With summer coming to an end soon and school starting back up, now is the time to squeeze in that last minute vacation or road trip and head on out to explore this big orb we call Earth.  Or, you can pretend you are in a tropical place and have the talent to surf alongside celebrities and watch a surfing flick!  Pretty much the same thing, right?  No, not really.  But surfing flicks can be cool to watch, especially when you have been to the places featured in the film to compare to your real-life experiences.  Oh yeah, chicks in bikinis for the guys, possibly speedos for the gals.

Point Break (1991)

Perhaps the greatest surfing movie ever made, 1991′s ‘Point Break‘ was the ultimate guy movie and probably still is.  Keanu Reeves plays an undercover FBI agent hot on the trail of notorious bank robbers who happen to avid surfers led by Patrick Swayze.  Keanu is at his acting best (yes, I am aware of what I just wrote) and learns to surf via Lori Petty so he can fit in to the lifestyle, but will he succumb to the thrills of the sport over his duties as an agent of the law?  Maybe he’ll get hooked on skydiving, or even running through the neighborhoods of southern California waving a gun and busting through people’s homes until ultimately screaming and shooting his gun into the air….Maybe, just maybe, he will do it ALL.  Add in Gary Busey as his trusted FBI partner and we have a winning combination that will go down in history.  Oh yeah, there’s lots of surfing in this until the very end, so what are you waiting for?  Hang ten, bro!

Blue Crush (2002)

How about some girl power with your surfing?  That’s what you get with 2002′s ‘Blue Crush’ about Kate Bosworth, Michelle Rodriguez & Mika Boorem surfing in Hawaii every day, training and waiting for the chance to win the Pipe Masters surf competition.  Add in a hunky high school quarterback for added distraction and you have the perfect flick for women of all ages.  For the guys, it’s about chicks in bikinis surfing in Hawaii.  No need to complicate the story any more than it is, right?  Awesome photography and killer surf scenes make this a treat for the eyes indeed.  Followed by a direct-to-DVD sequel, this film was pretty popular when it was released pulling in about $52 Million at the box office on a $30 Million budget.  Not bad, I can’t help but think that the clothing had something to do with it though.

The Endless Summer II (1994)

Bruce Brown’s follow-up documentary film to his epic 1966 original follows Pat & Wingnut all over the globe in search of the perfect wave.  Exotic locations, strange encounters & a bunch of world-class surfers highlight this incredibly funny tale of two fortunate guys who get to travel around to the furthest reaches of the planet and experience the best that mother nature has to offer.  While this is actually a documentary, not a scripted film, the narration and camerawork totally engulf you emotionally and visually with the stunning locales and breathtaking camerawork in the water.  If you ever wanted to surf but don’t live near the ocean, this is the perfect film to satisfy your curiosity until you have that chance.  Wonderful flick.

There are other notable mentions in the surfing genre of movies (‘Surf Nazis Must Die’ comes to mind), but these are 3 selections that most people would enjoy to satisfy their summer fix.  Tomorrow I’ll be posting Part 2 of the Summer’s End blog featuring road trip films, until then check out the collections of the actors/actresses listed above or feel free to surf around (get it?) at Hark.com to find whatever fits your fancy.  Don’t worry, even if summer is coming to end Hark is open year ’round for your needs.  We never close, we never charge you a dime.  In fact, here’s some soothing ocean sounds to calm you down.

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