Unsalted: A Great Lakes Experience (DVD, 2007)

This movie is pretty good, not great. In comparison to other surf films, it's probably less than average. Its real draw is that it's about an awesome niche in surfing--the Great Lakes. The footage is cool, it's just the narrative that needs work. It's entirely too personal to really document or give any real flavor to Great Lakes surfing. This may not be a problem if you're really into "personal journey" stories. I, for one, am less interested in how hard it is to make a movie about something no one thinks is possible than how awesome surfing the Great Lakes could be! There is a cursory history, interviews with some Great Lakes surfers past and present--just enough to really get you interested. Then it's all the personal stuff, as though he invented Great Lakes surfing and is bringing it to the world. I didn't really feel any connection to his trials and triumphs. That said, it's not anything near the perfection of "The Endless Summer" but still worth watching to spice up your surf movie collection.

This movie has great surfing footage considering the geography. The narration is way to cliche and the music that accompanies it is equally bad. It is however fun to watch.