Baefore Spike Lee turns his attentions to Old Boy, here's a reminder of more familiar territory. Red Hook Summer** is the latest instalment in the director's long-running Brooklyn Chronicles (following She's Gotta Have It, Do The Right Thing, Crooklyn, Clockers and He Got Game), and the trailer has just arrived.
As you'll pick up, Red Hook Summer is about Flik (Jules Brown), a boy from the middle class suburbs of Atlanta sent to the Brooklyn projects for a summer to live with his evangelical grandfather Enoch (Clarke Peters). Enoch runs the Lil' Peace Of Heaven Baptist Church Of Red Hook and undertakes something of a mission to bring Flik into the ways of the Lord. Flik is having none of it, and the two butt heads, but Flik's summer starts to improve once he meets local girl Chazz (Toni Lysaith), who teaches him there's more to Brooklyn than gangs and congregations.
You'll catch a glimpse of Spike Lee himself towards the end of the trailer, and it's actually quite a big deal. He's returned to the role of Mookie who, 23 years on from Do The Right Thing, is still working at Sal's Pizzeria.
Empire's Damon Wise saw Red Hook Summer at Sundance in January and, it must be said, didn't entirely care for it. The rest of us will have to wait to draw our own conclusions, since there's no UK release date yet. Lee will return to his New York stomping ground once more in the near future, for Brooklyn Loves MJ.