Clockers

When I was a sophomore in high school I told everyone that Clockers was better than Braveheart. I'm sure they thought I was nuts, but I think I was ahead of the curve.

She Hate Me

Total bullshit garbage, but I'm so fucking down with Spike Lee I don't give a fuck. Stay tuned, Miracle at St Anna's on deck!

Get On the Bus

Okay, I take it back. Spike Lee did a few good movies. Kinda cool how the Million Men marched on my actual birthday and then Get On the Bus came out exactly one year later, again on my actual birthday. You may fondly remember how a bunch of us drove to that discount theater in town on opening night just to watch this movie before it left the cinema a week later. Maybe it's the ten years of nostalgia talking but we here still think The Bus is some quality storytelling with fantastic characters and top-notch actin'. Recommended for your weekend afternoon!

Bamboozled

Spike Lee did one good movie. This isn't it.

I saw this right when I turned 20 and it made me feel so enlightened the way it had me thinking everything I'd ever enjoyed did nothing but perpetuate hateful stereotypes. The older I got and less undergraduate I became, the more I thought a second time around Bamboozled viewin' would annoy the living bejesus out of me. And sure, Spike approaches Mencia-like territory the way he dumbs down and then ad nauseumly reiterates the cultural commentary, but I was quite impressed that I didn't want to throw things at the tv like I thought I would. That the offensively simplistic satire is the point doesn't necessarily make it digestible or effective, but the whole thing was strikingly less painful than the me of 2007/nascent '08 expected it to be. Thankfully there's some real power toward the film's end and a couple of great performances by Cinema fave Tommy Davidson and co-leading man Savion Glover.

Do the Right Thing

The only Spike joint that matters. A shining piece of American cinema and a testament to the genius of Ernest "Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight" Dickerson. Also features a guy who played for Sonic Youth! Race in the U.S. of A sure is complimicated.

Inside Man

The Cinema's first Spike Lee joint and we'll be damned if it ain't the best one since, I dunno, Clockers! Sure, we liked Bamboozled more than the next guy (though we suspect it was the Union Jack talking more than our own gray matter...explanation upon request), but this Inside Man, she is full of the twists and the turns. Such a wonderful Mamet Jr script! Such witty dialogues and exchanges! They are both corny and clever at the same time. And the plot? The stuff of the suspense-building it is. Rest assured you 40 Acres devotees, you're still getting some trademark Spike, but the stuff you expect to see like the often too-loud and nearly distracting score, the heavy-handed scene or two about....racial relations (?!?!?!?!), the brief trolley cam, and the washed-out film stock show up a whole lot less than what Mo' Better accustomed ya to. Inside Man is a neat bank robbery caper if you can you believe it. The kind of flick the studios didn't have to give to Spike but did anyway. Hopefully he made those suits some cash 'cause the world is so desperately waiting for that Girl 6 sequel.

Go Knicks!