Red Hook Summer

Gone are the days when Spike Lee "wants to shove blackness down the throats of white audiences" (the vein in which black filmmakers are viewed when they tell the truth in colors other than rose). Though his films are not seen,promoted or viewed with the same verve as his earlier work--like Malcolm X and Do The Right Thing--this has more to do with Hollywood politics more than a falling off in skill. In fact, Spike's finest work, in the eyes of this critic, have been his latest works including The 25th Hour, Chiraq.Old Boy and Miracle at St. Anna.

Red Hook Summer fits comfortably into that pack, Like the aforementioned films, it is more emotion-focused rather than characterized by keen cinematography. It is thought-provoking, rather than a release of anger, as his critics typically accuse him of.

The story centers on a teenage boy (Flik) and his relationship with his preacher grandfather,who hides a horrible secret. The subplot features his interaction with a young female friend--a "thing" centered more on curiosity than romance, and Flik's navigation of an unfamiliar hood far tougher than the one he comes from..

It is a compelling coming of age tale, featuring a wonderful performance by Toni Lysaith as Chazz, a girl unafraid to speak her mind and who is the only one who "gets" Flik. There is none of the syrupy, blossoming love that hamstrings so many other films, just exploration of the burgeoning friendship between two people, who in that simple process discover something different.

I caught this via On Demand and was glad I took a chance on it. Spike deserves better than he gets, and having to fund films via kick starter is definitely sand kicked in the face of one of the great filmmakers, black or white, of this generation.

...Clarke Peters (Freemon from HBO's "The Wire") should get an Oscar nomination for this. His performance is at once over-the-top and understated as a Brooklyn pastor who seemingly is a righteous pillar of a community that continues to wane under material violence and generational malaise. However this 'man-of-black-jesus' is hiding a terrifying secret that lifts what is at first another half-cliché movie about coming-of-age into unexpected darker and deeper territory. It makes "Red Hook Summer" into a risky, uncomfortable film and a film quite necessary in this day and age when institutions will blanket even the sickest of monsters to save their own public rep (I won't get more specific, but the contemporary story I'm alluding to concerns a man who's last name rhymes with 'Sam Clusky'). Aside from Peters, the film is worth watching for the loving touches Spike Lee brings to the setting. The music (by Bruce Hornsby), design and photography perfectly capture Brooklyn in the summertime in the same way "Crooklyn" did. Although Lee's approach, which here resembles Cassavettes at times, will upset some due to the obvious shot-on-the-fly-digital look and the after-mentioned below-par performances of the child actors.

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.

I give this film an 8 out of 10 only because of it's obviously miniscule budget, a few more takes on some of the scenes and we would have yet another great 'Spike Lee Joint'. Gotta let you know, Spike Lee is my favorite director, has been since the death of Stanley Kubrick, and, although neither here or there, they both made/make superior films whose appreciation oftentimes came way too late! The film begins a bit preachy in its dialog, contemporary religious and social and political pontifications, and I am OK with that, it's what Spike has always done. The slice of life tale of a young boy spending a summer with an extremely religious grandfather he's just met, and the unexpected denouement is very good storytelling and very worthy of Spike Lee. I really wanna spoil the story, but, please, see it for yourself.

This isn't Spike Lee's greatest film but by the end it has become one of his most intriguing. The children's performances are poor, but so are their characters; Lee doesn't have the kind of empathy needed to write for or direct child actors (and this is true of Crooklyn too). The film is also largely plot less, but as the film progresses it becomes clear that a traditional plot would undermine the film's themes. Red Hook Summer is about faith and human growth, subjects that aren't neat or linear.

By no means a perfect film, Red Hook Summer deserves more attention than it has received.