Directed by François Simard, Anouk Whissell, & Yoann-Karl Whissell (aka RKSS)
Written by Matt Leslie & Stephen J. Smith
Cast: Graham Verchere, Judah Lewis, Caleb Emery, Cory Gruter-Andrew, Tiera Skovbye, Rich Sommer, Jason Gray-Stanford, Shauna Johannesen, J. Alex Brinson, Harrison Houde, Mark Brandon, Susie Castillo, William MacDonald
Soundtrack: Jean-Philippe Bernier & Jean-Nicolas Leupi (aka Le Matos)
I’m not exactly sure what got the ball rolling on this whole Eighties pop culture revival (maybe Super 8?), Stranger Things being the most prominent example, but the film-making trio of RKSS had one of the first loud shots across the bow with 2015’s Turbo Kid, and three years later they’re making noise again with Summer of 84.
I was cautiously optimistic heading into this one, excited for what it could be but also prepared for a possible let down; but then the movie started, and I loved it, and I loved it, and I loved it. I actually thought to myself, “I’m going to give this five stars; it’s that amazing,” not to mention it combines elements of two of my favorite Eighties light horror pieces, Silver Bullet and The ‘burbs.
Then, the last ten minutes happened.
I won’t reveal anything specific, but I will say that it was enough to knock a full star rating off of what could have been a nearly perfect film.
The crux of the problem is that I’m fine with many different kinds of endings, be they happy, sad, bittersweet, ambiguous, or a complete tonal shift, but, no matter what, they need to feel earned. For example, as much as I enjoy Near Dark as one of the best vampire movies out there, it has a happy ending that I don’t really buy, because it’s inconsistent with the rest of the film in terms of what’s been set up and the overall journey we’ve already been on.
In the case of Summer of 84, I’m not sure who to blame. Perhaps the writers for writing it or the directors for not executing it in a way that feels right, or perhaps it’s just a “lost in translation” thing, I don’t know, but I think they could have gotten their point across in a way that’s not a complete betrayal for the audience (at least in my opinion; others will no doubt feel differently).
Still though, I don’t want to totally sandbag a movie I very much enjoyed and appreciated. All-in-all it’s a tight script, the kids have a surprising amount of individual ability and collective chemistry, and there aren’t many moments where it betrays that fact that it’s a Canadian production. And, it’s got a killer synth soundtrack.
If you can find it at a local theater, I highly recommend giving it a whirl. If not, it’ll be on-demand soon enough, but, either way, it’s worthy of your support.
Rating: ★★★★☆
Directed by Spike Lee
Written by Charlie Wachtel & David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee, based on the book by Ron Stallworth
Cast: John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier, Topher Grace, Corey Hawkins, Jasper Pääkkönen, Paul Walter Hauser, Ryan Eggold, Ashlie Atkinson, Robert John Burke, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Alec Baldwin, Harry Belafonte, Craig muMs Grant, Arthur J. Nascarella, Ken Garito, Frederick Weller, Michael Buscemi, Nicholas Turturro
Soundtrack: Terence Blanchard
Truth be told, I haven’t seen very much of Spike Lee’s work, and what little I have seen I’ve found mostly to be frustrating and tedious (dear Lord, save me from Clockers), but I’m almost always willing to set the past aside if something looks promising enough, which brings us to BlacKkKlansman.
Based on an extraordinary true life tale, BlacKkKlansman is the story of Ron Stallworth, the first Black officer and detective in the Colorado Springs Police Department, who, despite his skin color, managed to infiltrate the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan.
I have not read the book, so I can’t confirm or deny the authenticity of the film (it seems movied-up, just a bit; though for all I know it could be a case of reality being crazier than fiction, a la Hacksaw Ridge), but nevertheless the story is its main strength, along the with the performances, particularly from John David Washington and Adam Driver. Even Topher Grace showed me a nice little range I didn’t know he had in him (I still can’t figure out why Nic Turturro is in the movie though, and if you see it you’ll know what I mean).
Because of this, I will go as far as to say that the movie works in spite of Spike Lee’s direction, not because of it. I understand he wants to be directly confrontational to make his message clear, but in my opinion the way it’s structured is to the detriment of the overall film (I mean, come on, Dear White People handled its business better, and that was from a first time writer/director).
Still, there’s a lot to appreciate, just not enough for me to give it a full theatrical recommendation.
Rating: ★★★½ (out of five)
P.S.
Even though I don’t know why he was in the film (other than being a friend of Spike Lee), it did make me happy to see Nic Turturro and Frederick Weller in the same movie, as twenty-five years ago they played Al Capone and Eliot Ness in Young Indiana Jones and the Mystery of the Blues. Nobody cares about this but me, I know. Deal with it.