It's the hottest day of the summer. You can do nothing, you can do something, or you can...

Starring: Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richards Edson, Spike Lee, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, John Tuturro, John Savage

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"They're - They're not really black. I mean, they're black, but they're not really black. They're more than black. It's different." – Pino, trying to explain why Magic Johnson, Eddie Murphy and Price are "different" black people.

Why watch this? Race relations get to a boiling point in Spike Lee's NYC masterpiece.

Plot Summary: On the hottest day of the year in a Brooklyn neighborhood, racial tensions simmer between the residents and the owners of a local pizzeria. The story follows various characters as conflicts escalate over the course of the day. This increasing friction ultimately leads trouble.

Dad's Preview: As typical for a white man, my first viewing of this film kinda upset me. I just was incapable of getting it. Now I think I am starting to. The film is centered around Sal's Pizzeria, located in Brooklyn, which is mostly a black neighborhood. Racial tensions increase in the hot summer weather, as an argument over Sal's all-white picture "Wall of Fame" in his restaurant. Films like this make me want to do the work to understand racial issues in our country. We have to co-exist, folks. We'll be better, when we finally do.

40 Acres and a Mule; Filmworks; Universal Pictures