Invasion! From Planet C

Photo courtesy David Potter, Stoke Films. (Casanova and Gnar Gnar a wee bit lost on the search for stoke.)

Planet C has run out of stoke. Uncle Blork has sent two of his most trusted envoys to earth to scour the earth’s point breaks–by surfing them, the envoys are able to energize their boards with stoke and transfer it to little stoke receptacles that if brought back to Planet C, will help them return to peace and prosperity. The two set out in probably the dopest space ship money can’t buy that I’ve ever seen. The envoys, Casanova and Gnar Gnar (or it should be said, that’s his first name, and his last name is, Gnar Gnar, so if we’re being strictly formal, his full given name is Gnar Gnar Gnar Gnar) spend a lot of time seeking out the perfect wave as well as hunting for clothing (hunting puppets–in a scene that is so gut wrenchingly funny, I spit beer through my nose while watching it) and clockin’ the ladies. David Potter (Uncle Blork, writer, director, and producer as well) uses the film as a bit of commentary–and it’s genius. Without getting too analytical, it appears that Potter understands what a lot of surfers already know and fear–Surfing is losing it’s roots in the stoke to commercialism. Through his lens, Potter juxtaposes our world with Blork’s and in his DIY champion B flick surf film style, shows us all how to get back the stoke in our own world. Sci Fi is metaphor for the present, and Invasion! From Planet C is exactly that, but on the level of surf. With Casanova and Gnar Gnar (Gnar Gnar) on some of the most ridiculously long peelers I’ve ever seen, you’re sure to get the stoke back yourself. What’s best is that it’s a surf Vid like no other–it’s not the same recycled Slater/Andy Irons in a perfect barrel, been there done that kind of film. It’s in a class of its own; an antihero masterpiece. Originally, I had planned to review the DVD for Issue 4, but after getting my own dose of stoke from its viewing and talking with Potter about his aesthetic, I’ve decided to have him write us a feature on the making of this film. In an email I asked Potter, “Was this a road trip? It could work as a road trip piece.” His answer was, “If you mean stuffing 7 people, 2 longboards, and camera gear into a $300 Toyota LiteAce and camping around NZ then yes, we roadtripped.” Check out InvasionFromPlanetC.com for more info and screening dates.