News for
Spike Lee

photos

board

add

contact

details

1-20 of 28 articles from 2008   « Prev | Next »

20 July 2008 6:15 PM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

This year's Democratic National Convention (Dnc) is becoming a haven for Hollywood A-listers - Ben Affleck, Quentin Tarantino and Spike Lee have reportedly booked their appearances at the event.

The convention - taking place next month (25-28Aug08) in Denver, Colorado - became a hit in the music scene after booking acts including Kanye West, Pharrell Williams and Wyclef Jean to perform.

Event organisers have yet to release an official list of confirmed performers and talent.

But Dnc spokesman Damon Jones confirms: "We are expecting lots of people to be here, big names, small names and everyday American names."

Other celebrities guests expected to attend the convention include: Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Susan Sarandon, Forrest Whitaker and actor-turned-director Ed Norton - who is working on a documentary about Obama.

Permalink | Report a problem

11 July 2008 9:11 AM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Spike Lee has failed to save Broadway musical Passing Strange, it will close in New York the day after the director films it for a TV special.

Last week it was revealed the film maker would spend $2 million (GBP1 million) shooting the show, about a young black musician who travels to Europe.

The play won a Tony Award this year but has suffered poor box office sales, and it was rumoured that Lee's intervention was intended to boost the show's profile.

But producers have announced performers will take their last bow on 20 July, reports Daily Variety.

Lee's filmed version is expected to appear on a cable TV network later this year.

Permalink | Report a problem

11 July 2008 12:53 AM, PDT | From GetTheBigPicture.net | See recent Get The Big Picture news

Spike Lee has been in the spotlight a lot more since Inside Man was released in early 2007. It's a well-made thriller, and it confirmed what Lee is able to do when he's given resources, a good script, and studio support. But really, even when his profile wasn't as high, Lee had been putting out good for a number of years, in the form of documentaries.

Armed with perhaps more clout than he's had since Malcolm X, Lee is taking a big step forward in his commercial filmmaking with Miracle at St. Anna, his World War II movie about four African-American soldiers who get trapped in an Italian village. We've talked about the dust-up between Lee and Clint Eastwood stemming from Spike's critical assessment of the portrayal of blacks in Clint's Flags of Our Fathers. And now it's time to let the work speak for itself.

Here's the second trailer in

Colin Boyd

11 July 2008 12:45 AM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Filmmaker Spike Lee insists recent criticism of presidential hopeful Barack Obama will not affect his race for the White House.

Outspoken civil rights campaigner Reverend Jesse Jackson was forced to apologise to Obama on Wednesday after he was overheard saying the politician talking "down" to the black community.

And despite the criticism, Lee believes Obama will succeed at bringing "seismic" change to the world.

He says, "I don't think his (Jackson's) comments help anybody. It's just unfortunate.

"When (Obama is elected) happens, it will change everything. ... You'll have to measure time by 'Before Obama' and 'After Obama'.

"It's an exciting time to be alive now. Everything's going to be affected by this seismic change in the universe."

Permalink | Report a problem

7 July 2008 9:08 AM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Filmmaker Spike Lee has been called in to boost ticket sales for Broadway musical Passing Strange, by shooting the show for TV.

The Oscar-nominated director will film three different performances of the play to create the movie, which will air on a U.S. cable network later this year.

Despite rave reviews and a win at the recent Tony Awards, Passing Strange - about a young black musician who travels to Europe to find himself - has suffered at the box office since opening Spring last year.

Permalink | Report a problem

3 July 2008 9:11 AM, PDT | From ifc.com | See recent IFC news

By Michelle Orange

Samuel Johnson said it was the last refuge of scoundrels, and if that's true, then I predict a nation-wide crime wave and a week-long run on golden toothpicks and hairless cats, because at this time of year patriotism will not be denied. Refuse to partake of -- or at least acknowledge -- it at your political and gustatory peril. With that in mind, we offer a list of films that might satisfy those on the patriotic fence, those who prefer their patriotism (and their marshmallow salad) a little bittersweet. Like Mr. Johnson, I am not an American, and much of what I know about everything, including American patriotism, I learned at the movies; these films have taught me the most about the boons and the bummers involved in loving this country.

Glory (1989)

Many countries with historically subjugated populations have stories similar to that explored in 1989's "Glory

Michelle Orange

22 June 2008 10:30 PM, PDT | From GetTheBigPicture.net | See recent Get The Big Picture news

With the Science Channel running a predictably addictive marathon of the monumental Pbs series Cosmos featuring Carl Sagan, it seemed an appropriate time to ask the musical question: Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?

Time travel, I suspect, hasn't been this hot since H.G. Wells coined the phrase back in 1895. There are currently two films set to go into production, much the way two asteroids-are-headed-for-Earth movies popped up at the same time ten years ago and the way we've had too many pregnancy movies in the past year (with more of those buns in the oven).

I think the timing owes a little bit to The Jumper, which made good money despite stalling shortly after it introduced its heady concept. And now, James Mangold, director of Walk the Line and 3:10 to Yuma, and Spike Lee both have quantum physics on the brain.

Mangold will work from

Colin Boyd

20 June 2008 5:08 AM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Director Spike Lee is considering re-visiting the area affected by 2005's Hurricane Katrina to make a follow-up documentary to his critically acclaimed film When The Levees Broke:a Requiem In Four Acts.

The moviemaker won three Emmy Awards for the 2006 film, which focused on the after effects of the disaster which devastated the city of New Orleans, Louisiana.

And now Lee is convinced that the story of Hurricane Katrina's aftermath is still ongoing, and wants to capture the present day feelings of people living in the affected area.

He says, "I'm going to go back, not just to New Orleans but to other areas affected, because it's not over. What the press is not really talking about is the mental state - suicide, self-medication. It's horrible."

Permalink | Report a problem

19 June 2008 9:32 PM, PDT | From GetTheBigPicture.net | See recent Get The Big Picture news

In the past couple of weeks, Spike Lee has come under fire for his statements about Clint Eastwood, Flags of Our Fathers, and the African-American experience in World War II. We've certainly called into question Lee's tactics her at The Big Picture. The dust-up doesn't diminish Lee's record as a filmmaker, and he even has a golden opportunity to fit both of those things together later this year when Miracle at St. Anna is released.

But there's one avenue where Lee has a distinct advantage over many of his contemporaries: He can direct both mainstream features and documentaries equally well. His most recent venture into non-fiction filmmaking, the HBO miniseries When the Levees Broke won Emmy Awards and the Peabody. But Spike says that story is still unfolding, and he plans to revisit it again soon.

Speaking today at Silverdocs, the AFI/Discovery Channel documentary festival, Spike insisted, "I'm going to go back,

Colin Boyd

18 June 2008 6:38 PM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Spike Lee is making a movie about a scientific pioneer who is building a time machine.

Lee has bought the film rights to physicist Ronald Mallett's memoir, which tells the tale of his lifelong quest to create a workable means to travel through time.

Mallett, 63, became obsessed with the subject as a 10-year-old, following the death of his father.

Lee describes the project as a "fantastic story on many levels and also a father and son saga of loss and love".

Permalink | Report a problem

18 June 2008 3:52 PM, PDT | From screeninglog.com | See recent screeninglog news

Variety today reported that director Spike Lee will co-write and helm “Time Traveler,” a drama based on the memoir by Ronald Mallett, one of the first African-Americans to receive a doctorate in theoretical physics.

In the book, Mallett describes how he escaped poverty and built himself a remarkable academic career as a scientist. He also presents his plans to build a realistic time machine, which he started developing at the age of 10, shortly after the death of his father.

Lee acquired the rights to “Time Traveler: A Scientist's Personal Mission to Make Time Travel a Reality" with his own finances. The “Malcolm X” director is currently wrapping up post-production for his upcoming drama “Miracle at St. Anna,” which opens Sept. 26, 2008.

Lee’s credits also include “25th Hour,” “Do the Right Thing” and “Summer of Sam.”

Franck Tabouring

11 June 2008 12:07 PM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Angelina Jolie's brother James Haven has followed in the Hollywood actress' footsteps and reconciled with their estranged father Jon Voight.

The siblings have shared a strained relationship with veteran actor Voight in recent years, but a heavily-pregnant Jolie recently revealed she was back in contact with her dad - six years after she severed ties when he told a TV interview she had "severe emotional problems".

And now Haven also appears to have rekindled his relationship with his dad, after the pair was spotted attending the Los Angeles Lakers basketball game together in L.A. on Tuesday night.

The basketball showdown between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics at the Staples Center also attracted a host of other stars, including courtside regulars Dustin Hoffman and Jack Nicholson, Steven Spielberg, Sylvester Stallone, Spike Lee and Eddie Murphy.

Permalink | Report a problem

11 June 2008 1:04 AM, PDT | From Digitalspy | See recent digitalspy news

Spike Lee has hit back at Clint Eastwood for telling him to "shut his face". The filmmaker accused Eastwood of sounding "like an angry old man" in his response to Lee's accusation that he did not feature enough black actors in his films. Lee had previously criticised his fellow director for failing to depict any African-American troops in Iwo Jima dramas Flags Of Our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima. However, Eastwood insisted that the movies were historically accurate, adding: "A guy like him should shut his face." Lee told ABC News: "First of all, the man is not my father and we're not on a plantation either. He's (more)

By Beth Hilton

9 June 2008 12:00 PM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Director Spike Lee is struggling to win financial backing for a planned movie about late soul legend James Brown, insisting there's simply not enough interest in the star's life for the film.

The outspoken filmmaker admits he has been trying to set plans into action for a biopic about the Godfather of Soul for some time - but has failed to get a studio to back his project.

He tells MTV.com, "I have a black-biopic, no-money trilogy: Jackie Robinson. Joe Louis and James Brown. Those are three films I have scripts for and am trying to get done but have been unsuccessful so far.

"They (studio bosses) don't think there's a market for it, they're not interested. Or they think it costs too much. So that's one of those reasons why studios don't make anything.

Permalink | Report a problem

9 June 2008 10:33 AM, PDT | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Spike Lee has refused to back down from his criticism of Clint Eastwood for not including black soldiers in his two films about the battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. Eastwood had responded that the film was about the men who raised the flag at Mt. Suribachi and that none of them was black. He advised Lee to "shut his face." In an interview with ABCNews.com, Lee said, "First of all, the man is not my father and we're not on a plantation either. ... And a comment like 'a guy like that should shut his face' -- come on Clint, come on. He sounds like an angry old man right there." Meanwhile, Thomas McPhatter, a black Marine sergeant who fought at Iwo Jima has told Britain's Guardian newspaper that he had provided the pipe that was used as the makeshift flagstaff for the flag hoisted by the men seen in the historic Iwo Jima photo.

Permalink | Report a problem

6 June 2008 10:38 AM, PDT | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Clint Eastwood has responded to Spike Lee's criticism of his two films about the World War II battle of Iwo Jima, Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima. At the Cannes Film Festival last month Lee told reporters: "There was not one black soldier in both of those films. ... In his vision of Iwo Jima, Negro soldiers did not exist." However, in an interview with Britain's Guardian newspaper published today (Friday), Eastwood said his film was about the American soldiers who raised the flag on Mount Suribachi during the battle. He noted that the black troops who participated in the battle were part of a munitions company that was not involved in the flag raising. "If I go ahead and put an African-American actor in there, people'd go: 'This guy's lost his mind.' I mean, it's not accurate." He then angrily said of Lee: "A guy like him should shut his face."

Permalink | Report a problem

6 June 2008 10:24 AM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Latest: Outspoken moviemaker Spike Lee has fuelled the war of words between himself Clint Eastwood by calling the Hollywood icon "an angry old man."

Lee was upset when the Dirty Harry star used an interview in a British newspaper to attack the Malcolm X director over remarks he made about the lack of black actors in Eastwood's 2006 war films Flags of Our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima.

The veteran suggested Lee should "shut his face," adding the younger director should get his facts right before lecturing him about African-American soldiers.

Eastwood told Britain's The Guardian newspaper, "The story is Flags of our Fathers, the famous flag-raising picture, and they (black soldiers) didn't do that. If I go ahead and put an African-American actor in there, people go: `This guy's lost

his mind'. I mean, it's not accurate." But Lee isn't happy with Eastwood's comeback to comments he made at the Cannes Film Festival last month.

The director says, "First of all, the man is not my father and we're not on a plantation either... I didn't personally attack him, and a comment like `a guy like that should shut his face...' come on Clint, come on. He sounds like an angry old man.

"If he wishes, I could assemble African-American men who fought at Iwo Jima and I'd like him to tell these guys that what they did was insignificant and they did not exist.

"I'm not making this up. I know history. I'm a student of history. And I know the history of Hollywood and its omission of the one million African-American men and women who contributed to World War II."

Permalink | Report a problem

6 June 2008 5:09 AM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Latest: Clint Eastwood has told Spike Lee to "shut his face" after the African-American filmmaker complained about the lack of black actors in Eastwood's films.

Eastwood has rejected the Malcolm X director's complaint that he had failed to include a single black soldier in his 2006 films Flags Of Our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima, about the 1945 battle for the Japanese island.

Rationalising his choice, the actor-turned-director explains the African-American troops who were at battle didn't take part in raising the flag.

He tells Britain's The Guardian newspaper, "The story is Flags of our Fathers, the famous flag-raising picture, and they didn't do that. If I go ahead and put an African-American actor in there, people go: 'This guy's lost his mind'. I mean, it's not accurate."

Referring to Lee, Eastwood adds: "A guy like him should shut his face."

Lee's comments came during a press conference at the Cannes International Film Festival last month, where he was promoting his own war film, Miracle at St Anna, a war drama about the all-black 92nd Buffalo Division, which fought against the Germans in World War II.

Permalink | Report a problem

6 June 2008 1:35 AM, PDT | From Digitalspy | See recent digitalspy news

Clint Eastwood has hit back at Spike Lee after he was accused of failing to use black actors in his movies. In an interview at the Cannes Film Festival, Lee said his fellow director had not depicted any African-American troops in Iwo Jima dramas Flags Of Our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima. Eastwood responded that black soldiers who fought in the battle would not have raised the American flag, as depicted in the famous image. He told The Guardian: "The story is Flags Of Our Fathers, the famous (more)

By Beth Hilton

21 May 2008 6:18 PM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Director Spike Lee is planning to shoot a documentary about basketball legend Michael Jordan.

Lee announced the project at the Cannes Film Festival in France earlier this week (begs19May08).

The movie will be financed by the National Basketball Association (Nba) and produced by Lee's 40 Acres + A Mule Filmworks company.

And Lee hopes to premiere it at the festival in 2009, telling industry publication Variety, "Mike wants to come to Cannes, so hopefully we will be here next year."

Permalink | Report a problem

1-20 of 28 articles from 2008   « Prev | Next »