Is Spike Lee overrated? Just think about it.

[Rapmastermind]

Wow, this whole QT drama really got people hating on Spike. Spike is one of the most important film makers of the last 20 years. What I love about Spike's movies are they are really grounded more in reality than fantasy. His film feel like real stories cause he writes his characters based off life experience. Just like any director with a long catalog, of course he's going to have some weak joints but his strongest work is still strong.

Also Spike is very versatile doing not just movies but documentaries, commercials, etc. I think cause of how outspoken Spike is people love to hate. To me Spike always keeps it real about racial inequality in cinema. This is why "Bamboozled" was so brilliant. He was telling Black America we need more control over our image cause look how it's been portrayed.

The QT beef doesn't take away from Spike's genius. Cause honestly I've noticed recently a lot of QT fans hating on Spike cause of the beef. The man is not overrated, he's underrated by Hollywood cause he's a Black Man making quality movies. They've robbed him at the Oscars a few times. It's OK, Spike's catalog will stand the test of time and he will be ranked with the Greatest Directors when it's all said and done for his impact on showing black culture in Cinema. Also Spike was one of the Director's to be credited with the new wave of independent features so he was making movies outside of the Hollywood system. The man is a talented writer and film maker and sadly he doesn't get the true credit cause he's very outspoken:

SHE'S GOTTA HAVE IT
SCHOOL DAZE
DO THE RIGHT THING
MO BETTER BLUES
JUNGLE FEVER
MALCOLM X
CROOKLYN
CLOCKERS
HE GOT GAME
GET ON THE BUS
SUMMER OF SAM
BAMBOOZLED
25TH HOUR
INSIDE MAN
MIRACLE AT ST. ANNA

All of those Films are either Classic to Solid. The weakest films of Spike career are "Girl 6" and "She Hate Me".

DOCUMENTARIES:

WHEN THE LEEVES BROKE
IF GOD IS WILLING THE CREEK DON'T RISE
4 LITTLE GIRLS
JIM BROWN: ALL AMERICAN
THE HUEY P NEWTON STORY
BAD 25

Spike's weakest Documentary was "Kobe Doin Work", it was just a pointless film to me, I know it was about showing Kobe's work ethic but it just didn't do it for me.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:

D.R.O.P. SQUAD
NEW JERSEY DRIVE
TALES FROM THE HOOD
THE BEST MAN
LOVE & BASKETBALL

COMEDY/SPECIALS

THE ORIGINAL KINGS OF COMEDY
JOHN LEGUIZAMO FREAK

He's produced a lot of Classics for the Black Community. I haven't seen "Red Hook Summer" but it's on Netflix so I'm going to check it out but I'm hearing mixed reviews but I also heard it was good but people are hating on it cause it's Spike.

 

[Rapmastermind]

I would rather be in a Tarantino film than a Spike Lee joint

I think Spike is better than QT cause his films aren't "Homages" and copying shots from other directors. I think QT is a great screenwriter but he's not that great of a director. He's a pretty good director. What makes QT stand out is his films even though they copy other directors have a unique originality about them in a weird way. I was debating someone about this cause they said the Academy robbed QT of "Best Director" nod from "Django".

I told him the Academy doesn't respect QT as a director cause he takes from other film makers and doesn't hide it. I like QT more as a writer than Director even though he's still good. QT will mostly be remember for "Pulp Fiction" for it's impact. Sure there are other good films in his catalog but that's his true Classic. Spike's got "Do The Right Thing and Malcolm X" which both have been deemed historically significant to the American Culture by the Library of Congress of the United States. What I find funny is Samuel L Jackson has been in several of QT films and Several of Spike Lee films.

 

[spliz]

He is no more overrated than Q Tarantino.

not even..and I dont believe Quentin is overrated...I don't think he has one terrible movie under his belt...that's sayin somethin..I technically don't even think Spike is overrated either...

 

[spliz]

He's far from overrated. He get's more hate than anything (especially from internet film snobs). Some of it's due to him being outspoken, most of it is just blind hate.. When he's in top form he drops great movies Do The Right Thing, Malcolm X, 4 Little Girls, He Got Game, 25th Hour.

I can name at least 20 film directors that get constant praise that are far more overrated than he is.

it's like this...he does get hate..and he is outspoken...but really..he get's what he dishes out...and that's hate...this nikka ALWAYS got somethin to say about what somebody else is doin...and that shyt been offkey more often than not lately...

 

[Rapmastermind]

not even..and I dont believe Quentin is overrated...I don't think he has one terrible movie under his belt...that's sayin somethin..I technically don't even think Spike is overrated either...

"Death Proof" wasn't a good movie. QT admits this. It was way to much dialogue. Sometimes that Dialogue works in QT's movies, in "Death Proof" it was over done and dragged down the movie. Robert Rodriguez out shinned him something terrible with "Planet Terror" in the Grindhouse double feature. QT only directed 8 Films in his career so of course he's going to have a tighter catalog than Spike who's directed over 20+ films.

 

[spliz]

"Death Proof" wasn't a good movie. QT admits this. It was way to much dialogue. Sometimes that Dialogue works in QT's movies, in "Death Proof" it was over done and dragged down the movie. Robert Rodriguez out shinned him something terrible with "Planet Terror" in the Grindhouse double feature. QT only directed 8 Films in his career so of course he's going to have a tighter catalog than Spike who's directed over 20+ films.

death proof wasn't great..but it was entertaining imo...spike has made some shyt that had me go ...either way...I dont think either of them are under or overrated...

 

[Bruce LeRoy]

it's like this...he does get hate..and he is outspoken...but really..he get's what he dishes out...and that's hate...this nikka ALWAYS got somethin to say about what somebody else is doin...and that shyt been offkey more often than not lately...

What exactly does he dish out and how is it off key? He was asked about the movie, he gave his opinion, simple and plain... He consistently does this when it's movies regarding African Americans or African American history... So I don't see how it's "off key" at all.

The guy get's waaay more hate than he deserves.. Go to any Spike Lee movie on imdb and check the message board or better yet check the board under his name. Hell, look at the comments in the articles that mention his name and I guarantee you'll see the same comments that range from "Spike Lee is racist...against white people" to "What has he done since Do The Right Thing?", etc. Blind hate.. He's an outspoken black man and America tends to not like outspoken people.. Hiim being black just makes it that much worse..

 

[nieman]

I don't think he's overrated, since he really doesn't get that much critical praise. He's right about where he should be. i think with Spike, you either love his style or you hate it. His best movies transcend his normal style.

Do the Right Thing gets critical praise, but I hate that movie. It's moves like a montage more than a movie. That's his problem to me; he tends to take you out of his movies. It doesn't help that he has a collection of characters in his films. Tarantino is the same way, but his "characters" are more than memorable. The message that he presents is rarely conveyed on screen. He Got Game is sub par, Clockers, Mircale of St Anna are ehhh, School Daze and Jungle Fever are retarded; Get On the Bus, Girl 6 & She Hate me are straight trash. Inside Man is a very average movie.

Malcolm X without debate is his one masterpiece. Mo Better Blues would be pretty good if it went anywhere. People like 25th Hour, but the actors carried a fairly weak script. Crooklyn is his movie that is underrated, in that it has the most heart.

I think he tries too hard to include around-the-way "that one person who..." in every movie. Like I said, that's his style so if you like it you'll like it.

 

[Why-Fi]

I don't think he's overrated, since he really doesn't get that much critical praise. He's right about where he should be. i think with Spike, you either love his style or you hate it. His best movies transcend his normal style.

Do the Right Thing gets critical praise, but I hate that movie. It's moves like a montage more than a movie. That's his problem to me; he tends to take you out of his movies. It doesn't help that he has a collection of characters in his films. Tarantino is the same way, but his "characters" are more than memorable. The message that he presents is rarely conveyed on screen. He Got Game is sub par, Clockers, Mircale of St Anna are ehhh, School Daze and Jungle Fever are retarded; Get On the Bus, Girl 6 & She Hate me are straight trash. Inside Man is a very average movie.

Malcolm X without debate is his one masterpiece. Mo Better Blues would be pretty good if it went anywhere. People like 25th Hour, but the actors carried a fairly weak script. Crooklyn is his movie that is underrated, in that it has the most heart.

I think he tries too hard to include around-the-way "that one person who..." in every movie. Like I said, that's his style so if you like it you'll like it.

you trashed a lot of dope movies but at least youre not just talking out of your ass...

 

[NZA]

i think he is old and dried up, so i dont expect any more great things out of him

that being said, DTRT is one of the most important movies ever made, in my opinion, and i will always give him a certain amount of respect for the fact that he can put out this type of material on black people when getting funding is hard as hell. he is charged with the task of representing intellectual black film making, and he is damn near the only one doing it. it's painfully obvious that he no longer has the youthful energy required to do it adequately anymore

ironically, tarantino said that he would quit before he ever got old and lifeless, spike actually should quit now because his catalog of films is being hurt by weak releases

he's not overrated because few people are checking for him anymore. he only gets mentions on race issues, never art issues.

 

[Danie84]

Am, I the only person who loved Summer Of Sam.

John Leguizamo is another underrated one.

I think all Spike's first wave of films are all classic. But, honestly everything that came after She Hates Me, I have yet to see.

 

[Obtain Knowledge]

Am, I the only person who loved Summer Of Sam.

John Leguizamo is another underrated one.

I think all Spike's first wave of films are all classic. But, honestly everything that came after She Hates Me, I have yet to see.

I thought Summer of Sam was a good movie too. A lot of great acting in that movie. Mira Sorvino was looking so sexy in that movie too





As for Spike's recent films post "She Hate Me", I thought Inside Man was a great movie. I consider it a classic. "Miracle At St. Anna" was good in my opinion but it took a while for the movie to really pick up.

 

[Orchid Dothan]

Am, I the only person who loved Summer Of Sam.

Nope. It's his most underrated movie IMO.

 

[Danie84]

They way he captured NYC in 77.

That Berkowitz was a sick fukk, killing random people because the dog told him to.

 

[Box Cutta]

I think he's a solid director. I dislike "overrated/underrated", people can be either or both depending on the context. I think that Spike gets a lot of hate mostly because of his personality, and that too many people have let their judgements on his ideology cloud their judgement of his actual work (And you could say that this goes for both fans and detractors alike).

He puts out a lot of work....he seems more like an old school cat that just wants to make something and isn't always as concerned with meticulous polish and trying to appeal to "the four quadrants". Most of the big directors nowadays come out with a film every two or three years, the films aren't carried by any sort of artistic or creative intent but usually by the IP itself. Most of the actual work isn't done by them but by computer geeks slaving away frame by frame to make the fukking super hero look cool. They use a combination of a small pool of the same fukking tropes and ideas...and then we applaud them as "geniuses". I respect anyone for making something, even Michael Bay is an excellent craftsman, but I think that we need to be a bit more critical of modern film-making, and people that spend their time hating a guy like Spike Lee are part of the problem.

Inside Man proved that he could do "mainstream" (It's a pretty simple thriller, even with the Nazi storyline and some of the racial politics going on) but I think that Miracle at St. Anna showed that he isn't necessarily suited for it. I'm okay with that. Everything doesn't have to be some blatant attempt to appeal to the white, 13-35, man-child.

People are mad that he's doing Old Boy...I don't really see why. To me, it seems right up his alley. An adult story with mature themes, minimal action, and room for social commentary. Yeah it's a remake, but Spike is hardly responsible for Hollywood remake culture. After Inside Man, 25th Hour, and Summer of Sam...I'm highly excited about him taking that story on. I would have said that it branches outside of his comfort zone, but after Red Hook Summer, that doesn't even seem to be the case anymore.

Film-making is by and large the most culturally significant and transcending form of art in the modern world...and he's the most important and talented black artist to have done it. To me, that means something. Like him or not, I appreciate the brutha for telling at least some of our stories.