[ah-MIG-dah-la] +
Grounded (Skiing Video)
Picture: C
Sound: C+ Extras: D Main Programs: C/C+
Skiing fans have become extra busy in the last few years
taping and sometimes even filming their stunt exploits as the fun recreational
hobby has turned into an extreme sport.
Ital Nemovicher is one of the directors of such product and Razor
Digital has issued two of his Magic Play Entertainment releases. [ah-MIG-dah-la] is the shorter and
choppier of the two, with the title referring to some kind of instinctual
connection between the brain and instinct.
Too bad the 33 minutes-long show never makes that connection. Furthermore, the editing is sloppy and
despite catching a few good stunts, cannot seem to find focus.
Grounded runs 43 minutes and is better,
if not long enough, showing much more of the stunts some very talented skiers
keep practicing to perfection. Of
course, both could have fit on one DVD very easily, but they are being marketed
as such, neither with any extras whatsoever.
Sometimes, the 1.33 x 1 videotaped image is cut up in various maskings
and spilt-screens, but it is always on the soft side and that makes it more
difficult to watch when nothing is really happening. The sound is here on both discs in very compressed Dolby Digital
5.1 and weak Dolby 2.0 Stereo. Why the
fidelity problems, that is anyone’s guess, but the music is not bad for the
most part. Conclusion: for Ski and
Extreme Sports fans only.
- Nicholas Sheffo
