Surf Movie PROXIMITY, another swell, and Cinco De Mayo

I have been a fan of the Surf Movie Genre since I saw my very first surf movie in 1966. I had been surfing for two years prior, and was already on my way to being a "Surfer Forever." But this movie changed my life. The movie was of course, THE ENDLESS SUMMER. Surfing had now become a total adventure. It set the compass for every surfer and filmmaker to seek out new spots to surf. And we did.

There have been hundreds of surf movies since the Endless Summer (which is now over 50 years old). Some good some not so good. PACIFIC VIBRATIONS, FREE RIDE, FIVE SUMMER STORIES, and so many more. They all had to measure up to ES and ESII. Bruce Brown had set the bar pretty high for any future surf movie. For as many good surf Movies that have come out, there were three times as many bad ones.

As of late, there have been some very good ones.

John John Florence's "View From a Blue Moon" is one of them. And the latest Taylor Steele movie PROXIMITY is another. On Friday May 5th the premiere of PROXIMITY was shown at the Red Hook in Portsmouth and it was sponsored by local McGill brothers Ryan and Tyler from Summer Sessions. It was a full house, and everyone seemed to really be into having a good time.



Going out to watch a Surf Movie never loses it's attraction for surfers young and old. And it was evident on this night. Kudos to Andrew Gauthier for running the show. His stoke and passion was real. And that carried out into the audience. I can remember being a young surfer going to watch a surf movie and just going crazy. Of course that was back in the day before the digital world caught fire. Hell that was back before VHS.

The ONLY time we saw a surf movie was when the filmmaker came to town with his projector and screen. Today's surfer is suffocating in a million free web edits. All of them under two minutes. The DVD is practically a dinosaur. The Internet changed everything. So for a movie that is longer than 5 minutes catches their attention, you know they are doing something right.



Taylor Steele is known for his many earlier films that were more or less hardcore pumping music with a radical editing style. His "Loose Change" release in 99 was a breakthrough movie for him. It featured a young Rob Machado and was hailed by the surf critics, as well as the rabid fans who ate slept and drank his movies.

His last few films have been somewhat of a departure from his earlier style. And PROXIMITY was another branching out per'se. Pairing some of the world's best surfers together with a open mic dialogue was a treat. The casual banter between Florence and Slater for instance, had this air of innocence, the two dropping their guard, and talking straight from the heart with no double takes. It felt real.

Rastovich and Stephanie Gilmore was another cool pairing. Whenever they did their "go behinds" in such a fun loving, and trusting way, the pure essence of what surfing is supposed to be, shined the brightest.

Surfing is supposed to be fun. And I think that most of the audience took that away with them after seeing this. The surfing in the movie was a welcome relief from the norm. There was no insane Chopes, or any of the crazy slab surfing. There were no perfect Kirra or J-Bay scenes. In fact, some of the waves looked marginal at best, but that gave credo to the film. Let's face it, most of us surf in marginal conditions 75% of the time we are in the water.

But seeing the likes of John John and Kelly trading waves was a visual treat. Shane Dorian and Albee Layer surfing this mini slab was so freaking cool. Every surfer could picture themselves on those waves. And Rob Machado and Craig Anderson sharing waves all seemed so natural.



But I think the two that stood out the most was Dave Rastovich and Stephanie Gilmore. Look, Steph can surf better than most men I know. And I know a lot of them. No shame in that boys. Hell, women surfing has come a long way since the Endless Summer. A LONG way. Whenever Rastovich rode his inflatable matt, the crowd lit up. And when he bodysurfed after one ride, it brought the house down. It was great.

TGR (Teton Gravity Research) has a large and varied library of videos. And one of the latest trailers that was shown prior to the movie was ANDY: The Untold Story of Andy Irons. This documentary on one of the world's greatest surfers is a MUST see movie. The film does not hold anything back. The highs and lows of AI's life is right there in your face. The beautiful and powerful surfing and the dark and painful decline of addiction.



We all know someone who has had to deal with addiction. And, we all know someone who lost their life to this rampant disease. The timing couldn't be better for this movie. It looks like a tear jerker, so I'd pack a pocket full of Kleenex. But it also shows the beauty of his life and his surfing. The yin and yang of AI's short life. A tip of the hat to TGR for tackling such a project.



No one has felt the loss bigger than his little brother Bruce.

"Surfing Heals All Wounds"

This week's Ed's corner surfer is Ryan Reed. Ed always had his lens trained Reed. He was one of his favorite surfers to shoot.

To see more of Ed's pics just scroll through the archives. He has shot so many pics for the blog. Each week I will feature one of Ed's great pics from this blog. Photo by Ed O'Connell
*Click the photo above to see a larger version of Ed's Pic.

Now for Some More Of My Weekly Global Observances
Good news bad news department. Bad news is Kim Young Un is still a maniac. Good news is we're still alive. But for how long? Who the hell knows. One thing we all should know, the world has not been this unstable since the Cuban Missile Crisis. If you don't know what that is, I suggest you Google it.

So I'm guessing about a billion Margaritas were sold on Cinco De Mayo. Give or take a billion. That's another "holiday" that some people take the wrong way. Whatever.

Here's the 2017 Patriots schedule.



It will be here before you know it.



Click on the image above to see a larger version.



The 3rd annual 5k walk for cancer is this month. Saturday May 20th, 2017 at the American Legion Post 35 in Hampton. Having known Steve McCarthy since the early 70's I will be attending (again) and my band The Nor'easters featuring my brother Johnny and I on guitar and vocals, Lenny Dunn on drums, and Rich Appel on bass will be playing from 12 noon to 2:30.

It's a great cause for a great man and his family. Sign-ups are in the morning at the Legion and I believe the walk kicks off around 11:00AM. .

KSM Photoshop of the Week
When Cinco De Mayo hits Ole Khaliddy down in GITMO gets the band back together to play for all the loser inmates. Hey everyone is Mexican on May 5th. Kind of like everyone is Irish on St Patricks Day.



This guy in the foreground could pass for KSM's brother.

So my friends, please take advantage of this weekly photo shop of the mastermind who planned 9-11 and resulted in the deaths of 3,000 innocent civilians by KSM (Khalid Sheik Mohammed).

*Note to self -must pick up a case of Pinatas at Home Depot
this week.

Prayers and positive thoughts to Erica Nardone's recovery.
Prayers and positive thoughts to surfer Jason Kooken who suffered
a spinal cord injury in New Jersey last month.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Jay Gould May 7th, 2017!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Leah Grondin May 8th, 2017!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Gabby Fatello May 9th, 2017!
HAPPY Mother's Day May 14th, 2017!



CONGRATS TO ESM on their 200th Issue!

Please Support ALL The photographers who contribute to
Ralph's Pic Of The Week every week for the last 11 years.
** BUY a HIGH RES Photo from any of the weeks on RPOTW.

Remember my friends... Surfing Heals All Wounds.
Pray for Surf. Pray for Peace. Surf For Fun.

Ralph

*Click on the photo above to see a larger version

(Above) Hey what can I say? I'm easily distracted between sets.
May 3rd, 2017 Photos by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery



(Above) But I was "Johnny on the spot" when the sets popped up.
So was Jason "Jay" Alix. May 3rd, 2017
Photos by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery




(Above) Frame two of this sequence. Jason "Jay" Alix. May 3rd, 2017
Photos by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery



(Above) There's four more frames after this. But you'll have to go to
the gallery to see them. Jason Alix finding the sweet spot. May 3rd, 2017
Photos by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

(Above) As you can see the hood came off. Jason Alix leaning into a clean looking left. May 3rd, 2017 Photos by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

(Above) Bill Morrissey bending way down from his 6' plus frame.
May 3rd, 2017 Photos by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery



(Above) After learning a valuable lesson (never lie your board parallel on the Wall when the wind is wailing out of the West), this guy wades out into a still waist high session. *I told him, that only happens once in your lifetime. He'll never make that mistake again. May 3rd, 2017
Photos by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

(Above) This is why I always look up. May 3rd, 2017
Photos by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery




(Above) It won't be long before this is a thing of the past. Summer is coming. May 3rd, 2017 Photos by RALPH
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

(Above) It was thigh to waist high and nobody was out. May 3rd, 2017
Photos by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

(Above) And this is why I always look down. May 3rd, 2017
Photos by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

(Above) The Gulls are too savvy to let Patch sneak up on them. May 3rd, 2017
Photos by RALPH *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

Today- Back To Oahu with Kai March-2017.
Photos by Jordan Montgomery



(Above) I believe this was Kai's 3rd consecutive trip to Hawaii.
March 2017 Photos by Jordan Montgomery
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery



(Above) Now this is a very cool angle. Kai Nichols.
March 2017 Photos by Jordan Montgomery
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

(Above) Hey Kai this should be framed and hanging in your house.
March 2017 Photos by Jordan Montgomery
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

(Above) Not many people know that Kai was born here.
March 2017 Photos by Jordan Montgomery
*Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery

Today- Back To Costa Rica with Tony & Shelly April-2017.
Photos by Surf With Leo


(Above) Check out the Wave behind Tony and the Boys. April - 2017
Photos by Surf With Leo *Click on the photo above to see the whole gallery