EarDelightBase
Waste of Money.
GamerTab
That was an excellent one.
Jemima
It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.
Hellmant
'DRIFT': Three Stars (Out of Five) Surf movie set in the 1970s about two brothers trying to start a successful surf shop at the high point of the sport's business. It stars Myles Pollard, Xavier Samuel, Sam Worthington and the beautiful Lesley-Ann Brandt (who bares a striking resemblance to Halle Berry). It was directed by Ben Nott and Morgan O'Neill and written by O'Neill and Tim Duffy. I found the film to be mildly amusing but I think surfers (and surf movie fans) will get more of a kick out of it.Pollard (who also produced the flick) stars as Andy Kelly and Samuel plays his brother Jimmy; two brothers who fled their abusive father, with their mom (Robyn Malcolm), when they were kids. They moved to a coastal town (in Australia) and became obsessed with surfing. When they're much older (in the 70s) they try to avoid a life of crime and start a surf shop; selling wetsuits and boards (out of their garage). They meet JB (Worthington, who was a Drama school classmate of Pollard's) and his friend Lani (Brandt) who come into town and become business associates of the brothers.The movie has some decent surfing scenes and beautiful visuals but the characters aren't quite as developed or relatable as I like in a character-driven drama film. The surf scenes are kind of cool and exciting but they are few and far between. I did really enjoy Worthington's character though and all of the acting is decent in the movie. Like I said I'm sure surf and sports fans will enjoy the film more but I found it to be merely decent.Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayoPMqb3Nl8
Felix Martinsson
I can't stop watching all these surfing films. I'm a huge fan of Chasing Mavericks and this was up to standard! It wasn't as good as Chasing Mavericks, but still really good, the old Hippie-Flower-Power thing is making it even better. The choice of actors/actresses was fantastic, Sam Worthington, Xavier Samuel and Lesley-Ann Brandt, just to mentions a few - did a really good job. This movie gave both joy and emotional moments and the contents were perfect. This movie is for a person who's in to surfing, and who likes the sixties. The film begins with black and white color effect, which shows us the past and then switches to color when they are grownup. Like I said the story is really interesting, and it gets even more interesting when you know it has happened! I recommend almost anyone to watch it, and especially you who've seen "Chasing Mavericks"!
carolethecatlover-678-214093
This is a great slice of Australian life as it was in our parents' day.That is not so far and so long ago. I predict a large sale on DVD by older Australians. It is really well acted by unknowns and Sam Worthington. The scenery, the surf and the story are so true to life. The costumes are spot on. The soundtrack is a real disappointment. It could have been full of Aussie classics from era. The Skyhooks, John Farnham, even early BeeGees, even Rolf Harris, an opportunity missed here. While the story is good it lacks the ability to tug at the heartstrings. More tension in the storyline, or tighter editing would have helped. This makes me think it was written by an amateur. O'Neill wrote the original story, of Oneill surf wear, one supposes. An interesting Australian.
Likes_Ninjas90
Drift is a breezy Australian surfing film that doesn't break any new ground or take too many chances but the surfing scenes are spectacularly photographed and the performances are as colourful as the scenery. Like many local films, it is extremely well made and acted with professionalism, even when the story isn't revolutionary. The opening scenes in the Sixties are filmed in black and white. This is a fine visual touch, recalling Oz the Great and Powerful, because when the film forwards past the childhood of its central characters Andy and Jimmy and enters the 1970s, the film explodes with vivid colours being cast over a giant wave.Riding this enormous wave is Jimmy (Xavier Samuel). Jimmy and his brother Andy (Myles Pollard) moved from Sydney to Margaret River in Western Australia with their mother Kat (Robyn Malcolm) to start a new life together. Andy works long hours in a timber mill, while his brother rides hard in professional surfing competitions. Seeing the lousy treatment of the older folks of the mill, Andy decides to quit his job and help start a surf shop with his brother, selling surfing gear like boards and wetsuits. This is at a time just prior to when surfing competitions started awarding serious prize money.Andy is angered to discover that Jimmy has done a small time job for some local bikie crims and urges him to return any stolen material. Yet these bikie thugs refuse to leave their friends alone and one of them becomes involved in drugs. Sam Worthington (Avatar, Clash of the Titans) plays a hippie surfer named JB, who befriends both the boys. JB's Hawaiian hippie friend Lani (Lesley-Ann Brandt) also takes a romantic shine to Andy. Beneath its sunny exterior, the film is about the relationship of these two brothers and poses the question of whether a hobby makes for a satisfying and financially sustainable living. The film has more than sand between its ears, realising that a compromise has to be made when it comes to approaching sport as an occupation. This is reflected by JB, who has the film's funniest and smartest line: "Its Darwinian man. We adapt, we survive." It would be impolite to say that the story by Morgan O'Neill exists merely to showcase the surfing because there is more narrative than just sun. It's more of a question of the familiarity of many individual story elements.This is very much a rerun of the underdog story: the little business that could, faced against impossible odds like evil bikies and a stuffy bank manager. The bikies are a blessing and a curse for the film. They're total caricatures but also helpful in providing some danger to the script through some flat spots, where it feels as though there could be more risk involved. The bikies handout a few thuggish beatings and there is a drug subplot, which gives the film a grittier shade in contrast to lightweight, jovial tone and relaxed, pleasant performances. The film even retreats to that plot line where a contest is handily giving out a large monetary prize so that the little people can save the farm. Are these contests deliberately organised around places of low socioeconomics and general lucklessness? The organisers must have prior knowledge of people's banking woes, such is their convenience. I also couldn't see the necessity of the romance between the Lani and Andy. Lani serves to ties the global relations between Australian and the US neatly (in a perfectly square ending) but any potential conflict between the brothers never eventuates over her.What many people will see the film for are the stunning, exciting and beautiful surfing sequences, which are filmed by Rick Rifici and Rick Jakovich: two highly experienced and talented water cinematographers. Filmed with great width, there are some gorgeous and hair-raising waves showcased here. The actors in the film performed some of the surfing, while real surfers were employed as stunt doubles too. An interesting fact is that despite how vivid and colourful the film is, it was actually filmed in winter so that the waves would be bigger and therefore more dramatic. They're a huge part of a great looking movie so that even when the pacing slumps or the story seems corny, it's never been so easy to dive into the surf.