Blue Crush

For all you wanna-be critics out there trying to be negative about the directing and cinematography, lighten up! This film is excellent in the fact that it does not try to be more than it is... a surf flick. Its obviously not trying to win an Oscar or a bafta. cant any of you simply enjoy a feel good movie? the filming of the waves and the surfing was top class and even though the acting was not Oscar worthy in any way shape or form i think it was impressive that they embraced the surfing culture and used local people in this film.

For all of you out there who like to just enjoy a films and don't feel that you need to be completely baffled, shocked or made to think you will enjoy this. Yes it is predictable but who cares its just a bit of fun.

For all of you who hated this film just because the plot was predictable and the acting was substandard i draw your attention to a gentleman named Sigmund Frued; "Some times a cigar is just a cigar"

BLUE CRUSH (2002) **1/2 Kate Bosworth, Michelle Rodriguez, Matthew Davis, Sanoe Lake, Mika Boorem, Faizon Love. Better than anticipated surfer flick with the twist on the genre by focusing on a Hawaiian based determined young female athlete (Bosworth) attempting a requiem two years after a near fatal accident while competing is buoyed by her family of friends and a vacationing quarterback (Davis) factoring as an unexpected blossoming romance. The connect-the-dots plotline of social graces hinder the otherwise excellently lensed moments of visceral, adrenalized thrills in shooting a curl with massive walls of water in all its colorful fury by cinematographer David Hennings while director John Stockwell (who co-wrote the screenplay with Lizzy Weiss' adaptation of Susan Orlean's magazine article) balances the melodrama affectively with the totally awesome hydrodynamiques on display. One gripe: would it have killed the filmmakers to show some more of the paradise playland for a travelogue begging to be showcased?

Blue Crush. I have this really stupid habit of putting the names of the movies that I loved on the wall of my room. I spend hours deciding whether or not to put up the names of the movies making notes of its pros and cons. It's a tough job!!

Today, so very strangely, with the opening scene of Blue Crush I wrote its name between ‘The Matrix' and ‘Underworld'. I knew I was going to love the movie even before I had seen it. And truly enough I loved the movie.

What I loved so much about the movie was the story. It was a story of struggle against the odds to survive, to live for a dream. Isn't it the intensity of our struggle with our inner demons and external nightmares that determines the person that we grow up to be. The theme – I have a dream, never fails to win me over. If you don't live for your dream what will you live for. The art direction was awesome. If nothing else go to see this movie for the photography. The underwater shots - breathtakingly beautiful. The movie setting was perfect and the waves huge. The spirit of never-say-die that the movie leaves behind is undeniable. I also loved the fact that the leads both were set in different financial backgrounds. To see the trio of friends working as maids seeing to the luxury of the rich in a posh uptown hotel was an experience.

Kate Bosworth does a really good job playing the role of a promising surfer who has a nightmare to live down. Michelle Rodriguez is Hollywood's toughest girl. Its about time she gets to prove her worth instead of being given the second lead. This tough girl can take all of Arnie, Stallone, Vin Diesel and give them hell in their own home turf. I may have watched the movie originally for Michelle Rodriguez, but who really stole my heart was Lena. She has this bright outlook at life that truly brings to life the essence of being alive. Kate B's sister, Penny, going wayward growing up was also great.

The music was really cool. I'll admit I'm mostly a punk rock/ sometimes heavy kinda boy, but the song that I'll be humming for a long time will be `Cool Summer' from the movie soundtrack.

In the end I always write about the glitches in the movie. Today this will remain blank. I found none. Brian Grazer in an interview talked rather proudly about this movie and the surfing stunts in it. And to God, he has a definite reason to be proud. And its called Blue Crush.

Critic Ebert has a very complete and accurate review, and I will not repeat any of it here. I bought "Blue Crush" as a used rental DVD, real cheap, and it is a perfect disk. The basic story has been told many times, but it is done here better than many. However, there is one thing that moves it from the "ordinary" to "outstanding - the cimematography and the sound.

After most of the first hour of the film sets up the characters and the situations, we are treated to surfing the Hawaii "pipeline" by surfers. One DVD extra shows how they do "face replacement" so that the pro surfer appears to be star Kate Bosworth. With many cameras in the waves, and sometimes under them, we get a unique perspective of being on top of a giant wave, or being inside the wave as it is breaking. All the while a very aggressive sound mix makes you feel like you are there also. This is definitely a good DVD to have for demonstrating the quality of your digital 5.1 surround sound system with good powered subwoofer.

I suspect anyone who saw "Blue Crush" at home, on VHS or DVD, with sound fed into the TV speakers has seen a different movie. That's because the sound track plays such a key role. This isn't a great movie, but a very good one. I believe its most realistic IMDb rating is somewhere around "7" or "8".

I don't understandn the reviews people are giving that sound like they expected so much more from this movie. Pretention, I'm guessing. The cast was great. Plenty of laughs. Stunning shots in and out of the water and a happy ending. It certainly isn't the most profound movie, but I'm pretty sure they werent going for that anyways. I like it for a feel good movie. I've watched at least ten times and I still enjoy it for what it is. If i want a riveting storyline I'll watch something other than a surfing movie, duh.