Spike Lee

MALCOLM X Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: February 9th, 2012 at 5:00 am

Spike Lee’s Malcolm X is twenty years old, but the controversy surrounding it still feels fresh. At the time, Lee was considered a dangerous filmmaker, and no one was sure how the film would be received and if it would start riots. And Lee made it of the moment; he opened with the Rodney King beating, which now may have no context to younger viewers. But now, it’s simply a great movie that is saddled with a bio-pic structure. Denzel Washington gives a career best performance as the criminal transformed into a great leader and thinker. Our review of Malcolm X on Blu-ray follows after the jump.

Sundance 2012: RED HOOK SUMMER Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 24th, 2012 at 11:26 pm

Spike Lee has never suffered from a lack of ambition and the most remarkable thing about his latest film, Red Hook Summer, is how it finds so many ways to be absolutely terrible.  Every seed of a good idea is smothered under the weight of incompetent directing, horrible pacing, rancid dialogue, and atrocious performances from its lead child actors.  The film vomits up banal editorials, slight commentary on religion, minor observations on modern filmmaking, and a vague sense of community.  Many of the main characters celebrate Jesus, and that carries over to the audience when you thank Christ that the movie is over.

Start Date for Spike Lee’s OLDBOY Pushed Back; Clive Owen Unlikely to Play Villain

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 6th, 2012 at 1:12 pm

Men in Black 3 is why we can’t have nice things. Production on Spike Lee’s remake of Oldboy was gearing up to begin this spring, but now due to star Josh Brolin’s press commitments for the trouble-laden Men in Black 3, Variety’s Jeff Sneider reports that the start date has been pushed to late summer/early fall. But that’s not all, as Sneider quickly followed up with the bad news that Clive Owen is now unlikely to take on the villain role in the pic. Details on why Owen may pass aren’t given, but it’s possible that the production move caused scheduling difficulties (though creative differences/monetary disputes could also be the culprit).

Owen makes the third such actor (that we know of) to turn down a part in the pic, as Colin Firth and Christian Bale both declined the villain role and Rooney Mara turned down the female lead. Last we heard, an offer was out to Mia Wasikowska for the female role, but news on that front has been quiet. I’m still eagerly anticipating Lee’s take on the story, but the casting troubles do give me pause. Hopefully the director is able to round the cast out with some fine actors sooner rather than later.

New Images and Synopsis for Spike Lee’s RED HOOK SUMMER

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 29th, 2011 at 9:36 am

Spike Lee‘s Red Hook Summer is one of my must-see films at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.  The movie features a cast comprised mostly of unknown and all we knew about the plot was the brief logline: “A young Atlanta boy spends his summer in Brooklyn with his grandfather, who he’s never seen before.”  A full synopsis has gone online and reveals that the grandfather, Enoch (The Wire‘s Clarke Peters) is a strict firebrand preacher who “is bent on getting [the boy] to accept Jesus Christ as his personal savior.”

Hit the jump to read the full synopsis and check out new images from the film.  The 2012 Sundance Film Festival runs from January 19–29^th.

Clive Owen Offered Villain Role in Spike Lee’s OLDBOY Remake [UPDATED: Mia Wasikowska Offered Female Lead]

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 16th, 2011 at 2:29 pm

Director Spike Lee is gearing up to start production on his remake of Oldboy here pretty soon, and he continues to zero in on his cast. Josh Brolin is set to play the protagonist, a man who is inexplicably imprisoned for 15 years, only to be set free and sent on a hunt to track down those responsible for his abduction and imprisonment. Colin Firth was first approached to take on the villain role, and confirmed as much a few weeks ago, but he’s since passed on the role. Now Twitch reports that Lee has offered the part to Clive Owen.

While I was really hoping to see Firth in the role, Owen isn’t a bad substitute. He’s got the sophistication thing down, and it’ll be interesting to see him square off against Brolin. Owen and Lee have a bit of history together, as Owen starred in Lee’s underrated thriller Inside Man, so their relationship probably bodes well for the chances of Owen accepting the offer. Now to see whom Lee chooses as his female lead. [Update: Well that was fast; Mia Wasikowska (The Kids Are All Right) has apparently been offered the female lead. Hit the jump for more.]

Spike Lee to Direct Eddie Murphy in HBO Film About Former Washington D.C. Mayor Marion Barry

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: December 9th, 2011 at 11:51 am

With a whole slew of comedies both spectacular and downright terrible in his past, Eddie Murphy is looking to take on the most serious role of his career. The Washington Post reports Murphy is slated to star in a biopic of former Washington D.C. mayor Marion Barry for HBO Films. Even more interesting is that Spike Lee is also attached to direct the film which looks to use various sources (like the 1994 book Dream City) to tell the life story of Barry, the first prominent civil-rights activist to become chief executive of a major American city and a man who has endured various political and legal controversies and has somehow maintained his popularity and influence on the nation’s capitol. This just might be a film that paints Murphy in a new light and could open the door for more dramatic roles in his future. The actor received an Oscar nomination for Dreamgirls previously, but his role was still pretty comedic, so this will certainly be a big change of pace. Stay tuned.

Colin Firth Offered Villain Role in Spike Lee’s OLDBOY Remake?

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: November 11th, 2011 at 2:10 pm

While no one was especially enthused with the idea of an American Oldboy remake, simply because director Park Chan-wook’s original is so fantastic, things got intriguing once Spike Lee signed on to direct. Then he cast Josh Brolin as the lead, and I have to say I was pretty onboard with this new version at that point. Now Lee may be adding even more prestige to the pic as Twitch is reporting that Academy Award-winner Colin Firth has been offered the villainous role of Adrian. For those unfamiliar, the story centers on a man who is abducted and imprisoned for 15 years, after which he’s inexplicably released and sent on a hunt to track down those responsible for his imprisonment. Chan-wook’s original is a hard-boiled revenge tale that culminates in a shocking/mind-blowing conclusion.

I’m wholeheartedly onboard with Firth as the villain, if only because a Brolin-Firth showdown sounds incredibly exciting. His casting may not be a done-deal though, as Variety’s Jeff Sneider tweeted that the deal is old news and Firth has passed. Hopefully we find out for sure soon. Rooney Mara was offered the female lead, but she subsequently (and sadly) turned it down, so Lee is also looking to fill that role.

Spike Lee’s New Joint RED HOOK SUMMER Set for Summer 2012 Release; Nate Parker and Clark Peters Join Cast

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: September 16th, 2011 at 12:57 pm

Director Spike Lee is currently hard at work shooting his next film Red Hook Summer, and now it looks like the pic has a tentative release date. Details on the exact nature of the film are scarce, as we only know that it centers on an adult from New York who spends the summer in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn, and Lee will be reprising his role as Mookie from his pivotal 1989 flick Do The Right Thing. Earlier today, Lee took to his Twitter and posted an image of him standing next to a garage door that looks like a mock-up of an early poster for the film with the tagline “Burning Up Da Summer 2012!”

So, straight from the horse’s mouth, it seems like we’ll be getting a new Spike Lee Joint next summer. Aside from Lee’s role, the purported cast list includes Turron Kofi Alleyne, Samantha Ivers, Limary Agosto, Heather Simms, Kalon Jackson, and Blackfilm.com adds Clarke Peters (The Wire) and Nate Parker (Red Tails) to the list. After Red Hook Summer, Lee will move onto the remake of Oldboy with Josh Brolin set to star. Hit the jump to see the full promo poster.

Josh Brolin to Star in Spike Lee’s OLDBOY Remake

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: August 29th, 2011 at 12:35 pm

We previously reported that Josh Brolin was the top choice to play the lead in Spike Lee’s remake of Park Chan-Wook’s 2003 Korean revenge flick, Oldboy.  Now Deadline is reporting that he’s got the job.  For those unfamiliar with the original, the story centers on a man who is abducted and imprisoned for 15 years with no idea why or by whom.  When he is suddenly released for seemingly no reason, he goes on a hunt to track down and kill those responsible for his imprisonment.  The original is a thoughtful, thrilling, and a fresh take on the revenge genre and I’m excited to see how Lee is going to handle the American version.  Getting Josh Brolin on board ain’t a bad start.

Deadline reports that Brolin just wrapped on Men in Black III and that he’s moving on to Ruben Fleischer’s Gangster Squad.  The plan is to then shoot Oldboy before moving on to co-star with Kate Winslet in Jason Reitman’s Labor Day, which starts rolling in June.

New Details on Spike Lee’s OLDBOY Remake; Josh Brolin Top Choice to Play Lead Role

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: July 12th, 2011 at 2:03 pm

It looks like the remake of Chan-wook Park’s Oldboy has finally caught fire.  Yesterday, we reported that Spike Lee would direct the film and today we’ve learned some new details regarding the remake.  Twitch, who first broke the story about Lee’s involvment, reports that Mark Protosevich’s screenplay borrows not only from the original South Korean film but also from the manga that inspired it.  Furthermore, the screenplay is said to be similar to how The Departed adapted Infernal Affairs.  Protosevich’s script reportedly borrows some elements from the pre-existing works, jettisons others, and introduces new material.  The new material makes up about 20% of the remake’s screenplay.

Hit the jump for more details and Mandate’s top choice to play the revenge-driven protagonist.

Spike Lee Confirmed to Direct OLDBOY Remake

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: July 11th, 2011 at 11:52 am

Looks like everything is coming up Spike Lee.  On the heels of the news that he was underway on shooting the indie feature Red Hook Summer, Mandate has sent out a press release confirming that he’ll direct the remake of Chan-wook Park’s South Korean revenge thriller Oldboy.  Lee will direct from a screenplay by I Am Legend screenwriter Mark Protosevich.  For those unfamiliar with the original film, it’s about a man who is held captive for 15 years even though he doesn’t understand the reason for his capture or unexpected release.

While I’m baffled by what a remake could bring the table when the original film is so incredible, at least Mandate has gotten a real filmmaker like Lee on board and I’m at least interested to see his take on the material.  Hit the jump for the press release.

Spike Lee Reprising His Role from DO THE RIGHT THING for New Film RED HOOK SUMMER

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: July 11th, 2011 at 9:05 am

Early this morning, Spike Lee tweeted, “Wake Up. I been up since 430am. On the way to the set of THE NEW SPIKE LEE JOINT.Today is 1st Day of Shooting.Awwwwwwwwwwww Sheeeeeeeeeeeeet.”  Spike Lee hasn’t stepped in front of the camera since 1999′s Summer of Sam, but he’ll be reprising his role as “Mookie” from his seminal 1989 film Do the Right Thing for his new film, Red Hook Summer.  According to Shadow and Act [via The Playlist and Blackfilm] “the story centers on an adult from Atlanta who comes and spends the summer in Red Hook section of Brooklyn, NY.”  Lee recently told THR that he was having trouble getting financing for his next film, but it looks like that problem has been sorted out and it sounds like this will be a smaller indie project in contrast to his recent feature films Miracle at Santa Anna and Inside Man.

It’s exciting that Lee is getting a new film off the ground and that Red Hook Summer may serve as a kind of sequel to Do the Right Thing.  Lee was also linked to a remake of Oldboy and he’s set to direct Da Brick, an HBO series based on the early life of Mike Tyson.

Spike Lee in Talks to Direct OLDBOY Remake?

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: July 6th, 2011 at 7:05 am

Much like its protagonist Oh Daesu, the remake of Chan-wook Park’s Oldboy is very hard to kill (provided the opponent is a thug in a long corridor).  Last November, we reported that Mandate Pictures was still interested in the remake and loved the script by Mark Protosevich (I Am Legend) turned in.  The studio was looking at Steven Spielberg, Matthew Vaughn, and Danny Boyle to take the director’s chair, but now a new name has gone on the list.  Twitch reports that Spike Lee is in talks to direct the film.  While I think an American remake of Oldboy is a bad idea, it could still be a hit and if it gives Lee the boost he needs to make more personal films, then so be it.

Back in 2009, Will Smith was reportedly interested in the lead role, but now that’s a laugh.  Quentin Tarantino wrote Smith a raw, challenging role for Django Unchained and Smith passed (Jamie Foxx will play the role instead).  It’s unlikely he would play the lead in a dark revenge thriller.  On the other hand, frequent Lee collaborator Denzel Washington would be a great choice.

Spike Lee to Direct DA BRICK, a New HBO Series Based on Mike Tyson’s Youth

by Jackson Cresswell    Posted: June 21st, 2011 at 10:53 pm

Back in 2010, Mike Tyson appeared in a guest role on Entourage.  Apparently, while on set, Tyson and series creator Doug Ellin had a conversation.  Ellin said that during the conversation, “Mike asked me, why don’t do with my life what we did with Mark’s life?”

According to Deadline, instead of taking the suggestion as a joke, Ellin instead set about crafting a dramatic series around Mike Tyson’s experience growing up as a boxer in an urban environment.  After developing the project with his production partner, Jim Lefkowitz, Ellin passed writing duties to John Ridley who then convinced Spike Lee to direct the project.

Hit the jump to read more about the series, titled Da Brick.

Spike Lee’s IF GOD IS WILLING AND DA CREEK DON’T RISE DVD Review

by Dan Dugan    Posted: May 9th, 2011 at 6:00 am

It was the winner of 3 primetime Emmys, including 4 other wins and 8 nominations: When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts. Such a documentary presented by BBC was said to be a “haunting look” at what destruction Hurricane Katrina brought to New Orleans back in 2005, and the one-and-only director, Spike Lee, was “in a fine muckraking mood” when filming that production. But that’s not the end of the story. Now we have If God is Willing and Da Creek Don’t Rise, a 4-hour sequel that covers life after Katrina: a crippled, but determined community wanting to restore their healthcare, education, housing, economic development, and law and order.

But it is faced with “unprecedented adversity”: the government conspires to get rid of poor people, fails to meet the needs of its citizens, and confronts one of the worst natural disasters in history, the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. But the most pressing question is: what future waits for the people of New Orleans? To answer this, If God is Willing and Da Creek Don’t Rise unites people from former governmental officials to local Louisianan families to sit down and frame their opinion of the situation at hand. Some of them begin pointing fingers at each other, and when these fingers go jabbing, they jab hard. Hit the jump for my full review.

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