Castles In The Sky Taylor Steele has done it again. From the same vein that brought you Sipping Jetstreams comes Castles In The Sky. Castles uses the same blend of still photography, great characters, exotic surf locations, and brilliant surfing that made Sipping Jetstreams such a huge hit a few years ago. While Castles is not a sequel, it does feel like a continuation of the journey - a journey that I am happy to extend.
Many of surfing's biggest names are featured including Dane Reynolds, Jordy Smith, Rob Machado, Dave Rastavich, Dan Malloy, Kalani Robb, Mike Losness, and many more. Much like Sipping Jetstreams, each surfer kind of has a secton in an exotic location, from Iceland to India with stops in Viet Nam, Peru, and Africa. The surfing is great, but the real stars of the movie are the land, the sea, and the culture. Many surf videos try to present surfing and atmosphere in a good balance but ultimately fail. Taylor Steele, however, has become a master, and in Castles In The Sky, it totally works.
The cinematography is wonderful, the photography is flawless, and the atmosphere is only rivaled by Sipping Jetstreams. And, the soundtrack is again done perfectly with an eclectic mix that is totally new to me but somehow feels very flowing. This is certainly an instant classic you can watch over and over. - Brian
Many of surfing's biggest names are featured including Dane Reynolds, Jordy Smith, Rob Machado, Dave Rastavich, Dan Malloy, Kalani Robb, Mike Losness, and many more. Much like Sipping Jetstreams, each surfer kind of has a secton in an exotic location, from Iceland to India with stops in Viet Nam, Peru, and Africa. The surfing is great, but the real stars of the movie are the land, the sea, and the culture. Many surf videos try to present surfing and atmosphere in a good balance but ultimately fail. Taylor Steele, however, has become a master, and in Castles In The Sky, it totally works.
The cinematography is wonderful, the photography is flawless, and the atmosphere is only rivaled by Sipping Jetstreams. And, the soundtrack is again done perfectly with an eclectic mix that is totally new to me but somehow feels very flowing. This is certainly an instant classic you can watch over and over. - Brian
Innersection Filmmaker Taylor Steele keeps turning out hit after hit. Great waves, amazing surfing, tons of imagery - what could possibly go wrong with this guy's formula? How about asking for strangers to shoot your film? Anyone with footage could submit it for the movie. If that sounds bad, we can make it sound worse. Let anyone with the internet vote on which footage to include in this movie. This all sounds like a recipe for disaster. Maybe he was hoping that two wrongs would indeed make a right. This was going to be a disjointed mess, and he would deserve it for being so indifferent. He might win laziest filmmaker of the decade. This thing might not make it out of production. Then everything really went wrong. The movie turned out really good.
The lineup of surfers is top notch. I counted twenty-five, and they are all famous and pretty good. Each surfer has a complete section with its own feel and style of music. Highlights include Matt Meola's aerials and Graig Anderson's magical fish with helicopter footage. A bald guy who used to be on Baywatch gets the biggest waves of the movie in the final scene. There is also an Andy Irons tribute in the closing credits that you should not miss. Each section showcases a different region, type of wave, and cinematography. Instead of losing flow between scenes, this actually keeps the viewers interest and serves as a natural division between segments. Another Steele film, Castles in the Sky, was defined by this style.
The soundtrack is not particularly unique. It is composed of new songs with a retro-hipster appeal and a whole bunch of techno-stuff. The music seems to drive the film, and it is pretty heavy on the female vocals. Ozzy Wright even plays the guitar and kazoo while also singing. It's definitely not my jam, but as a whole it fits perfectly and is very cohesive. The sum is definitely bigger that the parts for this score. Again, the impossible appears to be right there in front of me. I really should hate this soundtrack, but I will say that it drives the whole thing in a really good way.
Are there skits in that thar' movie? Yes sir, the trademark of Taylor Steele movies, short sketches starring surfers, are alive and well in this film. You may love them or hate them. Some of the most artificial include Ozzy Wright's unicorn adventures. Some are tired like Mikala Jones' cue card flip that has been done by Bob Dylan, then by Australian rock group INXS, and finally by Irish rockers U2. ...Lost fans will enjoy Cory Lopez' skit where he refuses to do a skit. Most are purposeful and well-made, and you can decide for yourself whether they belong in surf movies.
Overall, this is one of the strongest surf films of 2010. It was hyped on the internet and billions (thousands actually) responded with their votes for which footage to include in the final movie. Is this the first grassroots film, or will it remain the only movie of its kind? Only time will tell. I don't know whether each of you will love and cherish this movie. What we do know is that this review went tremendously well. If you don't believe me, get on the interweb and vote for whether this is the greatest movie review of all time or merely a great one.
- Jud
The lineup of surfers is top notch. I counted twenty-five, and they are all famous and pretty good. Each surfer has a complete section with its own feel and style of music. Highlights include Matt Meola's aerials and Graig Anderson's magical fish with helicopter footage. A bald guy who used to be on Baywatch gets the biggest waves of the movie in the final scene. There is also an Andy Irons tribute in the closing credits that you should not miss. Each section showcases a different region, type of wave, and cinematography. Instead of losing flow between scenes, this actually keeps the viewers interest and serves as a natural division between segments. Another Steele film, Castles in the Sky, was defined by this style.
The soundtrack is not particularly unique. It is composed of new songs with a retro-hipster appeal and a whole bunch of techno-stuff. The music seems to drive the film, and it is pretty heavy on the female vocals. Ozzy Wright even plays the guitar and kazoo while also singing. It's definitely not my jam, but as a whole it fits perfectly and is very cohesive. The sum is definitely bigger that the parts for this score. Again, the impossible appears to be right there in front of me. I really should hate this soundtrack, but I will say that it drives the whole thing in a really good way.
Are there skits in that thar' movie? Yes sir, the trademark of Taylor Steele movies, short sketches starring surfers, are alive and well in this film. You may love them or hate them. Some of the most artificial include Ozzy Wright's unicorn adventures. Some are tired like Mikala Jones' cue card flip that has been done by Bob Dylan, then by Australian rock group INXS, and finally by Irish rockers U2. ...Lost fans will enjoy Cory Lopez' skit where he refuses to do a skit. Most are purposeful and well-made, and you can decide for yourself whether they belong in surf movies.
Overall, this is one of the strongest surf films of 2010. It was hyped on the internet and billions (thousands actually) responded with their votes for which footage to include in the final movie. Is this the first grassroots film, or will it remain the only movie of its kind? Only time will tell. I don't know whether each of you will love and cherish this movie. What we do know is that this review went tremendously well. If you don't believe me, get on the interweb and vote for whether this is the greatest movie review of all time or merely a great one.
- Jud
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The Free Way The waves on Folly have been a little weak lately. Maybe once or twice every two weeks we have something big enough to go out for. Then most of those times, I miss the good days because I am at the shop working. That's life for ya. So, on the days that I cannot make it out, a surf film usually does the job to help quench my thirst. The Free Way is one of my favorites. This video features so many surfers ranging from young talents such as Ian Walsh and Ryan Campbell to the well-knowns: Shane Dorian, Donavon Frankenreiter, Dave Rastovich, and Joel Parkinson.
The Free Way focuses mainly on choice. Many of the guys share their experiences of the places they choose to go and of the different boards they choose to use.
Some of the stops include Australia, Tahiti, and Jaws. Dave Rastovich and his style of soul surfing includes longboards, modern wooden surfboards from Tahiti, and single-fins. Shane Dorian, Andy Campbell, and Luke Egan share their experience of being towed into waves from a remote place on the West Coast of Australia. But, the one story that sticks out in my mind the most is of Ian Walsh Charging Jaws. Oh! There's also a section that shows a guy that is wheelchair bound for life with no legs that surfs. Pretty impressive!
Lots of surfing, lots of barrels, a few aerial shots, remote spots and beautiful countries, and, of course, some kick-ass surfing. The musical line-up is one to check out also. The Free Way highlights the sounds of The John Butler Trio, Xavier Rudd, The Beautiful Girls, Donavon Frankenreiter, G-Love, and the Cat Empire. - Perng
The Free Way focuses mainly on choice. Many of the guys share their experiences of the places they choose to go and of the different boards they choose to use.
Some of the stops include Australia, Tahiti, and Jaws. Dave Rastovich and his style of soul surfing includes longboards, modern wooden surfboards from Tahiti, and single-fins. Shane Dorian, Andy Campbell, and Luke Egan share their experience of being towed into waves from a remote place on the West Coast of Australia. But, the one story that sticks out in my mind the most is of Ian Walsh Charging Jaws. Oh! There's also a section that shows a guy that is wheelchair bound for life with no legs that surfs. Pretty impressive!
Lots of surfing, lots of barrels, a few aerial shots, remote spots and beautiful countries, and, of course, some kick-ass surfing. The musical line-up is one to check out also. The Free Way highlights the sounds of The John Butler Trio, Xavier Rudd, The Beautiful Girls, Donavon Frankenreiter, G-Love, and the Cat Empire. - Perng