New Jack City [Blu-ray]

A Great Two-Disc Special Edition
The two-disc special edition of New Jack City is a great investment for fans of the classic hip-hop drama. Released in 1991, New Jack City was the first feature film Mario Van Peebles released. The film also was a breeding ground for actors who went on to have very successful careers. The music of the "New Jack" movie is almost as memorable as the movie itself. Ice T stars in the film as a "New Jack" cop who goes undercover to break down the "CMB" crime mob. Crack was running rampant. Wesley Snipes starred as Nino Brown and Allen Payne starred as his right hand man "G-Money." It's a great film and Chris Rock appears in the film as a crack head named Pookie. "New Jack City" is the first hip-hop gangsta movie classic. It wasn't just a shoot em' up bang bang movie, it really captures the essence of those mafia/organized crime movies. The DVD's packaging is very nice.

The Road To New Jack City-
This is hands down the best featurette on the special features...

Influential and surprisingly still holds up today
Mario Van Peebles directed and co-stars in this influential and well filmed urban crime saga that surprisingly still holds up today. New Jack City, like King of New York, Boyz N the Hood and Menace II Society, has spawned a host of immitators to this day, but it's Peebles heartfelt message that sets New Jack City apart from others. Peebles stars as one of the honest cops (along with pimp turned rapper turned actor Ice-T and Judd Nelson) trying to nail ruthless drug czar Nino Brown (Wesley Snipes) and bring down his empire of drugs and murder, to little avail. A young Chris Rock stars as a recovering addict who Ice-T and co. look upon to help them nab Nino, but it soon proves to be something that is much easier said than done. Unlike the "gangsta" films that followed, New Jack City offered a glimmer of hope under the violence and pounding hip-hop soundtrack, and it helped launch the career of the charismatic Snipes who would become an action star as the decade progressed. The rest...

New Jack Drug-goons
I grew up on a staple of spaghetti westerns (Terence Hill), kung-fu (Bruce Lee & Jacky Chan) and action (Bruce Willis) flicks but as a young black man growing up in Kambuzuma, Harare, Zimbabwe I did not identify myself with any ONE genre. Kine 1000 was a typical urban cinema goer's paradise.
Enter Wesley Snipes in 1991's New Jack City and my whole world changed. Here was a despicable villain, vicious, arrogant and totally self-serving an individual as you ever will see, yet he was charming ang very likeable at the same time. I identified with him, I hated his politics (so to speak) but in the same breath I knew a 1000 like him who corrupted nations and enriched themselves while so doing. The movie was set in America but it could have been enacted in any urban city in the world.
Happening, relevant and totally and brutally believable! Snipes is excellent, Allen Payne, Ice T, Judd Nelson & Chris Rock not far behind this movie set the the tone for all drug related movies to...

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Peppa Pig - Muddy Puddles

God Save the BBC!
OK, I clearly should have lived in England. Maybe I will someday... Charlie and Lola, Maisy, Connie the Cow, Peppa Pig... All loved by my family and me.

If you are an appreciator of things from abroad, and even if not, you've got to get this DVD. HOLY COW, funny and adorable. ALL I CAN SAY IS -- WATCH THE POLLY PARROT EPISODE. If you don't crack a smile there's something VERY wrong.

Peppa Pig was introduced to us through Noggin, a spin-off channel for preschoolers from the beloved Nickelodeon. When I first saw a Peppa Pig short with my daughter I was immediately smitten. If you are hesitant to purchase this DVD, maybe you can catch an episode on one of these channels if you have cable. Otherwise, maybe you could go to the Peppa Pig website and view one there.

Unfortunately, there are not many products (toys) available in the USA yet from this series unless you want to pay heaps of money to have it shipped from the UK. Hopefully that will...

Cute and Entertaining Video for Kids (and Parents!)
We ordered this video for our kids (ages 4 and 2 1/2) after seeing the shorts of the Peppa Pig show on TV. This video is excellent. It contains 10 short stories that focus on sibling relationships, families, manners and plain old fun. Our favorite is the "Polly Parrot" one. It's hilarious. The pigs are very cute and, in addition to talking with one another in fantastic English accents, they also snort!!! You can't help but laugh. I would recommend this to kids and parents of all ages!

Works in US! YAY!
My daughter loves Peppa Pig so we have been looking for a DVD that works with the DVD players sold in the United States. This is it! The episodes are great and the DVD plays beautifully. Finally!

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The Incredible Journey

Based on the excellent book
this is THE version of Sheila Burnham's book 'The Incredible Journey', animals don't have to talk to be entertaining. This is a film with REAL animals, real animal training, and no farting jokes to be found. Adventure, touching moments and again, real animals. Bravo that this film is still available!

Ten Thousand Times Better Than The Remake
This earlier version of the movie is straightforward storytelling, without any rediculous attitude. (I'm wagering that 90% of the reason the new Disney Movie, "Treasure Planet" failed is because of the absolutely hideous haircut the lead character wears.) Even my six year old loved this video. The nature scenery is spectacular. I hate the fact that the inferior updated version of this movie can be found on DVD but this classic version is only on video. Some of the people currently making the decisions at Disney ought to be replaced.

A True Gem
While I do enjoy watching both Homeward Bound and Homeward Bound II, though the ages of the dogs got reversed with the bull terrier being the young dog instead of the old dog, neither will match the beauty of the original. Not only do the animals not talk, viewers are treated to the rich and talented voice of Rex Allen as the narrator. To watch these well-trained animals seeming to play their roles with no humans around beats voice-overs any day. To watch old Bodger start to slowly make his way to Peter, his young master, and then gradually increase his speed until he is flying into his arms, is heart-warming to watch.

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Sophie & Sheba

Sophie & Sheba
This was on the top of my 6 year old granddaughters list. She watches this movie over and over.
Great gift for her. Great "family" movie for all ages.

granddaughters love this movie
My granddaaughters loved this movie and they can tell the story about the elephant so serious. It is cute to watch them be so engrossed in a movie.

Lightweight Elephant Comedy/Drama
The meat is thin on this family friendly movie, but it does provide clean, circus fun and a cute elephant.

A teenage ballerina runs off and joins the circus to be with her beloved elephant. There she makes friends and a few foes as she gets to perform and work at rescuing her animal.

The storyline is basic and thin, and one that might not hold child and ,definitely not, adults, interest for long except for the cute animals. The actors are ok; there is a small circus setting with animals including a black panther and, of course, Sheila, the endearing elephant.

No language, sex, only mild peril, a few dramatic parts, some bouncy music and a touch of young romance. I don't dislike it, but wouldn't watch again.

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Zombie Horror Fright Fest!

4 Bad flicks
All 4 of these movies are pretty bad. The effects are bad, the acting is bad, the story is bad, most of them have big holes in the story and jump around without explanation.

Shane
Zombie extravaganza, complete with enough gore to satisfy the hungriest gore-hound! I got this figuring "I can't go wrong here" and I was completely right. All four movies were complete zombie madness. I am a satisfied customer.

Great compilation
I make it a point to check out all the zombie flicks, so this turned out to be a real bargain for me. Not something I would pop in around the kiddies as this stuff is pretty gory. Get ready for some intense zombie action my friends.

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Burma: A Human Tragedy (Narrated by Angelica Huston)

Burma DVD
This will assist me to understand the country of Burma and its people. maybe I will visit one day soon.





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Never A Dull Moment

Unexpected gem from Disney and Van Dyke!
This is a nice little film that seems to be mostly forgotten by Disney fans or fans of Mr. Van Dyke. That's too bad, because the film is lots of fun, and gives Dick Van Dyke full range to showcase his physical comedy skills.

If you thought all there was to Van Dyke's physical comedy was tripping over an ottoman, you'll be able to see his full range here.

An actor mistaken for a crook, Van Dyke's character Jack Albany is taken to a gangster stronghold where a big art heist is being planned. Van Dyke is wonderful as the cowardly actor playing the part of a tough crook in order to stay alive.

Besides the great comedy of Van Dyke, we also have the added treat of Edward G. Robinson sending up his famous gangster image. An avowed art lover in real life, Robinson goes after a famous painting in the film, and even tries his hand at abstract art.

Also on hand are Slim Pickens, Henry Silva, and Jack Elam. Dorothy Provine ("That Darn...

Dick Van Dyke at his best !
Dick Van Dyke plays an actor who gets mistaken for a gangster. And they want him to help them steal a painting, He try's escaping from the big house but something always goes wrong. He gets in to more trouble when the real gangster that he is supposed to be, turns up!

Watching Dick Van Dyke playing a gangster is VERY funny. A film not to be missed!

Fun Live Action Disney
Well, in the hit and miss world of Disney live action DVD releases, it looks like we lucked out on this one. The ever so king of physical comedy, Dick Van Dyke, is presented here in this delightful comedy in its original aspect ratio of 1.75:1. As one viewer stated, buying Disney live action DVD's is like rolling dice. Looks like we have a winner on this one. Van Dyke scores a hit with his performance along with a delightful support cast of quality actors; Edward G. Robinson, Dorothy Provine, Jack Elam, Henry Silva and Slim Pickens along with several recognizable character actors.

This DVD one not to be missed. But keep boycotting the "Black Bearded" releases and reward Disney when they bow to the wishes of the consumer.

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