waves?
A bit of windswell.
Not too much local wind.
Tomorrow maybe some offshores?
The Jones is setting in.
A few surf-flick reviews:
Seasons - This is an Ezekial movie with Ross Williams, Jon Rose, Rizal and a bunch of other folk. I really disliked this movie. One of the girls at Aqua told me she really dug it, that it was all trippy and creative. But.. i was continually annoyed with all the footage of the surfers not surfing. You'd see Rizal do a sick turn on an Indo left, then you'd see some pro prancing down the beach, then two guys laughing, then Brad Gerlach hamming it up, then an "artistic" shot of a cliffside, then finally another segment of someone ripping... sheesh.. then of course more cameos of pros drinking water or farting or whatever. Super annoying. The boys score some fun-but-cold Icelandic waves, which is interesting to watch. I also enjoyed watching all the young Balinese guys shred shredding shreddables. They have their own, distinctive style, as a group. Huge vertical attacks and no-fear, balls-out giant maneuvers. The Balinese guys rip! All in all this movie felt like some so-cal team manager grabbed a digital video camera and just filmed everything during 4 surf trips. Amateur and without style.
TK5 - this movie kills it! Thanks to Jocular for lending it to me. The film opens with Slater destroying it at T-poo. Epic epic slates footage of the man owning it on his backhand. Impossible barrels and hyper-radical lip-launches. Background dialogue of Slates discussing his approach to Teahupoo while you watch him anihilate on screen. Great segment to watch over and over and over again to school your backhand. The guy charges like nobodies business. Bummer that he lost in the third round to Bede Durbridge yesterday. TK5 then jumps to modern Curren shredding Rincon. You can't really beat an opening segment of Slates and then a follow-up segment with Curren. Effortless, stylish, aggressive flow. Grooving. Then Ratboy in Nias. Ratboy scores a huge swell and threads needles on monster perfect barrels with tropical palm-trees wafting in the background. Even though the Rat kinda seems like an asshole?? I've surfed with him a few times down in Santa Cruz and he's ridiculously good. He's not only an air guy. On big days on the west side Ratboy gets many of the best waves and just works them like a champ. The guy is deeply familiar with the barrel. There's a great Ozzie Wright segment in the Mentawais later in the vid. Basically a sick surf vid with some tight music brought to you from the maker of Punk Rock Surfers.
Surfers Journal Biography (Curren and Slater) - Just picked this up yesterday after getting gum surgery (crown lengthening)! yay! I haven't watched the Slater segment yet but the Curren one is pretty cool. I was bummed that much of the footage comes from Searching for Tom Curren. For the most part i didn't learn anything new about the guy. There is some cool quotes from the Occ, and also from Al Merrick and Slater and Curren himself. When asked about his quiet, reticent nature Curren responds, "I don't realy say anything because i don't feel like i have a lot to say." This one particular wave in the video really impressed me where Curren goes backside and steers vertically up the face for a massive lip cremation three times in a row down the line. Just Whack! Whack! Whack! It's cool to see Curren go backside. Lots of that classic J-bay footage when he's wearing the black and pink wetty. Some cool older footage that wasn't part of Searching for Tom Curren. Some amazing Pat Curren footage from Waimea and Makaha. Also in the end there's a little clip of Tom Curren surfing a spot very close to here. I'm stoked to watch the Slater part this weekend.
anyhoo.. peace out.
Jersey photos from jerseyjuice.com
John Veage shots of east coast of Australia (from sargesdailysurf.com)
Fanning
from surfpulse...
"Surf conditions are fair/fun at the moment."
hmm. that's not what I saw this morning. I even did the drive up and down the beach. A few waves on the outside looking tempting, but they would just flatten out almost immediately. a lot of junky, short period wind swell in the mix.
gotta see TK5. i dig josh pomer's stuff.
Posted by: lerm at March 30, 2005 09:48 AMOn the video tip, let me summerize my recent purchases of The Mystic and The Free Way:
The Mystic - Film by Bill Ballard
Pretty cool flick, more in the vein of The Moonshine films. This movie is shot all on film which I really prefer. I am not big on surf "films" shot on video. Lots of good surfing by some of the lessor known, not WCT pros. Still some good shots of Slater and Co. with a good deal of footage from France/Spain last year. The water shots in the flick are really solid. Bill Ballard seems to always have a good inclusion of water shots in his films. Overall, it is pretty good but not on the level of the top notch filcks. The soundtrack is also pretty good and diverse. Lots of tropic action. I'd recommend it if you are a surf flick junky like me but if you are just an occasional purchaser, there might be something better out there.
The Free Way: new billabong production
A decent flick like that above but I wasn't really impressed with it. They featured just about every sponsered Billabong surfer under the sun. In making the film, it seems that they were trying to drive the story of "get away from the city" via surfing. Usually, I am not "in the city" when I am surfing even at Ocean Beach. Catch my drift? Anyway, some good Rasta footage (I like Rasta but he is getting played out, great surfer still...), some Donovan (see "played out") and Dylan Longbottom among others. Best part of this flick is the first 5-7 minute intro. Set to Xavier Rudd's authentic OZ tunes, it is one of the better openings of a surf flick. Pretty much status quo from there.
Posted by: Kaiser at March 30, 2005 10:40 AM- KaiserBuster
Surprised by a smooth surface on the Dog Walk this AM.
Fun looking but relentless peaks parading through.
Pitching then expiring making the paddle look possible.
Wifey is down with taking the girl in to school so I suit up and head out.
Tell Judith it will be nice to have some company as I pass her unloading her Element.
Forgot my watch so I don't know how long it took to get outside, but however long, it felt a lot longer.
Fish ladder paddle.
Finally outside, I catch a couple lefts, paddle South as it seems I drifted North on the way out.
Hard to tell how far as the sun is blinding.
See Judith and nod hello. I catch a Right that I ride a bit too far.
I'm tired, I don't know what time it is, and I really don't feel like getting on that ladder again, so I head in.
See Judith drop into left as I walk back on the promenade.
Waves do not look as peaky now that the tide has switched.
Thanks again for all the back advice yesterday.
Posted by: friend #1 at March 30, 2005 11:19 AMamazing images of octopuses walking on the ocean floor
Posted by: cadaver at March 30, 2005 11:43 AMstoked the suns back. offshores tomorrow? thats good to hear.
Posted by: bagel at March 30, 2005 11:45 AMforget the reef shots, I could watch that octopus all day.
Posted by: goodmorning at March 30, 2005 11:51 AMgrabbed a few inside, grabbed a few outside and saw some very good ones connect.
stripped the wax off 3 boards, and heading to amex for some travelers checks.
wetsand forecast 6-9ft faces at standout indonesia surf spots friday through saturday and I will be riding them 'cause when it's on.....I'm gone.
Posted by: tom at March 30, 2005 12:51 PMI'm soooooo envious Tom. Have a great trip.
Posted by: Dennis at March 30, 2005 12:57 PMhave fun tom ya bastid!
Posted by: bagel at March 30, 2005 01:04 PMTom, good luck! Have fun!
I'm not really a fan of Josh Pomer's films. They're great content wise, music is pretty ok, but the editing. jesus. Makes you think if a 12 year old had that footage they could piece it together better. Isn't there a rule that there should be some continuity? Shouldn't audio match up to what you're watching? Ok, I'm being harsh, but to pay top dollar you should get what you pay for.
Anyone check Electric Mayhem? Hear that video is awesome!
Posted by: Ian at March 30, 2005 01:46 PMdon't forget the condoms Tom!
Posted by: 3to5setsof7 at March 30, 2005 01:59 PMTom - BTW, you probably won't need to take your 4/3 but better to have it just in case of an upwelling... eh eh.
Posted by: Dennis at March 30, 2005 02:07 PMbagel.. that last Mick Fanning shot kinda looks like your style. with the hunched back and all. ripping.
Posted by: e at March 30, 2005 02:15 PMe, I've read the kite runner. Good book. any other suggestions?
Posted by: at March 30, 2005 02:17 PM
Posted by: at March 30, 2005 02:30 PM
Posted by: Hi Kaiser! at March 30, 2005 02:33 PMWhat we would see if E woke up one day in Snoop Doggs body. This is a crack up.. btw welcome home STEAMA
A bit of windswell.
Not too mizzay local wind.
Tomorrow maybe some offshores?
The Jones is sett'n in.
A few surf-flick reviews:
Posted by: SF at March 30, 2005 02:40 PMSeasons - This is an Ezekial movie wit Ross Williams, Jon Rose, Rizal n a bunch of otha folk doggystyle. I really disliked this movie. One of tha bitchez at Aqua told me she really dug it, thiznat it was all trippy n creative fo all my homies in the pen. Biznut.. i was continually annoyed wit all tha footage of tha brotha not pimpin'. You'd see Rizal do a sick tizzy on an Indo left, thizzay you'd see some pro pranc'n down tha beach, then two guys messin' thizzen Brad Gerlach hamm'n it up, tizzle an "artistic" shizzot of a cliffside, then finally pimp segment of someone ripp'n... sheesh.. tizzy of course mizzy cameos of pros drink'n wata or clockin' or whateva. Shot Calla blunt-rollin'. The boys score some fun-but-cold Icelandic waves, whiznich is interest'n ta wizzatch. I also enjoyed watch'n all tha young Balinese guys shred shredd'n shreddables. They have they own, distinctive style, as a group. Hizzy vertical attacks n no-fear, balls-out giant pimp. The Balinese guys rip n shit! All in all this movie fizzy like some so-cal tizzle managa grabbed a digital video camera n jizzle filmed everyth'n perpetratin' 4 surf trips . Wussup to all my niggaz in the house. Amateur n witout style to increase tha peace.
Gizoogle
Posted by: kookdom at March 30, 2005 03:00 PMGizoogle ROCKS!
Posted by: at March 30, 2005 03:07 PMdon't you mean, "Gizoogle RIZZOCKS!"
Posted by: at March 30, 2005 03:15 PMNo. 14
Posted by: Dennis at March 30, 2005 03:26 PMHi ladies! Love to see my ladies out and about today...
New Dana Brown flick: http://www.d2gfilm.com/home/
Let me see, Bruce Brown does Endless Summer/Endless Summer II. Dana Brown does Step Into Liquid. Bruce Brown does Any Given Sunday. Dana Brown does Dust To Glory.
Bottomline: Dana Brown's movies are not his fathers. $2 miilion, 3 years, and we got Step Into Liquid. What a waste.
Ian, in regards to Electric Mayhem, good flick. I own that one as well. Solid flick, similar in many respects to how I felt about The Mystic. I would say that those are worth buying if you have a jones for a new flick or can get it for $20 on a raining day. Or, you can borrow it from me and burn it.
Posted by: Kaiser at March 30, 2005 03:27 PMgood musician interviews here
http://www.innerviews.org/archive.htm
Posted by: e at March 30, 2005 03:41 PMstep into liquid was a surf movie, but not for surfers. movies like that are kook factories. thanks a lot dana brown!
Posted by: that flick sucked at March 30, 2005 04:02 PMJosh Pomer is longtime friend but I have to agree with the latter poster sloppy editing mixed with (typically) bad punk rock. Basically the second rate Taylor Steele. That said Josh is a good guy and he is making a living doing what he loves while I am an office schlep.
My movie review of the day, A Broke Down Melody. My kind of surf vid, quality surfing at lesser know spots with a somewhat of a unique artsy feel. The downside...way too much slow motion. But worth buying.
Posted by: Reality Check at March 30, 2005 04:18 PMi like pomer movies better than steele movies.
steele movies are horrible, especially the unfunny skits.
Posted by: bbr at March 30, 2005 04:32 PMi agree with bbr. I seriously dislike all the Tayler Steele movies. The surfing is top-notch, but the vibe/music/feel of the films bite. I like the Pomer flicks, especially Punk Rock Surfers. I didn't like Flight Academy though. that movie sucked... imho.
agree with reality check that Broke Down Melody ruled! Best surf vid in a long long time, since September Sessions. Even better then September Sessions i think. One of my all time faves (BDM).
Posted by: e at March 30, 2005 04:39 PMi like some of the moonshine conspiracy flicks. the music and editing are so much more bearable than other surf films. i have never understood why 95% of surf vids have HORRIBLE music. who picks these songs? (by the way, has anyone else tried muting the videos and playing classical music instead?? what a different experience!)
i often hear the argument that good music costs money - which makes sense, until i think of how skateboard videos have always had good music and never worried about song rights. does anyone know why the methods vary?
Posted by: rza at March 30, 2005 04:42 PMgizoogle my noodle. try the jive translator.
http://www.skylab.org/~fireball/jive.cgi
Gondwana ...
check it out.
Posted by: tgr at March 30, 2005 04:43 PMBring on Teahupoo.. hopefully Cory will win this RipCurl contest. probably ending today.
HOpefully waves tomorrow morning.
i just took a vicadin for my throbbing gums! yo!!
Posted by: e at March 30, 2005 04:56 PMPretty weak to not have Bells at Bells. But, Chopes should be good.
I don't want AI to win. Taj, Damo, or Lopez. Just not AI. The quarterfinal lineup is nothing like the lineup below:
Posted by: Kaiser at March 30, 2005 05:11 PMThe first and second Momentum's were classics. Taylor Steele invented the modern progressive surf video to a fast punk rock track with the first Momentum.
TK1 and TK2 were good but I was dissapointed with TK3. TK4 was downright bad IMHO. Have not seen TK5 so can't comment on that.
If you want to see some comedy, check out Thunderballs..it was Pomer's first surf movie. Really poor camera work and worse editing but some funny stuff. One example, at one of the old Cold Water Classic's they leave a camera on dog shit catching like five people that almost step in it until one dude actually does. It was pretty funny...in a very juvenile sort of way.
Posted by: Reality Check at March 30, 2005 05:15 PMNo question, any Moonshine film gets to the top of the list, behind The Endless Summer of course.
Posted by: Kaiser at March 30, 2005 05:18 PMtop four for me:
Posted by: e at March 30, 2005 05:20 PMBroke Down Melody
Searching for Tom Curren
5th Symphony Document
Magna Plasm/Computer Body
Jeeezus fellahs!
Are all Bay Area Surfers like these "The Brigade" 'things'?
They came from nowhere, they have 'team' shirts, 'team'n stickers for car, board, monster truck, etc. I read about them here and put 2 + 2 together. Did they really hold someone down in NY and tatoo "The Brigade" on their forehead? WTF?They are real and emit an oily sheen on the water, probably from the massive trucks they drive. The suckers can barely surf!?!! When are they going home and how the hell do you put up with them?
Curious, confused, angry, and bitter in LA
Posted by: la lurker at March 30, 2005 05:37 PMOne source claims the video soundtracks are typically lame-o because the record companies started getting shirty about surf filmers pirating good artist's music. Lame is cheap, and unfortunately vice-versa.
Posted by: banjo at March 30, 2005 07:01 PMthe last surf vid I rented and really enjoyed start to finish was sprout. What are my chances of scoring surf down in cabo mid-april? I'll be down there for a few days doing some 'family things' and was wondering whether I should bring a stick or not. Do the surf shops rent boards?
Posted by: cosmo at March 30, 2005 07:06 PMReality Check, that's cool on the Pomer note. I personally like the veeco videos. Computer Body is still my favorite vid along with momentum 2, wish there was more of Gavin though. Taylor Steele hit the nail with the laternative soundtracks, not that they are all that great, but at least it's like watching a different video. Football Shmootball is pretty funny but too short. Agreed on TMC films though, 99% imo they take the cake. The best footage though, is watching you and your friends after a sesh, and laughing at how bad you suck! I loved Puerto Undergroud 3 too. Super good surfing on heavy waves, and really good music. Yes, surf soundtracks suck.
Posted by: Ian at March 30, 2005 09:43 PMDear winds,
Please stop.
Thank you.
Posted by: kloo at March 30, 2005 11:10 PMThe famous lizard?
Posted by: at March 30, 2005 11:11 PMthat old bastard is RIPPING!
Posted by: at March 30, 2005 11:39 PMahh, hanalei bay "pine trees" sunset session ----remember the endless summer segment about ins and outs ...yeah I rode an "out" this afternoon...nice peaks 5-6 good vibe , mix of local grom rippers, lifeguard on long board and tourists on anything they could rent ... caught some nice sweet peeling lefts on the papa sau..... oh and kaiser one of your girlfriends was paddling out in front of me after every wave i caught '''life is sweet...
reports from the popular garden island breaks will continue over the next few days
also look for the video TAMBA TV coming out any day according to Saa.
Posted by: mig at March 31, 2005 12:14 AMNo. 9
Posted by: Dennis at March 31, 2005 06:14 AMHow about a list of Top 10 surfing movie/videos? Suggestions for "must haves?"
Posted by: gttim at March 31, 2005 06:36 AMNo. 4
Posted by: gttim at March 31, 2005 06:37 AMWTF is up w/#19 in the 1st pic?
Posted by: at March 31, 2005 08:07 AMDear Kloo, I have arranged for approximately 36 hours of light winds. However, this required me to guarantee your first born sun. You should ask for good winds in November instead, they are a lot cheaper then. Sorry about your kid, but enjoy the surf.
Neptune
Posted by: Neptune at March 31, 2005 08:24 AMGod of Sea
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Posted by: generic Credit Card Consolidation at April 3, 2005 04:08 AMI just stumbled on this and read everything you guys posted. I'm assuming you're all guys and fairly young, from what you're saying. In light of that, I'm surprised. You all seem relatively intelligent. It's heartening. That's all.
Posted by: Rosebud