Summertime

I'm a movie fanatic but haven't been to the theater for a long time due to the Pandemic. Sometimes I will see a film only out of a sense of obligation, because I have film industry relatives and they often ask me what I thought of their work. When I don't like something, I just leave it alone and generally don't say a word. I'm a 70 yr old male, and certainly not the target for this films marketing campaign, so my comments here (straight from the heart) should be considered a bit unusual. Let me tell you right now that this was the most surprising film I've seen in many years. Surprising because I went into the theater not knowing what to expect and I came out with tears in my eyes.

Movies can do that to you. That's the joy of.film, and you learn by watching Summertime that it isn't by big budgets and Hollywood glam that you experience joy. It's by being enriched by the lives of others, and in this case, those lives are beautifully brought to the screen by the Director. I felt that the screen itself disappears in front of you -- something I'd never get off streaming TV -- and it was easy to imagine being brought into this magical picture postcard as a player yourself.

I felt like I was the old guy on the bus watching a gay young woman express herself in such a way that it actually did more for my understanding of that lifestyle than a lifetime of being completely outside her viewpoint,. And I was a silent observer of the pain that another poet expresses so emotionally that it rips my heart out, as I watch her berate her former boyfriend on his front stoop for the careless and incredibly insensitive way he treated her (wondering all the while if I've been guilty of that same behavior earlier in my life). And I sat right on that limo and listened with the other young poets as the limo driver looked into the stars and related his powerful and inspiring words in a poem that went from my ears to my heart, with no stop in between.

Hopeful? Hell yes. This film is as full of hope as you can find anywhere. The colors, the look, the words that are delivered . . . But most especially the feelings it brings out in the viewers. It can only be described as rare indeed. An unexpected delight

I love time frame movie like this but this was really bad. It was full of old cliches. There is a reason this film only grossed $72,000 US & Canada with opening weekend at $21,490. It took a while for someone like Netflix to even decide to show it.

Carlos López Estrada, director of "Summertme" (color and 95 minutes long) was filmed between July and August of 2019 but mostly in L. A.'s Korean Town area. It features great poetry written by emerging poets and inspired by Get Lit: Words Ignite, a literary and writing program for urban youth. Photographed with nice visuals from L. A.'s street murals plus a fantasy-like dance choreographed number amongst the "City of Angels" diverse landscape.

It brilliantly features young and emerging spoken word poets and musicians, discussing a range of issues from LGBTIA+, racism, urban gentrification, etc. With outstanding performances by emerging poets like Marquesha Babers amongst many others. Estrada's collaborative effort makes for a creative but cultural and an urban portrayal of "So-Cal" or "Angeleno" life.

Finally, a movie that's not about white and privileged people trying to survive in L.A.

It's been a rough few years. First Tangerine Palpatine, then COVID-19, then supporters of The Orange Traitor stormed the Capitol seeking to actually kill VP Pence, among others. Lies continue from the right. Our forests are burning and our cities are flooding.

I could go on and on. As you well know.

Wanna feel wonderful? Wanna forget your cares for a bit. Would you like to cry,...tears of joy? How about a smile that feels like it stretches from ear to ear?

You can rent Carlos Lopez Estrada's achingly beautiful, SUMMERTIME on Amazon for only $3.99!!!

I've seen it sixteen times.

It's Linklater's SLACKER meets Altman's SHORT CITS, with 21st century sensibilities. If you know those two films you'll understand that. It's a spoken word musical. It's a poetry jam. It's ninety or so minutes of pure joy! The actors perform their own poems as part of the "plot" of the film. There's a dream dance sequence. It's multicultural and so very, very real.

That is all.

-SmokeyKorzeniowski.