Summertime

This was such a breath of fresh air and not your usual cookie cutter film. I enjoyed it from start to finish! It is a must see, especially in today's society. It checks all the boxes of diversity, inclusion, and equality.

This is a film that doesn't sugar coat what it's like for most people who actually live in LA. In this movie, people take buses, wear second hand clothes, grab a burger, and tag buildings. These poets write from their hearts and souls. They are young, They are proud and they are gifted. This is real life come to life in a movie that embraces the streets of LA... not with gangland warfare, not with drugs, but with real people who actually live there. It is a joy to watch. You'll laugh, you'll cry and it'll leave you wanting more.

One summer day, Los Angeles. Various (mostly) young people of various ethnicities and sexual orientations have lives that randomly connect, until they all end up being invited for a ride in a giant limo. This is an arts showcase piece, featuring poetry, song, and rap rhymes, often written by the performers themselves. Themes range from rage against gentrification, broken relationships, and underachievement. There is really no coherent story, other than devices to link the characters together. While this is an interesting films, I saw this at the Inside Out 2SLGBTQ+ film festival, and found that it didn't have quite enough gay content.

I was a bit apprehensive when I first started the movie. But the flow of the words, the scenes, the beauty of it all. It was seamless. I would recommend this movie time and time again for those looking for a truthful and sometimes brutal confrontation to the identity of LA and those who live in it.

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.