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All Movie Info
Starring:
Shia LaBeouf, Jon Heder, Zooey Deschanel, James Woods, Jeff Bridges, Michael McKean, Jane Krakowski, Diedrich Bader, Brian Benben, Mario Cantone, Kelly Slater, Rob Machado, Ash Brannon, Chris Buck, Brian Posehn, Bob Bergen, Courtnee Draper, Bill Farmer, Teresa Ganzel, Jess Harnell, Jesse Head, Danny Mann, Laraine Newman, Jan Rabson, Marisa Theodore, Michael McKean, Mindy Sterling, Sherry Lynn, Mickie McGowan, Johanna E. Braddy, Dana Belben, Reed Buck, Reese Elowe, Jack P. Ranjo, Matthew W. Taylor, Jillian Bowen, Johanna E. Braddy, John Cygan, Andy Fischer-Price, Alec Medlock, Meagan Smith, Crawford Wilson, Jacob Zachar, Sal Masekela
Directed By:
Chris Buck, Ash Brannon
Written By:
Christian Darren, Don Rhymer, Lisa Addario, Joe Syracuse
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Surf's Up (2007)
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He's a dirty trash can filled with poop.
Normally I don't review movies that are quite this current or mainstream (not in a snobbish way - I just prefer to bring to light lesser-known gems), but I have to eat crow on this one. I didn't want to see it, thought it looked horrible, and only went because my daughter was apparently going to DIE if she didn't see it.
So, turns out it was really good. It doesn't pull a Shrek, dropping potty-humor jokes left and right, with the most incongruous soundtrack in the history of film, only to deliver some schmaltzy, we can all be friends moralistic ending.
No, Surf's Up is a much more well-rounded film, more about the story than the gags. As Zara pointed out, the documentary-style was a great idea. I found that it helped immensely to avoid the second reel doldrums, where most kids' movies take the depressive downturn, where everything is going wrong. What Oh What can our hero do?!
Cody's just a little guy looking to break out of his shell and accomplish something. We can all relate to that. And in the process, he learns some life lessons. But not in an after-school special sort of way.
This is one movie you can feel good about taking your kids to see.
One final note: my personal favorite voice performance was Diedrich Bader as Tank. A highly underrated actor. It is also important to know (at least for geeks like me) that the voices of the documentary interviewers were actually done by co-directors Chris Buck and Ash Brannon.
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 | Zara
Jun 9, 2007 6:37 PM
also wrote a review of Surf's Up 
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I also loved that the surfer penguins looked like their real life counterparts but that most people won't pick up on that (Kelly Slater's smooth penguin dome being one of them). Diedrich Bader is one of my big guilty pleasure crushes. I love his voice, it's really made for this kind of thing.
And that's usually my biggest gripe about recent animated films. They're no longer casting good voice actors but instead trying to find the biggest names to sell the flick. Which means that you get people who aren't cut out for this kind of thing.
(And personally, I loved Mario Cantone as the little bird who did the recruiting.) |
 | Tim
Jun 10, 2007 1:01 AM
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| This is a weird film for you to review.... |
 | Lark
Jun 10, 2007 8:18 AM
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| my fave Bader role is Hoss Delgado on The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. Great character!....modeled after Ash from Evil Dead, and looking suspiciously like Snake Plissken....I love that show.... |
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Jun 10, 2007 8:52 AM