Reviews (41)

This is my favorite movie!!!
I've seen it so many times I could almost play each part. In fact, it comes on this afternoon on Showtime. It's a continuing story of Delores Van Cartier aka Sister Mary Clarence (Whoopi Goldberg) who uses her gifts of music and determination to keep a school open as well as change the lives of all those her life touches. Great music, great humor and drama. Lauren Hill (pre-Fugees) is in this as well as Jennifer Love Hewitt and Monica Calhoun if you look really, really carefully. Buy it, enjoy it.
Hey, maybe you'll catch it on Showtime during one of it's airings. I'm positive when it's over, when you can finally stop yourself from humming one of the great tunes, and possibly put down your tissue (I cry EVERY TIME I see it)( and baby, I've seen seen it so many times that I've got ot turn it off when my husband comes home because he says "Are you watching that again?) You will say "I wish I had that movie!" So get it so you'll have no regrets!

Fantastic sequel
Though there is room for improvement with regards to the story line, this movie delivers what I most enjoy in a film. The acting is superb, including the minor cast roles. The music is absolutely fantastic!...Lauren Hill and Ryan Toby steal the show with their voices. The plot, though quite simple and predictable, is believable. Many of the scenes are very moving, including the ending sequence involving Lauren Hill's character, Rita, and her mother.

Overall, this is a great family movie that everyone can enjoy. The comedy is simple enough for children to understand, and there isn't one scene in the movie (that I can recall) which is inappropriate for all ages. Like a few other reviewers, I've found that I long to hear a few of the songs from the movie when I need cheering up.

If you enjoy good, clean family movies, you can't go wrong with this one.

Part 1 was Great..Part 2 Wasnt.
SAw it in the movies.... Fell asleep midway... All the magic from part 1 which was AWESOME...was lost. Boring story... They should have left it at part 1.

So much fun!
FANTASTIC sequel! Just as enjoyable, if not more, than the first! All of the musical numbers are glorious!! A successful sequel all the way!

Loved it
I've read all of the reviews on SA2 and it is quite obvious this movie is not for everyone, however, if you enjoy "feel good " movies , this is for you. The storyline iis quite predictable, the acting is good , but the music is a delightful bonus,just wish there was more of it. I know that if I'm feeling a little down, I can pop in this movie and feel better. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A flawed but admirably ambitious gangster movie, Hoodlum aspires to be a kind of Harlem-based equivalent to The Godfather, and while it falls short of that lofty goal it's still got plenty of qualities to make it well worth seeing. It's the first film to tell the story of Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson (charismatically played by Laurence Fishburne), an ex-convict who dominated the Harlem numbers racket during the 1930s and '40s. As he rises to power he gains equally powerful enemies, including hotheaded Bronx gangster Dutch Schultz (Tim Roth) and the suave mobster Lucky Luciano (Andy Garcia). Determined to defend his Harlem turf against these invaders, Bumpy eclipses the "policy queen" Stephanie St. Clair (Cicely Tyson) and becomes a self-styled Robin Hood figure, attracting the attention of a community servant (Vanessa Williams) who must confront the brutality of Bumpy's business. A must-see for anyone who likes gangster movies, Hoodlum is certainly not a masterpiece, but sharp performances and some powerful scenes make it an interesting look at a little-known chapter in criminal history. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Another Great Fishburne Performance!
Among other criticisms of this film was that it was a below average gangster flick, well I didn't see it that way. There was a lot of focus on the characters especially Fishburne's character Bumpy Johnson. Of course the movie highlights his rise in Harlem as opposed to Tim Roth's character (can't spell his name). The dialog was well written, I think that people were not ready for a gangster flick set during the era of Lucky Luciano and the Dutchman, involving a significant number of black characters. Yes I think African Americans were doing something during that time period besides wait for Dr.King to have his "dream". Fishburne played a strong character who took his destiny in his own hands and I think that's really what makes this film highly enjoyable to see.

Performances save un-original "Hoodlum"
Three great actors, Laurence Fishburn, Tim Roth, and Andy Garcia, are what keep this dull and awkward crime drama going. Watching Tim Roth potray the legendary evil Dutch Schultz is amazing. Larry Fishburn is also good as gangster Bumpy Johnson, one of Dutch's biggest rival's in the era in which this film takes place. And although Andy Garcia has a reletively small part, his performance as Lucky Luciano is probably the best offered of that character (at least from what I've seen). Other than that, this is probably the most boring gangster movie i've ever seen. Had it been at least half and hour shorter, it MIGHT have come out lookin' better, but alas, i did not. I wish I could give it Two and a half stars, I think that would be a little more fair, but I had to be fair to anyone curious about this movie, and give it "2".

Could have been great... but fell short.
This had the makings of a great mob movie. Set in the 1930's, depression era, the local boss of number-running, the Queen, is up against an insane competitor. Laurence Fishburn's character, "Bumpy," is recently let out of Sing Sing prison, and comes to help her.
This movie has all the makings of a modern-classic mob-movie; great shoot-outs, a very good plot, character-human analysis (if you get what I mean with that one, cause I don't know how else to put it), and a reason behind the chaos. The one thing that holds it back is the director. It may be his ego, it may just be his peronal taste, but the director kind of blurs plot-links at times with flashy scene-transitions, which annoy and confuse. Many a time he forgot that we were viewing the story through what he was giving us, and didn't already know everything to come, so he jumps around, and things happen that I don't really understand. It's not that I am stupid when it comes to movies, I even understood P.T. Anderson's "Magnolia," which confused many people (man, I seem arrogant there, but it's not that, I am just trying to show that it is a personal-retardation that is holding me back from understanding the movie). I could tell it wasn't the screen-writing, because the scenes not smudged by the director's ego were very good, and very well written.
The acting was powerful, everyone did a very good job in this category, yet Tim Roth (Dutch Schultz in this movie, the rival of The Queen of the numbers) has the same character every time, even if he is good in some, bad in others, but, still very well done. You could feel the emotions potrayed by the characters, and grew to either like or hate them. The special effects in this are awesome, as well. The main explosion in the movie truly had to be the best I have ever seen.

Watch this if you are a fan of mob-movies, otherwise steer clear and go for better ones like "Goodfellas" and "The Godfather."

FABULOUS SETS, SPARKLING CAST, ORDINARY MOVIE.
Hoodlum's sets and costumes are fabulous, the production value is very high, and the movie really conjures up an idea of what life must have been like in 1930s Harlem. I'm no authority, but I wonder if this level of
bright sunlit freshness was an accurate depiction of Harlem.

The movie gets gorier by the minute, until it draws to a very bloody end. Performances are not bad at all. Tim Roth - an actor I don't usually like - puts in a great performance as the psychotic-racist Dutch Schultz. Andy Garcia is excellent as Lucky Luciano. Vanessa Williams does her jig well. But the one performance that stands out is Fishburne's, very controlled and convincing.

The movie is not original after the movies we have been exposed to (good man turns all selfish when he sees the world around him) but it's a pretty decent gangster flick nevertheless if you like this kind of stuff. There's plenty of action -- in all senses of the word.

Hoodlum is enlightening
A great cast of characters, excellent scenes and Lawrence Fishburne exposes the emotions of a gangster. Just totally amazing in my opinion. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Student speaks out
I am a high school student who has read this play as an assignment in my english class. After we read the play, this movie was shown. Frankly, I thought the movie was fantastic. Everyone in my rambunctious class was silent because this movie was sssoooo good. While many say that Danny Glover is the best part of the movie, I think that the woman who plays Mama is far superior. She is exactly how I pictured Mama, with the right attitude to match. Although the movie is three hours long, it is worth seeing. This work is truly one of the best plays in period American literature.

Excellent production!
This production does an excellent job of bringing Lorraine Hansberry's play to life. Direction and performances are all on target. If you think you have seen A Raisin in the Sun because you've seen the Sidney Poitier movie, think again. There are nuances in this play that Danny Glover and Esther Rolle develop magnificently. All in all, it's a wonderful play and this is a wonderful production.

Moving Story of an African American Experience
I thoroughly enjoyed this play which ran for almost three hours. It takes place in the early sixties. It tells the story of a black family, which receives a $10,000 insurance payment after the death of a family member. The Grandmother, her daughter, her son and his wife, and her grandson all live in the small apartment. There is conflict over what to do with the money. The son wants to invest it in a liquor store. The grandmother wants to buy her own home so the whole family can be more comfortable and she can at last have her own garden. The son becomes despondent after the grandmother buys a house. He starts drinking heavily and quits his job as a driver. His wife, who is two months pregnant, considers having an abortion. The sister, who is quite brilliant, struggles to get through medical school. She has to choose between two boyfriends: A Nigerian and a wealthy black American (who wears white shoes). She also explores her afrocentricity and tries to repel 'assimilation' by wearing an Afro.

To bring her son out of the funk he's in, Mama gives him the remainder of the money leftover after the down payment on the house. She directs him to put half the money in the bank for his sister so that she would be able to pay for medical school and invest the rest of the money as he saw fit. (Who knew $10,000 could go that far. Talk about miracle money). Unfortunately, the son didn't do as he was told and was swindled out of all the money. This was not discovered until after the chairman of the welcoming committee, of the neighborhood they were supposed to be moving into, offers to pay the family not to move in. I must say that Danny Glover is one hell of an actor. It was really scary when he broke down and cried after he found out he was robbed. He decides to call the welcoming committee chairman to accept his offer to get some money back. He couldn't do it. Because of the pride instilled in him by his dead father, pressure from his mother, and the poor example he would be setting for his son, he backs out at the last minute.

I saw this play because the story was referenced in a monologue from Vin Diesel's MultiFacial. Pride was just as important to Vin's character. I am glad that I saw it. If it wasn't for Vin Diesel, I probably wouldn't have come to know this great story about an African American transitional experience. Thank you Vin!!

Assignment for English class is viewed with pleasure.
As an assignment for a college class, after reading the play, I had to watch the movie version of "A Raisin in the Sun." I was amazed at how well the movie script stuck to Hansberry's award winning version. The acting was superb, (particularly Glover and Rolle) and the three hours flew by quickly. I recommend this movie highly.

the definitive version
I have seen this video more than ten times, and I have beenmoved to tears every single time. _A Raisin in the Sun_ is a greatplay, and this video gives you the closest possible experience to seeing the play performed live. A couple other reviewers ... found the acting dry and inferior. I'm dumbfounded by this reaction. Danny Glover and Esther Rolle are absolutely brilliant. By contrast, I found the 1961 version starring Sidney Poitier to be overly melodramatic in tone. When Poitier as Walter Lee breaks down, he raves like a lunatic. When Danny Glover breaks down, it's scary because he is so believable. As a college professor, I have shown this video to many classes and have always gotten good reactions. If you want to see a great production of one of the monuments of the American theater, I can't recommend this video highly enough. ... Read more

Reviews (26)

Larry Fishbourne Takes You Deep, Deep, Deep Undercover
The acting, directing and casting of this movie makes it one of my all time favorites. Larry Fishbourne is brilliant in his portrayal of a straight cop who is forced into going deep under cover to bust a major drug cartel. His supporting cast ( Jeff Goldblum, Clarence Williams III and other strong performances ) make this movie all the more enjoyable, earning it a spot on my top ten list of favorite films. This film is as fun to watch today as it was in 1992. An excellent soundtrack and great cinematography make this film very exciting. Director Bill Duke ( A Rage in Harlem, Hoodlum & Sister Act 2 ) did an outstanding job with this movie. Caution, this film is not for weak hearted individuals. This is a real gangster flick. If you liked Scarface, A Soldiers Story, Platoon or New Jack City, you should love Deep Cover!

A tense, electrically charged thriller
Deep Cover unleashes a disturbing view of LA's drug traffiking disease. With excellent performances from Larry Fishburne, who yet again proves his high acting calibre and Jeff Goldblum, an unlikely, but highly effective addition to the cast in this crime thriller, demonstrates his versatility.

Deep Cover shows Officer Stevens' (Fishburne) assignment to infiltrate the drug business as John Hull - A typical street dealer, from the seedy streets of Los Angeles to the wealthy Latin American cartels, who operate with controvertial political influence. Officer Steven's personal conscience is at stake throughout the undercover assignment having witnessed his own father's violent death as a child.

The movie if it's your thing deserves full points however, even if it's not your cup of tea, the peformances of Fishburne and Goldblum are definitely worthy of the curious viewer's attention.

FIND THIS CD WITH THE BONUS CUT
In my first review of this soundtrack CD, I dogged it with 2 stars for having a lot of filler cuts and for dropping off the 16th track (it was on the cassette version). The big deal here was that the deleted song was "187um" by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg (who also did the title track). This Deep Cover revisited cut was one of the few highlights of the original soundtrack. Well, good news Dre/Snoop fans, there is a version of this CD with 187um as a bonus track. Do yourself a favor and seek out this version as it might be the only way to get these 2 Dr. Dre/Snoop Dogg songs together on one disc.

Same Old Drama
I am sick of movies being hyped up and they don't measure up to the talk. Deep Cover was a rip off of a lot of other drug-mob films I've seen. The director used the urban setting as a ploy to make the audience think it was seeing something different. People compared it to New Jack City. NJC wasn't great but it wins over Deep Cover hands down. This movie was a mess and there was no point to anything the characters did. Laurence Fishburne said his lines so slowly, as if he felt the director would butt in. God I wish he had! Jeff Goldblum was supposed to be tough but was nothing but a big wimp. Victoria Dillard couldn't act to save her life ( what was the reason she was there? ) the woman didn't do anything important! I guess this is good if you like violence with nothing to show for it. If you're looking for a film like this that handles the modern-day mob/drug life better I'd check out something else.

The zillion dollar question
The five star reviews pretty much say it all about this movie however for me the last line of the film along the lines of: "I could take the money which would be dishonest, or give it back to the government and be a fool, or just do nothing at all - this is the question we all must face at one time or another" extremely appropriate to the times [and probably for any time] and very moving. Overall this movie has tremendous impact and was very well written/directed/produced and last but not least the acting was generally superb throughout! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Plenty of life left
The acting and the basic theme of the film -- how people handle further attachments after losing a spouse -- are good. There are a number of funny lines and poignant moments. The main romance is handled well and realistically on an emotional level. The final scene in the music store was unfortunately marred by Ben's phoney stuttering when he tries to get out the word marriage. The idea is fine, but the execution seemed really hokey. All in all, an enjoyable film that had a lot of nice touches, particularly the bedroom/hotel night scene. ... Read more

Description

Sultry Robin Givens (HEAD OF STATE) heats up the screen with Forest Whitaker (PHONE BOOTH), Gregory Hines (ONCE IN THE LIFE), and Danny Glover (THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS) in this cool, sexy thriller about a gangster's girlfriend and the trouble she stirs for the fellas in her life! When Imabelle (Givens) hits Harlem with a trunkload of stolen gold, she's on the run and looking for a place to hide. So when shy and naive Jackson (Whitaker) appears, Imabelle thinks she's met the perfect patsy ... but she forgets to protect her heart! As the chase again takes off and the intrigue mounts, you'll find that unexpected twists are all the rage in this stylish thriller! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

I enjoyed it
A very good movie. Robin Givens is a beauty! Mike, you should have kept her... ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A vintage classic that needs to be on DVD!!
Of all those great prime-time soaps from the 1980s, the one that I watched religiously was "Falcon Crest," a gripping tale of love and ambition, greed and power amidst the vineyards of California's (fictional) Tuscany Valley.Featuring a phenomenal cast including Jane Wyman, Robert Foxworth, David Selby and Susan Sullivan, not to mention smart, complex scripts and possibly TV's greatest theme music (by Bill Conti), "Falcon Crest" is a must and I hope it gets a DVD release soon!!!

I will keep "WHINING" Until falcon crest is released on DVD
Okay, Dallas and Dynasty have now been released on DVD, now it is time to release the BEST of The Prime Time Soaps on DVD, FALCON CREST! Falcon Crest really set themselves apart from the rest of the pack! The Characters were Rich in Style and Complexities and the scenery was Breathtaking! Casting Jane Wyman as Angela Channing was a major coup. Falcon Crest has such a Gothic Feel to it, I dont even think the Words Soap Opera does it justice. More Like a Machivallian Play! Please Release this on DVD!

Like fine wine.....it is time to uncork Falcon Crest!!!!!!
With many of the shows of the eighties finally being released on DVD....it is finally coming time to uncork one of the best prime time soaps....Falcon Crest! Headed by veteran actress Jane Wyman, Falcon Crest separated itself from Dallas and Dynasty by using choice scenery and more complex characters. The locale and intriguing storylines kept fans glued to the set for nine seasons. I can only hope that a future DVD set would include some interviews with the cast and include TV ads and promotion. Let's uncork this vintage drama!!!It is time. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

PLEASE RELEASE THIS ON DVD
THIS IS A GREAT SHOW, AND IS VERY WORTHY OF BEING PUT ON DVD.COMPARED TO OVERS, LIKE A-TEAM, MATLOCK BLOWS THEM OUT OF THE WATER! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Want Cagney and Lacey on DVD
This show is a must for release on dvd.I would buy it by season.It is one of my favorite shows of all time.I'm surprised there is no release as of yet.....Thank You Donald Davis,Houston, Tx

I want Cagney & Lacey on DVD and on sale in the US!
I have bought the C&L DVD 1st season dvd set from the UK and it was very difficult and bothersome to try and find a way to watch it because of the regional differences.I loved the show growing up and would very much be interested in purchasing the show on DVD when it will become available.Please hurry and allow the many fans of the incredibly talented cast to see some of their favorite characters as we can only remember them.Thank you. ... Read more