Polish up your Jordans, because Texas Theatre takes you back to 1989, Brooklyn tonight when it screens Do The Right Thing on 35 mm. Escape the Wednesday rut and cruise over to Oak Cliff where the Spike Lee Joint takes you back to that boombox era, when Public Enemy made everyone pump the Running Man in spandex.
This iconic film captures a neighborhood's vignettes as they struggle and bake between the reflective heat of pavement and brownstones on the hottest day of summer. Sweaty tensions are easily ignited as the thermostat climbs, and otherwise passable encounters -- like bicycle tread on a pair of expensive sneakers -- cause the street's occupants to coagulate into angry mobs. But this movie isn't all angst; Lee keeps it fun with the Greek chorus of men in lawn chairs on the street corner, the spirited sass of the neighborhood conversations and the narrative hinge of the local DJ. But all the while you sense that something, or somebody, is going to snap.
It's one of Lee's finest joints, which is why he nabbed an Academy Award Best Screenplay nomination for his efforts. Not to be outdone, Danny Aiello grabbed a nom for Best Supporting Actor as Sal, the kind but very Italian pizzeria owner who caters to an exclusively black clientele but only has pictures of famous white Italians hanging on his walls.
Texas Theatre has been doin' the good work by bringing these movies from our youth back to the big screen, but it also incorporates our now-adult hankerings by offering a full bar and plush, cushy seats. It's mid-week drinking at its finest, so don't miss out. Do The Right Thing screens in 35 mm at Texas Theatre tonight at 7:15 p.m.; go here for tickets.
