Summer of Sam

Rating:
Summary: Stop right there ....
Review: Whoa, hold a minute. This is a great movie, no doubt. But this is not a great region 1 disc - the region 2 version has a documentary, a director's commentary, cast & crew interviews (including Spike Lee) and whole lot more. Boycott poorly packaged DVD's because, like the Cliffhanger DVD re-release, the studios are trying to make you buy it twice.

Fight the power.

Rating:
Summary: Moral Retribution
Review: Many people have their own memories of the 1970's: what the '70s were really like and what they weren't. Nevertheless, most agree that urban America during those years saw a significant increase in loose, morally reprehensible behavior, from rampant hard drug use to widespread casual anonymous sex. The full impact of the 1960s experience struck during the '70s, as the usual brakes on human behavior (weakened by the challenges of the '60s) proved inadequate during the '70s. Spike Lee's Summer of Sam has a distinct moral framework that is highly critical of 1970s behavior. All the sins of sex, drugs, and racism come home to haunt their practitioners as the David Berkowitz aka the Son of Sam inflicts a sort of moral retribution on New York City at large. People pursuing sexual liasons in automobiles, lootings during the blackout, one of the main characters has an extramarital affair at the site of a future Berkowitz killing--all immoral actions are pursued by the Son of Sam, throwing the city into a panic. The fact that Spike Lee shows Berkowitz himself only in shadowy environments helps the viewer perceive the Son of Sam more as an avenging angel (devil?) instead of as a sick human being. Consider as well the fact that the viewer never actually sees Berkowitz's face during any of the murders. After the blackout lootings in Brooklyn, the Son of Sam strikes in Brookly for the first time. Immorality being pursued and stamped out, urban American style, is the provacative centerpiece of Summer of Sam.

Rating:
Summary: A dark, powerful movie...
Review: Yes, I know that people complain about the lack of David Berkowitz in this movie, but just because the whole movie didn't show him shooting everyone is no reason to bag the movie.

This movie shows what it was like to live in N.Y in the summer of '77. Lovers were cheating on each other at the drop of a hat, punk rock was still in its youth, disco was on its way out, being bleach-blonde was at its height of fashion, and EVERYBODY was living in total fear.

I know people complain about the sex scenes & the huge amount of swearing in the movie, but I can only remember 1 sex scene that was actually worth complaining about. As for the swearing, I remember hearing twice as much in "Pulp fiction", but no-one ever complained about that.

If you're expecting a gory movie with lots of blood and guts,I advise u not to watch this because there is not much of that. But if you want a powerful, well-filmed & well-written movie, then this is definatley for you.

Rating:
Summary: Snore
Review: While it sounds like a really good idea, Summer of Sam turns out to be a boring and overly vulgar film.

There are a few interesting scenes but overall the film is badly edited and really fouces far too much on the main characters sex life.

None of the characters are particularly well developed and the movie fails to be deep or entertaining. Most people will watch this film becuase it is "a Spike Lee joint" but it's not worth the time or money.

Rating:
Summary: "Summer of Sam"-Voila!
Review: One the most powerful films of the 90's. Gritty, dark, masterful-pure Spike Lee. Some have said that "American Beauty" was the year's best film, my money is on "Summer of Sam".

Rating:
Summary: Too much
Review: Summer Of Sam is really tedious. I don't see how it can get such "rave" reviews... and I know it is a Spike Lee joint, and that's probably how it's the way the movie actually is.

I enjoyed the first 20 or so minutes of it. I liked the quick pace editing, and some more of the brutal scenes. But then the movie fell in on sleep mode, and kept replaying some things over and over -- sex, the sight of an odd room with writing on it, some scenes containing buddies doing this or that, and more sex. I was wondering when some of the sex scenes were going to end with my parents in the same room watching and disaproving of it.

Then, ultimately, the movie picked up, and by the end, we get a mighty powerful scene - a scene of where people who suspect someone of being the son of sam becuase he's "different."

I know some fans of this movie will immeadietly reject this review, and I expect it... it's just that there's some movies where boredom just takes over with plot points or characters I really can't even care about.

Rating:
Summary: Summer In My Seat
Review: Summer of Sam, for a guy like me, is a movie I really look forward to seeing, but then when I sit down and actually watch it, it is nothing at all what I expected. This movie was definitely a mixed bag from my point of view, despite the first-rate direction of Spike Lee, the great pop/disco soundtrack, and the way the Summer of 1977 is caught on film. The dancing sequences are a definite plus (Sorvino had to have some sort of appreciation for her moves). Nonetheless, the length and constant vulgarity (both of which usually don't bother me) catch up with all things rendered and only pass for a mediocre movie experience. Two more negative reactions from the movie is the film's all-too-strong violence (point-blank shootings) and sex scenes (shooting in a more-than-I-wanna-know style).

The movie surrounds a group of friends in the Bronx, centering on the main character, Vinny, whose constant cheating and lackluster lifestyle has him thinking the Gods are working against him, and that he very well may be the Son of Sam's next victim. Mira Sorvino does her best with her role as Dionna, Vinny's wife, but only succeeds to a certain level. Adrien Brody plays the bisexual (or homosexual--we never really find out) friend of Vinny who returns from Manhattan as a punk-rocker that displeases his friends he grew up with. Long story longer, this movie tries to please but comes short. I myself tend to like films like this where it captures a time frame well and is presenting a story of flawed people, but all things apparent still do not make this a very good or excellent movie. It is Spike Lee's best film since Malcolm X, but still, he could do a lot better and could have done a lot better with this movie.

I watched the film on TV and was glad I punished myself to see it on TV so I would have to sit and watch the whole thing. Had I rented it I would stop it every fifteen minutes and really lose the story's momentum and just wait for it to get over, getting an even more ugly rendition of the film. I was going to buy it because I thought it looked good, but I think it would be a waste of money now. Rent or at least see this before you buy it, but it depends on what you're expecting before you decide you may like it.

Rating:
Summary: Summer of pure fear!!!
Review: Ok, ok. So people didn't like this movie, mainly because of all the nudity, and sex scenes. But did anyone ever bother to look beyond any of that?

Beyond all the sex is a truly wonderful movie, with great actors, satirical comedy, a good script and scenery, and the movie sends shivers down your spine, if you lived in that time.

Yes, I know that the movie didn't concentrate entirely on son of sam, but is that why people think so badly of it? The movie concentrated on the summer that sam was loose in NYC, and shows you what was happening during that time. Punk rock was coming in, disco was going out. Men were cheating on their wives. Women were becoming suicide blondes, thinking it would save them from sam.Cults were being formed. Drugs were THE thing. Friends were turning against one another, each suspecting each other to be son of sam.

Please, if are going to watch this movie, look and think beyond all the sex and swearing. Think how scared everyone was, and think of all the changes that were occuring. Look at how different everyone is from today, not at the fact that the movie doesn't concentrate on sam. Look and think about the fear, paranoia, changes, hatred, and pain. Do this, and you will see what makes this movie so wonderful.

Rating:
Summary: ...but what I'd really like to do is ACT."
Review: It seems other viewers have pretty much covered this film. I'd just like to say to Mr. Lee: "Stay out of your movies please!" Even though this film was not perfect, it does try to put the viewer in a time and a place. So why does Spike show up as a "TV reporter" who can't act his way out of a paper bag? As soon as he starts talking, I'm no longer in 1977, I'm watching Spike try to act. I mean, when he's interviewing non-actors on the street, he comes off as a worse actor than any of them! Is that on purpose?

Rating:
Summary: This was a great movie
Review: This was a good movie. I saw that some people said they didn't like it because it wasn't about the Son of Sam, that's true this movie isn't about the Son of Sam, it's about the summer of sam, it's trying to give you an idea of the New Yorkers were going through during time the Son of Sam was around, the biggest heat wave happend, and there was a black out that made everyone go crazy, and don't want to forget that was around when punk rock come out, that's why you see a lot of people dressed differntly then what you're use to seeing people dress like back in the 70's, and that "CBGB" is a real punk club in New York, and in the 70's punk rockers would really dress the way they did in this movie(just look at the "The Sex Pistles")So if you're wanting to watch this movie to learn about The Son of Sam you're not going to be to happy. just remember it's called Summer of Sam not The Son of Sam, it's not about The Son of Sam, it's just to give you an idea on how the New Yorkers were getting scared, like when Vinney and his wife go to this club and there is hardly anyone their, stuff like that is trying to show how one man can scare almost a whole state, and one guy said that this movie had too many sex sceens in it, of the top of my head I can only remember 3 sex sceens, but I will admit one of them is pretty intense. So just remember to keep that in mind that this movie is not about the son of sam, it's just trying to show what was going on in New York during thid time period.