Hot Summer Nights

I guess you could be forgiven if you thought everyone on the Cape Cod peninaula was toking up after seeing Hot Summer Nights. It seems to be more popular than salt water activities.

After the death of his dad young Timothee Chalamet is sent off to spend summer in Cape Cod with his aunt who is not keeping too tight a rein on him. This innocent kid gets a growing up more than he bargained for with sex, drugs and a bit of rock and roll thrown in.

Sometimes simple acts can decide our future. Like when Chalamet is working behind the counter at a gas station convenience store and in walks Alex Roe who asks to quick hide some drugs and money before the cop who is trailing him comes in. Without thinking he does and soon he's in with Cape Cod's legendary bad boy.

Timothee Chalamet and Maika Monroe are good in their parts, Monroe playing Roe's sister and love object for Chalamet. But you riveted to the screen when Roe is on. He reminds me a lot of Christian Bale another British actor who as a great command of various American accents. Roe has a James Dean like presence on the screen.

It's good and it's not so good for the strangest of partners. I did like the use of a kid narrator for the film. He's just another of the native kids who is almost worshipful to Roe.

Can't say more, but I think the viewer will be surprised at how in the end this trio is where they are.

Small town local young heartthrob Cannabis seller teams up w/nerdy reject to expand his business. Nerd ends up over his head while also chasing the local female femme fatale. Acting was good; backdrop tunes were OK for the '90s setup. Problems: A lot of wasted time on scenes that didn't contribute, i.e. overhead shots of a beach as well as a hurricane, and the sense of it being a hot Summer, none played a role in the story. In fact the hurricane, Bob, technically was a bust for a hurricane. A lot of the important character background was written & edited poorly, just sporadic bits here & there which made the story flow disruptive & confusing. Drug scenes, and party scenes were all pretty predictable. Major problem: The ending for all major characters went no where, and the death which occurs towards the end, could have been prevented knowing it's coming, and they have a gun. Didn't make any sense.

This coming-to-age film starring some pretty decent talent with the likes of Maika Monroe and Thomas Jane, is about a boy who becomes entangled in a world of drugs, money, and corruption during one summer in Cape Cod, now going into this movie I saw nothing but the one trailer that was released of my knowledge, and was pretty much stoked. I'm a big fan of these underground goodies not enough people talk about, also the sheer fact you had the likes of Maika (It follows), which was reason enough to get me to watch it because that was a great film, and i was throughly surprised not only with the films setting, and plot. This film has great cinematography and a all around 80's feel to it from the clothes that these kids wear all the way to the drive in movie theater. And performance from all the cast is quite well from a Timothy who did well playing a shy, awkward kid. To Thomas Jane's Odd Cop role. It's a movie that I'll reconsider watching again, maybe even owning on blu Ray. Because the rewatchability is there

Tonight I choose to check this film out. Honestly, anything A24 releases is always good! That said, I really liked this film. However, it's not perfect. I really didn't understand the main characters initial motivation for why he was doing, what he was doing, girl aside. His thirsty choices didn't really make much sense to me.

However, on the technical aspect of the movie. I really loved the flow of the film and the editing. Also, the soundtrack is sweet! the cinematography, colour, and acting was spot on. This is a film I would still recommend and would give it another watch even with the minor flaws. Because it's entertaining and has a real summer nostalgic, crime, a dark coming of age feel to it.

I'd give this a 7 out of 10.

Enjoyable coming of age/crime flick probably most suited to a younger audience. The story telling was lazy with lots of jump cuts, kind of like a highlight reel of the ups and downs of Danny's summer. You really don't see any relationships develop or get to know any characters in depth. The whole movie is more like a romanticized compilation showing only start and the end of the journey with no middle. That said it started out very superficial and over the top but ended surprisingly heavy and went against a few of my expectations.