Aloha sexy surfers! (Blue Crush (DVD))

Member Name: chilipepper27

Product:	Blue Crush (DVD)
Date:	15/11/07 (88 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great shots in the water

Disadvantages: Cheesy guy in it/cheesy romantic story.

Run time approx 100 mins.
Certificate: 12.
Directed by, John Stockwell.
Produced by, Brian Grazer.
Stars Kate Bosworth, Michelle Rodriguez, Sanoe Lake, Mathew Davis and Mika Boorem.
Released in 2003.


~Synopsis~

The story follows Anne Marie, a keen surfer living in Hawaii, with her two best friends Lena (Sanoe Lake) and Eden (Michelle Rodriguez) and her rebellious little sister a Penny (Mika Boorem).
Anne Marie is passionate about surfing and is training hard to win the toughest surf competition in Hawaii - Pipe-masters, on pipe-line, which is the deadliest wave in the world. But three years previous, Anne Marie nearly drowned after hitting her head on a reef, and this still plays on her mind when she’s in the water.

The three friends have jobs as maids, a job they hate - but need to pay the rent. Whilst working, Anne Marie catches the eye of a pro football player named Matt Tollman who is staying at the hotel they work at, and soon she’s persuaded to give him surfing lessons…..as you can imagine, things progress between the two and soon Anne Marie is losing focus on the big competition. But one thing she hasn’t lost is her friends, can they help Anne Marie face her fears and live out her life long dream of surfing pipe?


~About the film~

The film is set in Hawaii on the infamous Pipeline on the North shore, which is the deadliest wave in the world. The scenes in the water were mostly filmed with either cameras fixed on boogie boards or simply guys swimming with cameras, but the footage they got was amazing. The films director John Stockwell and producer Brian Grazer are both surfers, and were determined to make this film as real as possible, so with help from some of the best female surfers in the world including Kate Skarrett, Kealla Kennelly and Rochelle Ballard, the local community of the North shore, and the water safety patrol - whom without them, the movie wouldn’t have been possible, they got a fantastic movie with awesome footage.


~My Thoughts~

I’m not generally a fan of ‘girly films’, but this one is different. Yes it has a soppy romantic story entwined into the plotline, but it’s not the main story, it’s more about surfing and friendship – but mostly surfing, which is fantastic (I normally hate cheesy chick flicks!)

I must admit though that one particular scene in the movie made me cringe, it was when Kate Bosworth’s character was surfing near the beginning of the film, and although Kate and Michelle were given a crash course in surfing, they would never be able to surf like pro’s in such a short time, and so the big wave shots in the movie were by stunt doubles, and one particular shot of Kate’s stunt double had the face replacement technique used on her, to put Kate’s face on her body. And it was pretty obvious – I noticed it the first time I saw this film and second time round it was even worse. But throughout the rest of the film, it wasn’t really that noticeable (if at all) in a lot of the other shots. Maybe it’s just me being picky!

Aside from that, the acting was good, I really like Kate Bosworth, and a lot of the other actors were locals who had never acted before, but they did an amazing job and did what they do best…surf! The shots they got for the film were fantastic, and they were really in the thick of it out in the water, and it’s obviously so unpredictable out there in the ocean.
If you watch the extras on the DVD you see how tough it was, and how they all got worked and had some kind of injury whilst out in the water.
The shots in the water let you experience visually what it’s like to be in a barrel and come out of the other side, and to see how the waves are created, really awesome to see.

It’s a truly inspirational film, and you’ll probably want to buy a surf board when you see it! I’d definitely recommend watching it if you love the water, it’s a real feel good movie that will have you laughing in parts and then completely on edge! But most of the time, you’ll just be in awe of the huge waves and incredible shots in the water.


~Special Features~

• ‘Three friends, one passion’ – A behind the scenes look at the making of Blue Crush.
• Deleted scenes – Shows all the scenes that didn’t make it into the movie.
•Lenny Kravitz music video – ‘If I could fall in love’.
• Filming Blue Crush – Showing the techniques that were used to shoot the amazing footage for the film.
• Wipeout! – This shows the awesome power of the ocean, and the wipeouts and action scenes that were caught on film, some pretty amazing (and scary) stuff!
• Surf Fashion – Sanoe Lake takes us shopping, and shows us some fantastic surf wear for girls.
• Inside the world of surfing – An amazing look at the history, terminology, equipment and the best places to catch a wave.
• Commentary with Kate Bosworth, Michelle Rodriguez and Sanoe L ake.
• Commentary with Director John Stockwell.
• The female surfing revolution – A featurette about the world’s best female surfers.
• Skateboarding – takes a look into the skateboarding culture.
• DVD-ROM features.
• Riding the waves.
• Blue Crush promo.
• Theatrical Trailer.


Surfs up!!

Summary: An amazing movie about surfing and friendship.