Spike Lee's Best Film

[Prez2032]

Jungle Fever was unbalanced but if written correctly could have definitely been a contender

 

[HollywoodP]

Its relelvant that Price co-wrote the screenplay because you are saying that you dont like that Lee cut out all the important parts of the book, but the actual author of the book helped write the movie version so essentially Richard Price also cut out those bits you feel were so important. Its extrememly relevant to what we are talking about because it shows that this wasn't simply a distortion of the book, this was a new peice of work that was based upon the story from the book. Now its fine if you dont like the film, but if you main gripe is that it wasn't true to the book, then you are really just being unreasonable.

And yes the film was set in Brooklyn, but the film isn't about Brookyln, it was about a character yearning to get away from a hopeless environment but also being a major contributor to that hoplessness, just like in the novel. The duality of the character being both the victim and the perpetrator, I think the film captured very well.

Also, in regard to The Godfather, Vito's rise to power was not present in the original Godfather film but it was essential in the book because not only did it portray the closeness of Vito and Tessio which was very important later on, but it also showed that just like Michael, Vito didn't initially aspire for that life. And if your leaning on the fact that the sequal contained Vito's rise, the sequals also included a b*stard child of Sonny's inhereting the family, even though that was impossible based on the fact that the mother of that child did not get pregnant in the novel.

Film's are different from novels, all the time. So disliking a film for not being the same as the novel is a really lame arguement to judge a film by, especially if the author co-wrote the screenplay for the movie. However, if you didn't like the film because of the something specific to the film, thats fine and you are entitled to that opinion.

Don't matter to me who cut what...i'm not some Richard Price stan...and I'm not a Spike hater...thats irrelevant...its the fact that it was cut...period. Now can you make a great movie if you cut a bunch of shyt out of the book its based on...sure...just look at Goodfellas. And I don't need to tell you...that Clockers is no Goodfellas.

I don't think the film captured Strikes hopelessness at all...disagreed

The Godfather movies did shows Vitos rise to power...until they make a Clockers II...stop that angle slime.

I don't know why you keep assuming that I dislike the movie cuz it was different...I listed plenty of reasons why I didnt like the film and not one of em were "it was different from the book"
I already explained why some of the differences ruin some of the story...but thats not saying i hate it cuz of differences. I've liked plenty of movies that have had differences from the books. Some have been executed great...others...not so much. Like I said just agree to disagree...you wont convince me.

(Clockers)preserves the brutality of the book but little of its dark humor. An exception: cops examining a bullet-ridden body with the grisly detachment of coroners who tuck in their ties before bending over a corpse. And why scrap the subplot about Rocco being followed by an actor who wants to play him onscreen? It's Rocco's glam pipe dream. Coherence is also a victim in the film version. Lee's needlessly elliptical style will leave nonreaders of the novel wondering who's who and what's where. The blunt editing seems to have reduced John Turturro's role to an occasional walk-on as Rocco's partner, Larry Mazilli, a pivotal character in the book. As for the ending, the filmmakers may not have seen Keitel in Bad Lieutenant, but that's no excuse for showing the actor drive yet another street kid off to a travel terminus and a chance at redemption

If you'd like I got post more less than favorable reviews...there's plenty of em.

 

[up in here]

Don't matter to me who cut what...i'm not some Richard Price stan...and I'm not a Spike hater...thats irrelevant...its the fact that it was cut...period. Now can you make a great movie if you cut a bunch of shyt out of the book its based on...sure...just look at Goodfellas. And I don't need to tell you...that Clockers is no Goodfellas.

I don't think the film captured Strikes hopelessness at all...disagreed

The Godfather movies did shows Vitos rise to power...until they make a Clockers II...stop that angle slime.

I don't know why you keep assuming that I dislike the movie cuz it was different...I listed plenty of reasons why I didnt like the film and not one of em were "it was different from the book"
I already explained why some of the differences ruin some of the story...but thats not saying i hate it cuz of differences. I've liked plenty of movies that have had differences from the books. Some have been executed great...others...not so much. Like I said just agree to disagree...you wont convince me.

If you'd like I got post more less than favorable reviews...there's plenty of em.

you dont gotta post no reviews because i already am well aware critics didn't really like the film. me personally, i liked the book and the film as two seperate pieces of work.

and yes i realize you have mentioned other reasons why you didn't like the film but only slightly, the main point you have made repeatedly in this thread is that they cut parts of the book that you feel were important. like i said, if you dislike the film for things specific to the film, fair enough. i understand you really enjoyed the book but based on your posts in this thread alot of the problems you have with the film seem to be based on its differences from the book.

Scorcese and Clockers? I dunno. What does Scorcese know about nikkas and New Jersey? He certainly coulda done better than Spike Lee did.

Spike pretty much cut a quarter of the story out...then changed it to Brooklyn. He had questionable casting too. Delroy Lindo was fukking perfect. Harvey Kietel was cool...but everybody else was pretty much terrible or didnt fit their role at all.

I really like how Nick Gomez made New Jersey Drive...Really captured the setting. I would have loved if Clockers had that feel.

you dislike that Spike cut a quarter of the story out and it is not set in jersey like the book.

They took too much important shyt out. Moving the story to Brooklyn ruined all those excursions he made to New York in the book. I don't think the film captured the book at all. You contradict yourself by saying that...and in the next sentence saying that the book was less about the city but the story...Spike cut the soul out the story...and made it about the city...the city of Brooklyn to be exact...

again you made the point you dislike that they took too much important shyt out and they moved it too brooklyn. obviously if you weren't comparing it to the book, the brooklyn setting wouldn't even be a factor in rating the movie.

I'm just speaking for myself. But it felt rushed. They took a 600+ epic book and made it into a watered down movie the length of 2 episodes of Dexter. They took out the whole shyt with his girl in New York...they took out the whole shyt with Champ...they took out the whole shyt with Budda Hat. They took out the whole shyt wit Papi. They make the Fury look like bytches and barely had them in the movie...They made Rocco into a minor character...took his whole story out the film...Took out that actor that was following him around...Took out alot of Rodneys story...Took out alot of Andres story. Made Errol Barnes seem more like Bubbles than Omar. Took out Victor and Strikes whole brotherly relationship...took out a lot of Victors stuff now that I think about it...Without all that that I mentioned...you don't get very much of Strikes background at all. Other than that...played out boring cinematography...awful casting² ...wack soundtrack³. The thing I hate about it most is what coulda been. I coulda been so much better.


².) Aside from Harvey Kietel and Delroy Lindo, as I mentioned before.
³.) I don't have to mention that Return Of the Crooklyn Dodgers is classic.

this whole post is about how you dislike that pieces of the book were missing from the film.

i understand that maybe you dont like the film for what it is, that would be fine, im just going by your posts and the fact that you have repeatedly compared it to the book. you see what im saying right? i didn't just assume you didn't like it cause its not like the book, you are the one who keeps comparing it to the book.

 

[ThaBoyBam]

She's got to have it.

 

[bewitched]

I chose He Got Game, best sports movie to me

Other's I like in order:

-Malcolm X
-Do the Right Thing
-Jungle Fever
-Mo Better Blue's
-Miracle at St.Anna

 

[bigrodthe1]

I'm just speaking for myself. But it felt rushed. They took a 600+ epic book and made it into a watered down movie the length of 2 episodes of Dexter. They took out the whole shyt with his girl in New York...they took out the whole shyt with Champ...they took out the whole shyt with Budda Hat. They took out the whole shyt wit Papi. They make the Fury look like bytches and barely had them in the movie...They made Rocco into a minor character...took his whole story out the film...Took out that actor that was following him around...Took out alot of Rodneys story...Took out alot of Andres story. Made Errol Barnes seem more like Bubbles than Omar. Took out Victor and Strikes whole brotherly relationship...took out a lot of Victors stuff now that I think about it...Without all that that I mentioned...you don't get very much of Strikes background at all. Other than that...played out boring cinematography...awful casting² ...wack soundtrack³. The thing I hate about it most is what coulda been. I coulda been so much better.


².) Aside from Harvey Kietel and Delroy Lindo, as I mentioned before.
³.) I don't have to mention that Return Of the Crooklyn Dodgers is classic.

makes sense

 

[mastermind]

For me, its Malcolm X followed by Do The Right Thing and Crooklyn


Mo Betta Blues was brilliant too, with the music.

I liked Get on the Bus too, and Bamboozled.

 

[frush11]

For me, in no particular order

Jungle Fever
School Daze
Do The Right thing
Get On The Bus
Malcolm
Mo Better

 

[OmegaK2099]

Bamboozled clip with Mos Def & Charli - Blak iz Blak - YouTube


how come they shot mr. 1/16th but didnt shoot charli baltimore lol

[ame=http://youtu.be/X3jfpEaqbN0]Smackin My Hoes - YouTube[/ame]

^^suge knight

 

[Non Sequitur]

She's got to have it.

I've been meaning to watch this one for the longest.



Also, I think Girl 6 and She Hate Me are criminally underrated.

 

[BrothaZay]

I'm just speaking for myself. But it felt rushed. They took a 600+ epic book and made it into a watered down movie the length of 2 episodes of Dexter. They took out the whole shyt with his girl in New York...they took out the whole shyt with Champ...they took out the whole shyt with Budda Hat. They took out the whole shyt wit Papi. They make the Fury look like bytches and barely had them in the movie...They made Rocco into a minor character...took his whole story out the film...Took out that actor that was following him around...Took out alot of Rodneys story...Took out alot of Andres story. Made Errol Barnes seem more like Bubbles than Omar. Took out Victor and Strikes whole brotherly relationship...took out a lot of Victors stuff now that I think about it...Without all that that I mentioned...you don't get very much of Strikes background at all. Other than that...played out boring cinematography...awful casting² ...wack soundtrack³. The thing I hate about it most is what coulda been. I coulda been so much better.


².) Aside from Harvey Kietel and Delroy Lindo, as I mentioned before.
³.) I don't have to mention that Return Of the Crooklyn Dodgers is classic.

I never read the book but watching the movie it always puzzled me how they were so scared of errol. How was he really like in the book?

 

[Methodical]

Malcolm X hands down, that was his best film ever.

 

[mastermind]

For me, in no particular order

Jungle Fever
School Daze
Do The Right thing
Get On The Bus
Malcolm
Mo Better

how did I forget School Daze

Also, I think Girl 6 and She Hate Me are criminally underrated.

honestly, I think these two are among his worst. Girl 6 slightly more tolerable, but She Hate Me is just awful and confusing. It sucks to because I dont think the acting was bad in that movie at all, but the script and direction were just terrible.

I did enjoy seeing Kerry Washington and Dania Ramirez go at it tho

 

[OmegaK2099]

cant wait to see his biography on BAD especially after this interview

[ame=http://youtu.be/POjJrOooh1Q]Spike Lee On Michael Jackson - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Non Sequitur]

I think Girl 6 and She Hate Me are criminally underrated.

honestly, I think these two are among his worst.

Exhibit A