Bosch and Rockit

This is a story of a boy who, neglected by his parents and lacking an anchor, turns to the ocean for solace and into himself for protection. He grows up into a man who is supposedly rooted in hippie mysticism and Sikhism, yet juxtaposed with high profile girlfriends and Hollywood projects. This autobiographical account of his early life has the same duality of being cathartic and being self-indulgent. Remove the neglect and there is little else of substance to the movie. Even the neglect fails to be compelling due to the idyllic setting.

Atkins wrote, directed and produced this movie, his first ever feature film. Whether it was budget constraints or Atkin's single-minded obsession with his own story, it was sorely in need of better writing and creative input. Luke Hemsworth and Rasmus King do a good job of portraying father and son, but their acting and chemistry alone are not enough to carry the movie. The film locations were lackluster and the cinematography does not capture the beauty of the east coast of Australia. In one scene, Rockit runs into Ash 126 km away from Byron Bay and yet the Gold Coast can be seen in the distance. The handling of the film is decidedly amateurish and the heavy reliance on the music of Ry X for the soundtrack did not help.

Just a great Aussie movie. Imperfect characters interacting with the best Australia has to offer as a scenic backdrop. I couldn't find a weak point or character, and the ending left me wanting more but also glad that the future of the characters was up to my own speculation.

Rockit, Bosch, Ash-Ash and Sacks from Blue Heelers are fantastic

The surf and coastal towns showcase the best Australia has to offer, and it was fantastic trying to pick the locations.

Do yourself a favour and watch a great Aussie flick that doesn't try and get preachy or lost in wokeness.

Purple Monkey Dishwasher (Simpsons reference for word count)

Likeable storyline of father trying to be a good father to his surf mad teenager son.

Mother is sadly having her own issues.

Unfortunately, the dark side of the father is his drug dealing and mixing with bad criminals.

The filming locations are really awesome along the East coast, especially around Byron bay and other fantastic coastal ocean locations !

Not sure whether the teenager actor was actually doing the surfing, however the surfing shots were believable.

Teenager character is also believable through good casting.

The teenage actor has such great, very long hair that girls would go crazy !

I'll start with the bad, not many people say tucker instead of food in Australia. Some of the slams was a put off, though it was made for the international market I assume.

Film location says Byron Bay here and yes some was but mostly filmed at Brunswick Heads and other places including The Stand at Coolangatta, so if the movie inspires you to book a holiday the main shops and Sails Motel are at Brunswick.

Cinematography is excellent and they take full advantage of the scenery on the NSW north coast & south QLD.

The acting is good for that type of Aussie movie.

Without adding spillers or repeating what other reviewers have written, it covers some social issues regarding parenting, and also Pottsville (yes there really is a place by that name and nature) lifestyle.

The movie is easy to watch, doesn't bog down anywhere but there is a severe language warning for younger viewers plus drug references.

Definitely worth a watch.

Read the What Walt's Watching review then add my bit: I thought the ending was great. It was the right choice for a movie about a kid. His life is just opening up to him.

For those who've watched Point Break (the OG) & North Shore - movies with surfing in them have come a long way since editing goofy-footed stunt doubles into the action.