Gloria Estefan

Music of the Heart (Miramax Collector's Series)

Why, you might ask, would Wes Craven direct a conventional biopic about Roberta Guaspari, a divorced mother of two who created an acclaimed music program in East Harlem's troubled school system? After all, Craven built his career on Freddy Krueger and the Scream trilogy, and you won't find razor-tipped gloves or a single drop of blood in Music of the Heart. All Craven has to do is provide a safe working environment for Meryl Streep (who earned an obligatory Oscar nomination), sublimate his deft directorial style, and surrender to the banalities of Pamela Gray's screenplay, which would've played more effectively on cable TV.

To be fair, Music of the Heart (partially inspired by the 1996 documentary Small Wonders) serves its purpose quite nicely. Streep is flawless in a non-showy role, and the story of Guaspari's celebrated violin training program provides the requisite rush of inner-city inspiration. As a fact-based companion to Mr. Holland's Opus, the film is less effective but similarly engaging; you'd have to be cold-hearted to dismiss it altogether. It's best when focusing on Guaspari's school program and the 10-year struggle to keep it alive; the drama falters when dealing half-heartedly with her tentative relationships, notably with a journalist (Aidan Quinn) who shies from commitment. And Craven? He seems content to direct by the numbers here, leaving inspiration on the screen while forfeiting his own. --Jeff Shannon

Two-time Academy Award(R)-winner Meryl Streep (1983 Best Actress, SOPHIE'S CHOICE; 1980 Best Supporting Actress, KRAMER vs. KRAMER) stars with Angela Bassett (HOW STELLA GOT HER GROOVE BACK) in a heartwarming, acclaimed true story of how one woman's musical gift affected those who least expected it. A single mother with little more than talent and the determination to make a difference, Roberta Guaspari (Streep) overcame the skepticism of everyone who didn't think she should be teaching violin to students in a tough inner-city neighborhood. But even after a decade of ever-growing popularity and countless success stories, Roberta and her kids must rise to meet an even greater challenge: budget cuts aimed at shutting down her valuable program for good! Also starring Aidan Quinn (PRACTICAL MAGIC) and Grammy-winner Gloria Estefan in a stellar cast, this extraordinary story will inspire anyone who's ever thought their dreams were too far out of reach!

Celine Dion - All the Way... A Decade of Song & Video

It's clear from the live performances on All the Way... A Decade of Song & Video that Celine Dion's audiences adore her. And what's not to adore? She's beautiful, talented, and--corny as it sounds--seems really nice. This 90-minute compilation features 12 videos and five live songs illustrating the French-Canadian singer's transformation from a perky teen to a sophisticated international star. In the early '90s, Dion sang boppy tunes such as "Mislead" and "Love Can Move Mountains." The mid-decade Dion (decidedly sexier) is represented by "Because You Loved Me," "The Power of Love," and "It's All Coming Back to Me Now." Her soaring voice is powerful and poignant, reminding us why Titanic's "My Heart Will Go On" became such a huge hit. The compilation is ballad-heavy, but her last video of the decade, "That's the Way It Is," marks a welcome return to her earlier, sassier manner. --Dana Van Nest

For Love or Country - The Arturo Sandoval Story

For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story chronicles the life of a man torn between his home and his devotion to his music. In a Golden Globe-nominated performance, Andy Garcia portrays the gregarious, passionate, and obstinate Arturo Sandoval, the Grammy-winning Cuban trumpet player.

This HBO film shows how Sandoval's life in revolutionary Cuba is affected--beginning in the early 1970s--by his zeal for his music and by the limits placed on him by his homeland. Representing his torn loyalties are Dizzy Gillespie (the enigmatic jazz musician played by Charles S. Dutton) and Sandoval's wife, Marianela (played by the beautiful Mia Maestro). Gillespie embodies the freedom to follow one's dream, while Marianela represents family loyalty and the ideals of the Castro revolution. Yet, the same regime his wife embraces forces Arturo to play government-imposed music instead of the jazz that he loves. Sandoval travels the world, and while the Cuban government profits from his success, he is exposed to a freedom that eventually draws him to the difficult and life-changing decision he and his family feel compelled to make.

Against a backdrop of beautiful scenery and exceptional music, For Love or Country provides a harsh depiction of revolutionary Cuba, its outmoded lifestyle, and the restrictions placed on its people. --Mindy Ruehmann

Elmopalooza!

Basically, this is a collection of songs from 30 years of Sesame Street, in which sweet Elmo and his Muppet pals are joined by David Alan Grier, Jon Stewart, Gloria Estefan, the Fugees, Shawn Colvin, and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Grier (of the comically sour face) and Stewart (of the ironic smile) provide some funny stuff, and the Muppets share songs with the musical guests. This nonstop revue is a blast for parents as well as little ones. --Tom Keogh

VH1 Divas Live

Once an appellation reserved for high-flying operatic stars, the diva has gone mainstream in recent decades, mirroring pop music's post-rock recovery of glitz, glamour, and theatrical hyperbole. Where once there was but a handful of pop divas, fans can now find a growing legion of contenders, a trend underscored by this 1998 cable special originally produced for VH1. The show's producers start with the title's high concept (five divas, one stage!), add an admirable if shrewd charity hook (the better to recruit platinum stars without prohibitive fees), and provide fans with an otherwise straightforward revue, interspersed with introductory cameos from film and television actresses.

For the starring quintet's fans, VH1 Divas Live is hard to disparage: Celine Dion, Gloria Estefan, Shania Twain, and Mariah Carey provide the requisite combination of beauty, high-ticket sartorial glamour, and stage drama, and their brief sets hew to their biggest hits. Beyond that common formula, these four do diverge somewhat, Dion and Carey most closely following the mannered tradition of the prima donna, Estefan (who, between songs, admits her bemusement at inclusion) offering an earthier and less calculated variant, and the nominally country-oriented Twain rounding out the headliners as a diva-in-the-making, perfectly packaged if vocally more modest.

Still, it's the show's "old timers" who remind us of what's too often missing from today's diva--the emotional largesse that fans crave, and an underlying sense of true worldliness. The fifth featured diva, Aretha Franklin, has never achieved conventional glamour, but what she offers in vocal power and career prestige enables Lady Soul to cast a long shadow across the entire show, even when her actual performances are duets or ensembles. And Carole King, also along for duets and ensemble spots, is even less to the diva manor born, a quintessential singer-songwriter even when draped in an elegant black suit, but her longstanding credibility likewise translates to pole position here. --Sam Sutherland

Gloria Estefan Live in Miami: The Evolution Tour

Gloria Estefan - Live & Unwrapped

Decade of Song & Video [Region 2]

It's clear from the live performances on All the Way... A Decade of Song & Video that Celine Dion's audiences adore her. And what's not to adore? She's beautiful, talented, and--corny as it sounds--seems really nice. This 90-minute compilation features 12 videos and five live songs illustrating the French-Canadian singer's transformation from a perky teen to a sophisticated international star. In the early '90s, Dion sang boppy tunes such as "Mislead" and "Love Can Move Mountains." The mid-decade Dion (decidedly sexier) is represented by "Because You Loved Me," "The Power of Love," and "It's All Coming Back to Me Now." Her soaring voice is powerful and poignant, reminding us why Titanic's "My Heart Will Go On" became such a huge hit. The compilation is ballad-heavy, but her last video of the decade, "That's the Way It Is," marks a welcome return to her earlier, sassier manner. --Dana Van Nest

Gloria Estefan: Don't Stop!

Gloria Estefan - Live in Atlantis