Do the Right Thing Is the Pick of the Week

When taking about some of the greatest films ever made, you have to include iconic director Spike Lee’s equally iconic 1989 masterwork, Do the Right Thing, which still reverberates even after thirty years. It was a funny, evocative, and dangerous look at a never-ending, hot-button topic that refuses to lay down and die: racism. Honestly, some of us may think that the film seems shaky and a little dated, but that’s besides the point. It’s a slow burn, sweaty fever-dream that boils to a puzzling, controversial conclusion that reminds us that some things may have changed, but others still stay the same. No matter your viewpoint, it remains one of the more important, and seminal American films in the history of cinema.

Although it was already released by Criterion in 2001 and Universal in 2009, I think Criterion have outdone themselves with the new 30th anniversary release. With new and old supplements including audio commentary with Lee, cinematographer Ernest Dickerson, production designer Wynn Thomas, and actress Joie Lee (Spike’s sister); deleted and extended scenes; Cannes press conference; a new interview with Oscar-winning costume designer Ruth E, Carter, and storyboards for the Riot sequence, film collectors should get a new perspective of why the film continues to pulsate three decades later.

Other notable releases:

1984 (Criterion Collection): In a demeaning and totalitarian society, a man whose life’s work is to change history, decides to rebel by falling in love.

The Doors: The Final Cut (Lionsgate): Oliver Stone’s biopic of the famous and legendary 1960s rock group the Doors and their tragic lead singer Jim Morrison.

Weird Science (Arrow): Cult classic about two nerdy best friends who create the perfect woman, who helps them through the trials and tribulations of adolescence. Available in standard and steelbook editions.

The Loveless (Arrow): An early effort by Oscar-winning director Kathyrn Bigelow centering on the trouble created after a motorcycle gang stops in a small southern town while heading to Daytona.

Pacific Heights (Sony): Melanie Griffith and Matthew Modine play a couple who become landlords to pay for their dream house. Michael Keaton is one of their tenants who turns their dream into an absolute nightmare.