"You know the trouble with being the last man standing? You got no one to share it with." This is the true story of Jimmy (Samuel) & Andy Kelly. They are two brothers who share a love for surfing. When they come up with an idea to open a shop to sell their own gear Andy is 100% into it while Jimmy just wants to do his own thing. Between the money problems, the dangerous waves and angry bikers things don't go as easy as the brothers planned. There have been a few surfing movies to come out in the last few years. Soul Surfer I thought was very good. Chasing Mavericks was OK. This one is a little of both. The first hour and a half were a little slow and I almost stopped it a few times, but the ending was great and I am very glad that I stuck with it. There are some movies that are good but the ending seems to ruin everything. This one is the opposite. The movie is a little slow moving but the ending makes up for it. Overall, a movie that is a struggle in some parts but the end is a great reward for sticking with it. I give it a B-.
... View Moreare you ready for this because i feel this will become a future cult classic if not a box office hit although it does have potential to get money and get critical reception.i was surprised when i saw this film running in Karachi Pakistan so i decided to catch the film today,believe me i am not into surfing or sports but this is quite possibly the best film i have seen.Plot: set in 1970s 2 brothers living in Australia who deals with a lot of problems with gang members,cops in their way but got big dreams to be kings in surf business.I've seen a different poster here saying this involved Zack Snyder which is totally wrong ,its was just a mistake i guess,there are films like blue crush & chasing mavericks I've seen good reviews about them still looking forward to seeing them drift is no other its similar concept but the approach took by the writers & the team of this film is shown through the second half of the film which lead to the satisfying climax.they shot it so well plus when legendary Panavision camera is with you what more you need.the cast is new but i really liked Myles Pollard & Lesley-Ann Brandt,there are also some scenes missing from the film i think because some IMDb pictures show it clearly,anyway this film is not only for surf fans but it can become anyones favorite,it does not need critical reception at all audience will decide that, a fine story is presented here,makes me want to explore more of this genre,its a treat for Australian cinema loversmy rating is 10/10 Drift 2013 goes in my list of personal favorite movies of the year for me , i totally recommend this film
... View MoreDrift begins with a family on the run from an alcoholic dad. It's a little pre-story to what's in store later. They end up on the West Australian coast looking at amazing swell coming in. Great! Let's stay here. The family makes a living shaping and selling surfboards, making wetsuits and winning the odd surfing contest. This over-arching plot has legs but they're not very nice-ly shaped legs. The sub plots though are where we're really let down. There's a lot of possible conflicts and resolutions that could be explored but the hints and clues go nowhere. The two surfing brothers fall in love with the same girl, Lani, an Hawaiian and there's a hint of jealousy in the air but it resolves without bringing the characters to a head. And that's just one example.Surf shots are pretty good but that sort of footage is available lots of places. What we're looking for in a surf movie, guys , is a story.
... View MoreDrift is a breezy Australian surfing film that doesn't break any new ground or take too many chances but the surfing scenes are spectacularly photographed and the performances are as colourful as the scenery. Like many local films, it is extremely well made and acted with professionalism, even when the story isn't revolutionary. The opening scenes in the Sixties are filmed in black and white. This is a fine visual touch, recalling Oz the Great and Powerful, because when the film forwards past the childhood of its central characters Andy and Jimmy and enters the 1970s, the film explodes with vivid colours being cast over a giant wave.Riding this enormous wave is Jimmy (Xavier Samuel). Jimmy and his brother Andy (Myles Pollard) moved from Sydney to Margaret River in Western Australia with their mother Kat (Robyn Malcolm) to start a new life together. Andy works long hours in a timber mill, while his brother rides hard in professional surfing competitions. Seeing the lousy treatment of the older folks of the mill, Andy decides to quit his job and help start a surf shop with his brother, selling surfing gear like boards and wetsuits. This is at a time just prior to when surfing competitions started awarding serious prize money.Andy is angered to discover that Jimmy has done a small time job for some local bikie crims and urges him to return any stolen material. Yet these bikie thugs refuse to leave their friends alone and one of them becomes involved in drugs. Sam Worthington (Avatar, Clash of the Titans) plays a hippie surfer named JB, who befriends both the boys. JB's Hawaiian hippie friend Lani (Lesley-Ann Brandt) also takes a romantic shine to Andy. Beneath its sunny exterior, the film is about the relationship of these two brothers and poses the question of whether a hobby makes for a satisfying and financially sustainable living. The film has more than sand between its ears, realising that a compromise has to be made when it comes to approaching sport as an occupation. This is reflected by JB, who has the film's funniest and smartest line: "Its Darwinian man. We adapt, we survive." It would be impolite to say that the story by Morgan O'Neill exists merely to showcase the surfing because there is more narrative than just sun. It's more of a question of the familiarity of many individual story elements.This is very much a rerun of the underdog story: the little business that could, faced against impossible odds like evil bikies and a stuffy bank manager. The bikies are a blessing and a curse for the film. They're total caricatures but also helpful in providing some danger to the script through some flat spots, where it feels as though there could be more risk involved. The bikies handout a few thuggish beatings and there is a drug subplot, which gives the film a grittier shade in contrast to lightweight, jovial tone and relaxed, pleasant performances. The film even retreats to that plot line where a contest is handily giving out a large monetary prize so that the little people can save the farm. Are these contests deliberately organised around places of low socioeconomics and general lucklessness? The organisers must have prior knowledge of people's banking woes, such is their convenience. I also couldn't see the necessity of the romance between the Lani and Andy. Lani serves to ties the global relations between Australian and the US neatly (in a perfectly square ending) but any potential conflict between the brothers never eventuates over her.What many people will see the film for are the stunning, exciting and beautiful surfing sequences, which are filmed by Rick Rifici and Rick Jakovich: two highly experienced and talented water cinematographers. Filmed with great width, there are some gorgeous and hair-raising waves showcased here. The actors in the film performed some of the surfing, while real surfers were employed as stunt doubles too. An interesting fact is that despite how vivid and colourful the film is, it was actually filmed in winter so that the waves would be bigger and therefore more dramatic. They're a huge part of a great looking movie so that even when the pacing slumps or the story seems corny, it's never been so easy to dive into the surf.
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