Cover
by Bill Duke
from 20th Century Fox
In the tradition of Women Thou Art Loosed "Cover" will engross you in a gripping tale of lies betrayal and infidelity. Vivica A. Fox and Aunjuane Ellis headline an all-star cast in this suspenseful account of a devoted wife and mother accused of murder. System Requirements:Running Time: 98 MinsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA/PSYCHOLOGICAL DRAMA Rating: PG-13 UPC: 024543492054 Manufacturer No: 2249205
Disappearing Acts
by Gina Prince-Bythewood
from Hbo Home Video
He's a semi-employed construction worker and she's a music teacher with ambitions for a singing career. But when they meet at her Brooklyn brownstone their socio-economic differences melt away--or do they? This is the question that drives this 112-minute HBO movie based on Terry McMillan's best-selling novel. Zora wears fabulous clothes, decorates her hardwood-floored apartment with unusual furniture, and dines with her girlfriends at chichi restaurants, while Franklin can't even make regular child-support payments to his estranged wife. She's college educated; he doesn't have his GED. Sanaa Lathan (Love and Basketball) gives Zora dignity and grace throughout the film, while Wesley Snipe's Franklin starts out with those qualities but eventually degenerates into sullenness. Director Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love and Basketball) starts out strong by making Brooklyn a third vibrant character and creating fun takes on the awkward events in every couple's early stages--meeting the friends, dining with the parents. But she loses her way a bit in the middle and seems to rush the end. With much of the transitional material of the book missing in the movie, female viewers may find the ending tough to swallow. The film is rated R for language, brief nudity (specifically of coproducer Snipes's rear quarters), and sexual content. --Kimberly Heinrichs
A construction worker meets an aspiring singer;songwriter. He dreams of his own business; she dreams of fame. As they face the challenges of their chosen paths, they discover together that it's easy to build an affair...and hard to make it last.
DVD Features:
Audio Commentary
Biographies
DVD ROM Features
Deleted Scenes
Documentary
Featurette
Filmographies
Interactive Menus
Multiple video angles
Ray (Widescreen Edition)
by Taylor Hackford
from Universal Studios
Jamie Foxx's uncannily accurate performance isn't the only good thing about Ray. Riding high on a wave of Oscar buzz, Foxx proved himself worthy of all the hype by portraying blind R&B legend Ray Charles in a warts-and-all performance that Charles approved shortly before his death in June 2004. Despite a few dramatic embellishments of actual incidents (such as the suggestion that the accidental drowning of Charles's younger brother caused all the inner demons that Charles would battle into adulthood), the film does a remarkable job of summarizing Charles's strengths as a musical innovator and his weaknesses as a philandering heroin addict who recorded some of his best songs while flying high as a kite. Foxx seems to be channeling Charles himself, and as he did with the life of Ritchie Valens in La Bamba, director Taylor Hackford gets most of the period details absolutely right as he chronicles Ray's rise from "chitlin circuit" performer in the early '50s to his much-deserved elevation to legendary status as one of the all-time great musicians. Foxx expertly lip-syncs to Ray Charles' classic recordings, but you could swear he's the real deal in a film that honors Ray Charles without sanitizing his once-messy life. --Jeff Shannon
More on Ray Charles
 Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music (CD) |  The Genius of Ray Charles (CD) |  Ray Charles and Betty Carter--Dedicated to You (CD) |
 Genius & Soul--The 50th Anniversary Collection (CD) |  Ray: A Tribute to the Movie, the Music, and the Man (book) |  More Albums by Ray Charles |
Undercover Brother (Widescreen Collector's Edition)
by Malcolm D. Lee
from Universal Studios
Blaxploitation movies deserve a good spoofing, and Undercover Brother tweaks the subgenre with a few good laughs. But what might have been an Afro-centric Austin Powers (adapted by John Ridley from his Internet film series) is instead a lackluster comedy with one basic joke: "Whitey"--personified as a faceless corporate despot known as "the Man"--has the power, but black folks have soul. With enough funk to make Shaft look passé, Eddie Griffin plays "U.B." with an oversized 'fro and a firm grasp of comedic possibilities. He's recruited by the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D. (an all-black justice league) to foil the Man's plan to derail a Colin Powell-like presidential candidate (Billy Dee Williams), and U.B.'s undercover exploits keep the slim plot moving. Denise Richards and Neil Patrick Harris are gamely ridiculed as token white allies, and it's all in good fun as director Malcolm D. Lee (Spike's cousin) finds room for mild jolts of relevant social commentary. --Jeff Shannon
With clothes and music from the 1970s, a super-secret agent thwarts a plan to brainwash all humanity.
Genre: Feature Film Urban Comedy
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 28-MAR-2006
Media Type: DVD
Men of Honor
from 20th Century Fox
Cuba Gooding Jr. and Robert De Niro deliver powerhouse performances (Chicago Tribune) in this triumphant epic inspired by the life of Carl Brashear.Men Of Honor tells the courageous tale of an African-American sailor (Gooding) who dared to dream of becoming a U.S. Navy Master Diver. Despite a ruthless training officer (De Niro) and a tragic shipboard accident Carl's iron will is never broken. Against all odds he pushes on to achieve the impossible in an incredible finish that will leave you cheering.System Requirements:Starring: Robert De Niro Cuba Gooding Jr. Charlize Theron David Conrad Joshua Feinman Ryan Honey Theo Nicholas Pagones Michael Rapaport Hal Holbrook Aunjanue Ellis Joshua Leonard David Keith Powers Boothe Dennis Troutman and Holt McCallany. Directed By: George Tillman Jr. Running Time: 128 Min. Color. This film is presented in "Widescreen" format. Copyright 2000 Twentieth Century Fox.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: R UPC: 024543016656 Manufacturer No: 2001665
Men of Honor presents a great role model for younger viewers, yet it's rated R due to abundant use of the F word. With appropriate discretion, parents should allow their preteen and teenaged children to see this rousing if altogether conventional biopic inspired by the life of Carl Brashear. Played with gravity and gumption by Cuba Gooding Jr., Brashear was the first African American to become a master diver in the U.S. Navy, despite the lingering effects of segregation, opposition from Navy brass, and the amputation of his left leg following a tragic on-duty accident. Robert De Niro adds marquee value and salty bluster as Billy Sunday, the drunken, redneck (and fictionalized) Master Chief who watches, with gradual admiration, as Brashear attains his ultimate goal through sheer force of will.
This is all quite uplifting on its surface, but in attempting to hit the requisite highlights of an inspiring biography, director George Tillman Jr. (Soul Food) reduces Brashear's achievement to a succession of clichés, forcing Gooding and De Niro to battle sentiment with their noteworthy performances. As Sunday's neglected wife, Charlize Theron is completely extraneous; Hal Holbrook's diving-school commander is a ranting caricature; and newcomer Aunjanue Ellis barely registers as Brashear's wife (in part because their obligatory romance is handled with an utter lack of finesse). There's no question that Brashear's efforts are heroic and worthy of recognition, so Men of Honor serves its basic purpose. Still, one can't help but wonder if Brashear's story would be even more impressive with a more authentic treatment. --Jeff Shannon
Ray (Full Screen Edition)
by Taylor Hackford
from Universal Studios
Jamie Foxx's uncannily accurate performance isn't the only good thing about Ray. Riding high on a wave of Oscar buzz, Foxx proved himself worthy of all the hype by portraying blind R&B legend Ray Charles in a warts-and-all performance that Charles approved shortly before his death in June 2004. Despite a few dramatic embellishments of actual incidents (such as the suggestion that the accidental drowning of Charles's younger brother caused all the inner demons that Charles would battle into adulthood), the film does a remarkable job of summarizing Charles's strengths as a musical innovator and his weaknesses as a philandering heroin addict who recorded some of his best songs while flying high as a kite. Foxx seems to be channeling Charles himself, and as he did with the life of Ritchie Valens in La Bamba, director Taylor Hackford gets most of the period details absolutely right as he chronicles Ray's rise from "chitlin circuit" performer in the early '50s to his much-deserved elevation to legendary status as one of the all-time great musicians. Foxx expertly lip-syncs to Ray Charles' classic recordings, but you could swear he's the real deal in a film that honors Ray Charles without sanitizing his once-messy life. --Jeff Shannon --This text refers to the Theatrical Release edition.
More on Ray Charles
Modern Sounds In Country and Western Music (CD) | The Genius of Ray Charles (CD) | Ray Charles and Betty Carter--Dedicated to You (CD) |
Genius & Soul--The 50th Anniversary Collection (CD) | Ray: A Tribute to the Movie, the Music, and the Man (book) | More Albums by Ray Charles |
Brother to Brother
by Rodney Evans
from WOLFE VIDEO
Critically-acclaimed drama that invokes the glory days of the Harlem Renaissance. As an elderly man, poet Bruce Nugent meets a young black gay artist struggling to find his voice and together they embark on a surreal narrative journey through his inspiring past.
Undercover Brother (Full Screen Collector's Edition)
by Malcolm D. Lee
from Universal Studios
With clothes and music from the 1970s, a super-secret agent thwarts a plan to brainwash all humanity.
Genre: Feature Film Urban Comedy
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 28-MAR-2006
Media Type: DVD
Blaxploitation movies deserve a good spoofing, and Undercover Brother tweaks the subgenre with a few good laughs. But what might have been an Afro-centric Austin Powers (adapted by John Ridley from his Internet film series) is instead a lackluster comedy with one basic joke: "Whitey"--personified as a faceless corporate despot known as "the Man"--has the power, but black folks have soul. With enough funk to make Shaft look passé, Eddie Griffin plays "U.B." with an oversized 'fro and a firm grasp of comedic possibilities. He's recruited by the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D. (an all-black justice league) to foil the Man's plan to derail a Colin Powell-like presidential candidate (Billy Dee Williams), and U.B.'s undercover exploits keep the slim plot moving. Denise Richards and Neil Patrick Harris are gamely ridiculed as token white allies, and it's all in good fun as director Malcolm D. Lee (Spike's cousin) finds room for mild jolts of relevant social commentary. --Jeff Shannon
Lovely and Amazing
by Nicole Holofcener
from Lions Gate
I didn't want this movie to end. Lovely & Amazing centers around two sisters--Michelle (Catherine Keener), a would-be artist, and Elizabeth (Emily Mortimer), a fledgling actress. Both are grappling with their mother's (Brenda Blethyn) going in for liposuction, the erratic behavior of their adopted sister (Raven Goodwin), and the flounderings of their love lives. Because her husband is having an affair, Michelle has a fling with a 17-year-old (Jake Gyllenhaal); meanwhile, Elizabeth breaks up with her sincere boyfriend (James LeGros) and falls into bed with a glib movie star (Dermot Mulroney). But no plot description will capture the exquisite pleasures of this movie; Lovely and Amazing is a superb kaleidoscope of moments, each new fragment shifting the whole into a new delightful pattern. The entire cast is outstanding; the script and direction of Nicole Holofcener (Walking and Talking) are subtle, funny, and sharply observed. --Bret Fetzer
The Caveman's Valentine
by Kasi Lemmons
from Universal Studios
Samuel L. Jackson gives a virtuoso performance in this intensely visual suspense film. Jackson stars as Romulus Ledbetter, a brilliant musician whose mental demons have driven him onto the streets. When Ledbetter finds a murdered man outside the cave he calls home one morning, he is compelled to find the real killer. While interesting enough to hold the viewer's attention, the mystery of The Caveman's Valentine is a distant third to Jackson's performance and the film's sumptuous visuals. The film is gorgeously shot, and lights and abstract images are effectively used to show Romulus's beautiful but tormented inner world. While the plot does take a silly leap of logic or two, Romulus's illness and the strain it puts on his family are sensitively and realistically handled. His all-too-real run-ins with his policewoman daughter are nicely contrasted with his visions of his ex-wife, who serves as a combination of Greek chorus and muse. If one is willing to suspend a little disbelief here and there, this picture is well worth a look. --Ali Davis
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