The fastest way from Point A to Point B...purrr
I have been completely enthralled with something I had no clue even existed before S and I went on a whim to go see Luc Besson's Banlieue 13 last weekend. Banlieue 13 is a film set in the (extreme) ghettos of Paris in 2010 about an undercover cop and ex-thug trying to infiltrate a gang in order to defuse a neutron bomb.
The film showcases David Belle (who I have such an intense crush on now mmmm), the 'founder' of a relatively new 'sport' (in quotes because I view it as more of a philosophy put into practical physical application...meow!) called Parkour which one passes through obstacles in the fastest and most direct manner possible (sweet effiency how I love you), using skills such as jumping, vaulting and climbing, or the more specific parkour moves. The obstacles can be anything in one's environment, so Parkour is often practiced in urban areas because of many suitable public structures, such as buildings, rails, and walls.
Here is an awesome clip of this in practice from Banlieue 13:
(seriously amazing clip, watch to the end to understand how our jaws were on the ground for the whole film hah. And yes, that is David Belle, and there are no stunt men, that is him taking the falls and doing all that sexy wall climbing.)
Here is a rather long documentary (over an hour) about the Yamakasi, the group of founders of Free Movement which resembles Parkour. The philosophy of the Yamakasis, however, is that of aesthetics and complete freedom of movement from point A to point B, as opposed to Parkour which focuses on efficiency of movement between point A to point B, without the emphasis on aesthetics. Hence Yamakasis perform flips and tricks, while traceurs (Parkour practioners) do not. Luc Besson actually made a whole movie about the Yamakasi called Yamakasi - Les samouraïs des temps modernes which supposedly was light on plot but heavy on showcasing the Yamakasi doing what they do best. Who cares about plot really though? I could watch these types of videos all day! ;)
The flips and tricks are hypnotizing to watch :D :
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3773384792923323349&q=generation+yamakasi