Image: ReelSessions.com

I was lucky enough to be able to attend the Encinitas showing of Taylor Steele’s new movie, Castles In The Sky.  It was held at the historic La Paloma theater in front of a boisterous, sold out crowd.

I’m a huge fan of Taylor Steele’s work, so when he got up on stage and introduced the project as special to him I knew it had to be good.

If you look at the poster for Castles In The Sky you will see that it stars India, Peru, Vietnam, Africa, and Iceland.  A bit odd, considering that there are some big name surfers in the movie.  But while the surf stars in the film are A-listers, they aren’t really the stars; the film is more about the land and cultures that they visit – a visual journey through a global tapestry.  The imagery that Mr. Steele has captured is full of color, life, and culture from all parts of the globe.  Sometimes I find the “culture as opposed to surfing” routine a bit overdone, but in Castles it absolutely worked.  I think that the quality of the photography was the ticket here.

Photo: dhump/poorspecimen.com

That gorgeous cinematography extends to the surfing, where every drop of water, ripple, and rail grab is captured in full color film.  First stop was Iceland, where Dane Reynolds and crew conquer a windy but beautifully peeling righthander in what looks like some sort of bay.  You can see the swells wrapping in under huge snow covered mountains.  The crew also dips into a frigid, barreling left in what looks like a sunrise or sunset session.  The contrast is beautiful, with golden sunlight glinting off the glassy waves as the surfers pigdog into the tube.  This got the crowd going pretty good.

Jordy Smith and crew hit a throaty looking wedge in Vietnam (I think it was Vietnam but I could be wrong).  Jordy pulls some amazing maneuvers, and I’m not sure that he doesn’t  use velcro on his feet.

Rob Machado tackled Peru with his signature fluid style – the hometown hero here in Encinitas, he got the crowd hooting as well.  I know Machado doesn’t air it on every wave, but I have to say that in my opinion he has the most visually pleasing style of all the pros.   Dave Rastovich, another crowd pleaser, catches some amazingly glassy waves in India, and even shoots through a gnarly looking concrete pier.

Other surfers include Dan Malloy, Kalani Robb, Mike Losness, Tim Curran, Craig Anderson, Pete Mendia, Dion Agius, Kai Barger, Gabriel Villaran, and Mitch Coleborn.

A few of my friends commented that there “could have been more surfing,” but I have to personally disagree.  This isn’t Modern Collective, so don’t go in with that expectation.  What you can expect is a perfect blend of amazing photography of people, places, monuments, and surfing, all mixed to an excellent soundtrack.  I know it sounds cliche, but it’s amazing how much culture is out there in the world.  Sometimes we have to look beyond our personal bubbles to realize it.

Check the Castles In The Sky website for more information on the tour schedule.  If you can get to a premiere showing I highly recommend it!

CASTLES IN THE SKY from Sipping Jetstreams on Vimeo.

Related posts:

1. The Drifter

Last night I was able to attend the Encinitas premiere of Modern Collective over at the historic La Paloma theater.  Modern Collective is the result of years of work from director Kai Neville.

Basically this flick is all killer, no filler.  Showcased here are the talents of Jordy Smith, Dane Reynolds, Dion Agius, Yadin Nicol, Mitch Coleborn, and Dusty Payne.  It’s a circus riot of airs, ridiculous slashes, and one foot recoveries.  I don’t know how these guys stick these moves but they do.  The movie doesn’t take itself too seriously though, and they often show a series of gnarly looking botched attempts until they get it down.

Basically Jordy steals the show here, but everyone pulls their weight.  It’s hard to believe that Jordy can be so light on his feet yet pull the insane turns that he does.

It’s funny to note that the waves the guys are tearing to shreds in this movie are not the typical dreamscape waves you draw in your notebook and see in surf movies.  It’s onshore and dumpy, but somehow these surfers make these waves look like a million bucks.

The soundtrack here is progressive and full of electropop gems.  Some songs bordered on a little repetitive, but you might uncover some new tracks here.

The only thing that got a little tiring about the movie was that it was full of one hit wonder waves.  It’s a great talent showcase but there’s only so much slash and burn you can take before it all bleeds together and loses its effectiveness.  Thankfully there are some good barrel sections scattered throughout, and Dane’s black and white section is a welcome style changeup.

The pyramid motif was great.  Very 80’s Tron feeling with a modern twist.  The glowing names of the surfers burned on various parts of their bodies in the opening credits was genius.

Modern Collective teaser ft: Jordy from Poor Specimen on Vimeo.

Overall Modern Collective is a fun, fun ride.  If you can’t make a premiere in your town then check out the DVD when it’s released.

http://www.moderncollective.tv

Related posts:

1. Taylor Steele’s Castles In The Sky

Before the movie the audience was treated to some great music by Rob, Jon Swift, Fernando Apodaca and Todd Hannigan.  I’ve been a fan of Jon Swift since I first heard his music in the 2001 surf video “Shelter” (Jon Swift is an astrophysicist).  Getting to hear him play live was a treat, and they sounded amazing.

The movie “The Drifter” is more of a travelog / inner journey film than it is a traditional surf film.   The entire film takes place in Indonesia on the island of Bali as well as other surrounding islands, following Rob as he wanders aimlessly trying to get away from the herd.  He finally ends up pitching his tent on a hill where he’s just moments away from a flawless left.

The cinematography is excellent, and it’s almost a love letter to Indonesia in a way, highlighting the people and the unique, friendly villages.  Even though I was expecting more surfing I still very much enjoyed this film.  It’s not so serious that it’s beating you over the head with philosophy, but rather maintains a thread of self reflective humor that’s reminiscent of the Endless Summer movies.

After the film they played the bonus surf section and we were treated to Rob and Jon playing along with the footage.  Taylor Steele and Rob also did a Q+A session after the film where they got to expand a bit on the making of the movie.

Jon Swift and Rob jam before the film

Taylor Steel and Rob did a Q+A session after the movie

If you can’t make it to a premiere then catch the Drifter on DVD.

http://www.thedriftermovie.com for more info

also, check out Jon Swift’s music:

http://www.jonswiftmusic.com

Related posts:

1. Innersection.tv
2. Taylor Steele’s Castles In The Sky

Rip Curl's Rubber Soul II

Heads up for a free download!

Looks like there’s a new trend of company sponsored free surf vid downloads optimized for your ipod / iphone!  The latest offering is Rip Curl’s Rubber Soul 2, featuring Mick Fanning, Steph Gilmore, Owen Wright, Taylor Knox, Matt Wilkinson, Dean Brady, Ricky Basnett, Stuey Kennedy, Frankie O, Nathan Edge, and Ben Dunn.  The whole thing is only about 186 meg.  This is great for your next plane flight or long car ride.

You don’t need an ipod or iphone to watch the vid.  You can watch it in segments right on the website, or download it and watch it in itunes.

Check It Out Here!

Related posts:

1. The Surf Network – Surf Movies On Your Ipod/Iphone

This was going to be a long flight though, so I decided to check out something I’d had my eye on for a while.  The Surf Network is a service providing full surf movies for download straight to itunes so you can easily put them on your Iphone or Ipod.

They make it pretty easy.  What you actually do is buy the movies on their website first, then open Itunes and they download from your podcast subscriptions.

The best thing is that their library is pretty big.  They have most surf movies you can think of.  To get prepped for Oahu I bought “Seven Mile Miracle” and “Pipeline Masters.”  Seven Mile Miracle had EXCELLENT video quality, but I was a little disappointed with the video quality of Pipeline Masters as there seemed to be a lot of blocking and artifacts in certain scenes.  Perhaps if I email them they’ll do another compression.

Another awesome feature is the website itself…they have a great design that makes watching the trailers for the movies easy and quick.

The only other downside is that I think the prices for the movies could be slightly lower.  After all, I’m only getting a digital download, not an actual DVD.

If you’re looking to load up on some surf movies for a trip, check out The Surf Network.  Overall I was pretty happy with it!

Related posts:

1. Rip Curl Rubber Soul 2 – Free Vid
2. New Magic Seaweed Iphone App Released
3. SurfCoach.com Review – Online Surf Training

This movie gave me chills multiple times.  I have such a fascination with the way that Aspberger’s syndrome can produce savant-like talents in certain individuals.  In Clay’s case, he is one with the water.  He seems to have this innate sixth sense that puts him in tune with the ocean and the waves.

After doing a lot with Surfer’s Healing back home in Montauk, NY, I am in awe of the way that kids with severe autism seem to be soothed by the ocean.  It’s a little uncomfortable at first; sometimes those kids do NOT want to go in the water, and they get dragged kicking and screaming.  You find yourself thinking, “Is this really such a good idea?”  But then those same kids return to the beach after their session and there is such a change.  Sometimes they want to go back in again, and a third time.  In the movie Just Add Water, there was a comment about how one mother had never heard her child speak a word…until he came out of the ocean after his session with Surfer’s Healing.

Anyway, back to the point…this movie will get you stoked on life, and surfing as a sport and way of life.  Of course the surfing is phenomenal.  I can’t understand how Clay can pull some of these moves.   He has definitely become one of my favorite pros.

Clay can be blunt at times, but sometimes what he says is quite poignant.  My favorite quote was his line “Waves…are toys from God.”  It doesn’t get any more true or simpler than that.

P.S. – If you buy this DVD, you get a sweet card of wildflower seeds that you can plant (just add water..haha) and a portion of the proceeds goes towards Surfer’s Healing.  Pretty sweet deal if you ask me.

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1. Thicker Than Water

Still One Of The Best

Thicker Than Water
Directed and produced by Chris Malloy
Directed/Filmed/Scored by Jack Johnson
Directed/Edited by Emmett Malloy

Sweet as a nut.

Thicker Than Water is a classic, and definitely belongs in any self-respecting surf video collection. TTW focuses on the element of the family and friendship involved in surfing—whether you’re stuck together on a boat in the middle of nowhere, or you opt to surf your home break with friends instead of go on yet another fancy boat trip. Voice-overs of surfers nostalgically recalling their first waves and first cutbacks are enough to bring a tear to your eye.

There’s a fun section where a number of different surfers all try to use this green singlefin board. It’s a great comparison of styles and approaches to surfing. Of course Slater puts it through moves like it’s the most cutting edge hi-performance board on the market.

I wasn’t too sure about the random New York City section, but it doesn’t hurt the film. Being from New York I was disappointed they didn’t show some shots of New York surfing!

Surfing: All shortboarding here, but it’s good. Nothing breakthrough—no 360 loop-de-loop aerials or anything, but good clean shortboarding. Surfers aren’t named—you’ll probably recognize a few faces. The beginning of the movie features a tiny Jon Jon Florence.

Waves/Locations: Good mix of “local” breaks and perfect Indonesian tubes. Cold and windy Ireland, California, Indo. Most spots are not named.

Music: Thicker Than Water offers an excellent mix of ethnically inspired folk, techno, soul, bluegrass, vocal and instrumental. Some songs are a little repetitive, but most of the tracks are instant hits. There’s even a chain-gang song on here. Make sure to purchase the special edition that comes with the soundtrack CD. I especially liked the African type spiritual chant that accompanied the T’eaupoo section.

Editing: One of the most well edited movies out there. Synched up with the music expertly, the wave sections are excellent: never too quick or too long.

Cinematography: Done entirely in 16mm (yeah!), Thicker Than Water offers a good mix of land and water photography. Most shots are very crisp and colorful. The film doesn’t slo-mo you to death either—there are some sections where the surfers are going so fast it almost seems the film was sped up. The framing is always very tight, and I wish there were more wide perspectives. Very artistic shots of kids jumping off bridges, Kelly Slater building a guitar, Irish castles and pubs, thunderstorms, crowded Indonesian streets, etc.

Extras: Great extra clips – some great cinematography and surf clips, and some great songs. I loved “Carnival.”
Jack Johnson’s “Holes to Heaven” song with accompanying video was great. I wish they played this on MTV. You’d probably never know Holes to Heaven was a song about surf travel unless you saw this. All the lyrics are illustrated with some great cinematography into a little narrative.
The feature commentary is worth the price alone…it’s like having a second movie with all the interesting tidbits they talk about.

Thicker Than Water: 5 out of 5

Related posts:

1. Postcards From Paradise
2. Review Of The Mystic
3. Singlefin: Yellow

SUPER SLIDE (1999)

Our Rating: Stoke: 9.5/10 Music: 5/10 DVD Features: 7/10 Replay Value: 8/10 (with the music videos) Value: 8.5/10 Overall: 8.0/10

Super Slide, produced in 1999 by Ira Opper, is a semi-documentary about classic “hotdog” longboarding and its resurgence. It’s well known for its claim to be the first surf video produced specifically for the DVD format. With a narration similar to the classic Endless Summer franchise, it is a fun romp through the history of surfing and the progression of longboarding.

Great historical film clips are interspersed with modern video, giving an interesting perspective on how boards, styles, and certain surf spots have changed. One segment that really shined was a trip to Hawaii where present day pros Joel Tudor, Wingnut, and Bonga Perkins rode some historical redwood longboards from the early 1900’s. Bonga’s redwood board weighed 120 pounds!

This movie really gets you stoked to go surfing. There is a good mix of surfing locations, taking the viewer on a tour of many classic surf spots including Malibu, Windansea, Pleasure Point, Santa Cruz, Hawaii, and Australia. The waves are not perfect Indonesian tubes but rather a grab bag of different sizes and conditions—all fun looking waves that you might find on a good day in your own backyard. One thing I don’t like about many high profile surf flicks today are the perfect waves and conditions that I really don’t see on a typical day at my home break. Super Slide is a great example of surfers having fun on small waves as well as large; a showcase of surfing ability in all conditions.

Super Slide also has an excellent mix of pros, semi pros, amateurs and recreational surfers. There’s no lack of talent—the moves they pull are spectacular—but the fact that the film is not limited to big name sponsored surfers makes this an everyman’s (or every woman’s) film. You’re not left feeling like you just watched the impossible, but like you want to catch some waves! Some recognizable names that were featured include Joel Tudor, the late Jay Moriarty, Wingnut, Daize Shayne, an interview with wetsuit inventor Jack O’Neill, Greg Noll, an appearance by Kelly Slater.

There are some good interviews with historical surf figures as well as present day pros, but some of these interviews might have been better left out of the video. There were a few cringe-worthy clips that show being a pro surfer doesn’t mean you’re good with words

For the wahines among us, this film gets an extra star for the positive section on women’s surfing. Super Slide takes a look at the surge in popularity of surfing among women, as well as the fact that there are some very talented ladies out there. It’s a nice change of pace since the surf video industry now seems to be moving in the direction of segregated surf videos.

The music featured in Super Slide is good, but not great. The soundtrack is a varied mix of classic rock, big band, and funk, but none of the tracks really stood out.

The DVD features some extra footage as well as some music videos. The music videos don’t really feature new footage, it’s just footage from the video chopped up to some songs, but it’s a good option if you just want to watch a few minutes of pure surfing.

The video is long, but not overwhelmingly so. It’s got a lot of great footage and historical tidbits packed in. You might not want to watch the full feature over and over again because of all the interviews, but the replay value is increased by the music video options in the DVD extras.

Overall this is one of my favorites. If I’ve just had a good session, this is one of the first flicks I want to pop in my DVD player. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and I wish more surf flicks would follow its informal, fun-loving tone.

Grab this classic video to round out your collection!

Run Time: 90 minutes

Related posts:

1. Review Of The Mystic
2. Postcards From Paradise
3. The Drifter

Single Fin: Yellow

Directed by Jason Baffa
70 min
90 minutes bonus features (including director commentary)

I really liked the concept of Single Fin: Yellow. Man (Tyler Hatzikian) builds a surfboard, then ships it off to a friend with a simple note stating: enjoy it. Friend then ships it to another friend, and so it goes. Over the course of the film the board heads to Australia, Hawaii, and Japan to name a few destinations.

Yellow was shaped by Tyler Hatzikian to be a vintage noserider, something that you wouldn’t normally find on shop racks. The dimensions were taken from a board that his father had shaped and it speaks of earlier generations, and a time when surfing was more about the journey and friendships than sponsorship and contests. The board itself sets the tone for the whole film as a quest for the true sprit of surfing that has been largely lost through years of commercialization.

Each surfer describes their own surfing journey, their take on longboarding, the spirit that drives them to surf, and their experience with “yellow.” The common thread of the yellow longboard was the starting point for each of their perspectives.

Don’t be scared off by the fact that this film might be classified as a longboarding movie. In fact, it’s more about the sport of surfing than longboarding by itself. The film explores the way that all types of surfers take on the challenge of a vintage board-something they might not otherwise ride.

Singlefin: Yellow is shot entirely on 16mm, which of course makes it beautiful. The cinematography is excellent and varied. We follow the board through the shaping room, past airports, and in the waves. It’s clear there was a lot of thought put into the visual look of the film. I loved the shot of David Kineshita carrying the longboard through crowded Tokyo streets-what an excellent contrast.

The idea is fresh and original-a good thing in a market saturated with copycat punk rock music montages. Despite the originality and insight that each rider gives on their own take of the surfing spirit, the pace of the film is a little draggy. I found myself getting a bit restless as the surfers waxed philosophical. At some point it gets a bit maudlin to hear all the soulful talk.

The most different perspective on surfing that I thought the film portrayed was by the Japanese surfer David Kineshita. He was very direct and to the point. I also liked Beau’s section. I was quite happy to see Daize Shayne’s section, but I thought it was too short, especially considering the lack of female representation in mainstream surf films. Her perspective, however, was quite refreshing and it helped the “all inclusive” feel of the film.

The director’s commentary in the bonus features is worth the price of the film alone. It’s extremely insightful and opens a window to the film that increases appreciation tenfold. Filmmaker Jason Baffa has some great things to say about the making of the film, surf film art in general, and trivia tidbits about the surfers and locations.

Overall Singlefin: Yellow is definitely worth a watch. It didn’t quite strike me as the “be all and end all” of surf films that many other people think it is, and I’d be lying if I said it did. However, the unique and refreshing take on the genre lift it above most of the fare that’s being churned out. Make sure to check this one out.

Related posts:

1. Review Of The Mystic
2. Thicker Than Water
3. Super Slide

Postcards from Paradise
Ryan Ray
Seven Films / Joyful Noise
2006
45 minutes (+15 minutes bonus features)

Paradise Found

I was really looking forward to Postcards from Paradise, based on a few recommendations and good reviews, and it lived up to most of my expectations.

This film is all surfing, and pretty much nothing else. There are a few token interviews and some quick shots of the landscape, but nothing exceptional in this department. This was a little disappointing, since the landscape shots were pretty nice and gave the locations a little more dimension.

Postcards from Paradise is perfect for those of you who want a straight up surfing video with no artistic fluff.

Surfing: Postcards features 100% pro-style shortboarding. There were some great waves and some incredible airs, and overall the action is excellent. It doesn’t quite reach the level of Campaign or Freakshow, but it’s generally above-average. All surfers are named, with the likes of Kelly Slater, Jamie O’Brien, Taj Burrow, Dean Morrison, Chris Ward, Shane Dorian, Andy Irons, Mikala Jones, the Bali boys, and more. It was good to see the Bali boys featured here since they usually fly under the radar.

Waves/Location: Location is the star in Postcards, taking you on a tour of some of the most celebrated tropical island surf spots in the world—-paradise to anyone, but especially so if you’re a surfer. Tahiti, Indonesia and Bali, Hawaii, and the Mentawais are all showcased in their wave-filled glory. Spots like Teaupoo and the North Shore are prominently featured, as well as G Land in one of the bonus footage clips. It sometimes got confusing as to where they were, since the film seemed to jump around from location to location. I think the film would have benefited if all the location segments were kept together.

Music: Nothing groundbreaking. It had a variety of punk, ethnic and alternative, but nothing really grabbed me. Artists featured include Olivia, Mute Math, Day of Fire, Slightly Stoopid, Salvador and The Beautiful Girls.

Editing: Pretty average here. I wish they wouldn’t have cut the scenery and wide perspective lineup shots so short. Some shots were cut too short, and there were too many random “surfer walking with board” shots inserted. Thankfully there were no slow motion shots so the speed of the waves could be fully appreciated.

Cinematography: Unfortunately the only water shots in the film are in the beginning introduction. The rest is restricted to a shoreline perspective. This is unfortunate since the water shots they did have were pretty good looking. The film looks absolutely beautiful, and the DVD transfer is virtually immaculate. My version had a blue frame inserted somewhere in the middle, but I’m not sure if that’s on every DVD. Kelly Slater’s section had this strange green tint that they really should have cleaned up, and about 1/3 of the sections were shot during overcast days which I think detracts from the overall theme the film is trying to portray.

Extras: Nothing spectacular. There’s a section showcasing G-Land, and another section featuring some pros at a very “un-paradise” location. Interview outtakes from the Bali interviews were so-so. A few trailers for Shades of Bali, Kumbaya and The Circus, and some promotional trailers for surf shops and companies were also included, which I’m not sure count as extras.

Overall Postcards from Paradise is a good film, but it’s hindered by the fact that it’s pretty a run of the mill surfing video. Nothing groundbreaking here, but that’s perfect if all you want to watch is some great surfing on some of the world’s best waves.

Related posts:

1. Super Slide
2. Singlefin: Yellow
3. Thicker Than Water