Five Revolutionary Films - One Legendary Director

Five Revolutionary Films - One Legendary Director

'The Spike Lee Joint Collection'

Special Set Featuring 'Clockers,' 'Jungle Fever,' 'Do The Right Thing,' 'Crooklyn' and 'Mo' Better Blues' Available on DVD March 7, 2006 From Universal Studios Home Entertainment

Includes Free Movie Ticket to Upcoming Thriller 'Inside Man' Directed by Lee

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., Feb. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- A remarkable anthology of five provocative and controversial films by one of the most influential filmmakers of our time, "The Spike Lee Joint Collection" hits shelves March 7, 2006 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

Director, producer, writer and actor Spike Lee has received widespread acclaim for making movies that challenge cultural assumptions about such hot button issues as race, class and gender identity, with passion, humor and intelligence. "The Spike Lee Joint Collection" brings five of Lee's most important films together for the first time in a special collection that highlights his unique voice and prodigious talents.

"Clockers," "Jungle Fever," "Do The Right Thing," "Crooklyn" and "Mo' Better Blues" are included in this one-of-a-kind anthology, each featuring unforgettable performances from award-winning actors such as Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Harvey Keitel, Wesley Snipes, Samuel L. Jackson, Rosie Perez, John Turturro, Mekhi Phifer, Danny Aiello and Alfre Woodard. Music by Stevie Wonder, Seal, Marc Dorsey, Des'ree, Chaka Khan and others provides a compelling aural backdrop for Lee's always intriguing urban jungle. "The Spike Lee Joint Collection" comes in a specially designed, highly collectible package and is priced at $26.98 SRP.

Free Movie Ticket to Lee's "Inside Man"

"The Spike Lee Joint Collection" includes an exclusive offer good for a free admission (up to a $7.50 value) to the Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment thriller, "Inside Man." Directed by Spike Lee, written by Russell Gewirtz and produced by Academy Award(R) winner Brian Grazer, "Inside Man" is the story of a tough cop, Detective Frazier (Denzel Washington), who matches wits with a clever bank robber, Dalton (Clive Owen), in a tense hostage drama. As the dangerous cat and mouse game unfolds, a wild card emerges: Madeline (Jodie Foster) acts as a power broker with a hidden agenda, injecting even more instability into an already volatile situation. The offer is good from March 24, 2006 through April 9, 2006. For more information on the film, visit: www.theinsideman.net.

Synopses

DISC 1
"Clockers"

Strike (Mekhi Phifer) is the hardest-working 24-hour drug dealer (or "clocker") in New York City. His industry and ambition attract the attention a local drug kingpin (Delroy Lindo), who offers him an opportunity for advancement: Get rid of the competition. When a rival dealer turns up dead, Strike finds himself at the center of the investigation. Strike's law-abiding brother shocks everyone by confessing to the murder, but a dedicated homicide detective (Harvey Keitel) wants the truth. Jeffrey Lyons of "Sneak Previews" called this riveting portrait of a young man trapped on an urban battlefield, "One of 1995's most powerful films."

"Jungle Fever"

Flipper Purify (Wesley Snipes) is a successful black architect enmeshed in an extramarital romance with his working-class, Italian-American secretary (Annabella Sciorra). When the interracial romance is discovered, their families and friends shun the pair, reacting with anger and disgust. "Jungle Fever" examines the tragic consequences of interracial relationships, as the pair is driven apart by the pressures of race and class. The extraordinary cast includes Spike Lee, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Samuel L. Jackson, Lonette McKee, John Turturro and two-time Academy Award(R) winner Anthony Quinn.

DISC 2
"Do the Right Thing"

A single sweltering summer day in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood is the setting for Lee's scorching depiction of racial tensions in America. A neighborhood pizza joint owned by Sal (Danny Aiello in an Oscar(R) nominated performance) is targeted for a boycott because of the lack of racial diversity on the shop's "Wall of Fame." Suppressed resentment and bigotry explode into senseless violence, altering the delicate balance of a volatile inner-city community. Unforgettable characters and first-rate performances from the likes of Rosie Perez, John Turturro, Giancarlo Esposito and Lee make this a memorable and extraordinary film.

"Mo' Better Blues"

In the smoky environs of late night jazz clubs, Bleek Gilliam (Academy Award(R)-winning actor Denzel Washington), a gifted musician, faces crises in both his personal and professional life. Obsessed with his music and caught between two girlfriends, Indigo (Joie Lee) and Clarke (Cynda Williams), Bleek struggles to keep his musical quintet together and make a commitment to one of the women. Stunning cinematography, a rousing score and superlative performances come together in this unforgettable feast for the senses.

DISC 3
"Crooklyn"

Spike Lee revisits the Brooklyn of his youth to create a sweet, heartwarming comedy about one summer in the life of a large urban family. Seen through the eyes of young Troy (Zelda Harris), the Carmichaels experience a very special season in the neighborhood they jokingly call "Crooklyn." Schoolteacher Carolyn (Academy Award(R) nominee Alfre Woodard), her stubborn jazz-musician husband (Delroy Lindo) and their five kids struggle through often difficult but always loving circumstances. Loosely based on Lee's own childhood, "Crooklyn" is a universal coming-of-age saga.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION
DVD
Street Date: March 7, 2006
Pre-Order Close: January 31, 2006
Copyright: 2006 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Price: $26.98 SRP
Selection Number: 29567
Running Time: Disc 1: 4 hours 21 minutes; Disc 2: 4 hours 12 minutes; Disc
3: 1 hour 54 minutes
Layers: Discs 1 and 2: DVD-10 (Double Sided); Disc 3: DVD-5 (Single Sided)
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1)
Ratings: "Clockers": R (Strong Graphic Violence, Strong Language, Drug
Content); "Jungle Fever": R (Sensuality, Strong Language, Drug
Content, Violence); "Do The Right Thing": R;
"Mo' Better Blues": R; "Crooklyn": PG-13 (Drug Content)
Technical Info: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, English Dolby 2.0
Stereo, English SDH, Spanish Subtitles, French Subtitles
("Jungle Fever" only)

For artwork or screeners, please log on to our Web site at www.ushepublicity.com or fax your request to Universal Studios Home Entertainment Publicity at (818) 866-0226.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment is a unit of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is a part of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% controlled by Vivendi Universal.

CONTACTS

Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Vivian Mayer
Senior Vice President, Publicity
(818) 777-3594

Craig Radow
Senior Manager, Publicity
(818) 777-4572

Source: Universal Studios Home Entertainment

CONTACT: Vivian Mayer, Senior Vice President, Publicity, +1-818-777-3594,
or Craig Radow, Senior Manager, Publicity, +1-818-777-4572, both of Universal
Studios Home Entertainment

Web site: http://www.universalstudios.com/

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