Cool News
Spike Lee's Mookie Returns For RED HOOK SUMMER... And Lee Confirmed To Direct OLDBOY!
Nordling here.
Fans of Spike Lee (of which I'm one) can rejoice. Apparently he's started filming just today on a low-budget film in Brooklyn called RED HOOK SUMMER (according to Blackfilm) which is being described as bring about an "adult from Atlanta who comes and spends the summer in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn, NY." A rather vague synopsis, but since it just started, Lee's playing it close. Lee will be returning to his character of Mookie - last we saw Mookie he was collecting his money from Sal (Danny Aiello) and his sons in front of Sal's burned-out pizzeria. I'd love to return to those characters, and if RED HOOK SUMMER's not a straight up sequel, at least we can revisit those characters and see how their world has changed since that fateful night in Bed-Stuy. Da Mayor isn't with us anymore, sadly, nor is Sweet Dick Willie, but I'd love to see those characters again. Yeah, I'm a huge DO THE RIGHT THING fan. I think it's one of the finest films of the 1980s, and if someone wanted to insist on it being the finest film, I'd be hard pressed to argue the point. It's funny, true, and every damn time I see it I get something new from it. I'm overjoyed that not only is Spike working again, but he's already got his next film lined up.
You may remember Twitchfilm last week reporting that Spike would be remaking OLDBOY. Well, that's just been confirmed by Mandate Pictures, who sent along this press release:
Los Angeles (July 11, 2011) – Mandate Pictures announced today that Spike Lee (Inside Man) will direct OLDBOY, a remake of the highly-acclaimed South Korean film. Mark Protosevich has adapted the screenplay and will co-produce. Roy Lee and Doug Davison (The Departed, The Grudge) will produce. The film is a Vertigo Entertainment/40 Acres & A Mule Production. Mandate President Nathan Kahane will executive produce.
“It’s a great honor to put this special project into the hands of such a gifted writer and iconic director,” said Kahane.
OLDBOY tells the story of a man who is kidnapped and imprisoned on his daughter’s birthday. For fifteen years, he is held captive, and, upon his release, must begin his journey to find the reason for his imprisonment. He soon finds out that his kidnapper has plans for him more tortuous than his solitary confinement. The original film, released in 2003, directed by Chan-wook Park won the Grand Prize Jury Award at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.
Like I've said before, OLDBOY was going to be remade no matter what. I'm pleased that Spike Lee is the director who will be working on the project - OLDBOY is in excellent hands. Can't wait to see his take on the material.
Nordling, out.
Readers Talkback
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We just cant leave well enough alone!
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We just cant leave well enough alone!
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based on the intensity/suspense of Summer of Sam and Inside Man...I'm looking forward to this. Should be great.
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Denzel with a hammer. My ticket is bought.
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Nah, but seriously, I liked DTRT a lot. This "sequel" sounds more interesting than OLD BOY for me.
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July 11, 2011, 3:15 p.m. CST
I'm more excited by the OLDBOY news than RED HOOK SUMMER
by Continentalop
I hate when directors return to characters from projects that made them famous yours later. It smacks of desperation (Bogdanovich's TEXASVILLE and Stone's WALL STREET II come to mind). As for OLDBOY, one reason to at least like the idea of Lee directing it is because at least I know it won't be a carbon copy of the original now. Maybe it will suck, but at least it will be it's own creature. I don't want shot-by-shot remakes, I want reinterpretations, and Lee can at least do that.
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It is going to pail in comparison to the original!
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The only good thing about an Oldboy remake is more people will be exposed to the original.
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I'm not even kidding. A Greek tragedy needs a Greek chorus.
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Get on the bus? Yuck, and the other 97 movies featuring whites as one dimensional racists? Spike Lee is a racist, as bad as those cartoonish whites he writes in his movies. Hey spike, every race has assholes- newsflash. And I'm not a racist I hate everybody.. Not too much interest in another shitty american remake either..
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Did she just finish writing the word "JOINT" backward? Why is her chalk on the "J"? That's always bothered me. The poster designer should have just had her reaching her arm over a little further to make it like she just finished writing the T".
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July 11, 2011, 3:33 p.m. CST
Good! Any news that'll bring pain and despair to the resident peckerwoods up in here is blessed news indeed!
by glodene
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July 11, 2011, 3:33 p.m. CST
Spike has become a major league DOUCHE over the last decade.
by Tarijeno
I'll never forgive the guy after he went after Eastwood in the press for not writing-in some black principal characters for Flags of our Fathers. He called the guy a racist because he refused to rewrite history. Do the Right Thing was the only good thing Spike ever made and everything since has just been so-so or crap, but has been elevated to a higher status because they have a controversial director.
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July 11, 2011, 3:33 p.m. CST
I really wish an Oldboy remake wouldn't happen. I think remakes somehow damages the original movie.
by Yelsaeb
There are two types of movies in the world, my friend: the ones that get remade and the ones that don't. Which is the better crowd? I say the ones that don't. Why? Because those are the movies studios wouldn't dare to touch again, the ones they know can never be done again. The other crowd, studios say, "We can do that again. It was pretty good, but we can still do it again." At least they think that. Dawn of the Dead was a movie that had absolutely no business being remade, but they did it anyway. A massive dump was subsequently taken on the original's as well as The Romero's head. Really, that $28 million spent on doing it again could've been spent on The Romero giving us another masterpiece, but no. That's why The Romero hasn't made a true msterpiece since Dawn, no one wants to give him the money., yet they're willing to blow money on remakes. So, the moral of the story is that remakes are bad. They divert money from where it should be going: into making original movies.
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FUCK YEAH.that was the best thing in that movie.
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booooooooo
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Never noticed that before. Stuff like that usually drives me crazy. Why is she writing backwards?! I'll never be able to look at this poster without getting mad now!
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July 11, 2011, 3:45 p.m. CST
Now casting Will Smith in the lead would be the COUP DE' GRACE that'll set off a KKKracKKKa whine-fest.
by glodene
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For the lead.That is all...
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July 11, 2011, 3:51 p.m. CST
Well, seeing as I've sworn off all of this racist's movies ...
by nico_laos
... I will NOT even give it a shot. I don't care if the trailer looks like the greatest thing ever, and if the movie rakes in eleven Oscars. Fuck this movie. And fuck you too, glodene, you racist fuck.
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Or Blues Brothers 2000?
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July 11, 2011, 4:12 p.m. CST
nico_laos, Well considering all the racist shit y'all be espousin' bout anything Spike, Will or Jaden, not to mention any ethnic castin' that goes against y'all's sense of the status quo...
by glodene
y'all don't have the moral authority to cry "BOO HOO".
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I think he's be pretty awesome.
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July 11, 2011, 4:20 p.m. CST
PUUUUUUUUUUUUREE SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT
by torontoxic
Everyone crapped on Justin Kin but Spike the biggest hack ever Lee is okay? <P> Do The Right Thing was great but a TOTAL FLUKE. Everything Spike Lee has done after has at best been tolerable but for the most part its been racist bullshit. He a talentless little fucker and this will be as expected. At best tolerable. <P> The crime is this could have been great.
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you heard that here first.
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imagining this remake at all. Not in a good or bad way -- just... I don't know what to make of it.
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Nice double standard. Oldboy was based on a manga. And the movie butchered that original story. But of course, why would you care? If it's not in movie form, I guess it doesn't count. Nothing is sacred till it hits celluloid apparently. But the most silly notion of all? That a great movie can cease being great because a remake was filmed some where down the road. It must not be a very good movie if a simple remake is all it takes to ruin it's precious reputation. I'm always amazed at how narrow minded people can be.
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Excuse me for getting offended by Spike's racism. Oh, how dare white people get upset when a celebrated black filmmaker takes every opportunity to paint them in a negative light. Your racism is apparent. I bet you have a Khalid Muhammad poster on your wall.
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July 11, 2011, 5:10 p.m. CST
nico_laos, actually, i have a WHITE MAN'S BURDEN poster on my wall. Great Movie. LOL!
by glodene
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So i guess we're just gonna toss aside the fact that he made Inside Man and 25th hour, both excellent crime movies.
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Luckily I don't give a damn about Oldboy. I thought the movie was kind of ridiculous.
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It seems like their the kind of people that don't make any effort to see things from another person's perspective. 90% percent of black filmmakers and actors owe their careers to Spike. He make it acceptable for Hollywood to cast black leads in big budget flicks.
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I love DTRT and all, but I doubt it would even hit the top 10...Let's see: 1. Raging Bull 2. Empire Strikes Back 3. Paris, Texas 4. Back To The Future 5. Das Boot 6. Raiders of the Lost Ark 7. Full Metal Jacket 8. Glory 9. The Shining 10. This Is Spinal Tap Nope...
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July 11, 2011, 5:41 p.m. CST
senatorjeffersonsmith - And your SUBJECTIVE top 10 means what?
by glodene
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July 11, 2011, 6 p.m. CST
glodene- it means there were many noteworthy 80's movies to choose from.
by DoctorWho?
I would have thought that was apparent.
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July 11, 2011, 6:01 p.m. CST
I'm sure Tyler Perry's dumb ass will be in it somewhere.
by alienindisguise
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July 11, 2011, 6:02 p.m. CST
No offense to Lee but there is simply NO project I wanted Spielberg to direct more. Not even Interstellar.
by Proman1984
I know Spielberg's take would be absolutely gruesome and wretching. The director of Jaws, Private Ryan and Munich is perfect for this. It would have been phenominal. Oh well, at least I've got the best trailer of the year in Tintin to cheer me up.
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No, nothing racist here. Move along....move along.
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hahahahahhahahah hilarious
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At least it'll be interesting. The most worrisome part of that press release for me is that they put a mention of his daughter in there. You gotta not be looking for any kind of twist for the twist to hurt as good as it does if you go into the original blind, like I did...
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"Racist" doesn't mean, "those who disagree with Nico_Laus from AiCN". How's that whole white victim thing workin' out for ya, bro? Knock it off. You make us white people who were born WITH spines look bad...
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July 11, 2011, 6:18 p.m. CST
speaking as someone who's only seen one spike lee "black" film...
by Holodigm
spike seems to me as a man who, inexplicably, does not understand his own movies. when i started Do The Right Thing, i expected an anti-white hatefest after everything my parents said about him. what i got was an absolutely incredible film about hate and anger among all races, and to me it seemed the ultimate example of even-handed political filmmaking (and to me the MLK/M-X quotes seal that belief). but then i read interviews spike has done, and i'm baffled as to how this ridiculously racist dude created such an even-handed movie? the same goes for his other movies too, it seems. granted, i haven't seen jungle fever, but from what i read it was about how not only both families, but both cultures were bigoted regarding their miscegenation. and then i read some piece where he says (paraphrased) annabella sciorra was just some dumb slut who wanted some chocolate dick...wtf? maybe i should watch his other films. i've seen 25th hour and inside man, both of which i love (especially 25th hour, holy shit), and i know i'll definitely be in line for red hook summer, see if holds up to Mookie Adventure #1. i could see him doing well with oldboy though, if he either dials down the racism or integrates it into the plot in a reasonable manner...i'm down.
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The only reason I can think of that there's no confirmation yet on Denzel getting the Oh Daesu role is that his phone must be turned off. If we gotta do this Spike Lee style then I suggest Chiwetel Ejiofor for the nemesis.
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I actually can't wait. His films about Brooklyn are his best films. I even liked Crooklyn. And Mookie is much more representative of someone who was just a kid from Brooklyn than the dude playing Captain America who looks like he belongs in San Diego.
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... are proof that the only "racism" that white racists really object to is "racism" directed at them (as they see it) - reality, Lee's depiction of racism in his movies is dead on accurate - it pisses people off because he doesnt sugar coat it - i bet all the outspoken Lee haters in here are also tea baggers and Obama haters - good luck with Bachman in the primaries
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July 11, 2011, 7:22 p.m. CST
Or we could just watch the original and pretend this never happened.
by Doctor_Strangepork
Spike, you're a good filmmaker, but you're no Park Chan-wook.
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I enjoyed some of Spike's seminal early works like "Do the Right Thing," but over the past decade he has become one of my favorite, most consistent directors. "Bamboozled," "25th Hour," "Inside Man," "Miracle at St. Anna"... I found them all to be really terrific films. As someone else on this TB said, his attachment to "Oldboy" is good news for no other reason that we KNOW it won't be an attempt at a frame-for-frame remake of Wook Park's film. Had someone attempted that, it would've been a tragedy and an embarrassment for film. Spike Lee will definitely bring his "vision" to the film, and while that doesn't guarantee a great film... it does guarantee an INTERESTING one. The original is my favorite film of the aughts. I love, love, love that film. But a remake doesn't tarnish the original at all for me. Every time I open up that Tartan DVD, it will still be the same Chan Wook Park film inside of there. Now I'll just have an interesting alternate take on the material to watch in 2013.
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..Spike Lee does nothing but bitch about rich "white" people not making him a star....So they made him a star, based on him bitching about "white" people....Talk about a conflict of interests...My experience with the S. Koreans at the LA Cultural Center, which houses the Korean Film Council, (The film industry is a government suported industry in S. Korea) taught me many S. Koreans also don't care much for "white" people unless they too are elevated by "white" people to superior status than "white" people...at the expense of talented "white" people...This subversive tributary crap to radical, racist minds has got to go. It is not even about making films anymore, it is about using culture as an offensive medium and trying to justify it by an economic contrivance.
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Spike Lee is the biggest bigot and hypocrite in "Hollywood." That man has so much anger inside of him that he'll never give black and white people an "equal chance." For him, it's "only black people," even when he has white support. Fuck this guy, and someone tell him to try smiling once in a while.
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OLD BOY is one of the dumbest movies I've ever seen. A couple of good fight scenes but thereafter a stupid plot that was completely and utterly unbelievable and dependent on an insane set of fortuitous and completely incomprehensible plot developments. Watching it was a waste of my time. There's no way I'd waste any more of my time with a stinking remake, no matter who directed it.
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...are some dudes making "Best of the 80s" Lists in this goddamn talkback and NOT including "Blue Velvet" and "Bladerunner?" Did that just happen?
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July 11, 2011, 8:18 p.m. CST
seansarto: You must feel SO oppressed, you poor thing!
by Huey_Freemans_afro
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I loved DTRT, Malcolm X, Clockers, 25th Hour, She's Gotta Have It, Inside Man, and Miracle At Santa Ana. Whatever differences I have with him. Hell, I have differences with most people involved in movie making these days. If I went to movies solely based on personal politics, my moviegoing experiences would suck.
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July 11, 2011, 8:21 p.m. CST
Schwarzengollum: If he's had "white support" this long, then clearly he doing something right.
by Huey_Freemans_afro
And if you think he hates white ppl so much, obviously you haven't paid attention.
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July 11, 2011, 8:30 p.m. CST
NEWSFLASH, guys: Spike Lee is NOT Louis Farrakhan.
by Huey_Freemans_afro
Sure, he's done some angry black movies amongst other things. A lot of you may not want to admit this, but black ppl have a lengthy history of getting screwed over in America. Spike Lee put a lens to this issue. Hell, someone had to. And SHOCKER: there are plenty of people, black and white, (in the US and beyond) who applaud what Spike Lee has done. That's why he still gets to make movies!
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Some of you give him no credit for mellowing out over the past 2 decades. He's gotten WAY more subtle about his points.
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yes, he do!
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This is still good news. thanks nordling!
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I loved Inside Man & it remains one of my most favorite films of all time...& honestly the Miracle of St Anna wasn't as horrible as everyone gave it credit for being...but other than those two...nothing & I mean NOTHING he has ever done appeals to me. No matter what he or any of his supporters say...that guys twice the racist that he accuses the actor's & director's that he despises of being. On top of that...he's a monumental crybaby.
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... when it was revealed to be all about evil white people. From any other african american director ... I wouldn't have even cared. But it was just so fucking typical of Spike.
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I just don't care about it because the movie is so much better. None of it matters, though. The manga and the movie are both rip-offs of the Bollywood classic Zinda.
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I mean in the other film, you've got a guy that gets tortured for the entire film and not only he can't properly avenge himself but he cut his own fucking tongue. That's UnAmerican. In America we like our hero with balls that win in the end.
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July 12, 2011, 12:37 a.m. CST
nico_laos, to my knowledge, Spike didn't write the script or produce. He was merely hired as the director. (Which is a first for him.)
by victor_von_gloom
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so he slipped up and said some stupid shit to Eastwood. I don't give a fuck. He's a great choice for Oldboy imo, looking forward to it. I hope he nails it.
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July 12, 2011, 2:39 a.m. CST
He had been saying racist shit long before the Eastwood incident.
by nico_laos
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great movie,i have to watch that again.
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stuff like the superb Summer of Sam should show his main affinity lies with NY rather than any ethnic group you may want to bash him with. Base Oldboy in NY, and have it as a trawl through the seedy underbelly a la Cruising et al, and it will work. Stick it in LA or somewhere else, and it will be mainly be a perfunctory exercise by a competent filmaker.
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Rosie Perez and her beautiful twins!
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July 12, 2011, 7:39 a.m. CST
I'd rather have a shitty director like brett ratner tackle oldboy.
by baronweazle
That way Spike wouldn't be wasting his talents and Ratner wouldn't be fucking up a potentially good film like X3 or Red Dragon(and no the remake of oldboy is in no way a potentially good film. the original is a fucking classic masterpiece). I do have to agree, that Spike Lee(and the white characters in his films) often seems pretty racist to me. Not all of us white guys are evil spike!
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was far superior anyway.
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...and I haven't seen any film trucks recently. There's a bar around the corner that was just used for "incredibly loud and extremely close" and some episodes of "blue collar" and more, but no trucks recently. Red Hook ain't that big, and I'll keep an eye out.
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...and pay attention to your white privilege whining. As I said in the other Spike Lee/Oldboy post you have to have POWER to carry out your prejudiced attitudes to be RACIST. Complaining about Spike being racist is silly. Please go do your homework about Racism in America (power & privilege, the social construct of white superiority, the history of racism) before you go spouting off. I share Nordling's sentiment: "I'm overjoyed that not only is Spike working again, but he's already got his next film lined up."
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Where a stranger with a big bloody hook brings down teenagers.
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...considering the dark secret of both the protagonist and antagonist.
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July 12, 2011, 12:43 p.m. CST
Is that going to be an urbanized adaptation of Lovecraft’s “The Horror at Red Hook?"
by frank
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July 12, 2011, 1:22 p.m. CST
i agree, Spike isn't a Racist but he's definately an overbearing asswipe.
by Stalkeye
However as the other poster had mentioned, if Denzel gets the Hammer, I'm there!
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Racism is thinking one group is innately better than another. I've never seen that attitude from Spike. Presenting all whites as racist? Edward Norton in 25th Hour? When did a director like Woody Allan ever have a black character front and center in one of his films? Or present one with such humanity at all? I don't see you guys calling HIM racist. Get off it--you don't like the fact that Spike holds up a mirror to some of the ugliness still extant in our nation. Just look at the comments here, and you'll see how right he is.
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Because they're long and full of smoke.
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Spike answers questions that might have controversial answers in the way that he is expected to: with a controversial answer. He likes provoke a response, like a snapped whip, to shock and anger people. That's his thing. He's a grown man, who has dealt with things and witnessed things in his life that he is angry about. He expresses that anger in his work, and, perhaps less constructively, in his comments. If you are angered by his comments, that's fine. That's the point. You just got stung a little bit. How does it feel? Spike wanted you to feel that. He wins. You feel he's a racist. Interesting. What is it like to feel put upon and mistreated and unfairly judged by someone else? Makes you mad, huh? Think about that shit, just for a second. It upsets you that some guy you will never meet, who makes movies, is racist. A guy who doesn't have the ability to hire or fire you, or decide if your neighborhood is rezoned or rehabbed, or if you should go to jail for 6 months or 5 years, or if your kid can attend a school in a certain neighborhood, or if you can rent an apartment from him, or if you can get a loan, or if you can marry someone you love. Think about that. Contrast and compare just a little. Spike wins again. If Spikes movies are racist, I'm a little shocked, because (my opinion) they seem fairly balanced. If you think they're racist films and unrealistic, then you must live in Awesomeville, USA. Because his portrayals are softcore compared to some of the things I've seen here in Chicago. And if you can't suss out that every character is not meant to represent every human being that shares similar backgrounds, that's not the fault of the filmaker. Did anyone actually watch Bamboozled? If you're self-centered enough not to realize that it was an indictment of black people themselves of their crimes AGAINST themselves, you've got some serious comprehension problems. To the main topic: I'm bored by the Red Hook movie, and am willing to wait and see on Oldboy (Spike or no, I have reservations about Americas ability to handle an unabridged remake).
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That was a nice write up that makes no sense. <P> Here: How many movies has Spike Lee made while he was a marketable property that in any way featured people other than black people that weren't 2 dimensional monsters? None. He's a bigot. Add to the 25th Hour was a phenomenal script and Inside Man was a better script than it was a movie as well. He got handed gold and made jewellery from it. I don't really give him much credit. Plus Inside Man had about 8 different visions he went with depending on the scene. <P> Oldboy has a great message. Spike Lee 100% will not maintain that because subtext is about as familiar to him as Wonder Bread.
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I liked Oldboy, but it really wasn't the greatest film in the world to me either. I mean I was loving the WTF first part- the hammer scene is great, although we're always wondering why he is not just shot dead- but then I just lost interest in the plodding and hysterical third act. So, I'm interested to see what Spike Lee brings to this- and, yes, it has to be set in NYC, right? After Inside Man, I was thinking he should do more director-for-hire projects- it was a solid flick, and I really liked his personal touches. I think Lee's a really talented filmmaker, but one who needs a really tight script with strong characters. I have been pretty underwhelmed with several of his films (He Got Game, Crooklyn, or even the highly ambitious Malcom X felt kind of flat to me), but She's Gotta Have It, School Daze, Do The Right Thing, were a fantastic start, and I'd put Clockers, Bamboozled and 25th Hour up there with his best work.
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I'll refrain from pointing out how many films come out that show black characters as anything other than two dimensional. Or gay characters. Or asian characters. Okay, I won't refrain from that, since I just did. Doesn't support the argument that Spike DOESN'T do that, but it illustrates how people respond more strongly when they feel that they are the put upon party. Also, name some of these two dimensional parties. Are you specifically excluding the 25th Hour and Inside Man because Spike didn't write them? That seems a little unfair. As a director he certainly could have altered the story any way he liked. Most do when adapting written works. I politely disagree with your position as to ALL his films having 2D white characters. Also, I point out that I never made a point that all Spike Lee films are classic, so objective quality arguments are irrelevant to me.
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