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Do The Right Thing - Criterion Collection

Do The Right Thing - Criterion Collection

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: This is a dumb movie!!!!
Review: I didn't understand it back then and I still don't understand it now it represents black people in a very negative way!!!! I enjoy most of Spike's movies but this one I really didn't all this film shows is the negative lives of black people and I don't think that this is the way that all black people live I am sure that Spike is a pround black man and that he doesn't portray all black people like this!!!! We all don't like to live this way it is up to the person to live the way that they would like to live so "So please don't believe the hype.
Last, I enjoyed School Daze but it ended very stupid and so did this movie!!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Very Interesting Moment In A Fine Film
Review: You just have to love the nerve, the absolute gall, the pure audacity, of the lazy worthless little goof-off delivery kid who throws a chair through the main window of his place of employment, then (after the place is destroyed by rioters) demands back-pay from the business owner. I don't know why the owner then paid it -- unless he realized he was dealing with a complete, total, utter child.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One Personal Reaction/Opinion
Review: I finally saw Do the Right Thing, the 1988 Spike Lee film regarded as a modern masterpiece. I found so much about it intriguing, especially the screenplay. The dialogue bounces back and forth between characters like a profane yet graceful ping pong match. God, it's cool. I also liked the comic scenes of youthful mischief, and the ragged, brilliant speeches of Da Mayer. Though Spike Lee nearly sabatoged his own creation with his dreadful acting. Consequently the ice cube erotic scene was terribly lame; the self-indulgence of Spike Lee's insertion of himself into an erotic scene with a beautiful naked woman (Rosie Perez) smothered any charm, eroticism, or point the scene could have had with a different, more capable, frankly- less dweebish actor. If Spike Lee proved himself a terrible actor, he certainly proved himself a gifted filmmaker. The movie was thought-provoking, provided no easy answers, and demonstrated a flair for dialogue, visual panache, and a storyteller's gift for slowly building tension in the narrative. It didn't provide pleasure in the traditional sense of movies-as-entertainment; in fact, most of the movie, I was [ticked] off. A movie about race relations in America should by definition [tick] you off though. There are no antagonists or protoganists in this struggle. Just petty misunderstandings galvanized. Its lack of typical character associations makes Do the Right Thing an occasionally frustrating but ultimately unique and rewarding viewing experience. Spike Lee should be commended for this accomplishment, whose lessons can be applied to daily conflicts of any kind. This movie has something to say about psychology, race relations, and America. And all things considered, it definitely exceeds any damage he might have done by way of his acting.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: One of the most racist films I have ever seen
Review: Like most Spike Lee Films, Do the Right Thing is a racist film. This film, like most of Lee's does nothing to promote Black/White race relations. The acting in the film is great, but the film makes all white people look like violent racists. Spike Lee is a racist.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Gives a horrible excuse for illegal riot and assualt
Review: This movie started out with a great story and great character development. However, the ending riot against Sal's Pizzeria was absolutely horrible. Basically, the characters Buggin' Out and Radio Raheem provoke a confrontation with Sal over Radio Raheem's loud music in his restaurant and his refusal of Buggin' Out's demand that he place pictures of African-Americans on his Italian Wall of Fame. God forbid that Sal invoke his private property rights and his right to promote his own heritage. Sal finally loses it because of the barrage of anti-Italian slurs and insults and smashs Radio Raheem's stereo and is then attacked by Radio Raheem and several of his neighbors. When the police arrive Radio Raheem is strangling Sal. The police attempt to get Raheem off of Sal but he resists the entire time and is killed by a police choke hold. In my opinion Radio Raheem brought his death upon himself because of his provoking the fight, assualting a private property owner defending his private property rights, and resisting arrest. As an out of control mob forms the outnumbered police retreat. Sal and his sons, who were attacked first, have their pizzeria looted, raided, and burned to the ground by an angry mob. The main character, played by Spike Lee, who is employed by Sal actually begins the riot and shows no regret at the movies ending. This movies basic lesson is that it is ok to provoke, verbally assail, riot, assualt, and break the law if you don't get your way. The ending showed no remorse by any of the rioters and displays a blatant reverse racism that ruins the anti-hate message given in the first two-thirds of the movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: May be one of the top ten American films ever
Review: "Race" may not be a film category but as a subject it has it's slot on Amazon and it has played a central role in USA film since USA film began just as race has and does in the history anbd psyche of the USA.
BIRTH OF A NATION, THE DEFIANT ONES, PINKY, COLOR PURPLE,
PRIMARY COLORS, GONE WITH THE WIND, GONE WITH THE WIND,
GLORY, THE SEARCHERS are just some that spring to mind, which have race as a central issue, or drive the action. Now, nearly 20 years since its first release, DO THE RIGHT THING looms as one of the great American films of all time with race as a central issue. I've seen it at least 20 times and have concluded it is pretty well faultless, with perhaps some shift in tone in the last 10 minutes redeemed by the strange confrontation about money,and then reconciliation between Sal and Mooky. Just consider one tiny scene when Ossie Davis (as da Mayor) opens his first can of beer for the very hot day ahead, and has
an interchange with "Mother Sister" who looks down on him from the window of her stoop window. The moment begins with the music of Banford Marsalis in the form of an arco bass quickly filling the ears with sweet yearning, with the music slowly building throughout the scene. Ossie Davis gives one of his exhilarating "philosophical" orations at this point, not too long, but TO the point. In brief, the film is all of a piece. There is no part in it - including the powerful to-camera racist recitatives and the stunning performance by Mr Samuel L. Jackson as the DJ - that is less than significant or relevant. It sings with a humanity and soul. One of the best American films of all time.,

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Spike Lee's Masterpiece
Review: Every filmmaker has one truly shining moment above all others, and I daresay Spike himself would admit he'll never top this film.

That this film passed by unrewarded by most moviegoers at the time of its release (certainly by the Academy Awards), the joke turns out to be on them, as most films from '89 have aged beyond belief, while "Do The Right Thing" remains as powerful and vital as it was then.

The casting is brilliant, including John Turturro, Danny Aiello (and a young Martin Lawrence), Bill Nunn, Ruby Dee, and Samuel L. Jackson, the screenplay is excellent, and the direction is without peer. Spike would go on to use the same techniques for subsequent films such as "Jungle Fever", "Mo Better Blues", and "He Got Game", but never with the same effect as on this one.

If you're building a video or DVD library, it isn't complete without this movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Funny, raw and devastatingly honest
Review: Do the Right Thing was a huge source of controversy when it was released in the late 1980s. Quite a few critics and pundits slammed the movie and it's director Spike Lee and predicted the film would encourage people to riot. Almost 15 years later, such criticism proved to be unwarranted although Lee still seems understandably annoyed by the hysteria that some of the writers projected.

The film takes place on the hottest day of the year in Brooklyn and what starts off as a typical Saturday in the neighborhood. As the temperature rises so do tensions among the different ethnic groups until it ends with the fatal flare of tempers. What's so interesting about the film and it's critics is that most who took issue with it complained because a piece of property was defaced. None of these critics mentioned the loss of a human life.

To his credit, Lee, who can be overly didatic and uneven in many of his movies, hit all of the points here. He takes on everyone...Blacks, Whites, Hispanics, and Asians. Every group has a chance to be a jerk. Mookie, the protagonist played by Lee, is not a perfect character and everyone is shown as having a flaw.

The features on this DVD are fascinating. We get to see the cast assemble for the first time and introduce themselves. Check out the young and relatively inexperienced Rosie Perez making her acting debut. Also look for the late Robin Harris, a real comedic talent who passed away shortly after this film was released. The segment on how filming affected the neighborhood was also interesting. Too bad they didn't go back for an update on the residents a decade later. It would have been good to get their perspective.

The message of the Do The Right Thing, if you're really paying attention, still holds true today.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Spike Lee always does the right thing!
Review: 1989's acclaimed and controversal film about racism in a slum town really hit me. I was very impressed at how well directed it was. Spike Lee has always swept me off my feet with his brilliance, creativity and reality. He always has a great cast, fun lines and brilliant style. He is also as good an actor in this as well as others (including Jungle Fever and Malcom X) as he is a director and writer. Danny Aiello gave a great performance, as did John Tutorro. Samuel L. Jackson had a small but fun part as well. All in all I really enjoyed Do the Right Thing. However, I do not fully agree with all of Spike Lee's views on racism. While this was a phenominal film about racism, it seemed to overfavor the racist black people a lot, whereas ANY racism is wrong. Other than that though, this was a great film. This is certainly something that would probably offend many people. Its R rating reflects extreme racist content including violence, pervasive strong language and brief nudity.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: this movie is the right thing
Review: Spike Lee's 1989 film is without question, the highlight of his career. Do The Right Thing would be a highlight of any director's career (yes, ANY director). This film is set in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood in Brooklyn and takes place in one day. The film's protagonist (though not hero) is a young black man named Mookie (Spike Lee). Mookie works at Sal's Famous Pizzeria. Sal (Danny Aiello) and his two sons are Italian and have pictures of famous Italian-Americans on the Wall of Fame. The restaurant, on the other hand, serves a primarily black clientele.

The day this film takes place is a very hot day, a near record high temperature pushing 100 degrees. On a day like that, tempers as well as temperatures will be high.

The film deals with the issue of race relations. The first part of the film is spent setting up the characters. We see who Mookie is, where he works, what kind of relationship he has with his girlfriend Tina (Rosie Perez in her film debut). We see Sal and his very prejudiced son. We see neighborhood characters. By the time the middle of the film hits, we are able to view the Bed-Stuy neighborhood as a very real place with very real people. When a young black man notices that the Wall of Fame does not have any black men on it, he calls Sal on it. Sal gives his reasons, but the young man does not buy it, and calls for a boycott of the pizzeria. While most people don't go for the boycott, a couple of people do. Around closing time that night, these few people enter Sal's pizzeria and demand change. Tempers flare and violence erupts.

This is an incredibly powerful and moving film and is the best reason for explaining why Spike Lee was one of the most important filmmakers of the 90's (this film being released in 89, and followed up later by Malcolm X). It is also the reason we should be on the lookout for the next Spike Lee joint.


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