spike lee – We Are Movie Geeks

HIGHEST 2 LOWEST – Review

Even though the sweltering temps haven’t abated, it seems that the 2025 Summer movie season is nearing an end with the return of one of the most acclaimed filmmakers working today. Yes, this is an award contender premiering in August. Oh, and this director is “doubling down” with a “re-working” of a film from one of the true “masters of international cinema”. And did I tell you that this is the fifth collaboration between the filmmaker and a two-time Oscar-winning actor? It all appears to get all the “boxes checked” for the big nominations and the critics’ lists. So, with this elite “pedigree”, just how does HIGHEST 2 LOWEST really “stack up” (is it more the latter than the former)?

In the story’s opening moments, we’re whisked around and about the gleaming towers of Manhattan. On the balcony of one of them is a man barking into a cell phone. Speaking of “stack”, he is David King (Denzel Washington), chief executive and co-founder of the music label “Stackin’ Hits”, and he’s putting all his “ducks in a row” in this life-changing “deal”. But first, there are family obligations. His beautiful wife Pam (Iifenesh Hadera) needs this year’s contribution to a local charity. Her “radar” goes on as David suggests just half the usual “check”, for now. Then it’s on to their teenage son, Trey (Aubrey Joseph), who goes with dad to his elite basketball camp (one of the coaches is Rick Fox). There, Trey meets with his BFF Kyle (Elijah Wright), who happens to be the son of David’s personal chauffeur, Paul Christopher (Jeffrey Wright). He’s late because he’s gathering the proper papers for the big business “play”. After “touching base” with other company execs, David returns to his lush penthouse apartment to share the big news with Pam. He’s taken out loans, set up several accounts, and called in lots of favors in an attempt to acquire sole ownership of his recording empire. As she processes this news, David takes another call, thinking it’s a possible investor. He’s stunned when the unknown caller informs him that he’s grabbed Trey, and ransom instructions will soon follow. The police are called, while Paul realizes that his son Kyle hasn’t returned yet and isn’t picking up his calls. As the NYPD set up a command center in the dining room, another call occurs. The voice informs David to put together over 17 million dollars in Swiss currency, with drop-off details to come. David assures Pam that he will pay, while a new development has the police scurrying. A patrol car has picked up Trey and is bringing him home. He tells the stunned group that Kyle was grabbed instead. When David gets a new call from the criminal, he boasts that his son is safe, that he has Paul’s son. Nonetheless, the “voice” still insists on the ransom money; otherwise, he’ll murder Kyle. Paul doesn’t have the funds, while David balks at paying, since it would almost wipe out the needed capital for his company’s takeover. Will he make this huge sacrifice for his old friend’s boy? His decision plunges the affluent David into the seedy, crime-ridden underbelly of the Big Apple…

In case we all needed to be reminded of true movie star charisma, Mr. Washington easily delivers that quality from that slow tracking drone shot in the film’s opening minutes to the final fade-out. As King contemplates his “power move”, Washington displays a jovial swagger as he prepares for that day. When it takes that awful turn in the evening hours, we see the darkness consume him as he strains to keep control as his life crumbles. And as a deadly decision weighs on in shoulders, Washington allows us a glimpse of King’s vulnerability as the world seems to turn against him. He then taps into all those qualities in the rousing finale, when David dives into the abyss to demand justice. He’s got a great rapport with the stunning Hadera, who makes the perfect life partner for David. She’s his sounding board and fierce beacon of empathy. They’re a true power couple, though the more volatile pairing is with the always wonderful Wright as Paul. He’s been beaten down by life after losing his wife and spending too many years in the system. Wright gives him an inspiring dignity, pushing back at the police who suspect him (such “side-eye”), while struggling against despair as his beloved son is taken from him. Kudos are also due to the main law-enforcement trio of John Douglas Thompson, LaChanze, and the surly, snarky Dean Winter (“Mayhem” in a superb TV ad series). The biggest “find” may be the fiery performance of rapper A$AP Rocky as fledgling “wannabe” Yung Felon. He’s got an unpredictable energy that gives Washington a chance to reveal another facet to King.

The entire cast is stellar, guided by an elder cinema statesman who is still a “firebrand” after nearly 40 years of films, Spike Lee. He, along with screenwriter Evan Hunter, has put a remarkable spin on a classic crime film from 1963 by Akira Kurosawa, HIGH AND LOW, which he adapted from the novel by Ed McBain, “King’s Ransom”. They’ve taken most of that story’s structure and used it as a reflection on current society, from hip hop culture to the smothering, all-surrounding online community. Lee is in full command as he makes use of a few of his stylistic tropes (the “slow-rolling close-up” is here), an eclectic music soundtrack (the opening song is a strange stunner), and background images that reflect and comment on the characters. Plus, he and cinematographer Matthew Libatique give us a very vibrant NYC, more vivid than most recent flicks. What may surprise most filmgoers is the humor that finds its way into a dark tale of teen kidnapping, while not taking away the “high stakes” involved in the terrible crime. It’s tough stuff, for sure, but Lee sprinkles in lots of levity, even as we worry about the fate of the Kings and the Christophers. For fans of the “source” film, Lee takes a sharp “left” from that story’s third act, which gives the drama and social commentary an added heft. My only problem is the use of the musical score as a smothering “blanket” for many of the pivotal plot sequences, hammering in the emotional “stakes”. It’s a minor quibble with such a thought-provoking and entertaining film, proving that there’s still lots of juice and enjoyment in the fifth collaboration of Lee and Washington. Now they’re truly “stackin’ the hits” with the compelling HIGHEST 2 LOWEST.

3.5 Out of 4

HIGHEST 2 LOWEST is now playing in theatres everywhere

SIDNEY – Review

With each passing year, the stars and filmmakers that were part of Hollywood’s “Golden Age” depart, often to, as some have said with a whimsical wink, “that great late show in the sky”. And yet there was little levity evident near the beginning of 2022 when the arts lost a man who was more than merely a “matinee idol”. He was a true inspiration for millions, the first black actor to take home a competitive Best Actor Academy Award. That was 1964, and the man was Sidney Poitier. Now, over nine months since his passing, a talented team of documentarians have joined forces in a retrospective and a celebration of the life and legacy of SIDNEY.

So, who is the best choice to take us through that decades-spanning career, and give us a glimpse of his early years of poverty and struggle? Why none other than the man himself. But it’s not just assembled clips from interview archives, although there are some truly choice bits seen here. No, this is some of the last footage of Mr. Poitier, seated in front of a muted blue-hued backdrop and talking right to us. His cadence is a bit slowed and his thinning hair peppered with grey doesn’t detract from his commanding screen presence. Every word, every phrase is riveting as those still sparkling eyes bore into the viewer. He begins with a most powerful opening tale: he was not expected to live, since he “arrived” two months early. Historical footage and photos illustrate his early impoverished life on Cat Island in the Bahamas, soon moving to Nassau. His move to Miami proved a harsh “wake-up call” as he was exposed to ugly acts of bigotry, even encountering the Ku Klux Klan. New York City proved more nurturing, especially in Harlem, as Sidney learned to read while working as a dishwasher, and eventually got bitten by the “acting bug”. Lots of hard work and a few “lucky breaks” sent him to Hollywood for a major role in the 1950’s NO WAY OUT. As he began a family with his bride Juanita, Sidney would bounce between stage and screen, all leading to the golden statue for LILLIES OF THE FIELD. He wasn’t content to stay isolated in the studio system as he became actively involved in the civil rights movement of the mid-1960s. More triumphs occurred as he became a top ten box office champ, was one of the founders of the First Artists movie studio, and eventually moved behind the camera to become an acclaimed and successful film director. Quite the resume for a man who barely survived childbirth on the islands.

We can almost feel the waves of respect and affection for the film’s focus washing over us due to the expert direction of Reginald Hudlin and the scripted structure from Jesse James Miller. But it’s not just a “mash note” as the doc delves into the darker side of stardom and doesn’t shade away from the “rough spots” in Poitier’s personal and professional life. Surprisingly they got his first and second wives to speak about him as Sidney’s long affair with a former film co-star is examined. Plus we learn that there were complaints about his screen image along with the praise, with cries of “Uncle Tom” aimed his way as he became a 60s screen superstar. It’s inferred that his too “pristine and clean-cut” characters, even dubbed too slick and non-threatening for the general moviegoing public, paved the way for the 1970s “blaxploitation” flicks. But few of those interviewed had huge “beefs’ with his choices (Spike Lee still has a problem with THE DEFIANT ONES). We hear from so many Oscar-winners including Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, Halle Berry, Robert Redford, and Barbra Streisand (one of the other “First Artists”). Plus there are several clips of fan turned friend Oprah Winfrey, who’s also a producer on this. But the most endearing anecdotes may come from perhaps Sidney’s BFF for over 70 years, Harry Belafonte. Though the sadness glistens in his eyes, he comes alive speaking of their early rivalry, often going out for the same role (Harry thought one script was “stupid” until Sidney won an Oscar with it), their many “falling outs” (just as a longtime married couple one person remarks), and how he steered Poitier into the “third act” as a producer/director. But the most-gripping stories are those surrounding their work for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., earning a “target on their backs” (the tale of a nighttime car chase in the South might give you chills). Of course, along with the two Mrs. Poitiers, we get to hear loving memories from all six of his daughters as they narrate some sweet home movies and videos. As for the film fans, some of his movies may get “short shrift” or left out, but the clips are “ID’d with release years, and we hear from his GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER co-star, and Lulu belts out a few bars of that film title theme classic. What’s not to love? Like the man himself…very little. Film fanatics and historians alike should revel (and add some movies to their “streaming queues”) after savoring the splendid profile of the man known to his family and friends as SIDNEY.

3.5 Out of 4

SIDNEY opens in select theatres and streams exclusively on AppleTV+ Friday, September 23, 2022

Check Out Spike Lee’s DA 5 BLOODS – On Netflix June 12

From Academy Award® Winner Spike Lee comes a New Joint: the story of four African-American Vets — Paul (Delroy Lindo), Otis (Clarke Peters), Eddie (Norm Lewis), and Melvin (Isiah Whitlock, Jr.) — who return to Vietnam. Searching for the remains of their fallen Squad Leader (Chadwick Boseman) and the promise of buried treasure, our heroes, joined by Paul’s concerned son (Jonathan Majors), battle forces of Man and Nature — while confronted by the lasting ravages of The Immorality of The Vietnam War.

Da 5 Bloods will be released on Netflix in United States on June 12, 2020 at 2:00 AM CDT.

DO THE RIGHT THING Screens at The St. Louis Library April 6th – ‘The Films of Spike Lee’

“Let me tell you the story of Right Hand, Left Hand. It’s a tale of good and evil. Hate: it was with this hand that Cane iced his brother. Love: these five fingers, they go straight to the soul of man. The right hand: the hand of love. The story of life is this: static. One hand is always fighting the other hand, and the left hand is kicking much ass. I mean, it looks like the right hand, Love, is finished. But hold on, stop the presses, the right hand is coming back. Yeah, he got the left hand on the ropes, now, that’s right. Ooh, it’s a devastating right and Hate is hurt, he’s down. Left-Hand Hate KOed by Love!”

Spike Lee’s DO THE RIGHT THING (1989) screens at The St. Louis Public Library Central Branch (1301 Olive Street St. Louis). The film begins at 1pm Saturday, April 6th. This is a FREE event.

I remember seeing DO THE RIGHT THING at the now-shuttered Northwest Square Cinema in North St. Louis County the weekend it opened. I recall being the only Caucasian in the audience. I also remember when Samuel L. Jackson, as local DJ Mr. Senor Love Daddy remarked it was so hot there was a “Jheri curl alert. If you have a Jheri curl, stay in the house or you’ll end up with a permanent black helmet on your head fuh-eva!” The audience roared with laughter but I sat there not getting the joke….…and that’s the truth, Ruth!

“Always do the right thing?” says Da Mayor, played by Ossie Davis in DO THE RIGHT THING. “That’s it?” retorts Mookie (played by Lee), “That’s it!” Da Mayor, is the local old-timer spending the day drinking, meditating, giving advice and occasionally flirting with Mother-Sister, a woman of the same generation played by Ruby Dee, Davis’ real-life wife, observing the neighborhood’s life through the window. But the most emblematic scene of DO THE RIGHT THING consists of characters of different races facing a camera and delivering a series of racist rants until Mister Senor Love Daddy tells them to chill out. Some remarkable writing there by Mr. Lee.

30 years later Spike Lee’s DO THE RIGHT THING has endured as one of the very best movies of the ‘90s. (okay, technically it is a 1989 film, but that’s ‘90s enough for me). It was fittingly voted #96 in AFI’s Top 100 Greatest Movies and features a sprawling cast including Danny Aiello (Oscar-nominated for his terrific work here), Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Robin Harris, Samuel L. Jackson, Bill Nunn, Rosie Perez, and John Turturro. Lee’s film is a harrowing 24-hour journey into Brooklyn’s multi-ethnic Bedford/Stuy neighborhood and takes place during the summer’s hottest day. It’s not a coincidence that the suffocating atmosphere fits the overall mood of the film as it foreshadows the tragic inevitability of a coming storm. Apparently some in St. Louis thinks it foreshadows, or at least is pertinent in regards to, Ferguson and the recent race riots here.

Don’t miss DO THE RIGHT THING April 6th at the St. Louis Public Library Central Branch. Lee’s THE BLACKKKLANSMAN will screen there April 13th at 1pm

BLACKkKLANSMAN – Review

The idea that identity can be hidden under the guise of a mask is an ironic joke that Spike Lee takes full advantage of as a private investigator talks on the phone to the KKK leader, David Duke (Topher Grace). Unbeknownst to Duke, he is talking to a black man. The thin line of this scenario between awkward and humorous is fully explored by Spike Lee, known for provoking, but in this case, mostly excelling at dark comedy. But the comedy is one that teeters from producing a smirk to strong uncomfortable feelings. That is where the provocateur comes into play. Spike Lee understands the material and has proven his knowledge of timing and visual cues through a career of highly contested films that have raised questions about black identity in the history of cinema. However, while the majority of his previous films were embraced by the arthouse theater crowds, with the help of producer Jordan Peele (GET OUT), he has now directed his message toward mainstream audiences in the guise of an undercover buddy-comedy.

Truth is stranger than fiction, and in the case of BLACKkKLANSMAN, the idea of the KKK corresponding with a black undercover investigator over the phone sounds both preposterous and a convenient setup for Spike Lee’s fiery social commentary. But it’s true. Most of it, at least. After a tumultuous time working his way up in the white ranks of the Colorado Springs Police Department in the early 1970s, Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) is hired to infiltrate a former Black Panther’s lecture at a college event. Following the lecture, a local newspaper advertisement looking for new recruits to join the KKK incites Ron to call. A series of back and forth phone calls begins a relationship that his newly assigned partner, Flip (Adam Driver), is thrown into to serve as the “face” of Ron Stallworth as the real Ron continues communication over the phone.

Washington follows in his father’s footsteps as a confident leader of an amazing cast. Moreso than commanding the screen, he serves as a vessel for the story, carefully leading the way without rocking the boat or making waves as a performer. Besides a black man being forced to coerce with the KKK, you have a Jewish man being forced to as well, played by Adam Driver. What makes this interesting is that Driver’s character doesn’t really identify as Jewish. In a handful of scenes, Ron forces Flip to come to terms with his bloodline, opening his eyes and urging him to be upset about what’s going on. While the script (credited to Lee, three others, and the memoir’s writer) and Driver’s performance downplays this aspect of the story to focus on Ron’s journey of a budding police officer’s shift towards a proud man serving as a protector of the people, Flip’s quiet and haunting journey is carefully played with nuance and restraint by Driver.

Spike Lee takes his time to maintain a steady and roaring fire that burns throughout the film. He shines a questioning light at the police, the media, and the public at large, just to name a few. In one scene, the film draws a comparison pointing out how the family unit within the KKK is similar to that of the police officers protecting one another, as Ron states that the actions of the police force “reminds me of another organization.” Earlier on, he cleverly points out after a speech to black students about empowerment and not being afraid of your black identity how the media and the people in power can pull quotes from a speech to make the situation sound more violent and threatening than it is. Throughout the film, the audience has to accept a harsh storm of anti-semitic and racist language that is never easy to digest. The dialogue always seems like it’s testing the audience’s acceptance of hate-filled speech.

Of course, Spike Lee is known for highlighting aspects of our world that are often not shown in entertainment, but he also shows he can slowly ratchet tension in little moments. One of the highlights of the film is a scene that takes place in a claustrophobic basement and the threat of Flip taking a lie-detector test about his Jewish heritage. Later, he also shows a methodic escalation of anxiety in the finale where an innocent speech is intertwined with the threat to inflict violence on the very group congregating. It’s carefully edited and the emotional weight of what’s being orchestrated is amplified by the speech about a black man’s horrifying true story of his friend’s brutal public murder by a group of white people. All the while, Terence Blanchard delivers a classical jazz composition as the main theme that recalls Spike Lee’s earlier films while lending the film a classic detective-noir backdrop and a somber prose on society.

Unfortunately for Lee and satire entertainment as a whole, we’re past the point where comedians have to point out the absurd. When you have 24-hr news coverage and a President tweeting every hour, you don’t need someone to nudge you in the ribs to remind you to pay attention and to take notice of the similarities between the 1970s to our modern world. Ron, at one point, is called naïve because he says that our country would never elect someone that shares the same views as David Duke. It’s a scene that elicits nervous laughter from the audience and yet it’s an unnecessary and sad reminder of our current state. The writing is already on the wall throughout the film, you don’t need the obvious fingerpointing to remind audiences of the parallels. This isn’t to say that Spike Lee’s message isn’t vital to our country right now, but his approach might seem slightly dated.

During an early scene where a former Black Panther member addresses college students, individual faces appear out of the darkness. The cinematography spotlights the black faces beautifully. The moment not only highlights the appearance of this attentive crowd hanging on every word spoken with conviction, but it shows how words can have a positive effect on someone’s life. BLACKkKLANSMAN is a film about the power of language and how it can be used to fuel love or hate, but ultimately it’s the hateful speech that will linger with you long after the credits roll and how that speech is no longer disguised beneath a hood hidden from the public eye or ear.

Overall score: 4 out of 5

BlacKkKlansman opens in theaters everywhere August 10th

Adam Driver Starring In Spike Lee’s Film BLACK KLANSMAN

Focus Features announced that Emmy Award® nominee Adam Driver (Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Inside Llewyn Davis) and Laura Harrier (Spider-Man: Homecoming) have joined the cast of Spike Lee’s upcoming film, BLACK KLANSMAN. The film is adapted from Ron Stallworth’s powerful, stranger-than-fiction eponymous autobiography.

Driver and Harrier join the already announced John David Washington as Stallworth. Focus chairman Peter Kujawski made the announcement on Thursday.

Along with Academy Award® winning director Spike Lee, the film’s screenplay is written by Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Spike Lee and Kevin Willmont. The movie will be produced by the team behind the critically-acclaimed box office smash Get Out – QC Entertainment, Blumhouse Productions and Monkeypaw Productions.

Black Klansman is the story of one man who dared to challenge the Ku Klux Klan and thwart its attempts to take over the city. Police Detective Ron Stallworth (Washington) was at the center of an undercover investigation that reached the heights of the organization. Stallworth miraculously gained status in their ranks – the shocking fact in this incredible story is Stallworth is an African American man.

Black Klansman is being produced by Sean McKittrick, Raymond Mansfield, Shaun Redick, Jason Blum, Jordan Peele and Spike Lee. QC’s Edward H. Hamm Jr. will serve as Executive Producer. Focus President of Production Josh McLaughlin will supervise the project for the company. QC Entertainment have been developing the screenplay and project over the last two years.

CHI-RAQ – The Review

Photo credit: Parrish Lewis, Courtesy of Roadside Attractions and Amazon Studios

Spike Lee’s CHI-RAQ re-imagines Aristophanes’ ancient Greek comedy “Lystrata” as modern plea for peace in violence-torn Chicago. Chi-Raq is a term the director reportedly heard on the streets, used to compare violence-racked Chicago neighborhoods to war-torn Iraq. In the classic Greek play, the women on both sides of warring Sparta and Troy join together to end the war by staging a sex boycott. No sex for the men until there is no war. In CHI-RAQ, the Spartans and the Trojans are opposing gangs in a disadvantaged neighborhood, where their violent warfare is killing children in the streets.

It is a clever idea, moving this ancient comedy to Chicago’s bloody streets, using humor, music, sex and truth-telling to put a spotlight on the situation in these disadvantaged city neighborhoods. Sometimes a person just has to speak out, even if nothing will change, and that is what Lee is doing – expressing his views on gun violence, the lack of economic opportunity, the lousy schools, and the other challenges facing these neighborhoods, all within an entertaining film.

The film is funny, angry, wildly imaginative and hard-hitting. It is not a perfect film but it is a moving one, fired by Spike Lee’s passion to get people to do the right thing. It may be among the director’s best, even if success for its mission seems remote.

The director tells the story through rap, with much of the dialog in rhyme and sprinkled with some terrific musical numbers. The film uses dark, raw, biting humor and a sarcastic, truth-telling tone. There is nothing subtle about Lee’s film. He starts out with a hip-hop song about Chi-Raq, with the lyrics in large letters on screen, in case you might miss some. When the song ends, the word emergency in giant red letters flashes on screen while a voice urgently repeats the word. The film then moves to a club where a hip-hop artist named Chi-Raq (Nick Cannon) is performing the song in front of a packed house – until gunfire breaks out.

Although he denies it, Chi-Raq is associated with the Spartan gang. The Trojans are led by Cyclops (Wesley Snipes), a one-eyed tough guy. Chi-Raq tells his lady Lysistrata (Teyonah Parris) he is a musician, not a gang member, but that is not the way Cyclops sees it. When an 11-year-old girl is shot in the street in the middle of the day and no one arrested, Lysistrata organizes the women, including Cyclops’ wife Irene (Jennifer Hudson), to stop the war by staging a “sex strike” – no peace, no nookie (although the director uses a more graphic term).

The same boycott was used in Africa recently, when the women of Liberia organized a sex strike that ended their civil war. Lee makes reference to that real-world event in the film, although neighborhood wise woman Miss Helen (Angela Bassett) is clearly aware of the theatrical/historical roots. Lee has assembled a stellar cast, which also includes a wonderfully sly Samuel L. Jackson as narrator Dolmedes, who provides biting, sarcastic commentary, and John Cusack as a priest who grew up nearby and returned to lead a black church standing up to the violence. If there is a flaw in that cast, it is that it could use a few more young stars to connect more with a younger audience.

The film is clearly Spike Lee speaking out and hoping to do something to stop the violence racking city neighborhoods in Chicago, Philadelphia and Baltimore, all mentioned in the film. The director makes gun violence a center of his commentary, with gun-profiteers crossing state lines to buy them at gun shows, to evade Chicago’s strict gun laws, and selling them on the street. But he says more, with characters or the narrator commenting on neglected neighborhoods, places gripped with fear of gangs who do not care about innocent life lost as “collateral damage,” and police equipped with military surplus coming out in force to stop a protest but absent and ineffective when a little girl is shot. In one chilling bit of dialog, the narrator notes their children go from “third-rate schools to first-rate prisons,” and “now they are privatized, so it is profitable too.”

At the same time, it is clear Lee sees that chances of success, that the film will prompt real change, are not good. In one scene, Cusack delivers a fiery sermon to his congregation, listing the range of problems racking the neighborhood including the code of silence that protects the guilty, but we also notice he is “preaching to the choir.” In a classic Western, the people in the packed church, whipped into a frenzy of outrage, would pour out of the church and go get the bad guys. Instead, they simply go home. Lee is too good a filmmaker for that not to be a conscious reference. Near the film’s end, the sex boycott has spread around the world, and multinational companies promise jobs for the people in the neighborhood – and not minimum wage jobs. That seems a bit of highly unlikely wish-fulfillment on the director’s part, as well as a dig at those who could do more.

CHI-RAQ is powerful, even heart-breaking stuff wrapped in a dark, hip-hop musical comedy. Even if it seems unlikely to actually change anything, at least Spike Lee had his say.

CHI-RAQ opens in theaters on Friday, December 4th, 2015.

OVERALL RATING: 4 OUT OF 5 STARS

The Academy Celebrates Spike Lee, Gena Rowlands And Debbie Reynolds At 2015 Governors Awards

Filmmakers, Actors and Actresses and Hollywood’s A-listers turned out for the first Oscar awards show of the season – the 7th annual Governors Awards.

The star-studded evening was held in Hollywood, CA, on Saturday. (Nov 14, 2015)

The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award went to Debbie Reynolds, and Honorary Awards were presented to Spike Lee and Gena Rowlands at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center.

The Honorary Award, an Oscar statuette, is given “to honor extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the Academy.” The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, also an Oscar statuette, is given “to an individual in the motion picture arts and sciences whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry.”

Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs opened the 2015 Governors Awards with a tribute to the Paris tragedy and spoke about The Academy’s response to diversity in the film industry (17 of the 51 Governors are women) and their new initiative, A2020.

Wesley Snipes, Oscar-nominated actor Samuel L. Jackson and Oscar-winning actor Denzel Washington spoke as part of the award presentation to Honorary Award recipient Spike Lee.

Gena Rowlands received her Oscar from son Nick Cassavetes.

Zooey Deschanel performed the song “Tammy” to Debbie Reynolds who was unable to attend. Oscar-winning actress Jane Fonda paid tribute and Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep presented the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to Billie Lourd on behalf of Ms. Reynolds.

Producers Julie Lynn and Bonnie Curtis produced the 7th Annual Governors Awards for the Academy.

See the rest of The Academy’s videos here: www.youtube.com/user/Oscars/videos

Lee, a champion of independent film and an inspiration to young filmmakers, made an auspicious debut with his NYU thesis film, “Joe’s Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads,” which won a Student Academy Award in 1983. He proceeded to blaze a distinctive trail with such features as “She’s Gotta Have It,” “School Daze” and “Do the Right Thing,” which earned him a 1989 Oscar nomination for Original Screenplay. His work as a director ranges from the Oscar-nominated documentary feature “4 Little Girls” to such mainstream successes as “Malcolm X” and “Inside Man.” Lee’s other feature credits include “Mo’ Better Blues,” “Jungle Fever,” “Crooklyn,” “He Got Game,” “25th Hour,” “Miracle at St. Anna” and “Red Hook Summer.” He currently serves as the artistic director of the graduate film program at NYU.

Rowlands, an original talent whose devotion to her craft has earned her worldwide recognition as an independent film icon, received Academy Award nominations for her lead performances in “A Woman under the Influence” (1974) and “Gloria” (1980), both directed by her husband and frequent collaborator, John Cassavetes. She got her start on the New York stage and in live television in the 1950s and has appeared in 40 feature films to date, from “The High Cost of Loving” in 1958 to “Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks,” which she starred in earlier this year. Her other notable films include “Lonely Are the Brave,” “Faces,” “Minnie and Moskowitz,” “Opening Night,” “Another Woman,” “Unhook the Stars,” “Hope Floats,” “Playing by Heart,” “The Notebook” and “Broken English.”

Reynolds, a Hollywood icon since she won hearts with her buoyant performance in “Singin’ in the Rain,” embarked on the role of a lifetime as a founding member of the Thalians, a charitable organization conceived and sustained by entertainers to promote awareness and treatment of mental health issues. She served as the group’s president almost continuously from 1957 to 2011, adding numerous terms as board chair and frequently presiding over its annual fundraising gala. Her tireless efforts have enabled the Thalians to contribute millions to the Mental Health Center at Cedars-Sinai and to UCLA’s Operation Mend, which helps military veterans recover from the physical and psychological wounds of war. Reynolds has appeared in more than 40 feature films, including “The Tender Trap,” “A Catered Affair” and “Mother,” and received a 1964 Oscar nomination for her lead performance in “The Unsinkable Molly Brown.”

Honorary Award recipients Gena Rowlands and Spike Lee

Billie Lourd accepts the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for Debbie Reynolds from Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep.

Zooey Deschanel performs a tribute for Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award recipient Debbie Reynolds.

Honorary Award recipient Spike Lee (left center), actor Will Smith (left), actor Samuel L. Jackson (right center) and actor Wesley Snipes.

Nick Cassavetes (left) presents the Oscar to Honorary Award recipient Gena Rowlands.

Check Out The Official Poster For Spike Lee’s CHI-RAQ; Plus First Single From Soundtrack

Here’s a first look at the official poster for Spike Lee’s CHI-RAQ, featuring Teyonah Parris. (via Indiewire’s Shadow & Act)

Watch the Music Video for “We Gotta Do Better” by Kevon Carter as heard in CHI-RAQ.

The movie stars Nick Cannon, Wesley Snipes, Jennifer Hudson, Teyonah Parris, D.B. Sweeney, Harry Lennix, Steve Harris, Angela Bassett, John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson.

CHI-RAQ is a modern day adaptation of the ancient Greek play “Lysistrata” by Aristophanes. After the murder of a child by a stray bullet, a group of women led by Lysistrata organize against the on-going violence in Chicago’s Southside creating a movement that challenges the nature of race, sex and violence in America and around the world.

Rated R for strong sexual content including dialogue, nudity, language, some violence and drug use.

Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions will release CHI-RAQ in theaters December 4, 2015.

For more info:

http://chiraqthemovie.com/
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Watch Governors Awards Recipients Spike Lee And Gena Rowlands Discuss The Power Of Movies In New Academy Originals

On Saturday evening The Academy is handing out the first Oscars of the season.

AMPAS is hosting its annual Governors Awards where they are honoring film icons Spike Lee, Gena Rowlands and Debbie Reynolds.

Today The Academy released two special “Academy Originals” episodes featuring director Spike Lee and actress Gena Rowlands.

On August 25th, the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted to present Honorary Awards to Spike Lee and Gena Rowlands, and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to Debbie Reynolds.

All three awards will be presented at the Academy’s 7th Annual Governors Awards on Saturday, November 14, at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center. Producers Julie Lynn and Bonnie Curtis will produce the 7th Annual Governors Awards for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

“The Board is proud to recognize our honorees’ remarkable contributions at this year’s Governors Awards,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. “We’ll be celebrating their achievements with the knowledge that the work they have accomplished – with passion, dedication and a desire to make a positive difference – will also enrich future generations.”

The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, also an Oscar statuette, is given “to an individual in the motion picture arts and sciences whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry.”

Visit The Academy’s site here: http://www.oscars.org/governors

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OVERALL RATING: 4 OUT OF 5 STARS

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