Daniel Reviews The Endless Summer II

From: hinojosa@pa.itc.hp.com (Daniel Hinojosa)
Newsgroups: alt.surfing
Subject: daniel reviews 'the endless summer ii'
Date: 5 Jun 1995 22:30:46 GMT
Organization: H-P, PGIS - Palo Alto
Keywords: movie review

It was *really* surf movie review weekend! If you hate reviews, move on now...

*** SPOILER ALERT! *** I reveal all there is to this movie. If you have not seen it, and plan on it, but don't want to know all there is to know about the movie, move on.

Of course, understand that there is no real plot to this movie. Mostly just stoke. So... Use your own judgement.
*** SPOILER ALERT! ***

With that said - Off to the the sequel to The Endless Summer.

The Endless Summer II a film by Bruce Brown - 1994
With: Robert "Wingnut" Weaver and Patrick O'Connell
Original music by: ? - There was an ad for the soundtrack at the beginning, but i missed it. Oh well...
Narrated by Bruce Brown - I'm sure he did more, but this time, this film was done like more of a Hollywood production. The original, they never even added the names of the star surfers! I did like the trailers though:

Gaffer: none
Grip: none
Makeup: none
etc...
Best Boy: what is a best boy?

Simply put, this is the sequel to the original stoke surf film. It too, is the photo journal of 2 guys on a journey to find the perfect wave, via following the summer around the globe. Like the first, it has great *great* surf footage, but the scenery they show along the way, is equally beautiful.

This film starts, like it's older brother, with footage from around lot's of different places. Including footage of a surf pooch, tandem, and quad surf riders.

We get introduced to the heros of this flick, Wingnut and Pat. A couple of apparently laid back Californians, one a longboarder, the other a shortboarder.

They go to pick up Wingnut's board that he has made for this trip, at the surf shop of none other than, Robert August (original hero from the first flick). (An addition: what ever happened to Mike Hinson?) Robert convinces them to go with him to Costa Rica. and so the journey begins (in order):

• Costa Rica - Ollies point
• France - Biarritz
• South Africa - west coast / east coast (Cape St. Francis!)
• Fiji
• Tavarua - Cloud Break
• Australia
• Java - Gland

Another great trip. Costa Rica was beautiful, and full of great waves. One place they went, Ollies Point, was named after Oliver North. Bruce said something like, everyone, but Congress, knew what Ollie was up to. I guess some of his arms shipments to the Contras came in from around this point. They hitched up with Mike Difenderfer when they first get here. You can see that with the advent of surfing, these guys were able to plan a bit better, and had some contacts where they were going. This also helped them save some dosh.

Then off to France where they finally hitch up with Tommy Curren. He takes them out to a cool spot there in Biarritz. These guys have a blast! Tom rips, as does Pat. Wingnut dazzles with his ever improvisational style. There be barrels!

Then off to South Africa. Here, they get a guy to loan them a car to travel the country. I forget the guys name. He too, like the previous films South African tour guide, is a bit of a game hound. He tells them before they go off around his land to be careful of lions, and not to stop.

Too bad the car didn't listen. The car stalls as a pack of lions tromp after them. The lions do their best to decide how to get into this fibreglass tin to get the sweet meal inside. Lions snack on Wingnut's wetsuit, and basically scare the hell out of the boys. Gee... Who wouldn't be scared!

They also hitch up here with Shaun Thompson and another chap whose name I did not get. Shaun is still a top notch surfer. He joins Wingnut and Pat for part of their adventure in So. Africa.

They get to Cape St. Francis. It is not the perfect wave it used to be. Of course, it is not the oasis it used to be. Housing developments have sprung up, and the change in environment is blamed for the less than perfect wave that no longer is sectionless.

Tavarua is cool. Looks like some fun waves, where there should be none. Barrels, barrels, and more barrels. 'nuff said.

They have cool adventures in Australia with a chap that the guys from the first flick had met up with. He had become a bit of a local hero in Australia it seems. Some good waves, but clearly, they should have been there yesterday...

Java was the highlight of this film for me. They met up with Gerry Lopez and Laird Hamilton. Lopez *still* rips. They go to G-land. There they show Gerry pulling into barrels like those out of 5 Summer Stories. Like Airey says, "he might as well just live in there". All the guys get tons of waves. However, they show less of Wingnut here. He gets waves, but just doesn't do them film justice. Not like Pat and Laird did.

Some of the other names in the film:

Jeff Booth
Kelly Slater
(a bunch of others I missed)

Again, another great surfing film. Not to be missed. Nothing more to say, other than, more pure stoke. See it with a board you love.

d.

-- 
      daniel hinojosa. email -=> daniel@rndh.org| CA
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  Jesus Saves!... But Gretzky gets the rebound. He Shoots. He SCOOORES!!!