All Rise...

Judge David Johnson's ambitions are low. He wants to be a U.S. Hummingbird.

The Charge

Climb aboard for the ride of your life.

The Case

Well, this is going to be a quick one. In fact you can read the following question and if you answer "yes" then guess what—get this disc. Okay, are you ready? Here goes:

Have you been waiting for a DVD that will give you a behind-the-scenes look into the U.S. Air Force Thunderbird stunt team?

Did you answer "yes" or "you betcha!' or "hellz yeah"? Great! I have good news for you. America's Team is the disc you've been waiting for. Jam-packed with candid footage, thrilling shots of the airplane pilots doing their thing, cockpit tours and plane walkthroughs and a musical photo montage, this bad boy delivers the content that Thunderbird fans yearn for.

And it's cheesy.

But whatever, there's a specific audience for this release and they—you know who you are—will eat it up. The documentary's main focus is on the first female member of the Thunderbird squad, as she embarks on the season-long tour, grapples with the enormous amount of fan mail, signs autographs of young fans and lauds the opportunity for women to penetrate typically male-dominated enclaves like fighter jet exhibit crews.

Buttressing her story is a boatload of behind-the-scenes stuff including visits to the veterans' hospital, the inter-team softball game and the hard-core training and tactics these pilots have to nail.

The DVD is actually not too bad, sporting a solid 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer and a decent stereo track. Extras: an F-16 walk-around and cockpit tour and a still gallery.

There you go, that's your disc. Enjoy.

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