Ron Moseley, Jr. Movies
- 1993
Lena (Jada Pinkett) is visited by her old neighborhood pals from Baltimore, who take an immediate dislike to Lena's fellow students at Hillman--and vice versa. Also showing up is her old boyfriend Piccolo (played by the late rap artist Tupac Shakur), who had hoped to renew their romance and isn't pleased to discover how much Lena has changed since exiting the 'hood. Originally scheduled for a network telecast on June 17, 1993, this is one of two Different World episodes never shown on NBC, though both were included in the syndication package. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
Gina's boyfriend Dion (Edafe Blackmon), better known as rap artist "I'm Down", hires Ron (Darryl M. Bell) to promote his upcoming concert. At the same time, Freddie (Cree Summer) becomes painfully aware that Dion has been physically abusing Gina (Ajai Sanders). Ultimately, the entire campus finds out about Dion's wretched behavior, leading Ron to take drastic action. This is one of several "message" episodes which popped up sporadically on A Different World, proving that even after five seasons, producer Bill Cosby was still very much the series' guiding force. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Punk rock's first great embodiment of the motto "live fast and die young," Sid Vicious joined The Sex Pistols when they were already established as the most controversial rock band in British history; and it soon became apparent that he couldn't play his instrument, had a magnetic attraction to chaos, and possessed a dangerous thirst for booze, drugs, and violence. Sid and Nancy opens shortly after Sid (Gary Oldman) joined the band, when he meets an obnoxious American punk groupie named Nancy Spungen (Chloe Webb). Nancy claims that she can get drugs, and Sid naively gives her his money. Nancy doesn't show up with the goods, but when Sid runs into her a few days later, she has a tall tale about getting ripped off - and Sid sympathizes with her. Before long, Sid and Nancy have fallen in love, and while they argue with uncommon vehemence, they also depend completely on each other. When The Sex Pistols break up, Sid has few prospects and an increasingly voracious appetite for heroin, and Nancy's attempts to "manage" his career only hasten his downhill slide. Former Clash leader Joe Strummer wrote the film's theme song, "Love Kills," and The Pogues, The Circle Jerks, and Pray for Rain contributed to the soundtrack. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gary Oldman, Chloe Webb, (more)
