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In God's Hands

In God's Hands

List Price: $14.95
Your Price: $13.46
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: MYSTIC SURF
Review: IN RESPONSE TO Sam Kim from SoCal/Baja:

Have you ever surfed!? I mean, come on. The only movies you listed that are surf movies are Endless Summer I & II.

SS

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Watch it several times...
Review: Probably my favorite full length surf film. If you update "The Endless Summer", modify the plot and give the characters dialog that says what Bruce Brown narrates, you have "In God's Hand". This movie has some great surfing footage - and a who's who in big wave surfing. And it attempts to show what its like to be a surfer. The "actors" are surfers playing the role of surfers - more or less themselves. The dialog and some scenes come off corny at times. This is an attempt to put what is usually experienced or thought into a film format - visual and audio. I saw this movie before I started surfing and although I heard what was said, I still didn't get it. After I was surfing, it was - oh yeah, there right! Like Dorian says to his girlfriend in the film - "... if you understood what I was saying, I wouldn't be saying it". Great film. Even better when watched several times.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Soundtrack
Review: Whats that tune playing in the second half of the "Jaws" section, just after Dorian wipes out ? Its sort of grunge rock with whispered lyrics. Been looking for it for aaaaages....

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: spirtual and philospical insight
Review: this movie combines great surf with the realities of real life. even though a surfer can be from different cultures every surfer knows the surf and the thrill of the waves and especially the big ones. which is one of the more exciting thing in this movie is the big waves. the movie consists of three friends going on a surfers dream scoping the earth for big waves. the show the real aspects of this big wave threat.they show them going through the training and hurdles that get in their way. the only thing that i don't like about this movie is the tow surf but that's another subject. but it is also expressed in this movie.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Deeper than the stereotype.
Review: This movie takes a look at surfing in a way not many other movies have. This is the only surf movie I've seen that takes such a philosphical perspective on such a stereotyped sport. Yeah the movie can get a little corny at times, and yeah the acting can get a little cheesy, but the things they say are actually pretty deep. At one point in the movie the main character goes into a sort of monologue, explaining his motivation for surfing... If you really pay attention to what he's saying, it makes a lot of sense. It might help having a bit of ocean-sport experience to really relate to the things that are said... But the movie really provides a deeper look into surfing than the "Shaka brah, that wave was epic"-type movies.

The only reason I'm not giving this 5 stars is because there are some really strange sequences. And not only are they strange, they're pretty random. I don't know if they were supposed to have some sort of artistic merit, but if they did, I didn't catch it. I found myself watching bizzarre clips of film a little more often than I would have liked, but I can't say it detracted from the film.

If anything, you should see this movie for its terrific footage. The surfers highlighted are truly awesome surfers, and the waves you'll see are simply awe-inspiring. I lived on the North Shore of Oahu for a period of my life, and I was lucky enough to experience the wonder of the "Big Seasons" with my own two eyes... This movie brought back those feelings on many levels, and not many other movies have been able to do that.

Overall, I found this to be a pretty entertaining movie. It certainly didn't have the budget of other major films you'll find, but it gives a very philosophical and insightful look into a sport that is stereotyped just a little too much.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Amazing Movie
Review: This movie was definitely one of the best surf films I've ever seen. This movie captures some truely amazing surfing that will make you want to surf for the rest of your life.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Watch it several times...
Review: Probably my favorite full length surf film. If you update "The Endless Summer", modify the plot and give the characters dialog that says what Bruce Brown narrates, you have "In God's Hand". This movie has some great surfing footage - and a who's who in big wave surfing. And it attempts to show what its like to be a surfer. The "actors" are surfers playing the role of surfers - more or less themselves. The dialog and some scenes come off corny at times. This is an attempt to put what is usually experienced or thought into a film format - visual and audio. I saw this movie before I started surfing and although I heard what was said, I still didn't get it. After I was surfing, it was - oh yeah, there right! Like Dorian says to his girlfriend in the film - "... if you understood what I was saying, I wouldn't be saying it". Great film. Even better when watched several times.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: MYSTIC SURF
Review: IN RESPONSE TO Sam Kim from SoCal/Baja:

Have you ever surfed!? I mean, come on. The only movies you listed that are surf movies are Endless Summer I & II.

SS

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Soundtrack
Review: Whats that tune playing in the second half of the "Jaws" section, just after Dorian wipes out ? Its sort of grunge rock with whispered lyrics. Been looking for it for aaaaages....

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: In search of the ultimate wave...
Review: IN GOD'S HANDS (USA 1998): Three world-class surfers (played by real-life surfing champions Patrick Shane Dorian, Matt George and Matty Liu) travel to various far-flung corners of the globe in search of the 'ultimate wave', a spiritual adventure which ends in tragedy and redemption...

Best known for a series of po-faced softcore dramas (TWO-MOON JUNCTION, DELTA OF VENUS), director Zalman King here employs his unique, fractured filmmaking style to explore the spiritual dimension which underpins the sport of surfing. Anchored from the outset by Dorian's quiet authority figure (whose non-performance can be read as meditative and, if nothing else, allows the viewer to luxuriate in his exquisite beauty), the film's meandering plotline is developed not by characterization and drama (despite game performances by George and Liu), but via a succession of extraordinary sounds and images, culminating in spectacular - and often terrifying - surfing sequences. Non-surfers may wonder what all the fuss is about, though everyone else will be captivated by King's obvious reverence for the subject, and by the sheer physical beauty of the production. An ode to the wonders of Nature, and the silent calling which draws surfers to challenge its fury on some of the most awe-inspiring waves in the world.

Photographed in Super 35 by John Aronson, the film is reproduced on Columbia TriStar's region 1 DVD in a glorious letterbox (2.35:1) presentation, anamorphically enhanced, alongside a full-screen version which - for the most part - simply opens up the image at top and bottom, throwing off the compositions and disturbing the essential visual dynamic. Stick with the widescreen version. Ultimately, this is the kind of movie which deserves to be seen on a BIG screen, but the DVD is a fair representation of the original experience. Released theatrically in a choice of Dolby and SDDS digital formats, the film's thunderous soundtrack is reproduced in a sensational Dolby 5.1 mix, though a 2.0 track is also included for those without the appropriate decoders. English captions and subtitles are provided. The movie itself runs 97m 37s.


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