Let’s get this out of the way. Both sides of the ongoing press war between Spike “Not a Plantation 2008″ Lee and Clint “Shut Your Face” Eastwood are pretty weak and entertaining. A poster for Lee’s $45 million World War II film, Miracle at St. Anna, opening this September, has surfaced at Cinematical. The tagline, “World War II had its heroes and its miracles” goes along with the poster’s generic feel, but it’s just a teaser. No need for a flamewar. Click to pop.
The film follows four black American soldiers in the “Buffalo Soldiers” division who are stationed in Italy and later find themselves stranded behind enemy lines after one of them attempts to save an Italian boy (as seen in the poster). And lookout! D.B. Sweeney, of The Cutting Edge and Strange Luck fame, is co-starring. Curious to see what Lee delivers with this budget, easily his largest.
Discuss: Looking forward to it? Any opinions on the Eastwood “controversy.” Remember Posse? Also, FirstShowing has a pretty amazing conspiracy of their own regarding this poster. LOL.
June 9th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
As well as all the Flags Of Our Fathers BS, didn’t Lee also say that Clint “couldn’t” make Bird because he wasn’t black?
Methinks ole Mr Lee has gone a bit cuckoo, like a crazy conspiracy theorist, trying to find racism in everything.
June 9th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
People can say what they want about Spike trying to make crazy comments fueling fires so that the media will pick up on his current projects…He does try his best to get those headlines, it’s smart marketing…That being noted it’s really interesting to see WWII from the African-American soldiers’ prospective. Lee’s grown as a film maker his movies may lack plot development and he doesn’t always get the best performances from his actors. Yet something about them are always pleasant. I thought “25th Hour” and “Inside Man” both had their moments but they were missing something so they didn’t end up as good as previous Lee projects. Having a large budget may have let Spike work a little longer in production and editing so the film could be his best piece of work to date. Can’t wait for the trailer!
June 9th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Pretty much tired of anything WWI and WW2 at this point. Unless it involves robots and naked female cyborgs in these settings.
June 9th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
@Captain Awesome
Stone’s War and Iron Sky should be great movies…hehehehe..Nazis invade from the Moon and zombie Nazies…I’m still waiting on Rob Zombie’s WWOTSS which he’s actually turning into a full feature..Werewolf Nazis..lol
June 9th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
Chris,
I had no idea he “was” turning that into a full-feature film? That’s awesome! haha
June 9th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
fuck spike lee. fuck him for dropping that tired/pathetic race card against a superior filmmaker. 20 years ago clint would’ve socked lee in his bitch-ass mouth.
someone needs to shut that prick up, and yes as upset as i am, i am big enough to give lee props on the several really good films he made. of course he uses the same internal/reflective character devices in ALL OF HIS FILMS, but he has made a few memorable flicks.
a few years ago it was tarantino, then some other ‘racist white filmmaker’, now it’s clint. i think this is spikes marketing tool: stir up chicken shit ‘racist’ drama to create buzz for his mediocre films.
i will never watch another one of his films again because of the cowardly jab he took at eastwood. i know my $10 doesn’t mean anything, but to me, my integrity does.
if only an A-list celebrity had the balls to come out and say what we all know to be true.
June 9th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
@Captain A.
yeah if you go over to his Myspace blog you can confirm he wants to do it….hehehe… I’m sure he’ll do it right after “T-Rex”…now we just need Edgar Wright to make “Don’t”..
June 9th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Uh, OH! I think I see “CRYSTAL SKULLS” in the kid’s nap sack!
And now that I think about it, Spike Lee might want to get mad at Spielberg/Lucas — I can’t remember there being any black Soviets in the recent film…..!
June 9th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
I’ve never been a huge Spike Lee fan. I think, like someone above said, his films have had their moments, but they always seem to fall short. The exceptions being Malcom X, and Do the Right Thing which I still enjoy.
About the Clint vs. Spike thing it’s pretty much not worth discussing. Spike always pulls shit like this. Part of the reason why no one takes him seriously is his willingness to take things into racial territory whenever he gets a chance. So F that squirlly eyed idiot.
Clint’s old but actually drops some decent films. I like him better as an actor. Definitely one of the greats.
Cap Awesome, I’m pretty sick of the WWI and WWII films as well. If theres one War movie I’m looking forward to it’s Inglorious Bastards. Tarantino is another person who’s had to deal with Spikes bafoonary as well.
June 9th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
The Jezzus,
I’m totally with you on Inglorious Bastards.
June 9th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
I’ve been looking forward to hearing some updates on this flick, I have a strong feeling that it will be part of the upcoming Oscars, in more than one category.
On another note, for all of you Spike Lee haters out there….don’t you guys realize that the reason why he is the only one out there making these race-related remarks about the film industry is because he is the only Afro-American director/writer with a resume big enough to back his statements up. This guy has been coming out with feature-length films longer than John Singleton, Antoine Fuqua, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, Paul Thomas Anderson, Wes Anderson and Christopher Nolan with over 15 films under his belt. He has pretty much had equivalent experience in writing and directing films as the Coen bros. have had throughout their respective careers, and thats a fucking ton.
Nothing against Clint Eastwood, but Spike earned the right to run his mouth every once in a while because he is the only one that can.
June 9th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
Who was it that said a day ago that Lee wouldn’t do this for publicty?
Btw….
I think Inglorious Bastards has Naked nazi Female Cyborgs.
But not sure,,,,
June 9th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
Spike Lee is an opportunistic turtle-head.
There, I said it. TURTLE HEAD.
What a pissy jackball. I’d like to see his NYC Hood-Rat ass go out and make a movie that doesn’t have a blasting thing to do with race, or promote a movie without having to pull out his race card. Before he goes and pulls it out again. Maybe someone needs to show him playing the minstrel show with Michael Jordan on those early ’90s Nike/Mars Blackman commercials.
Now excuse me, I have a turtle head pokin’ out. Gotta go drop the kids at the school and pinch a loaf (of bread).
June 9th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
I think everyone makes it more epic than it is.
They’re film makers. Clint is old and Spike is black. Being black I get the joke he threw back at Clint. It’s a joke about him being old.
Just watch the damn movie or don’t.
June 9th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
fuck spike lee
i’m sick of black people turning everything into a race card
spike’s overrated and his resume doesn’t back his statements up, especially against clint’s. clint actually never brought race up during any insult or rebuttal, only spike.
June 9th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
spike is uwe boll without boxing skills.
June 9th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
“fuck spike lee
i’m sick of black people turning everything into a race card”
haha, nice segway going from one movie director who is black to an entire race of people!
charger70, you’re full of shit even trying to compare Lee to Boll. Lee actually makes great films whether you want to admit it or not. Great, he said something that makes you angry. Don’t wrangle his talent or resume in with The Brett Ratner of Deutschland.
June 9th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
yeah, spike’s really out of line here, right?
god forbid a person of color complain about unfair representation and historical revisionism. or going back to tarantino, a white man using a term wrapped up in centuries’ worth of racialized violence and oppression for entertainment value.
like brian says, those “black people” should just shut their mouthes and appreciate what’s given to them.
some of you lead a pretty coddled existence.
June 9th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
D, some of us just want to watch a movie and forget our problems.
Myself, I don’t need a lesson in race issues with any of my films. No thanks Mr Lee.
I’m kinda surprised nobodys brought up the point that “Flags of our Fathers” was a film that instead of dealing with race issues, delt with our own militarys manipulation of facts and lives for a heroic image they could sell to the American people.
We need to start looking at real problems like the goverment and military lying to US, rather than using race issues to promote films.
And that’s exactly what Spike is doing here.
June 9th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
TO “D”:
I loved She’s Got To Have It and Do the Right Thing. I even liked He Got Game and Malcolm X. However, if race relations is the only story he can tell, then he’s just proving to be nothing more than a middle-aged bitter black man. The day that he accepts the fact that a growing number of white folks don’t see the world separated by color. The nomiation of Barack Obama should have shut him up already. We (whites) were more willing to put an educated black man in the oval office than an educated white woman. isn’t that enough? i mean, the most powerful position in the free world could go to a black man, and he’s still railing on race issues? He really should shut his mouth. TURTLE HEAD.
June 9th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
@790
a lot of people aren’t privileged enough to have movies let them forget their problems.
but thanks for telling all of us what our “real” problems are.
June 9th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
@ Raptus
the fact that you have to qualify “black man” with “educated” pretty much proves that you do in fact see the world separated by color.
June 9th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
“We (whites) were more willing to put an educated black man in the oval office than an educated white woman.”
haha, You’re doing the the same exact thing you’re complaining about other people.
June 9th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
We’ll “D”, are we now getting into poverty issues you have with /film bloggers?
I thought you were keeping it real with the race bs.
If you think that race issues are more important than global conspiracies than you are a fool.
June 9th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
Captain Awesome, both Obama and McCain are scum…..
Just fyi.
Go Ron Paul!
June 9th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
Clint Eastwood > Spike Lee
Seriously, the whole plantation reference just shows how Lee is absolutely incapable of maintaining normal discussion, without pulling out the race card, because I guess he doesn’t have both the intellectual capacity and attention span. Besides, his whole argument is offensively retarded.
So yeah, Spike Lee should remove his head from his ass, and shut the fuck up.
June 9th, 2008 at 11:43 pm
no, i’m still “keeping it real” with the “race bs.” very clever of you to use “keeping it real” there, by the way. what i was referring to in that comment was that people of color may have a more difficult time “forgetting their problems” or just plain enjoying themselves at the movies when they are so underrepresented or unfairly represented on the screen. see mr. lee’s original argument.
and yeah, this country has a whole lot of problems. racism happens to be one of them. but you obviously would not agree.
June 10th, 2008 at 12:39 am
Racism is a problem as well as Global conspiracies.
You know D you really need to do your homework on what the real problems are…..(IMO).
June 10th, 2008 at 7:07 am
WAIT. I thought Spike Lee was Asian. Isn’t he Bruce Lee’s little nephew?
June 10th, 2008 at 7:22 am
“god forbid a person of color complain about unfair representation and historical revisionism.”
You are correct that the involvement of black soldiers in the battle at Iwo Jima is incorrectly portrayed in the film. Most of them were assigned ammunition and supply roles, though they undoubtedly were called on to fight when the Japanese attacked. However, I could hardly call the lack of black actors in his film historical revisionism. Exclusion from one director’s story, which was truly more about the men that took place in the government run bond campaign, hardly constitutes revisionism or racism.
In that same vein, Lee’s upcoming movie is centered around the black soldier’s experience in WWII. That is the story he’s telling. He will tell it in the way he sees fit and deems necessary. Will anyone complain if he doesn’t include white soldiers in the film? Or if they are included but they are painted in a negative way will anyone complain? Is that historical revisionism?
The bottom line is that it doesn’t matter. World War II was about American men and women fighting in the name of their country to ensure not only the American way of life, but the right for the people of Europe, Northern Africa and Russia to live their lives free of Nazi occupation. The emphasis is on men and women, as human beings, regardless of race, color, creed or religion. People on both sides of the race argument do nothing but strengthen the divides.
June 10th, 2008 at 9:54 am
Well put Vlad….
June 10th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
@ Captain Awesome and the rest of these cats sick of the “race card”
for a bunch of groupies so sick of such a task you certainly perpetuate it well.
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:24 pm
this is sad my grandfather was in world war 2 he got a purple heart and a bunch of medals. You folks on here are a lil racist, if you can understand that black people have been a part of or at the for front of these united states where brought here. All he said is this that we should be seen and heard we where there we lived we died togther. Some one made a comment black people should be happy for what there given, I dont about you and yours but all the black people I know work for what have. I didn’t know it a card to want to be included in the hisrtory your father help make. If you cant understand me a i guess you just burn a cross or two.