And that’s exactly what you came here for. We’d say “choose wisely,” but each of these movies has their own distinct voice and takeaway from epic biopics, to war movies, to romantic comedies, to documentaries, to stand-up specials, each entry on this list is distinctly in the voice of one Spike Lee. (We chose to stick to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and HBO GO/HBO Max for this list.) Below, you’ll find your options. Luckily, he’s got 19 movies, documentaries, and series that you can stream right now across the most popular streaming platforms. (It’s received universal acclaim as one of the best of his storied career.) At the same time, it's always a good idea to freshen up on the work of the legendary director from Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Spike Lee was an American director, writer, producer, and actor who was bar-none the pre-eminent chronicler of black life in America through the lens of independent film throughout the late 20th. Lee’s latest, Da 5 Bloods, is part war epic, part adventure flick, and all fantastic. Director: Spike Lee Stars: John Leguizamo, Adrien Brody, Mira Sorvino, Jennifer Esposito. McKenzie Jean-Philippe Editorial Assistant McKenzie Jean-Philippe is the editorial assistant at covering pop culture, TV, movies, celebrity, and lifestyle. Spike Lee's take on the 'Son of Sam' murders in New York City during the summer of 1977 centering on the residents of an Italian-American Northeast Bronx neighborhood who live in fear and distrust of one another. Essential viewing that includes, of course, Do the Right Thing. Whether it’s romantic comedy ( She’s Gotta Have It), thriller ( Inside Man), biopic ( Malcolm X), or documentary ( The Original Kings of Comedy), there’s little that Lee can’t do. 13 Spike Lee Films You Have to Watch in Your Lifetime. And Lee brings his unique voice and special talents to just about any genre. Lee’s voice frequently speaks to the plights and grievances of the Black community not only in his native neighborhood of New York City and Brooklyn, but to an entire nation. There aren’t many directors out there better suited to speak to this specific moment than Spike Lee. From there, Lee has only built his legend, spending the next 34 years making movies, shows, and documentaries-or, as he famously calls them, “Spike Lee Joints,” that are not only expertly made, but uniquely and unapologetically Spike. "I'll be calling you soon about becoming financially involved in helping us complete it."īy the time the film was actually complete, his budget maxed out a sparse $175,000-and the film ended up making $7.1 million at the box office. “I'm Spike Lee and I hope that you liked the film," he told the crowd. So he had an idea-he showed a rough cut of the movie at NYU, and when the movie ended, he took the mic. Even then, he didn’t have enough money to get through the movie’s post-production period. There is also the simply brilliant soundtrack for Jungle Fever that came from the mind of Stevie Wonder or, indeed, the powerful use of Sam Cooke’s ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’ in Malcolm X - even if it was left off the original soundtrack release.Spike Lee shot his first feature film, 1986’s She’s Gotta Have It, over a 12-day period on a scraped-together budget from things like State and City grants, with favors from his family, and deferred payments for his actors. It’s hard to ignore Public Enemy’s ‘Fight The Power’ in Do The Right Thing or Grace Jones’ cover of ‘La Vie En Rose’ from 1999’s Summer of Sam. Of course, there are some moments in his filmography that are more notable than others. David Byrne's American Utopia (2020) In the thick of the pandemic, when Broadway was shut down, Spike Lee and David Byrne gave us a gift: Lee's filmed version of Byrne's electrifying. The songs and scores that Lee has implemented have always worked alongside the narrative, providing backdrop, atmosphere and ambience to his visuals. “You go this way, or that way, and either way, there’s going to be consequences.” It’s reflected in his musical choices too. “A spine to my films that’s become more evident to me is that many are about the choices that people make,” Lee once said. Though many of the playlist’s songs were brought to us by his musical collaborator Terence Blanchard, he also ensures the music of the characters at hand is also included. We’ve gathered up as many of those moments as we could and delivered them in the ultimate Spike Lee movie playlist, which you can find below.Ī champion of the common person and their problems, Lee has often used his growing platform to tell the stories of genuine people, as the director himself once said: “What’s the difference between Hollywood characters and my characters? Mine are real.” It’s a realism that permeates his musical stylings too. Whether it’s from his seminal film Do The Right Thing or his latest Netflix release, Da 5 Bloods, Lee has always used music to punctuate his films with the most precise piercings. Spike Lee does not let you simply watch his movies.
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