001 GSPT, four fratboys make the mistake of mocking pro skating outside of a 7-11 while Mike V, Ellis, Tony Hawk, Robert Earl and the driver of the bus are around. Words escalate and it's ON. Ellis: Before they even knew what was going on, they all got punched in the head. (heee.)
Then there's an epilogue with Mike V talking about violence and how that CKY 3 fight was the last physical altercation he's gotten into. "What's the reality of getting physical with somebody? It always leads to someplace bad."
Oh yeah, the extras: Mike V-centric things from 411VM and promos for various Mike V things, along with a longer look at his pro wrestling career.
4/5 (It pretty much delivers on what it promises: Mike V kicking ass.)
Does it bring the gay? I'll let these out of context quotes help answer that. Ellis: "If he punches in you in the head, you had to have asked for it... He fights like a hockey player..."
Tony: "He's not afraid to get agressive. He's not afraid to get physical... He takes hits that would take out most skaters and he keeps going... That's what he needed to get where he is. His agression... and his determination."
It's (approximately) 70 minutes of Mike V kicking ass (and occaisionally getting his ass kicked). Most of this ass kicking is done when a fellow friend and skater is in trouble. Clothes are torn off, there's blood and punching and kicking... Good times, good times.
Plus, Bam acts like he usually does (Read: Acting like a 14yo girl who wants desperately to be goth and accepted by the cute boy she looooooooooooooooooooves.) and is way too happy about getting Mike V's fight with the fratboys on film, as well as bringing up the fact that Mike V ripped his shirt off during the battle.
3.5/5
Summary: I got lucky and found it used for $8.99. I wouldn't pay more than ten bucks for it, myself. As I said before, it's pretty much Mike V kicking ass and talking about it, with additional commentary from his friends (and family). Of course, things are always more interesting when said friends include Tony Hawk, Jason Ellis and Bam Margera. heh.
Oh, and there's footage of Ellis without a hat. Or as elekdragon put it, "Naked!"