Crooklyn (E.Luck)

Crooklyn was my far one of the best movies played in this class, even though I might be slightly biased to all Spike Lee Joints [alright, alright, alright]. The movie depicts the life of an inner-city family life in the early 1970's.  The Carmichael's family consists of the mother and father with one daughter and three brothers.  The story follows the daughter Troy for most of the movie, seeing that even when the family broke apart and separated and Troy went down south to live with her cousin the film seemed to focus one her. Even though Troy was the protagonist the film still other family members giving focus on the members of the family when needed like when the youngest son refused to eat his black-eyed peas.  It is quite evident that family is the main focus in the movie.  I never truly understood the point of the movie and [or] if it really had one.  I often times wonder what the director wanted the viewer to know when he or she watched the movie.  The movie had a lot of feeling, but the overall message was semi-confusing.  If I could guess I think it was about the importance of family.

The visual effects of the movie is one of the main reasons why Spike Lee movies are as good as they are.  The visual effects evoke emotions and show how Spike Lee and his sister felt while creating the movie because the movie reflects his life and the life of his sister; characters Troy as the sister and the oldest brother being him.  While Spike Lee added his own flare when he was in the movie it was his sisters part that really showed a difference in style. When his directed the film the style because of how clean cut all the shots were and how much lighting each scene received.
The soundtrack was straight New York hip hop and it shows through one of its iconic soundtracks Crooklyn by Crooklyn Dodgers.  

Overall this was more than just a movie; it is a piece of art and should be treated as such, I would this movie it a 8.5/10 because it has good acting, creative views for directing.


MM

Diana Deleon Chi-Raq

Chi-Raq

Chi-Raq is a 2015 musical drama film directed and produced by Spike Lee. The story is based off a Classical Greek comedy play where woman withheld sex to punish the men for fighting in the Peloponnesian War. 

Although based on the Greek war, Chi-Raq focused on a more Modern issue. Gangs, which I'm guessing were the Bloods and Crips but for this movie they were " Trojans " and " Cyclopes ". Set in a town " Inglewood " which again, I assume is Chicago, they focus on the violence that these gangs proposed on the community. 

Demetrius,The leader of the Trojans, is played by Nick Cannon but although he is one of the most known actors in the movie, the lead role is played by Teyonah Parris, Lysistrata. (Lysistrata is the girlfriend of Demetrius)  

After the recent event of a young girl getting shot and left for dead by a gang drive by, Lysistrata had an idea to propose to  the women of these gang members to try and stop the violence. What is the one thing that men cant live without?

Sex.

Lysistrata reached out to the women of the Cyclopes gang and together they formed a movement.

Although it started only with the gang member's woman it soon spread out to all woman. These woman took over the military base and soon had all control of the men, cause you know, men start to die inside when they dont get the poom poom.

After three months of no sex, both the Cyclopes and the Trojans came to a conclusion that they would stop the violence because they were tired of being horny and lonely. 

And finally, Demetrius admitted to killing the young girl in the drive by.

My thoughts

This movie was very very well thought out. The dialogue between the characters was legit music. It was like they were rapping to one another which I found incredibly cool. They put out their purpose but also made it into a sort of comedy with songs and dances between the sexes. This movie was very explicit so maybe it was best that I watched this alone. Explicit dialogue and scenery. It makes me wonder if woman really have that much control over just withholding sex, Hmmm. The lead role, Lysistrata, did an AMAZING job with really getting into her character, on the other hand, Nick Cannon wasn't the best pick. All in all, everyone should watch this ( on their own time )

Fruitvale Station - Luz Avila

Fruitvale Station
Director: Ryan Coogler Protagonists: Michael B. Jordan, Melonie Diaz, Octavia Spencer



Police Brutality. The past few years that has been a word that nearly everyone knows. Starting in 2014 we heard day after day about a person of color (specifically blacks) being beaten down and facing death. 

This movie was able to portray one event that shows what is happening now. Oscar Grant III was treated in an inhumane way. He was pushed around and shot. His life was taken because people thought too much of the position they were given.

Events like this haven't just started, it has been happening for years. But within recent years, most people will remember Eric Garner, an unarmed man held in a chokehold by an officer after a report of Garner selling loose cigarettes. Even after repeatedly saying "I can't breathe" he was still held down and died. Michael Brown, an unarmed teenager who was shot by an officer even though his hands were in the air. Tamir Rice, a teenager playing with a toy BB gun and was shot by police after he "grabbed for his toy pistol" when he was ordered to put his hands up. There are so many more deaths and many are similar to the death of Oscar. 

Fruitvale is a great movie because it doesn't hold back from the truth. The scene where Oscar is on the ground, his face crushing into the cement and the pain he was experiencing just from his facial expression made everything even more heartbreaking. You can't know what is like for those in this situation unless you have experienced it yourself which makes scenes like this even more powerful.

Quincy Rivera
03- 10- 2016

Malcolm X

This film was a documentary on a man named Malcolm Little. Malcolm was born on May 19, 1925.

At this time racism was a big problem, blacks were being mistreated and were not given the same rights as a white man. Malcolm was a young black male growing up in the streets of Brooklyn New York. He took after what he saw growing up as a kid like doing drugs, becoming a member of a gang, and many more illegal things. His father, Earl Little, was an outspoken Baptist minister and avid supporter of Black Nationalist leader Marcus Garvey. Earl’s civil rights activism prompted death threats from the white supremacist organization Black Legion, forcing the family to relocate twice before Malcolm’s fourth birthday. After Malcolm finished dealing with the streets he had new intentions to fight against racism. He began to gain too much power for the white men to control. He started to attract too much attention and started to receive threats from all over. This made Malcolm carry body guards everywhere he went. Even though he might have protection everywhere for himself it still was not enough to keep him from being killed.   One week later, however, Malcolm’s enemies were successful in their ruthless attempt. At a speaking engagement in the Manhattan’s Audubon Ballroom on February 21, 1965, three gunmen rushed Malcolm onstage. They shot him 15 times at close range. The 39-year-old was pronounced dead on arrival at New York’s Columbia Presbyterian Hospital.

Rebel Without a Cause

This film is important in the shift of movies centered around adults to movies about teenagers. Rebel Without a Cause stars James Dean who plays Jim Stark, an angst filled teenager who moves to a new town for a fresh start. Trouble maker Jim Stark is disliked by most of the local teens. Although he makes friends with an outsider, Plato, and falls for a girl named Judy.  The kids all have nothing better to do than get into knife fights and drag races, and this reckless behavior results in a death. Rebel Without a Cause started the now popular trend of films outlining the problems teenagers face and how they come up with resolutions in a creative way separate from adults. Without Rebel Without a Cause, High School Musical wouldn't even exist now.

Malcolm X - Kevin dean

Malcolm X - Kevin dean 

Malcolm X Director Spike Lee
Performers - Denzel Washington (Malcolm Little/X), Spike Lee, Angela Basset, Delroy Lindo (West Indian Archie) et al appearance by by Rev. Al Sharpton and Nelson Mandela
40 acres and a mule/ Warner Bros, 1992


Two courageous black men stood up to bring justice for the black community. Two influential men changed the lives of not just black Americans, but for all Americans. Both men made a change and created a movement. These men were very similar in these aspects. Many would say that the difference between the two is peace versus violence.

In the film Malcom X was portrayed as a man who could lead an army of men and women with the movement of a finger. He saw black Americans as needing to gain their freedom and they would do what ever they could do achieve that; whether it was through violence or not. He felt that before integration could start where white Americans helped black Americans that people of his same color should be working with each other. They should be hand in hand since they know the same struggles and problems.

Martin Luther King Jr lead the people through peace. His speeches were powerful and persuasive. Even if at a protest he and fellow blacks were being beaten he felt that peace was the way to go to get the point across. He didn't fight back with violence but with words. He saw that people of all kinds should be working together to have equal rights and freedom.

Both men wanted the same thing and both changed how the world saw rights for colored people in the United States. These two men defied officers and laws to make their point and change lives.

Bowfinger Kevin dean

 Bowfinger Kevin dean 

Bowfinger is a 1999 American comedy film directed by Frank Oz. This movie is about a low rent movie producer (Bowfinger) who makes a film with a top Hollywood action star (Kit Ramsey) who does not know hes in the film Bobby Bowfinger saved up for this movie his entire life he has $2,184 to pay for production cost. He has a script ( "Chubby Rain') by an accountant, a camera operator and Dave with access to studio - owned equipment . The funniest part in the Movie is when Kit Ramsey was going crazy thinking he was seeing Aliens and random people , I also feel like that Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy did a great job in this movie and will recommend people to watch.