Media

DVD’s

A Round up of this month’s hottest new releases

Blood Diamond
R
(Warner Bros. Home Video)

Veteran stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Djimon Hounsou deliver riveting performances as Danny Archer, a jewel smuggler, and Soloman Vandy, a tribal fisherman, respectively. Their loyalties and lives lie torn in the wake of Sierra Leone’s gemstone-fueled civil wars. The men embark on a trek through rebel territory, as they match wits over the possession of a priceless diamond. This film is stark, brutal and eye opening.

Freedom Writers
PG-13
(Paramount Home Entertainment)

Despite the film’s corny overtones and obvious similarities to earlier films like Dangerous Minds, Academy Award-winner Hilary Swank’s turn as a California teacher bent on inspiring her underprivileged students earns an “A” for effort. Based on the true story of a Long Beach high school teacher, Erin Gruwell, the flick tracks the then-naïve educator’s attempts to uplift her pupils through the power of the written word.

Music

Angelique Kidjo
Djin Djin
(Razor & Tie/ Starbucks Entertainment)

Like “world music” as a whole, Angelique Kidjo has never been easy to categorize. The West African-born singer has already enjoyed success working with different native sounds on previous records; here, she embraces her roots. Using an East African band as back-up and enlisting several heavy-hitting guests (e.g. Alicia Keys, Joss Stone and Peter Gabriel), the Grammy Award-nominated singer concocts a cross-continental pop album with soulful choruses and gentle grooves. There is a vibrant, uplifting swing that easily proves how different cultures can truly harmonize.

Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick in Paris
(Collector’s Choice Music)

Dionne Warwick lovers, rejoice! Ten landmark albums by the pop music legend have been re-mastered. They capture brilliant collaborations with songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David, including 1963 debut, Presenting Dionne Warwick, featuring “Wishin’ and Hopin’” and 1964’s Make Way for Dionne Warwick with the classic “Walk on By.”

•Presenting Dionne Warwick
•Make Way for Dionne Warwick
•The Sensitive Sound of Dionne Warwick
•Here I Am
•Here Where There is Love
•On Stage and in the Movies
•Love at First Sight

GAMES

Pogo Island • (Electronic Arts) Nintendo DS • Rating: Everyone

It’s a match made in virtual heaven: Finally, five of Pogo.com’s favorites are available for mobile play on Nintendo DS, courtesy of this family friendly compilation. Now, kids and professionals alike can relax and let the stresses of a long journey melt away. Highlights include the vocabulary-expanding Word Whomp, balloon-bursting mindbender Poppit!, color-matching challenge Squelchies, action-packed puzzler Phlinx and Tri-Peaks Solitaire, a brisk, bonus-laden take on the tabletop classic. Enjoy frantic micro-games, retrieve collectible badges and earn tokens transferable at Pogo.com for entry into regular prize drawings. There’s even four-man party play, so friends or relatives can compete to see who’s really got game. Break out the value-priced cartridge on your next family vacation and expect instant results: Players will suddenly be asking for just one more round instead of “Are we there yet?” —Scott Steinberg