As a general rule, I don't have a problem with sequels. Conventional wisdom usually dictates that the sequel will fail to live up to the original -- and yes, I know Godfather Part 2 and The Empire Strikes Back don't count -- but I'm always game for a re-visit if it's done right (I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Shekhar Kapur's Elizabeth sequel, The Golden Age). But direct-to-DVD sequels are another matter.

It now looks like Warner Bros. is out to ruin yet another fond cinematic memory from my youth with a crappy direct-to-DVD sequel. No sooner did we get the announcement that Warner Bros. was making Lost Boys 2, when Moviehole.net reported that a sequel to the 1991 crime flick New Jack City had also been given the go-ahead. Starring Wesley Snipes, Mario Van Peebles, and a pre-SVU Ice-T, the film was a Scarface of the 90's set against the crack epidemic. If you haven't seen it, I recommend picking it up, just for the high-top fades alone. Phillip B. Goldfine (Disturbing Behavior) is producing, but there is no definite word on whether any of the original cast will return. There have been rumors of a sequel before, but nothing has ever materialized until now. Since the film seems destined for the discount bin, I'm thinking Snipes would only come back if his income tax payments get a little too steep.

Melvin Van Peebles is a genius; that's a fact, not a compliment. If it were a compliment, I'd have used an exclamation point at the end of that sentence, and I'm really not a big enough fan of his work to do so. What I am, though, is an admirer of his aptitude and hard work, both of which are prominently displayed in the documentary How to Eat Your Watermelon in White Company (and Enjoy It), a phenomenal outline of the man's prolific and varied life, directed by Joe Angio.

Van Peebles is best known for Sweet Sweetback's Baad Asssss Song, a surprise hit from 1971, which he wrote, directed, produced, scored, edited and starred in. The low-budget film set records for independent cinema, served as the primary inspiration for its decade's blaxploitation genre, and it became a major influence on today's African-American filmmakers, particularly Spike Lee. Two years ago its notoriety was given another boost, as its production was immortally dramatized in a movie made by Melvin's son Mario Van Peebles, entitled Baadasssss!