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Subject: "Da 5 Bloods (Lee 2020)" Previous topic | Next topic
navajo joe
Member since Apr 13th 2005
6564 posts
Mon May-18-20 09:07 AM

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"Da 5 Bloods (Lee 2020)"


          

Full Trailer for Spike's first Netflix joint

https://youtu.be/D5RDTPfsLAI

I love how overstuffed and unconventional the trailer is

I also LOVE seeing Delroy Lindo in a major film role. He's one of my favorite actors of all time

Films about black soldiers in Vietnam are criminally rare and I really hope this turns out great.

I'm on record as HATING Black KKKlansman despite some really great elements so I'm hoping Spike can nail this

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

A lot of you players ain't okay.

We would have been better off with an okaycivics board instead of an okayactivist board

  

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Topic Outline
Subject Author Message Date ID
Huge Spike Lee fan... totally hated Black KKKlansman
May 25th 2020
1
Good point about the lack of Vietnam stories feat. Black soldiers
May 25th 2020
2
The Walking Dead is the only one I remember watching
May 26th 2020
4
Looks really good
May 26th 2020
3
Love Spike. I just wish he would stop with the "da" shit in his titles
May 28th 2020
5
thank you
May 28th 2020
6
RE: Love Spike. I just wish he would stop with the "da" shit in his titl...
May 28th 2020
7
RE: Love Spike. I just wish he would stop with the "da" shit in his titl...
May 28th 2020
8
its his trademark. He understands branding and you don't
Sep 23rd 2020
27
I don't like a lot of Spike's work, but actually interested in this
Jun 01st 2020
9
*Searches IMDB for Written By. Please Please Please let it be...."
Jun 04th 2020
10
that's some revisionist bullshit... he also wrote the following:
Jun 04th 2020
11
      Spike is probably my favorite filmmaker, and those are all good films,
Jun 04th 2020
12
      almost all of those films thegodcam listed are considered his classics
Jun 12th 2020
15
      I have to agree with Buddy
Jun 12th 2020
16
Just finished it and I’m wondering peoples tnoughts
Jun 12th 2020
13
yeah i wanted to like this.
Jun 12th 2020
14
      I was on my phone for the last 30 minutes (spoilers)
Jun 12th 2020
17
i found it pretty messy
Jun 13th 2020
18
I really enjoyed it.
Oct 07th 2020
34
      I absoltely loved the first 20 minutes or so
Oct 07th 2020
35
           tbh I didn’t mean to write that as a reply, lol
Oct 07th 2020
36
Pretty good. Liked it a lot.
Jun 15th 2020
19
i think i've outgrown Sipke Lee
Jun 17th 2020
20
his version of Treasure Of The Sierra Madre
Jun 23rd 2020
21
Man what I mess, and I mainly blame Spike
Jun 24th 2020
22
RE: Man what I mess, and I mainly blame Spike
Jul 31st 2020
24
      honestly I thought it was a budget issue.
Aug 01st 2020
25
      i assumed that was just a conscious gimmick
Aug 02nd 2020
26
      RE: Man what I mess, and I mainly blame Spike
Sep 25th 2020
29
           you're right. it was a deliberate choice by Spike.
Sep 25th 2020
30
           an eerie layer now since Chadwick will never reach their ages
Sep 26th 2020
31
           It was deliberate. *swipe*
Oct 06th 2020
32
           It was absolutely deliberate, and I thought it was a great choice.
Oct 07th 2020
33
wanted to like it
Jul 13th 2020
23
I feel dumb for letting y'all keep me from watching it for this long.
Sep 23rd 2020
28

thegodcam
Member since Oct 22nd 2004
41487 posts
Mon May-25-20 11:13 AM

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1. "Huge Spike Lee fan... totally hated Black KKKlansman"
In response to Reply # 0


  

          

crossing my fingers

*******************************************************
i will not let finite disappointment undermine infinite hope
- Cory Booker

Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes, and at the end the Germans always win
- Gary Lineker

  

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obsidianchrysalis
Member since Jan 29th 2003
8740 posts
Mon May-25-20 08:48 PM

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2. "Good point about the lack of Vietnam stories feat. Black soldiers"
In response to Reply # 0


  

          

Like there's Dead Presidents and what else?

Anyway, this looks alright. Something more in line with Get Off the Bus than his films that are very direct like Do the Right Thing or even Black KKKlansman. I actually liked Get Off the Bus alot so this movie may be my speed.

<--- Me when my head hits the pillow

  

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Frank Mackey
Member since May 23rd 2006
2900 posts
Tue May-26-20 05:59 PM

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4. "The Walking Dead is the only one I remember watching"
In response to Reply # 2


          

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114888/

  

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ProgressiveSound
Member since Mar 11th 2003
2051 posts
Tue May-26-20 04:48 AM

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3. "Looks really good"
In response to Reply # 0


          

  

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Airbreed
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Thu May-28-20 01:25 PM

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5. "Love Spike. I just wish he would stop with the "da" shit in his titles"
In response to Reply # 0


  

          

Spike is a genius. Love his films and the space he uses to create his stories. But some the titles he uses feels dated. He did it with "Da" Sweet Blood of Jesus" and now with "Da" 5 Bloods, Kind of like the old guy at the club still dressing like he's 18 years old.

Still, i'm looking forward to seeing this. I'm glad its going to Netflix since I just copped a new OLED. Perfect timing for viewing another masterpiece.

  

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rdhull
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Thu May-28-20 05:29 PM

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6. "thank you"
In response to Reply # 5


  

          

  

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obsidianchrysalis
Member since Jan 29th 2003
8740 posts
Thu May-28-20 07:52 PM

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7. "RE: Love Spike. I just wish he would stop with the "da" shit in his titl..."
In response to Reply # 5


  

          

>... Kind of like the old guy at the club still dressing
>like he's 18 years old.


I agree with all of what you said, but it's funny to me that he literally does still dress like he's 18. At least his color palatte. But Spike's a legend, I say, let him cook.

<--- Me when my head hits the pillow

  

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rdhull
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Thu May-28-20 10:30 PM

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8. "RE: Love Spike. I just wish he would stop with the "da" shit in his titl..."
In response to Reply # 7


  

          

>>... Kind of like the old guy at the club still dressing
>>like he's 18 years old.
>
>
>I agree with all of what you said, but it's funny to me that
>he literally does still dress like he's 18. At least his color
>palatte. But Spike's a legend, I say, let him cook.

Haha reminds me of when he said something criticizing Tim Burton for looking like a crazy homeless person etc when he was called on something.

  

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Damali
Member since Sep 12th 2002
35854 posts
Wed Sep-23-20 02:52 PM

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27. "its his trademark. He understands branding and you don't"
In response to Reply # 5


          

you know its a spike lee joint when you see it tho don't you?



d

  

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CherNic
Member since Aug 18th 2005
37156 posts
Mon Jun-01-20 09:42 AM

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9. "I don't like a lot of Spike's work, but actually interested in this"
In response to Reply # 0


  

          

  

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Buddy_Gilapagos
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Thu Jun-04-20 10:37 AM

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10. "*Searches IMDB for Written By. Please Please Please let it be....""
In response to Reply # 0


  

          

not written by Spike Lee"

Yes!!!!!!!!!

Spike Lee's Filmography of films not written by him is his best work:

Malcolm X
25th Hour
Clockers
Inside Man
Get on the Bus....

His worst works seem to be predominately written by him (EXCEPT for Do the Right Thing which is improv heavy)

Sweet Blood of Jesus
She Hate Me
Red Hook Summer


**********
"Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson

"what's a leader if he isn't reluctant"

  

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thegodcam
Member since Oct 22nd 2004
41487 posts
Thu Jun-04-20 01:13 PM

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11. "that's some revisionist bullshit... he also wrote the following:"
In response to Reply # 10


  

          

School daze
Mo better blues
Jungle fever
Crooklyn
He got game
Bamboozled

which are all dope

*******************************************************
i will not let finite disappointment undermine infinite hope
- Cory Booker

Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes, and at the end the Germans always win
- Gary Lineker

  

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Buddy_Gilapagos
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Thu Jun-04-20 06:19 PM

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12. "Spike is probably my favorite filmmaker, and those are all good films, "
In response to Reply # 11


  

          

but they are almost all second tier Spike Lee films. I stand by my statements that the ones I named (and Do the Right Thing) are Spike's best films.


**********
"Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson

"what's a leader if he isn't reluctant"

  

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Reeq
Member since Mar 11th 2013
16347 posts
Fri Jun-12-20 02:22 PM

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15. "almost all of those films thegodcam listed are considered his classics"
In response to Reply # 12


          

by the general public. his most culturally ingrained work.

how are you defining second tier?

  

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obsidianchrysalis
Member since Jan 29th 2003
8740 posts
Fri Jun-12-20 07:23 PM

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16. "I have to agree with Buddy"
In response to Reply # 11


  

          

I've seen those movies and those movies have really bold socialpolitical themes and all have Spike's signature style, even more than the movies he didn't write. But they just don't hold up well in a technical sense.

Even Do the Right Thing, which was so impressive for its time, doesn't hold up all that well to me.

I like Spike but his style is too heavy handed and suffocating for my tastes. I prefer his movies that he doesn't write because the style is more subtle but still has his signature edge and perspective.

I don't think that makes Spike a bad filmmaker. He's a legend, if only for getting his movies made in Hollywood, especially in the 80's and 90's where he and his collaboratives made up all of Black Hollywood of that time.

He's just a bit too close to his source material when he writes his movies and so his work comes off heavy handed and limited in scope. Tarantino is cut from the same cloth. His movies have a very distinct and clear style. But my favorite movie of his, Jackie Brown, was a story he didn't create from scratch.

Maybe Spike gets spread too thin during pre-production and can't dedicate enough time to honing his voice during production? Maybe he gets defensive about his writing and doesn't become open to other points of view?

The reason for the difference is worth studying tho.

<--- Me when my head hits the pillow

  

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RobOne4
Member since Jun 06th 2003
56697 posts
Fri Jun-12-20 02:09 PM

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13. "Just finished it and I’m wondering peoples tnoughts"
In response to Reply # 0


  

          

I think there is a good movie in here somewhere. As is I didn’t enjoy it.

November 8th, 2005 The greatest night in the history of GD!

  

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Reeq
Member since Mar 11th 2013
16347 posts
Fri Jun-12-20 02:15 PM

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14. "yeah i wanted to like this."
In response to Reply # 13


          

it was a chore to get through.

he should thank the cast...particularly the older group...for carrying it as much as they could.

  

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RobOne4
Member since Jun 06th 2003
56697 posts
Fri Jun-12-20 11:43 PM

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17. "I was on my phone for the last 30 minutes (spoilers)"
In response to Reply # 14


  

          

by the time they got to the gold I was done with the movie. Then we have the face off with the locals. I didnt care anymore. Good performances. But this was a mess of a movie. Spike really went out of his way to fire off rounds at Donald Trump. Also the way he shoe horned in facts about unknown black heroes took me out of it right away. First what 15 minutes he hit us with 2 or 3 of them? I mean i get it important forgotten black heroes. But the way it was done felt so unnatural and didnt flow.

November 8th, 2005 The greatest night in the history of GD!

  

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Mynoriti
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Sat Jun-13-20 02:39 AM

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18. "i found it pretty messy"
In response to Reply # 0


  

          

and unnecessarily long.

some individual moments and performances i really enjoyed but as a whole... meh.

"good movie in there somewhere" is a good way to describe it.

  

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Frank Longo
Member since Nov 18th 2003
86639 posts
Wed Oct-07-20 12:50 AM

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34. "I really enjoyed it."
In response to Reply # 18
Wed Oct-07-20 12:50 AM by Frank Longo

  

          

It's mostly great, although it probably tries to bite off more than it can chew. Then again, if you're a big Spike fan (as I am), this is kind of par for the course. Spike is going swing for the motherfucking fences, and a lot of his swings are going to connect better than most filmmakers working today can dream to do. Yes, he's going to miss sometimes. Yes, he may try to do too much in a movie, making stretches-- or whole movies-- muddled. But few filmmakers today have the power to deliver the way Spike does when he connects.

There were things I didn't like here, sure...the thing that stands out the most is the way the Big Scene In The Middle is projected from a mile away by how awkwardly a character is walking-- and the way his walk is shot, tbh. Not sure whether Spike *wanted* us to brace for what was about to happen or what, but I thought the power of that moment was botched. Other moments later were far more effective.

That said, the characters are beautifully developed and/or mythologized. Lindo obviously hits a grand slam here, as he always does every time he's on the screen. And Spike's injection of some complicated politics gives this film real weight in a way most movies don't really care to even try. Even if bits of it are corny-- and even if the images of actual real-life murders give me some pause in their inclusion here-- I don't care. The shit that works WORKS.

My movies: http://russellhainline.com
My movie reviews: https://letterboxd.com/RussellHFilm/
My beer TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebeertravelguide

  

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Mynoriti
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Wed Oct-07-20 02:41 AM

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35. "I absoltely loved the first 20 minutes or so"
In response to Reply # 34


  

          

by the time it was over it felt like chore.

for Better or worse, he's always doing too much. i've always admired and been frustrated by him for it.

no arguments on Lindo. he's the best thing about this movie. This shit was a hot mess tho. I wish i liked it as much as you did because i really wanted to, so I'm jealous


  

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Frank Longo
Member since Nov 18th 2003
86639 posts
Wed Oct-07-20 10:15 AM

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36. "tbh I didn’t mean to write that as a reply, lol"
In response to Reply # 35


  

          

I just meant to write it as my review down below. Oh well, lol.

Yeah, I get people’s frustrations, and there’ve def been Spike movies where my frustrations outweighed my enjoyment. This one just leaned on the right side of the scale for me.

My movies: http://russellhainline.com
My movie reviews: https://letterboxd.com/RussellHFilm/
My beer TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebeertravelguide

  

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TheRealBillyOcean
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Mon Jun-15-20 11:07 AM

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19. "Pretty good. Liked it a lot. "
In response to Reply # 0


          

Enjoyed it a lot more than I did "The Irishman".

<---https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DL9AVTQ

  

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thegodcam
Member since Oct 22nd 2004
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Wed Jun-17-20 09:43 AM

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20. "i think i've outgrown Sipke Lee"
In response to Reply # 0


  

          

mind u, i liked the She's gotta have it Netflix series... but the majority of his flicks in the last few yrs, i just didnt care for.... dude literally changed my life.... but im done waiting anxiously for his next creative output...

it's been real

*******************************************************
i will not let finite disappointment undermine infinite hope
- Cory Booker

Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes, and at the end the Germans always win
- Gary Lineker

  

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rdhull
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Tue Jun-23-20 09:35 AM

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21. "his version of Treasure Of The Sierra Madre"
In response to Reply # 0


  

          

and he didn't disappoint

  

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Buddy_Gilapagos
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Wed Jun-24-20 01:26 PM

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22. "Man what I mess, and I mainly blame Spike"
In response to Reply # 0


  

          

That is, most of the things I disliked about this movie seem squarely Director's choices.

My father-in-law (RIP) use to blast his music all the time, no matter if the TV was on, convos were happening, whatever. It seems to be a trait of older men like Spike, Oliver Stone and Martin Scorcese.

For the love of mike Spike, edit your work more. Could have easily shaved 20 minutes off and probably would have been better served if 40 minutes were gone. Why did the scene of them actually finding the goal take so long?

I am not that familiar with Norman Lewis but the way they did that dude visually. Spolier: let me just come out and say it, having the dude up there with no arms and legs was just a bad call by Spike. My least favorite visual in film in years.

The decision to have those old actors to play there younger selves was just a terrible decision. Why do these older directors (thinking Scorcese and the Irishman) not want to give work to younger actors?!?! You telling me it made sense for Isiah Whitlock Jr. to play a younger version of himself rather than Roy Woods Jr.?

I think Spike had a good script and a good story, and he spiked it up and turned it into a melodramatic tyler perry stage play.

When it opened with these old black men getting together in the hotel lobby I was hyped because I saw my dad everytime he would see his boys.

A few other good moments. Lindo is a beast, but mostly not great.

**********
"Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson

"what's a leader if he isn't reluctant"

  

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mista k5
Member since Feb 01st 2006
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Fri Jul-31-20 01:17 PM

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24. "RE: Man what I mess, and I mainly blame Spike"
In response to Reply # 22


  

          

>The decision to have those old actors to play there younger
>selves was just a terrible decision. Why do these older
>directors (thinking Scorcese and the Irishman) not want to
>give work to younger actors?!?! You telling me it made sense
>for Isiah Whitlock Jr. to play a younger version of himself
>rather than Roy Woods Jr.?
>

seemed like no effort to make them look believably young either. how old are they supposed to be in present time? they looked at least 40 in the flashbacks, more like 50. flashbacks were what 50+ years ago?

im telling myself that all the flashbacks were actually dreams of paul. he only has the reference of norman from back then so he stayed the same age but the rest of them are basically the present age in his dreams. sure that makes enough sense lol

  

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Nopayne
Member since Jan 03rd 2003
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Sat Aug-01-20 01:05 AM

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25. "honestly I thought it was a budget issue."
In response to Reply # 24


  

          

Which I'm okay with in principle since constraints usually make things interesting but yeah in this case it was just distracting.

---
Love,
Nopayne

  

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Mynoriti
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Sun Aug-02-20 11:56 PM

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26. "i assumed that was just a conscious gimmick"
In response to Reply # 24


  

          

the first flashback i thought it was an interesting choice, then it just became distracting

  

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dgonsh
Member since Aug 14th 2002
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Fri Sep-25-20 10:41 AM

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29. "RE: Man what I mess, and I mainly blame Spike"
In response to Reply # 24


  

          

>seemed like no effort to make them look believably young either. how old are they supposed to be in present time? they looked at least 40 in the flashbacks, more like 50. flashbacks were what 50+ years ago?

i thought it was obvious that it was a choice that they didn't attempt to de-age them at all. they were just flashing back, but as their older current ages. like a memory you would have but while looking in the mirror. clearly Boseman is his younger self...cause he died in battle.
maybe I'm wrong...

********************************************************************




"I *always* quote myself. I'm the only reliable source on *most* subjects" - OKP's First Lady of Knowledge, Janey

  

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Damali
Member since Sep 12th 2002
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Fri Sep-25-20 02:47 PM

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30. "you're right. it was a deliberate choice by Spike."
In response to Reply # 29


          

  

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Mynoriti
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Sat Sep-26-20 02:12 PM

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31. "an eerie layer now since Chadwick will never reach their ages"
In response to Reply # 29


  

          

:(

  

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Airbreed
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Tue Oct-06-20 09:09 AM

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32. "It was deliberate. *swipe*"
In response to Reply # 29
Tue Oct-06-20 09:09 AM by Airbreed

  

          

https://www.moviemaker.com/why-spike-lee-didnt-de-age-his-da-5-bloods-stars/#:~:text=The%20new%20Spike%20Lee%20film,57)%2C%20Isiah%20Whitlock%20Jr.

Speaking at an online Q&A Wednesday, the director said his Da 5 Bloods stars were able to convey the passage of time through acting alone. He said he also rejected the idea of using different actors to play the men in their youth.

“The guys we have are great actors,” he said. “And I think their performance would have been hindered by having some people play younger versions of them. And I’ve never really seen a film where that works.”

He added that when Netflix expressed interest in releasing the film, he didn’t want to muddy the deal by dramatically increasing its budget through CGI.

“Netflix was the… last place who said yes. We made this film for a price. If an additional $100 million had been added to the budget, the film would not have been made,” Lee said.

Though Lee didn’t mention Netflix’s The Irishman, that Martin Scorsese film famously spent millions of dollars de-aging its leads.

Lee said he didn’t want to use makeup or prosthetics either, for practical reasons. The film was shot on location in Vietnam.

“We were shooting in the jungle, a hundred degrees. Prosthetics, makeup — that stuff with melted and run off the actor’s face,” Lee said.

Ultimately, he said, he trusted the audience to see that the flashbacks occur from the perspective of the characters today.

“I believe in the intelligence of the audience. And I knew that it might be a little jarring the first time they see it. But I knew they would just go for the ride and understand this is their memory,” he said.

The Q&A also included Lindo, who plays Paul, a veteran with PTSD, and Jonathan Majors, who plays Paul’s son, David.

No one seems to be complaining about the decision no to de-age the four surviving 5 Bloods: Lindo especially has received excellent reviews for his performance as Paul, who ages from a young soldier in the war to a modern-day Trump supporter coping with PTSD.

You can listen to our Low Key podcast about Da 5 Bloods on Apple or Spotify or right here:

  

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Frank Longo
Member since Nov 18th 2003
86639 posts
Wed Oct-07-20 12:42 AM

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33. "It was absolutely deliberate, and I thought it was a great choice."
In response to Reply # 29


  

          

My movies: http://russellhainline.com
My movie reviews: https://letterboxd.com/RussellHFilm/
My beer TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebeertravelguide

  

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grey
Member since Apr 04th 2003
2219 posts
Mon Jul-13-20 07:06 PM

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23. "wanted to like it "
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...

  

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Damali
Member since Sep 12th 2002
35854 posts
Wed Sep-23-20 03:04 PM

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28. "I feel dumb for letting y'all keep me from watching it for this long."
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Wed Sep-23-20 03:06 PM by Damali

          

I read this post back then and avoided the film...when i should have paid more attention to WHO was saying it was bad...folks w/consistently trash opinions about most things so i should have ignored them.

I watched it in the past week and I loved it. I watched it again w/my son.

First and foremost, give Delroy Lindo ALL the props for this shit...he was electric every time he was on screen...brilliant, sorrowful, mesmerizing, terrifying but yet and still you feel for him and the pain/guilt he's carried for an entire life ...it made me wonder if other Black vietnam vets felt seen and heard through this film..

i like the license he took as a director to include Norm as a memory instead of an actual flashback..that way you solve for having to provide younger versions of the other 4

the scene of them finding out MLK was murdered was interesting because it never occured to me before how that must have felt for the Black GIs at that time..not being at home then...

personally, i like Spike's filmmaking style...its his own...its Black AF...its off-kilter...i appreciate the madcap chaos he creates that is still believeable and compelling...and tragic, cuz they almost all ended up dying in vietnam anyway

were there some corny elements? yes. we didn't need the long lost daughter thing...but i personally enjoy imperfections in any piece of art. And Spike is an artist, period.

Bonus moments: "Sheeeeeiiiiiiittttttt" and "why don't you put the gold on craigslist!" LOL

d

  

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