Made in America (1993) (NTSC) |
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General | Extras | ||
Category | Comedy | None | |
Rating | |||
Year Of Production | 1993 | ||
Running Time | 110:34 | ||
RSDL / Flipper | No/No | Cast & Crew | |
Start Up | Programme | ||
Region Coding | 1,4 | Directed By | Richard Benjamin |
Studio
Distributor |
Warner Home Video |
Starring |
Whoopi Goldberg Ted Danson Will Smith Nia Long Jennifer Tilly |
Case | ? | ||
RPI | $19.95 | Music | None Given |
Video (NTSC) | Audio | ||
Pan & Scan/Full Frame | Pan & Scan | English Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s) | |
Widescreen Aspect Ratio | None | ||
16x9 Enhancement | No | ||
Video Format | 480i (NTSC) | ||
Original Aspect Ratio | 1.85:1 | Miscellaneous | |
Jacket Pictures | No | ||
Subtitles | None | Smoking | Yes |
Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
Action In or After Credits | Yes, Music number in closing credits |
In steps Hal Jackson (Ted Danson), a loud car salesman with insane TV commercials. The subsequent meetings between Zora, Hal, and Sarah provide many funny moments, with some hilarious accidents involving animals. The story is heart-warming in a lot of ways, seeing how different people can meet and find a connection. As I mentioned previously, there are messages in the movie regarding the value of family and friends, and the importance of education.
Some may find the story to be a little saccharine towards the end, and it is a little predictable, but what good-natured comedy isn't these days? All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and would definitely recommend it for a rental viewing on a weekend. However, the technical aspects, as described below, probably don't warrant a purchase unless you're a serious fan.
The movie is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 (Pan&Scan) and is not 16x9 enhanced. In the manner that is presented for the Next of Kin DVD, it is particularly disappointing to see that after inserting the DVD, a notice is displayed stating that the film has been formatted to fit your TV screen. Again, if you have a 16x9 TV it certainly does not fit your TV screen! The original aspect ratio is 1.85:1, and it is disappointing that the movie is not released in this manner.
Sharpness levels are generally quite good with this transfer, although at times it does appear a little soft. Grain appears intermittently, and is particularly noticeable against bright backgrounds such as the sky. Black levels are also adequate, with the few dark scenes handled well enough. There is minimal low level noise, and shadow detail is also above average.
Colours are very good in this transfer, with lots of vivid hues and no apparent colour bleed evident.
The major problem with this transfer is the fairly constant amount of aliasing and shimmering against most objects that have smooth straight edges such as the usual blinds and car grilles. There are some instances where moiré effects are noticeable against blinds and can be quite distracting. Luckily there are only one or two minor instances of edge enhancement, and these are not distracting at all. Film artefacts are surprisingly minimal, with only a few black and white specks being noticeable.
No subtitles are provided with the disc.
This is a single layered disc, and therefore there is no layer change.
Sharpness | |
Shadow Detail | |
Colour | |
Grain/Pixelization | |
Film-To-Video Artefacts | |
Film Artefacts | |
Overall |
Dialogue was clear and easy to understand at all times, with no synchronisation problems.
The contemporary music used during the movie (lots of 90's black music) is quite good and suits the on-screen action well, such as the opening sequence.
Surround activity is minimal during the movie, but the surrounds come to life on a few occasions to support the music and to provide some ambient noise. When the surrounds do come to life, it is done fairly well, and does not call too much attention to itself.
The subwoofer is silent for most of the movie, but does support the music somewhat. For a movie such as this, powerful bass is not called for so it is acceptable.
Dialogue | |
Audio Sync | |
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts | |
Surround Channel Use | |
Subwoofer | |
Overall |
No extras are provided with this release.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
The video quality is average.
The audio is average, with some good music tracks.
No extras are provided.
Video | |
Audio | |
Extras | |
Plot | |
Overall |
Review Equipment | |
DVD | Onkyo DV-SP500, using Component output |
Display | RK-32HDP81. Calibrated with Video Essentials. |
Audio Decoder | Onkyo TX-SR600 with DD/DD-EX/DTS/DTS-ES matrix and discrete. |
Amplification | Onkyo TX-SR600 |
Speakers | Kef KHT 2005 5.1 Home Theatre System |