Red Hook Summer

Don't even pay attention to the rating on this movie. It was good. Some might say the movie is not worth watching after the first few minutes, but I would challenge them to watch the movie a bit longer. This movie was very well written, it was classic Spike Lee style (but written better than some of his old movies), and it even had a surprise twist (which I won't divulge). This movie is not like one of those gospel stage plays or even some of the movies that you would find on Netflix. This is much better. A person needs to really give this movie the 2 hours it deserves and have a good time. It may make you cry (when the secret comes out), but this movie is not a waster. It certainly deserved a better rating than it received. Please give it a chance, and you will not be disappointed.

Red Hook Summer, was funny, thought provoking, tugged at your emotions, and made you think...Classic Spike! You felt a sense of nostalgia with the return of characters Mookie (Do the Right Thing) and Nola Darling (now Mother Darling - She's Gotta Have It). The use of colors was wonderful, as usual Spike and his director of photography has a way of bringing the viewer right into the scene both visually and emotionally. I felt like I was living in Red Hook. The third act of the film was one of the most powerful scenes I have viewed in a looooong time...particularly with films of color. The symbolism Spike used just gave me goose bumps. That makes me want to see this film at least another 3 times, just to study the genius of this filmmaker. The overall music used in this film by Judith Hill and Bruce Hornsby was light and warm - a perfect contrast to the set of the film taking place in the projects of Red Hook - where there's much "death" - I suppose that is the irony of life. There was of course a turn at the end, and the music became more hard hitting during the last scenes of the film - the combination of the visuals and the music REALLY brought me emotionally into the "disturbing situation", brought tears to my eyes. 10 stars! And "that's the truth, ruth!"

Red Hook Summer (2012) is a drama movie co-written and directed by Spike Lee and it tells the story of a young boy learning about life when he stays with his preacher grandfather. This movie was a first time watch for and I really enjoyed the movie up until the point I didn't like it at the end.

Positives for Red Hook Summer (2012): The story of this movie is one I would expect from Spike Lee as there are some deeply compelling things about the journey for our main character. The performances from the cast are great from Clarke Peters, Nate Parker, Thomas Jefferson Byrd, Toni Lysaith and Jules Brown. I really enjoyed the mentor-student relationship between Clarke Peters and Nate Parker as we get to see them connect while they working at the local church. There are themes that feel in line with how Spike Lee likes to tell in his stories. Every conversation has a reason behind it and they lead to some nice revelations that are interesting on paper. And finally, the pacing of the movie is really good and the story is more focused than the last Spike Lee movie I watched.

Negatives for Red Hook Summer (2012): There is a major plot twist towards the end of the movie that caught me off guard and it undermines everything I was watching prior to the story and it makes the story not as good as it was. I was also shocked that there are no repercussions for this major event in the sorry and it was just dumb.

Overall, Red Hook Summer (2012) is a fantastic drama movie from Spike Lee and it was among my favorite movies from the man until the plot twist which brought things down for me, but I would still recommend this movie to fans of Spike Lee and they might get more than I initially did.

I can see why Spike Lee keeps succeeding in the face of so much critical negativity. This movie may not reflect your life, your upbringing or circumstances, it does however reflect an otherwise hidden existence that Spike Lee brought to life. Well done. Worth watching.

Red Hook Summer definitely fits within Spike Lee's oeuvre, recalling the child's POV-style of storytelling used in Crooklyn and the vivid color palette employed (albeit more effectively) in Do the Right Thing. As other reviewers have no doubt already pointed out, Clarke Peters gives a superb performance, though nobody has yet mentioned Thomas Jefferson Byrd's performance, which I thought was at least on-par with his previous work if not surpassing it. Byrd's drunken prophecies shine transparent with hypocrisy, which is a major theme explored on a deeper level once the film's exterior is peeled back in the final act.

Speaking of which, the final act is undoubtedly the highlight. I can't go into too much detail or I will spoil the story's impact. This sequence carries a lot of the film's weight, but viewers won't know it until it comes. The sermons are also powerful, both on the pulpit and off. It's just all too unfortunate that the lackluster acting of the two primary child stars takes away from an otherwise engaging story. And although I am a fan of much of Lee's work, I will never understand his music choices---oftentimes cheesy songs interfere with what would have been phenomenal left to natural sound... think the father-son reconciliation in the woods in Get on the Bus or some of the moments in Clockers. This is probably a matter of taste, but I can't get over it. I guess I just like the other elements of his style so much that I wish he could do better with the soundtrack (NOT the score---his scores are usually good).

I guess my main point is that Red Hook Summer is worth seeing, despite the extremely low ratings I've seen in various online locales. It's just not Lee's best by any means, but not a failure either. It's just kind of... muddied.