Stab’s Innersection pick: Matt Meola

We recently received a copy of Innersection in the mail. The concept was an interesting one and some initial concerns (namely continuity and flow, mostly) turned out to have been justified. But flair always shines, no matter how it’s wrapped, andInnersection‘s certainly got some shining moments. We understand that everyone’s got differing tastes, so don’t get too riled up by our preferences, but of all the parts in the film, Stab loves Matt Meola’s the most.

Matt, 20, is from North Shore Maui and it shows in his repertoire. Not only can the kid bounce, he’s got enough grit for the big stuff and can really thread a tunnel. Matt appeared on the cover of Stab issue #44 a while back, though that’s not why his part’s our favourite (see below). The cover image showed Matt flying over a Mexican lip, rail in hand and back leg kicked-out. An example of the kinda forward-thinking he takes into the water.

The song for Matt’s section might not be the best (much like many/most other parts), but the surfing makes up for it in spades. Mammoth wheelies, committed flat landings, nose-high full-roter ‘oops, layback one-footed tail-whips… there’s something beautiful in Matt’s unorthodox flash. He seems to emerge from an impossible landing on every wave. And nearly everything’s fully-rotated. So commendable!

Some low points of the film:

Few of the editors seem to have grasped the concept that showing someone getting slammed is 100 times better than cutting away at the last second, just before impact or an obvious dismount.

Skits can be stellar if done well. Done well being the key point. And most of these aren’t.

After seeing a couple of successful session-based films, it’s hard to go back to cut-n-paste, single-surfer sections.

Electronic music is, er… slightly played out in surf films.

Some high points of the film:

The surfing. Obvious talent is undeniable and most of the guys with parts in the film have them for a reason.

The waves. Though the nature of the multi-director film resulted in a lack of flow, it did mean a wider variety of waves. And some fucking good ones at that.

The underrated-ness of Ry Craike, the nonchalance of Craig Anderson, the mix of Josh Kerr’s bag, the well-roundedness of Johnny-Boi Florence, the fact that Mike Losness’ surfing is still totally relevant, and a couple of other special moments. You’ll know ’em when you see ’em.

Seen the film yet? What’d you think of it?