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The Movie:
I'd never seen "Sex and The City" on HBO, but as I got into the series while watching the DVD, I realized that it was the logical next step for star Sarah Jessica Parker. Always seeming like a city gal, the show combines Parker's comedic playfulness and a sense of style.
There are funny lines sprinkled throughout all of the episodes that I laughed at; one of the characters is chatting in a nightclub and remarks, "it looks like a model bomb exploded in here." Parker plays Carrie, a writer who discusses the sex lives of many in her column; in the in-between, she chats and gossips with her friends - Charlotte(Kirstin Davis), Miranda(Cynthia Nixon) and Samantha(Kim Catrall).
Yes, it's mainly a show for girls, but the performances are generally very good and the writing is funny(the show has been nominated for a couple of Emmys, I believe). Some have dismissed the show as being too sexually active, but after watching it and getting to know it, I can't see it as anything more than light, entertaining comedy that shouldn't be taken seriously enough to get angered over its portrayal.
Episodes included on the first disc are: "Sex and the City", "Models and Mortals", "Bay Of Married Pigs", "Valley of The Twenty-Something Guys", "The Power of Female Sex" and "Secret Sex".
Episodes on disc two are: Monogamy, Three's a Crowd ,The Turtle and the Hare,The Baby Shower,The Drought
Oh, Come All Ye Faithful.
The DVD
VIDEO: Ehhh...I was not very impressed with HBO's presentation in terms of image quality. The picture has a slightly soft look, but that's not the problem. Colors are strong, occasionally looking vibrant and striking. Flesh tones remain accurate and natural, and the New York locations look beautiful.
This isn't as big of a problem during the later episodes in this collection, but during the first one at least, it's distracting. There is a grainy look to the first one(as well as some of the following episodes to various degrees) that is to the level of distraction in certain scenes. There's also the occasional slight mark visible, but that's not terribly noticable. This is generally a watchable picture from HBO, but it could look a bit better overall.
SOUND: The sound quality is fine; there's nothing more that I'd expected from a television show; the music and dialogue is balanced perfectly - the musical score is clean and vibrant, and the dialogue is always clear.
MENUS:: Slightly animated main menus with the music behind it. Nothing complicated, but has a nice, classy look. Each episode has its own menu, with a bit of text on the episode.
EXTRAS: Not a whole lot; there is the preview to the episodes, text screens as well as a short featurette,a promotional spot and DVD-Rom link.
Final Thoughts: The image quality varies from suprisingly good to noticably flawed, but this 2 DVD set is a fine way to get all of the episodes of the first season to watch again for the fans, or, if you're like me, to catch up on what you've missed.
Film Grade
The Series B+
DVD Grades
Video 80/B- = (320/400 possible points)
Audio: 83/B = (332/400 possible points)
Extras: 75/C = (225/300 possible points)
Menus: 80/B- (160/200 possible points)
Value: 83/B = (249/300 possible points)
TOTAL: 1286/1600
DVD GRADE:B-/80%
FILM GRADE: B+
DVD GRADE: B-
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