Summer of Sam (with Ryan Oliver)

Episode 25 of the Rotten Rewind podcast, hosted by rotten rewind, titled "Summer of Sam (with Ryan Oliver)" was published on August 28, 2023 and runs 69 minutes.

August 28, 2023 ·69m · Rotten Rewind

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Summary

Spike Lee tackles disco and serial killers in his 1999 flop “Summer of Sam.” 1999 was a landmark year for cinema with directors like Paul Thomas Anderson, David Fincher, Spike Jonze, Stanley Kubrick, David Lynch, Michael Mann and Martin Scorsese releasing new films. Often forgotten is Spike Lee’s kaleidoscopic vision of the Son of Sam’s 1977 summer of terror, “Summer of Sam.” Featuring an ensemble led by John Leguizamo, Adrien Brody and Mira Sorvino, Lee’s film captured a volatile, frightening moment in America with his usual chaotic flare. Critic and co-host of The Good, the Bad and the What, Ryan Oliver, joins the podcast to break down Lee’s sweatiest film since “Do the Right Thing.” Did critics have a bone to pick with Lee after his hot streak in the early 90s? Why didn’t Leguizamo get the leading man career he deserved? Was the story’s lack of focus on the Son of Sam a detriment to the films success? Is the Son of Sam the most relatable serial killer? Find out now in our latest edition of Auteur Misfires. Listen to Ryan’s podcast The Good, The Bad, and The What!? wherever you get podcasts!

Episode Description

Spike Lee tackles disco and serial killers in his 1999 flop “Summer of Sam.”

1999 was a landmark year for cinema with directors like Paul Thomas Anderson, David Fincher, Spike Jonze, Stanley Kubrick, David Lynch, Michael Mann and Martin Scorsese releasing new films. Often forgotten is Spike Lee’s kaleidoscopic vision of the Son of Sam’s 1977 summer of terror, “Summer of Sam.” Featuring an ensemble led by John Leguizamo, Adrien Brody and Mira Sorvino, Lee’s film captured a volatile, frightening moment in America with his usual chaotic flare.

Critic and co-host of The Good, the Bad and the What, Ryan Oliver, joins the podcast to break down Lee’s sweatiest film since “Do the Right Thing.” Did critics have a bone to pick with Lee after his hot streak in the early 90s? Why didn’t Leguizamo get the leading man career he deserved? Was the story’s lack of focus on the Son of Sam a detriment to the films success? Is the Son of Sam the most relatable serial killer? Find out now in our latest edition of Auteur Misfires.

Listen to Ryan’s podcast The Good, The Bad, and The What!? wherever you get podcasts!