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PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Dancing in September (Rental) (2000)

Dancing in September (Rental) (2000)

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Rental Version Only
Available for Rent

Cover Art

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Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Drama Main Menu Audio & Animation
Dolby Digital Trailer-Rain
Rating Rated MA
Year Of Production 2000
Running Time 101:43
RSDL / Flipper No/No Cast & Crew
Start Up Menu
Region Coding 4 Directed By Reggie Rock Bythewood
Studio
Distributor

Roadshow Home Entertainment
Starring Nicole Ari Parker
Isaiah Washington
Vicellous Reon Shannon
Malinda Williams
Jay Underwood
Michael Cavanough
Mel Jackson
Jenifer Lewis
Case Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip
RPI Rental Music Camara Kambon


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame None English Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio 1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
16x9 Enhanced
Video Format 576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio Unknown Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures No
Subtitles English for the Hearing Impaired Smoking Yes, not tobacco...
Annoying Product Placement No
Action In or After Credits No

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

    This film is about network television. That's given away by the title, for those in the know. Unlike Australia, where new television shows debut early in the calendar year, in the USA they start in September. I guess that's because new shows start when summer is over, and the children are back at school, so everyone is back to humdrum routine. If you are trying to prepare a new television show, you have to be ready to screen in September — your show has to be up and dancing in September.

    This film is about integrity, too. And about selling out. And about people. They happen to be black people, but these things happen to people of any race.

    We start by looking at some people: Tommy, George, and James are the most important ones (no, not Tom, Dick, and Harry).

    Tommy is Tomasina Crawford (Nicole Ari Parker). She's a young, somewhat idealistic writer, working on scripts in a team for a TV show when the film opens. Her idealism gets her fired from the show.

    George is George Washington (Isaish Washington). He's a personable young man who just got himself hired as director of development for a brand-new TV network.

    James (Vicellous Reon Shannon) is a young man who we first see selling candy in the street outside the studio. He has a baby daughter who lives with her mother, Rhonda (Malinda Williams), who is no longer with James, but who lets James visit his child.

    Tommy pitches a show to the network. A show that's a bit unconventional, that has some comedy, but also some drama, and has a little bit to say about "the African-American experience". A show that doesn't play to black stereotypes.

    These people meet after Tommy's pitch gets accepted for a pilot, and she hires James to play a leading role in the show. The pilot is a success, and things go well for Tommy, George, and James. But how they react to success, and how success changes things, is the core of this film.

    The film opens with footage of black (and Asian) actors in older American television programmes: Julia, I Spy, Star Trek (the original series), Welcome Back Kotter, even The Green Hornet (with Bruce Lee). This footage is not commented upon, but it sets the frame for the film.

    Some of what happens is violent, some is tragic, but it is credible. Don't watch this for a happily-ever-after ending. It's not high art, and it's not profound, but it is interesting, and it makes its point..

Don't wish to see plot synopses in the future? Change your configuration.

Transfer Quality

Video

    The film was made last year, but it was made on a tele-movie budget. Considering that, it looks quite good.

    The DVD is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, and is 16x9 enhanced. Judging by the framing of shots, that looks like the intended ratio.

    The picture is sharp and clear. Shadow detail is very good. There's no significant grain in the daytime shots, and surprisingly little in the low-light shots. There's no low level noise, except for deliberate noise in those shots intended as television pictures.

    Colour is fairly good, but there is a little bit of variation, almost as though they weren't using the highest quality film stocks, or the colour timing was a little off at times. There are no other colour-related artefacts.

    There are no film artefacts worth mentioning — this is a nice clean transfer. There are a few points where there is a deliberate break in continuity (83:17 and 94:56). I am certain that these are deliberate, and done for stylistic effect — I don't like them, because they jar the viewer out of the film, but that's just my artistic opinion versus the director...

    There's a little bit of aliasing, but you have to look for it. There's virtually no moire and there's no significant shimmer.

    There are subtitles in English (for the Hearing Impaired), and that's all. I watched them. They are easy to read, well-timed, and fairly accurate, but often a bit abbreviated.

    The disc is single-sided and single layered; there is no layer change, and not really a problem — the film isn't long enough to require heavy compression to fit into a single layer.

Video Ratings Summary
Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    There is one soundtrack; English in Dolby Digital 2.0, not surround-encoded. As you may surmise, that's what I listened to.

    The dialogue is clear and comprehensible, even when they are using colloquial language. There are no audio sync glitches.

    Camara Kambon's score is interesting, and quite effective. There is extensive use of songs in the soundtrack, too, but I am not familiar with most of the artists.

    Your surrounds and subwoofer get the night off with this soundtrack.

Audio Ratings Summary
Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Extras

    There is nothing on this rental disc but the movie and a basic menu. Maybe there'll be extras on the retail disc.

Menu

    The menu is animated with sound. It offers:

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

    The R1 version of this film comes with two strikes against it: it's in a snapper case (not surprising, given that it's an HBO film, and HBO is part of Time-Warner), and it's full-frame. It has no extras, either. I have no hesitation in recommending the R4.

Summary

    An interesting film that's worth a look.

    The video quality is very good.

    The audio quality is very good.

    This disc is utterly extra-free.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Tony Rogers (bio-degrading: making a fool of oneself in a bio...)
Sunday, December 08, 2002
Review Equipment
DVDSony DVP-NS905V, using Component output
DisplaySony VPH-G70 CRT Projector, QuadScan Elite scaler (Tripler), ScreenTechnics 110. Calibrated with Video Essentials. This display device is 16x9 capable.
Audio DecoderBuilt in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Video Essentials.
AmplificationDenon AVC-A1SE
SpeakersFront Left, Centre, Right: Krix Euphonix; Rears: Krix KDX-M; Subwoofer: Krix Seismix 5

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