Customer Reviews

Monster Thursday

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For a bunch of scandanavian weirdos, they sure did a good job of showing what it's like to catch the surfing bug. Stylistically shot and excellently delivered, this film instantly goes way up in the approval rating of dramatic films made about surfing. There seems to be a love for making this film on several levels from the director to the actors. Somewhat precious on some levels, it's overall narative prevents it from being too cute. The DVD virtually has no real value to it in terms of special features other than a great film. But Monster Thursday drops in on surfing films that are in the pantheon of quality and realistic portrayals of the subculture that is wave riding such as Big Wednesday. Very well done and all surfers will love this one.

An entertaining surfing film from Norway, "Monster Thursday" is a cinema with a soul but also managing to balance that feeling of being stoked for the search for the big wave.

No, this is not an American film, nor is it an Australian film, "Monster Thursday" is a Norwegian film that is directed by Arild Østin Ommundsen and is one of the selection by Film Movement. According to the company, they are a full service North American distributor of award-winning independent and foreign film. From traditional film distribution methods like the theatrical release, DVD sales, DVD rentals, and television to new and unique film distribution techniques like our Film Festival On Demand channel and our first of its kind film-of-the-month-club, Film Movement is making it easier for independent and international movie lovers from Alaska to Florida to see some of the world's award-winning cinema.

Although the DVD doesn't have to be obtained by subscription (you can find it on Amazon.com or eBay), the fact that Film Movement is bringing independent and foreign films to the American public is fantastic.

"Monster Thursday" revolves around two best friends Even (played by Vegar Hoel) and Tord (played by Christian Skolmen). Even is a man who is not fully depended on and doesn't really have many ambitions but if there is one thing that he is sure of, it's that he loves a woman named Karen.

The problem is that Karen, despite being with Even first...she ends up falling for Tord, getting pregnant and now getting married. And for Even, the fact that his best friend is marrying the woman of his dreams hurts him emotionally but he also knows that his friend Tord is like the perfect guy. From being a very good surfer, good businessman and also having a great body, things that Even is jealous of.

As Tord is expecting to be away for business and away from his pregnant wife, Tord is depending on his buddy to watch over Karen. Although it may be quite awkward for these two to be together in the same room, Even has made the decision that the only way he can prove to Karen that he loves her and hopes she loves him is if he follows through with a goal and that goal is for him to learn how to surf, take place in a competition and to learn how to surf and go after the perfect wave.

And in Norway, there have been rumors about a killer wave known as the "Monster". Will Even be able to win Karen's heart and surf the killer wave?

VIDEO:

"Monster Thursday" is presented in 1:85:1 Letterboxed and for a 2006 film, "Monster Thursday" tends to utilized different film stock at times. Sometimes one scene can be very grainy and some which look natural and showcase the beauty of Norway's west coast.

I will say that I was glad that the picture quality of the film was much better than the trailers. The trailers were picture-boxed and included a lot of compression artifacts but "Monster Thursday" was not that bad. I am not too familiar of how the picture quality of the majority of Film Movement DVD's are but "Monster Thursday" was quite fine.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

"Monster Thursday" is presented in Norwegian Dolby Digital 2.0 with English subtitles. Dialogue is clear and understandable through the stereo channels. Subtitles tend to have some aliasing but can easily be read.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"Monster Thursday" or most Film Movement DVD releases contain a short film for the month. For this release, a short titled "Youngster" directed by Will Canon is included. The eight minute American short film revolves around a 12-year-old drug pusher who sells drugs to an addict and follows him to his home to get his money. But this decision by the 12-year-old might prove to not be a good idea at all.

There is also information on the film by Director Ommundsen inside the cover.

JUDGMENT CALL:

Rarely do you see surfing films with a deep story. Aside from the really good ones that showcase the talents of real surfers (and are released by the surfing companies), Hollywood surfing films created for the public usually have a skewed outlook on surfing.

With the release of "Monster Thursday", I was quite pleased to see a story that included humor, drama but also an interesting take of one person determined of wanting to take on a monster wave. But where the soul of this film lies is in its characters, of how one with no ambition or goals, looks to surfing and learning how to surf and eventually hoping that his former girlfriend will recognize him and eventually fall back in love with him. Sure, this film is definitely a love triangle style of film combining surfing elements but it's a film that surfers and surfing fans can easily understand (especially the discussion of Miki Dora and the surf-related lessons).

In ways, surfing fans can see a little "North Shore", "Big Wednesday" and "Riding Giants" in "Monster Thursday". With the main character Even willing to learn lessons to learn how to surf from the best surfer (and shaper) from the area, hanging out with his jobless buddy (who provides the comedy relief) Beckstrom (played by Andreas Cappelen) and of course, the concept of a big wave that no one has surfed but many who are passionate about surfing, learning about surf reports and knowing the weather conditions and more.

We also get to see grommet-based errors from wearing a wet suit wrong to one not knowing how to ride a wave and thus Even learns from a former well-known surfer named Skip (played by Kim Bodnia) who teaches him how to watch the waves and eventually how to surf.

As for Even's buddy Tord, for some unknown reason, after his wedding, he goes on business trip and never comes back until late into the film. If anything, I was expecting some major pow-wow between Even and his best friend for neglecting a pregnant Karen. And through this time of a Tord-less storyline, this is where Even thinks he can learn how to surf and get her attention. In some ways, this is immature thinking for a man but if anything, it was pretty cool to see a man find purpose in life by surfing and in some ways, there is a karma will get you in the end style of storyline between Even and Tord.

And the way the film ends definitely was no surprise for me because for many surfers, many dream of trying to surf that big monster wave. But the ending may not what be what one expects and that is the surprise that I enjoyed. It doesn't end in a kitschy way but an appropriate way that I was genuinely stoked about. There is a sequence that happens at the beginning of the film which ties in to the end, so I won't bring it up as it would spoil the film.

As for the DVD, I hope that Film Movement considers releasing the films on Blu-ray. It would be great to see these films in HD as I would imagine "Monster Thursday" and the view of Norway's west coast would look great on Blu. But I really dig the fact that Film Movement also includes short films in their monthly DVD selections as well.

Overall, "Monster Thursday" was a pretty cool film and the overall performance by the talent was well done. Definitely a DVD worth checking out!

this isnt really a movie about surfing, but about love.....not to make it sound cheesy... anyway this is a greate movie the way it's shot and the story are both beyond beautiful. PLEASE WATCH IT IF YOU HAVE NOTMonster Thursday

although living in ct now-had moved to san diego in 1975 and caught the surf stoke there. for the 23 years i was there the bug bit me hard and this film catches that passion. loved it!!

Normally I would never be able to hold my attention to a movie with subtitles, but this story is amazing and FUNNY. A definite recommended movie from me.

Loved it, loved it, loved it!! Not only do we get gorgeous shots of the Norwegian coast, we get an understated, moving story set in the local surfing community. It's not just a movie about surfing, but learning to surf becomes a test of the main character Even's ability to finish something, apparently for the first time in his life. The viewer gets to watch him change into an adult, someone who can be depended on by Karen, the girl he loves and was once married to. We meet other inhabitants of this very small town, some of whom are stereotypical surfer dudes: the stoners, and the retired surfing legend who takes our hero on as a student. The plot is moved along by the approaching birth of Karen's baby and the uncertain return of her present husband, who left on a business/surfing trip the day after their wedding. She has a decision to make. This film does what all good films do. It takes viewers into a new world, and lets us live there for a couple of spellbinding hours. I'm so glad I took this trip!

Nothing about this film hooked me in and made me want to stay. No character development, no chemistry among any of the three in the triangle, and a snore-time plot. Made me cold just looking at them. Boring.

I've watched a handful of Film Movement releases, and liked most of them, but this one is a disappointment. For one, it's not really about surfing, and what little surfing there is turns out to be for nothing. The romance aspect is a fail. There is little chemistry between the two actors, not enough time and energy dedicated to making the viewer interested, and the actress who plays Karen doesn't have much going on in the personality department. Whether or not that's how she was supposed to be played, I was not impressed and I didn't sympathize or like the character.

There were some good characters, like Even's goofy friend and the ex surfing pro, as well as Sara. But that isn't enough to make this work.

To top it off, the ending...oh, the ending. It's one of those endings created to emotionally toy with the viewer as well as make an impact, but for me it didn't work. Maybe if I had cared more about the characters I wouldn't have thought the ending was so ridiculous. But that's what it was, in my opinion. The whole movie was rendered pointless.

First, this is not a real surf movie. It is a movie for people who talk about surfing but have never actually done it. It is so technically deficient -- anyone who approached surfing like Evan did would have drown many times over, the weather and surf conditions predictions are rudimentary yet presented as if an amazing mysterious discovery, and the final surf scene is chopped from some other location -- that no surfer would waste time on it.

Second, think about the "plot". Aimless boy loses girl because girl finds someone else who can at least stick with an activity (surfing) long enough to become good at it. Girl marries surfer and is pregnant. Aimless boy mopes about, tries the same activity to impress the girl but ends up committing suicide by surfing in a lightning storm. Essentially aimless boy never grows up. This is more of a study of grossly failed maturation, including the inability to deal with rejection, delusional thinking, and suicide, than a love story.

Just like Evan's inability to find his own interest and copies Jord's surfing, the producers of this movie couldn't even come up with an original title. So they spend probably all of 5 seconds coming up with this one. A cheap, shallow, unsatisfying knock off.