Review of September Sessions, The

Introduction

In my time at DVD Reviewer, I`ve reviewed 399 DVDs, including one other surfing DVD, and I gave a lot of thought to my choice for number 400. Picking one of my favourite films or music discs would have been too easy, I could write a long glowing review off the top of my head and enjoy watching something I like in the process. No, for my 400th review for this website, I decided it was only fair to pick the disc in the current batch that I was least looking forward to reviewing - The September Sessions.

Anyone who knows me will know that I`m not likely ever to be a surfer, I don`t have the suntan (which is stating the obvious as I live in Scotland), I don`t have the balance, it`s too damn cold up here to be poncing about in swimwear and do you know how cold the North Sea is? Finally, I most certainly don`t have the physique to be posing on a waxed board in the big surf. The only surfing I get up to is on the net and with the Sky television remote control, standing over a freezing dark ocean on a piece of wood with the threat of falling off into jellyfish or worse isn`t my idea of fun.

So, having read the above, you`ll know how pleased I was when this week`s discs dropped through the letterbox and one of mine was The September Sessions, "The Tomorrowland story brought to life in brilliant 16mm film". That`s pretty much all the box says, but researching the title further informed me that this film was made in 2000 by Jack Johnson and combined his love of surfing with his musical talent and stars Kelly Slater, Rob Machado, Shane Dorian, Brad Gerlach, Ross Williams and Luke Egan.

Video

The video is presented in 4:3 full-frame, and if you didn`t know it was made three years ago, you`d have had real trouble accurately guessing the age of the film because the 16mm film format makes it look like a sixties or seventies piece, but the visual style and camera angles are much more present day, giving the film a distinct visual style.

I must say, that despite my opening reservations, the visuals were a pleasant surprise, there is plenty of slow motion footage of surfers in action, but it is shot in such a way that it is very relaxing, a great DVD to chill out to - which is what I`m doing as I type this review, relaxing visuals, relaxing audio and a nice cold vodka and coke - a fine way to end an evening, and a fine way to leap into another century of reviews.

There are plenty of long slow panned shots of surfers riding the waves, shot from good angles, close to the water, alongside, all very stylish.

The video quality itself is largely irrelevant when you sit and watch the imagery, but it`s pretty good with a colourful stable image, which is quite detailed and the 16mm format doesn`t lead to any problems whatsoever.

Audio

The soundtrack is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 and is a perfect match for the visuals of the film, very relaxing, very easy to listen to, something you can settle back into a comfortable settee, drink in hand and just enjoy. The bluesy rock blend is superb and there`s very little commentary to get in the way of the music - what dialogue the film contains is suitably laid back and informative.

The music is well reproduced, with no compression of the higher frequencies and clear bass and vocals.

Features

Extra features include a number of extra "Lefts" and "Rights" - which is, er, surfers going from left to right, and from right to left. Presented with the same visual quality as the main feature and similar music and running for six minutes apiece, these two montages of footage are worthy additions to the disc.

Next up is a making-of documentary, originally a five-part TV series, with each part running for around six minutes, some thirty minutes in total.

Rounding off the extras are two audio commentary tracks, each offering an interesting insight into the main feature and again well worth their inclusion on their disc.

Conclusion

I started off review number 400 complaining about my loathing of surfing and my horror at having been sent this DVD review. After the film ran through the 27 minute running time, I went back to the menu, turned up the volume slightly and pressed play again, poured another drink and sank into my increasingly comfortable settee to relax after a long hot day at the office followed by a long hot night reviewing a variety of DVDs.

Watching a DVD again as soon as it is finished is almost unheard of for me and the last thing I expected that I would do with this disc.

The excellent visuals and music make this film very watchable, and in truth the film would have worked with many other subjects, not just surfing, but all that water and spray certainly helps.

Now don`t get me wrong, I`m not about to shave my chest, wax my legs, don lycra shorts and head off into a big wave ready to kiss my arse goodbye, but I thoroughly enjoyed this DVD, one of the most watchable discs that I`ve been sent to review for a long time.

So, the moral of the story is don`t judge a book by its cover, there might be a nice surprise lurking inside.

Recommended.