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- Cat.no: VCD 0034
- Cert: 15
- Running time: 94 minutes
- Year: 1996
- Pressing: 1999
- Region(s): 2, PAL
- Chapters: 17 plus extras
- Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 (Dolby Surround)
- Languages: English
- Subtitles: None
- Widescreen: 1.77:1 (16:9)
- 16:9-enhanced: Yes
- Macrovision: Yes
- Disc Format: DVD 5
- Price: £19.99
- Extras : Scene index, Trailer, Cast and Crew interviews
Director:
- Carl Prechezer
Producer:
- Simon Relph and Peter Salmi
Screenplay:
- Peter Salmi and Carl Prechezer
Music:
- Simon Davison
Cast:
- JC: Sean Pertwee (Event Horizon, I.D., Shopping, TV: Cadfael, A Touch Of Frost)
Chloe: Catherine Zeta-Jones (Christopher Columbus: The Discovery, The Haunting of Hill House, The Mask of Zorro, The Phantom, Splitting Heirs, TV: The Darling Buds of May)
Josh Tambini: Steven Mackintosh (The Grotesque, Land Girls, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, London Kills Me, Prick Up Your Ears, Twelfth Night, TV: The Buddha Of Surburbia, Undercover Heart)
Dean Raymond: Ewan McGregor (Brassed Off, Emma, A Life Less Ordinary, The Pillow Book, Shallow Grave, Star Wars: Episode I, Trainspotting, TV: E.R., Kavanagh Q.C., Lipstick On Your Collar)
Blue Juiceis how JC (Sean Pertwee) refers to the sea and the waves he loves to ride withhis surfboard. At the age of twenty he was king of all he surveyed when it came toriding the “Boneyard”, the most treacherous section known to man…well, to JC and hismates anyway. It was all “One Life. No Fear. Live for Today” at the time. Now he’sapproaching thirty though and it’s time to ride again.
However, he has to make a decision between the sea and the other “C”, his girlfriendChloe (the ever-athletic Catherine Zeta Jones) who wants to settle down andturn the boy into the man.
And that’s about it. Also thrown into the mix are several friends of his, including thetwo most well-known, Josh (Lock Stock‘s Steven Mackintosh) and Dean(the omnipresent Ewan McGregor).
The picture quality is blighted by a fair amount of grain that is present throughoutthe film’s entirity. The disc is presented in an anamorphic 16:9 ratio – which is servedwell by the competent direction – and the average bitrate is a fair 5.33Mb/s, occasionallypeaking over 8Mb/s.
The sound quality is fine, but not outstanding. Presented in Dolby Surround,it does its job and has a few decent tunes throughout the soundtrack includingJeepster (Marc Bolan and T-Rex) and Half the Man (Jamiroquai).
Extras : Chapters and Trailer :Not a bad number of chapters – 17 over 94 minutes, the last used for the closing credits -and the original theatrical trailer. Languages/Subtitles :English Dolby Surround, but no subtitles which is a surprise. Interviews :More than the average featurette here. Yes, it’s just a combination of clips andchat, but it runs for 18 minutes. Menu :A static and silent shot of the cover, with options to start the film, selecta scene, watch the trailer or the featurette. The shade of blue makes for agorgeous backdrop on a 32″ widescreen TV.
Overall, Blue Juice is an interesting little 90-minute diversion. Probablya must for surfers, but just a rental for everyone else.FILM CONTENT : ***PICTURE QUALITY: ***½SOUND QUALITY: ***EXTRAS: **——————————-OVERALL: ***
Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 2000
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Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.