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| Special Features: |
Audio Commentary by Director Gina Prince-Bythewood and Actress Sanaa Lathan
Audio Commentary by Director Gina Prince-Bythewood, Editor Terilyn Shropshire and Composer Terence Blanchard
37-minute Documentary "Breaking the Glass Ceiling"
Deleted Scenes
Bloopers
4 Audition Reels
Animated Storyboards
Music Video
Trailer
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| Video Format: |
Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1)
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| Languages: |
English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
English (Dolby Surround 2.0)
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| Captions: |
English.
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| Casing: |
1-Disc Keep Case
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Director/Writer Gina Price-Blythewood makes a triumphant feature-film debut with the feel-good
basketball drama "Love & Basketball". Broken into four quarters, the film follows
two childhood friends, Quincy and Monica (played as adults by Omar Epps and Sanaa Lathan), as they grow up
in Los Angeles, brought together by their passion for the game of basketball. Throughout high school
and into college, Quincy's tremendous gifts on the court allow him to follow in the footsteps of his
famous NBA father, while equally talented but defiant Monica battles the inequities of women's
basketball at school and at home with her subservient mother. As Quincy and Monica mature,
they begin to realize that their connection to each other is deeper than just B-ball. But when Quincy leaves college
early for the NBA, Monica is left wondering whether her absolute love for basketball is really worth the emotional
cost.
Monica's struggle to become an independent woman, and her defiance of the imposed boundaries inherent in society
is compelling, in no small part to Sanaa Lathan's wonderfully strong performance. The film is
most enjoyable on and around the court, where the pulse of the game truly energizes the story.
Though the somewhat simplistic and predictable ending wraps everything up in a neat little package,
"Love & Basketball" is no less original and enjoyable. As the great Dickey V. would put it,
"It's all heart, baby!"
This is as complete a DVD as you can find, on par with anything Criterion has released. New Line's
Platinum Series continues to be one of the most impressive collections of DVDs on the market, and
"Love & Basketball" certainly keeps with the tradition.
Picture Quality: 10/10
I was very impressed with the picture quality on this disc. The colors are vibrant and sharp,
and I saw no grainy artifacts or compression problems whatsoever.
Sound Quality: 10/10
New Line's Platinum Series never dissapoints on audio quality. The basketball scenes are
the most impressive, with every squeak of the sneaker on the courts coming in distinct and clear.
Menu: 6/10
The attractive looking menu, quip with nice little animations and sounds, is actually a bit hard to use.
Seeing what you've selected off of the main menu is difficult, and it's the only real beef I have against
this entire DVD.
Extra Features: 10/10
A wonderful set of extras perfectly complements the film.
The audio commentary by director Gina Prince-Bythewood and lead actress Sanaa Lathan is very entertaining,
and comes across like two old friends sitting on a couch watching and discussing a movie. One very interesting
tidbit is the fact that Lathan had zero basketball experience prior to filming, and had to spend half a year
training with a basketball coach in order to convincingly do the basketball sequences. Amazingly, no body
double was ever used for her in the film. The blooper reel is entertaining, and the deleted scenes (along
with commentary) are also fun to watch. Also of note is Sanaa Lathan's great audition reel, which allowed
New Line to green light the somewhat risky project, considering both the director and lead actress were making their
feature film debuts.
The Final Word:
"Love & Basketball" is, as I take off my macho cap momentarily, an extremely cute and enjoyable film.
But unlike those light-fare Meg Ryan romantic-comedies, it's also got a whole lot of heart and soul.
New Line has done a bang-up job with the disc, and to be honest, it's one the most cherished DVDs in
my entire collection (which is pretty big right now). Whether you rent "Love & Basketball", or add it to your
DVD Library, chances are you won't be disappointed.
Stephen Wong
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American Red Cross volunteers have been deployed to the hardest hit areas of Katrina’s destruction, supplying hundreds of
thousands victims left homeless with critical necessities. By making a financial gift to Hurricane 2005 Relief, the Red
Cross can provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to those in need.
