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When I saw this film for the first time, needless to say that I was quite interested to see what Stacy Peralta had to bring after the successful documentary “Dogtown with Z-Boys”. And after watching his latest documentary, I was amazed of how much footage he was able to get for this film.

Peralta keeps his footage consistent by focusing on the evolution of big wave surfing and I thought it was fantastic how he was able to interview a good number of people for the film but also incorporate their home video footage into the film.  Similar to “Dogtown with Z-Boys”, where Peralta featured an amazing number of clips and photographs that no one has seen but the owners, he repeats it with “Riding Giants” and the results are fantastic.

As a surfer myself, I’ve grown up to read the stories featured in the film but to hear it from the people and see actual photos and video is amazing.  Greg Noll surfing a huge wave during a major storm is featured in the documentary and to hear him and friends talk about it is very cool but most of all, for those of us who were stunned by Marc Foo’s death (especially for us who watched “Prime Ticket” and see him covering the various surf competitions on television back in the 90′s) were shocked because Marc Foo was among the best from Hawaii in big wave surfing and to hear that he died at Mavericks was a shock.  But I was surprised of how Peralta was able to gather photos and even video footage from that day and to hear those who were present, those who recovered his body was indeed a shock.  But to show the memorials was fitting but also to mention other names include Todd Chesser’s death (which was another shock) was also fitting about the challenges of surfing these big waves.  People who know that they can die by attempting the large surf but know that they can’t pass it up, this is their passion.

And of course, what better than to end these film with Laird Hamilton.  An innovator and just an all-out gutsy guy that surfer’s appreciate for his humbleness but the fact that he is not afraid to conquer the largest of waves.  Also, the documentary is fitting for showcasing his talent as big-wave surfer.  Dana Brown’s documentary “Step Into the Liquid” showcases Hamilton’s innovation towards tow-in surfing but Peralta’s “Riding Giants” focuses on Laird’s mindset of conquering the wave and also featuring footage from him challenging the deadliest wave ever see in CHUPO.

The Blu-ray release of “Riding Giants” is similar to Peralta’s “Dogtown with Z-Boys” in the fact that one should not expect the great picture quality in HD for the documentary as there is so many types of footage incorporated in the film.  From home video to classic vintage footage and photography that ranges in quality.  But that is what makes this documentary so enjoyable because it is able to feature this time capsule of vintage surfing footage and those who were involved with big wave surfing from the 1930′s to the 2000′s. Audio quality is actually pretty awesome as we hear the lossless audio and the waves crashing all around us.  I definitely like how the surrounds and rear surrounds were used in this documentary.   And also, how they managed to keep all the special features intact including the FUEL TV’s “Blue Carpet Special” (unlike Dana Brown’s “Step Into the Liquid”, the Blue Carpet Special was dropped in the Blu-ray release).

Overall, “Riding Giants” is a wonderful documentary and Peralta really did his homework in gathering the materials to make sure that he managed to keep the pacing intact from the 1940′s and showing us how big wave surfing had progressed.

Of course, there is only so much that can be incorporated in this 101 minute documentary and a lot of surfers are not included.  But even in the audio commentary, Sam George explains how it would be too difficult to make this film in chronological order and feature everything especially during the 60′s and 70′s, so they tried to focus on several people.

For the most part, this “Riding Giants” is fantastic but I wished there was some inclusion of big wave surfing from the 1970′s and 80′s which was barely featured in the documentary.  But it’s a documentary done right and I think that it helped having Peralta working with Sam George, Knoll and Hamilton in order to make this film right.   So, it’s good to hear a documentary in which the people featured are all in unison so supportive of it.  But overall, “Riding Giants” was a title that I was hoping would come out on Blu-ray and sure enough both Peralta documentaries (including “Dogtown and Z-Boys”) are both being released together on the same day which is definitely awesome!

There are not many surfing related films on Blu-ray, but finally we get one of the better surfing film’s out there with “Riding Giants”.  For those who own the previous version on DVD and have a pretty solid home theater setup at their home, then the upgrade to Blu-ray is well worth it.

Even if you have never seen this documentary before and have an interest in surfing, “Riding Giants” is definitely a title worth owning!  Highly recommended!

ZJ Boarding House Hurley Store Grand Opening Party

2619 Main St. Santa Monica, Ca
Saturday, November 21st from 12pm-6pm

Come on out to ZJ Boarding House and party at the new Hurley store this Saturday afternoon. Live music, drinks, food and a prize raffle. Check out the new goods and party with your friends!

With, purchase you receive a free “Drifter” tee, the new Rob Machado, Taylor Steele Movie. The band MK and the Gentlemen will be performing from 2-3 pm. All are invited, free and all ages welcomed.

http://www.zjboardinghouse.com/zjhurleystore.html

About ZJ Boarding House

ZJ Boarding House has been the premier surf & skate shop in southern California since 1988. We carry only the best, high quality products and brands. Satisfy your soul.
We participate in many community events that promote surfers, skaters, musicians and anything to keep the stoke alive!

Petition: Support the Women’s World Longboard Championships at Swami’s

The proposed event at Swami’s would provided a venue for female longboarders the world over to come together to celebrate the spirit of their sport. This is a world-class event at a world-class break. Women’s longboarding events have traditionally been relatively small.

The contest set-up at Swami’s will be small and “garden-like”, respecting the sanctuary feeling and vibe of Swami’s and the Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF). While minimizing the environmental impact through various measures, we will also use the event as an opportunity to educate and inform the public on social and environmental issues. There will be a beach clean-up after the event. All net proceeds will be donated to humanitarian and environmental groups. The event will be a valuable resource for increasing community awareness of these important issues, all the while promoting activism in our community.

The contest is also an opportunity to support the surf industry, the community, and the City of Encinitas. There will be a surf festival that would be on lower K Street on the other side of the SRF. A shuttle would run between Moonlight Beach and K Street in order to alleviate some of the parking concerns. The contest and festival will be designed to draw cross-generational families and visitors while consciously respecting the venue.

Thank you for your support.

Here is the petition.

Faction Surfboards Celebrates Grand Opening with Party

We would like to personally invite you to the Grand Opening Party of our new Retail Store / Factory, featuring our 2010 line up of boards (over 70 boards in stock), 3 live bands, pro skate demo, product give aways from over a dozen surf companies. This is not a sale or some mini get together this an Event not to miss, bring the whole family, invite your friends as all are welcome. Hope to see you there.

The Huseman Family
Faction Surfboards

November 21st @ 11am – 6pm
1981 Ritchey St
Santa Ana CA 92705

Paddle out for Gary Edgar Scheduled for Sunday, November 15th in Newport

Gary “Shredgar” Edgar is now at peace. Gary has struggled with cancer since May 1 and it has been a very hard journey for him with one struggle happening after another. He is at peace and in the most joyous and happiest place that he can be now. He is looking upon us all and saying “Don’t worry about a thing, cause everything little thing is gonna be all right.”

Thank you all again for being so supportive, caring, and just wonderful through out this journey. We love you all and Gary loves you all. He absolutely wanted all of you to know how much each one of you means to him- everybody who touched his life over the years has a special place in his and our hearts.

There will be a paddle out memorial Sunday November 15 9:00 am at Orange Street in Newport Beach.

Jim Beam Surftag Competition Heads to Huntington Beach For Final Rounds

WHAT:
Teams of local surfers will hit the waves off Huntington Beach on Nov. 13-14 in the first Jim Beam(R) Surftag(R) U.S. National Series championship. In the relay competition, each surfer must catch three waves and then return to the beach to tag the next team member.

The final championship rounds will be held Friday Nov. 13 and Saturday Nov. 14, featuring surfing teams comprised of professional and amateur competitors, all vying for cash prizes and to be named the “No. 1 Surf Club in California.” The series has already seen its share of world caliber surfers including: Benji Weatherley, who led the Man Sandwich team to the finals during the third qualifying event, and Kalani Robb and Yves Bright, who led the Happy Endings team to win the first and second qualifying rounds.

This event is the culmination of three qualifying rounds held in the past two months on California beaches. Jim Beam(R) Surftag(R) is awarding $25,000 in cash prizes throughout the series.

WHY:
Jim Beam(R), the world’s No. 1-selling Bourbon, supports surfers around the globe. Jim Beam(R) Surftag(R) started in Australia in 2001 and has grown into the country’s largest team boardriding competition. The U.S. version will attract dozens of competitors and crowds of fans to each venue along the California coastline.

WHEN: 8 a.m. on Friday Nov. 13 – Championship Round, Day 1
8 a.m. on Saturday Nov. 14 – Championship Round, Day 2

WHERE: Huntington Beach Pier
Pacific Coast Highway
Huntington Beach, CA

Allen Sarlo Biopic “Work to Surf” to Premiere at Dukes in Malibu on Friday, October 30th

What: Work to Surf Malibu premiere
When: Friday, October 30, 2009
Where: Duke’s Malibu
What time: 7:30 PM
How much: Complimentary
Who: You and 249 others.
Why: Because it’s fun and educational.
What else: Billy Wilson band after the movie

Allen Sarlo is extending an invitation to attend the Malibu premiere for Work to Surf at Duke’s Malibu, at 7:00pm on Friday, the 30th of October.

The Malibu premiere comes fresh on the whirlwind of the World Premiere at the Laemmle Theater in September – where a surprising 400 moviegoers showed up to a sold out venue. They laughed, they hooted and then an enthusiastic, surf-stoked crowd partied in the lobby after the film, complete with booths sponsored by Body Glove , Mellow Drink and Jeff Ho Surfboards.

Allen Sarlo has influenced the surfing world for decades, transcending eras – Dog Town in the 1970s to pro surfing in the 1980s to pioneering big wave riding at Todos Santos in the 1990s to the present, where Sarlo uses Malibu as a home base for surf trips around the world – practically commuting to the North Shore every winter, where he continues to amaze with his power surfing. Now a married father of two, Sarlo was protector for the Dogtown boyz, best friend of Mark Foo and a performance inspiration for this generation.

Fellow Z Boy Stacy Peralta has said Sarlo’s “Wave Killer” act of the 1980s set the pace for modern performance surfing.

Sarlo is arguably the most surf-stoked 50-year-old on the planet, the “still can man, with the still can plan.” Work to Surf is the theme of Sarlo’s life, and of this movie: a life story about focus, hard work and passion, with incredible surfing footage from all over the world and all the top pros.

Sarlo’s dedication to surfing and how he has made a lifestyle that perpetuates that passion is embodied in his story. The film projects a positive message about the Sport of Kings, disproving that surfers are a bunch of good for nothing lazeabouts, and also proving that a guy with enough energy can live a balanced life: Family and fun, mortgages and the Mentawai.

Work to Surf reinforces the solid principles that hard work, education and dedication will get you where you want to go: In the barrel at some hidden Mexican point wave, but also high in a comfortable home overlooking the beaches of Malibu.

The 45-minute movie was shot, directed and edited by Dave Ogle, who recorded high-energy footage of Sarlo surfing everywhere from First Point, Malibu to Mainland Mexico, Indo, and thundering North Shore, Hawaii. The footage also includes Kelly Slater, Rob Machado, Mark Foo, Yaden Nichols, Jay Adams and many great surfers from Malibu to Sunset Beach.

The Malibu Premiere will be at Duke’s Restaurant, at 21150 Pacific Coast Highway.

Show starts at 7:30

Admission price = complimentary.

After party = The Billy Wilson Band.

If you can’t make this showing, or get there and it’s sold out, fear not. The Santa Monica Film Festival has requested Work to Surf for a marquee entry in this year’s event. Fasten your seat belts, it’s a positive ride on a feel good surfing adventure.

Step Into Liquid (A J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

“Dana Brown’s ambitious surfing project ‘Step Into Liquid’ is a great surfing film covering the passion of surfing.  Young and old, short wave to massive big waves, man, women, children and various countries… Dana Brown follows his father’s footsteps in creating a wonderful film on the positivity of surfing in many levels.  The Blu-ray transfer is pretty good and it’s great to see and hear the film in HD but for those who owned the original DVD, you may not want to give/throw it away since the Blu-ray version has half of the features that were included in the DVD release.”

Images courtesy of © 2003 Top Secret Productions, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Step Into Liquid

DURATION: 88 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (1:85:1), 16×9 Widescreen Version, 7.1 DTS-HD MAster Audio, English and Spanish Subtitles

COMPANY: Lionsgate Pictures

RATED: PG (Some Language)

Release Date: October 20, 2009

Written and Directed by Dana Brown

Executive Producer: Bruce Brown, Ray Willenberg Jr.

Producer: John-Paul Beeghly

Co-Producer: Scott Waugh

Line Producer: Nicholas Simon

Associate Producer: C. Rich Wilson

Music by Richard Gibbs

Cinematography by John-Paul Beeghly

Edited by Dana Brown, Scott Waugh

Starring:

Robert August

Rochelle Ballard

Shawn Barron

Layne Beachley

Jesse Brad Billauer

Bruce Brown

Taj Burrow

Ken Collins

Ami DiCamillo

Kelly Slater

Darric Doerner

Brad Gerlach

Laird John Hamilton

Dave Kalama

Keala Kennelly

Alex Knost

Jim Knost

Gerry Lopez

Rob Machado

Chris Malloy

Dan Malloy

Keith Malloy

Andy Matthias

Peter Mel

Mike Parsons

Mike Waltze

Robert “Wingnut” Weaver

Larry Williams

Lee Wiliiams

From the makers of The Endless Summer, Step Into Liquid takes us from the terrifying monstrous waves of Oahu’s North Shore to the Texas waters of the Gulf of Mexico to the shores of Ireland and Rapa Nui.  Told through the voices of legends, pros, and everyday surfers alike, it is not just a film for surfers, but for anyone with an appreciation for sport and an inkling of what it meant to be “stoked”.

Dana Brown’s ambitious surfing project ‘Step Into Liquid’ is a great surfing film covering the passion of surfing.  Young and old, short wave to massive big waves, man, women, children and various countries… Dana Brown follows his father’s footsteps in creating a wonderful film on the positivity of surfing in many levels.  The Blu-ray transfer is pretty good and it’s great to see and hear the film in HD but for those who owned the original DVD, you may not want to give/throw it away since the Blu-ray version has half of the features that were included in the DVD release.

The Brown’s…a surfing family known for Surfing films.  From Bruce Brown’s early 1958 film “Slipper When Wet” and the most popular surfing film of all time, the 1966 “Endless Summer” to the sequel in 1994 with “Endless Summer II”, “Step Into Liquid” is the second surfing film from Bruce’s son, Dana who started his career writing “Endless Summer II” and went on to direct his first film “Endless Summer Revisited” in 2000.

And as ambitious Bruce Brown was with “Endless Summer”, Dana Brown was in his 2003 film “Step Into Liquid”.

In “Step Into Liquid”, Dana Brown covers surfing in various ways.  Not just the competitive surfing that people may see on television but pretty much passion of surfing.  May it be father and son surfing together, shortboarders, longboarders, big wave, small wave surfing and more.  From Robert August who starred in “Endless Summer” who continues to surf today to Kelly Slater who at the time was a 6-time surfing world champion (and now currently 9-time champ), those who surf in a lake when wind conditions are good, women who surf, to those who surf when big freighters create a wave, to Dale Webster – a man who surfed every day consecutively for over 30 years, the Malloy family visiting Ireland to surf, a father and son who went back to surf in Vietnam and of course, big wave surfing in Hawaii to Mavericks in California.

“Step Into Liquid” is literally a film about the passion of surfing.  None of the negativity, just people who enjoy surfing and willing to help those in different countries learn how to surf and fathers and mothers who passed down their passion to a new generation and more.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

I first purchased “Step Into Liquid” when it was first released on DVD and I felt it looked fantastic.  Now, “Step Into Liquid” receives its 1080p High Definition (1:85:1) treatment.  There is fine layer of grain but virtually no Digital Noise Reduction.  But the film features awesome cinematography.  Risky cinematography.  I was very impressed when I first saw this film.  You get good detail on the water, sand, skies, scenery and for the most part, picture quality is quite vibrant.  It’s not exactly reference quality but for the most part, this is one of the first surfing films that received a High Definition transfer.

As for audio, the audio is presented in 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio.  Dialogue is understandable and both dialogue and music come out clear through the front and center channels.  There is some usage of surround channels when the waves crash but for a 7.1 track, I was expecting a bit more of an immersive soundtrack through the rear surrounds.  But for the most part, nice use of LFE during the crashing of the waves and definitely a pretty solid lossless soundtrack.

Subtitles are featured in English and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES

“Step Into Liquid” on Blu-ray comes with the following special features:

• Audio Commentary by Writer/Director Dana Brown -
• Let’s Go Surfing – (13:12) Featuring Robert “Wingnut” Weaver and Maureen Drummy discussing some basics about surfing and good advice for those who are wanting to start surfing.
• Capturing the Wave - (13:19) Featuring water cinematographers and photographers discussing how they got involved in that career and the challenges and passion they have for it.
• Making a Surfboard – (8:29) Featuring Robert and Sam August introducing the process of the making of a surfboard and Robert August Surfboards.
• Deleted/Alternate Footage – (15:19) Featuring the following scenes not in the film and alternate scenes: Dana’s Angels, Dirtboarding, Surfing Rabbi, Scenics.
• Passion for Liquid – (14:22) Interview with Director Dana Brown and surfers who took part in the film and their impression of the film and also discussing surfing.
• Interviews – (42:39) Featuring interviews with Dana Brown, Bruce Brown, Robert “Wingnut” Weaver, Robert August, Sam August, Jim and Alex Knost, Maureen Drummy and Peter Townend.
• Music Montages – (8:42) Featuring music montages for “Only One” by Jeremy Kay, “Windshield Wipers” by Jackpot.
• Dale Webster – (7:53) A featurette about the man who has surfed for over 30 years, everyday consecutively.
• Disc Production Credits – Production credits

“Step Into Liquid” is definitely one of the best modern surf films to come out post-2000 and capturing surfing in variety of different situations, different countries and most of all, different surfers of different ages, ethnicities, etc.  This film captures the passion of surfing.  May you be living in Hawaii, California or the North Central part of the United States, people find ways to get stoked on surfing their way.  May it be short or massive waves, people are enjoying surfing and I feel that Dana Brown did a great job of covering that in this film.

Seeing it and hearing it on Blu-ray in High Definition is definitely a plus but one question that those who own the original  DVD version may want to know is “if the Blu-ray is worth the double dip?”.  If you are wanting the film in 1080p High Definition and lossless audio, then yes.  Personally, I love watching films in Blu-ray and on High Definition and wouldn’t mind seeing a lot of my favorite films with the best picture and audio quality.   But it’s important to note that the original DVD from Artisan Home Entertainment has way more special features than the Lionsgate Blu-ray disc. So, you don’t want to give or throw away your original DVD.

Missing from the Blu-ray include the outtakes/behind-the scenes footage, Red Carpet Highlights from Fuel, Surfline features “The Bill of Rights and Lefts…the Final Word on Surfing Etiquette” and “Surfing Glossary A to Z”, Robert August Surfboard Outfitter and the PC version of the Kelly Slater Pro Surfer video game.  The DVD also came with a High-Definition DVD-Rom version for the PC at the time as well.

And because that footage is missing from the Blu-ray, it’s a bummer because one of my favorite featurettes on the original DVD was the Fuel TV Red Carpet Highlights.  I can understand why the Kelly Slater Pro Surfer video game was not included and the Robert August Surfboard Outfitter is more or less a stand-alone DVD software to show what kind of board is for you and how you can purchase it from Robert August Surfboards.  But to say the least, those special features that are not on the Blu-ray disc were fun and what made “Step Into Liquid” (along with the special features on the Blu-ray Disc), a super-solid DVD release at the time.  You were definitely getting your money’s worth.

But despite the Blu-ray disc having less special features, those who want it on Blu-ray are looking forward to the 1080p HD picture quality and lossless audio quality and this is where “Step Into Liquid” shines.

In 2009, years after the release of the DVD and a year after the Blu-ray was released, you can definitely find both pretty cheap these days.  But if you are a surfer or a fan of well-done surfing films/documentaries, “Step Into Liquid” is definitely a title worth having in your surfing collection.

FSA’s Pier Pressure Surf Event Brings Community Together

The Florida Surfing Association (FSA), along with Cliff Bar, Gremmie Gear, Paco’s Mexican Grill, Coggin Nissan, Sonny’s BBQ, Papa John’s Pizza and BoJangles, held their annual Pier Pressure Pro/AM surf contest at Jacksonville Beach Pier. The event was originally schedule for Saturday, October 17th but due to strong west winds, small surfing conditions and cold weather the event was called off and pushed back to Sunday. Originally, this created some conflict because North Florida’s ESA district was scheduled to run at Mayport Poles the same day, causing local surfers to choose between Pier Pressure or staying loyal to their ESA district. As a result, the two contest directors, Paul West from FSA and Mitch Kaufmann of ESA came to an agreement to run the events side by side on the Southside of the Pier. In addition, the directors coordinated their heat schedules to allow competitors to compete in both events.

The Florida Surfing Association is dedicated to helping promote surfing and surfers in a positive manner on a local, national and international level and that is exactly what happened on Sunday with assistance from the ESA. Both events had a great turn out with plenty of surfers competing in both events. Jacksonville Beach Pier provided a solid waist to chest high NE swells with glassy surfing conditions which added plenty of excitement for both the surfers and spectators. The Pro event was taken down by Evan Thompson, holding off his older brother Cody in the finals as they went up against PJ Satterwhite, finishing third and Dane Jeffries coming in fourth.

There was also plenty of action outside of the water as well. Tom Harding, a local North Florida shaper of ALAIA’s 3rd Generation provided a free ALAIA demo for spectators and competitors to experience wave riding as the Polynesians’ and Hawaiians did many years before. Also, FREE FLOW Lines came down to the beach and set up their core strength and balance enhancing product which was a huge hit with competitors and spectators of all ages. As the day progressed, the sun warmed up the sponsors provided plenty of free food and giveaways for all participants at the event. The next FSA event will be the Florida State Surfing Championships on November 28th at Jacksonville Beach Pier. For more information about the contests or the Florida Surfing Association (FSA) please visit www.floridasurfing.org.

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