REVIEW: “DA 5 BLOODS” & “THE KING OF STATEN ISLAND”

June 19, 2020 thedhk

“Da 5 Bloods” – the latest Spike Lee Joint – probably couldn’t come at a more timely moment in terms of elevating Black voices. Meanwhile “The King of Staten Island” is Pete Davidson’s heartfelt seemingly semi-autographical story that dawdles a little too much.

More about “Da 5 Bloods” – Four African American vets battle the forces of man and nature when they return to Vietnam seeking the remains of their fallen squad leader and the gold fortune he helped them hide. Delroy Lindo, Chadwick Boseman, Jonathan Majors, Clark Peters, Norm Lewis, Isiah Whitlock Jr, Giancarlo Esposito, and Jean Reno star.

More about King of Staten Island: Scott (Davidson) has been a case of arrested development ever since his firefighter father died when he was seven. He’s Now reached his mid-20s having achieved little, chasing a dream of becoming a tattoo artist that seems far out of reach. As his ambitious younger sister (Maude Apatow, HBO’s Euphoria) heads off to college, Scott is still living with his exhausted ER nurse mother (Oscar® winner Marisa Tomei) and spends his days smoking weed, hanging with the guys—Oscar (Ricky Velez, Master of None), Igor (Moises Arias, Five Feet Apart) and Richie (Lou Wilson, TV’s The Guest Book)—and secretly hooking up with his childhood friend Kelsey (Bel Powley, Apple TV+’s The Morning Show). Pete Davidson, Marisa Tomei, Bill Burr, Bel Powley, Maude Apatow, and Steve Buscemi star.