Red Hook Summer
| Red Hook Summer | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Spike Lee |
| Produced by | Spike Lee |
| Written by |
James McBride Spike Lee |
| Starring |
Clarke Peters Nate Parker Thomas Jefferson Byrd Toni Lysaith Jules Brown |
| Music by |
Bruce Hornsby (score) Judith Hill (songs) Jon Batiste (Hammond B3 organ music) |
| Cinematography | Kerwin DeVonish |
| Edited by | Hye Mee Na |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Variance Films |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 124 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $338,803[1] |
Red Hook Summer is a 2012 American film co-written and directed by Spike Lee. It is Lee's sixth film in his "Chronicles of Brooklyn" series following She's Gotta Have It, Do the Right Thing, Crooklyn, Clockers, and He Got Game.[2]
Plot
Flik Royale is a 13-year-old boy from Atlanta who is sent to live with his preacher grandfather, Da Good Bishop Enoch Rouse, in Red Hook, Brooklyn.[3]
Cast
- Clarke Peters as Da Good Bishop Enoch Rouse
- Nate Parker as Box
- Thomas Jefferson Byrd as Deacon Zee
- Toni Lysaith as Chazz Morningstar
- Jules Brown as Flik Royale
- Jon Batiste as Da Organist T.K. Hazelton
- Colman Domingo as adult Blessing Rowe
- Heather Simms as Sister Sharon Morningstar
- James Ransone as Kevin
- De'Adre Aziza as Colleen Royale
- Isiah Whitlock, Jr. as Detective Flood
- Tracy Camilla Johns as Mother Darling
Spike Lee reprises his role as Mookie, the main character from his 1989 film Do the Right Thing.[4]
Production
Principal photography lasted three weeks, "on a small budget, guerrilla-style, like Lee's first feature film."[5]
Red Hook Summer marked the first time that Lee has acted in one of his films since Summer of Sam (1999).
Release
A 135-minute version of Red Hook Summer was previewed at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival;[6] The film was released on August 10, 2012, in select theaters of the New York City area[7] and was released in Los Angeles and other parts of the United States on August 24, 2012.[8] The film reached 41 theaters at its peak.[1]
The film was released on home video on December 21, 2012.[9]
Reception
Peter Debruge of Variety said "It's fiery, passionate stuff, at times inelegantly presented, but impossible to ignore."[10]
Roger Ebert gave the film 
(2½ out of four stars) saying it "plays as if the director is making it up as he goes along. That's not entirely a bad thing, although some will be thrown off-balance by an abrupt plot development halfway through that appears entirely out of the blue and is so shocking that the movie never really recovers. Here is Lee at his most spontaneous and sincere, but he could have used another screenplay draft."[5]
References
- 1 2 Red Hook Summer at Box Office Mojo
- ↑ JP DelaCuesta. "Trailer For Spike Lee's New Joint "Red Hook Summer" Arrives". AllHipHop.com. Retrieved 2012-07-01.
- ↑ "Spike Lee's 'Red Hook Summer' Screened At Sundance Offers A Nuanced Overview Of African American Christianity". Huffingtonpost.com. 2012-01-25. Retrieved 2012-03-19.
- ↑ Franich, Darren (2012-01-23). "Sundance: Spike Lee's 'Red Hook Summer'". EW.com. Retrieved 2012-03-19.
- 1 2 Ebert, Roger (August 22, 2012). "Red Hook Summer". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2013-04-03.
The movie was made in three weeks on a small budget, guerrilla-style, like Lee's first film, She's Gotta Have It. The speed and economy aren't fatal, but they certainly needed more time on the screenplay, and the only outstanding performance is by Clarke Peters (from The Wire).
- ↑ "Red Hook Summer". Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved 2013-03-03.
- ↑ "Twitter / SpikeLee: RED HOOK SUMMER Opens 8/10". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2012-07-01.
- ↑ "Twitter / SpikeLee: Red Hook Summer Opens 8/24". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2012-07-01.
- ↑ "Red Hook Summer Blu-ray". Blu-ray.com. 2012-12-13. Retrieved 2012-12-24.
- ↑ Debruge, Peter (23 January 2012), "Sundance Reviews. Red Hook Summer", Variety, retrieved 2013-04-03