john-529-630291 Reviews

Adoration (2013)

Good acting and beautiful scenery

[8/10 · 12 January 2014]

I almost didn't watch this film due to its average rating and some of the reviews here. I suspect the negative reviews have more to do with people rigid world views and moral inclinations than actual capacity to distinguish any kind of subtlety in the way the story unfolds.

Interestingly it doesn't actually unfold as one would expect and as some commentators have claimed.

Naomi Watts acting is excellent and the emotions she conveys make the story believable.

As for the 2 young surfer dudes, one of them actually looks a bit like Julian Wilson (Top pro surfer) which should be a pleasant surprise for the ladies out there.

The location, beach houses, cinematography are beautiful and makes you want to move to Australia. Just for that the movie is worth watching.

Chasing Mavericks (2012)

Jay Moriarity blond with curly hair?!

[8/10 · 3 December 2012]

First of all, my interest in the movie is mostly due to the high quality footage of the surf at Mavericks. A few big wave riders risked their lives to get the best footage where no camera has ever been. That in itself was enough for me to watch the movie, regardless of the cheesy part.

My main critic and question is. Why on earth did Greg Long, acting as a consultant and stunt surfer for the movie, allow for Jay Moriarity to be blond with curly hair in this movie? Wasn't he brown with a short cut as in military short? Wasn't his father an ex green beret after all?

The fact they tried to maintain the stereotypical look of a surfer makes the realism and depth of the character a bit suspect. The choice of the actor doing Jay's part is therefore questionable.

If you surf though, go see it... If you are fascinated by surfing or curious but don't surf, also go see it. But remember, Jay wasn't blond with curly hair, he actually looks tough, yet shy and humble..

On second thoughts, the actor playing Jay, despite his curly blond hair, did a pretty good job conveying the surfer's stoke and feeling of awe when facing 30 foot monsters. Only a surfer though, would know the feeling and could watch this movie multiple times and feel the intense emotions of looking at a perfect big wave breaking.

As a surfer I'll have to give it an 8 for the excellent footage of Mavericks and the very believable CGI used to paste the actors' faces into real professional surfers. Not to take anything away from these 2 actors, they did learn to surf and paddle at a beginner level but mostly to be seen paddling.