tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227751790693713235.post8067956952989447138..comments2024-03-22T14:48:09.697-04:00Comments on Dell on Movies: Origin of an Auteur Blogathon: Spike LeeDellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05634519605152190304noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227751790693713235.post-73276594929357142772016-01-17T08:47:30.013-05:002016-01-17T08:47:30.013-05:00No worries on the time frame of your response. I u...No worries on the time frame of your response. I understand life happens sometimes. I really enjoyed taking part in this blogathon because it gave me a reason to revisit a movie I hadn't watched in quite a while and to delve deeper into how it fits into Spike's repertoire than I ever have. If it helped you get a clearer understanding of his work then I feel I did an okay job with it. Looking forward to whatever blogathon you have cooked up. The Summer Blockbuster Cast-a-Thon was fun last year. I'd love to do that again.Dellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05634519605152190304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227751790693713235.post-78562912294681304602016-01-16T17:36:50.719-05:002016-01-16T17:36:50.719-05:00I'm sorry I couldn't look at this sooner, ...I'm sorry I couldn't look at this sooner, but now that I have I should probably say something. I can't claim to be an expert on Spike Lee. In fact, I've gotten him confused with Spike Jonze in the past (a mistake that would probably look very silly to you). So far the only film of his I've actually seen was Do the Right Thing, which I watched about three years ago for my Intro to Film Class. That was a strange movie, but it certainly has a way of making an impact. <br /><br />From what you've described of She's Gotta Have It, that does contextualize a bit more of what Spike Lee was trying to do in Do the Right Thing. It sounds like the subject of race recurs throughout his films, if perhaps from different angles. Do The Right Thing dealt with racism but also seemed to show that one can go too far when trying to change society, in this case inciting riots over an Italian Pizza Joint only wanting to have pictures of Italians (funnily enough, nobody even seems to consider the compromise of trying to find some pictures of black Italian Americans). She's Gotta Have It sounds a bit more like there's an effort to challenge stereotypes at work. I didn't even realize "black sexuality" was considered a thing, but it is true that Hollywood has a long history of heteronormativity, which usually involves a sexually active white man (the original James Bond being a great example). You don't normally see female sexuality represented so it is interesting whenever a movie tries to challenge that. Black female sexuality is something you see even less of. I can think of a few really good movies that deal with female sexuality (i.e. Under the Skin) but usually those are done with Caucasians. <br /><br />I remember one class I was in once about sex and film, and there was one week where we did a section on homosexuality and watched a documentary about black homosexuals, Tongues Untied. It was a strange movie in the way it conveyed its issues by using the editing of different interviewees to create a sense of rhythm, but I also remember noting after words the strange detail that it only focused on discrimination against black gay men. They showed a variety of injustices that have affected gay men of colour, but not a single word was spoken about black women who were gay as well. This definitely seems like an area that could be explored in greater detail.<br /><br />Very good article. This is precisely the kind of thing I was looking for when I started that Blogathon. I know it didn't go quite as I'd hoped, but there were some good ideas involved. Maybe it would be interesting to try revisiting this concept at some point, probably with a free form structure more like my other blogathons. I'm not quite sure the structure I went with there works for me. I've known some bloggers who can pull it off (i.e. Speakeasy or Movies Silently) but I seem to do better with the more open blogathons. For what it's worth, though, I had been thinking about doing a sequel to the Summer Blockbuster Cast-A-Thon, perhaps with the twist this time of focusing on action heroines. I've got a draft for it already and a banner, so if all goes well I can hopefully get that up and running in April.John Hitchcockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13373653979400552490noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227751790693713235.post-59760245172863188012015-09-01T08:55:11.891-04:002015-09-01T08:55:11.891-04:00Thank you very much. I can understand not particul...Thank you very much. I can understand not particularly caring to see more from him if those are the only 2 of his movies you've seen. Inside Man is good, but both films showcase Lee in a more mainstream mode. For what it's worth, fighting between he and the studio may have ruined Oldboy.<br /><br />Glad you were able to get something from this.Dellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05634519605152190304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227751790693713235.post-14598305038595021672015-09-01T08:36:46.695-04:002015-09-01T08:36:46.695-04:00Thoughtful and passionate essay, sadly I haven'...Thoughtful and passionate essay, sadly I haven't actually seen much of his work apart from the Oldboy remake and Inside Man (the latter which I liked).<br /><br />It was also really interesting reading about your early life experiences as young black teenager in 80s America.Myerlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00772428029534463716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227751790693713235.post-42579751411214555932015-08-31T19:19:11.961-04:002015-08-31T19:19:11.961-04:00Thanks! It is really evident that this is a debut ...Thanks! It is really evident that this is a debut film when looking back at it. It is very raw. I'm also curious to know if he's went back to it. I imagine he has since there was (is?) talk of it being turned into a Showtime series.Dellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05634519605152190304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227751790693713235.post-16296360083561539412015-08-31T17:54:41.205-04:002015-08-31T17:54:41.205-04:00Great essay, Wendell. I'm in full agreement wi...Great essay, Wendell. I'm in full agreement with you about SGHI. I appreciate that it's Lee's first film, but it is far from perfect. But hell, I suppose that's the case for many debut films. I like what you said about the cinematography (thanks for the link!) and how you pointed out that this movie looks so different from the rest of Lee's films.<br /><br />I remember when Lee was on Inside the Actor's Studio, he said SGHI is the only one of his films he can't watch today. Too raw and unpolished. I'd love to know if he's watched it since.Alex Withrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15887018476048271594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227751790693713235.post-90076634639573061382015-08-28T08:00:41.060-04:002015-08-28T08:00:41.060-04:00That's a great doc. Obviously, I'm biased,...That's a great doc. Obviously, I'm biased, but I highly encourage seeing more of his work.Dellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05634519605152190304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227751790693713235.post-70769525432497473332015-08-28T07:59:18.941-04:002015-08-28T07:59:18.941-04:00I agree. Even in his lesser work gives you somethi...I agree. Even in his lesser work gives you something to think about and offer lots of cinematic flourishes.Dellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05634519605152190304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227751790693713235.post-11459492230204830312015-08-28T05:38:06.784-04:002015-08-28T05:38:06.784-04:00What a great post! I have really bizarrely only se...What a great post! I have really bizarrely only seen one Spike Lee film, and that's When the Levees Broke, but the whole thing no less. I've been itching to see more of his stuff and after reading this I think it should be sooner rather than later.Rebecca Sharphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14442723521295382425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227751790693713235.post-65139242199252617152015-08-28T01:27:20.684-04:002015-08-28T01:27:20.684-04:00That is a film that I want to see as I do like Spi...That is a film that I want to see as I do like Spike. Sure, his filmography is uneven at times but I would rather see a bad Spike Lee film than most people's work. thevoid99https://www.blogger.com/profile/03055459287396592446noreply@blogger.com