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| “What's
the difference between hollywood characters
and my characters? Mine are real.”
—Lee
Spike Lee, is perhaps the most successful
Afro-American movie director in the history
of cinema. Most of his movies are, as he
refers them to, real stories from the getto.
His first major work, "Last Hustle
in Brooklyn" is a compilation of his
amateur footage that was able to be put
together in a film.
Spike explores the
non-flamboyant side of society, the
underground. He exposes the inner-side of
his characters, the causes of their misery,
and their path to sucess or redemption.
In spite of his talented eye for cinema,
his explosive persona may have held him
back for an academy award for the feature
film "Malcom X," which many believe
has been his best work up to date. Spike's
trademarks include the casting of himself
in his movies, the exploration of afroamerican
themes, and the label of "A Spike Lee
Joint" when they are made. Also His
films often have the phrase "Wake Up!"
as in an urging awaken to maturity and/or
a social conscience.
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Malcom
X (1992)
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Spike
was Denzel's side
kick friend in "Malcom
X. Photos ©
Warner Bros
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Denzel gives a powerful
performance of strenght,
and desire in "Malcom
X." |
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Spike takes no prisioners on his version of
the life of Malcolm X, the famous African
American leader. Born Malcolm Little, his
father (a minister) was killed by the Ku Klux
Klan. He became a gangster, and while in jail
discovered the Nation of Islam writings of
Elijah Muhammad. He preaches the teachings
when let out of jail, but later on goes on
a pilgrimage to the city of Mecca, there he
converts to the original Islamic religion
and becomes a Sunni Muslim. He changes his
name to El-Hajj Malik Al-Shabazz and stops
his anti-white teachings, as he realises the
error of his mistakes, but gets assasinated
and dies a Muslim Martyr.
This is perhaps the first time Spike has a
relevant role in one of his movies, although
he usually gets a part in every and each one
of them. On the other hand, this is all Denzel,
this is the one performance that made him
cross the threshold, setting an standart for
afroamerican actors in the cinema.
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| He
Got Game(1998)
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Denzel at the spotlight
once again, but now
he's not alone as
Ray Allen is also
at the center of attention.
Photos © BuenaVista
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There
wasn't anything new
on Ray Allen's character
for him to do. He
does the same every
night on the NBA courts.
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Spikes gets down and under the life of Jesus
Shuttlesworth, the most sought after high
school basketball prospect in the nation.
Jesus and his dream to make it to the big
ranks in professional basketball are overshadowed
by the burning discipline put on him by his
father, Jake, who is spending his life in
prison for killing Jesus' mother.
Lee explores life in Coney Island, Brooklyn,
where Jesus lives and tries to make it big.
Nonetheless, he has to deal with the hustlers,
the so-called new family, the greed of his
relatives, and the money that people offer
him as he is now expected to become rich soon.
An admirable tribute to basketball players
who come from the bottom, because unfortunately
all Spike portrays is real.
Denzel Washington is at his best, and the
freshness and ingenutity of a first time actor
Ray Allen add to the story an interesting
tweak of acting, and performing on the basketball
court.
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| Summer
of Sam (1999)
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For the first and only time,
John Leguizamo was not a
joke, while his character
deployed the inner world
of exposed the pain that
one could experience through
wrong doing. |
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Although this movie was
meant to be about the killings
of "Son of Sam,"
Spike focuses on the creation
of Leguizamo's character
mainly, as he links the
way his life falls apart
to the killings. Photos
© Touchstone Pictures
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All of the events of the infamous New York
City summer of '77 (mainly, but not exclusive
to, the Son of Sam killings) are seen mostly
through the eyes of Vinny, a philandering
Bronx hairdresser. Until that summer, Vinny
sees himself as king of the old neighborhood:
He's a disco king, drives a nice car, has
the respect of his old buddies, and is married
to a beautiful woman who as usual, doesn't
know of his affairs. However, during that
important summer, his world slowly falls apart.
Two things happen early on that will permanently
change his life. First, he believes he had
a near-fatal run-in with the Son of Sam while
"parked" with his wife's cousin.
Next, his old best friend Ritchie returns
to the old neighborhood as, of all things,
a punk rocker. As the events of that summer
slowly unfold, Vinny ultimately loses his
wife, his job, and the respect of his old
buddies. The movie concludes with Vinny's
betrayal of Ritchie, whom the other neighborhood
buddies suspect is the Son of Sam.
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| Bamboozled
(2000)
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The always funny Damon
Wayan takes on the
role of Pierre Delacroix,
a writer who makes
it big and then goes
downhill abruptly.
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Jada pinkett (Sloan Hopkins)
an ambitious television
writer's assistant who watches
her dream of a hit show
turn into a nightmare.
Photos © New Line Cinema
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Spike Lee had every opportunity to do the right
thing and make the definitive satire on America's
bottom-line-driven and whitewashed entertainment
culture. But, as usual, his dogmatic politics
blind the writer-director-producer from making
a coherent movie that both services his message
and entertains. Lee introduces us to Pierre
Delacroix (Damon Wayans), a frustrated black
TV exec, and his white boss (Michael Rapaport),
who thinks he's black, too. Desperate for
a headline-making show, Wayans develops a
sitcom modeled on minstrel shows of old, complete
with black characters played by Savion Glover
and Tommy Davidson shuckin' and jivin' in
blackface. Naturally, it becomes a huge hit.
That's where the parody ends, and the film
devolves into a morality play with a frankly
ridiculous finale. Lee dramatizes the fact
that, even now, some blacks parody themselves
on TV, but the question he never, ever explores
is, "Why?" |
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