Austin Fly Fishing Film Tour Review

I am not going to sugar-coat my review of the Austin stop of the Fly Fishing Film Tour at all.  Basically, I thought it was OK.  Just OK.  And well, I was a little bit disappointed...

I went with a couple friends, Mike and Matt who are also P. H. Kellner Pro-Staffers, arriving a little over an hour before the film was to start.  The stop was held at the Paramount Theater in Austin, which is a cool venue and a neat place to watch the films, but...it had a drawback.  The area with the vendor booths was way too small.  It was nearly impossible to move around to check out the booths, talk to vendors, or to get beer and food (which they quickly ran out of food anyway.)  They did have a pretty decent beer selection available, which was a good thing.  I was drinking Austin Beerworks Fire Eagle American IPA all night long. That might have been the highlight of night.  I only wish that I had it available to me when I did the 2013 River Beer (Best Beers to take While Kayak Fishing the River), it might have made the list...well there is always next year!

Anyway...I got off track, back to the Fly Fishing Film Tour.  So, after trying to wander around and talk to people (I was hoping to run into Eric from Die Fische, but I did not see him), we finally made our way to the seats of our choice...3rd row dude!

The show kicked of with some hat and t-shirt giveaways from those who put on the event...good stuff man.  Mike snagged himself a free visor.  That stuff was good.  The sponsors that helped put on the event did a great job on the giveaways and the raffles had some really nice prizes.  Then the films began...

 

Film Reviews

The Brothers Brown, by Robert Thompson  

Kicking off the films was, The Brothers Brown.  It was a film about 3 brothers who toss monster streamers for monster trout.  Cool premise, but I honestly thought that it was weak and pretty boring.  The filmography was not that great and added nothing to the beauty of the film for me.    For some reason, I want artistic qualities added in when filming fly fishing.  The relationship between the brothers was nice, but should have been explored even deeper, since that seems to be the direction that filmmaker wanted to go.  I give is a D+.

Blackwater Devils's Gold, by Castaway Films

This was a film about a group of anglers who travel to the Bolivian Jungle to fly fish.  Devil's Gold provided a contrast to the The Brothers Brown, as it was a film solely focused on fish catching...and nothing else.  I thought it was good, but not amazing.  It had great shots of some amazing fly fishing action, and that is what they were going for.  Overall, I give it a B.

Reel: A Day on the River, by OMS Photography  

I don't even know what to say about it other than the fact that it was boring.  Boring to the point that I don't even remember everything about it.  I think I will give it a D-.  It might have passed in a college film class.

Urban Lines, a film by TwoFisted Heart Production and Freestone Entertainment

Urban Lines was the unexpected standout this year for me.  It was a film about fly fishing the tidal Potomac River in Washington, D.C.  It was great, all the way around.  Perfectly fitting for the setting, the filmography was nice and felt both urban and rugged at the same time.  There was a good balance of "fishing footage" and segments detailing what these guys do and who they are.  You need to watch this one.  I rate it an A.

Expedition Alacranes, by Beattie Outdoor Productions

This was a look at a a group of anglers trip to a remote atoll in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico.  There was a good amount humor involved in this film, that involved Mexican Wrestling.  Nice!  The film was good, and it was exciting to see the species and size of the fish that these guys caught. They kept the film light, fun, and exciting.  Overall, it was a good film.  I give a B+.

Thai One On, by Cinema Digital

I felt like this was the film that was being "pushed" the most, by everyone.  For that reason, I was excited to see it.  Maybe it was because my hopes for this film were so high, but I thought Thai One On was a let-down.  I thought a fly fishing expedition to Thailand would be a little more exciting than this.  It was not bad, just a let down.  I was wanting for this to be the highlight of the night, and it wasn't.  Overall though, I would give the film a B-.

BrownBro, by Strobot Productions

Another relative disappointment  I had high hopes for this film, just as I did for Thai One On.  I mean come on, a fly fishing trip to Georgia in Eastern Europe, where the fish have never seen flies, and most American's have never seen the landscape or culture!  This could be great...instead it wasn't.  I think that the filmakers could have gone far beyond what they did and showcased more of the region, the people and the location.  I think they could have done much more to show the local techniques that they talk about in the film.  I don't care that they anglers had a tough time catching any fish and did not catch any big fish (in fact, I enjoyed that, because that is part of fishing), but this film could have been so much more, and so good, and it was not.  Because of that, I give it a C-.

Fall Run, by Todd Moen

As a film about catching Steelhead in the Northwest, Fall Run pretty much nailed it.  The filmography was beautiful, the story was good, and they caught the fish that was sought!  Full of beauty and excitement, I think this was one of my favorites from this year.  You should see this one if you get a chance.  I say that it was an A-.

Hit 'em Again Doc, by Bryan Huskey

Hit 'em Again Doc was the sequal to Doc of the Drakes, and this was another of the films that I had high hopes for.  Hit 'em Again Doc lived up to my expectations, and probably even exceeded everything I wanted from this film.  Nice footage, some fly fishing, and a great, heartfelt story, all combined to make this a film wortthy of the Fly Fishing Film Tour's reputation.  Along with Urban Lines, this film was the highlight of the show for me.  I give it an A.

Note: There was one more film that I, in my bored state of mind, forgot to write the name of down.  I also can not find a preview of this film anywhere online, nor can I find anyone who has even mentioned it.  Maybe it was just a dream.  It is a shame because this short film had some great action footage of tarpon fishing.  Not the big water, massive tarpon, but the smaller tarpon that live up in the mangroves.  I really liked this one.  I would give it an A-.   However, I don't know the name of the film.  If anyone else knows...PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!!

 

Wrap-Up

Then the show just ended and everyone went home.  The obvious two standouts where Urban Lines and Hit 'em Again Doc.  The rest... disappointed.  If I were going to give just the films a "grade," I would give them a C-.   I was a disappointed   I wanted something more from them.  If I were to give the Austin stop of the F3T a grade, I would give it a C+.  I really do hope that next year's Fly Fishing Film Tour stop in Austin is better. 

Then, my friends and I headed back to light up a backyard fire, grill some fajitas, and drink a couple beers, and talk until two o'clock in the morning.  Good times.

If you were there, let me know what you thought!