By TIM DAVID HARVEY.
Bold. Controversial. American. Did you know that two of Hollywood's most inspirational and incisive, dynamite directors are linked by more than 'Jackie Brown' and 'Jungle Fever' star Samuel L. Jackson? Q.T. actually guest directed like he did on Robert Rodriguez's 'Sin City' on Spike Lee's 'Girl 6' movie (that had everything, even a complete 'Batman' like album soundtrack from the artist, Prince). "I'll never work with that son of a b#### again" (must have been a good shoot), Quentin reportedly told press in Sao Paulo whilst promoting 'The Hateful Eight'. The longstanding feud between the filmmakers is said to have started with Lee's infuriation of what he sees as Tarantino's "infatuation" with the N word. He refused to watch the holocaust of his people in 'Django Unchained'. He probably would have liked it as much as he liked, 'Green Book'. Yet Quentin has been rewriting history like the fall of Hitler in movies for years like 'Inglorious Basterds'. Both directors these years are using their mediums for social commentary. But who is the better director? Time for our own commentary.
Lights...
'Pulp Fiction'. 'Do The Right Thing'. These aren't just the name of movies. These are the names of cultural cornerstones in cinema. 'Fiction' was that millennial movie college kids had to see like a rite of passage. It was just that great as it twist flipped the script on how stories are told in reverse. Plus it made guys like Samuel L. Jackson and Bruce Willis stars and turned the 'Grease' lightning of John Travolta back into one like 'Saturday Night Live', aswell as a hands out meme. It also gave Harvey Kietel a Direct Line to a commercial contract for his Winston Wolf that was just an offer he couldn't refuse. Still when it comes to these iconic directors most magnum movies there's just something about 'Do The Right Thing' like that very notion. Perhaps it's because right now this 80's movie couldn't be more timely with what has happened this year and too many times before by the hands (knees) and Billy clubs of Police officers who are supposed to protect and serve us all. What happened to George Floyd this year is too awfully familiar to what happened to Eric Garner in 2014. Which looks exactly what happened to Bill Nunn's Radio Raheem character all those years ago as he tried to fight the power like LOVE and HATE. America has been making public enemies out of black lives for years. Spike Lee has been holding up his fist for all that matters for just as long.
Camera...
Auteurs of their art. Unboxing Q.T.'s bag of tricks could take all year. Dialogue literally for days. Stories about as linear as the tangential as the ones I tell my friends. A foot fetish that even had this writer ask Quentin in a script signing of 'Death Proof' in Liverpool what Salma Hayek's toes tasted like (we've all seen 'From Dusk' Till Dawn'). "Pretty good. Pretty good", he replied to a question that drew a smirk after lines of, "what's in the briefcase mate"? "If you ever get the chance I recommend it". You hear that Salma? Still I digress. As from Denzel Washington in 'Inside Man' (which is set for a sequel like Quentin's 'Kill Bill' revenge volumes) to his son John David, nothing outruns Spike's signature and iconic Dolly shot that hits like Parton, 9 to 5. When it comes to their classics. Tarantino's 'Reservoir Dogs' changed the filmmaking game. Spike's black and white, 'She's Gotta Have It' changed the love one and spawned two seasons of a T.V show reboot on Netflix that was as underrated as it was too timely today in the Me Too movement of calling Times Up! We wish we could have a third season as much as we would Phoebe Waller-Bridge's 'Fleabag'. Tarantino's best T.V. (apart from those episodes of 'ER' and 'CSI') came when he supported 'Hateful' classic cameo, scene stealing star Channing Tatum on his 'Celebrity Lip Sync Battle'. Seeing Q.T. and LL hang out makes me want a movie with Cool James as much as Q's rumoured 'Star Trek' sequel, that could be as good as Spike Lee's South Korean 'Oldboy' remake was underrated.
Action...
'BlackKklansman', 'Chi-raq', 'Da 5 Bloods'. 'Inglorious Basterds', 'Django Unchained', 'Once Upon A Time In...Hollywood'. The 'Malcolm X' and 'True Romance' directors now make movies much more important than their most influential ones. Whether fiction, or doing the right thing, these two produce films that reflect the sign of the times, but in their own take and style. Trying to say more than all the explicit, incendiary work that works the nerve of the divided states of America that watches it. These directors trying to make a point that could lead us in the right direction. Spike's gotta have it. His Netflix deal is huge. And 'Da 5 Bloods' may be the biggest blockbuster of the year-if not the only one-now that in locked down quarantine our laptops have become our cinemas. The Oscars could come rolling in for Lee's biggest and maybe best picture yet. Yet when it comes to major movies last years best and Summer blockbuster 'Once Upon A Time In...Hollywood' takes the sign in this land. A classic love script to cinema that is more than the collaboration of cinemas best actors and Hollywood heartthrobs in Leonardo DiCaprio and 'Best Supporting Actor' Brad Pitt, like 'Bloods' is more than the flesh and bone of the Vietnam war. Social commentary that's not afraid to tell white America to go f### themselves and a man who rewrites history for peace violently. Tarantino makes the better movies, but arguably right now Lee makes the more important ones. But Quentin's fictional history rewrites have just as much to say about our future as Spike's true storytelling light shedding. There's not much between them. We need them both now more than ever. And even with two movies left in Tarantino's vault making way for all that Lee will lead to, it looks like we can't have one without the other. Meaning these two will be as linked to each other for as long and as much as they don't want to be. If only they could come together one more time for something that would be as groundbreaking as it would be gratifying. Stranger than fiction? Do the right thing legends.
No comments:
Post a Comment