The American Society of Cinematographers has done the right thing.
The group said today that Oscar-winning filmmaker Spike Lee will receive its Board of Governors Award next month.
“Spike Lee is one of the most brilliant filmmakers of our time, and the social impact of his work is immeasurable,” ASC President Shelly Johnson said. “This award celebrates his respect for the partnership between director and cinematographer and how two people unite to tell a visual story in a way that can only be recognized as that of collaboration.”
The Brooklyn-raised Lee began his storied career in the 1980s as a writer-director of such films as She’s Gotta Have It, School Daze and Do the Right Thing, for which he earned a Best Original Screenplay Oscar nomination. Many more celebrated films would follow, including Malcolm X, Mo’ Better Blues, Jungle Fever, Crooklyn, Clockers, He Got Game, Summer of Sam, Girl 6,...
The group said today that Oscar-winning filmmaker Spike Lee will receive its Board of Governors Award next month.
“Spike Lee is one of the most brilliant filmmakers of our time, and the social impact of his work is immeasurable,” ASC President Shelly Johnson said. “This award celebrates his respect for the partnership between director and cinematographer and how two people unite to tell a visual story in a way that can only be recognized as that of collaboration.”
The Brooklyn-raised Lee began his storied career in the 1980s as a writer-director of such films as She’s Gotta Have It, School Daze and Do the Right Thing, for which he earned a Best Original Screenplay Oscar nomination. Many more celebrated films would follow, including Malcolm X, Mo’ Better Blues, Jungle Fever, Crooklyn, Clockers, He Got Game, Summer of Sam, Girl 6,...
- 2/6/2024
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Filmmaker Sam Pollard, one of the most prolific and important forces in contemporary documentary, will be honored by Black Public Media at its upcoming PitchBlack Awards in New York.
Pollard — who directed or co-directed four films and docuseries this year alone, including The League and Bill Russell: Legend — will receive the Bpm Trailblazer Award in a ceremony on April 25. The event is set to take place at the Stanley H. Kantor Penthouse of Manhattan’s Lincoln Center, capping the latest edition of Bpm’s PitchBLACK Forum, described as “the largest pitch competition of its kind in the United States for independent filmmakers and creative technologists who create Black content.”
“A multiple Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning producer-director-editor, Pollard is known for his work on a plethora of important works including: Eyes On The Prize, Maynard, MLK/FBI, Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power, and Mr. Soul!,” a release noted.
Pollard — who directed or co-directed four films and docuseries this year alone, including The League and Bill Russell: Legend — will receive the Bpm Trailblazer Award in a ceremony on April 25. The event is set to take place at the Stanley H. Kantor Penthouse of Manhattan’s Lincoln Center, capping the latest edition of Bpm’s PitchBLACK Forum, described as “the largest pitch competition of its kind in the United States for independent filmmakers and creative technologists who create Black content.”
“A multiple Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning producer-director-editor, Pollard is known for his work on a plethora of important works including: Eyes On The Prize, Maynard, MLK/FBI, Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power, and Mr. Soul!,” a release noted.
- 12/23/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.
Roxy Cinema
The Headless Woman and Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise screen on Friday; prints of Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, I’m Still Here, Cool Runnings: The Reggae Movie, Girl 6, and Dick Tracy play.
Anthology Film Archives
“Shopping Worlds” is a cinematic exploration of malls, offering the likes of Jackie Brown, Nocturama, and Akerman’s Golden Eighties; works by Michael Snow and von Stroheim play in Essential Cinema.
Museum of Modern Art
“Views from the Vault” closes with films by Sofia Coppola, Jia Zhangke, and more.
Museum of the Moving Image
Malcolm X, Nope, Inception, and 2001 play on 70mm in a new series; Barbershop screens on Saturday.
Film Forum
Contempt and Thelma & Louise continue screening, while the Tarantino-presented Winter Kills play on 35mm.
Bam
A restoration of the recently rediscovered Tokyo Pop continues.
IFC Center
Sucker Punch, Brüno,...
Roxy Cinema
The Headless Woman and Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise screen on Friday; prints of Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, I’m Still Here, Cool Runnings: The Reggae Movie, Girl 6, and Dick Tracy play.
Anthology Film Archives
“Shopping Worlds” is a cinematic exploration of malls, offering the likes of Jackie Brown, Nocturama, and Akerman’s Golden Eighties; works by Michael Snow and von Stroheim play in Essential Cinema.
Museum of Modern Art
“Views from the Vault” closes with films by Sofia Coppola, Jia Zhangke, and more.
Museum of the Moving Image
Malcolm X, Nope, Inception, and 2001 play on 70mm in a new series; Barbershop screens on Saturday.
Film Forum
Contempt and Thelma & Louise continue screening, while the Tarantino-presented Winter Kills play on 35mm.
Bam
A restoration of the recently rediscovered Tokyo Pop continues.
IFC Center
Sucker Punch, Brüno,...
- 8/11/2023
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
There’s no joint like a Spike Lee Joint, but what other movies does the director love?
Over four decades and 30 films, Brooklyn-raised Lee has established himself as the type of director whose work can’t be replicated. The traits that make a Spike Lee Joint a Spike Lee Joint are easy to spot: the fiery and often political subject matter, the mix of humor with drama, those iconic floaty dolly shots, and an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach to stylistic experimentation.
Lee’s fearlessness as a director makes for a fascinating mixed-bag of a filmography. The auteur has at least three undeniable masterpieces under his belt: 1989’s “Do the Right Thing,” a searing drama about police violence and racism; 1992’s “Malcolm X,” an epic starring Denzel Washington as the titular Civil Rights leader; and 2002’s “25th Hour,” the greatest portrait of life in New York after 9/11 put to film. Depending on who you ask,...
Over four decades and 30 films, Brooklyn-raised Lee has established himself as the type of director whose work can’t be replicated. The traits that make a Spike Lee Joint a Spike Lee Joint are easy to spot: the fiery and often political subject matter, the mix of humor with drama, those iconic floaty dolly shots, and an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach to stylistic experimentation.
Lee’s fearlessness as a director makes for a fascinating mixed-bag of a filmography. The auteur has at least three undeniable masterpieces under his belt: 1989’s “Do the Right Thing,” a searing drama about police violence and racism; 1992’s “Malcolm X,” an epic starring Denzel Washington as the titular Civil Rights leader; and 2002’s “25th Hour,” the greatest portrait of life in New York after 9/11 put to film. Depending on who you ask,...
- 5/10/2023
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.
Roxy Cinema
The series “Woman as Witch” offers 35mm prints of von Sternberg’s Dishonored and Alan Rudolph’s rarely screened Remember My Name.
Bam
In advance of her debut feature The African Desperate, Martine Syms has curated a series of influences—among them Spike Lee’s Girl 6, Paprika, and Happy Together.
Film Forum
A Miloš Forman retrospective celebrates the filmmaker’s 90th birthday; “Loving Highsmith” has its second weekend with Purple Noon, Strangers on a Train, and The American Friend; restorations of Alain Resnais’ The War Is Over and Carnal Knowledge continue.
Film at Lincoln Center
Three Colors: Blue, Three Colors: White, and Three Colors: Red all play in new 4K restorations.
Museum of the Moving Image
One of Johnnie To’s best films, Vengeance, screens on Friday as part of a retrospective on The Story of Film, while...
Roxy Cinema
The series “Woman as Witch” offers 35mm prints of von Sternberg’s Dishonored and Alan Rudolph’s rarely screened Remember My Name.
Bam
In advance of her debut feature The African Desperate, Martine Syms has curated a series of influences—among them Spike Lee’s Girl 6, Paprika, and Happy Together.
Film Forum
A Miloš Forman retrospective celebrates the filmmaker’s 90th birthday; “Loving Highsmith” has its second weekend with Purple Noon, Strangers on a Train, and The American Friend; restorations of Alain Resnais’ The War Is Over and Carnal Knowledge continue.
Film at Lincoln Center
Three Colors: Blue, Three Colors: White, and Three Colors: Red all play in new 4K restorations.
Museum of the Moving Image
One of Johnnie To’s best films, Vengeance, screens on Friday as part of a retrospective on The Story of Film, while...
- 9/8/2022
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Spike Lee will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Achievement in Motion Picture Direction at this year’s DGA Awards, Directors Guild of America President Lesli Linka Glatter announced today.
The DGA’s highest honor will be presented to Lee at the 74th annual DGA Awards on Saturday, March 12. Lee is the first Black director to get the award, which recognizes extraordinary efforts in the art of cinema, He joins a roster of just 35 helmers so honored, including Frank Capra, Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, Billy Wilder, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Miloš Forman and, most recently, Ridley Scott.
In a statement, Glatter said, “Icon. Trailblazer. Visionary. Spike Lee has changed the face of cinema, and there is no single word that encapsulates his significance to the craft of directing. From his groundbreaking Do the Right Thing, BlacKkKlansman, and everything in-between – to his signature ‘double dolly’ shot, Spike is an innovator on so many levels.
The DGA’s highest honor will be presented to Lee at the 74th annual DGA Awards on Saturday, March 12. Lee is the first Black director to get the award, which recognizes extraordinary efforts in the art of cinema, He joins a roster of just 35 helmers so honored, including Frank Capra, Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, Billy Wilder, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Miloš Forman and, most recently, Ridley Scott.
In a statement, Glatter said, “Icon. Trailblazer. Visionary. Spike Lee has changed the face of cinema, and there is no single word that encapsulates his significance to the craft of directing. From his groundbreaking Do the Right Thing, BlacKkKlansman, and everything in-between – to his signature ‘double dolly’ shot, Spike is an innovator on so many levels.
- 1/19/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Back in October 2019, before the pandemic, we brought you news about American Civil War movie Freedom’s Path.
The feature, which charts the friendship between a Union soldier and a runaway slave who is helping facilitate the Underground Railroad, stars Ewen Bremner (Trainspotting), Rj Cyler (Me And Earl And The Dying Girl) and Gerran Howell (Catch 22). Post-production has just wrapped.
As it turned out, the project would mark the final stops on the journey of two veteran actors who died while the movie was in post-production: Thomas Jefferson Byrd, a frequent Spike Lee collaborator, and New Orleans native Carol Sutton, both of whom had supporting roles.
Both actors died in sad circumstances. Tony-nominee Byrd was murdered in Atlanta and Sutton died of complications from Covid.
Today, the production has chosen to release two images of the admired actors in their final film, marking the first official stills from the movie.
The feature, which charts the friendship between a Union soldier and a runaway slave who is helping facilitate the Underground Railroad, stars Ewen Bremner (Trainspotting), Rj Cyler (Me And Earl And The Dying Girl) and Gerran Howell (Catch 22). Post-production has just wrapped.
As it turned out, the project would mark the final stops on the journey of two veteran actors who died while the movie was in post-production: Thomas Jefferson Byrd, a frequent Spike Lee collaborator, and New Orleans native Carol Sutton, both of whom had supporting roles.
Both actors died in sad circumstances. Tony-nominee Byrd was murdered in Atlanta and Sutton died of complications from Covid.
Today, the production has chosen to release two images of the admired actors in their final film, marking the first official stills from the movie.
- 9/21/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Lee was to have presided over the 2020 edition.
US filmmaker Spike Lee is the star of the 2021 Cannes Film Festival poster, ahead of his duties as this year’s jury president.
Lee was to have presided over the 2020 edition of the festival until it was cancelled due to the pandemic but will return to oversee the Competition jury of the 74th edition, which takes place from July 6-17.
Lee will be the first black jury president in the history of the festival, although Mauritanian-born Malian director Abderrahmane Sissako presided over the Un Certain Regard jury in 2003.
The festival said it...
US filmmaker Spike Lee is the star of the 2021 Cannes Film Festival poster, ahead of his duties as this year’s jury president.
Lee was to have presided over the 2020 edition of the festival until it was cancelled due to the pandemic but will return to oversee the Competition jury of the 74th edition, which takes place from July 6-17.
Lee will be the first black jury president in the history of the festival, although Mauritanian-born Malian director Abderrahmane Sissako presided over the Un Certain Regard jury in 2003.
The festival said it...
- 6/17/2021
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Peabody on Thursday said that documentary producer-director and film and TV editor Sam Pollard has been awarded the Peabody Career Achievement Award, while longtime PBS and CNN anchor Judy Woodruff has won the Peabody Award for Journalistic Integrity.
The honors come after the organization earlier this week gave Ava DuVernay’s Array its Institutional Award. The 30 winners of the 81st annual Peabody Awards will be unveiled later this month during a multi-day virtual presentation.
Pollard’s honor, given to individuals “whose work and commitment to broadcasting and digital media have left an indelible mark on the field and in American culture,” rewards a career of chronicling the Black experience via credits that include the landmark docus Eyes on the Prize II, Slavery By Another Name, August Wilson: The Ground On Which I Stand and Two Trains Runnin’. His director credits include Sammy Davis Jr., I’ve Gotta Be Me,...
The honors come after the organization earlier this week gave Ava DuVernay’s Array its Institutional Award. The 30 winners of the 81st annual Peabody Awards will be unveiled later this month during a multi-day virtual presentation.
Pollard’s honor, given to individuals “whose work and commitment to broadcasting and digital media have left an indelible mark on the field and in American culture,” rewards a career of chronicling the Black experience via credits that include the landmark docus Eyes on the Prize II, Slavery By Another Name, August Wilson: The Ground On Which I Stand and Two Trains Runnin’. His director credits include Sammy Davis Jr., I’ve Gotta Be Me,...
- 6/10/2021
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Among the country’s preeminent dramatists, Suzan-Lori Parks has won a 2002 Pulitzer Prize for her play Topdog-Underdog and a 2012 Tony for an adaptation of Porgy and Bess. Along the way Parks, 57, has dipped a toe in Hollywood, as far back as 1996’s Girl 6, which she wrote for Spike Lee. In recent years, she’s ramped up her screenwriting efforts — first with Native Son, the 2019 film adaptation of Richard Wright’s landmark 1940 novel, and next with The United States vs. Billie Holiday (out Feb. 26 on Hulu). The biopic, with Grammy-nominated singer Andra Day in the title role,...
- 1/29/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Among the country’s preeminent dramatists, Suzan-Lori Parks has won a 2002 Pulitzer Prize for her play Topdog-Underdog and a 2012 Tony for an adaptation of Porgy and Bess. Along the way Parks, 57, has dipped a toe in Hollywood, as far back as 1996’s Girl 6, which she wrote for Spike Lee. In recent years, she’s ramped up her screenwriting efforts — first with Native Son, the 2019 film adaptation of Richard Wright’s landmark 1940 novel, and next with The United States vs. Billie Holiday (out Feb. 26 on Hulu). The biopic, with Grammy-nominated singer Andra Day in the title role,...
- 1/29/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Spike Lee is being honored with the American Cinematheque Award, and it undoubtedly encapsulates the director’s nearly five decades of artistic achievement. The award will be presented Jan. 14 in a virtual ceremony. “It’s a recognition of the body of work, and I’ve been putting in the work since the fall of 1979,” says Lee.
Previous American Cinematheque Award honorees include Amy Adams (2017), Bradley Cooper (2018) and Charlize Theron (2019).
After graduating from Morehouse College, Lee attended New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in the graduate film program. He has been a tenured professor and the artistic director since 2002. Lee also eyes the next generation of filmmakers and considers himself a “proud parent” when looking at all of his students, including directors Shaka King (“Judas and the Black Messiah”) and Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland”).
“I’ve always felt that teachers that teach well are also learning from their students,...
Previous American Cinematheque Award honorees include Amy Adams (2017), Bradley Cooper (2018) and Charlize Theron (2019).
After graduating from Morehouse College, Lee attended New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in the graduate film program. He has been a tenured professor and the artistic director since 2002. Lee also eyes the next generation of filmmakers and considers himself a “proud parent” when looking at all of his students, including directors Shaka King (“Judas and the Black Messiah”) and Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland”).
“I’ve always felt that teachers that teach well are also learning from their students,...
- 1/14/2021
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Spike Lee will receive the American Cinematheque Award and will be honored during a virtual tribute on Jan. 14, 2021.
American Cinematheque chair Rick Nicita said the legendary director always keeps his finger on the pulse of society.
“As a cultural arts organization that celebrates the importance of film in our society, Spike Lee is the perfect choice for the Cinematheque’s annual award,” Nicita said. “Spike’s ability to perceive and depict the tone of contemporary society is shown in his movies, ranging from ‘Do the Right Thing,’ ‘She’s Gotta Have It,’ ‘Malcolm X’ and ‘BlacKkKlansman’ to name only a few. He continues his outstanding output with this year’s ‘Da 5 Bloods’ and ‘American Utopia.’ We look forward with great anticipation to where he will next shine his light.”
“BlacKkKlansman,” which Lee co-wrote and directed, won the Academy Award for adapted screenplay. He was also nominated for an Oscar for directing and producing “BlacKkKlansman.
American Cinematheque chair Rick Nicita said the legendary director always keeps his finger on the pulse of society.
“As a cultural arts organization that celebrates the importance of film in our society, Spike Lee is the perfect choice for the Cinematheque’s annual award,” Nicita said. “Spike’s ability to perceive and depict the tone of contemporary society is shown in his movies, ranging from ‘Do the Right Thing,’ ‘She’s Gotta Have It,’ ‘Malcolm X’ and ‘BlacKkKlansman’ to name only a few. He continues his outstanding output with this year’s ‘Da 5 Bloods’ and ‘American Utopia.’ We look forward with great anticipation to where he will next shine his light.”
“BlacKkKlansman,” which Lee co-wrote and directed, won the Academy Award for adapted screenplay. He was also nominated for an Oscar for directing and producing “BlacKkKlansman.
- 10/22/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
A 30-year-old man was arrested Friday by Atlanta police in connection with the killing of film actor Thomas Jefferson Byrd.
Suspect Antonio Demetrice Rhynes was arrested in an early-morning raid at an apartment complex, police said. He was booked into the Fulton County Jail. No motive or court date has been revealed.
The 70-year-old Byrd was shot several times in the back on Oct. 3. His body was discovered about 1:45 a.m. at an address southwest of downtown Atlanta, police said.
Byrd had credits in several Spike Lee films, beginning in 1995 with Clockers. He also appeared in Girl 6, He Got Game, and Bamboozled, among other films.
He also appeared in a recent Netflix adaptation of Lee’s 1986 movie, She’s Gotta Have it, the 2004 Ray Charles biopic, Ray, the political satire Bulworth, and the F. Gary Gray movie Set It Off.
“I’m so sad to announce the tragic murder...
Suspect Antonio Demetrice Rhynes was arrested in an early-morning raid at an apartment complex, police said. He was booked into the Fulton County Jail. No motive or court date has been revealed.
The 70-year-old Byrd was shot several times in the back on Oct. 3. His body was discovered about 1:45 a.m. at an address southwest of downtown Atlanta, police said.
Byrd had credits in several Spike Lee films, beginning in 1995 with Clockers. He also appeared in Girl 6, He Got Game, and Bamboozled, among other films.
He also appeared in a recent Netflix adaptation of Lee’s 1986 movie, She’s Gotta Have it, the 2004 Ray Charles biopic, Ray, the political satire Bulworth, and the F. Gary Gray movie Set It Off.
“I’m so sad to announce the tragic murder...
- 10/17/2020
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Tony-nominated actor Thomas Jefferson Byrd who is best known or his many roles in Spike Lee’s films was found killed in Atlanta. He was 70.
According to media reports, Byrd was found unresponsive early Sunday morning. Paramedics pronounced him dead as they found multiple gunshot wounds in his back.
Byrd was a frequent collaborator with Lee, appearing in eight of his films including Clockers, Get on the Bus, Girl 6, He Got Game, Bamboozled, Red Hook Summer, Da Sweet Blood of Jesus and Chi-Raq. He also appeared in the Netflix series adaptation of Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It. His film credits also include the 1996 crime drama Set It Off as well as the Oscar-winning pic Ray.
A graduate of Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Byrd made his Broadway debut in the revival of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, starring alongside Whoopi Goldberg, Carl Gordon, Charles S. Dutton and Stephen McKinley Henderson.
According to media reports, Byrd was found unresponsive early Sunday morning. Paramedics pronounced him dead as they found multiple gunshot wounds in his back.
Byrd was a frequent collaborator with Lee, appearing in eight of his films including Clockers, Get on the Bus, Girl 6, He Got Game, Bamboozled, Red Hook Summer, Da Sweet Blood of Jesus and Chi-Raq. He also appeared in the Netflix series adaptation of Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It. His film credits also include the 1996 crime drama Set It Off as well as the Oscar-winning pic Ray.
A graduate of Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Byrd made his Broadway debut in the revival of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, starring alongside Whoopi Goldberg, Carl Gordon, Charles S. Dutton and Stephen McKinley Henderson.
- 10/4/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Actor Thomas Jefferson Byrd, the Tony-nominated actor known for his roles in several Spike Lee films, was killed in Atlanta on Saturday. He was 78. Lee has posted several remembrances of Byrd on Instagram. “May we all wish condolences and blessings to his family. Rest in peace brother Byrd,” the director wrote.
The Atlanta Police Department confirmed to IndieWire that Byrd was shot Saturday at a home in Atlanta. He was pronounced dead on the scene. The investigation is ongoing.
Collaboration between Lee and Byrd dates back to Lee’s 1995 crime drama “Clockers.” Lee shared on Instagram two clips from the film featuring Byrd, including one he said was one of his favorite scenes in the movie.
The actor most recently worked with Lee in the 2015 gun-violence musical satire “Chi-Raq.” His other notable credits include Lee’s “He Got Game,” in which he performed opposite Milla Jovovich and Denzel Washington and...
The Atlanta Police Department confirmed to IndieWire that Byrd was shot Saturday at a home in Atlanta. He was pronounced dead on the scene. The investigation is ongoing.
Collaboration between Lee and Byrd dates back to Lee’s 1995 crime drama “Clockers.” Lee shared on Instagram two clips from the film featuring Byrd, including one he said was one of his favorite scenes in the movie.
The actor most recently worked with Lee in the 2015 gun-violence musical satire “Chi-Raq.” His other notable credits include Lee’s “He Got Game,” in which he performed opposite Milla Jovovich and Denzel Washington and...
- 10/4/2020
- by Chris Lindahl
- Indiewire
Thomas Jefferson Byrd, an actor in several of Spike Lee’s films, was killed in Atlanta on Saturday, the Atlanta Police Department confirmed to Variety. He was 70.
On Saturday, Atlanta police officers were dispatched to 2259 Belvedere Ave., responding to a call about an injured person at 1:45 a.m. Upon arrival, officers located Byrd lying unresponsive at the location. Emergency medial services responded to the scene, identified Byrd and pronounced him dead from multiple gunshot wounds to the back.
Homicide detectives are working to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident, and the investigation is currently ongoing. The Atlanta Police Department tells Variety that the information is preliminary in nature and could change as the investigation continues or new information comes to light.
Byrd appeared in several of Lee’s films, including “Clockers,” “Get on the Bus,” “Bamboozled,” “Chi-Raq,” “Red Hook Summer,” “Girl 6” and “Da Sweet Blood of Jesus.” He...
On Saturday, Atlanta police officers were dispatched to 2259 Belvedere Ave., responding to a call about an injured person at 1:45 a.m. Upon arrival, officers located Byrd lying unresponsive at the location. Emergency medial services responded to the scene, identified Byrd and pronounced him dead from multiple gunshot wounds to the back.
Homicide detectives are working to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident, and the investigation is currently ongoing. The Atlanta Police Department tells Variety that the information is preliminary in nature and could change as the investigation continues or new information comes to light.
Byrd appeared in several of Lee’s films, including “Clockers,” “Get on the Bus,” “Bamboozled,” “Chi-Raq,” “Red Hook Summer,” “Girl 6” and “Da Sweet Blood of Jesus.” He...
- 10/4/2020
- by Jordan Moreau
- Variety Film + TV
Must Read
The Guardian has a really fun Spike Lee interview in which he answers questions from famous actors and directors. Spike always brings joy and we couldn't be more pleased about the career resurgence. People, I personally saw Girl 6 and Bamboozled and Chi-Raq in movie theaters. They all flopped but my ticket $ was in there! So naturally it's been thrilling to watch this recent return to prominence / audience goodwill. Though I admit I was surprised when raves started pouring in for Da 5 Bloods since his last (and only other) war picture (Miracle at St Anna) did not go over well at all.
More links after the jump including a tragic Cronenberg loss, a Bollywood suicide, Dick Tracy budget overrages, Little Women in Japan, and more...
The Guardian has a really fun Spike Lee interview in which he answers questions from famous actors and directors. Spike always brings joy and we couldn't be more pleased about the career resurgence. People, I personally saw Girl 6 and Bamboozled and Chi-Raq in movie theaters. They all flopped but my ticket $ was in there! So naturally it's been thrilling to watch this recent return to prominence / audience goodwill. Though I admit I was surprised when raves started pouring in for Da 5 Bloods since his last (and only other) war picture (Miracle at St Anna) did not go over well at all.
More links after the jump including a tragic Cronenberg loss, a Bollywood suicide, Dick Tracy budget overrages, Little Women in Japan, and more...
- 6/18/2020
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
With the Academy Museum finally, finally set to open to the public on December 14, eight years since the project was first announced, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has lined up a new group of world-class talent to contribute to the museum’s programming. Spike Lee and Pedro Almodóvar are among recently announced filmmakers who will curate exhibits for the Academy Museum, with more directors to come, AMPAS said on Saturday. Specific details on the exhibits have yet to be announced.
“Joker” composer Hildur Guðnadóttir, the first woman ever to win the Best Original Score Academy Award, will also collaborate on new exhibits. So will veteran sound-effects whiz Ben Burtt, an editor and Oscar winner on the original “Star Wars,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial,” and “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.”
More from IndieWireStream of the Day: Spike Lee's 'Girl 6' Deserves...
“Joker” composer Hildur Guðnadóttir, the first woman ever to win the Best Original Score Academy Award, will also collaborate on new exhibits. So will veteran sound-effects whiz Ben Burtt, an editor and Oscar winner on the original “Star Wars,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial,” and “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.”
More from IndieWireStream of the Day: Spike Lee's 'Girl 6' Deserves...
- 4/4/2020
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
With readers turning to their home viewing options more than ever, this daily feature provides one new movie each day worth checking out on a major streaming platform.
Spike Lee’s “Bamboozled” is one of those forgotten “Joints” that confounded critics and audiences at the time of its initial release. Twenty years later, it’s enjoying a renaissance — thanks to a recently-released Criterion Collection DVD/Blu-ray edition of this long out-of-print title — and a much-deserved reassessment of this scathing and insightful satire. But it’s not the only one that deserves a second look. Four years before “Bamboozled,” Lee made another idiosyncratic movie filled with big ideas. Like “Bamboozled,” Lee’s 1996 dramedy “Girl 6” also baffled viewers at the time, but its insights into race and gender in Hollywood still resonate today.
More from IndieWireStream of the Day: 'The Spectacular Now' and the Brilliant Long Take That Deserves More PraiseStream...
Spike Lee’s “Bamboozled” is one of those forgotten “Joints” that confounded critics and audiences at the time of its initial release. Twenty years later, it’s enjoying a renaissance — thanks to a recently-released Criterion Collection DVD/Blu-ray edition of this long out-of-print title — and a much-deserved reassessment of this scathing and insightful satire. But it’s not the only one that deserves a second look. Four years before “Bamboozled,” Lee made another idiosyncratic movie filled with big ideas. Like “Bamboozled,” Lee’s 1996 dramedy “Girl 6” also baffled viewers at the time, but its insights into race and gender in Hollywood still resonate today.
More from IndieWireStream of the Day: 'The Spectacular Now' and the Brilliant Long Take That Deserves More PraiseStream...
- 4/2/2020
- by Tambay Obenson
- Indiewire
Considering every new day brings no shortage of breaking news and adjusted timelines, nothing is quite for certain, but we do hope a new Spike Lee film will indeed arrive this year. (And it being on Netflix certainly helps its chances.) In the meantime, the director has enough time on his hands to dig through his vast archive and he’s offered a free gift: the complete 159-page script to one of his passion projects.
Written in the mid-1990s, between the time of Clockers, Girl 6, and Get on the Bus and before he would reunite with Denzel Washington for He Got Game, Spike Lee wanted the actor to lead a Jackie Robinson biopic. Washington thought he was too old for the role and the project never got made. Based on the autobiography I Never Had It Made, published shortly after the baseball legend’s death in 1972, Lee says,...
Written in the mid-1990s, between the time of Clockers, Girl 6, and Get on the Bus and before he would reunite with Denzel Washington for He Got Game, Spike Lee wanted the actor to lead a Jackie Robinson biopic. Washington thought he was too old for the role and the project never got made. Based on the autobiography I Never Had It Made, published shortly after the baseball legend’s death in 1972, Lee says,...
- 3/30/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Spike Lee has been named jury president of the 2020 Cannes Film Festival, which will be held May 12-23. The announcement comes two years after Lee’s last film “BlacKkKlansman” premiered to a standing ovation at the 2018 edition of the festival.
“Spike Lee’s perspective is more valuable than ever. Cannes is a natural homeland and a global sounding board for those who (re)awaken minds and question our stances and fixed ideas,” the Festival’s board said in a statement. “Lee’s flamboyant personality is sure to shake things up. What kind of President of the Jury will he be? Find out in Cannes!”
In his own statement, Lee said he “was shocked, happy, surprised and proud all at the same time,” and he credited the festival for having a huge role in his career success. “To me the Cannes Film Festival (besides being the most important film festival in...
“Spike Lee’s perspective is more valuable than ever. Cannes is a natural homeland and a global sounding board for those who (re)awaken minds and question our stances and fixed ideas,” the Festival’s board said in a statement. “Lee’s flamboyant personality is sure to shake things up. What kind of President of the Jury will he be? Find out in Cannes!”
In his own statement, Lee said he “was shocked, happy, surprised and proud all at the same time,” and he credited the festival for having a huge role in his career success. “To me the Cannes Film Festival (besides being the most important film festival in...
- 1/14/2020
- by Ross A. Lincoln
- The Wrap
Academy Award-winning director Spike Lee has been named jury president for the 73rd annual Cannes Film Festival, taking place May 12-23, 2020. The announcement was made by the festival on Tuesday morning in Paris. This makes Spike Lee not only the first African-American to serve as jury president for the storied festival, but also the first person from the African diaspora, as Lee championed in his statement out of the festival.
“To me the Cannes Film Festival (besides being the most important film festival in the world — no disrespect to anybody) has had a great impact on my film career. You could easily say Cannes changed the trajectory of who I became in world cinema,” he said. “It started way back in 1986 — my first feature film ‘She’s Gotta Have It,’ which won the Prix de la Jeunesse in the Directors’ Fortnight. The next joint was in 1989 — “Do the Right Thing,” an Official Selection in Competition.
“To me the Cannes Film Festival (besides being the most important film festival in the world — no disrespect to anybody) has had a great impact on my film career. You could easily say Cannes changed the trajectory of who I became in world cinema,” he said. “It started way back in 1986 — my first feature film ‘She’s Gotta Have It,’ which won the Prix de la Jeunesse in the Directors’ Fortnight. The next joint was in 1989 — “Do the Right Thing,” an Official Selection in Competition.
- 1/14/2020
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Oscar-winning filmmaker Spike Lee might not be in the awards season mix this year — after finally winning his first Oscar last year for scripting “BlacKkKlansman,” he’s deserving of a break — but the indelible New Yorker will be on hand to accept at least one huge honor in 2020. Film at Lincoln Center has announced that Lee will be honored at the 46th Chaplin Award Gala on Monday, April 27, 2020. “We are delighted to honor Spike Lee, an original and iconic New York filmmaker,” said Ann Tenenbaum, Film at Lincoln Center’s Board Chairwoman, in an official statement. “It is thrilling to welcome his bold voice into the pantheon of artists who have received the Chaplin Award.”
The Chaplin Award Gala is the organization’s most important fundraising event of the year and all proceeds benefit the organization in its mission to support the art and craft of cinema. The annual gala...
The Chaplin Award Gala is the organization’s most important fundraising event of the year and all proceeds benefit the organization in its mission to support the art and craft of cinema. The annual gala...
- 11/7/2019
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Fresh off his very first Oscar win, Spike Lee's got a new legal headache ... over one of his movies from the '90s and a Prince song. Longtime friends Prince and Spike teamed up for his 1996 flick, "Girl 6" ... with Prince writing and performing the title song for the soundtrack. According to a lawsuit filed by James Brandon, that track jacked one of his songs. In docs, obtained by TMZ, Brandon says he was...
- 2/28/2019
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Spike Lee and Prince went back a long way. Apart from being friends and mutual fans for decades, the two worked together on Prince’s “Money Don’t Matter 2Night” video and, more famously, on the 1996 film “Girl 6,” which featured a soundtrack made entirely of music from across the artist’s career, along with a new song he’d written specifically for the movie. And in the hours after Prince died of an accidental drug overdose in April of 2016, Lee threw an impromptu block party outside his Brooklyn office that ended up being live-streamed on CNN, and even got the cooperation of local police when it ran over the time he’d been allotted — that celebration has evolved into an annual event held in Brooklyn (read Variety’s coverage of the event here).
Thus, it’s not entirely a surprise that a rare Prince song is featured in Lee’s new film,...
Thus, it’s not entirely a surprise that a rare Prince song is featured in Lee’s new film,...
- 8/6/2018
- by Jem Aswad
- Variety Film + TV
In this week’s edition of Canon Of Film, we take a look at one of Spike Lee‘s underrated masterpiece, ‘25th Hour‘. For the story behind the genesis of the Canon, you can click here.
’25th Hour‘ (2002)
Director: Spike Lee
Screenplay: David Benioff, based on his novel “The 25th Hour”
When Spike Lee’s ‘25th Hour,’ came out in 2002, it was ignored by most every award show, and made only a handful of top 10 lists. It was on my top ten list of that year, and I thought it was one of Lee’s absolute best; I’ve often called it his most underrated film. It’s a funny thing about movies, sometimes a film needs a certain amount of time to pass before people truly recognize its greatness, and time for those who were ahead of the curve to gloat a bit. Suddenly, at the end of the decade,...
’25th Hour‘ (2002)
Director: Spike Lee
Screenplay: David Benioff, based on his novel “The 25th Hour”
When Spike Lee’s ‘25th Hour,’ came out in 2002, it was ignored by most every award show, and made only a handful of top 10 lists. It was on my top ten list of that year, and I thought it was one of Lee’s absolute best; I’ve often called it his most underrated film. It’s a funny thing about movies, sometimes a film needs a certain amount of time to pass before people truly recognize its greatness, and time for those who were ahead of the curve to gloat a bit. Suddenly, at the end of the decade,...
- 11/23/2017
- by David Baruffi
- Age of the Nerd
Premiering at Tiff 2017, Sammy Davis, Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me is the first major film documentary to examine Davis’ vast talent and his journey for identity through the shifting tides of civil rights and racial progress during 20th-century America.
Today Sammy Davis is seen primarily as part of The Rat Pack. That quartet of bad boys who sing and joke around is very much a part of time when Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin were the kings of the Las Vegas scene.
But Sammy Davis Jr. was much more than that and merely by lending his black face to that group makes The Rat Pack seem like a liberal if slightly dissolute, but a filled-with-fun group. In truth, his position with Sinatra, Martin, Peter Lawford was not all that comfortable and the path Davis had already trod before landing there was not a simple or easy one.
He...
Today Sammy Davis is seen primarily as part of The Rat Pack. That quartet of bad boys who sing and joke around is very much a part of time when Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin were the kings of the Las Vegas scene.
But Sammy Davis Jr. was much more than that and merely by lending his black face to that group makes The Rat Pack seem like a liberal if slightly dissolute, but a filled-with-fun group. In truth, his position with Sinatra, Martin, Peter Lawford was not all that comfortable and the path Davis had already trod before landing there was not a simple or easy one.
He...
- 10/20/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
- 3/22/2017
- by Tambay Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Founded in 1960, Backstage has a storied history of serving the entertainment industry. For over 50 years Backstage has served as a casting resource and news source for actors, performers, directors, producers, agents, and casting directors. Over that time, Backstage Magazine has also appeared on numerous TV shows, such as "Mad Men," "Entourage," "Glee," "Oprah," NBC's "Today" show, Comedy Central's "@Midnight", NY1's "On Stage," and "Saturday Night Live," as well as multiple mentions on shows like "Inside the Actor’s Studio," "Girls," and appearances in films such as "13 Going on 30," the Farrelly brothers' "Stuck on You" and Spike Lee's "Girl 6," and even a mention in Woody Allen's short-story collection "Mere Anarchy" and Augusten Burroughs' novel "Sellevision" – and Backstage has received accolades from multiple Academy Award-, Emmy-, and Tony-winning actors and directors. (Plus, the hit musical "The Last Five Years" even includes Backstage in its lyrics: "Here's a...
- 1/6/2017
- backstage.com
We pay tribute to the film stars and directors from around the world who sadly passed away in 2016.Hector BabencoArgentine-born Brazilian director Hector Babenco died on July 13 at 70-years-old.He found international success with Brazilian slum drama Pixote (1981), going on to make Kiss Of
We pay tribute to the film stars and directors from around the world who sadly passed away in 2016.
Hector Babenco
Argentine-born Brazilian director Hector Babenco died on July 13 at 70-years-old.
He found international success with Brazilian slum drama Pixote (1981), going on to make Kiss Of The Spider Woman (1985), for which he earned a best director Oscar nominee and William Hurt earned an Oscar win for best actor.
Babenco went on to direct Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson in Ironweed (1987) and Tom Berenger and John Lithgow in At Play In The Fields Of The Lord (1991).
After undergoing cancer treatment in the 1990s, he returned to the director’s chair for films including Brazilian prison...
We pay tribute to the film stars and directors from around the world who sadly passed away in 2016.
Hector Babenco
Argentine-born Brazilian director Hector Babenco died on July 13 at 70-years-old.
He found international success with Brazilian slum drama Pixote (1981), going on to make Kiss Of The Spider Woman (1985), for which he earned a best director Oscar nominee and William Hurt earned an Oscar win for best actor.
Babenco went on to direct Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson in Ironweed (1987) and Tom Berenger and John Lithgow in At Play In The Fields Of The Lord (1991).
After undergoing cancer treatment in the 1990s, he returned to the director’s chair for films including Brazilian prison...
- 12/31/2016
- ScreenDaily
Tidal is helping millions of fans remember Prince through his music. On Tuesday - the late icon's 58th birthday - the music service released rare items including live recordings, compilations and previously unreleased music in addition to full albums that span three decades of the Purple One's career. Prince was an advocate of Jay Z's music service from the start. Last year, the legend removed his music from all other streaming services and offered his two final albums - Hitnrun Phase and Hitnrun Phase Two - exclusively on Tidal. "After one meeting, it was obvious that Jay Z and...
- 6/7/2016
- by Stephanie Petit, @stephpetit_
- PEOPLE.com
The world's most prestigious film - the Cannes Film Festival - has announced that it is planning a tribute to Prince, who died yesterday, Thursday, at the age of 57. Details on what this tribute will include isn't yet public information. "There will be a tribute to Prince, but no more information right now," the a Cannes Film Festival rep. The music superstar scored, or provided music for numerous films throughout his inimitable career (from Tim Burton's "Batman" to Spike Lee's "Girl 6" and much more), winning an Oscar for the "Purple Rain" soundtrack in the Best Music, Original Song Score category in 1984....
- 4/22/2016
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Exclusive: Cannes Film Festival is to host a tribute to the iconic singer who died yesterday.
Cannes Film Festival (May 11-22) has confirmed to ScreenDaily that it will host a tribute to music icon Prince, who died yesterday aged 57.
A festival spokesperson told Screen that a tribute to Prince would be only “logical” given his standing and influence on film but could not confirm the nature of the tribute:
“There will be a tribute to Prince but [there is] no more information right now,” the spokesperson told Screen.
The pioneering Us musician won an Oscar for his music for Purple Rain in 1984 and leaves behind a memorable movie legacy.
He provided soundtracks to a number of productions including the 1989 Tim Burton directed Batman and Spike Lee’s Girl 6, which played in Un Certain Regard at Cannes in 1996.
His 1986 directorial debut Under The Cherry Moon shot in and around Nice along the French Riviera.
Earlier this year...
Cannes Film Festival (May 11-22) has confirmed to ScreenDaily that it will host a tribute to music icon Prince, who died yesterday aged 57.
A festival spokesperson told Screen that a tribute to Prince would be only “logical” given his standing and influence on film but could not confirm the nature of the tribute:
“There will be a tribute to Prince but [there is] no more information right now,” the spokesperson told Screen.
The pioneering Us musician won an Oscar for his music for Purple Rain in 1984 and leaves behind a memorable movie legacy.
He provided soundtracks to a number of productions including the 1989 Tim Burton directed Batman and Spike Lee’s Girl 6, which played in Un Certain Regard at Cannes in 1996.
His 1986 directorial debut Under The Cherry Moon shot in and around Nice along the French Riviera.
Earlier this year...
- 4/22/2016
- ScreenDaily
The Cannes Film Festival is planning a tribute to Prince, who was found dead on Thursday at the age of 57. A festival representative didn't immediately disclose details about the tribute. "There will be a tribute to Prince, but [we have] no more information right now," the rep said. The music star won an Oscar for his music for Purple Rain in 1984 and also was responsible for the soundtracks of the likes of Batman and Spike Lee's Girl 6, which screened in Cannes' Un Certain Regard section in 1996. This year's Cannes festival runs May 11-May 22.
read more...
read more...
- 4/22/2016
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Iconic American musician Prince, whose death was announced yesterday, made memorable contributions to cinema through his music and performances.
Prince (Prince Rogers Nelson), who rose to fame in the 1980’s with records such as ‘1999’, ‘Sign o’ the Times’ and ‘Parade’ and went on to sell more than 100 million albums, died aged 57 at his home in Minnesota.
The pioneering musician provided soundtracks to a number of productions including the 1989 Tim Burton directed Batman and Spike Lee’s Girl 6 – which played in Un Certain Regard at Cannes in 1996.
His songs were used in dozens of films during his nearly 40-year career, including Baz Lurhmann’s Romeo and Juliet and Paul Brickman’s Risky Business.
In 1985, he won an Oscar for his score of Purple Rain. ‘When Doves Cry’ from the same film was also nominated for the Golden Globe for best original song, an accolade that Prince picked up twenty years later for ‘The Song of the Heart...
Prince (Prince Rogers Nelson), who rose to fame in the 1980’s with records such as ‘1999’, ‘Sign o’ the Times’ and ‘Parade’ and went on to sell more than 100 million albums, died aged 57 at his home in Minnesota.
The pioneering musician provided soundtracks to a number of productions including the 1989 Tim Burton directed Batman and Spike Lee’s Girl 6 – which played in Un Certain Regard at Cannes in 1996.
His songs were used in dozens of films during his nearly 40-year career, including Baz Lurhmann’s Romeo and Juliet and Paul Brickman’s Risky Business.
In 1985, he won an Oscar for his score of Purple Rain. ‘When Doves Cry’ from the same film was also nominated for the Golden Globe for best original song, an accolade that Prince picked up twenty years later for ‘The Song of the Heart...
- 4/22/2016
- ScreenDaily
After the sun went down in New York City, Prince fans all over town took to the streets to celebrate the life and career of the legendary rock star. In Brooklyn, Spike Lee threw a block party to celebrate Prince, who recorded the soundtrack for Lee’s 1996 film “Girl 6.” All of Prince’s greatest hits were played for the roughly 1,000 fans in attendance, with Lee eulogizing the singer from the stoop of his 40 Acres film studio headquarters. “There’s a big party in heaven tonight,” he proclaimed. Meanwhile, in Harlem, the famous Apollo Theater changed its marquee in honor of Prince.
- 4/22/2016
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
Thanks to a couple of our readers in Brazil (specifically Salvador) for alerting me to this... In short, courtesy of Brazilian newspaper O Globo, Quentin Tarantino and some of his "Hateful Eight" cast were in Sao Paulo promoting the upcoming film earlier today (it opens in Brazil on January 7, 2016). During the press conference, Tarantino was asked whether he would ever work with Spike Lee again (Spike directed Tarantino in "Girl 6"). The reasons why the journalist asked him that question aren't given, nor is any context provided. I'm just going based on the translation from Portuguese to English that was provided for me, based on O Globo's...
- 11/23/2015
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Tfe is celebrating the three Honorary Oscar winners this week. Here's Kieran discussing one of Spike Lee's warmest and most underappreciated films.
For better or worse, you can often feel a larger thesis statement, be it about race and/or American culture at large, running through much of Spike Lee’s work. His films also feel incredibly male in their perspective. Even his few films that foreground women (She’s Gotta Have It and Girl 6) feel enveloped by the male gaze, despite their many other virtues. These are just a couple of reasons why Lee’s semi-autobiographical slice-of-life dramedy Crooklyn feels like a bit of a curio.
Crooklyn is set in the summer of 1973 in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, where Lee himself grew up. Nine-year-old Troy Carmichael (Zelda Harris) is the only girl in a brood that includes four rowdy brothers. Though often put-upon and teased, Troy is tough,...
For better or worse, you can often feel a larger thesis statement, be it about race and/or American culture at large, running through much of Spike Lee’s work. His films also feel incredibly male in their perspective. Even his few films that foreground women (She’s Gotta Have It and Girl 6) feel enveloped by the male gaze, despite their many other virtues. These are just a couple of reasons why Lee’s semi-autobiographical slice-of-life dramedy Crooklyn feels like a bit of a curio.
Crooklyn is set in the summer of 1973 in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, where Lee himself grew up. Nine-year-old Troy Carmichael (Zelda Harris) is the only girl in a brood that includes four rowdy brothers. Though often put-upon and teased, Troy is tough,...
- 11/12/2015
- by Kieran Scarlett
- FilmExperience
March 22, 1996, Spike Lee's contentious dramedy "Girl 6" opened in theaters in the USA. It celebrated its 19th birthday earlier this year, and so I'm a few months late in publishing this piece. I call it one of Spike's *forgotten* films - not because we don't remember it, but rather because, when discussions of Spike's film library are had, it's one of those titles that rarely gets mentioned; Whether it's because they were poorly received by audiences and/or critics, or there just wasn't as much awareness of them at the time of their initial releases, maybe due to a lack of accessibility/availability. Films like "Do The Right...
- 8/17/2015
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Just in time for the release of his mystery Kickstarter-funded joint, Da Sweet Blood Of Jesus, this summer, BAMcinématek in Brooklyn, New York will host a retrospective of Spike Lee's film, in a series titled "By Any Means Necessary: A Spike Lee Joints Retrospective" running from June 29 - July 10. It will probably be a good time for me to revisit my Spike Lee retro from a couple of years ago, during which I revisited what I called his *forgotten* films - essentially, those titles that rarely come up when conversations about favorite Spike Lee films are had - like Girl 6, She Hate Me, Bamboozled, and others. I wonder if we'll ever see a Tyler Perry retrospective. He's directed about...
- 5/22/2014
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Lana Del Rey, my favorite almost-Oscar nominee of the past few years, is about to deliver her second album "Ultraviolence" on June 13. The moody vocalist is a distinct songwriter with a taste for memorable titles, which brings us to today's challenge: Can you find the 10 real songs on "Ultraviolence" from this list of 25 titles? We've left off "Ultraviolence" since that's the name of the title, but Lana's 10 other songs on the album are buried in this list. Can you name them? See how you do. 1. Painted Lady 2. West Coast 3. Black Bandanna 4. Boulevard 5. Sad Girl 6. Pretty When You Cry 7. Old Money 8. Money Power Glory 9. Femme Noir 10. Cemetery Light 11. Gunplay 12. Soap Star Joe 13. Lips Like Knives 14. Happier Than I Can Say 15. His Friends are More Than Fond of Robin 16. Cruel World 17. He's a Dancer 18. F*cked My Way Up to the Top 19. Brooklyn Baby 20. Paris By Night 21. Stars are Blind 22. Would...
- 5/8/2014
- by Louis Virtel
- Hitfix
Though he’s not really known for his music video work, Spike Lee has directed over a dozen music vids (they are listed on Wikipedia, fyi). Perhaps his most notable are the dual version of Michael Jackson’s “They Don't Care About Us” and Public Enemy's "Fight The Power" (in which he has a cameo at the end), but he has also directed videos by Prince (who scored all of "Girl 6"), Arrested Development, Bruce Horsnby, Branford Marsalis, Guru featuring Donald Byrd, Curtis Mayfield, Naughty by Nature and Fishbone, among others (the clip he did for the Crooklyn Dodgers uses his trademark dollyshot too). He also directed a clip for Mau Maus, the fake gangster rap band from “Bamboozled” that featured Mos Def. One thing Lee has shied away from in his career is lensing music videos for “booty and bitches” rap videos or aggro ganster rap with anti-conscious messages...
- 4/7/2014
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
March 22, 1996, Spike Lee's contentious dramedy Girl 6 opened in theaters in the USA. I'm 4 days late in wishing the film a happy birthday, but who's counting, right? I call it one of Spike's *forgotten* films - not because we don't remember it, but rather because, when discussions of Spike's film library are had, it's one of those titles that rarely gets mentioned; Whether it's because they were poorly received by audiences and/or critics, or there just wasn't as much awareness of them at the time of their initial releases, maybe due to a lack of accessibility/availability. Films like Do The Right Thing, Malcolm X, Jungle Fever, She's...
- 3/26/2014
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
The director has never been short of opinions – so why has he become evasive when we catch up with him in Brooklyn?
With the interview over, Spike Lee finally opens up. For 40 minutes the film director has sat in a defensive crouch, with his arms folded and his legs crossed, parrying questions as though they were accusations. More evasive than abrasive, he insists that neither new technology, changes in his personal life or the way that he's perceived have any effect on him or his work. A couple of times he responds as though there was another interviewee in the room.
Asked a perfectly reasonable questions such as: "How does an independent filmmaker like yourself measure success?", he'd say: "It depends who you ask."
"Well I'm asking you," I keep pointing out, hoping, in vain, for a credible answer.
Lee is small, slender and stylish. He is dressed all in black – sneakers,...
With the interview over, Spike Lee finally opens up. For 40 minutes the film director has sat in a defensive crouch, with his arms folded and his legs crossed, parrying questions as though they were accusations. More evasive than abrasive, he insists that neither new technology, changes in his personal life or the way that he's perceived have any effect on him or his work. A couple of times he responds as though there was another interviewee in the room.
Asked a perfectly reasonable questions such as: "How does an independent filmmaker like yourself measure success?", he'd say: "It depends who you ask."
"Well I'm asking you," I keep pointing out, hoping, in vain, for a credible answer.
Lee is small, slender and stylish. He is dressed all in black – sneakers,...
- 12/2/2013
- by Gary Younge
- The Guardian - Film News
You hardly need to be a daily reader of our humble blog (though if you're not, what's wrong with you?) to know that there are few filmmakers we are more eternally fascinated by than Spike Lee, despite, and let's be honest, often because of his predilection for pissing people off. Lee is an epochal figure even away from the feuds and the tiffs and the controversies; we will never forget just how awestruck we were when we first saw "Do the Right Thing" and went on to enjoy the fruits of the independent filmmaking scene that it pretty much revolutionized. If Lee had never made another film, he'd deserve our attention just for that. But of course, Lee has made other films, and if anything, the way he has subsequently swung wildly from near-genius ("The 25th Hour," "Malcolm X," "4 Little Girls") to what the what? ("Girl 6," "She Hate Me,...
- 11/27/2013
- by Jessica Kiang
- The Playlist
Now even the New York Knickerbockers’ #1 fan is getting in on the crowdsourcing trend. Presumably attempting to capitalize on his latest hired-gun project remaking Oldboy, Spike Lee recently heard from one of his students at Nyu’s graduate film program about this newfangled Kickstarter thing. Have you heard about this? That television show Veronica Mars got $5 million for a movie, and then Zach Braff from Scrubs got $3 million? What does the director of Malcolm X and Do The Right Thing (and Girl 6, Miracle At St. Anna, and Red Hook Summer) have to do for some of ...
- 7/22/2013
- avclub.com
For every "Girl 6," "She Hate Me" or "Miracle at St. Anna" in filmmaker Spike Lee's oeuvre, there's not only a great feature to offset it ("25th Hour," "He Got Game," "Inside Man"), but several fantastic documentaries ("4 Little Girls," "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts" "If God Is Willing and da Creek Don't Rise") as well. One could even argue if Lee's feature career got a little uneven later in the game (which is still very debatable), his documentaries -- some of them his best work, period -- never faltered.
So it's great to see the always productive filmmaker has two more documentaries in the works. The first one is a 25th anniversary documentary on Michael Jackson's Bad album (remember Martin Scorsese directed that video) and another called, "Go Brazil Go" which is meant to cover Brazil's rise to economic prominence from the eyes of...
So it's great to see the always productive filmmaker has two more documentaries in the works. The first one is a 25th anniversary documentary on Michael Jackson's Bad album (remember Martin Scorsese directed that video) and another called, "Go Brazil Go" which is meant to cover Brazil's rise to economic prominence from the eyes of...
- 6/13/2012
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
I'm a little behind on my "Revisiting Spike Lee's *Forgotten* Films" series; She Hate Me was featured in the first installment in the series (read that Here if you missed it), and I was going to tackle Girl 6 in installment #2 this week, but didn't get to it. However, my post will be up by Monday/Tuesday next week. In the meantime, thinking of Girl 6 (a film that I actually liked - unlike most who saw it - and would call one of Spike's most under-rated films; but you can read all about it next week)... this morning, as I sat to start gathering my thoughts for my piece, I remembered this clip - a portion from a much longer video titled Cultural...
- 6/9/2012
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
Creator Owned Heroes, published through Image Comics, will make its debut on June 6, 2012, but this is no ordinary comic book printing. This anthology style book is a different breed of literary and graphic experience for readers. I had the wonderful opportunity to speak to one of the collaborators on Creator Owned Heroes, Jimmy Palmiotti, at Dallas Comic Con to talk about this project as well as a new project, Retrovirus, through Kickstarter.com. Check out our conversation below:
SciFi Mafia: You have an interesting project that’s coming up published through Image Comics next month called Creator Owned Heroes.
Jimmy Palmiotti: Yeah, that’s with me, Justin Gray, Phil Noto, Steve Niles, Kevin Mellon, and Bill Tortolini, who is my designer on it and all the Image titles. What we’re doing is a monthly book with two, three, or four part stories featuring 22 pages of comics and 16 pages of editorial in the back.
SciFi Mafia: You have an interesting project that’s coming up published through Image Comics next month called Creator Owned Heroes.
Jimmy Palmiotti: Yeah, that’s with me, Justin Gray, Phil Noto, Steve Niles, Kevin Mellon, and Bill Tortolini, who is my designer on it and all the Image titles. What we’re doing is a monthly book with two, three, or four part stories featuring 22 pages of comics and 16 pages of editorial in the back.
- 5/29/2012
- by Lillian 'zenbitch' Standefer
- ScifiMafia
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