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spike lee

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

David Byrne's American Utopia
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Spike Lee captures all the vibrancy and social import of Byrne’s rightly-acclaimed Broadway show.

Clint Worthington Posted on September 24, 2020September 24, 2020

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

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Philip Seymour Hoffman lends remarkable texture to Spike Lee’s 25th Hour, a film in mourning over New York and the fleeting nature of being.

Jonah Koslofsky Posted on September 8, 2020September 8, 2020

Terence Blanchard on scoring “Da 5 Bloods”

Terence Blanchard Da 5 Bloods
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Spike Lee’s longtime collaborator talks about using new instruments in his latest score, honoring Black veterans, and representation in film composing.

Clint Worthington Posted on June 22, 2020June 22, 2020

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

Da 5 Bloods
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Spike Lee explores the painful history of Blackness in American warfare with this lengthy, but gripping, Vietnam epic.

Oluwatayo Adewole Posted on June 12, 2020June 18, 2020

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

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

Douglas Laman Posted on June 5, 2020July 2, 2020

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

Da Sweet Blood of Jesus
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Spike Lee’s Kickstarted remake of Ganja & Hess is more interesting than its negative reception belies.

Rick Kelley Posted on March 30, 2020March 30, 2020

“Passing Strange” Brings Lee to Broadway

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

B.L. Panther Posted on March 29, 2020March 30, 2020

“She Hate Me” Has Spike Lee Shooting Blanks

She Hate Me
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Spike Lee’s hamfisted misfire throws everything at the kitchen sink – income inequality, Watergate, lesbian stud service – and none of it sticks.

Liam Carroll Posted on March 24, 2020March 23, 2020

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

25th Hour
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A riveting portraint of post-9/11 New York City, Spike Lee’s scintillating crime drama is one of his most intriguing explorations.

Tim Stevens Posted on March 23, 2020March 23, 2020

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

Summer of Sam
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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.

Gena Radcliffe Posted on March 21, 2020March 21, 2020

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

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

Robert Daniels Posted on March 14, 2020March 14, 2020

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

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

Kip Mooney Posted on March 14, 2020March 14, 2020

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

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

Oluwatayo Adewole Posted on March 14, 2020March 10, 2020

The Historically-Black College Politics of “School Daze”

School Daze
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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.

Daphnee McMaster Posted on March 9, 2020March 9, 2020

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

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

Robert Daniels Posted on March 7, 2020March 10, 2020

March’s Filmmaker of the Month: Spike Lee

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

Clint Worthington Posted on March 3, 2020April 1, 2020

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

Do the Right Thing Criterion 1984 Klute BRD Trilogy
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Race, control, and patriarchy reign in July’s offerings from Criterion.

Clint Worthington Posted on July 19, 2019December 11, 2019

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

Blackkklansman
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Spike Lee’s latest is one of his best, a funny, soulful blaxploitation-infused take on the ways the racism […]

Clint Worthington Posted on August 9, 2018August 1, 2020

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