NEWCASTLE [Import]

I saw this movie at a Film Festival and although the plot does have a few holes and sometimes it jumps around a little bit I cannot help but love this movie.

Set in Newcastle, Australia it tells the story of Jesse an avid surfer and his friends. Rivalry with his older brother because of his failure to become a surf champ, first love and it's consequences, learning to understand his twin brother who has grown apart from, finding out that his brother and one of his friends have something going on, competing in a surf competition, the tragic events that unfold...etc

I love this movie because it was a fun romp, set in one of my favorite countries, hot surfers, great actors and it was a good coming of age film.

story line was all over the place ... soame good parts but basicaly a trvial attempt at movie making would noy recommend it

This a film by gay director Dan Castle and has been advertised as a gay movie, and is being promoted by Peccadillo in the U.K. Up front this is not a gay film, it has one real gay character but a lot of cutsie, eye candy shots of buff boys in board shorts.

What it is about is the relationship between a family of three brothers and the pains of growing up and the endless surfing. This is quite testosterone fuelled but most of it is aimed towards competitive surfing, or arguing or making a lot of unnecessary noise and aggression. There is scant character development which I found disappointing.

Of the three brothers the middle on Jessie is trying to emulate his older brother's surf achievements. His elder brother was a success but has now faded into obscurity as not enough time in the classroom has led him to be a bit of a failure in the `real world'. He still lives at home as his relationship with his ex has broken down. The younger brother Fergus (Xavier Samuel) is gay and a goth and has no friends.

He gets invited to join Jessie and his friends for a weekend surf party up the coast, and that is where it gets interesting. Please note this is not a sex fest, it does have some mild nudity but as a 15 cert you can guess that this is fairly tame.

As I said not enough character development, but some very nice shots and if you are into surfing, then this is a must, I actually preferred `Tan Lines', but this is still an above average film and did not drag in the least, so for some light entertainment with eye candy a plenty this should `float your boat' or at least your boogie board.