Plot: What’s it about?
We’ve all seen those sports shows where they replay awesome events, right? Well, with NBA Now! Showmen of Today, you can revisit some of those incredible moments whenever you’d like, from thunderous dunks to dead on long distance shots. This piece focuses on the league’s showboats, from Shaquille O’Neal’s power to Allen Iverson’s speed to Kobe Bryant’s all around athleticism. The kind of guys you just know will end up in the hall of fame, as they always come up in the clutch and make sure the fans get more than their money’s worth. In addition to the already named players, you’ll also see the talents of such athletes as Vince Carter, Ray Allen, Jason Kidd, Latrel Sprewell, Steve Francis, and many others. This is pretty much a fifty minute reel of greatest hits, divided into sections for easier consumption. From old school to the new generation of basketball superstars, all the league’s finest showmen are covered in this terrific feature.
If you’re a fan of these NBA produced films, then you’ll love this one, but even casual fans will find a lot to like here. This feature focuses on the flashiest showman in the league, which means tons of awesome moves and no lack of action, not at all. As usual, the piece is well packaged and edited to perfection, with some extra speed tossed in at times, which is cool. In other words, NBA Now! Showmen of Today moves at a very brisk pace and sticks with the exciting stuff, sort of an extended highlight reel of impressive moves. As such, even those with only a casual interest in the game should give this one a look, as it has those incredible moments you see on sports shows all week long, very cool indeed. A ton of dunks, some amazing long distance shooting, excellent passes, and stupendous ballhandling, it’s all here and ready to entertain your household. I have to admit, I am not a big fan of the NBA, but this piece was terrific and well worth a look. Plus, USA has issued this and all their NBA related discs at a very reasonable price, so don’t hesitate to pick this one up, as you won’t be sorry in the least.
Video: How does it look?
NBA Now! Showmen of Today is presented in a full frame transfer, which is the intended aspect ratio of the feature. A few scenes are shown in non anamorphic widescreen, but simply for style reasons, so all is well with this transfer. The colors seem bright and contrast is proper, so the basics are more than covered here. This is mostly newer footage and it shows, as the image is always well defined and looks terrific. I did see some edge enhancement, but this often happens with full frame material, so I won’t knock the score much. This looks better than television, which is enough in this case.
Audio: How does it sound?
The included Dolby Digital 5.1 is very good and of course, the dunks sound more powerful and the crowd roar is more present. In the game sequences, the crowd noise is very well presented and puts you in the middle of it all, which is cool indeed. The surrounds also see plenty of action from the musical score, which keeps it all lively, even in the more conservative scenes. The interviews also sound terrific and on the whole, this track is excellent and the score reflects that. This disc also houses a Dolby stereo option, just in case you’d prefer that choice.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes three bonus featurettes, each of which shows some old school showmen, such as Earl Monroe and Dr. J. These are welcome additions to the disc and of course, fans of the feature will love to peruse these three beauties.
