Director’s Spotlight: Miracle at St. Anna

We end this month’s Director’s Spotlight on controversial director Spike Lee with his most recent picture, 2008′s Miracle at St. Anna. After viewing Clint Eastwood’s 2006 war pictures Flags of our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima, Spike Lee stated at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival that Eastwood should have included black Marines in his movies. Eastwood responded that they were specifically about the Japanese soldiers and the Americans who raised the flag, that there were black soldiers at Iwo Jima but they were segregated and therefore not directly involved, and that Lee should “shut his face”. Lee countered that Eastwood was acting like an “angry old man” and that he should have included them anyway. Thus, Miracle at St. Anna was born.

Director’s Spotlight: Bamboozled

Satire. 1, a- A literary work in which human vice or folly is ridiculed or attacked scornfully. b- The branch of literature that composes such work.

2. Irony, derision or caustic wit used to attack or expose folly, vice or stupidity.

Director Spotlight: Summer of Sam

In 1999′s Summer of Sam, Spike Lee shows us how one neighborhood can react in panic to having a serial killer running amuck so close to home. From July 29, 1976 to his capture on August 10, 1977 David Berkowitz terrorized New York by going on a killing spree, claiming a neighbor’s black dog gave him orders to do so.  Originally dubbed “The .44 Killer” due to his choice of weaponry, he was eventually called “The Son of Sam”.

Director Spotlight: Spike Lee

You could say we’re getting a late start here in November, but we look at November a little differently.  For us, November doesn’t really start until Veteran’s Day and ends the day after Thanksgiving.  

Spike Lee will not get shortchanged here…we will still look at four films (the day before Thanksgiving will be a double feature).   Today, the first film, Summer of Sam, will start us off.  We are going out of order on this one, due to schedule conflicts, but it looks to be one of our best spotlights yet.   Here is the list of films, so you can follow a long at home:

Nov. 11th:  Summer of Sam

Nov. 18th:  Do The Right Thing

Nov. 25th:  Bamboozled and Miracle at St. Anna