It’s that time of the week again, when we’re painfully counting down the hours until the clock hits “get out of the office and enjoy your weekend!”
Fortunately for all you procrastinators out there, I got a little article that just may make time go faster. I’ve always had a throbbing passion for sports, especially at the pro level. There’s not one night when I’m not in front of the television chanting my favorite team or player on that team, like a crazed freak at the local watering hole. Whether it be football, hockey, basketball, baseball, golf, I don’t care, I’m just a simple man who loves the atmosphere and the intangible spontaneous magic that comes with the game. Anyways, I’ll stop my rambling and get on with the show.
This is an article where, I, yours truly, power rank the best surf and skate blockbuster movies of all time, from #5 to #1.
Enjoy!
#5 Disney’s “Surf’s Up”
Yes, you heard that correctly, Disney making an appearance on the top 5 list. Okay, I know that the thought of penguins, chickens, etc. shredding waves on a board may be a bit too farfetched of an idea, but the notion of sticking true to your desires and the lesson of never giving up on your dreams makes this animated film a true surfer’s masterpiece. Oh, did I mention that both pro surfers Kelly Slater and Rob Machado have cameos as themselves?
#4 “Lords of Dogtown”
Set in the 1970’s in Southern California, “Lords of Dogtown” epitomizes the passion of skateboarding and the laidback lifestyle that comes with it. A group of young teenagers who ride together through the area of Dogtown in Venice Beach discover a new and revolutionary type of wheel that allows them to curve down on the ground like a surfboard does in the water. After mastering this skill, they come together to form a formidable skate team, while winning contests and winning the hearts of the community.
At the end of the day, it really boiled down to money vs. the undying passion, and the intangible idea of doing what you love.
Every true young skateboarder dreaming of success through skateboarding should really open their eyes and realize what’s important in life…having immortal happiness and doing what you love, or just doing it for the fame.
#3 “Blue Crush”
There was no way “Blue Crush” was being left off this list. The right amount of babe and the right amount of supreme surfing in the highest order is why this blockbuster movie is in the top 3. A stacked and most bodacious cast featuring Kate Bosworth, Michelle Rodriguez and Layne Beachley participating in one of the best sports in the world is just what we young adults need (if you’re a guy of course!)
#2 “Stoked: The Rise and Fall of Gator”
A skateboarding film dedicated to the life and times of Mark “Gator” Rogowski. It chronicles Gator’s rise to skateboarding fortune and glory in the 1980’s then suddenly plunges into his downward spiral towards drug and alcohol addiction. Then, finally culminates into a conviction for rape and murder. It’s definitely not a film for the fainthearted, but a moving film nonetheless.
#1 “Johnny Tsunami”
Coming at number one, “Johnny Tsunami” is arguably the top 90’s sports movie treasure among us who have in fact lived through the 90’s. “Space Jam”, “Rudy” and “Jerry McGuire” were all why the 90’s were basically the best sports movie decade in modern history. “Johnny Tsunami”, another Disney gem, tops this list because it’s a feel-good movie, with the main character pushing through adversity while engulfed in young love. It’s without a doubt, a true “best of both worlds” film.
