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Forum namePass The Popcorn
Topic subjectHow will Spike react when Miracle at St. Anna wins nothing?
Topic URLhttp://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=6&topic_id=381992
381992, How will Spike react when Miracle at St. Anna wins nothing?
Posted by Basaglia, Wed Dec-31-69 07:00 PM
I'm pretty sure he's eroded all his good will in recent weeks.

Poll question: How will Spike react when Miracle at St. Anna wins nothing?

Poll result (23 votes)
He'll recruit Jordan, Denzel and Tuturro for a 30 second PSA wherein all 3 men stand eerily still and simply chant "racism" in perfect harmony. (1 votes)Vote
He'll make a scathingly accurate doc about the history of racism in Hollywood from inception to present day. (9 votes)Vote
He'll stand outside Kodak in 2010 and pass out copies of Eastwood's bomb The Rookie and Grindhouse and remind people he never made anything that bad. (1 votes)Vote
Give them the greatest reaction shot in history by holding up a sign that reads "Denzel poked Julia and Will poked Charlize and I think Morgan poked Jessica...WF4BBC4EVR...TALK ABOUT IT!" (4 votes)Vote
He plots with Quincey Jones to sneak PE in the auditorium to perform a medley, capped off by Fear of a Black Planet (1 votes)Vote
He sits there and gracefully eats shit, in hopes they'll hit him off in 2012 (7 votes)Vote

  

381999, He would do blue justice
Posted by Gemini_Two_One, Thu Jun-26-08 09:28 PM

!sig!

"I used to rock and roll all night and party ev-er-ry day. Then it was every other day. Now I'm lucky if I can find half an hour a week in which to get funky." - Homer Simpson
382007, He's going to get one late like Scorcese and his speech will b CLASSIC
Posted by Castro, Thu Jun-26-08 10:36 PM
thats when he'll unleash on them jainks.
382042, yellow got me over crackin up!
Posted by Zion3Lion, Fri Jun-27-08 04:43 AM
382043, Girl 6 <<<<<<< Grindhouse
Posted by Wrongthink, Fri Jun-27-08 04:55 AM
401450, RE: Girl 6 <<<<<<< Grindhouse
Posted by astralblak, Sun Sep-14-08 04:24 PM
fuck no, FUCK NO!!!!!!! girl 6 was awful... can i please ask whats so bad about the grindhouse flicks. what did you and all the other haters not like
404845, "<" is a 'less than' sign. ">" is a 'greater than' sign.
Posted by Wrongthink, Sun Sep-28-08 12:49 AM
Where's mathmagic when you need him?
382045, since it's getting "eh, just another movie" reviews, he wont be in the convo
Posted by B9, Fri Jun-27-08 06:12 AM
just because Spike shits on film doesnt make it oscar worthy.
382069, Could you put up links to some of those "eh" reviews, please?
Posted by Frank Longo, Fri Jun-27-08 09:23 AM
382075, ^^^what he said/requested
Posted by Meenameen, Fri Jun-27-08 09:50 AM
what reviews? folks seentidit already??
382086, Bland Man is lying like fuck, doggy.
Posted by Basaglia, Fri Jun-27-08 10:48 AM
382153, I'll give him a chance to post reviews pre-6/27/08...
Posted by Frank Longo, Fri Jun-27-08 03:21 PM
...but I know he's just angry.
382403, check imdb and comingsoon
Posted by B9, Sun Jun-29-08 08:53 AM
average people have seen it and i have yet to see a "I WAS BLOWN AWAY!" or even the "o" word.
382405, "average people"? LMAO...hahahahahahahahaha
Posted by Basaglia, Sun Jun-29-08 09:06 AM
401479, Average people?
Posted by El_Pistolero, Sun Sep-14-08 07:27 PM
like the ones that watch Meet The Spartans and Disaster movie?

Oh my bad, nobody saw Disaster Movie.
382410, There was one one-sentence review on Comingsoon. And IMDB...
Posted by Frank Longo, Sun Jun-29-08 09:47 AM
...I couldn't find any reviews at all there. If you could post some links, I'd appreciate it.
382124, hahaha u're upset
Posted by makeda, Fri Jun-27-08 12:59 PM
i love it when spike brings the cracka out of the seemingly aight white folks.
400833, "If you don't like a Spike movie you're racist" (c) Okp
Posted by TheRealBillyOcean, Thu Sep-11-08 05:57 AM
hahaha
400980, Bingo
Posted by bignick, Thu Sep-11-08 04:10 PM
401139, But he's right, though
Posted by Orbit_Established, Fri Sep-12-08 10:54 AM

Besides, Spike is one of the 5 best pure filmmakers
of the last generation. That's beyond debate.




----------------------------


O_E: Your Super-Ego's Favorite Poster.



"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "Cosmic Slop"
401141, which doesnt make him infallible.
Posted by B9, Fri Sep-12-08 11:09 AM
nor does it require everything he does to be praised, unless you'd like to tell me the perfection I was missing in She Hate Me or Girl 6. Good director+enteresting subject matter =/=INSTANT GOOD MOVIE.
See here: Fountain, The.
401277, Dude, don't bring up "She Hate Me". The debates about that flick...
Posted by TheRealBillyOcean, Sat Sep-13-08 01:15 AM
were beyond ridiculous. A few cats were riding hard for that movie on some, "You don't understand..."
401293, His miss percentage is no worse than anyone else
Posted by Orbit_Established, Sat Sep-13-08 09:17 AM

Don't cop pleas:

Stanley Kubric made 'Eyes Wide Shut'.

Oliver Stone made 'Alexander'.

Each of those films were worse than a full length
film featuring the worse scenes of every single
spike lee movie stitched together into one film.

And 'Spielberg' made all kinds of dumbass films.

Scorcese is just overrated, really. People cop the same
"you didn't understand" plea with him too.

No one is perfect in film, but I'm not going to
entertain double standards.
401306, You coming at the wrong dude trying tell me the merits of Spike.
Posted by TheRealBillyOcean, Sat Sep-13-08 12:26 PM
I'm a avid Spike fan. If he makes a shit film, I'll say it though. And won't defend it to no end like some folks will. Or if his movies don't get lauded with awards I don't cry racism. Him winning an Oscar is not going to make me recognize him as a Great director, because he already is one. In my opinion Spike has made 3 GREAT films:
Do The Right Thing
Malcom X
The 25th Hour

And a handful of really good films:
School Daze
Mo Better
Jungle Fever
Bamboozled
Crooklyn

Some of the others are just okay. And only maybe 1 or 2 suck like "She Hate Me" for example.

He's got a much better percentage than most directors. And you can put his catalogue up against just about anybody.
400377, WOW
Posted by B9, Tue Sep-09-08 08:14 AM
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117938228.html?categoryid=31&cs=1
400378, yeah, wow at another white critic being scared of 'cism on film
Posted by Basaglia, Tue Sep-09-08 08:24 AM
“I love Italy. I ain’t a nigger here,” one of them later says to further underline the point. Too bad the film wasn’t better written to make the sentiment implicit rather than needing to be said.

^^^^implicit? in the 40s...oh, white people, why are you so afraid of "the good ol' days"?
400381, oh black people, why do you give a pass for bad writting?
Posted by B9, Tue Sep-09-08 08:31 AM
Tyler Perry's Miracle at St Anna...you see the commercial where they quoted just one reviewer...from E!...

GONNA BE A HIT!
NOPE!
400385, what's with white america's puritanical obsession with subtlety?
Posted by Basaglia, Tue Sep-09-08 08:41 AM

and without any disregard for REALITY. dude salty because the overt racism in the 1940s was scripted into the film? his review is auto-garbage.
400387, So "black cinema" should be in the "nonsubtle" catagory of film?
Posted by B9, Tue Sep-09-08 08:47 AM
Along with comic book movies, horror porn and college humor?
400388, i guess that's the natural progression of your way of thinking
Posted by Basaglia, Tue Sep-09-08 08:48 AM
400389, you went there with subtlety being a "white" obsession
Posted by B9, Tue Sep-09-08 08:51 AM
is that part of your M.Sham defense or what?

So let me guess, you hate Miles Davis as a musician too?
400490, white americans...not the entire race.
Posted by Basaglia, Tue Sep-09-08 03:09 PM
white americans are scared shitless of RACE...it's the only thing in which y'all CAN'T appreciate nuance

hence...

"i don't care what color they are..white, black, purple"

"i have black friends, therefore..."

400510, wait, nuance? Like SUBTLE nuance?
Posted by B9, Tue Sep-09-08 04:05 PM
400512, well, that was expected
Posted by Basaglia, Tue Sep-09-08 04:09 PM
400382, and another one
Posted by B9, Tue Sep-09-08 08:34 AM
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/awards_festivals/fest_reviews/article_display.jsp?JSESSIONID=TLpqLF9GSKD2MBhJ1BsPsjYWHj1QB0V6TV5cGhCNhMGgh2MWL1gF!-423611787&&rid=11633
400472, three people whose opinion i definitely trust saw it
Posted by DonKnutts, Tue Sep-09-08 01:59 PM
and all said it was plodding, overly long, and wack.
382091, I guess everybody wants that Academy validation
Posted by BlakGirlSoul, Fri Jun-27-08 10:56 AM
But Spike should know better by now
**************************************
<--- I love ya man
http://blackgirlsdontdate.blogspot.com
Black Girls Don't Date - Coming soon!
***************************************
400502, Sounds like Spike could care less
Posted by jigga, Tue Sep-09-08 03:41 PM
>But Spike should know better by now

Like most stars and filmmakers entering awards season, Lee brushed aside the Oscar prospects for his film.

"Not concerned. It's not why I make films," Lee said. "If it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, it doesn't."

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/movies/1402ap_film_oscar_outlook.html

382148, LMAO @ "...and I think Morgan poked Jessica"
Posted by Easy Rawlins, Fri Jun-27-08 03:03 PM

382162, the same way he did when "do the right thing" didn't win anything
Posted by jahlove7, Fri Jun-27-08 04:04 PM
he'll squeak, squawk, and cry racism until we're all blue in the face.
382173, It looks more like Blood Diamond than Letters From Iwo Jima
Posted by DrNO, Fri Jun-27-08 05:12 PM
You know, a standard gung-ho action flick with a pretty obvious message that it beats you over the head with (I'm not suggesting it's racist like Blood Diamond is). It might be good and get a couple noms but I don't think it looks like a real contender for anything.
382213, You just described 'Saving Private Ryan'
Posted by Orbit_Established, Fri Jun-27-08 10:04 PM
"You know, a standard gung-ho action flick"

Check

"with a pretty obvious message that it beats you over the head with"

Check


(I'm not
>suggesting it's racist like Blood Diamond is). It might be
>good and get a couple noms but I don't think it looks like a
>real contender for anything.

"Saving Private Ryan" got all kinds of noms

And it was no world beater message wise

Very simplistic, in fact
382222, Partly true
Posted by DrNO, Fri Jun-27-08 11:37 PM
but Saving Private Ryan wasn't terribly gung-ho, which you admit, it tried to be more about looking at the gritty horror of war the soldiers were just trying to survive rather than the excitement or honor of it. So yeah I guess it is not a gung-ho action film at all, huh?

The cartoony action seen in the trailer for Miracle, plus the whole murder mystery/cute little kid sidekick/secret artifact/Italian peasant woman speaking perfect English plot devices makes this look more like a very traditional by the numbers Hollywood adventure flick. Like how The Inside Man is an entertaining enough heist movie while Serpico is more than that.

Shit, this may well be better than Saving Private Ryan on its own terms but it just doesn't seem like it will be a heavy hitter at any awards shows.

Plus, I'm not seeing a show stopping scene like the Normandy landing to secure Spike any awards for technical skill. With the exception of a couple big wide shots this trailer seems to cut around the action scenes pretty deliberately.


382245, LOL. Now you're just copping pleas to premptively hate Spike's flick.
Posted by Orbit_Established, Sat Jun-28-08 04:41 AM
>but Saving Private Ryan wasn't terribly gung-ho, which you
>admit

LOL.

No, I didn't "admit" to that at all.

LOL.

It was a very sappy, simplistic storyline with a message
that we were beat over the head with. That is exactly what
you are accusing Miracle at St. Anna of being.

Its a double standard, and it needs to be pointed out,
because you're well...sorta stupid for saying it.

And the problem is this:
the "hook" in 'Miracle @ St. Anna' is far more
interesting and provocative, and the message far less
simplistic and routine. Not to mention the backdrop
of race, which might be boring to you, but is powerfully
unexplored in WW2 movies for the most part(just ask
George Lucas how boring and unimportant that is).

Not saying the film will be better than 'Saving Private
Ryan'.

I'm saying that by your criteria, it should almost
certainly be nominated, if SPR was(and of course,
SPR was).

it tried to be more about looking at the gritty horror
>of war the soldiers were just trying to survive rather than
>the excitement or honor of it. So yeah I guess it is not a
>gung-ho action film at all, huh?

Actually, it was.

SPR was 100%, total, bananas gung ho, complete with gratuitous
violence.

Yes, it had rhyme and reason and a message....but so
does 'Miracle @ St Anna'.

Not sure why we should apply one standard to one film
and not the other.

They will both have gratuitous violence.

If anything, I'm willing to bet an arm that SPR will
be the film with more violence, as the violence plays
more of a role in the film's backbone than it does
in St.Anna's story. Like I said, in the latter case
there are several interesting themes and contexts
which make it unique.

>The cartoony action seen in the trailer for Miracle, plus the
>whole murder mystery/cute little kid sidekick/secret
>artifact/Italian peasant woman speaking perfect English plot
>devices makes this look more like a very traditional by the
>numbers Hollywood adventure flick. Like how The Inside Man is
>an entertaining enough heist movie while Serpico is more than
>that.

LOL.

"Cartoony?"

LOL.


LOL.


LOL.

Now you're being a dumbass. It looks no more or less
"Cartoony" than any other war flick. And it certainly
looks no more cartoony than many of the scenes in SPR,
complete with cliche ass characters

I mean, did Matt Damon even have any real goddamn lines
the entire movie? LOL. I get it...he's supposed to be
a "symbol"....doesn't mean he can't have actual character.

And Tom Hanks?

LOL.

Any depth there?

Answer: No. Not really.

Other than him being like a perfect leader, and all.

Still, SPR was a great film.

But it, clearly was the traditional good-guy-fights
-for-what-is-right-despite-the-odds-just-because-he's
-good-guy.

SPR was painfully run-of-the-mill in this regard.

Still a great film.

Problem is, you're just inventing reasons to hate on
Spike Lee, which I'm not surprised by, but it is rather
pathetic when you put your opinions under the microscope.

>Shit, this may well be better than Saving Private Ryan on its
>own terms but it just doesn't seem like it will be a heavy
>hitter at any awards shows.

Okay, but 'Saving Private Ryan' got nominated for lots,
and Spiel won BEST DIRECTOR for it.

So by your logic, Spike should be nominated for Best Picture,
and win BEST DIRECTOR for it, because the film looks incredible,
will almost certainly be shot very, very, very, very, well, and
has an interesting and provocative storyline, with good actors,
in an interesting setting.

I mean, let's not be creative in how we hate.

It looks like a good fucking movie.

Let's not invent criteria and standards that only apply to it.

>Plus, I'm not seeing a show stopping scene like the Normandy
>landing to secure Spike any awards for technical skill. With
>the exception of a couple big wide shots this trailer seems to
>cut around the action scenes pretty deliberately.

Are you kidding?

There are very few action scenes in the trailer. I dunno
about you, but I saw all types of scenes with Hector
Negron talking to the police, saw all types of scenes
with the characters just talking to one another, talking
about the miracle, etc. The most interesting aspects to
the trailer have nothing to do with the war scenes.

I mean, jesus.

Its okay to not be intelligent.

I'm not, however, going to pardon poor selective eyesight.

Do better.


382324, RE: LOL. Now you're just copping pleas to premptively hate Spike's flick.
Posted by Grits, Sat Jun-28-08 04:58 PM
Ripped him!!
382466, RE: How will Spike react when Miracle at St. Anna wins nothing?
Posted by las raises, Sun Jun-29-08 01:40 PM
this is a hilarious post
399514, 9/26 : this looks like its gonna be amazing
Posted by s_dot_miles, Thu Sep-04-08 08:49 PM
can't wait
399541, Is that your average person opinion?
Posted by Gemini_Two_One, Thu Sep-04-08 11:14 PM

!sig!

Yeah, keep the crack raps up
That shit is double plus...whatever the fuck
Everybody’s afraid to say it just sucks
To watch talented muthafuckers pretending they sell drugs
- EL-P
399542, why yes, yes it is. they showed a commercial during the game
Posted by s_dot_miles, Thu Sep-04-08 11:26 PM
and it reminded me of this post.
399549, What was so bad about 'Grindhouse' again?
Posted by DarkStar, Fri Sep-05-08 12:23 AM
399578, It sucked.
Posted by Orbit_Established, Fri Sep-05-08 08:09 AM

It did. Well known fact.
399703, It's the only trailer I've seen recently that makes sense...
Posted by Mr Mech, Fri Sep-05-08 04:46 PM
...without giving away the entire plot. So, he's got that going for him.

Mech
400488, What I wanna know is why B9 is grinning so smugly at the bad reviews.
Posted by Frank Longo, Tue Sep-09-08 02:58 PM
Is there some personal issue with Spike? Is it your personal issue with Basa that's making you take issue with Spike? Are you a big Clint Eastwood fan, so Spike's comments left you salty?

This is a fascinating book, a really great story, an undeniably talented director, good young actors... and yet two reviews that are less than desirable (months after you already condemned the film due to IMDB user buzz) have you giddy like a schoolgirl.

I'm gonna assume it's just Basa that has you really peeved at Spike, and that's why you're rooting for a terrific story by a terrific director to fail.

400508, Could of inboxed, but wanted to be ALL up in the video...
Posted by B9, Tue Sep-09-08 04:02 PM
To answer:
I like Spike. For the umpteenth thousandth time. I like Spike, I like his movies, I generally agree with his viewpoints, I feel sorry for him when shown at Knicks games.
But I lost a lot of respect for Spike when he dragged Clint, unwillingly, into some PR generating bullshit. Once again: Flags and Letters were meant to be pitch-perfect recreations of a singular battle and the actual fall out of the actual lives the battle/AmeroPR bullshit touched. Not some catch all story about WW2, not some fictionalized (COUGH) battle meant to be shiny, happy and prop giving to all of gods children who fought so boldly, etc...etc...Spike in that tif acted as if he had not seen the movie or was being contrarian just to get his name in the papers. I wonder which it was? And if the argument is going to be Miracle is a "popcorn" WW2 movie, meant to shine the light on one particular regiment in one particular (marginally fictionalized for the sake of romaticism) battle, great, then be a popcorn movie and KIM. Don't box with someone trying to do something totally different; Spike had to go out of his way to make that beef about race, Clint would have had to go way out of his and reality's way to make Letters/Flags about or including black people.

And it looked like ass in a can from the early treatments and plot lines. Sorry. So yeah, I predicted the raft of negative reviews this film is soon to generate. I laughed a ton this past weekend when those commercials hit with a singular positive review quoted; not at the fact Spike is going to be left with a race-bait bomb on his hands, but that another attempt to sensationalize and demean another persons piece of work for your own glory BACKFIRED. Horribly. Kabloom.


That and it's another "Autumn of Basa's cred" moment.
400623, In fairness, an "it's okay" CHUD review
Posted by B9, Wed Sep-10-08 09:46 AM
http://chud.com/articles/articles/16289/1/REVIEW-MIRACLE-AT-ST-ANNA/Page1.html


400736, The Doc had to vote yellow, that shit was too hilarious
Posted by Dr Claw, Wed Sep-10-08 04:50 PM
400812, Preemptive Strike: Spike blames his Knicks fandom
Posted by SoulHonky, Wed Sep-10-08 11:18 PM
"My wife Tonya told me I may have hurt my chances with the Clint Eastwood stuff... They (Oscar voters and Academy bosses) take everything into account with me. They take into account that I like the Knicks or that I'm in New York."

Lee is adamant the fact he's a Big Apple guy has cost him an Oscar Best Director nomination in the past: "If you did a survey, the bulk of the people who vote in the Academy are in Los Angeles. There's definite bias, considering that my films are typically New York-based." He's still upset that his Do The Right Thing movie wasn't even considered for an Oscar the year Driving Miss Daisy claimed Best Film.

He adds, "Nobody is watching motherfucking Driving Miss Daisy today. Do The Right Thing is being taught in classes at major universities and high schools all over the world. That's how you're supposed to test art. Does the work stand up?"
400897, At risk of being attacked here, he's not wrong.
Posted by Frank Longo, Thu Sep-11-08 11:16 AM
It took Martin Scorsese this long to win a Best Picture/Best Director.

Ron Howard? Cali guy.
Paul Haggis? Cali guy.
Clint Eastwood? Cali guy.
Steven Spielberg? Cali guy.
Soderbergh? Cali guy.
Tarantino? Cmon.

Outside of Woody, Marty, and Oliver Stone, there have been no NYC-based directors to get nommed for, let alone win, an Oscar. You've got Cali folks, Brits, longtime established icons, and the occasional other foreigner. Very very very few NYC directors.

Does this mean Spike deserves to get nommed for this? Not necessarily. But he's been passed up twice for what should have been locked nominations, passed up for Brits and established folks (ironically, Woody took what might have been his spot in 1989).

I know it's silly, it's coppin pleas, blah blah blah. But if you're Spike Lee, and you're looking at the history of Oscar, and you see lots of LA, lots of UK, and very few NY, it's easy to see how he draws his conclusion.
400913, with no bias i agree with you a 100%
Posted by dunk, Thu Sep-11-08 12:30 PM
when u break it down hardly any NY directors get love at the Oscars. Its no secret that many classic and amazing films have gotten robbed for noms & Spike being a black director from NY makes his chances even more difficult, esp. since his films deal with race so much.
400919, It's a self-fulfilling prophecy
Posted by SoulHonky, Thu Sep-11-08 12:46 PM
The key is that you have to schmooze a little bit and Spike doesn't do that. Coming out and blaming his location is just another example of the approach that doesn't exactly endear him to the voters. Granted, he's probably better off not doing that but then he just has to come to grips with the fact that he's not going to pick up an Oscar.
400922, shit, talking about wanting an Oscar or your Oscar chances at all
Posted by B9, Thu Sep-11-08 12:50 PM
thats for the studio and paper to do, not you.
400935, Nah, you have to play the game
Posted by SoulHonky, Thu Sep-11-08 01:11 PM
James Caan had a great rant about it. He talked about how Roberto Benigni was all over Hollywood and at every party and that helped him out that year. People can blame Norbit but the bottom line is that most people in Hollywood just didn't like Eddie Murphy. Just this past year, Jason Reitman (a child of Hollywood) edged out Joe Wright for Atonement because nobody really knew Wright.

Do you think its a coincidence that Errol Morris received his first doc nomination (and win) the year after he filmed an opening interview package for the Academy Awards?

Having the studio push you helps but if you don't make the right appearances and let people know you are more than a "For Your Consideration" ad, you'll struggle to get the votes.

400941, there's playing the game and then there's saying "I was screwed"
Posted by B9, Thu Sep-11-08 01:31 PM
I don't recall an actor or director outright saying they were screwed or they deserve a nod (which is just pretentious as all get out...has Spike seen all the movies due out prior to EOY?); The Robeto Begnini thing was a fluke, he was touted around because he was new to American audiences and a good guest because of his antics. Spike's beef about being snubbed was understandable, but the climate of the Academy around then was shitty. I think in recent years, since the Titanic fiasco, as I call it (in the aftermath, the Academy realised it had sold its soul long ago for blockbuster/familygoodness and turned its back on true art...there had to be hurt in the building knowing Boogie Nights was there), there has been a better reception for a variety of films. I don't think, from what I've seen and read, this is the film that Spike should be grandstanding for an award for; Inside Man...THAT was worthy of praise, but it was Marty's year. bad timing.
400947, I don't know how the Academy has gotten better
Posted by SoulHonky, Thu Sep-11-08 01:48 PM
The main difference today is that the major studios just don't put out many quality mainstream films. Personally, I don't think Titanic is any more of a fiasco than Crash or the snub of City of God for a best picture nom. (And I wouldn't even say Boogie Nights deserved the Oscar)

If anything, the Academy had become more pretentious over the years.
400931, Blame the academy, not Spike
Posted by Orbit_Established, Thu Sep-11-08 01:02 PM

Why don't we challenge the academy to actually
reward the best motherfucking films instead
of shitting on Spike for speaking that there
lavalous truth?
400937, I said Spike's better off
Posted by SoulHonky, Thu Sep-11-08 01:15 PM
I don't give a shit about the Oscars. They are a glorified popularity contest (nevermind that giving "Best" awards for art is just kind of silly IMO).

The thing with Spike is that he marches to the beat of his own drum yet still seems focused on the Oscars. You can't have it both ways. Either give a fuck about the Oscars and play their game or don't.
400912, Spike ethered them + notice he didn't mention race
Posted by Orbit_Established, Thu Sep-11-08 12:30 PM

That 'Do the Right Thing' point
was venomous

Notice how Spike didn't mention race.

He knows all the reasons he didn't win
the Oscar. Dude's not just some indiscriminate
race baiter.

He knows what he's talking about


----------------------------


O_E: Your Super-Ego's Favorite Poster.



"I ORBITs the solar system, listenin..."

(C)Keith Murray, "Cosmic Slop"
400834, Please don't start backing this movie. You're 0 for infinity this year...
Posted by TheRealBillyOcean, Thu Sep-11-08 06:00 AM
in terms of picking good movies. And I want this shit to be great. Go back that Shia Leboeuf thriller or something for a month.
400841, shut up
Posted by Basaglia, Thu Sep-11-08 08:02 AM
403164, lol
Posted by Tony Sparks, Mon Sep-22-08 01:01 PM
400859, RE: How will Spike react when Miracle at St. Anna wins nothing?
Posted by Tukuma, Thu Sep-11-08 09:33 AM
I'm not really great at reviewing films but I'll just say that I saw a press/industry screening of it last night at the Toronto International Film Festival. I enjoyed it and it didn't seem to drag, lots of beautiful shots/scenes and I did enjoy the holy boy aspect of it all. People in the theatre seemed to enjoy it as well with many applauding at the end of the film.
400863, I trust your commentary just as much as anyone's.
Posted by Orbit_Established, Thu Sep-11-08 10:08 AM
>I'm not really great at reviewing films but I'll just say
>that I saw a press/industry screening of it last night at the
>Toronto International Film Festival. I enjoyed it and it
>didn't seem to drag, lots of beautiful shots/scenes and I did
>enjoy the holy boy aspect of it all. People in the theatre
>seemed to enjoy it as well with many applauding at the end of
>the film.

I've heard the same thing
400960, Cool what grade would you give?
Posted by JAESCOTT777, Thu Sep-11-08 02:59 PM
400973, 'cism
Posted by Nettrice, Thu Sep-11-08 04:02 PM
>
401110, Yellow is now becoming my favorite color
Posted by subjctmattr, Fri Sep-12-08 08:34 AM
hilarious
401799, Why is that guy always angry?
Posted by TheWhiteMedia, Tue Sep-16-08 12:10 PM
403928, Saw it last nite. I'd be surprised if it even got nominted.
Posted by jigga, Wed Sep-24-08 03:02 PM
It had it's moments here & there but it was all over the place & kinda hard to follow.

While it's a very ambitious film, & well-acted by everyone involved, Derek Luke's uneven performance was the weak link out of the major players involved. When he was good he was really good. But there's far too many moments where it seems he's just in it for the paycheck that Wesley Snipes wasn't able to capitalize on. It's the other soilders & the little boy that really steal the show here. Matthew Libatique is also starting to make a name for himself as 1 of the better DP's working right now. And Terrance Blanchard's scores never disappoint.

I'm pissed I missed the 1st 5 minutes or so but I think everything comes full circle in the end. The pacing is a bit choppy & I'm sure alot of people will find the fantasy/miracle aspects a little corny. It certainly could've been trimmed down a bit but at the running time wasn't really a major gripe from my standpoint. There's not a ton of action but the sound effects during the battle scenes were just as good as anything from Clint's camp *wink*.

It should be noted that this is much more than just the "black" perspective of the war. The Italians are just as much if not more of the focus here. And while of course the subject of racism is touched upon early & often, we're not beat over the head with it like on the sports board. It's handled very well for the most part with 1 or 2 exceptions that I won't spoil. It'll be obvious when you see the scenes I'm referring to. If the 1st instance actually happened then it certainly should've been included. If it didn't (which I really doubt) then I think it should've been left out.

Overall I liked it but at this point it's hard to say it's deserving of any Oscar noms.

403931, cinematics justify theatre viewing or wait for DVD?
Posted by B9, Wed Sep-24-08 03:30 PM
403961, Tough call. Glad I saw it on the big screen but not a must see there.
Posted by jigga, Wed Sep-24-08 04:57 PM
403933, did you read the book and if so does it follow it closely...?
Posted by bleekgilliam_420, Wed Sep-24-08 03:40 PM
bc i that the book was excellent but im a little concerned with how they would fit some of the sequences of the story into the movie
403962, Didn't read the book but I probably will now.
Posted by jigga, Wed Sep-24-08 05:01 PM
>bc i that the book was excellent but im a little concerned
>with how they would fit some of the sequences of the story
>into the movie

Such as?
404050, *SPOILERS*
Posted by bleekgilliam_420, Thu Sep-25-08 09:03 AM
>>bc i thought the book was excellent but im a little concerned
>>with how they would fit some of the sequences of the story
>>into the movie
>
>Such as?


















such as the story of the black butterfly, the story of the mountain, and most of the mystique stuff. the sequencing in the book of these are usually after something major happens. looking at the previews and reading the book it looks like the preview shows things in order as they happened but isnt giving you the real deal of the story. people are going to go in thinking that its only about black soldiers (like you pointed out) and its not only about them.






*edit*

i just went back to your review and saw that you said that its all over the place and hard to follow at times. now that i read that im almost certain that it is going to stay true to the book which a cool deal to me. im going to catch it on saturday and give my thoughts.

404087, RE: *SPOILERS*
Posted by jigga, Thu Sep-25-08 11:57 AM
>>>bc i thought the book was excellent but im a little
>concerned
>>>with how they would fit some of the sequences of the story
>>>into the movie
>>
>>Such as?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>such as the story of the black butterfly,

They touch upon that but I didn't understand it. It might've been explained in the opening though.

the story of the
>mountain, and most of the mystique stuff.

The Mountain of the Sleeping Man's legend is mentioned quite a few times & you can see the face in the mountain which was pretty cool.
There's an interesting shot towards the end where it finally comes into play but my guess is that it was probably handled a lot better in the book.

the sequencing in
>the book of these are usually after something major happens.
>looking at the previews and reading the book it looks like the
>preview shows things in order as they happened but isnt giving
>you the real deal of the story. people are going to go in
>thinking that its only about black soldiers (like you pointed
>out) and its not only about them.

>*edit*
>
>i just went back to your review and saw that you said that its
>all over the place and hard to follow at times. now that i
>read that im almost certain that it is going to stay true to
>the book which a cool deal to me. im going to catch it on
>saturday and give my thoughts.

Yeah the whole story with the boy isn't revealed till the later 1/2 of the film & a lot of stuff is cleared up at that point. But there's still a lot of other underdeveloped characters who pop up every now & then & it wasn't really clear what their motives were & how they fit into the story.

404105, RE: *SPOILERS*
Posted by bleekgilliam_420, Thu Sep-25-08 12:25 PM
>>>>bc i thought the book was excellent but im a little
>>concerned
>>>>with how they would fit some of the sequences of the story
>>>>into the movie
>>>
>>>Such as?
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>such as the story of the black butterfly,
>
>They touch upon that but I didn't understand it. It might've
>been explained in the opening though.

yeah i had to read his piece a couple of time to fully understand it.

>There's an interesting shot towards the end where it finally
>comes into play but my guess is that it was probably handled a
>lot better in the book.

cool deal


>Yeah the whole story with the boy isn't revealed till the
>later 1/2 of the film & a lot of stuff is cleared up at that
>point. But there's still a lot of other underdeveloped
>characters who pop up every now & then & it wasn't really
>clear what their motives were & how they fit into the story.

i know who you are talking about. i think if he did put the background of everyone in the film it would be over 3 hours.
404084, It's at 19 on Rotten Tomatoes and 23 on Metacritic
Posted by bignick, Thu Sep-25-08 11:47 AM
And that shit is 2 hours and 40 minutes long. Spike trying to have my entire Saturday and shit.
404085, dark knight was longer
Posted by Basaglia, Thu Sep-25-08 11:53 AM
and you anticpated that like prime on a curl route, knowing the ball got a 18 million dollar bonus check attached to it.
404086, Miracle at St. Anna: 2:40. The Dark Knight: 2:32.
Posted by ZooTown74, Thu Sep-25-08 11:55 AM
________________________________________________________________________
"I want to be done playing this lady Nov. 5..." - Tina Fey
404088, RE: Miracle at St. Anna: 2:40. The Dark Knight: 2:32.
Posted by Basaglia, Thu Sep-25-08 11:57 AM
And that shit is 2 hours and 4 minutes long.

^^^^^that's what your boy said.

correct the bitch, not the nigga fuckin, doorman.
404096, That info is for evry'body to see, Negro.
Posted by ZooTown74, Thu Sep-25-08 12:11 PM
Don't go gettin' all sensitive on us now.

Warmest Regards,
http://theitch.files.wordpress.com/2006/11/doorman.JPG?w=295&h=354
________________________________________________________________________
"I want to be done playing this lady Nov. 5..." - Tina Fey
404098, why in the world would i question if nick had the wrong run time?
Posted by Basaglia, Thu Sep-25-08 12:15 PM
nick's always right..always successful.

404100, Cmon, fam. cmon.
Posted by ZooTown74, Thu Sep-25-08 12:18 PM
Cordially,
http://theitch.files.wordpress.com/2006/11/doorman.JPG?w=295&h=354
________________________________________________________________________
"I want to be done playing this lady Nov. 5..." - Tina Fey
404104, *Death by the hands/door of the Doorman*
Posted by jigga, Thu Sep-25-08 12:25 PM
404089, Wrong as usual. I had no interest in seeing Batman AGAIN.
Posted by bignick, Thu Sep-25-08 11:59 AM
Nice try.
404091, you lying...you saw it
Posted by Basaglia, Thu Sep-25-08 12:02 PM
404092, Nigga, just go be wrong. Again.
Posted by bignick, Thu Sep-25-08 12:04 PM
404094, you ain't gotta lie to me
Posted by Basaglia, Thu Sep-25-08 12:07 PM
404090, It's at damn shame what he does to Omar as well
Posted by jigga, Thu Sep-25-08 11:59 AM
404110, Pre-plea cop: Some of these reviews sound suspicious.
Posted by Frank Longo, Thu Sep-25-08 12:30 PM
I haven't seen it. It might suck. But many of these reviews talk about:

a) Spike shoving the horrors of war in our face
b) Spike's war movie being too long
c) Spike's ambition being too high
d) Spike trying to outdo other great war flicks
e) Spike's vendetta against Clint Eastwood

Is it just me, or do none of these comments (a through d, at least) sound any different than other great war movie? Long, unflinching on the horrors of war, wildly ambitious... aren't these the traits of war films?

I could be wrong. I might agree with a through d at the end of the day... but a number of these reviews are dismissive and didn't very eloquently tell me much I didn't already know. I expected it to be long, I expected it to show horrors, I expected it to be ambitious, I expected it to have discussions of race, I expected a big Terence Blanchard score draped over everything. These are what one should expect of a Spike Lee war flick, imo.

AND IT MIGHT SUCK. I'm not copping pleas for Spike, who is far from perfect. But I've read one too many casually dismissive reviews that seem to imply, "LOLZ @ Spike, he can't play with the big boys."
404111, it's RACISM!!!
Posted by Basaglia, Thu Sep-25-08 12:31 PM
404114, I didn't read any reviews before seeing it. Didn't wanna be jaded.
Posted by jigga, Thu Sep-25-08 01:00 PM
>I haven't seen it. It might suck. But many of these reviews
>talk about:
>
>a) Spike shoving the horrors of war in our face

The violence really isn't all that graphic or frequent so I'd have to disagree

>b) Spike's war movie being too long

It's long but it doesn't really drag too much

>c) Spike's ambition being too high

Sounds like the book was pretty ambitious as well

>d) Spike trying to outdo other great war flicks

Never got this feeling while watching it. A lot of it is quite subdued imo

>e) Spike's vendetta against Clint Eastwood

HA!

>Is it just me, or do none of these comments (a through d, at
>least) sound any different than other great war movie? Long,
>unflinching on the horrors of war, wildly ambitious... aren't
>these the traits of war films?
>
>I could be wrong. I might agree with a through d at the end of
>the day... but a number of these reviews are dismissive and
>didn't very eloquently tell me much I didn't already know. I
>expected it to be long, I expected it to show horrors, I
>expected it to be ambitious, I expected it to have discussions
>of race, I expected a big Terence Blanchard score draped over
>everything. These are what one should expect of a Spike Lee
>war flick, imo.
>
>AND IT MIGHT SUCK. I'm not copping pleas for Spike, who is far
>from perfect. But I've read one too many casually dismissive
>reviews that seem to imply, "LOLZ @ Spike, he can't play with
>the big boys."

Pretty much. The only real gripe I have is the lack of focus at times. It was the same problem Spike had with She Hate Me. But in this case its like a double-edged sword. The critics who say his ambition was too high would probably be the same ones complaining if the focus was stritcly about the Buffalo Soldiers saying it was nothing knew that they hadn't seen in any other war flick. I appreciated the ambition in this one a lot more than I did in She Hate Me. It's handled much better even if it still has it's problems with the pacing.
404928, The same way he does every year.
Posted by Nathaniel, Sun Sep-28-08 01:40 PM
Smile and then bounce to the after-party, and then go to bed.
A true filmmaker, or any composer, will tell you...the awards are an after-thought.. and if they don't ever get it, then they won't.
Fuck 'em. The thought was expressed.