I'm a big fan of the Peralta movies like "Dog-Town & Z-boys" and "Stoked: The Rise & Fall of Gator." But last night I saw "Riding Giants" and was completely blown away. It seems that Peralta and his gang have evolved in their art, and the film is breathtaking as a result. In my theater, there were about 15 people. A woman and myself in my row, and 13 or so surfers all lined up in a row about 3 rows behind us. They were hooting and hollering through the previews and through the first 10 minutes of historical info. But when they progress to the North Shore of Oahu, they started to get quiet, and later, during the segment on Mavericks (near Half-Moon Bay in Northern CA), you could hear a pin drop. Finally, the segment on Laird Hamilton and the tow-in surfers in Tahiti had everyone literally on the floor. Utterly spectacular. If you have any interest in "extreme" or outdoor sports, don't miss this. (And, by the way, I didn't know that Laird Hamilton is married to Gabriel Reece!)

This message has been edited. Last edited by: RayRay,

My wife and I saw this tonight. RayRay, you're right about the tow-in stuff with Laird Hamilton's "greatest ride" being mind-blowing. My other favorite parts were all of Greg Noll's interviews, which were often hilarious, and the touching tragedy of Mark Foo at Mavericks. I'm an old fart, so it didn't seem as entertaining as the "Endless Summer" flicks, but it's well-worthwhile for almost all movie watchers.

Actually, mark f, now that a few days have passed, the thought of some of those descriptions of being pulled under the water and held down there for successive wave breaks... extremely frightening. I've considered surfing, but I think I'll shelve that idea for a while. Definitely much more dangerous than I'd anticipated (obviously big wave surfing is antirely different ballgame, but I'd rather my recreational activities not be life & death propositions). That image of the "tombstoning" surfboard is eerie as hell.

I must agree this is one of the best and comprehensive documentaries about big wave surfing. Point of note that this is not about competitive surfing but "Big Wave." Thoes who are surfers or have seen the film will understand what I am talking about. Great film Peralta!

This was a great documentary. I was into skateboarding as a kid, so I always knew Stacy Peralta as the co-owner of Powell-Peralta skateboards. Then a few years ago I read some positive reviews of "Dogtown and Z-Boys", so I checked it out. DAZB was probably one of the best documentaries in recent years, with Peralta reinventing the genre for the X-Games generation. "Riding Giants" was even more spectacular, with Peralta really growing as a filmmaker. Anyone who thinks documentary filmmaking is boring and stuffy should check out these two films immediately.

I finally saw Riding Giants about a month ago on dvd and I was also blown away by the film but also how much more captivating it was than Dogtown and the interviews were much more candid and interesting. I would love to see this on the big screen - the cinematography was fantastic. I grew up as a big skateboarder in the mid 80s but living in the middle of the Prairies surfing barely crossed my mind.I've had 1 or two opportunities to surf on Vancouver Island. that I passed up but I would love to try it now even more so because of Riding Giants and will next month in Costa Rica. This was in my top 3 docs of 2005 no doubt. Check it out!

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Actually, mark f, now that a few days have passed, the thought of some of those descriptions of being pulled under the water and held down there for successive wave breaks... extremely frightening. I've considered surfing, but I think I'll shelve that idea for a while. Definitely much more dangerous than I'd anticipated

You should try big wave jet surfing. It's as fun as surfing (I say even more) and is simpler as you have the power of the jet to help you out.
Check it out http://www.myjetskibuddies.com/jet-ski-surfing-477.html

Of course you should know to jet ski first, but that's not that complicated.

So, cup, welcome to the site, but did you see Riding Giants?

Seeing your question I'm starting to think I'm confusing it with something else :-|
Isn't it the movie about the big wave coming and everybody prepare for it, or am I confusing with something else?