Hippopocampe

I hadn’t seen an original Spike Lee movie since studying Malcom X in school and watching Summer of Sam in 1999 (Dave, wasn’t that at your house?) and my oh my was Do the Right Thing refreshing. Lee takes us to Brooklyn on the hottest day of the summer in 1989, drama naturally ensues. The proximity of cultures in urban context result in racial tensions and evidently violence as a very immediate and seemingly satisfying solution. Lee is not patronizing. Simply depicting realities, he’s grittily tackling topics most often left taboo and leaving the viewers the chance to pass final judgment on the events. Colorful and vivid, outstanding performances, totally eighties in style (surely a few fashion cues for 2008), a must see.