Point Break

**Reviews of the 2nd Unit Direction for Point Break.**

Featured

“And the stunts they pull off in the process are 3-D stunners: how’d-they-do-that tube riding, white-knuckle wingsuit gliding, snowboarding down all-vertical kamikaze slopes, motocrossing along razor’s-edge desert peaks.”

“...the visuals are truly spectacular.”

“...a cavalcade of extreme sports.”

“...the action set pieces look flawlessly executed.”

“...taps into the cinematic potential of such dynamic sports as base jumping, sheer-face snowboarding, wingsuit flying, free climbing and big-wave surfing.”

“...incredible action sequences and gorgeous locations.”

“...striking scenery, eye-catching stunts.”

“The surfing scenes are brilliantly done.”

“Point Break is heaven for stunt performers. Which is to say they’re by far the true stars of the picture. It’s them, whether risking their necks riding 70-foot-plus high megawaves, swooping through the sky like Batman in aerodynamic wingsuits or clinging by their fingertips to sheer cliff faces, who will make audience eyes pop and jaws drop."

Read the featured article on Philip Boston

Chasing Mavericks

CRITICS DISCUSS THE 2ND UNIT DIRECTION

Featured

“The footage itself, particularly of the surf, is spectacular… They are angry waves, monsters — with lots of attitude and undertow.”

“The eye-popping water footage looks digitally undoctored, and entirely persuasive, generally maintaining a certain long-shot distance that allows audiences to see the surfers’ bodies in motion, thrillingly dwarfed by 40- and 50-foot waves.”

“…its buoyancy can be infectious and persuasive, particularly in the surfing scenes and in the mesmerizing shots of the heaving, churning ocean and waves. The movie captures the hypnotic quality of this watery landscape, with its steel blue undulations and the Freudian oceanic feeling it summons.”

“…the most realistic (and terrifying) surf scenes that Hollywood has been able to conjure.”

“With the massive power and mesmerizing curl of the giant waves, Chasing Mavericks is at its best offshore.”

“The surfing sequences are some of the best I’ve ever seen in a film, and the re-creation of Jay’s climactic battle to ride El Nino-driven waves is real white-knuckle stuff.”

“The cinematography of the big Mavericks scene is so frightening that you sort of understand why Frosty stays on the shore…”

“The true stars of the film are the waves themselves, awesome liquid mountains that rear up magnificently and resoundingly crash, thrillingly recorded by the sensational cinematography…”

“The waves tower and crash impressively. Our proximity to them is breathtaking…”

Billabong Odyssey

CRITICAL RESPONSE

Featured

"...mind-blowing footage"

"...breathtaking"

- Keith Mulvihill, Time Out New York

"One of the most brilliantly executed pieces of surf cinematography ever."

"Suffice it to say that this seagull's-eye view of Mike Parsons towing in at Jaws is worth the price of admission alone."

"The best big wave surfing sequences I've ever seen."

"Billabong Odyssey‚ is a superb documentary that delves into the science, emotions and danger surrounding the handful of men and women who risk their lives searching for the ultimate thrill."

"The opening scene in Billabong Odyssey‚ is as exciting as any James Bond sequence."

"Billabong Odyssey‚ is appropriate for teens and older children. The first scene will blow them away. And as the rest of the movie unfolds, they might not even realize they're also getting an education"

"Here's a dare: Any of the purveyors of Hollywood's current wasteland of fire and noise, with their multimillion-dollar special effects and budgets, try to match - just try to match - the genuine visceral response generated during the opening sequence of Billabong Odyssey."

The biggest thrill you'll see on a movie screen this year."

"...breathtaking footage from end to end."

"What these surfers are doing is extraordinary, even historic."

"Billabong Odyssey is by far the best surfing movie I have ever seen. It is also one of the most entertaining documentaries ever produced for film. Very entertaining, and at times I was holding my breath in anticipation, thinking I was crushed under a wave just like one of the surfers in the film. Excellent movie, definitely worth a look."

- Cyrus Saatsaz

"Technically flawless"

"Superb photography"

"The waves at Jaws and Maverick's in Northern California, shot from helicopters or boats, are so terrifying in their immensity and sound that it seems they had to be created in a special effects lab."

"What a trip."

"The photography is stunning and the action full-blown, making this a visual treat for surfers and those who just wish they were."

- Dan Bennett, San Diego North County Times

"The cinematography of Billabong Odyssey takes it to another level and truly sets this film apart."

"The helicopter camera angles, particularly those shot above Jaws and Cortes Bank are some of the best yet."

"The film's opening sequence is worth the price of admission alone."

"Get to the theater early so you can sit right in front of the screen it's as close as you're gonna get to this level of surfing."

- Dave S. Louie, San Diego Fahrenheit

"...awe-inspiring"

"It is the focus on the surfers involved that sets this movie apart and in the style of the best surf films, including Endless Summer."

"...not just for hard-core surfers."

- S.J. Kahn, LATimes.com

"...beautiful and awe-inspiring."

"...jaw-dropping Oh my God, is that for real?‚ footage."

- SDSU Daily Aztec

"The opening shot of Billabong Odyssey may be the most beautiful and breathtaking big-wave shot ever filmed. The shot, like the film itself, is simply surreal in its magnitude."

"...everyone can appreciate the beauty of a 60-foot wave, especially when it’s done with such justice on the big screen."

"The production quality is high and the shots are amazing."