Surfer, Dude (2008) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Dudes, comparisons to Spicoli aside, this is a unique little comedy about the religious philosophy of Wake 'n' Bake Surf Culture. Matthew McConaughey is absolutely brilliant as So Cal surf legend Steve Addington. A modern day stoner Buddha seeking enlightenment thru the meditation of carving waves, riding girls, and sipping doobage. McConaughey walks thru almost the entire film shirtless and barefooted, wearing only a pair of baggies. Even when McConaughey is just walking down the street, he's surfing. He's like a fish out of water, brah. His swaggering swaybacked bowlegged performance is fully righteous. And, totally funny. (Not quite, but almost as good as his role as Wooderson in DAZED AND CONFUSED.) His performance is DEAD ON TUBULAR. (Ladies, you're gonna want his bod.)
Obviously, this film is not for everyone. But, this short comedy is rife with religious and aesthetic symbolism. I was stoked by its heaviosity, brah.
Like an aesthetic Christ, The Addman is a free spirited surfer, baptized in The Ocean, who cares nothing for the material world of money and fame. He seeks only religious adoration and worship of God thru The Living Wave, The Sacramental smoke of The Wisdom Weed, and The Unification of The One Body thru sexual concourse with chicks. Upon returning home after being away from Cali on a surfing sojourn, Addington is tempted by The Devil into a starring role on a TV Reality Show about surfers, ala Big Brother, and a chance to profit from his digital image in a virtual reality game called FREE SURFER. Representing Lucifer, ex-surfer and evil TV producer Eddie Zarno (Jeffrey Nordling) entices The Addman with a totally humongous bag of sheckles. "We own his image. And his image is reality." But, Addington is hip to the fact that the illusion is transitory and meaningless. While contemplating a monitor of virtual tropical fish in Zarno's beachhouse studio, The Addman poses this saltwatery Zen koan: "Something's wrong with these fish, dude." No way, brah. The Addman refuses to sell his soul to The Devil for material gain. "I'm not some _ssclown in a greenroom. I'm a surfer, dude."
For what does it profit a dude to gain the world, and lose his wave?
The Devil metaphorically breaks The Addman's skeg, and there is a sudden drought of waves. "Something's bogus, dudes." Totally like Christ, The Addman wanders the desert beaches in prayer, for MORE than 40 days and nights, fasting from the pleasures of The Scented Lotus Blossom and the sustenance of The Good Green, until God's return on The Waves of Everlasting Life Giving Water. It's The Addman's Dark Night of The Soul, man. BRAH?! Why hast thou forsaken, dude?!
Willie Nelson as John The Baptist, who passes his shepherd's rod to The Addman. Will Addington become The Good Shepherd of The Goats? Yay, though I surf through the barrel of the shadow of death I will fear no shark infested waters, for thy rod and thy board they confront me, dude.
Who else but Woody Harrelson, as The Apostle Peter and The Addman's dope smoking manager? "We got financial worries, brah."

Will the Addman sacrifice himself on The Cross of Virtual Surfboard to save the souls of his brahs? You grommets should ask yourselves only one question: WHAT WOULD THE ADDMAN DO?
A perfect Double Feature alongside Swayze's POINT BREAK. Funny, symbolic, and full of topless chicks and bud. (Bitchin'!) This film is defintely worth the rent for Matthew McConaughey's performance, and for all the stoner surfer aesthetes out there. It's like THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST for surfers, dude. Hodads, landlubbers, and non-philosophers might want to avoid this one.

"Love and waves, that's what we need in these dark days."
Whoa!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Surfer, Dude (2008)

Longboarding soul surfer Steve Addington (Matthew McConaughey) returns to Malibu to spend his summer surfing his home break. But the waves go flat, and his sponsorship deal turns south. Aided by his manager (Woody Harrelson), his mentor (Scott Glenn), his guardian angel (Willie Nelson), and his summer lover (Alexie Gilmore), Addington has a chance of keeping his cool, but it’s not going to be easy. The dude needs a wave, and there’s never been a drought like this. Special Features: Surfer, Dude: The Real Story featuring exclusive behind-the-scenes footage Deleted Scenes The Complete Surfer, Dude 12-Webisode Series Audio Commentary with Matthew McConaughey

Get 50% OFF

Click here for more information about Surfer, Dude (2008)

Zombieland (2009) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Let me start off by saying that I'm a huge zombie fan. Whether they're Romero's slow-moving shamblers or the fast-moving runners from Return of the Living Dead / 28 Days Later, I will give any zombie movie a try. Enter Zombieland, which when I heard about it, I instantly thought of that direct-to-DVD drivel you see on the rental store shelf that can barely pass as a B-movie. After watching the trailer however, I was genuinely intrigued. Luckily, my friend managed to get her hands on a few preview passes and what I saw was one of the most fun and enjoyable movies I've seen in years.
I'll say it now: This movie is NOT scary. If you go in expecting scares and frights, you're in the wrong place. While there's the occasional "boo" scare, Zombieland is a horror-comedy in the vein of Evil Dead II, The Return of the Living Dead, Shaun of the Dead, etc. As a matter of fact, the director was inspired by Shaun of the Dead to make Zombieland. The horror-comedy mixture is is a very hard thing to pull off, but this movie does it pretty well, leaning more towards the comedy.
The cast is great, with Woody Harrelson being the stand out. He is such a great tough guy and delivers some truly great one-liners that it brings back memories of his Natural Born Killers days. Jesse Eisenberg is the "goofy dorky guy" that keeps popping up in movies these days. He does a good job, but is nearly indistinguishable from someone like Michael Cera, who plays the exact same role every time. I liked this guy better because frankly I'm sick of seeing Michael Cera these days. Emma Stone (aka Jules from Superbad) plays a good tough girl and looks exactly like she did in Superbad, which isn't a bad thing. Abigail Breslin is fine, but she felt slightly out of place. There's also a bigger-than-a-cameo role by one of the funniest actors of all-time, but I don't want to spoil it here. Trust me, it's hysterical.
That's about it for the cast, except for the zombies themselves, which are very well done. They're gross, gooey, and vicious and the make-up and special effects look fantastic, especially now in the age of CGI crap. The movie does not skimp on the gore, so be prepared for a healthy serving of blood, guts, and zombie bites. The post-apocalyptic scenery looks amazing and really pulls you into the film. Zombie fans, you will not be disappointed.
The comedy is executed quite well. While whether something is funny depends purely on personal taste (pun intended), I think this movie balances gross-out humor, sight gags, witty banter, black comedy and plain-old "Number 2" jokes perfectly. One of the funniest bits is when Woody Harrelson's character rides a roller coaster while simultaneously wielding a shotgun and shoots zombies that follow him around the track. It was clever and a blast to watch. Think of your favorite comedy; Zombieland is probably not as funny as that, but it will definitely make you laugh. It's not the funniest movie ever, but it does an admirable job.
Other than that, I can't think of anything else to say. I have minor nitpicks, but most of them are standard horror clichés that didn't really take away from my enjoyment of the film itself. Do yourself a favor and check this one out, it's a great horror-comedy.


Click Here to see more reviews about: Zombieland (2009)

Nerdy college student Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) has survived the plague that has turned mankind into flesh-devouring zombies because he\'s scared of just about everything. Gun-toting, Twinkie-loving Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) has no fears. Together, they are about to stare down their most horrifying challenge yet: each other\'s company. Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin co-star in this double-hitting, head-smashing comedy.

Get 42% OFF

Click here for more information about Zombieland (2009)