NYFF 58: “David Byrne’s American Utopia” is an explosion of music and humanism

spike lee Archives - The Spool

Spike Lee's longtime collaborator talks about using new instruments in his latest score, honoring Black veterans, and representation in film composing.

Unraveling pop-culture one thread at a time

The Spool is an irreverent, informative source for film and television coverage, focused on diverse, thoughtful opinions that seek out a greater understanding of the media we love.

Reviews

Spike Lee heads to Vietnam in the bracing, powerful “Da 5 Bloods”

By: Oluwatayo Adewole

Spike Lee explores the painful history of Blackness in American warfare with this lengthy, but gripping, Vietnam epic.

Reviews

“Dear” is a schmaltzy but earnest love letter to kindness

By: Lisa Laman

Celebrities read letters from people whose lives they've touched in Apple TV+'s treacly new series.

Filmmaker of the Month

“Da Sweet Blood of Jesus” Is Bloody, Weird, Pure Spike Lee

Spike Lee's Kickstarted remake of Ganja & Hess is more interesting than its negative reception belies.

Filmmaker of the Month

“Passing Strange” Brings Lee to Broadway

Spike Lee's filmed version of the Broadway rock musical captures the immediacy of the show in his own imitable style.

Filmmaker of the Month

“She Hate Me” Has Spike Lee Shooting Blanks

Spike Lee's hamfisted misfire throws everything at the kitchen sink - income inequality, Watergate, lesbian stud service - and none of it sticks.

Filmmaker of the Month

Reflecting on the Post-9/11 Malaise of “25th Hour”

A riveting portraint of post-9/11 New York City, Spike Lee's scintillating crime drama is one of his most intriguing explorations.

Features

The Bronx is Burning: On Giving “Summer of Sam” a Chance

Neither audiences or critics knew what to make of Spike Lee’s 70s period piece that made up for in mood and style what it lacked in focus.

Filmmaker of the Month

“Do the Right Thing” Remains Spike Lee’s Masterpiece

Black cinema (and American cinema as a whole) hasn't been the same since the release of Spike Lee's revolutionary New York drama.

Features

The Wild Contradictions of Giuliani’s New York in “Clockers”

One of Spike Lee's most underrated films depicts a New York in which the more things change, the more racism stays the same.

Features

The Righteousness & Dimension of Black Anger in “Malcolm X”

Spike Lee's biopic of the civil rights firebrand was a gripping, unforgettable cry of black rage and pain.

Filmmaker of the Month

The Historically-Black College Politics of “School Daze”

Spike Lee's third film is a caustic, exuberant exploration of the politics of race in the '80s, from colorism to the effectiveness of activism.

Filmmaker of the Month

The Racial and Sexual Revolution of “She’s Gotta Have It”

Spike Lee's 1986 debut is a bold, if shaggy, milestone for the history of Black cinema.

Features

March’s Filmmaker of the Month: Spike Lee

For the month of March, we look back at the vibrant, confrontational, incisive work of one of American filmmaking's most iconic figures.

Columns

Criterion Corner: “Do the Right Thing”, “1984”, “Klute”, “The BRD Trilogy”

Race, control, and patriarchy reign in July's offerings from Criterion.

BlacKkKlansman is Spike Lee as His Most Confrontational, Outrageous, and Timely

Spike Lee’s latest is one of his best, a funny, soulful blaxploitation-infused take on the ways the racism of America’s past ripples through into its present and future. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood Spike Lee is no stranger to didacticism. From Do the Right Thing to Chi-Raq to Malcolm X, his works are ... BlacKkKlansman is Spike Lee as His Most Confrontational, Outrageous, and Timely

Fantasia 2018

Four Crazy Horror Flicks We Want to See at Fantasia

This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood If you want festivals full of soulful contemplation of the human condition, and solemn documentaries about Serious Issues, Cannes and Sundance have you covered. Want to see blood, gore, sleaze, and Nicolas Cage getting in a chainsaw fight? You go to Fantasia. Fantasia is a genre film festival ... Four Crazy Horror Flicks We Want to See at Fantasia

Follow The Spool

We're on Twitter/X here.

NYFF 58: “David Byrne’s American Utopia” is an explosion of music and humanism

P.S.H. I Love You: “25th Hour” grapples with our fragile lives

Terence Blanchard on scoring “Da 5 Bloods”

Spike Lee heads to Vietnam in the bracing, powerful “Da 5 Bloods”

“Dear” is a schmaltzy but earnest love letter to kindness

“Da Sweet Blood of Jesus” Is Bloody, Weird, Pure Spike Lee

“Passing Strange” Brings Lee to Broadway

“She Hate Me” Has Spike Lee Shooting Blanks

Reflecting on the Post-9/11 Malaise of “25th Hour”

The Bronx is Burning: On Giving “Summer of Sam” a Chance

“Do the Right Thing” Remains Spike Lee’s Masterpiece

The Wild Contradictions of Giuliani’s New York in “Clockers”

The Righteousness & Dimension of Black Anger in “Malcolm X”

The Historically-Black College Politics of “School Daze”

The Racial and Sexual Revolution of “She’s Gotta Have It”

March’s Filmmaker of the Month: Spike Lee

Criterion Corner: “Do the Right Thing”, “1984”, “Klute”, “The BRD Trilogy”

BlacKkKlansman is Spike Lee as His Most Confrontational, Outrageous, and Timely

Four Crazy Horror Flicks We Want to See at Fantasia