One Thing I Love Today is a daily column dedicated to putting a spotlight on some pop culture item worth your attention. After all, there's enough snark out there. Why not start every day with one quick shotgun blast of positivity? When people say "What movie is missing from the conversation if you think the Oscars were too white?" this year, the answer to that question, first and foremost, is Spike Lee's Chi-raq. And I am just as guilty of missing the boat as every member of the Academy. One of the saddest images in any film in recent memory is Jennifer Hudson scrubbing the blood of her dead 7-year-old out of the pavement of a Chicago sidewalk, and it is not, by any means, the best or most powerful moment in Spike Lee's latest remarkable film. Chi-raq is stylistically bold, and it uses a heightened theatrical reality...
- 2/23/2016
- by Drew McWeeny
- Hitfix
Though presented as a modern day adaptation of Aristophanes’ play Lysistrata, steeped in Greek mythology, there’s something patently Shakespearian about Spike Lee’s latest production, Chi-Raq. Midsummer Night’s Dream springs to mind, with Samuel L. Jackson appearing as Puck, narrating proceedings with his indelible, dulcet tone, while the majority of the dialogue is presented in
The post Berlinale 2016: Chi-Raq Review appeared first on HeyUGuys.
The post Berlinale 2016: Chi-Raq Review appeared first on HeyUGuys.
- 2/18/2016
- by Stefan Pape
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
For Amazon Studios' first original movie release, they agreed to finance Spike Lee's rhyming reworking of Aristophanes' classic Lysistrata, "Chi-Raq" (Lionsgate/Roadside, December 4), betting that the Brooklyn filmmaker was back in his agit-prop sweet spot from the days of "She's Gotta Have It," "Do the Right Thing" and "Bamboozled." Indeed, "Chi-Raq" is ripped from the headlines of violence between young black males on Chicago's South Side. It's what you expect from Lee: vibrant, lively, idiosyncratic, engaging, musical, chaotic and bombastic. It's never dull. Dapper Samuel L. Jackson serves as the film's narrator/Mc/Greek chorus, as we follow wondrous beauty Lysistrata (Teyonah Parris of "Dear White People"), who loves her raucous sex with her gangsta man Chi-Raq ("Drumline" star Nick Cannon), but hates the gun violence his posse wrecks on the people of their neighborhood. Lee...
- 2/4/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
February may be the shortest month of the year, but the major streaming sites certainly haven't used that as an excuse to slack off. Perhaps motivated by the imminent Leap Day, Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime are unleashing an absolute blizzard of new titles over the next four weeks — from a martial-arts sequel 16 years in the making, to a note-perfect new comedy series that's arriving just in time to cure (or inflame) those post-Valentine's Day blues. Here are our top 10 picks for what to watch in the next 29 days.
11.22.63 (Hulu,...
11.22.63 (Hulu,...
- 2/1/2016
- Rollingstone.com
New films from Lee Tamahori and Anne Zohra Berrached also added.
The Berlin International Film Festival (Feb 11-21) has completed the line-up of its Competiton programme, of which 18 out of 23 will vye for the Golden and Silver Bears. A total of 19 titles of the films are world premieres.
Spike Lee’s Chi-Raq will receive its international premiere as part of the strand, but will play out of competition.
The film stars Nick Cannon, Teyonah Parris and Wesley Snipes, and is a modern day adaptation of the ancient Greek play Lysistrata by Aristophanes, set against the backdrop of gang violence in Chicago.
Germany’s Anne Zohra Berrached, who premiered Two Mothers at the Berlinale’s Perspektive Deutsches Kino in 2013, returns with 24 Weeks (24 Wochen). The film centres on the dilemma faced by a woman who is already six months pregnant when she learns that her unborn child will have Down‘s syndrome as well as a serious heart defect...
The Berlin International Film Festival (Feb 11-21) has completed the line-up of its Competiton programme, of which 18 out of 23 will vye for the Golden and Silver Bears. A total of 19 titles of the films are world premieres.
Spike Lee’s Chi-Raq will receive its international premiere as part of the strand, but will play out of competition.
The film stars Nick Cannon, Teyonah Parris and Wesley Snipes, and is a modern day adaptation of the ancient Greek play Lysistrata by Aristophanes, set against the backdrop of gang violence in Chicago.
Germany’s Anne Zohra Berrached, who premiered Two Mothers at the Berlinale’s Perspektive Deutsches Kino in 2013, returns with 24 Weeks (24 Wochen). The film centres on the dilemma faced by a woman who is already six months pregnant when she learns that her unborn child will have Down‘s syndrome as well as a serious heart defect...
- 1/20/2016
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
After taking to Kickstarter in 2013 to raise funds for his pic Da Sweet Blood Of Jesus, Spike Lee ventured into new territory again in 2015 with the Amazon Studios release of Chi-Raq. Based on Aristophanes' Lysistrata, the passionately anti-gun-violence film was the inaugural feature to be fully financed and put in the theaters by the Jeff Bezos company along with Roadside Attractions. Reuniting the two-time Oscar-nominated and Peabody Award-winning director with Samuel…...
- 1/8/2016
- Deadline
After discussing the year’s breakthrough directors, it’s time to traverse to the other side of the camera. Whether it’s their very first performances or a talent who’s been seen in a variety of features yet, for whatever reason, hadn’t been allowed to command the screen, this year’s breakthrough actors are an eclectic group. Ranging from some of the highest-grossing features of the year to minuscule independent dramas, check out our rundown of a dozen breakthrough actors that left the biggest impression on us in 2015.
Christopher Abbott (James White)
In the five months found within James White, our title character is at the most difficult chapter of his life thus far. Grieving the loss of his father and attempting to assist his ailing mother, the drama authentically depicts the brutality of the process. Commanding every scene of the film — and in most sequences, nearly all...
Christopher Abbott (James White)
In the five months found within James White, our title character is at the most difficult chapter of his life thus far. Grieving the loss of his father and attempting to assist his ailing mother, the drama authentically depicts the brutality of the process. Commanding every scene of the film — and in most sequences, nearly all...
- 12/21/2015
- by TFS Staff
- The Film Stage
Spike Lee has come under fire from critics and Chicagoans alike for turning the Windy City's widespread issues with gun violence into a musical-comedy for his new film Chi-Raq, and now Chance the Rapper has added his voice to the chorus of detractors slamming the film. In a series of tweets, the Chicago native blasted the film, calling it "goofy," "exploitive and problematic."
"Let me be the one from Chicago to personally tell you we not supporting this film out here," Chance said of Chi-Raq Friday. "That shit get Zero love out here.
"Let me be the one from Chicago to personally tell you we not supporting this film out here," Chance said of Chi-Raq Friday. "That shit get Zero love out here.
- 12/5/2015
- Rollingstone.com
'Chi-Raq' with Teyonah Parris. 'Chi-Raq' movie review: The return of the Spike Lee of old The star of Spike Lee's Chi-Raq is an astounding young actress named Teyonah Parris (Dear White People); she plays Lysistrata – the name of the titular character in Aristophanes' comedy from about 411 Bce. That Greek play is about one woman's attempt to end the Peloponnesian War (a messy thing involving Athenians and Spartans, among others) by soliciting all Athenian women to withhold sex until peace is negotiated. It would have been a damn good idea to end a war. It was a great idea for a play. And it is a wonderful concept for a satirical film set amongst the very wars being fought on the streets of Chicago and in so many other cities around the world, here on the planet of angry men and their powerful guns. Scary boyfriend and city The Lysistrata...
- 12/5/2015
- by Tim Cogshell
- Alt Film Guide
Welcome to Outrage Watch, HitFix's semi-regular rundown of entertainment-related kerfuffles. Not anxious enough already? Get your fix of righteous indignation below, and stay posted for outrage updates throughout the week. The films of Spike Lee tend to provoke strong reactions, and the situation is no different with his latest effort, the provocatively-titled gun-violence satire "Chi-Raq." So who's outraged this time? Though the film has accrued a long list of critics in advance of its release, the highest-profile yet is Chicago-bred Mc Chance the Rapper, who in a vicious Twitter rant Friday charged the fantastical, destined-to-be-polarizing film for being an "exploitive" and "problematic" look at his native city's epidemic of gun violence: Let me be the one from Chicago to personally tell you we not supporting this film out here — Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) December 4, 2015 That shit get Zero love out here. Shit is goofy and it's a bunch of ppl...
- 12/5/2015
- by Chris Eggertsen
- Hitfix
Is it a good month in America for an antigun movie or what? Bitches, it’s always a good month in America for an antigun movie. The newest, Spike Lee’s Chi-Raq, might be the best ever. It’s sexy, brash, and potent — a powerful weapon in its own right. It’s an adaptation of Aristophanes’ 413 Bce antiwar satire Lysistrata, in which the title character — whose name means “army disbander” — convinces the women of Greece to withhold sex to get the men to stop fighting the Peloponnesian War. Lee shifts the battlefield from distant Sparta to the streets of Chicago, where young black males are busy killing young black males — along with unlucky bystanders, some of them children. The title is a fusion of Chicago and Iraq — although a prologue points out that fewer Americans have actually died in Iraq since the turn of the millennium. Rahm Emmanuel...
- 12/4/2015
- by David Edelstein
- Vulture
Photo credit: Parrish Lewis, Courtesy of Roadside Attractions and Amazon Studios
Spike Lee’s Chi-raq re-imagines Aristophanes’ ancient Greek comedy “Lystrata” as modern plea for peace in violence-torn Chicago. Chi-Raq is a term the director reportedly heard on the streets, used to compare violence-racked Chicago neighborhoods to war-torn Iraq. In the classic Greek play, the women on both sides of warring Sparta and Troy join together to end the war by staging a sex boycott. No sex for the men until there is no war. In Chi-raq, the Spartans and the Trojans are opposing gangs in a disadvantaged neighborhood, where their violent warfare is killing children in the streets.
It is a clever idea, moving this ancient comedy to Chicago’s bloody streets, using humor, music, sex and truth-telling to put a spotlight on the situation in these disadvantaged city neighborhoods. Sometimes a person just has to speak out, even if nothing will change,...
Spike Lee’s Chi-raq re-imagines Aristophanes’ ancient Greek comedy “Lystrata” as modern plea for peace in violence-torn Chicago. Chi-Raq is a term the director reportedly heard on the streets, used to compare violence-racked Chicago neighborhoods to war-torn Iraq. In the classic Greek play, the women on both sides of warring Sparta and Troy join together to end the war by staging a sex boycott. No sex for the men until there is no war. In Chi-raq, the Spartans and the Trojans are opposing gangs in a disadvantaged neighborhood, where their violent warfare is killing children in the streets.
It is a clever idea, moving this ancient comedy to Chicago’s bloody streets, using humor, music, sex and truth-telling to put a spotlight on the situation in these disadvantaged city neighborhoods. Sometimes a person just has to speak out, even if nothing will change,...
- 12/4/2015
- by Cate Marquis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Chi-Raq
Written by Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee (based on the Greek play Lysistrata by Aristophanes)
Directed by Spike Lee
USA, 2015
With the number of homicides in Chicago exceeding the combined number of casualties in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars over the same period of time, Spike Lee is in a rabblerousing mood. His message in Chi-Raq is urgent, intermittently funny, and often heavy-handed. Undermined by a haphazard mix of melodrama and satire, Chi-Raq achieves its social objectives while faltering as a film. Ultimately, Lee has created a satire for people who don’t like satire. It’s a timely effort that will raise awareness through its passion but fade through its flaws.
It takes guts to make a satire based on a Greek play that no one can pronounce, comprised solely of rhyming couplets. In this case, Lee uses the Aristophanes’ comedy, Lysistrata, in which a determined woman organizes a...
Written by Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee (based on the Greek play Lysistrata by Aristophanes)
Directed by Spike Lee
USA, 2015
With the number of homicides in Chicago exceeding the combined number of casualties in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars over the same period of time, Spike Lee is in a rabblerousing mood. His message in Chi-Raq is urgent, intermittently funny, and often heavy-handed. Undermined by a haphazard mix of melodrama and satire, Chi-Raq achieves its social objectives while faltering as a film. Ultimately, Lee has created a satire for people who don’t like satire. It’s a timely effort that will raise awareness through its passion but fade through its flaws.
It takes guts to make a satire based on a Greek play that no one can pronounce, comprised solely of rhyming couplets. In this case, Lee uses the Aristophanes’ comedy, Lysistrata, in which a determined woman organizes a...
- 12/4/2015
- by J.R. Kinnard
- SoundOnSight
Sexual Healing: Spike Lee’s New Joint Aims to Anoint
Provocateur Spike Lee continues to fling his ambition into surprising experimental formats and narratives. Following the box office failure of his 2008 war drama Miracle at St. Anna, Lee has branched out inventively, though his feature narrative products have not often received the same level of critical acclaim elicited by his early titles from the late 80s and early 90s when he was a lone representative of black independent cinema at the art house. After funding 2012’s Red Hook Summer out of pocket and controversially trawling Kickstarter for 2014’s Da Sweet Blood of Jesus (a remake of Bill Gunn’s 1973 classic Ganja & Hess), he’s back with his grandest platform in quite some time with Chi-raq, so named for the controversial moniker Chicago has earned due to the astronomical urban violence plaguing the metropolis’ South Side. Assembling an impressive cast, including...
Provocateur Spike Lee continues to fling his ambition into surprising experimental formats and narratives. Following the box office failure of his 2008 war drama Miracle at St. Anna, Lee has branched out inventively, though his feature narrative products have not often received the same level of critical acclaim elicited by his early titles from the late 80s and early 90s when he was a lone representative of black independent cinema at the art house. After funding 2012’s Red Hook Summer out of pocket and controversially trawling Kickstarter for 2014’s Da Sweet Blood of Jesus (a remake of Bill Gunn’s 1973 classic Ganja & Hess), he’s back with his grandest platform in quite some time with Chi-raq, so named for the controversial moniker Chicago has earned due to the astronomical urban violence plaguing the metropolis’ South Side. Assembling an impressive cast, including...
- 12/2/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Following Tuesday night's New York premiere of Spike Lee's Chicago gun violence film Chi-Raq —held hours after embattled Windy City mayor Rahm Emanuel fired police chief Garry McCarthy for his department's role in the 2014 shooting death of unarmed black teenager Laquan McDonald — the director led stars Wesley Snipes, John Cusack, Nick Cannon, and Teyonah Parris, among others, on a "march in solidarity" with Chicago (via Variety).
Based on the satirical, but righteously angry, story of Lysistrata, a 2,400-year-old Aristophanes comedy about a woman who tries to end the Peloponnesian...
Based on the satirical, but righteously angry, story of Lysistrata, a 2,400-year-old Aristophanes comedy about a woman who tries to end the Peloponnesian...
- 12/2/2015
- Rollingstone.com
Spike Lee‘s made his career by tackling, head-on, important socio-political issues revolving around race, inequality, and prejudice. With his latest entry, Chi-Raq, a title that evokes an intrinsic relationship between the midwest city and the middle east country, the NYC-based filmmaker is back with a furious vengeance. Creating a hybrid between a modern-day musical and a spoken-word poetry slam, this film embodies the essence of protest and captures perfectly the mood of countless frustrated Americans who attempt to affect change through demonstrations. It’s not a straightforward narrative, either, instead eschewing dramatic conventions for powerful vignettes that bring the important messages of the film to a boil.
Based loosely on Aristophanes’ ancient Greek play Lysistrata, Chi-Raq interweaves the thematic exposé of sexual relations from the original text with the epidemic of gang-war violence. The film opens with large bold red letters reading ‘This is an emergency” as the sounds of blistering alarms echo,...
Based loosely on Aristophanes’ ancient Greek play Lysistrata, Chi-Raq interweaves the thematic exposé of sexual relations from the original text with the epidemic of gang-war violence. The film opens with large bold red letters reading ‘This is an emergency” as the sounds of blistering alarms echo,...
- 12/1/2015
- by Raffi Asdourian
- The Film Stage
Chi-Raq is a modern day adaptation of the ancient Greek play “Lysistrata” by Aristophanes. After the murder of a child by a stray bullet, a group of women led by Lysistrata organize against the on-going violence in Chicago’s Southside creating a movement that challenges the nature of race, sex and violence in America and around the world.
Starting with Pray 4 My City by Nick Cannon. YouTube that, it's not bad, I know you might not believe me. It's a powerful song during the opening credits where Cannon (Chi-Raq) smacks us right in the face, eventually showing violent statistics which should touch a nerve. Just a black screen with bold lyrics. The first character we meet is Samuel L. Jackson as Dolmedes who delivers a warning of the tale in store. Violence, in case you are unaware, has become synonymous with Chicago, Illinois. Within moments of our warning gunshots ring...
Starting with Pray 4 My City by Nick Cannon. YouTube that, it's not bad, I know you might not believe me. It's a powerful song during the opening credits where Cannon (Chi-Raq) smacks us right in the face, eventually showing violent statistics which should touch a nerve. Just a black screen with bold lyrics. The first character we meet is Samuel L. Jackson as Dolmedes who delivers a warning of the tale in store. Violence, in case you are unaware, has become synonymous with Chicago, Illinois. Within moments of our warning gunshots ring...
- 11/30/2015
- by Tyler Richardson
- LRMonline.com
Spike Lee‘s controversial film “Chi-Raq” is set to arrive in theaters just as Chicago makes headlines for another horrifying shooting. “Chi-Raq,” a modern day adaptation of the ancient Greek play “Lysistrata” by Aristophanes, is set against the backdrop of soaring gang violence in Chicago. The Amazon Studios release debuts on Dec. 4 in select theaters, and will then be available on Amazon Instant Video shortly thereafter. Lee’s satirical take on gun violence stars John Cusack, Nick Cannon, Teyonah Parris, Samuel L. Jackson, Wesley Snipes, Jennifer Hudson and Angela Bassett. Also Read: 'Chi-Raq' Review: Spike Lee Spins Sexual...
- 11/26/2015
- by Anita Bennett
- The Wrap
Read More: First Reviews of 'Chi-Raq' Say It's Spike Lee's Most Exciting Movie in Years Spike Lee's politically-charged "Chi-Raq" is earning the director some of his best reviews in over a decade, and now Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions have released a new 90-second trailer, in addition to two clips that tease the powerhouse screen presence of lead Teyonah Parris and the film's rap-infused screenplay. Co-written with Kevin Willmont, the new Spike Lee joint is a modern day adaptation of Aristophanes' ancient Greek play "Lysistrata." Parris stars as the eponymous character, who reacts to the murder of a child by a stray bullet by organizing a group of women against the ongoing violence in Chicago’s Southside. In order to make the gangs put down their guns, Lysistrata begins a boycott that finds the women remaining abstinent. Featuring a star-studded supporting cast — Nick Cannon, Wesley Snipes,...
- 11/25/2015
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
I'm a huge fan of Greek tragedy, and I remain a fan of Spike Lee, despite some recent missteps in a few films. His latest, Chi-Raq, will be released in the Us on December 4th, and it looks pretty awesome, reminiscent of Do the Right Thing and Mo Better Blues in combining politics with music, though perhaps on a grander scale (and with a bigger budget).An adaptation of the Greek play Lysistrata by Aristophanes, Chi-Raq is set in contemporary Chicago, where the murder of a child by a stray bullet serves as a rallying cry to the black women of the city. To battle the ongoing violence of the city's south side and make the men put down their guns, the women withhold sex. This...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 11/25/2015
- Screen Anarchy
Provocatively using Aristophanes' ever-timely 2,426-year-old play Lysistrata as a way to address the ongoing plague of shootings on the South Side of Chicago, Spike Lee serves up an odd gumbo teeming with political activism, broad melodrama, verse dialogue, rap music, history lessons, comedic caricature, moral guidance and steamy sex (later withheld) in Chi-Raq. Even if the now-veteran director lays everything on a bit thick, repeatedly makes many of the same points and lets things go on too long, he's still found a lively and legitimate way to tackle an urgent subject matter that other
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- 11/23/2015
- by Todd McCarthy
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Director Spike Lee is no stranger to controversy. Quite the contrary; it.s become a nearly inseparable part of who the man is. Sometimes it finds him, other times he is the catalyst behind it. His latest feature film is no exception. From its title to its subject matter, Lee will be drawing attention to the problem of violence in Chicago.s south side, and Mayor Rahm Emanuel is none to happy about it. The film, titled Chi-Raq a portmanteau of Chicago and Iraq, takes the classical play by Aristophanes, Lysistrata and transports it to modern day Chicago in an area where violence is out of control. In the original play Lysistrata organizes women to withhold sex from their military husbands in an attempt to bring an end to the Peloponnesian War. In Lee.s film the focus will be Chicago area gang violence. Needless to say a film that...
- 11/16/2015
- cinemablend.com
Here’s a first look at the official poster for Spike Lee’s Chi-raq, featuring Teyonah Parris. (via Indiewire’s Shadow & Act)
Watch the Music Video for “We Gotta Do Better” by Kevon Carter as heard in Chi-raq.
The movie stars Nick Cannon, Wesley Snipes, Jennifer Hudson, Teyonah Parris, D.B. Sweeney, Harry Lennix, Steve Harris, Angela Bassett, John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson.
Chi-raq is a modern day adaptation of the ancient Greek play “Lysistrata” by Aristophanes. After the murder of a child by a stray bullet, a group of women led by Lysistrata organize against the on-going violence in Chicago’s Southside creating a movement that challenges the nature of race, sex and violence in America and around the world.
Rated R for strong sexual content including dialogue, nudity, language, some violence and drug use.
Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions will release Chi-raq in theaters December 4, 2015.
For more info:
http://chiraqthemovie.
Watch the Music Video for “We Gotta Do Better” by Kevon Carter as heard in Chi-raq.
The movie stars Nick Cannon, Wesley Snipes, Jennifer Hudson, Teyonah Parris, D.B. Sweeney, Harry Lennix, Steve Harris, Angela Bassett, John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson.
Chi-raq is a modern day adaptation of the ancient Greek play “Lysistrata” by Aristophanes. After the murder of a child by a stray bullet, a group of women led by Lysistrata organize against the on-going violence in Chicago’s Southside creating a movement that challenges the nature of race, sex and violence in America and around the world.
Rated R for strong sexual content including dialogue, nudity, language, some violence and drug use.
Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions will release Chi-raq in theaters December 4, 2015.
For more info:
http://chiraqthemovie.
- 11/12/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
With an issue as prevalent and ongoing as the violence in areas of Chicago, Spike Lee‘s new film Chi-Raq has already caused a stir — and it hasn’t even been released yet. The first trailer, which debuted earlier this week, featured unexpected humorous tone in certain sections, backed by the varied cast of Samuel L. Jackson, Wesley Snipes, Nick Cannon, Jennifer Hudson, Teyonah Parris, Angela Bassett, and, yes, even Dave Chappelle. The tone on display caused a bit of a controversy, and so the director is here to respond with his own trailer (really, just a collection of snippets), but first, an introduction.
“The trailer was released and there are very humorous moments in the trailer,” he says. “Now, some people are getting it twisted and thinking this is a comedy. Chi-Raq is not a comedy. Chi-Raq is a satire — and there’s a difference between humor and comedy.
“The trailer was released and there are very humorous moments in the trailer,” he says. “Now, some people are getting it twisted and thinking this is a comedy. Chi-Raq is not a comedy. Chi-Raq is a satire — and there’s a difference between humor and comedy.
- 11/6/2015
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Watch the trailer for Spike Lee’s Chi-raq.
The movie stars Nick Cannon, Wesley Snipes, Jennifer Hudson, Teyonah Parris, D.B. Sweeney, Harry Lennix, Steve Harris, Angela Bassett, John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson.
Chi-raq is a modern day adaptation of the ancient Greek play “Lysistrata” by Aristophanes. After the murder of a child by a stray bullet, a group of women led by Lysistrata organize against the on-going violence in Chicago’s Southside creating a movement that challenges the nature of race, sex and violence in America and around the world.
Rated R for strong sexual content including dialogue, nudity, language, some violence and drug use.
Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions will release Chi-raq in theaters December 4, 2015.
For more info:
http://chiraqthemovie.com/
Facebook.com/chiraqthemovie
Instagram @chiraqthemovie
Twitter @chiraqthemovie
SnapChat @chiraqthemovie
#chiraqthemovie
The post Spike Lee’s Chi-raq Gets A First Poster And Trailer appeared first on We Are Movie Geeks.
The movie stars Nick Cannon, Wesley Snipes, Jennifer Hudson, Teyonah Parris, D.B. Sweeney, Harry Lennix, Steve Harris, Angela Bassett, John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson.
Chi-raq is a modern day adaptation of the ancient Greek play “Lysistrata” by Aristophanes. After the murder of a child by a stray bullet, a group of women led by Lysistrata organize against the on-going violence in Chicago’s Southside creating a movement that challenges the nature of race, sex and violence in America and around the world.
Rated R for strong sexual content including dialogue, nudity, language, some violence and drug use.
Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions will release Chi-raq in theaters December 4, 2015.
For more info:
http://chiraqthemovie.com/
Facebook.com/chiraqthemovie
Instagram @chiraqthemovie
Twitter @chiraqthemovie
SnapChat @chiraqthemovie
#chiraqthemovie
The post Spike Lee’s Chi-raq Gets A First Poster And Trailer appeared first on We Are Movie Geeks.
- 11/4/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Chi-Raq Movie Trailer. Spike Lee‘s Chi-Raq (2015) movie trailer stars Samuel L. Jackson, Nick Cannon and John Cusack. Chi-Raq‘s plot synopsis: “A modern day adaptation of the ancient Greek play Lysistrata by Aristophanes, set against the backdrop of gang violence in Chicago.” Spike Lee has made some of the Great American Films. Think Do The Right Thing (1989), think Summer of Sam […]...
- 11/4/2015
- by Marco Margaritoff
- Film-Book
Spike Lee is back and he’s making a statement.
The first trailer for his new film, Chi-Raq, takes us right into the racial tensions of modern America as only Lee can. The film stars Nick Cannon, Wesley Snipes, Jennifer Hudson, Teyonah Parris, D.B. Sweeney, Harry Lennix, Steve Harris, Angela Bassett, John Cusack, and Samuel L. Jackson.
The official synopsis is:
Chi-Raq is a modern day adaptation of the ancient Greek play “Lysistrata” by Aristophanes. After the murder of a Child by a stray bullet, a group of women led by Lysistrata organize against the on-going violence in Chicago’s Southside creating a movement that challenges the nature of race, sex and violence in America and around the world.
The film looks like it will make waves and Lee has assembled a strong cast to pull off this feat. It is also worth mentioning that this will be the first...
The first trailer for his new film, Chi-Raq, takes us right into the racial tensions of modern America as only Lee can. The film stars Nick Cannon, Wesley Snipes, Jennifer Hudson, Teyonah Parris, D.B. Sweeney, Harry Lennix, Steve Harris, Angela Bassett, John Cusack, and Samuel L. Jackson.
The official synopsis is:
Chi-Raq is a modern day adaptation of the ancient Greek play “Lysistrata” by Aristophanes. After the murder of a Child by a stray bullet, a group of women led by Lysistrata organize against the on-going violence in Chicago’s Southside creating a movement that challenges the nature of race, sex and violence in America and around the world.
The film looks like it will make waves and Lee has assembled a strong cast to pull off this feat. It is also worth mentioning that this will be the first...
- 11/3/2015
- by Zach Dennis
- SoundOnSight
With little over a month until its release via Amazon Instant Video, we now have our first trailer for Spike Lee’s latest political satire Chiraq.
Coming by way of Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions (via IMDb), Lee’s latest feature film as a timely and hard-pressing as ever, opening with lurid emergency message the grabs your attention with two firm hands and refuses to let go. Situated in Chicago, Illinois, the drama sheds light on the issue of violence and gun crime in the Windy City, and in case you hadn’t already guessed, the title itself is a play on the city’s name and the front lines of Iraq.
There’s more to Chiraq than meets the eye, though, as the director’s new creative venture acts as a modern-day adaptation of the ancient Greek play Lysistrata by Aristophanes. The official logline describes the picture as so:...
Coming by way of Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions (via IMDb), Lee’s latest feature film as a timely and hard-pressing as ever, opening with lurid emergency message the grabs your attention with two firm hands and refuses to let go. Situated in Chicago, Illinois, the drama sheds light on the issue of violence and gun crime in the Windy City, and in case you hadn’t already guessed, the title itself is a play on the city’s name and the front lines of Iraq.
There’s more to Chiraq than meets the eye, though, as the director’s new creative venture acts as a modern-day adaptation of the ancient Greek play Lysistrata by Aristophanes. The official logline describes the picture as so:...
- 11/3/2015
- by Michael Briers
- We Got This Covered
Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions have released the first trailer for Spike Lee’s latest political satire "Chi-Raq" which is based on the ancient Greek play "Lysistrata" by Aristophanes, set against the backdrop of gang violence in Chicago. The film stars Nick Cannon, Angela Bassett, Wesley Snipes, Jennifer Hudson, Samuel L. Jackson and John Cusack.
After the murder of a child by a stray bullet, a group of women led by Lysistrata organize against the on-going violence in Chicago's Southside creating a movement that challenges the nature of race, sex and violence in America and around the world.
Check out the trailer below.
"Chi-Raq" hits theaters on December 4 in limited release, then streams exclusively on Amazon.com.
Source: IMDb...
After the murder of a child by a stray bullet, a group of women led by Lysistrata organize against the on-going violence in Chicago's Southside creating a movement that challenges the nature of race, sex and violence in America and around the world.
Check out the trailer below.
"Chi-Raq" hits theaters on December 4 in limited release, then streams exclusively on Amazon.com.
Source: IMDb...
- 11/3/2015
- by Kellvin Chavez
- LRMonline.com
It wouldn’t be a Spike Lee film if there weren’t any controversy. “Chi-Raq,” the writer-director’s latest project, has been criticized by Chicago city officials, namely because the film’s title links the city to the Iraq war. “Homicides in Chicago, Ill., have surpassed the death toll of American special forces in Iraq,” says a voice in the new trailer, after the words “This Is An Emergency” blare on the screen. Lee brings a high-stakes, real-life situation to movie theaters, compelling us to take stock of rampant gun violence on the streets of Chicago and beyond. That Lee does so by using the framework of Aristophanes’ ancient Greek comedy “Lysistrata” is a testament to his creative brilliance. This story’s version of the heroine Lysistrata (the fiery Teyonah Parris) rallies the women on Chicago’s South Side to organize a sex strike with the aim of ending gang warfare,...
- 11/3/2015
- backstage.com
"Welcome to Chi-Raq! Land of pain, misery and strife." Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions have debuted the official trailer for Chi-Raq, the new Spike Lee Joint that's hitting limited theaters this fall. Samuel L. Jackson narrates and introduces this film, and the full ensemble cast features Nick Cannon, Teyonah Parris, Anya Engel-Adams, Wesley Snipes, Angela Bassett, Jennifer Hudson and Dave Chappelle. It's described as a modern adaptation of the ancient Greek play "Lysistrata" by Aristophanes, but it's actually a look at the violence and murders in Chicago, and how the people can fight back together. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Spike Lee's new film Chi-Raq, from IMDb (on YouTube): A modern day adaptation of the ancient Greek play Lysistrata by Aristophanes, set against the backdrop of gang violence in Chicago. After the murder of a child by a stray bullet, a group of women led by...
- 11/3/2015
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Chi-Raq, Spike Lee’s latest joint, is an update of Aristophanes’ anti-war comedy Lysistrata, otherwise known as the play where all the women of Athens stop having sex with their husbands in an effort to bring the devastating Peloponnesian War to an end. Set in the modern day south Chicago Urban war zone nicknamed Chi-Raq (as in “Iraq”) the story sees a group of women organize against the on-going violence after the murder of a child by a stray bullet, by withholding…...
- 11/3/2015
- Deadline
Amazon Studios released the first trailer for Spike Lee‘s “Chi-Raq” on Tuesday. The film is based on the Greek play “Lysistrata” by Aristophanes. Samuel L. Jackson serves as the chorus telling the story of a “gorgeous Nubian sister” name Lysistrata (Teyonah Parris) who convinces the women of Chicago to withhold sex until the men of the city agree to stop the violence that is plaguing it. In addition to Parris and Jackson, the film stars Nick Cannon, Wesley Snipes, Angela Bassett and Jennifer Hudson. Lee directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Kevin Willmott. Also Read: Spike Lee Slams 'Misinformed'...
- 11/3/2015
- by Joe Otterson
- The Wrap
Surprise! A new Spike Lee joint is ready, coming into theaters in the middle of Oscar season. Amazon Studios came on board to finance Lee’s “Chi-Raq” earlier this year, but few thought the drama would be released in 2015. It's a movie that looks at the widespread murder in Chicago —though it's also said to include comedy and musical elements— and Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate recently stepped up to partner with Amazon to release the film theatrically. Here’s the official synopsis: Chi-Raq is a modern day adaptation of the ancient Greek play “Lysistrata” by Aristophanes. After the murder of a Child by a stray bullet, a group of women led by Lysistrata organize against the on-going violence in Chicago’s Southside creating a movement that challenges the nature of race, sex and violence in America and around the world. Read More: The Films Of Spike Lee: A Retrospective "Chi-Raq" stars Nick Cannon,...
- 11/3/2015
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
Spike Lee‘s Chi-Raq came together before we could hardly take notice. Less than six months after casting announcements were made, we’re looking at a December theatrical and, courtesy of Amazon Studios, VOD release, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a rushed, compromised, or small-scale project. If the first trailer serves as a proper indication, this is the sort of loose, crazy Lee we recently saw return in Da Sweet Blood of Jesus, this time with a clear-as-day political satire on his mind. What results could be electrifying.
Depending on how much you want your social commentary to be steeped in Greek myth (specifically Lysistrata) and (if I’m not being misled) some sort of Brechtian fantasy, that is. Well, I like it, and the list of assembled players — Samuel L. Jackson, Wesley Snipes, Nick Cannon, Jennifer Hudson, Teyonah Parris, D.B. Sweeney, Harry Lennix, Steve Harris, Angela Bassett, and...
Depending on how much you want your social commentary to be steeped in Greek myth (specifically Lysistrata) and (if I’m not being misled) some sort of Brechtian fantasy, that is. Well, I like it, and the list of assembled players — Samuel L. Jackson, Wesley Snipes, Nick Cannon, Jennifer Hudson, Teyonah Parris, D.B. Sweeney, Harry Lennix, Steve Harris, Angela Bassett, and...
- 11/3/2015
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
A month ahead of its release, the first trailer has gone online for the Spike Lee-directed "Chiraq". Loosely based on Aristophanes' comedy "Lysistrata", the story follows a group of women who decide they are going to withhold sex from their partners via a pledge in an effort to curb gun violence in Chicago. Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate will give the film a limited release on December 4th followed by an Amazon Instant Video premiere soon after.
- 11/3/2015
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Musical comedy set in inner Chicago and starring Teyonah Parris, Wesley Snipes and Jennifer Hudson slated for December streaming premiere – in time to qualify for the 2016 Oscars
Streaming service Amazon will follow rival Netflix in releasing its first home-produced film, Spike Lee’s Chiraq, in time for next year’s Oscar race.
Lee’s feature, which he finished shooting last week, is a musical comedy set in violent inner-city Chicago and follows a woman (Teyonah Parris) who goes on sexual strike to protest against black-on-black gun violence, in a narrative based on Aristophanes’s Lysistrata.
Continue reading...
Streaming service Amazon will follow rival Netflix in releasing its first home-produced film, Spike Lee’s Chiraq, in time for next year’s Oscar race.
Lee’s feature, which he finished shooting last week, is a musical comedy set in violent inner-city Chicago and follows a woman (Teyonah Parris) who goes on sexual strike to protest against black-on-black gun violence, in a narrative based on Aristophanes’s Lysistrata.
Continue reading...
- 7/16/2015
- by Henry Barnes
- The Guardian - Film News
Spike Lee finally has something to say about his Chiraq movie (yeah, the one that unfortunately doesn't have Kanye West anymore), but it's mostly directed at the film's premature critics. "Artists I love," he said at a press conference Thursday, "they hold a mirror up to what is happening in the world, and they do that with no fear. If you have fear then how are you gonna tell the truth?" Chiraq has reportedly drawn criticism from local politicians (including Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel) for the project's name, as well as the film's content, which has to do with the city's gang and gun violence in a musical comedy format that's supposed to look like a modern twist on Aristophanes's Lysistrata. "This film's not about Chicago losing business," Lee added, noting that the film will deal with real-life drama in Chicago in a sensitive way. "Let's not put property...
- 5/15/2015
- by Sean Fitz-Gerald
- Vulture
Early pre-Cannes reports of Spike Lee's Chiraq had pegged Kanye West as one of the musical comedy's stars. Unfortunately, Yeezus won't be gracing the big screen with his presence after all. "Contrary to published reports, Kanye West will not be starring in Chiraq," one of West's reps told Vulture in a statement. "However, there are discussions for West's possible involvement in the film's soundtrack, schedule permitting." Until further notice, it looks like Common, John Cusack, Jeremy Piven, Samuel L. Jackson, and Jennifer Hudson are still involved in the modern-day twist on Aristophanes's Lysistrata. (But Yeezy, why have you forsaken us?) Hopefully Yeezymas will come early this year and he'll decide to stay for the soundtrack.
- 5/13/2015
- by Sean Fitz-Gerald
- Vulture
Update: EW is reporting that Kanye won't be appearing in the film, so...you may now continue living your life. - Ps Details on Spike Lee's Chiraq were scarce when the Amazon Studios project was first announced last month, but now Screen Daily has learned that it is a musical reimagining of the ancient Greek comedy Lysistrata, and "will centre on a woman’s quest to end gang warfare in Chicago." Written by Aristophanes, the play is about a woman...
- 5/12/2015
- by Jesse Giroux
- JoBlo.com
Spike Lee's Chiraq movie will not just be a gritty look at violence in Illinois, but rather a musical comedy, Screen Daily reports. The movie will feature Kanye West, Jennifer Hudson, Samuel L. Jackson, and John Cusack, in a reimagining of the ancient Greek comedy Lysistrata, by Aristophanes. In a modern twist, the movie will reportedly revolve around a woman's quest to put the kibosh on gang violence in Chi-Town's Englewood neighborhood; the Chicago Tribune speculates that Chiraq's story will probably adhere to the play's conceit that there will be no sex till the violence ends. The movie is set to go with Amazon, but Screen Daily adds that Lee & Co. have plans to release the project in theaters. No date has been set, and there's been no confirmation regarding Common's and Jeremy Piven's rumored roles. But there will definitely be music, Yeezus, and (no) sex,...
- 5/12/2015
- by Sean Fitz-Gerald
- Vulture
Theater has inspired, entertained, and challenged audiences for thousands of years, but at the crux of great work is often great controversy. These bold playwrights have courted scandal and worse for the sake of their messages; here are 10 important plays that have flown in the face of historical norms, confronting censorship (and even violence) for the sake of art and expression. “Lysistrata,” Aristophanes, 411 B.C.Politically charged theater is not a recent phenomenon; Aristophanes wrote this anti-war comedy in 411 B.C., and productions continue to spark angry protests to this day. The plot centers on a female-led sex-strike, and themes of power and sex are at the root of the comedy and the controversy. The United States’ Comstock Law banned “Lysistrata” in 1873, and the Moscow Art Theatre faced threats of arrest when it brought its production to the States in the 1920s. The play has since been adapted into numerous films,...
- 10/21/2014
- backstage.com
As we enter the final week of Villains’ Month, you get the feeling DC are really scraping the bottom of the barrel when they put out a comic about an obscure ’70s character who never made an impact in the DC Universe: Joker’s Daughter.
Who!? Wha…? Zzz….
Because we’re talking about a character I’m certain nobody knows, I’m going to include a brief history of her before I get into the review. Joker’s Daughter was created by Bob Rozakis and Irv Novick, first appearing in the Batman Family series in 1976. Besides claiming she was Joker’s Daughter, she also pretended to be Riddler’s Daughter, Penguin’s Daughter, and Scarecrone(!), the Scarecrow’s daughter, before it was revealed that she was actually Two Face’s daughter, Duela Dent. Most recently she appeared in Catwoman #23 and at the end of this issue we’re informed that,...
Who!? Wha…? Zzz….
Because we’re talking about a character I’m certain nobody knows, I’m going to include a brief history of her before I get into the review. Joker’s Daughter was created by Bob Rozakis and Irv Novick, first appearing in the Batman Family series in 1976. Besides claiming she was Joker’s Daughter, she also pretended to be Riddler’s Daughter, Penguin’s Daughter, and Scarecrone(!), the Scarecrow’s daughter, before it was revealed that she was actually Two Face’s daughter, Duela Dent. Most recently she appeared in Catwoman #23 and at the end of this issue we’re informed that,...
- 9/26/2013
- by Noel Thorne
- Obsessed with Film
★★☆☆☆ A nondescript North African mountain village, serves us the setting for French director Radu Mihaileanu's re-imagining of Aristophanes' Lysistrata as a comedy drama about a group of Muslim women rebelling against their patriarchal social system in The Source (La source des femmes, 2011). Aristophanes' comedy saw the women of ancient Greece uniting to end the Peloponnesian War by refusing to take their men into their beds until peace was agreed and this is the same strategy employed by the woman of this village.
Read more »...
Read more »...
- 7/16/2012
- by CineVue
- CineVue
There's a thesis to be written about water in the cinema. Key texts would include Bad Day at Black Rock, Once Upon a Time in the West, Jean de Florette/ Manon des sources, and Chinatown. To these can be added Even the Rain and The Source, European-financed movies about impoverished citizens in respectively Bolivia and north Africa battling with the authorities over the provision of water to their communities. The better of the two is the gripping Even the Rain, scripted by Ken Loach's regular screenwriter Paul Laverty and directed by the Spanish actress Icíar Bollaín, author of a book about working with Loach. Intertwined are a real-life story of a battle to prevent the privatisation of water in the Bolivian city of Cochabamba in 2000 and the fictional production in the neighbourhood of a feature film about Christopher Columbus and his legacy. The makers of the movie-within-the-movie are themselves...
- 5/19/2012
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
Chicago – The morality of conflict is brought to form in the new film, “Where Do We Go Now?,” written and directed by Nadine Labaki. This is a speculative fable about a small town in Lebanon that lives in harmony, as long as they are stay away from religious battles that plague the rest of the country. The town loves their peace, and the women there want to keep it that way.
Nadine Labaki is a native of Lebanon, and grew with the continuous warfare associated with the country. Her escape was the television screen, where she both observed the outside world and absorbed all the films she could rent. This led to a lifelong interest in making movies, and she received her degree in film studies at Beirut’s Saint-Joseph University. Her final year project, “11 Rue Pasteur,” won the 1998 best short film at the Biennale of Arabic Cinema in Paris.
Nadine Labaki is a native of Lebanon, and grew with the continuous warfare associated with the country. Her escape was the television screen, where she both observed the outside world and absorbed all the films she could rent. This led to a lifelong interest in making movies, and she received her degree in film studies at Beirut’s Saint-Joseph University. Her final year project, “11 Rue Pasteur,” won the 1998 best short film at the Biennale of Arabic Cinema in Paris.
- 5/17/2012
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
In Broadway's Lysistrata Jones, The Athens University basketball team hasn't won a game in 30 years. But when spunky transfer student Lysistrata Jones Patti Murrin dares the squad's fed-up girlfriends to stop giving it up' to their boyfriends until they win a game, their legendary losing streak could be coming to an end. In this boisterous new musical comedy, Lyssie J. and her girl-power posse give Aristophanes' classic comedy a sexy, modern twist and take student activism to a whole new level.In the videos below, go backstage with understudy Jared Zirilli as he shares his experience in his very own blog Catch up on episodes 1 and 2 below...
- 12/29/2011
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
Thank you, Aristophanes.
A mere 2,400 years after he wrote "Lysistrata," its latest take-off "Lysistrata Jones" is the best musical of the Broadway season.
It would be too easy to dismiss this as "High School Musical" east just because of singing and dancing basketball players. This is a musical with substance, energy and joy, and it's impossible to leave frowning.Patti Murin, as Lysistrata, or Lyssie, who was also wonderful and exuberant in "Xanadu" and Liz Mikel ("Friday Night Lights") as Hetaira, a courtesan not to be crossed, are magnificent. Mikel has the presence and voice of a woman who knows her power.
And she's only too happy to share that power and wisdom with a ragtag bunch of college cheerleaders and one strident librarian on work-study. The story, at least its main point, remains true.
As they say in the opening number, "It's a play by Aristophanes/He's dead/so we do as we please.
A mere 2,400 years after he wrote "Lysistrata," its latest take-off "Lysistrata Jones" is the best musical of the Broadway season.
It would be too easy to dismiss this as "High School Musical" east just because of singing and dancing basketball players. This is a musical with substance, energy and joy, and it's impossible to leave frowning.Patti Murin, as Lysistrata, or Lyssie, who was also wonderful and exuberant in "Xanadu" and Liz Mikel ("Friday Night Lights") as Hetaira, a courtesan not to be crossed, are magnificent. Mikel has the presence and voice of a woman who knows her power.
And she's only too happy to share that power and wisdom with a ragtag bunch of college cheerleaders and one strident librarian on work-study. The story, at least its main point, remains true.
As they say in the opening number, "It's a play by Aristophanes/He's dead/so we do as we please.
- 12/18/2011
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
New York – Location, location, location. When it premiered Off-Broadway early this summer in a site-specific production on a Greenwich Village gymnasium basketball court, Lysistrata Jones had a scrappy attitude and energy that were impossible to resist. Hustled uptown in a rushed transfer onto a traditional Broadway stage, this contemporary musical riff on the bawdy Aristophanes sex comedy from 411 B.C. shows signs of strain. That doesn’t mean the show’s entertainment value has been erased. But its more insubstantial qualities are magnified, demonstrating that commercial transfers are rarely an automatic slam-dunk. Shifting the action of Aristophanes’
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read more...
- 12/15/2011
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Michael Childers Douglas Carter Beane
Douglas Carter Beane wrote the book for a new musical, “Lysistrata Jones,” which opens on Broadway tonight. Beane, who also wrote “Xanadu” and “Sister Act,” took what he called a “comic riff” on the Aristophanes classic, “Lysistrata,” setting the story on a university campus and centering it on one girl, her cheerleader friends, and a basketball team.
Speakeasy caught up with Beane, who lives in Manhattan, to discuss the new show.
How did you come...
Douglas Carter Beane wrote the book for a new musical, “Lysistrata Jones,” which opens on Broadway tonight. Beane, who also wrote “Xanadu” and “Sister Act,” took what he called a “comic riff” on the Aristophanes classic, “Lysistrata,” setting the story on a university campus and centering it on one girl, her cheerleader friends, and a basketball team.
Speakeasy caught up with Beane, who lives in Manhattan, to discuss the new show.
How did you come...
- 12/14/2011
- by Barbara Chai
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
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