Hunter, Tim

Soul Food - The Third Season

Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 02/05/2008

Soul Food - The Third Season wastes no time in diving into sex, family squabbles, and workplace conflicts--the issues that this show wrestles with so very well. As the season begins, Kenny (Rockmond Dunbar, Prison Break) and Maxine (Vanessa Williams, Melrose Place) have separated and fight bitterly, to the anguish of their oldest son Ahmad (Aaron Meeks); Teri (Nicole Ari Parker, Brown Sugar) is offered a partner position at her former law firm when a powerful New York firm (run by Faye Dunaway, her face a scary mask of too much plastic surgery)--but what she thought would be her dream job proves full of treacherous compromises; Damon (Boris Kodjoe, Madea's Family Reunion), unable to face his past troubles, slips into alcoholism; and while the marriage of Bird (Malinda Williams, First Sunday) and Lem (Darrin Dewitt Henson, Stomp the Yard) seems to have found a steady groove, Bird's potential career as a TV celebrity (and the new relationships that result) threatens that stability, as does a dark figure from her past. Good writing is what makes the turbulent lives of these three sisters and their husbands, sons, and lovers seem endlessly rich. Occasionally there's a forced storyline--for example, Damon is literally haunted by his dead ex-girlfriend--but even that uncharacteristic plot came to a graceful conclusion. If there's a weakness, it's that several conflicts are resolved too quickly; some of the strongest material comes from longer character arcs. There are a number of knockout guests (including Terrence Howard, Hustle & Flow, and particularly Kimberly Elise, Diary of a Mad Black Woman), but it's the regular cast that gives this show its emotional heft; even comic sequences, such as when Ahmad keeps catching his parents having sex, are treated with grounded emotion. At its best, Soul Food offers a more honest depiction of how men and women relate than you'll find almost anywhere on television; the give and take of marriage, with its necessary frustrations and unexpected rewards, is shown in all its messy glory. The Third Season contains 20 episodes from 2002 and 2003, half of which were initially released as the show's fourth season. --Bret Fetzer

Sylvester

Charlie is a 16-year-old orphan struggling to raise her two younger brothers when she endeavors to train a wild horse she names sylvester and turn him into an olympic jumping champion. Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 04/25/2006 Starring: Melissa Gilbert Richard Farnsworth Run time: 103 minutes Rating: Pg

Cinderella is a cowgirl in Sylvester, a hard-luck story with a happy ending if there ever was one. Melissa Gilbert is the tough-talking teenage orphan cowpoke whose natural talent and determination transform her into a prize-winning equestrian. Soapy subplots abound: She has a drunken reluctant mentor (Richard Farnsworth, in a fine turn), fights the court to raise her two younger brothers in a rundown trailer, and protests too much against a would-be sweetheart (Michael Schoeffling, the resident hunk of Sixteen Candles). Yet there is poetry in the scenes of Gilbert riding Sylvester through the hills and magical footage of Farnsworth secretly training the horse by moonlight. Even the trite dialogue ("Did you kill their dreams like you're killing mine?") fails to do in the modern fairy tale. It's a pretty darn imperfect world Gilbert and friends inhabit, which in its own plodding way makes it seem like real life, despite the unlikely journey from jeans to jodhpurs. --Valerie J. Nelson

River's Edge

Based on the horrifying real-life murder of a young California girl this "powerful portrait" (Newsweek) of deadly disaffected teens stars Kenau Reeves (The Matrix) Crispin Glover (Charlie's Angels: The Movie) Ione Skye Leitch (One Night Stand) Daniel Roebuck (Final Destination) and Dennis Hopper (Ed TV) in a tale that is "chilling to witness" (The New York Times).On the bank of river lies the naked body of a brutally murdered young girl. At the nearby high school Samson (Roebuck) brags to Matt (Reeves) and his friends about how he killed her. Drunk and stoned the doubting teens trudge to the river and discover that he isn't lying. And oddly they decide to protect Samson behind a loyal wall of secrecy. Tormented with guilt Matt questions their silence...and suddenly finds himself in a troubling position: should he do what he thinks is right or should he keep quiet and live with this demon for the rest of his life?System Requirements:Starring: Crispin Glover Keanu Reeves Ione Skye Daniel Roebuck Dennis Hopper Joshua John Miller Roxana Zal and Josh Richman. Directed By: Tim Hunter. Running Time: 99 Min. Color. This film is presented in "Widescreen" format. Copyright 2000 MGM Studios.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: R UPC: 027616857712 Manufacturer No: 1001451

This disturbing little film is even more unsettling when you think about the fact that it's based on an actual case. Troubled teen Samson murders his girlfriend Jamie for no particular reason, leaves her nude body by the river's edge, then brings his friends to see the corpse to prove he did it. They look at her, prod her, and talk about her, but no one seems to manage to feel anything. River's Edge is ultimately a study of kids who are so numbed by drugs, casual parenting, and the ever present threat of nuclear war that not even death can get a rise out of them. A young Keanu Reeves is surprisingly poised as Matt, the one character with a few shreds of empathy left. His quiet performance is powerful enough to hold the audience's interest even with Crispin Glover and Dennis Hopper both being as crazy as they can be. Glover steals much of the movie with his whacked-out performance as Layne, the group's leader. He undercuts his teen alpha-male power with a nervous giggle, and the spin he puts on much of his dialogue manages to be scary and funny at the same time--after hiding Jamie's body for Samson, he complains: "You'd think I'd at least rate a Michelob!" River's Edge is not necessarily a pleasant movie, but it is certainly a compelling one. --Ali Davis

Soul Food - The Complete First Season

Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 05/23/2006 Run time: 995 minutes Rating: Nr

Soul Food, the richly emotional ongoing tale of three African American sisters and the men in their lives, has no obvious hook as far as the setting or the characters' jobs; it's just well-written, well-acted, and willing to let its characters be difficult, troubled, and pushy, as well as sexy, passionate, and caring--in other words, vividly real. Teri (Nicole Ari Parker), a divorced lawyer and demanding control freak, begins a relationship with Damon (Boris Kodjoe), a much younger delivery guy who's deliberately avoided the kind of high-pressure career path that Teri values. Maxine (Vanessa Williams) has three kids by Kenny (Rockmond Dunbar), including 12-year-old Ahmad (Aaron Meeks), who narrates portions of the show, and whose growing independence often leads to clashes with his strong-minded mother. Bird (Malinda Williams), a beautician, struggles to find trust with her ex-con husband Lem (Darrin Dewitt Henson), whose drive to support his family leads him down some dangerous paths.

The opening episode centers around the birth of Bird's first child, placing family ties at the core of the series--but Soul Food explores a broad spectrum of storylines, delving into class, crime, religion, sex, and more, rarely making race a central concern, yet never ignoring the role race plays in these people's lives. The creators of Soul Food have a keen eye for contrasting innocence (such as Ahmad trying to figure out how to use a condom) and danger (Lem slipping back into the criminal life). Though the show can be melodramatic (one episode features a hostage crisis in Bird's salon), more often it's just concerned with everyday events, made compelling by the charisma of the cast and the propulsive, well-observed writing and directing. The first season of Soul Food is simply a feast, 20 episodes of juicy, enjoyable television. --Bret Fetzer

Tex

Coming-of-age adventure about two teenage brothers and their struggles to grow up on their own after their mother dies and their father leaves them. Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 06/07/2005 Starring: Matt Dillon Run time: 103 minutes Rating: Pg Director: Tim Hunter

This unassuming little coming-of-age drama features Matt Dillon in the title role as a sweet, slightly dim teenager living with his older brother Mason (Jim Metzler) in a rural Oklahoma town. With an absentee father and a deceased mom, the two eke out a marginal existence; things get desperate enough for Mason to sell his and Tex's horses to have enough money for groceries. Mason is ready to graduate high school and has his sights set on Indiana University and a basketball scholarship; he has little patience for his younger brother and his antics, feeling like he has to babysit him to keep him out of trouble. Tex's partner-in-mischief is Johnny (Emilio Estevez), while Johnny's sister Jamie (Meg Tilly) is the object of Tex's crush. The two live under the stern eye of their authoritarian dad (Ben Johnson), foiling any ideas Tex may have about Jamie. If this film seems reminiscent of The Outsiders, it's because it's similarly based on an S.E. Hinton novel; its tone and mood also calls to mind early-'80s kid dramas such as Breaking Away and My Bodyguard. It's a quiet little movie, capturing the boredom and tedium of small-town life nicely, with good characterizations and early roles by the Brat Pack. Dillon helped define himself early on with troubled-teen roles, and this is a fine example. Tex is also notable because it was one of the first adult dramas to come from Disney Studios. --Jerry Renshaw

Video Voyeur - The Susan Wilson Story

After making a name for herself as a model, Angie Harmon hit the big leagues with a recurring role on Law and Order. Lifetime's Video Voyeur was her first opportunity to prove she could carry a production by herself. Harmon stars as real-life homemaker-turned-crusader Susan Wilson, who moved into the suburban Louisiana house of her dreams in the 1990s. Her neighbors are community leaders, the Glovers. Steve Glover (Jamey Sheridan), the church deacon, has nursed a crush on her since high school. (Although Sheridan is a couple of decades older than Harmon, both give convincing performances.) Wilson's dream turns into a nightmare when she finds that Glover has been secretly taping her. She decides to press charges but discovers that his actions aren't illegal. With the support of her family and friends, she decides to do something about it in this inspiring story from director Tim Hunter (River's Edge). --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Kings of South Beach

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 01/27/2009 Run time: 90 minutes

Control

The angry scarred and heavily tattooed lee ray oliver is strapped down to a guerney for execution by lethal injection. While pronounced dead by the prison doctor lee ray is secretly given the choice of staying alive under one condition: an experimental treatment that will cure his muderous ways. Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 06/27/2006 Starring: Ray Liotta Willem Dafoe Run time: 98 minutes Rating: R

The Far Side of Jericho

During the Wild West era three widows of a recently executed gang of outlaw brothers are forced to flee their homes as they are pursued by a posse of vigilantes and villains seeking the whereabouts of their dead husbands buried treasure. On the perilous journey that includes run-ins with Indians Pinkerton agents and even a few surly ghosts they have the opportunity to become better friends if they manage to survive. The woman must find the courage to trust care and kill for one another while blazing the trail to their own destiny. System Requirements:Run Time: 100 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: WESTERN/MISC. UPC: 687797120397 Manufacturer No: FLP-12039

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