Tag Archive for 'Spike Lee'
November 20th, 2022 by Aaron Neuwirth
Director Spike Lee has an impressive body of work, considering the number of excellent films delivered over the past five decades. With that in mind, the prolific director has at least two defining films that came pretty early in his career. There’s the landmark comedy-drama Do the Right Thing and Malcolm X, the epic biographical […]
August 17th, 2022 by Aaron Neuwirth
Coming in November: Věra Chytilová’s defiant Czechoslovak New Wave provocation Daisies; Jane Campion’s psychologically piercing revisionist western The Power of the Dog; Andrew Lau Wai-keung and Alan Mak’s gripping saga of two rival moles in Hong Kong’s criminal underworld, The Infernal Affairs Trilogy; and Spike Lee’s visionary monument to an iconic civil rights leader, Malcolm X. Plus: an upgrade […]
December 22nd, 2021 by Aaron Neuwirth
“I think I’ve figured out how to shrink this thing down.” What a foolish thing I told myself, once again… This is the first full year I’ve had to enjoy not only new Blu-ray releases but 4K UHD discs as well. Having all the modern format options like my fellow Why So Blu writers (in […]
December 20th, 2021 by Adam Toroni-Byrne
We’re all ready for the end of another crazy year. It’s mind-blowing to me as I get older just how quickly time passes. Things fleet right past me and I just wonder how things went so fast. Even now, I’m kind of blown away that I purchased and watched nearly 100 4K titles this year. […]
February 3rd, 2021 by Adam Toroni-Byrne
Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing came out at just the right time. Released in 1989 with a new wave of social commentary on the injustices of racism in America, the groundbreaking classic breathed new life into an old, ever relevant topic. Now, 32 years later, the film still feels as fresh and timely in […]
January 26th, 2021 by Adam Toroni-Byrne
It’s the hottest day of the summer. You can do nothing, you can do something, or you can…DO THE RIGHT THING. In 1989, Academy Award® winner and visionary filmmaker Spike Lee mesmerized audiences with one of the most insightful and provocative films of its time, DO THE RIGHT THING. Universal Pictures Home Entertainment continues to […]
December 31st, 2020 by Aaron Neuwirth
Even in a year where the theater-going experience was compromised by an ongoing pandemic, I found no shortage of quality releases for my list of the Top Ten Films of 2020. Between streaming services and films available on VOD for less than the price of a movie ticket, studios may have been challenged when it […]
December 30th, 2020 by Brandon Peters
I’ll spare you the “What a crazy year this was!” jargon as you already know. You lived through it, too. Like every cinephile, I sure do miss going to theaters and oddly not having that option made me feel like I saw a lot less “important stuff” or “contenders” this year. Yet, at the same […]
December 17th, 2020 by Aaron Neuwirth
“But if I just focus on a top ten, and then add some honorable mentions, that will save me some time.” Famous last words… This year’s top ten Blu-ray list didn’t get any more streamlined, but there’s a lot out there to enjoy, so get ready to go on a tour of physical media from […]
March 16th, 2020 by Aaron Neuwirth
If ever there was a movie ready for re-examination, it’s Spike Lee’s Bamboozled. A theatrical bomb with audiences, and the recipient of mixed reviews from critics, there’s no denying a lack of ambition on Lee’s part with a film satirizing racism in American pop culture, but was the film ahead of its time or a […]
February 25th, 2020 by Aaron Neuwirth
I was elated when The Criterion Collection announced When We Were Kings as an upcoming entry, complete with a brand-new restoration and extras to go with it. It is one of my favorite documentaries, as it does a great job tracking a meaningful event in sports history. The film puts some of what made Muhammad […]
December 20th, 2019 by Aaron Neuwirth
“Next year I’ll narrow it down a little more.” Yeah, that’s what happened… Okay, so I thought I was going to make a simpler top ten Blu-ray list this year, but there’s a lot out there to enjoy, and I, apparently, just find it easier to go overboard. As it stands, Why So Blu’s Brian, […]
December 16th, 2019 by Aaron Neuwirth
Next March, John M. Stahl’s singular Hollywood masterpiece Leave Her to Heaven– a stunning Technicolor melodrama infused with the darkness of film noir and graced with a chilling performance by Gene Tierney- will join the Criterion Collection, making its Blu-ray debut in a new 2K restoration. Spike Lee’s provocative satire Bamboozled, a scathing indictment of racism in American […]
August 22nd, 2019 by Aaron Neuwirth
This year, Academy Award-winning writer-director Spike Lee’s 1989 modern classic, Do the Right Thing celebrated its 30th anniversary. With all the acclaim received by the prolific filmmaker just recently for his Oscar-winning film BlacKkKlansman, it’s incredible to look back at one of his earliest films and not only see how far Lee has come but […]
April 15th, 2019 by Aaron Neuwirth
When the summer heats up this July, the Criterion Collection will celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of Spike Lee’s 1989 masterpiece Do the Right Thing with a definitive director-approved edition, featuring a new 4K restoration. Jane Fonda gives one of the most electrifying performances of her career as a sex worker in peril in Alan J. Pakula’s Klute, appearing on […]
January 3rd, 2019 by Brandon Peters
I’m not last, but posting the day after Aaron Neuwirth is a tough act to follow. He’s the most informed of us here and is able to see an impressive amount of films released in a given year. For me personally, 2018 felt like I didn’t see as much as I would have liked to […]
December 31st, 2018 by Brian White
Every year this Top 10 movie list gets harder and harder to write. As the years go by I get the chance to see fewer and fewer movies theatrically. Because of work, life and other commitments I feel like I’m constantly trying to play catch up and/or seeing most films some 3-4 months after they […]
November 23rd, 2018 by Aaron Neuwirth
Director Spike Lee is having a great 2018, even if it means putting a spotlight on the same issues he’s been tackling since he began as a filmmaker. With BlacKkKlansman on its way to (hopefully) earning its fair share of awards, the director’s previous joins continue to make their way to HD formats slowly. A […]