Sugar Movie Reviews

Vol. 2 continues with the adventures of Sugar, Salt and Pepper as they try to discover "Twinkle" and become full-fledged season fairies. Ok so it's uber kawaii, but it's not annoying and actually is much more interesting that what i just described. the apprentice fairies are so cute and funny and fun to watch and this dvd also introduces 4 other fairies, opening the way for more mischief. episodes 5 introduces choro-sama, 6 and 7 are crucial to the development of sugar and saga's relationship and 8 gives salt a little more screentime. this is definitely a show for parents to watch with their little children, as it's heartwarming, lacks significant violence, and teaches values of social relationships. a little snow fairy sugar is one of the nicest show i've happened to come across:).

The second DVD picks up where the first one left off, but with the elder of the Season Fairies showing up. However, he's not there to help out with the apprentices' quest for "twinkles", but to declare his affections for Ginger the Rain Fairy. This is all done in the spirit of fun and playfulness and comes off as being rather silly and cute. Parents have no need to worry about him turning into Master Roshi or Noboyuki Masaki.

Beyond this point the focus of the story switches away from the apprentices' search for "twinkles" to the lives of Saga in eps. 6 & 7 and Phil the inventor in ep 8. Up to now, Saga is shown as a very lighthearted character, but in these two episodes we get to see a darker side of her. The way her inner sorrow is presented is somewhat simple, but that's fine for children, and for those of us that can relate to Saga's experience, a detailed presentation isn't necessary anyway. This simple approach also prevents the show from becoming very emotionally heavy and getting bogged down and depressing.

Phil's quest to produce an Aurora artificially, is interesting, but not because he succeeds with the aid of magic. It's a good story because of his dogged determination. Time after time he fails, but Phil never gives up, never lets go of his vision. Apprentice Sun Fairy Salt is very impressed by Phil's hard work and determination, and thus is able to perfect the magic technique himself. Somehow Mr. Solomon completely missed this point.

Some wonderful episodes, in a series that just seems to get better and better as it goes on. ^_^

The second DVD is full of fun, fantasy and friendship, just like the first. If you have seen the first one and loved it, you are garenteed to love the second one. It's great for the whole family. The on-going adventures of Saga and Sugar will entertain you!

If you like Sugar ray, you've gotta get this video!!! Live from Australia! Songs like "Someday" and "Fly" performed!

One day I was flipping through the channels and came across this playing. It was halfway through, but I enjoyed what I did see greatly. It made me a Sugar Ray fan immediately! And an obsessive fan of the georgeous Mark McGrath...:)

(...) This DVD / VHS is very enjoyable and pure entertainment. Watching these guys in the outback was fun. The music was refreshing. I went out and bought all of the Sugar Ray records. Then I found out that Music in high places was going to put this Sugar Ray show on the shelf. This DVD has all the great songs by Sugar Ray. It is the best of anything they have done. You will not be let down.

Story of two fish out of water--a city girl in the West, and a cowboy in love. Arthur is, as always, funny, sexy and smart as the bored lady of the title who falls for Wayne, and the Duke gently spoofs his own he-man image. The bar scene, in which Arthur gets her first taste of "red-eye", followed by the wildest bar fight ever filmed and a classic exit line by Wayne, is worth the price all by itself.

Jean Arthur sparkles in this wartime comedy, as Molly Truesdale, a sweet, pretty salesgirl overwhelmed by 3 overzealous suitors! To get some peace and quiet, she takes a bus tour out west, a trip that sounded romantic in the travel brochures, but grows tedious, after monotonous days pass, and she has to fend off passes by the tour guide (Phil Silvers, in one of his many terrific comic relief roles of the '40s)!

Truesdale finally decides to combat her 'cabin fever' on the bus by attending a rodeo. She has a wonderful time, until one of the contestants literally falls into her lap! As the two disentangle themselves, she gets a good look at Duke Hudkins (John Wayne), and it's love at first sight!

Duke is the suitor she'd always dreamed of; handsome, virile, and 'all-man', and she begins a pursuit of the cowboy that is both uncharacteristic for her, and confusing for him! Despite warnings from his best friend, Waco (Charles Winninger) that this girl was after more than just a night of partying and passion, Duke invites Molly out, and the innocent city girl experiences her first evening of carousing! When, at evening's end, she puts the brakes on his amorous advances, he discovers she's not just another 'groupie', and that he's falling in love with her, too...nearly as much as he loves his horse!

A romantic comedy of 'opposites' finding true love, 'A Lady Takes a Chance' benefits from the delightful performances of the two leads! Jean Arthur had a Meg Ryan-like quality of projecting both innocence and sexiness, and she makes Molly's transition from 'pursued' to 'pursuer' both believable, and understandable! John Wayne is equally good, sexy and easy-going, yet conveying Duke's confusion at the feelings he has for Molly, and his gradual realization that he'll have to 'take a chance', himself, to earn her love!

True, the tale follows your basic 'boy meets girl-boy loses girl-boy gets girl' scenario, but under the sure direction of pros William A. Seiter (who directed Astaire and Rogers in 'Roberta', and Shirley Temple, in 'Stowaway'), and Henry Hathaway (the legendary filmmaker who would direct Wayne's Oscar-winning performance in 'True Grit', 26 years later), the story has a freshness and charm that is unbeatable!

Whether you're a Wayne and Arthur fan, or you just love a romantic comedy with a happy ending, 'A Lady Takes a Chance' will bring a smile!

The third volume of Snow Fairy Sugar contains a four part story arc concerning the visit of a theater troup to Saga's hometown. The title of their stage play is "The Bear Pianist" hence the name of the DVD. However the primary goal of these four episodes is not to present a play to us the viewers, but to dig deeper into the main character Saga. A member of the theater troup, Vincent, an enigmatic fellow, instantly takes a strong interest in Saga. He too is a pianist, and has some familiarity with Saga's deceased mother, but not much else is known about him. It's enough to produce a conflict between him and Saga though, and this conflict wonderfully brings out Saga's feelings and passion for the piano and the strong tie between her love for the piano and the love she still has for her mother.

This four part story arc contains more serious and dramatic material than presented in the first two DVD's and the story moves along slower too, so very young children may not find it as exciting as the antics of the season fairies in the earlier episodes. Parents will enjoy this one more I think. There are some fun and silly moments thrown in here and there with Norma, Greta, and Sugar & Co. Anyone who plays the piano or other instrument will really love this show!

I bought this DVD for my 4 year old daughter and she loves it. The characters are over cute and the dialogue is a bit syrupy but she loves the trouble Sugar causes to Sagas life.

I am 12 years old and I still think this was such a cool movie! The characters are VERY loveable, especilly Sugar, the snow fairy. The cute part about the main characters is that they all have big eyes! I liked the parts were Saga was going out and Sugar said ''Let Sugar come too!'' BUY THIS DVD IM TELLIN' YA IT'S JUST SO CUTE!!!

Very adorable and simple. I definitely recommend this series to anyone.

I bought this DVD for my 4 year old daughter and she loves it. The characters are over cute and the dialogue is a bit syrupy but she loves the trouble Sugar causes to Sagas life.

I am 12 years old and I still think this was such a cool movie! The characters are VERY loveable, especilly Sugar, the snow fairy. The cute part about the main characters is that they all have big eyes! I liked the parts were Saga was going out and Sugar said ''Let Sugar come too!'' BUY THIS DVD IM TELLIN' YA IT'S JUST SO CUTE!!!

Very adorable and simple. I definitely recommend this series to anyone.

To clarify this movie takes place in Martinique, a French territory, not Haiti, the first free Black nation. I found this movie to be interesting, engaging, and realistic in it's themes. I recommend it as a required viewing for world studies high school classes and college classes on caribbean culture.

The first time I saw this film was in college when our history teacher showed it to us to aide in our discussion of the post emancipation period in West Indian culture. It is one of the most dramatic and historically correct films I have ever seen. The issues dealt with were reflective of the concerns of the "free man". One can see the emerging importance of education in the building up of the free black community in Martinique during that period as well as the nature of black /white relationships on all levels. For anyone who desires to know more about post emancipation life in the West Indies this is your most entertaining chance. I praise this most dedicated and talented Caribbean film director for an excellent review of a most interesting period in West Indian life. This is and will always be one of my favorite films next to The Sound of Music and Schindler's List.

As a French major and prospective teacher of French, I ofcourse find this a valuable tool for the classroom--BUT it's so muchmore than that! Since it's so often used in the classroom people tendto neglect that this is an outstanding film, beautifully put togetherwith some memorable acting. Anyone studying West Indian literaturewill get a chance to see in full color an outstanding representationof life in colonial Caribbean. (French teachers can also note that inusing a DVD you have the advantage of switching off the subtitles formore advanced students. And certainly native speakers will appreciatethis feature.) END

Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport (Mark Jonathan Harris, 2000)

It is a mark of how strongly Errol Morris' school of documentary filmmaking has had on the American documentary that talents like Morgan Freeman (who narrated Harris' first documentary) and Judi Dench (who narrates this one) are willing to lend their considerable speaking talents to documentaries where they are given so little air time. Morris showed us the power of the unnarrated documentary three decades ago in The Gates of Heaven, and has continued that trend throughout. And the strongest documentaries of the last decade have all had the same basic premise-let those who made the story tell it, and let them stand or fall on their own. It works to hilarious ends in such films as American Movie and Mule Skinner Blues, and to heartbreaking ones in Shoah. Harris twists the formula a tad by adding basic narration, but letting interviewees fill in the gaps.

I wanted to see more. The story of the Kindertransport is one largely unknown in America (and largely forgotten in Germany and England, the two ends of the metaphorical railway); while there is undeniable power in letting the Kindertransport participants themselves tell their stories, the events themselves demand a bit more explication. Lanzmann was able to use a non-narrative technique in Shoah because the events depicted therein were at least partially well-known by the time he filmed; the Kindertransport is a story that could use a lot more fleshing out from an historical perspective.

Not to say that it's a bad documentary; what's here is definitely worthwhile viewing, and probably deserving of its Best Documentary Oscar. It just could have been twice as long and achieved even more power than it did. ***

The story of the Kindertransport may be unfamiliar to many, even those who consider themselves WWII buffs. What more human and moving of a story can one imagine than desperate Jews sending their children to a foreign country to be raised by non-Jews who didn't even speak their language.

The interviews are powerful in that they capture the frustration and the anxiety experienced on all sides in this true account. I especially enjoyed some of the extra features, including the personal account provided by Sir Richard Attenborough.

I would be interested in hearing further accounts of those sent to live in the English countryside during the Blitz, as suggested in the delightful film "Hope and Glory," or even hear accounts of those sent to Australia.

There is perhaps nothing more emotionally gripping than the accounts of children caught up in war.

How hert wrenching it must hve been for the prents ofthse 10,000 children to send their babies away. As a parent it is our duty,right and privalege to care for our babies, tokeep them safe, happy and alive. But when the only way to guarentee their survival is by sending to another country. Into someone elses arms. You make these decisions and feel your heart bleeding, aching at the mere idea of not embrcing your child for months or years, or worse, never hearing the sound of their laughter again. This must have been their hell. Listening to the stories of the surviving Kindertransport members, you can almost hear the sounds of goodby.

Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport (Mark Jonathan Harris, 2000)

It is a mark of how strongly Errol Morris' school of documentary filmmaking has had on the American documentary that talents like Morgan Freeman (who narrated Harris' first documentary) and Judi Dench (who narrates this one) are willing to lend their considerable speaking talents to documentaries where they are given so little air time. Morris showed us the power of the unnarrated documentary three decades ago in The Gates of Heaven, and has continued that trend throughout. And the strongest documentaries of the last decade have all had the same basic premise-let those who made the story tell it, and let them stand or fall on their own. It works to hilarious ends in such films as American Movie and Mule Skinner Blues, and to heartbreaking ones in Shoah. Harris twists the formula a tad by adding basic narration, but letting interviewees fill in the gaps.

I wanted to see more. The story of the Kindertransport is one largely unknown in America (and largely forgotten in Germany and England, the two ends of the metaphorical railway); while there is undeniable power in letting the Kindertransport participants themselves tell their stories, the events themselves demand a bit more explication. Lanzmann was able to use a non-narrative technique in Shoah because the events depicted therein were at least partially well-known by the time he filmed; the Kindertransport is a story that could use a lot more fleshing out from an historical perspective.

Not to say that it's a bad documentary; what's here is definitely worthwhile viewing, and probably deserving of its Best Documentary Oscar. It just could have been twice as long and achieved even more power than it did. ***

The story of the Kindertransport may be unfamiliar to many, even those who consider themselves WWII buffs. What more human and moving of a story can one imagine than desperate Jews sending their children to a foreign country to be raised by non-Jews who didn't even speak their language.

The interviews are powerful in that they capture the frustration and the anxiety experienced on all sides in this true account. I especially enjoyed some of the extra features, including the personal account provided by Sir Richard Attenborough.

I would be interested in hearing further accounts of those sent to live in the English countryside during the Blitz, as suggested in the delightful film "Hope and Glory," or even hear accounts of those sent to Australia.

There is perhaps nothing more emotionally gripping than the accounts of children caught up in war.

How hert wrenching it must hve been for the prents ofthse 10,000 children to send their babies away. As a parent it is our duty,right and privalege to care for our babies, tokeep them safe, happy and alive. But when the only way to guarentee their survival is by sending to another country. Into someone elses arms. You make these decisions and feel your heart bleeding, aching at the mere idea of not embrcing your child for months or years, or worse, never hearing the sound of their laughter again. This must have been their hell. Listening to the stories of the surviving Kindertransport members, you can almost hear the sounds of goodby.

From Covenant Avenue to St. Nick-Harlem, once
the mecca that African-Americans lived, breathed and
thrived in, has become a pocket of infestation, a neigh-
borhood in hell, a timeshare in Vietnam. There's a war,
children, a war of values, of ethics, of lives, of genera-
tions and, ultimately, the spoils are simply blood, mate-
rial goods and empty futures. Wesley Snipes stars in the
new film Sugar Hill, which follows Roemello, a mid-
level drug kingpin, through the course of what seems to
be a week. Roemello is tired, but why he is exhausted is
never made clear. The film, directed by Leon Ichaso,
takes an unflinching look at both yesterday's addicts
(Roemello's parents) and today's (Roemello's brother
and partner Ray N athan) .The central theme is whether
or not Roemello will choose the true love of his girl-
friend Melissa, played with a defiant presence of char-
acter by Theresa Randle, or his surrogate father Gus,
mafia lord, supplier and the man who attempted to kill
Roemello's now-decrepit father. A battle over territory
ensues between Roemello and a competitor brought in
by Gus.
Roemello's father, played by Clarence Williams III
(who will be overlooked for an Oscar due the film's
release date), dealt drugs, supplied his wife's habit
(which leads to her death) , and lives in a walking death
of memories, regrets and heroin when the film opens.
Ray Nathan, played by Michael Wright, is the clingy,
needy older brother who relies on his Georgetown-
educated brother to balance his street insanity with
calculation and diplomacy. We then begin to see that all
Roemello is, all he has trusted, has abandoned him. Seen
this way we can finally understand why he's looking to
distance himself from his past. But the past is a curious,
vengeful, entangling animal tha t stalks all of Roemello' s
attempts to leave behind a vicious life for...? Well,
Roemello is never quite clear about where he'll go.
Sugar Hill is not one film, but several, and not one
story, but a legion of tales that fold into one another and
entangle tentacles of power, greed, lust, loyalty and
even family values. Two criticisms of this film are, one,
Roemello's character is made peripheral to the business
he actually controls. In a sense, we only see his hands
dirtied twice by murder. One is understandable, though
unjust, while the second is both unjust and inevitable.
Roemello, for all that his character embodies as an anti-
hero, becomes heroic as a drug dealer. His sense of
honor, supposedly gained through experience, makes
his moral caliber above those he deals with, and this is
where the film falters. How can the audience relate to
a good man who commits such a vile act as the extermi-
nation of his own people, his own father through
providing drugs? Is this a good man? Secondly, the film
also falters in that we, the audience, see the shadowed
results of murders-some not even shown. The audi-
ence can't visually connect to the crimes of the film
actually being committed by those we're supposed to
feel something for. In fact, a split occurs between the
good-bad guys and the bad-bad guys. Too many loop-
holes of justification and reverse condemnation perme-
ate the film. Are we, as an audience, so often spoon-fed
pabulum entertainment that we can't handle a mature
film where the characters redeem themselves not into
angels, but at least into something better than what
they were before? Do we need the hero going off into
the sunset so badly that we're willing to justify murder,
drug dealing and racial supplication just to feel good?
Make no mistake, Sugar Hill, even with it's intermit-
tently hard-soft hitting, is a film that needs to be seen, that
needs to beunderstood, and whose complexity and shades
of grey needs to be revealed and delved into. I highly
recommend it and feel strongly about the film, but I do
resent the soft-shoeing around the total impact that could
have been made. It's rated R, we're all adults, so let's live
in reality.

I really liked Sugar Hill. If you've seen The Godfather series and Jason's Lyric, you'll be quick to recognize similarities. (I do realize Jason's Lyric came out after this movie.)

It's a story of two brothers being pushed into the drug/crime world by fate. One of them wants to leave the world behind, and the other doesn't want to let him go... and they've got to watch out for everyone on the street..

Definitely worth watching if you haven't seen it yet!

OK, OK so it's a story that has been told many times before --- good kid becomes a bad guy due to circumstances beyond his control but who, when he regains control as a successful adult, wants to become a good guy again.

But must inherit the wind.

So what? Just as an opera changes according to the players and a symphony is different every time it's played this is a story that is poignant despite its retelling --- especially if it is well mounted. And this one is.

Wesley Snipes is excellent as the drug-dealing son trying to throw off his past and his present in a troubling search that goes back to the future; Michael Wright provides a quirky performance as the older brother who suspects that he lives only as a reflection of his younger, stronger, smarter sibling.

Both perform a shadow play in the flickering light cast by their drug-addicted father, Clarence Williams III. Williams turns in an astonishing performance that, by itself, makes watching the movie worthwhile.

A controlled but authentic performance by mob boss Abe Vigoda is the grimy pallet upon which this tragedy is played out.

At a seminal point in the movie Snipes kills a man after telling him "I'm not like my brother." Yet he is --- but he is not. This ambiguity gives depth and dimension to a fairly pedestrian story line --- and sets the movie apart from the genre.

Superb direction by Leon Ichaso (Crossover Dreams, Bitter Sugar), an arresting ensemble cast, and a melancholy score makes this one of the best-overlooked movies of the early 90's.