4 Newport Beach Film Festival Hits: I Wish, Servitude, H2indO, Memorial Day

Paddle, paddle, paddle . . .

The best action sports film I've seen at the 2012 NBFF so far is San Clemente director Brent Deal's H2indO, which was helped by a rowdy crowd that filled the movie palace and yelled so often at the screen you'd think you were in a Magic Johnson Theater.

The movie follows seven world-class Stand Up Paddling (SUP) athletes to Indonesia, where viewers will find great action sequences in the waves, a touching scene about recent devastation to the islands and some laugh-out-loud funny scenes in and out of the water.

The entire cast showed up at the world premiere screening and related tales about sneaking extra boards through customs, breaking many of them in the breaks and of their mutual love and respect for one another. I missed the previous night's world premiere screening of Deal's other documentary, Decade of Dominance, which is all about champion paddler Jaime Mitchell, who was also featured in H2indO. It was said to have also played to a packed and enthusiastic house.

In his early 20s, Deal had worked on crews for movies made by Tony Scott, including Crimson Tide, The Fan, G.I. Jane and Seven. When I interviewed Deal a couple weeks ago, he said he'd love it if Scott caught his new films and told the freshman director, "Nice job, Brent."

Hold it a beat.

"If he even remembers who I am."

Deal remembers what a pro Scott was, how he never yelled at his crew, how he elevated everyone around him with his enthusiasm.

"I learned so much from him. He truly led. You hear these negative things about directors, but Tony Scott was not that. He's a tremendous man."