Jean Dominique in "The Agronomist"
courtesy of New Line Home Video
"A Documented Documentary"

Documentaries are not the most popular of movies. It took Michael Moore's scathing attack on President Bush and his policies in "Fahrenheit 911" to create a documentary that was a "must see" film. Most documentaries, even the best ones, get little attention and soon fade away.

A prime example is Jonathan Demme's "The Agronomist." It raised little attention when it was first released. There was critical acclaim but crowds did not rush to theaters to view it. Demme had created a full portrait of a man who was railing against the wrongs in the Haitian government. Jean Dominique was a charismatic man, a strong man, an intelligent man. And he loved his country.

Sadly Dominique was also destined to be a martyr to the cause. He never saw his dreams for Haiti come true. But the seeds he planted may one day come to fruition. Demme's film takes the path as far as it can, but the rest of the story is yet to come. Still you should see this portrait of a dedicated man and feel the impact of his life and struggle.

Steve McQueen was a man who made an impact on the Hollywood scene. He was one of the brightest stars in that land for years. But his career took off only when he played a strong man in the series "Wanted: Dead Or Alive." In that series he played bounty hunter Josh Randall. And in later years two of his last movies concerned a bounty hunter in one and the other was a western. It seems McQueen never strayed far from his roots.

The new four disc DVD set covers all thirty-six episodes from the first year of the show. It also has some colorized episodes as well as a documentary about McQueen's life. If your Dad is a fan of westerns or of just Steve McQueen, this is the perfect Fathers Day gift.

While Dad is watching McQueen the kids can have a great time watching a new Power Rangers tape. This one is titled "Power Rangers S. P. D. Joining Forces Volume 1." SPD means Space Patrol Delta and this is the newest group of Power Rangers.

When aliens invade with evil intent it is up to the SPD to withstand the assault and turn the tide for good rather than evil. It is a massive fight and one that takes all the resources of the Power Rangers. This brings about more excitement than can be imagined.

MATILDA is one of the most popular children's books of all time in Great Britain. It outsells Roald Dahl's other books such as JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH, THE WITCHES and CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. Now that is heavy competition but MATILDA rules. 

And the movie about her rules too. Mara Wilson brought the character to life in the movie version of "Matilda" and now a "Matilda: Special Edition" is being released on DVD with tons of extras. The movie itself concerns a little girl who is surrounded by mean adults, but she learns peace and joy and contentment from herself.

Danny DeVito and real life wife Rhea Perlman also star in the film. The movie manages to capture the essence of the book and that is what makes it so popular.

A popular PBS series comes to DVD in "Dragon Tales: Playing Fair Makes Playing Fun!" This DVD contains five episodes of the TV series and they all stress how playing fair and not being "me" oriented is the way to go.

The life lessons that are contained in the DVD episodes are not preachy in any way but rather the message flows from the heart of the story and the characters involved. That is what makes them so special and enjoyable for kids.

There are also life lessons to be learned and fun to be had in the new "Bear In the Big Blue House" series There are also new songs to enchant children. Each new episode, and there are four new ones on DVD, is approximately seventy- two minutes in length so your kid can stay entertained for quite a while.

Get your child all four "Blue" adventures. Their happiness will be your reward over and over. "Blue" is a favorite with kids and you will find out why when you get these adventures for your small fry.

Your kids will also enjoy "Tokyo Pig" which is the adventure of a boy named Spencer who can draw great pictures that come to life. One of these is a pig named Sunny. They have great adventures together and they will fascinate your child.

Yes you will find out pigs do fly when you look at this DVD with your child. It is an amazing story and oh so much fun. That is "Tokyo Pig," go get it today!

 

 

 

 

 

©2005 Jackie K. Cooper

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