Powell, Clifton

First Sunday

Ice Cube continues his winning streak as a likeable everyman in family movies with First Sunday, an initially silly, disposable comedy that picks up emotional power and authenticity by the second act. Cube plays ne'er-do-well Durell, an out-of-work Baltimore dad who needs over $17,000 to keep his ex from taking their son with her to Atlanta for good. Desperate to raise the cash but hamstrung by his self-defeating attitude and the criminal antics of his goofy sidekick, LeeJohn (Tracy Morgan), Durell gives in to temptation and decides he and LeeJohn should rob a church. The crime goes badly when it turns out a number of parishioners are in the building at the time, and a hostage situation develops. Events take a twist when the would-be thieves become the beneficiaries of Christian charity and forgiveness from the men and women they've kidnapped, and a bigger criminal is revealed in the congregation's mix. A terrific supporting cast including Michael Beach, Chi McBride, Keith David, Malinda Williams, Loretta Devine, and Katt Williams bring strong humor and dignity to the film's latter half, compensating for some unpleasant missteps (a pointless scene at a massage parlor) earlier in the story. Writer-director David E. Talbert is especially sharp during a spirited, gospel performance scene, which simply crackles on screen. --Tom Keogh

FIRST SUNDAY (DVD MOVIE)

3 Ninjas

A slightly better movie than you might think, this variation on The Karate Kid finds three youngsters helping out their grandfather in his fight against evil ninja warriors. The real secret weapon here is director Jon Turtletaub, paying some dues on this 1992 family feature; he's since gone on to direct John Travolta in Phenomenon and Sandra Bullock in While You Were Sleeping. --Tom Keogh

Here's the exciting action-adventure hit that sparked ninja-mania with audiences everywhere! After an organized crime ring proves to be too much for the FBI, it's time for the 3 NINJAS! They're three brothers trained in the ways of the ninja. And the fun kicks off when the action kicks in! Using their martial arts skills, they team up to battle the crime ring and outwit some very persistent kidnappers! Mixing the high-kicking fun of TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES with the humorous pranks of HOME ALONE, 3 NINJAS creates a high-energy, fun-filled treat for everyone!

Dead Presidents

Twin brother codirectors Albert and Alan Hughes planned their first film, the 1991 ghetto crime drama Menace II Society as a response to John Singleton's Boyz N the Hood, which they considered wimpy and moralistic. They set their sights on The Deer Hunter in this ambitious follow-up, and they just about pull it off. Larenz Tate (from Why Do Fools Fall in Love) plays Anthony Curtis, an open-hearted African American teenager who gets shipped out to Vietnam with several of his pals, witnesses unspeakable horrors, and then struggles to readjust to civilian life. The evolving textures of life in a declining inner-city neighborhood over a period of a decade are seamlessly evoked, and there's enough nuanced character development and personal interaction for a seven-hour miniseries. Still in their early 20s, the Hughes brothers are already poised and masterful moviemakers; they cover an enormous amount of historical and emotional ground, and every twist and turn is crystal clear. They betray their inexperience only at the very end, in an elaborately staged heist sequence that, while stunningly executed, feels a bit desperate, as if they were reaching blindly for a big payoff. Chris Tucker (Rush Hour) has a startling supporting role as a kid who becomes junkie during the war, and never quite recovers. --David Chute

A Vietnam vet is drawn into a life of crime and, with the help of his war buddies, robs an armored car.
Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: R
Release Date: 3-JUN-2003
Media Type: DVD

The Brothers

THE BROTHERS is a fresh and hilarious look at four African-American "brothers" lifelong friends who band together to navigate through the turbulent waters of love and sex on their way to healthy happy and committed relationships. Jackson (Morris Chestnut- The Best Man) is a successful pediatrician who is desperate for intimacy but terrified of commitment. Brian (Bill Bellamy- Love Jones) is the sexy old-school bachelor who fights tooth and nail to protect his independence from women he thinks are undeserving of him. Terry (Shemar Moore- TV's "The Young and the Restless") is a renowned womanizer who desperately wants to settle down. Derrick (D.L. Hughley- The Original Kings of Comedy) is a loving husband and father who always finds time for the boys despite a demanding wife who refuses to meet his sexual demands. Denise (Gabrielle Union- Bring it On) Sheila (Tamala Jones- Blue Streak) and Louise (Jennifer Lewis- Cast Away) are the "sisters" who teach them that the battle of the sexes is won in the heart in this brazenly comic look at love honesty and the beauty of commitment.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: R UPC: 043396063945 Manufacturer No: 06394

Think of it as a male version of Waiting to Exhale. The Brothers similarly features four good friends who offer each other advice and support as they navigate the strange and treacherous waters of romantic relationships. Jackson (Morris Chestnut) is a doctor with serious commitment problems; he has dreams about a woman in a bridal gown aiming a gun at him. Brian (Bill Bellamy) is a lawyer with a caustic view of the opposite sex, inspired in large part by his untrusting and unaffectionate mother; he also has commitment problems. Upwardly mobile professional Terry (Shemar Moore) is a well-muscled womanizer who's finally decided to settle down, but as the wedding draws close it becomes clear that he, too, has commitment problems. Fortunately, the fourth member of the quartet, Derrick (D.L. Hughley), is married and devoted to his family--except that his wife refuses to engage in anything but straight missionary sex, which Derrick sees as manipulative. The Brothers depicts a glamorous world in which everyone is good-looking and well dressed; the number of characters makes it hard to delve into anyone's life with any depth, but the actors are engaging and the script makes an effort to look at the "battle of the sexes" from both sides. The immensely charming Gabrielle Union (from Bring It On) plays the girl who just might convince Jackson to give up his single ways. --Bret Fetzer

Next Friday (New Line Platinum Series)

Ice Cube wrote and stars as Craig in this sequel to Friday, which he also wrote. His nemesis from that film, neighborhood bully Debo (Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr.), has just escaped from county jail and is out to get revenge. To protect Craig, Craig's father (John Witherspoon) sends his son to stay with his Uncle Elroy (Don "DC" Curry), who won the lottery and bought a house in Rancho Cucamonga. Craig expects the suburbs to be dull, but no sooner has he arrived than conflicts arise: The neighbors are hostile hoods, his cousin's girlfriend is out for blood and child support, and the house is about to be seized because of unpaid taxes. It's up to Craig and his cousin Day-Day (Mike Epps) to solve these problems before the day is over. It's a rambling, loose movie, but a genuinely entertaining one. Ice Cube doesn't write punch lines--though funny lines abound. He writes richly comic characters that speak in virtual arias of bragging, complaining, and scamming. Sure, some of the characters are stereotypes and many of the jokes are about drugs and scatology--but that's been the basis of humor since Plautus and Molière. The rhythmic energy of Ice Cube's dialogue and the easy charisma of his performance make Next Friday thoroughly enjoyable. --Bret Fetzer

Ice Cube returns as Craig Jones a streetwise man from South Central Los Angeles in this smash hit sequel to the comedy Friday. Trouble ensues this time out as Craig relocates to the suburbs in order to hide from the neighborhood bully Debo.Running Time: 98 min.System Requirements:Starring: Ice Cube Mike Epps Tamala Jones Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr and John Witherspoon. Directed By: Steve Carr Running Time: 98 Min. Color. This film is presented in "Widescreen" format. Copyright 2000 Warner Home Video.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: R UPC: 794043503627

Friday After Next (Infinifilm Edition)

Ice Cube (Barbershop) uses his relaxed, raffish charm to glide through the third movie in his Friday series. As Craig (Cube) and Day-Day (Mike Epps) sleep in the wee hours of Christmas Eve, a burglar dressed like Santa Claus breaks in and steals their presents and rent. Thus begins a classically bad day full of unsympathetic family members, obnoxious neighbors, squealing pimps, pot smoking, and sexy babes. No one's going to win any awards for this sloppy installment, loaded with preening stereotypes and half-hearted low humor; Cube generally plays straight man and lets the rest of the cast screech, yowl, and contort their faces, their performances as ornate and ritualized as a Japanese Noh play. But if you're a fan, Friday After Next will give you a modest dose of Cube's goofy humor. John Witherspoon and Don "D.C." Curry return as Craig's eternally disgruntled father and uncle. --Bret Fetzer

Sequel. Craig and Day-Day move back into the hood, where they find jobs as security guards at a strip mall. Hijinks ensue on their first day on the job, which happens to be Christmas Eve.

DVD Features:
3D Animated Menus
Audio Commentary
DVD ROM Features
Deleted Scenes
Documentaries
Full Screen Version
Gag Reel
Music Video
Other
Theatrical Trailer

The Pentagon Wars

From the director of ' 'Made In America' ' and ' 'The Money Pit' ' comes a hilarious look at one of the most expensive blunders in military history. Over 17 years and almost as many billion dollars have gone into devising the B.F.V. There's only one problem. . . it doesn't work.Running Time: 104 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY UPC: 026359147227

Deep Rising

Following in the reptilian slime trail of Anaconda, this derivative monster movie from early 1998 plays like a cross between Titanic and Tremors, with parts of Aliens tossed in for good measure. Director Stephen Sommers couldn't recognize an original idea if it swallowed him whole--which, by the way, is exactly what happens to a lot of passengers on a luxury ship that is attacked by a giant serpent-like sea creature with a voracious appetite for human flesh. Treat Williams plays the leader of a mercenary crew whose members discover the ravaged ship and wage war on the creature; Famke Janssen joins him as an onboard thief and con artist who just happens to be highly skilled with automatic weapons. Of course, the action grows more intense as the body count rises and along the way the monster is gradually revealed in all of its gruesome glory. A guilty pleasure if ever there was one, Deep Rising arrived in theaters shortly after another waterlogged thriller, Hard Rain, and if nothing else it provides proof that the B-movie monsters of the 1950s are alive and well and as cheesy as ever in the age of digital special effects. --Jeff Shannon

Buckle up for edge-of-your seat excitement with the explosive hit DEEP RISING, an unstoppable high seas action thriller that moves at full scream ahead! When a band of ruthless hijackers invade the world's most luxurious cruise ship, they're shocked to discover the passengers have mysteriously vanished! But that doesn't mean they are alone! Something terrifying is lurking just out of sight: a deadly force from the unexplored depths of the ocean that begins to snatch the horrified intruders one by one! Treat Willliams (THE DEVIL'S OWN) and sexy Famke Janssen (GOLDENEYE, ROUNDERS) lead a group of survivors who must overcome incredible odds in their breathtaking battle to escape the doomed ship alive!

House Party

It's party time, but Kid (Christopher Reid) has been grounded by his strict but loving dad (Robin Harris). His best friend, Play (Christopher Martin), however, cooks up a scheme to sneak him out of the house so he can hook up with his honey at a buddy's house, where it's all going on. Rappers Kid 'N Play are engaging and funny--and entertaining rappers when they get the chance. The real find was comic Robin Harris, hilarious in his own right and solid in this role--but he died a short time later. Look for Martin Lawrence in one of his first film roles as well. --Marshall Fine

The raucous events leading up to and after the 'mutha' of all urban teen parties. Starring Kid 'n Play and Martin Lawrence. Directed by Reginald Hudlin.

Ray (Widescreen Edition)

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