Bird 1988  R, 161 min.
Genre: Drama / Musical
Director: Clint Eastwood
Cast: Forest Whitaker, Diane Venora, Michael Zelniker, Samuel E. Wright, Keith David, Michael McGuire, James Handy, Sam Robards, Bill Cobbs, Arlen Dean Snyder, Damon Whitaker, Morgan Nagler, Penelope Windust, Glenn Wright, George Orrison
Clint Eastwood directed this classy, but bittersweet, musical about jazz saxophone superman Charlie "Bird" Parker's (Forest Whitaker) troubled personal and professional life, which ended in his untimely death from the chronic effects of drug abuse. The film won an Oscar for Best Sound Recording.
|  | |
 Dinosaur 2000  PG, 84 min.
Genre: Animation / Family / Adventure
Director: Eric Leighton, Ralph Zondag
Cast: D.B. Sweeney, Alfre Woodard, Julianna Margulies, Joan Plowright, Ossie Davis, Samuel E. Wright, Della Reese, Max Casella, Peter Siragusa, Hayden Panettiere
Disney's computer animated technology is excellent in this story about the imminent extinction of dinosaurs during the Mesozoic Age. Warning: this film contains realistic violence that many parents may reasonably consider inappropriate for children.
| | |
The Keeper 1995 N/R, 90 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Joe Brewster
Cast: Giancarlo Esposito, Regina Taylor, Isaach De Bankole, Ron Brice, O.L. Duke, Arthur French, Shiek Mahmud-Bey, Samuel E. Wright
A law student, Paul Lamont (Giancarlo Esposito), is also a humanitarian corrections officer who bails out one of his charges, Jean Baptiste (Isaach De Bankole), and brings him home to await trial. In the interim, Paul begins to question his own beliefs in this brooding story filled with psychological underpinnings.
| | |
 The Little Mermaid 1989 G, 82 min.
Genre: Animation / Family / Comedy / Fantasy / Musical
Director: Ron Clements, John Musker
Cast: Jodi Benson, Christopher Daniel Barnes, Samuel E. Wright, Kenneth Mars, Rene Auberjonois, Buddy Hackett, Edie McClurg, Ben Wright, Pat Carroll, Hamilton Camp, Paddi Edwards, Jason Marin, Will Ryan
This is Disney's excellent animated version of Hans Christian Andersen's mermaid Ariel (voice of Jodi Benson), who falls in love with a handsome human (voice of Christopher Daniel Barnes). The song "Under the Sea" won an Oscar. Songwriter Alan Menken also won an Oscar for Best Musical Score, and another of his songs, "Kiss the Girl," was nominated.
| | |
The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea 2000  G, 75 min.
Genre: Family
Director: Jim Kammerud, Brian Smith
Cast: Jodi Benson, Samuel E. Wright, Tara Strong, Pat Carroll, Buddy Hackett, Kenneth Mars, Max Casella, Stephen Furst, Rob Paulsen, Clancy Brown
Ariel (Jodi Benson) knows that the evil sea witch, Morgana (Pat Carroll), lurks in the ocean with plans to control the Seven Seas; so, she has told daughter Melody (Tara Charendoff) that the ocean is off-limits. But, at 12-years of age, Melody has a mind of her own and ventures into the ocean where she is drawn into Morgana's clutches. Ariel calls on her old friend, Sebastian (Samuel E. Wright), to rescue Melody. Will he succeed?
| | |
Queen 1993 TV, 283 min.
Genre: Drama
aka: Alex Haley's Queen
Director: John Erman
Cast: Halle Berry, Jasmine Guy, Tim Daly, Martin Sheen, Ann - Margret, Patricia Clarkson, Paul Winfield, Raven-Symone, Charlotte Moore, Ossie Davis, Jane Krakowski, Jasmine Guy, Samuel E. Wright, Peter Maloney, Tim Guinee
Alex Haley's saga continues. His first story, "Roots," involved seven generations of his mother's family. The miniseries "Queen" is based on Haley's father's family. Haley passed away in 1992 before completing his story, which was then completed by David Stevens. The plot revolves around Queen (Halle Berry) who was the daughter of a slave, Easter (Jasmine Guy), and plantation owner James Jackson Jr. (Tim Daly). Queen is light skinned and tries to pass for a White person, but in the aftermath of the Civil War, she faces many obstacles along the way.
| | |
| 1. Bird (1988)
2. Dinosaur (2000)
3. The Keeper (1995)
4. The Little Mermaid (1989)
5. The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000)
6. Queen (1993)
aka: Alex Haley's Queen
In The News
|
