Red Hook Summer

Of Red Hooker Summer and Spike Lee, the Critical Film-artist
Right now I am meditating upon Spike Lee's film "Red Hook Summer." This film--preaches red, walks red, uncovers an evil church red "rat" that needs to be corrected by the community. The implicit recognition that something is very wrong in the African American church experience is this film's thesis and its "rat." Mookie (Spike Lee), i.e., knows that; therefore, he will deliver pizza, but he will not attend "Old Timers Day." And it seems Spike Lee intends to right the wrong by telling and giving voice to an African American story that is often silenced by church members. Loving preachers can be flawed and one of their flaws may be molesting boys. The film calls for a right of the wrong that has been placed in a community. Oh it seems that the wrong is a poor community; it seems that the wrong is a vegan man-child who may not believe in God. In the inner sanctuary of the wrong, the wounded (as well as those who inflict the wounds) function. "Red Hook Summer" begs for a response. This...

A return to Brooklyn
Spike Lee and Woody Allen are the only film makers that come to my mind who are in love with the cities that they live in. Their movies are not just about the characters but also about the city - mostly New York and its vibrancy. While Allen has recently flirted with Europe, Lee remains a faithful New Yorker and returns to his Brooklyn roots with Red Hook Summer.
Red Hook Summer abounds with characters, their observations through dialogues, often include monologues which help Spike Lee create a very watchable film but with limitations.

Flik (Jules Brown) is a 13 year old teenager whose mother, Colleen (De'Adre Aziza), brings him from Atlanta to New York to spend a summer with Bishop Enoch (Clarke Peters), the grandfather with whom both Flik and his mother are estranged from.
Enoch is a hardcore Baptist preacher who runs a little church facing financial trouble known as Lil' Piece of heaven and is hellbent on teaching Flik the importance of God- Jesus. Flik...

AMATEUR HOUR
I remember a day when a Spike Lee movie would come out and critics would fall all over themselves to talk about what a genius he was. I would see these same movies and think they were well made and interesting but nothing near as special as they seemed to think they were. Then things began to change. Lee's new movies weren't getting near the attention his earlier works did and he became known more for his outrageous comments than his films. If he continues to make movies like this I can see that continuing.

REDHOOK SUMMER takes place in the now familiar Lee territory of Redhook, Brooklyn. Young Flick is forced by his mother to arrive in Redhook to spend the summer with his religious grandfather Enoch, a pastor of a church there. Coming from a middle class home where he has his own food and non-stop use of his Ipad 2, Flick grumbles about wanting to go home and hates the situation he's in.

Enoch doesn't cow tow to the boy and makes the food he normally does. He...

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The Amazing Spider-Man (+ UltraViolet Digital Copy)

The Amazing Spider-Man - point by point
I read a lot of reviews for this movie before watching it myself. In the end, they all boiled down to a few basic criticisms, which I kept in mind as I made my own appraisal. Here are the major problems people seem to have had with Marc Webb's "Amazing Spider-Man", along with my responses.

1. The reboot was too soon.

This more or less depends on your point of view. True, the last Spidey movie was in 2007, a mere five years ago - more than long enough to warrant another Spider-Man film; not exactly long enough to call for a complete reboot. On the other hand, I think a lot of people would agree that it's been more like eight years since the last GOOD Spider-Man film. I loved Raimi's work with the character, though I do criticize him on some minor points. But in the end, he really dropped the ball with Spider-Man 3, running a lot of good characters into the ground and painting himself into a corner with two hours of very messy plotting. In the end, whether a reboot...

Fitting Reboot of a Comic Legend
After watching the first five minutes of The Amazing Spiderman, I knew I was gonna like it; after the first hour (which includes a lot of exposition without being tedious) I actually preferred this one to the Raimi versions mainly cuz I think it possesses an intensity and believability that the previous films lacked.

Marvel seems to be producing more mature, rebooted versions of all their super-hero series and I actually prefer this variation on the Spider Man story as well, especially the disappearance of the pointless Mary Jane obsession (which always made me respect Spidey a little less). I suspect that a more scientifically savvy audience appreciates an ever evolving origins story and I also enjoyed the initial dealing-with-new-superpowers interlude which was very amusing and again just seemed a much more realistic reaction from Peter Parker to his new abilities. Exceptional performances for Peter and Gwen are what truly make this production stand out from every other...

I Miss the Old Peter
I miss the old Peter Parker, from the old comics. The one who was actually a nice guy. The one who acted like a jerk for just one panel of his origin story, and then spent the rest of his life doing good. The one who had a tough life, but who was too busy worrying about others to wallow in self pity. That guy was pleasant company. And if I can't have him, I'll take Toby McGuire.

Just once, I'd like to see a Spiderman movie where Peter keeps his mask on and does not reveal his secret identity, and/or show off his superpowers, to everyone he meets and her dad too. But of course, he must get this credit and applause, because it really is all about him.

Just once, I'd like to see a superhero movie, where the film-makers do not need to resort to the cheap ploy of threatening an entire city with destruction (which we know ain't going to happen). Why are not the lives of individual human beings enough of a threat to sustain our interest and sustain a movie? The...

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The Yards [HD]

TRAIN OF THOUGHT
Director James Gray has elicited some marvelous performances from a really eclectic cast: Oscar winners Ellen Burstyn and Faye Dunaway play domestic characters with the professional verve they always bring; Oscar nominees Charlize Theron, James Caan and Joaquin Phoenix are superb in their roles as Wahlberg's cousin, best friend and uncle-in-law; and then we have Mark Wahlberg, Steve Lawrence and Tony Musante rounding out the cast. This is Wahlberg's shining moment; he has none of the macho bravado usually associated with him, and his performance is complex, multi-faceted and courageous. Caan is also brilliant, and someday he'll get the Oscar he deserves. Phoenix also shows great emotional depth in his role as a borderline sociopath. Theron proves that she is not just a pretty face, but a capable and engaging actress. The film's slow pace is in line with the psychological nuances of the film. I'd never heard of it until I saw a trailer on another video. An outstanding film...

FORGET "GLADIATOR" , TRY "THE YARDS"
After LITTLE ODESSA in 1994, THE YARDS is quite an impressive second movie of american writer/director James Gray who plays in the same league than Martin Scorsese, Francis Coppola or Sidney Lumet. Furthermore, James Gray has given two important roles to James Caan and Ellen Burstyn and a choice like this can only be made by a clever and talented person. If you are not so fond of Ridley Scott's bodybuilt gladiators, try for a change a movie with more brains than muscles. In the long run, it gives more satisfaction.

THE YARDS is a movie about ambiguity, a mood created firstly by the images of the movie, cold and almost metallic for the exterior scenes but warm and always red, brown or yellow for the interior scenes. This antagonism is also underlined by the recurrent theme of the electric lights which suddenly plunge the characters in a black no-man's land several times during the course of the movie.

James - Frank Olchin - Caan is the most ambiguous character of the movie. He...

GRITTY DRAMA
After spending time in prison for auto theft, Leo (Mark Wahlberg), decides it's time to go the straight and narrow.

Returning home from prison, Leo, takes a job at his uncle Frank's (James Caan) company working on contracts with the New York City subway system.

Once on the job, Leo, meets his uncle's top guy (Joaquin Phoenix), and before long, he realizes his uncle is involved with corruption, and payoffs.

"The Yards" is a gritty drama that sports an excellent cast;Mark Wahlberg, Joaquin Phoenix, Charlize Theron, James Caan, Ellen Burstyn, and Faye Dunaway. Although, slowly paced, the film puts a smart, and interesting spin on big city corruption. Very much a character driven film, "The Yards" will disappoint those looking for fast action. But anyone looking for an intelligent, well acted movie will be pleased with this one.

Nick Gonnella

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Stoked and Broke

Stoked on this film
Well done and epic surf footage. I like how the boys traveled and told their story along the way. NICE!

Great surf flick
Stoked and Broke is a great little surf flick that harkens back to the good old days that tends to be lost on most of todays high-flying surf videos. Low budget and pure to the intent of riding waves (fun), this movie is a nice way to spend an hour.



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Angelina Ballerina: Superstar Sisters [HD]

So cute
I have two little girls and this is a collection of sweet little stories about sisters that my girls just loved.

Sibling Fun!
"Superstar Sisters" is the latest of the Angelina Ballerina DVD's. My kids both adore Angelina so they were jumping up and down (literally) when they saw I had a new DVD for them to watch.

This one is about Angelina and her sister Polly. It's funny because my daughter Paige is 3 and calls her 4 year old brother Reed "sister" so this was another good opening for me to have a conversation with them about the difference between brother and sister! As with my kids, the siblings have a conflict when Angelina breaks Polly's favorite music box. A great lesson is taught about love and forgiveness. There are several other sister stories, each with their own unique lesson.

I always appreciate the moral lessons and clean humor found in Angelina stories. The one thing that can be confusing is that there is just one title on the cover (Superstar Sisters) which make it seem it is one movie. However, it is actually several small stories. The overall plot still involves...



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Chilly Christmas [HD]

An adorable family movie
I watched this movie with expectations of it being mediocre but I was surprised. Some parts of the movie are quite funny and you will absolutely want to take Chilly Christmas (the dog's name) home with you forever. The rest of the characters are also quite endearing, although I found myself thinking Tom Arnold made somewhat of a lackluster villian.

The basic plot is that a boy, Bobby, (maybe 10?) and his father live in what I believe is the small, fictitous town of Sunshine Beach, California. Somewhere along the line dad (an above average police detective with a stellar apprehension rate) has become a widower (mom was also a police officer) and he and his son are clearly still trying to cope with the loss even though you get the idea it has been a while since mom's passing. The story opens on Bobby at the Christmas tree opening his presents. Except the puppy he was to receive has escaped and a chase around the Christmas tree ensues. The dog becomes Chilly Christmas (the...

Cute
I found it to be a slow moving film. But, what's not to like about a boy and his dog....especially during the holidays?

Chilly Christmas
So happy to have finally found this - been looking everywhere !
Corny but great family movie and the dog is great !!

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Party Crashers [HD]

Now THATS what I call fair and balanced
I'm open minded about the Tea Party, but I've been very skeptical of the way they've been portrayed in the media. This movie was as a fair a look at the movement as you could ask for. It's just the facts. Whether good or bad, it let's you make up your own mind about them. I personally found myself liking them more after the film than before it, even if I don't consider myself one of them.

More journalism should be approached this way. This is a movie anyone interested in the Tea Party should see!

Great educational video
Wow! Finally my curiosity is satisfied about the Tea Party. I really didn't understand what they were all about. This was a very balanced and I thought, honest and easy to understand history of the movement's beginnings.

The real deal
Finally a good movie about the tea party. We see a lot of liberal media bashing but this movie tells the history of the tea party and explains the issues clearly. Good watch, highly recommended.

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