I went with a group to check out the premiere of Thomas Campbell's new flick, "The Present" at Lido Theatre in Newport Beach, Calif. While the pre-screening entertainment was fantastic, the movie was, well, good. Not great, but good. The surfing was superb, the music appropriate, but the piece didn't seem as cohesive as his past projects. Had anyone else made this movie, I may have a different opinion, but with a Campbell project and all the talk leading up to the movie's debut, my expectations were rather high. A few thoughts:Pros: 16mm film, hilarious surf contest with Machado and Dane as announcers, Knost/Junod "acting", the Mattson 2, Joel Tudor's surf history crash-course (thanks Worm!)
Cons: average Alaia riding, obviously old footage, disheveled story, average Dane Reynolds footage (by Dane Reynolds standards)
The Mattson 2 were a grand opening act, and though the theatre didn't get packed, the surf premiere atmosphere (hootin' and hollerin') was present, though not at its typical levels. Definitely worth seeing, but not likely to become a classic. That's just one surfers opinion.
4 comments:
the tudor surf history lesson was pretty good as well.
I agree. Post correction made.
average alaia riding..
Harrison! I love that one of the guys in the film is commenting on this. Nothing personal. I just know that I've seen footage and photos of guys, yourself included, riding the things quite a bit better. For example, I see Sterling Foxcroft ripping at Huntington Beach Pier on a regular basis. For the level of alaia riding going on these days, I was rather disappointed.
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