Step Into Liquid

Thanks to Dana Brown's delightful Step Into Liquid, the surfing scene in Sheboygan, Wisconsin should get a healthy boost. That's because Brown, in the tradition of his father, filmmaker Bruce Brown (The Endless Summer), has captured dazzling images of surfers riding curls in some of the world's most exotic--and sometimes unlikely--places. Besides the action on Lake Michigan, Brown leads us to Costa Rica, where the sport's senior elite (including Endless Summer star Robert August) prove they still have the moves, and Oahu's North Shore, where the legendary Pipeline inspires this quote: "It's so scary, maybe you die a little." Most entertaining is a segment in County Donegal, where the American Malloy brothers startle the locals and meet their Irish counterparts on the grayest ocean imaginable. Boasting great action and wonderful personal stories (including the tale of Northern California's Dale Webster, who hasn't missed a day on the waves in 30 years), this is recommended. [Note: DVD extras on this double-disc set include a brief intro by director Dana Brown, and a slew of featurettes, including: surfing lessons with Robert “Wingnut” Weaver and Maureen Drummay in “Let's Go Surfing,” (13 min.), a 13-minute “Capturing the Wave” making-of featurette, “Making a Surfboard with Robert August and Sam August” (8 min.), and the “Passion for Liquid” production featurette touching on the history of surf films (14 min.). In addition, there are eight interview segments, five minutes of deleted scenes and alternate footage, the text segments “Surfing Etiquette: Bill of Rights and Lefts” and alphabetical “Surf Glossary,” two music montages (“Only One” by Jeremy Kay and “Windshield Wipers” by Jackpot), 11 minutes of  premiere “Red Carpet Highlights” provided by action sports network Fuel, and a preview of DVD-ROM features, including Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer video game and a 3-D promo by Keyhole.com (both of which are included, along with a complete high definition version of the film playable on Windows Media Player, on the second DVD-ROM disc). Bottom line: a fine extras package for a solid sports doc.] (T. Keogh)[Blu-ray Review—June 24, 2008—Lionsgate, 88 min., PG, $29.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2003's Step Into Liquid sports a nice looking transfer with DTS HD 7.1 Master sound. The extras include audio commentary by director Dana Brown, nine participant interviews (50 min.), a 14-minute “Passion for Liquid” production featurette touching on the history of surf films, 13 minutes of “Let's Go Surfing” lessons with Robert “Wingnut” Weaver and Maureen Drummey, a 13-minute “Capturing the Wave” making-of featurette, “Making a Surfboard with Robert August and Sam August” (8 min.), five minutes of deleted scenes and alternate footage, two music montages (“Only One” by Jeremy Kay and “Windshield Wipers” by Jackpot), and trailers. Bottom line: most of the original DVD extras are ported over for this handsome-looking Blu-ray release.]