Nick Cannon and Rosalyn Sanchez in "Underclassman"
courtesy of Disney Home Entertainment
"Nick Cannon Goes Back To School"

Nick Cannon made an good impression when he starred in the film "Drumline." Now he is the star of the DVD release "Underclassman" and he is the best thing about the movie. He plays a cop who goes back to high school undercover as a student in order to break up a crime ring.

Cannon does have a youthful look so he fits in fairly well in the school. Then he gets a crush on one of the teachers and you know that's a no no. Still after his undercover gig is over he can always ask her out.

The film is light-hearted fun and is amusing and interesting. Cannon does a good job as the undercover cop and Rosalyn Sanchez is appealing as the teacher he eyes. Shawn Ashmore of "X-Men" fame plays one of his fellow students.

The DVD includes deleted scenes, commentary, auditions, etc. The extras are always a plus on this type of movie.

Kevin Williamson has seen his career go downhill since the days of creating and directing "Dawson's Creek" and the "Scream" series of movies. Now he tries to get some of his fans to come back for a new horror movie "Venom." 

"Venom" is a chilling movie set in the swamps of Louisiana. It has voodoo and other creepy crimes surrounding a young, appealing cast. At the core of the film is a murder. Some of it is scary and some of it is fun, but none of it is on the "Scream" level. Williamson's mojo is not working and this movie is not gong to put him back on top.

Jonathan Jackson, Bijou Phillips and Agnes Bruckner star in the film. They are good young actors but the movie is not going to advance their careers either.

Samuel L Jackson and Eugene Levy star in the movie "The Man." These are two fine actors but they can not do anything to raise the level of entertainment beyond mediocre. The jokes aren't there and the excitement isn't either.

"The Man" concerns a federal agent (Jackson) who is trying to get the goods on arms dealers. A dental salesman (Levy) is in the wrong place at the wrong time and is mistaken for being a dealer. Now he must work with the FBI Agent in order to catch the crooks. He does this involuntarily at first but then he gets really into it and wants to do more and more.

Sounds funny, and it is in parts, but overall it is a slow boat to nowhere. Jackson and Levy give it their all but it is to no avail. "The Man" is just an average movie form beginning to end, and may be worth a rental but that is all.

In "Lord of War" the story of an arms dealer is played for straight drama, or is it? While watching this movie I got the impression there was some sort of black comedy going on, and I could never latch on to it.

Nicolas Cage is the star of this movie. He plays an actual arms dealer; so much for heroes. Jared Leto plays his brother and Bridget Moynahan plays his wife. To me this was a depressing film from beginning to end because I could never root for Cage's character or anyone else in the movie. They were all losers.

There seems to be some moral to the movie but it was all jumbled to me. The sad thing is the movie was based on true incidents and that was scary. I prefer my anti-heroes get caught and serve time for their crimes. But this movie says that sometimes doesn't happen.

Make sure you are in an upbeat mood before you watch "Lord of War" because the film will bring you down. It is all about greed and corruption and how they rule the world. And a happy new year to you too!

In "Two For the Money" Matthew McConaughey plays a former star athlete who turns to predicting the outcome of the games. He is so good at it he attracts the attention of Walter Abrams (Al Pacino) who is in the big time business of predicting the winners. 

Brandon Lang (McConaughey) gets to be part of Abrams life. He is his protegee' and best friend, but he is also under a tremendous amount of pressure to produce. Abrams is also under pressure and this puts a strain on his marriage to Toni (Rene Russo). 

The acting in this movie is top notch but the story is weak. Still just seeing McConaughey and Pacino at the top of their game makes for interesting viewing. It is worth watching.

There is always a treat for the kids from Disney and this week it is the "Funny Factory" DVD's. These DVD's are a collection of animated short subjects starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. These are actually the classics involving these all time favorite cartoon characters, and your kids will love them. They are timeless, as are most things that are done with care and talent. 

Pick these up today and bring them home for the kids and they will watch until you have to force them to turn them off. They will be that entertained.

 

 

 

 

 

©2006 Jackie K. Cooper

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