[VIDEO REVIEWS]Cartoons and Kicks Mark New Videos

DINOSAUR (2000)

Directed by Eric Leighton and Ralph Zondag. Starring Alfre Woodard, D.B. Sweeney, Joan Plowright, Della Reese, Julianna Margulies and Samuel E. Wright.

"Dinosaur" is prehistoric entertainment at its most technically advanced. From the opening scene you will be delighted with the animation, which blends images of real landscapes with computer graphics. The one bad point of this otherwise entertaining film is that the plot adheres to the never-changing Walt Disney hero formula.

While an iguanodon gently cares for her eggs, a meat-eating dinosaur disturbs her resting place. In the aftermath of the scuffle, a bird picks up one of the eggs for a quick meal, but accidentally drops it while flying over the ocean. The egg travels many miles and comes to rest on an island inhabited by lemur monkeys. When the egg hatches, baby Aladar (Sweeney) is adopted by a loving family of lemurs.

Though Aladar is the only one of his kind on the small island, the family lives an idyllic life full of play and fun. Suddenly, in the midst of a meteor shower they are forced to flee their home and find refuge on the mainland.

They eventually find safety in numbers with a herd of herbivores, and Aladar at last lays eyes on another of his kind, a female named Neera (Margulies). The herd is led with an iron fist by Neera's brother Kron (Wright), a die-hard believer in "survival of the fittest." When the older ones and infants start to fall behind on their trek to the breeding grounds, Aladar challenges Kron's authority.

Be sure to check which language this title is available in, as some video stores carry a version dubbed in Korean instead of the English version with Korean subtitles.

THE BOONDOCK SAINTS 2 (2000)

Directed by Jeff Schechter. Starring Casper Van Dien, Russell Wong, Francoise Robertson, Jason Blicker and Lexa Doig.

"The Boondock Saints" was a phenomenal hit last year. It concerns two brothers from Ireland who become vigilantes on the streets of America. "The Boondock Saints 2" is not a follow up, nor in any way resembles the dark and violent original.

"The Boondock Saints 2" is about two martial arts students, Connor Spears (Van Dien) and Rick Tsung (Wong), whose friendship turns sour when Spears falls in love with Rick's sister, Kim (Doig). Kim is then sent to New York, where she marries into the Chang family.

Years later, when Kim is kidnapped and her husband killed, Rick contacts Connor for help. At the top of their list of suspects is the Malakop family, enemies of the Changs.

After much feuding, the two leave for New York City. But when both the police and Kim's father-in-law are unwilling to help them, they begin to realize that there is more to the kidnapping than meets the eye.

"The Boondock Saints 2" attempts to merge comedy with action, but the acting, especially Doig's, is contrived and the dialogue cheesy at best. A surprise ending saves the movie from being a total flop.

by Joe Yong-hee