Do the Right Thing: The (The Criterion Collection) (1989) Review

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(More customer reviews)In only his third film, Spike Lee created a classic that is both socially relevant and artistically accomplished. By focusing the actions at one location in one day, this film reminds us that race relation cannot be improved if we don't improve the way each one of us interacts with everyone else. The film's finale is notable for its echos of real events that occurred not long before the film was made, and its prescience of events to follow. It is an unforgettable movie scene that shows how intolerance can victimize everyone. Nevertheless, the apocalyptic vision of the final scene did not sit well with some critics. Is it a call to end violence or to start violence, they asked. In the film Lee seems to say there are no easy answers.
Somewhat overlooked is the fact that the film also makes keen observations of lives of American black underclass, especially in the portrayals of the "cornermen". Their exchanges are as amusing as they are trenchant in commenting the state of affairs of lower-class blacks.And through them, Lee takes the uncompromising position that sometimes the underprivileged can also be victims of their own mentalities.
Also, Lee subtlely shows the many faces of racial intolerance. While Sal's son Pino overtly hates blacks, and Buggin' Out is overtly intolerant of whites, but is the attitude of Sal himself really conducive towards racial harmony? Does he have a desire to get to know his neighbors, or does he simply want to "have no trouble with these people", as he puts it? By leaving this aspect ambiguous, Lee makes us think just what IS the right thing to do...
Despite all the criticisms against him, I believe Lee tackled the difficult subject as intelligently as any director could have done.
The Criterion DVD contains most of the supplements in the Criterion laserdisc released in 1995 -- audio commentaries, cast meetings and screen tests, 'Making Of' documentary. New supplements include Lee's press conference at the '89 Cannes festival, video interview with editor Barry Brown, "Fight the Power" music video, and a video segment showing the filmmakers re-visiting the Bed-Stuy neighborhood.
The DVD's video quality is characterized by deep, rich, saturated colors which cinamatographer Ernst Dickerson so brilliantly captured in order to create a feeling of overwhelming heat (literally and figuratively). There is a Dolby Digital 2.0 audio track (Prologic-decodable to surround), and a PCM stereo track that actually sounds brighter and crisper than the DD track.

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The hottest day of the year explodes onscreen in this vibrant look at a day in the life of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Featuring a stellar ensemble cast that includes Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Robin Harris, Samuel L. Jackson, Bill Nunn, Rosie Perez, and John Turturro, Spike Lee's powerful portrait of urban racial tensions sparked controversy while earning popular and critical praise. Criterion is proud to present Do the Right Thing in a new Director Approved special edition.

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Stomp the Yard (Widescreen Edition) (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)STOMP THE YARD comes as a pleasant surprise to those of us who have yet to be introduced to 'stepping' - a sport/dance form that is not break dancing, not hip-hop, not modern dance, not clogging, not ballet, but instead is an exhilarating display of rhythm, physical dexterity, and creative choreography that makes this little film well worth watching.
The story is minimal and hackneyed and serves basically as an outline for the dance performances. DJ (the enormously talented dancer/actor Columbus Short) is sent from Los Angeles to Atlanta's Truth University after his conviction for street brawling, a fight in which his brother (Chris Brown) was killed. Once on campus DJ is works for his uncle as a gardener and is soon courted for his step dance skills by two rival fraternities. One fraternity gains DJ's attention and he pledges. Of course there is the requisite love conflict (the beautiful Meagan Good as April), who just happens to be the girlfriend of the rival fraternity step leader (Darrin Henson), and the usual undercurrent of familial dichotomies between DJ's humble background and April's influential father bring the tension to the front: the result is DJ's triumphant performance in the annual stepping competition between the two fraternities. The ending is predictable but sensitive and with a message.
The real star of the film is the magnificently choreographed and executed dancing, performed by the actual cast members. Director Sylvain White and his choreographers center their attention on the big sequences and the result is very fine entertainment. In addition to the gifted Columbus Short and Darrin Henson the cast includes such fine actor/dancers as Brian J. White, Ne-Yo, Laz Alonzo, Oliver Ryan Best, Richmond Duain Martyn, Justin Hires, and many others. It is difficult to resist the excitement of the commitment of this fine cast to the introduction of step dancing to the public at large. So much talent! Grady Harp, May 07

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A young man from Los Angeles attends a historically black university in Atlanta to avoid a prison term and soon learns the history of Greek fraternities and step dancing, sought after by rival fraternities he joins the underdog group hoping to win the national step competition.ional step competition.Genre: Feature Film-DramaRating: PG13Release Date: 2-OCT-2007Media Type: DVD

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STOMP Live (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)It is rare for stage shows to get a video release. You can count the DVD releases of still-active Broadway shows on one hand and have a few fingers left over. STOMP, thank goodness, is tossing that rule into one of their oft-used and abused trash bins.
This DVD features a full performance of the wonderfully entertaining stage show, filmed in the UK on the same stage where many of the show's segments were created.
Even after a decade and a half, STOMP still defies easy description. Part concert, part theatre.... Impossible to pigeonhole. But it is 100% entertaining and fun. In STOMP, the world is your drum kit.
I've attended ten performances of this show since 1995 and I never grow tired of it. This DVD is a perfect souvenir of the performance.
There are quite a few bonus features on the disc, including a peek at some new bits being developed for future versions of the show. You also get performer bios, interviews with STOMP creators and directors, an alternate take of one show segment, and a few other bells and whistles.
A few years back saw the release of "STOMP Out Loud" on home video. It featured bits from the stage show and new material created especially for the pay-cable program, but it wasn't the complete show. Not even close. I liked "STOMP Out Loud", but I was a little disappointed that I wasn't getting the full stage show.
But now it's here!!
I cannot recommend this DVD enough. Fun, fun show. Even my fuddy-duddy friends who don't like theatre love this show.
Great disc, good crisp picture and sound.
I've only had it 24 hours and I've already watched it twice.
My personal favorite segment is "Hands and Feet", perhaps the most rhythmically complex and interesting part of the show. It is carefully structured and choreographed but also allows room for quite a bit of improvisation, like a jazz routine.In a perfect world, someone would figure out how to mesh the magic of STOMP with the zany and creative juggling of The Flying Karamazov Brothers......

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Eight performers take the audience on a journey through sound and music, where rhythm is the only language...STOMP has grown from its beginnings on the streets of Europe into an international sensation, with touring productions all over the world, and long running shows in London, Las Vegas and Broadway. This special performance brings together performers from the West End, New York and Vegas for the very first time, to Stomp's home town and the theatre where many of the routines were originated: Brighton Dome.Instantly recognizable household objects take on new life as percussive instruments in the hands of each of the Stompers: brooms, cigarette lighters, water bottles, basketballs and more are each explored for their sonic potential. Dance meets rhythm in "Hands and Feet" and Stomp takes to the air in "Suspension", where the entire set becomes a musical instrument. The show climaxes with the "Bins" routine: a ten minute rhythm extravaganza in itself, using trash-cans, oil drums and plastic drums with trash-can lid combat sequences...Combining physical comedy and athleticism, it's a highly charged performance from an idiosyncratic group who could only come from the world of STOMP.

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