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Hey, let's talk about Spike Lee. Lee's been directing movies for over thirty years now and shows no sign of stopping. Most well-known for pics like Do the Right Thing, Mo' Better Blues, Malcolm X, Crooklyn, and others, Lee's films are often uncompromising and bold in their depictions of race relations. Lee himself has offered much commentary and criticism on the subject even outside of his movies. Outspoken and resolute, Lee has no interest in coddling anyone with his productions or his positions. Lee's filmography is vast, so let's start from the end with his newest movie, BlacKkKlansman.  BlacKkKlansman is an adaptation of Ron Stallworth's autobiography of the same name, about his months infiltrating the KKK in 1979 Colorado Springs. Stallworth, played here by John David Washington, uses a combination of phone interviews, the Klan outfit being a naturally very good disguise, and his co-worker Flip Zimmerman being sent in instances of unavoidable face-to-face confrontations. In real life, Stallworth got a certificate signed by David Duke himself and discovered several members of the military were Klan members, including two at NORAD who controlled nuclear launch triggers. In the movie, Stallworth becomes head of the chapter, which he did not in real life, so it seems to be taking some liberties, but it should be a rollicking good time nonetheless. BlacKkKlansman opens in a theater near you, probably, this Friday, August 10th. Use this thread to talk about Lee's latest film, or his older ones, if you prefer. Share minutia and anecdotes. Laugh about how funny it is that a video game campaign is more of a Spike Lee Joint than Oldboy is. Give recommendations to others who are unfamiliar with his filmography (like me!) and expose lesser-known works of his career. Hell, talk about the She's Gotta Have It Netflix series in here if you want. I'm down for whatever.
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Aug 7, 2018 00:57
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Spike Lee hasn't made a good film in years, and BlacKKKlansman simply looks like a desperate plea for attention. The title "BlacKKKlansman"? Seriously?
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Aug 7, 2018 01:06
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What would you have called it?
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Aug 7, 2018 07:28
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i'm still perpetually amazed that Spike Lee had the stones to remake loving Oldboy in the first place, like good lord that's like a dude just deciding "yeah i'm gonna remake Vertigo"
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Aug 7, 2018 16:09
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This has been getting amazing reviews and every one I know who's seen it has loved it, so SPIKE'S BACK BABY! GET THE gently caress OUT THE WAY!
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Aug 7, 2018 17:18
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David Duke is concerned this movie will make him look like an idiot. Yeah, Dave. It's the movie's fault. https://www.buzzfeed.com/krystieyandoli/spike-lee-david-duke-blackkklansman-ron-stallworth?utm_term=.uhOV5omkP#.ohjEe1Mdz
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Aug 8, 2018 02:17
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Do the Right Thing and Malcolm X are two of the greatest films of all time. Recently, I thought Chi-Raq was fun.
Blast Fantasto fucked around with this message at 13:42 on Aug 8, 2018 |
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Aug 8, 2018 13:27
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Blast Fantasto posted:Do the Right Thing and Malcolm X are two of the greatest films of all time. Recently, I thought Chi-Raq was fun. I rewatched Do The Right Thing a couple of years back, and it still remains such a bright, energized movie. Like that movie just rips. Has anyone seen 25th Hour recently? That was a movie that dropped in my formative high school years, and really had an impact on me when I saw it. But I’m curious how it holds up; if it legit has legs, or is just one of those movies very much of its time and place. I keep meaning to give it a rewatch, but it always gets shuffled under other, newer releases on my to-do list.
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Aug 8, 2018 14:00
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Do the Right Thing is an untouchable masterpiece. She Hate Me is responsible for this: https://vimeo.com/6443864Fart City posted:Has anyone seen 25th Hour recently? That was a movie that dropped in my formative high school years, and really had an impact on me when I saw it. But I’m curious how it holds up; if it legit has legs, or is just one of those movies very much of its time and place. I keep meaning to give it a rewatch, but it always gets shuffled under other, newer releases on my to-do list. I finally saw 25th Hour last year, and it honestly left no impact on me at all.
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Aug 8, 2018 17:16
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Slutitution posted:Spike Lee hasn't made a good film in years, and BlacKKKlansman simply looks like a desperate plea for attention. The title "BlacKKKlansman"? Seriously? You do have a good point. Even though the title is catchy, I do not know how much of a factor it will be in the box office and if Spike Lee will be able to mitigate his financial losses when this movie bombs.
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Aug 9, 2018 06:46
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I hope it lives to up Livin the Dream
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Aug 9, 2018 17:41
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I saw this last night at an Alamo screening that had a live q+a with Spike and some of the cast beforehand. It was really good, definitely one of the best movies I've seen this year. It managed to switch from being hilarious to tense/horrifying from moment to moment very well. I'm sure some people will complain about its lack of subtlety but I think the bluntness worked for the story it was telling. Adam Driver was great in it, I didn't look up the true story beforehand and didn't realize he'd be such a big part of the movie. I think the only other Spike Lee movies I've seen are Do the Right Thing, Inside Man, and 25th Hour and now I want to check out some of what I've missed. I did play through that NBA 2K storyline he did and remember it being kind of a shitshow.
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Aug 9, 2018 18:10
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Pirate Jet posted:What would you have called it? Noting that I don't really care and it won't affect my judgment of the film, "Black Klansman" is a pretty evocative title without the extra K in the middle Which is, you know, probably why the book it's based on was called that Baku fucked around with this message at 22:35 on Aug 9, 2018 |
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Aug 9, 2018 22:33
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No. 1 Apartheid Fan posted:Noting that I don't really care and it won't affect my judgment of the film, "Black Klansman" is a pretty evocative title without the extra K in the middle it's still called Black Klansman the middle k is just a stylistic choice do you say black kuh klansman or something in pronouncing the movie name
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Aug 9, 2018 22:34
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it's just a really silly stylistic choice anyway, I'll check this out; it's a fascinating story and when spike lee's poo poo works, it works
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Aug 9, 2018 22:36
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I think most people don't like it but I have a real soft spot for Bamboozled. It's as unsubtle as anything Lee's ever done but there's something about it, especially in the last third or so, that really gets to me.
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Aug 10, 2018 03:41
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Slutitution posted:Spike Lee hasn't made a good film in years, and BlacKKKlansman simply looks like a desperate plea for attention. The title "BlacKKKlansman"? Seriously? Saw it tonight and it was very good. Focused a lot on the white nationalist rhetoric of the time which is virtually identical to the poo poo being peddled by the far right and Fox news now. My only complaint is that the whole dancing in the club scene should've been cut or shortened a lot. I'm guessing it was left in as an homage to other 70's movies but it was excessive.
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Aug 10, 2018 04:48
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RandomBlue posted:Saw it tonight and it was very good. Focused a lot on the white nationalist rhetoric of the time which is virtually identical to the poo poo being peddled by the far right and Fox news now. A soul train dance line scene was the single thing you found excessive here? This is a really, really indulgent film. It looked fantastic, and the story had me gripped, but I imagine audiences wont have the patience for most of it.
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Aug 10, 2018 05:36
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warez posted:A soul train dance line scene was the single thing you found excessive here? This is a really, really indulgent film. It looked fantastic, and the story had me gripped, but I imagine audiences wont have the patience for most of it. That was the only point in the movie where I asked myself how much longer this scene was going to go on, so yeah. e: I'll admit I did find the KKK drunk moron to be excessive. The other "indulgences" I think you're referring to was the movie trying to drive home very salient points. If you don't think people need to be lead to the water to drink, just take a look at the last 2 years. RandomBlue fucked around with this message at 05:43 on Aug 10, 2018 |
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Aug 10, 2018 05:40
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RandomBlue posted:That was the only point in the movie where I asked myself how much longer this scene was going to go on, so yeah. I enjoyed the ending sequence and the way Spike Lee transitioned into it a lot (our heros are safe for the time being, but there is still evil just outside their door), so that wasn’t really what I was getting at. When I say indulgent I don’t necessarily mean that it’s something that doesn’t have value or that drags the movie down, maybe more that it’s something that a more streamlined movie might use less of (the speech near the beginning, the drunk, the birth of a nation parts, the story bits that follows the explosion, the way the perv cop storyline is resolved, and yes, the dance line). warez fucked around with this message at 06:28 on Aug 10, 2018 |
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Aug 10, 2018 06:24
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The ending sequence was very good, though I'm not sure I caught it all because I got something in my eye...
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Aug 10, 2018 06:28
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RandomBlue posted:The ending sequence was very good, though I'm not sure I caught it all because I got something in my eye... that ending was like a punch in the face for me. it really drove home the whole point of the movie, which is basically "even if there are good cops, the entire power structure of America is dedicated to protecting white power at almost any cost, so any good that may be done by individuals will be hamstrung by people above them who are desperately clinging to that power." and this doesn't mean we should stop doing these things, because there are individual benefits and lives that are affected, but the system is the true villain and it will take a lot more than one good cop to change things. I remember reading a comment somewhere on this website after the trailer came out that was a little concerned with how the trailer balanced the chants of "White Power" and "Black Power", like there was gonna be a message of "both sides are going too far", so I was really glad when in the movie they were balanced almost exactly the same, except the cutting back and forth was between the KKK watching and hooting and hollering at Birth of a Nation and spouting their racist lying bullshit, and the older black gentleman telling the story of watching a slow friend of his get railroaded by a false claim of rape and lynched. Lee is pretty straightforward about his love for the Panthers in this movie, and the way it presents their ideals as self-love and black identity being beautiful, especially with all of those black faces watching Kwame Ture speak with reverence and awe. This movie is so loving good and I can't stop thinking about it. I honestly kinda thought Spike was washed after the last decade or so of his output but this movie is just as relevant and vital as Do The Right Thing continues to be, and the energy he brings is amazing. edit: I would also like to take a couple sentences to speak the praise of Topher Grace, an underrated actor (and also Spike again). I think most filmmakers could have fallen into the trap of making David Duke the most grotesque racist of them all, some sort of slimy caricature, but presenting Duke as he actually is (a dorky white guy who believes in the complete superiority of his race) is much more effective, because we can draw the line from him to all those nicely clad loving nazis that have been popping up, and people in our own lives who might seem nice and well put-together but are actually gross loving bigots. Grace is really perfect casting, and he does a great job with what he's given, and I hope he gets a movie soon where he doesn't have to be a gross loving nazi bigot because I can't imagine the headspace you have to exist in to pull that off. DC Murderverse fucked around with this message at 20:03 on Aug 10, 2018 |
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Aug 10, 2018 19:58
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homer posted:It managed to switch from being hilarious to tense/horrifying from moment to moment very well. This so much. A few times I was legit cracking up in my seat but there were other times that I felt insanely uncomfortable. There are not too many movies that can achieve that. And that ending...Christ. I’m glad Spike didn’t let us off on a high note even though this movie did have light hearted moments. Because at its core it addresses a very real and terrifying issue.
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Aug 10, 2018 22:24
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Just got out of this and I think this is Spike's best work in years and maybe ever. I've long held the belief that white supremacy dies with ridicule and parody, and he managed to expertly walk the line between portraying the Klan as cowardly and incompetent while showing how much of a threat systemic racism was and still is. I could probably say more when I can digest it more but this is a remarkable piece of work that I think has a real shot at doing well at the box office.
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Aug 11, 2018 03:10
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I loved the tonal whiplash - it was an interesting way of dealing with the problem all movies featuring literal fascists face, in that the antagonists are both buffoonish clowns and legitimately threatening, at the same time, in real life. There is danger in portraying the actual enemies of humankind as strong uncompromising jackboots, because it downplays the comical stupidity of their foundational ideas. There is also danger in portraying them as utter clowns that can be easily defeated by cartoon trickery, because it ignores their past successes and the inherent violence of their continued existence. This movie seemed to say "gently caress white supremacist nazi trash" in both ways, if that makes any sense. My only complaint is that the movie's entertaining heavy handedness seems to put a lot of it at solely at Trump's feet. He is, of course, the most obvious spokesperson for that ideology right now, but the slime of humanity includes powerful actors far smarter and subtler than that soft failed socialite fat gently caress. I also disliked that Spike Lee elected to black out the faces/eyes of literal nazis during the final IRL clips. They're screaming about Jews and raising flaming torches in the name of genocide. They picked their loving side, and were oh so proud to do so. Show those proud fucks for what they gleefully chose to be. They weren't hiding when the torches burned. Their grandchildren should know who they were.
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Aug 12, 2018 07:44
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A Tasteful Nude posted:I also disliked that Spike Lee elected to black out the faces/eyes of literal nazis during the final IRL clips. They're screaming about Jews and raising flaming torches in the name of genocide. They picked their loving side, and were oh so proud to do so. Show those proud fucks for what they gleefully chose to be. They weren't hiding when the torches burned. Their grandchildren should know who they were. I noticed it was rather inconsistent about whether they were blacked out or not, actually. Some were and some weren't. I'm not sure what the reasoning behind it was.
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Aug 12, 2018 08:24
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I just assumed it is a whole lot thornier, legally, using that kind of footage in a major motion picture than on the news. I'm not a lawyer or anything close to it though so I'm not sure if that's really the case. One possibility is that Lee didn't want to glorify individuals in the movement, because it's really easy for the cult of personality to rally around figures like that and make them seem more powerful than they really are. I didn't think that the movie placed all the blame/responsibility on Trump though. He's saying that this kind of racism goes all the way to the top of our power structures (and are a whole lot more out in the open now) but the whole point of the movie is that the very same tactics, like trading hoods and "grand wizards" for suits and "national directors" to make the organization seem more reasonable (see also: swapping out "nazis" for "alt-right"), that have been allowed to flourish since the time of the film (and before) are still happening today in a very real sense, and Trump is a symptom - a very serious symptom - of a far larger problem of whiteness and white supremacy. Lee gets an easy laugh in BK with the hilariously naive line about how America would never elect a president who openly supported white supremacy or the Klan. E: I also don't think it's fair to criticize Lee's movies as 'heavy-handed' at this stage of his career. He's an unsubtle filmmaker and you'll have to look elsewhere for someone who conceals his message in multiple layers. It's like complaining about Michael Bay using too many explosions, it's just who he is as a filmmaker, for better or worse. flashy_mcflash fucked around with this message at 14:58 on Aug 12, 2018 |
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Aug 12, 2018 14:44
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flashy_mcflash posted:I think most people don't like it but I have a real soft spot for Bamboozled. It's as unsubtle as anything Lee's ever done but there's something about it, especially in the last third or so, that really gets to me.
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Aug 13, 2018 00:22
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Timeless Appeal posted:Bambloozled was my first Lee film and really blew me away, but I was thirteen. A lot the film is a meditation on if blackface ever really went away and representation in general. But rewatching some of it recently, it also speaks to the fragility of progress. It makes me wish Damon Wayans were a stronger actor to carry it off. It's a really strong script but it's hard to look past him doing that terrible accent. Of all of Lee's films, Bamboozled is the one that I think could benefit most from a remake. I wonder if a guy like Hannibal Buress could pull that off. Still, it really got me thinking about representation in media long before I could ever articulate my own thoughts on it, and it's still an issue I care about. Bamboozled is a cool movie and I'm gonna try to track it down to watch tonight. It's also got Lee's best poster, but for about a hundred reasons I'll never buy and display it. 
flashy_mcflash fucked around with this message at 01:14 on Aug 13, 2018 |
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Aug 13, 2018 01:09
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It's a vicious poster.
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Aug 13, 2018 02:20
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Saw this tonight. A lot of crying in the theatre at the very end. Was talking to a couple friends (who haven't seen the movie but heard about the end) who think it's crass and manipulative. Nah. I can see an argument that there's a bit too much humor in the movie to come out and kick you in the teeth in the last minute but gently caress it. The fight's still going. Pretending otherwise, or to make it entirely a period piece about a morsel of triumph, isn't the message. Walked down and sat on the fifth street crossing for a couple minutes afterwards. There's still a cop car with lights going blocking traffic, but it's quiet now.  Fuckin' hell.
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Aug 13, 2018 03:19
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I haven't seen BlackkKlansman yet, but I wanted to mention that I just watched Do the Right Thing for the very first time and loved it. What an exquisitely directed, entertaining as hell movie. It doesn't have an uninteresting shot, sequence or line of dialog in the whole of its 2 hours.
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Aug 13, 2018 15:33
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaWtWAvUb-4
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Aug 13, 2018 16:22
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Glad the high school juggalo from Sunny is getting work
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Aug 14, 2018 03:05
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Spatulater bro! posted:I haven't seen BlackkKlansman yet, but I wanted to mention that I just watched Do the Right Thing for the very first time and loved it. What an exquisitely directed, entertaining as hell movie. It doesn't have an uninteresting shot, sequence or line of dialog in the whole of its 2 hours. I'm a really big fan of his early movies and love their theatre kid, set dressed to hell and back aesthetic. Don't skip School Daze especially
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Aug 14, 2018 07:40
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Just saw it and thought it was really good. Like a lot of Lee's work it's uneven and basically took on the world, but the highs were really goddamn high. Two things really stood out to me: The tonal variation that allowed him to portray the Klan as both incompetent dolts worthy of endless mockery but also dangerous was amazing. Usually you do one or the other but that was spot on and really sold the theme. The other is the white power/black power montage which is just a masterclass in film storytelling basically setting up the radically different and yet self-referencing philosophies and summing up American race relations. It's outstanding. And is no one going to mention Harry Motherfucking Belafonte laying down the civil rights struggle during that scene? That was a beautiful nod to a hero.
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Aug 15, 2018 05:32
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I like the part in the movie where they're just talking about blaxploitation films, and how the only heroes for black folks are either cops or pimps. Counterbalanced with this repulsive screening of The Birth of a Nation isn't just the parallel scene of Belafonte's character describing the lynching of Jesse Washington, but also the whole scene of the undercover cop and the radical activist talking about blaxploitation movies, and coming to the irony of how these movies are often specifically either presenting the black hero as a cop or private detective or otherwise; or else they are, while still being the "heroes," horribly misogynistic pimps and pushers. The anachronistic references to films that hadn't even been released yet is great, and it's interesting how this scene itself even follows up on the one where Ture describes watching Tarzan movies and cheering on the white man brutalizing natives. The film is a fascinating study in applying W.E.B. Du Bois's concept of "double consciousness" (explicitly mentioned), and it uses popular culture to give expression to that, I think.
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Aug 15, 2018 06:01
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K. Waste posted:I like the part in the movie where they're just talking about blaxploitation films, and how the only heroes for black folks are either cops or pimps. Counterbalanced with this repulsive screening of The Birth of a Nation isn't just the parallel scene of Belafonte's character describing the lynching of Jesse Washington, but also the whole scene of the undercover cop and the radical activist talking about blaxploitation movies, and coming to the irony of how these movies are often specifically either presenting the black hero as a cop or private detective or otherwise; or else they are, while still being the "heroes," horribly misogynistic pimps and pushers. The anachronistic references to films that hadn't even been released yet is great, and it's interesting how this scene itself even follows up on the one where Ture describes watching Tarzan movies and cheering on the white man brutalizing natives. Yeah, I was so glad I had previously read Du Bois when I was watching the film. The film works perfectly fine on its own, but it also being a big thesis on the idea of double consciousness and the mobility and limitations afforded by that really gives it another level of depth. Like the entire thrust of the narrative is Stallworth weaponizing the social constraints placed upon him for the purpose of subterfuge, which allows him to do good, but it is a good that ideally would be unnecessary entirely in a better, more fair world. He’s forced to present himself as an Other self in order to make the world a better place, but the world would be a better place if that forced presentation was not an expectation or means of survival to begin with.
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Aug 15, 2018 14:28
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Just saw a double feature of BlacKkKlansman and Crazy Rich Asians. It was fascinating to go from a minority movie facing the problem of white racism and then transitioning to a movie completely devoid of any white characters whatsoever.
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Aug 16, 2018 01:29
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Why does he call his movies joints That sounds like they're collaborations with other directors
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Aug 16, 2018 05:25
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