Spiike Lee ranting

[Cuauhtémoc1520]

I just think he creates problems when they aren't there, like he when he made a huge deal about Clint Eastwood making a film that didn't have any black men in it.

It's important to make sure there is diversity in movies and culture in general. I'm not saying Clint Eastwood should be forced to put black people in his movies but I think by Spi.ke Lee speaking out and making a big deal over it, it gains attention and then it's talked about.

Sometimes you have to go overboard to get your point across.

[BetterCallSaul]

****e Lee would complain if Alien's started making movies and they had no black people in them.

"Yo mothe*****er, of course the history books are gonna state that there was no black people on Planet Nibiru, two billion years ago. But I know for a fact they was there. Them aliens hate the black man yo!!!"

[arraamis]

I would state that there is some merit to Sp!ke's statements .....

Let's look at this from a different angle:

George Lucas: "Hollywood Didn't Want To Fund 'Red Tails' Because Of Its Black Cast"

In an appearance on The Daily Show last night, George Lucas said that he had trouble getting funding for his new movie, "Red Tails," because of its black cast.

"This has been held up for release since 1942 since it was shot, I've been trying to get released ever since," Lucas quipped to Jon Stewart. "It's because it's an all-black movie. There's no major white roles in it at all...I showed it to all of them and they said no. We don't know how to market a movie like this."

"Red Tails," which stars Cuba Gooding, Jr., and Terrence Howard, is based on the Tuskegee Airmen, the group of pioneering black pilots who fought in the United States' segregated armed forces during World War II. The movie is directed by Anthony Hemingway, the rare black director getting a chance to direct a big-budget feature.

Last week, Lucas told USA Today that he was worried that if Red Tails was a failure, it could have negative repercussions for black filmmakers. "I realize that by accident I've now put the black film community at risk [with Red Tails, whose $58 million budget far exceeds typical all-black productions]," he said. "I'm saying, if this doesn't work, there's a good chance you'll stay where you are for quite a while. It'll be harder for you guys to break out of that [lower-budget] mold. But if I can break through with this movie, then hopefully there will be someone else out there saying let's make a prequel and sequel, and soon you have more Tyler Perrys out there."

*******
Now can George Lucus be considered a racist????

Absolutely NOT!! He is merely stating the reality of HollyWood from an insider's perspective.

[BetterCallSaul]

I would state that there is some merit to Sp!ke's statements .....

Let's look at this from a different angle:

George Lucas: "Hollywood Didn't Want To Fund 'Red Tails' Because Of Its Black Cast"

In an appearance on The Daily Show last night, George Lucas said that he had trouble getting funding for his new movie, "Red Tails," because of its black cast.

"This has been held up for release since 1942 since it was shot, I've been trying to get released ever since," Lucas quipped to Jon Stewart. "It's because it's an all-black movie. There's no major white roles in it at all...I showed it to all of them and they said no. We don't know how to market a movie like this."

"Red Tails," which stars Cuba Gooding, Jr., and Terrence Howard, is based on the Tuskegee Airmen, the group of pioneering black pilots who fought in the United States' segregated armed forces during World War II. The movie is directed by Anthony Hemingway, the rare black director getting a chance to direct a big-budget feature.

Last week, Lucas told USA Today that he was worried that if Red Tails was a failure, it could have negative repercussions for black filmmakers. "I realize that by accident I've now put the black film community at risk [with Red Tails, whose $58 million budget far exceeds typical all-black productions]," he said. "I'm saying, if this doesn't work, there's a good chance you'll stay where you are for quite a while. It'll be harder for you guys to break out of that [lower-budget] mold. But if I can break through with this movie, then hopefully there will be someone else out there saying let's make a prequel and sequel, and soon you have more Tyler Perrys out there."

*******
Now can George Lucus be considered a racist????

Absolutely NOT!! He is merely stating the reality of HollyWood from an insider's perspective.

****e Lee has a history of being a cu*t though.

And the lack of funding probably had something to do with Cuba Gooding and Terrence Howard fronting the movie. They haven't been relevant for a long time.

[arraamis]

****e Lee has a history of being a cu*t though.

And the lack of funding probably had something to do with Cuba Gooding and Terrence Howard fronting the movie. They haven't been relevant for a long time.

George Lucas' movie Red Tails, defied conventional wisdom and diminished expectations to take in the second highest haul this past weekend.

The film depicts the exploits of the Tuskegee Airmen – American's first black fighter pilots who fought with bravery and distinction in World War II. The movie brought in $19.1 million, second only to Underworld Awakening which raked in $25.4 million.

Lucas, who was Red Tails' executive producer, had hoped the movie opening would produce blockbuster numbers and vindicate the movie in the eyes of critics who suggest that a film with an all-black cast is box-office poison. He invested $58 million of his own money to make and distribute the film and explained on The Daily Show hosted by Jon Stewart, that no Hollywood studio would produce the movie.

"I showed it to them and they said, 'No. We don't know how to market a movie like this," Lucas said. "... Red Tails does not feature a white protagonist. It's an all black movie. There's no major white roles in it at all. It's one of the first all-black action pictures ever made..."

While a number of critics panned the movie – which took Lucas 23 years to make – moviegoers like District resident Leo Alexander said he loved what he saw.

"The movie was very well done," said the 47-year-old global marketing and sales executive. "The beginning was a little too slow and not serious enough for my taste. There was too much giggling and laughing for me. But overall, I enjoyed it."

[Addition]

There is something deeply wrong with ****e Lee, he likes to cause problems went there aren't there.

Here's what Tyler Perry had to say on the whole issue:

Unfortunately, movies starring an all African American cast are on the verge of becoming extinct. THAT’S RIGHT, EXTINCT! Ask any executive at a Hollywood Studio why, and most of them will tell you one of two things. The first thing they’ll say is that DVD sales have become very soft, so it’s hard for a movie with an all black cast to break-even. Secondly they’ll say, most movies are now dependent on foreign sales to be successful and most “black” movies don’t sell well in foreign markets. So what that means is you will begin to see less and less films that star an all black cast. Isn’t that sad in a 2012 America? Somewhere along the way we still haven’t realized that we are more alike then not.

I must tell you that I have been very fortunate to work with a studio that sees the value in my type of storytelling and filmmaking. As well as having you, an audience of all races of people, who have stood by me arm and arm. It has helped me navigate through some pretty rough waters.

I thought that as black people in Hollywood, this is just our reality, but I quickly realized that this is not racism. What made me realize this is I had a conversation with Mr. Star Wars himself, George Lucas, and he was telling me that he was having the same problem with Red Tails. I was blown away! Red Tails is an important story about, not just black history, but American history about the Tuskegee Airmen. It has an all-star African American cast, including Cuba Gooding Jr. and Terrence Howard, which opens this Friday. He went on to say that he brought the movie idea of Red Tails to several studios and no one wanted to make this film… AND THIS IS GEORGE LUCAS! Not to be deterred, he put up his own money, shot the movie then took it back to those same studios, and they wanted nothing to do with it. One of them even refused to see the film, citing the above mentioned problems. So George decided to take a huge risk by entirely funding the movie and releasing it himself. What a guy! For him to believe so strongly in this story is amazing. I think we should pull together and get behind this movie. I really do! Not just African Americans, but all of us. I have seen the movie and screened it here in Atlanta. I loved it and I think you will too. The Tuskegee Airmen, who were at the screening, were so happy that somebody is telling a small part of their story.

It opens this Friday. Please take your kids, you will enjoy it and so will they. There is a lot of action and adventure and also a great history lesson to be learned.

George, I just want to say, thank you for having the courage to do this.

[ИATAS]

I think that's more of a rant against how Hollywood is run these days and he has every reason to be upset. He has to do movies like this out of pocket because no studio is going to invest in original thinking films like this. And it's not just about race, although I'm sure Mr. Perry has a point about all black casts as well.

Why do you think we have so many remakes and squeals in hollywood these days? Is Hollywood out of ideas? Or are the studios only interested in making safe investments? Why invest money in something original when you can invest in "21 Jump Street", a sure hit? Like everything else in America it's about maximizing your profits, movies are big business.

Even one of the biggest original films in recent times. Inception, almost didn't happen. Warner Brothers wanted to go a different route, but only because Christopher Nolan has become such a huge money maker that WB said, ok fine make your movie. Just about any other director would have been denied the budget required for a movie like that.

That's just one example. There are endless examples of how the investors mess with the story/plot and force the director/writers to change parts of the movie so because they feel it would be better for their investments. Tons of movies are ruined because of stuff like this, lot's of examples of endings being changed to be "happy" and don't follow the original book/script.

[Rapid Counter]

I'm surprised George Lucas gets any work after what he did to Star Wars. F**k George Lucas. I'm not watching any of his films no matter what the race of the cast is.

Sp1ke Lee also sucks!! Hating on poor old Clint Eastwood for not having Jungle Fever.

[MidnightSpecial]

as i dont agree with a lot in this thread

i find it hilarious you defend him being not racist by posting pictures of him around other ethnicities

thats like saying Strom Thurmond isnt racist because his barber was black

[TredKiller]

Clint Eastwood is a racist

did you see Gran Torino ???

no. he isnt.

Clint Eastwood>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>****e "who really cares what he has to say" Lee

its not even close