•I fell into a film that I decided to see last minute and was so glad I did. Surfwise is a doc by Doug Pray not about surf culture but about the culture of a legendary surfing team of 11, the Paskowitz family.
Initially the film is bouncy and flashy with beautiful graphics that would do the MTV crowd proud. The nine kids describe life in a 24-foot camper (this fact is mentioned by the kids repeatedly) caravaning around this country and others at the whim of Big Kahuna Doc Paskowitz. Though a Stanford educated physician, he didn't let any of his children attend school as he preferred to let nature, good exercise and a strict diet be their guide. They represented a sense of adventure and fearlessness that everyone wanted to tap into.
However, the mood changes about halfway through the film as it is revealed that despite Doc's praise for love and family, he was quite militant. Oldest brother David became estranged from the family as he was viewed as second-in-command to the dictator. Some of the kids regretted that they were unable to pursue specialized careers due to a lack of education. However, the kids are obviously very smart and articulate, and the family is certainly fascinating and intriguing.
In attendance for the screening was director Pray and family members Doc & Juliet (on her birthday) with brothers Abraham, Moses and Joshua. An audience member emotionally assaulted Doc for not allowing his children an education, and both Doc and the boys were quick to defend themselves. Doc said he wanted to make the kids wise and introspective, and Joshua said they all had a love for learning and read often. They claimed Salvador took the SATs at a friend's urging and nearly earned a score of 1300 without studying.
Pray admitted that doc directors don't want to become therapists, but their questions do lean in that direction. Whether they intend to manipulate their subjects or not, they will ultimately affect them in an intense way. When asked if anyone dug their heels in against the project, Pray said Doc was the most difficult but supported his family's participation. He has not seen the film.
Check out the Paskowitz Surf Camp & brother Izzy's surf camp for autistic children, Surfers Healing.
•Harris Goldberg tackled his autobiographical experience with depersonalization disorder in Numb. Featuring an extremely mellow Matthew Perry and an impossibly cute Lynn Collins, the story is laid out in a very medical textbook manner. Perry's character narrates his feelings of a physical social disconnect and notes every symptom and form of therapy attempted. His desire to be in an honest relationship with Collins' character drives him to find a speedy cure, but the film is not allowed a fairy tale count down to normalcy.
Goldberg attended the screening and admitted the film was journalistically cathartic. He said the screenplay was initially much darker but that he wanted the love story to be entertaining and he needed a lot of space in the moments, like old Hollywood. When asked if the sex scene with a therapist was true (played by Mary Steenburgen), he replied that it was actually the most accurate part of the story, except that he downplayed it. His mother is not portrayed in a flattering or supportive light, but apparently after she viewed it she declared the character was underdeveloped.
•Super Troopers writer/actor Paul Soter takes a stab at directing with Watching the Detectives. Chameleon Cillian Murphy stars as a movie geek video store owner who meets Lucy Liu's mysterious femme fatale, a woman who lives out the adventures he only watches on screen. Excitement and hilarity ensue through a sweet and goofy love story.