SpikeLee-Spike Lee Collection - DVD - 25192113826

The provocative. controversial director is represented in this multi-disc box set by three of his most interesting movies. Spike Lee. whose films have often been harshly critical of white America and its more bigoted citizens. doesnt flinch at depicting the faults and frailties of African Americans. either; thats amply demonstrated by the trio of pictures collected here. Mo Better Blues (1990) stars Denzel Washington. in his first film after winning an Oscar for his supporting role in Glory. as a self-centered jazz musician who rises to the top of his profession while juggling two lovers and compromising his ethics. Washington is supported by one of Lees best casts. which includes the director himself. Wesley Snipes. Samuel L. Jackson. Robin Harris. and John Turturro. Snipes takes center stage in Jungle Fever (1991). playing a successful architect who jeopardizes his marriage. friendships. and community standing by engaging in a torrid affair with his Italian American secretary (Annabella Sciorra). Lee raises interesting questions -- and exposes black prejudice against whites -- in this compelling drama. Crooklyn (1994). a frankly nostalgic. semiautobiographical story. is Lees warmest. most personal film to date. Alfre Woodard stars as a Brooklyn familys strong-willed matriarch. surviving in a tough environment and struggling to instill the right values in her five children. Her fine performance. along with those of Delroy Lindo and David Patrick Kelly. helps compensate for a meandering narrative. Ed Hulse