sure it was a boneheaded comment. I followed it up with: "Spike Lee is definitely the superior filmaker. Perry goes for the lowest common denominator, which is why he is more successful financially." and what do they have in common? If you say that the only thing they have in common is their skin color, you're wrong.…

I wasn't comparing the two as a conversation on Black Cinema. Just cinema. And I never said they were equals. In fact, I admitted that Spike Lee made the better films. They do have a number of characteristics in common besides skin color, though. They both write, direct, and appear in their movies. They are both…

Spike Lee brought up the comparison himself when he compared Perry's work to Amos and Andy last year, correct? He was basically saying "My work is better than his." He more or less forced us to compare the quality of their work. I'm just repeating the comparison. Besides, I also compared him to Kevin Smith (both have…

wait….comparing two black directors is racist? Because one is black and the other is black? Basically the only explanation?

well, we can agree to disagree on whether 25th Hour is as good as On The Waterfront. They are both professionally and skillfully made, though.

I think all of his films are good. I think people go too far with his "greatness". Is 25th Hour anywhere near as good as The Godfather? Apocalypse Now? On The Waterfront?

doesn't good mean good?

25th Hour….the guy has 25 hours before he goes to jail. I seem to remember a lot of violence. Wasn't the russian mob after him? He gets himself beat up so he doesn't get raped in jail. I haven't seen it in a while. Seemed like an action/drama.

I didn't say it was his first film. She's Gotta Have It was an earlier film that I liked, although it came off like an enjoyable student project. He had one before it. I think the term I used was novice.

I'm pretty sure Tyler Perry isn't interested in banging chicks of any color. That top 5 list of great Spike Lee films is pretty light. 25th hour? standard action/drama. Malcolm X? Good Biography. These are his best films? So comparing him to other great directors like Hitchcock,Ford, Capra, etc is acceptable? Somebody…

I didn't play in a blues bnad. Spike Lee: One good film and a bunch of mediocre ones. He's the Kevin Smith of Black Cinema.

Ok, I'll admit to being a troll on the Spike Lee subject, but how about listing Spike Lee's greatest films? Malcolm X? Bamboozled? Inside Man? Jungle Fever? 25th Hour? This isn't a list of great films. Great directors make great films. Spike Lee's greatest film is "Do the Right Thing". He's made a career out of…

Well, to start they are both successful black film makers. That's one thing they have in common. They have both released many films. They are both popular with black audiences. They are both financially successful. They are more or less contemporaries. See, we can put them in several categories together. Sure Perry…

Iwo Jima wasn't considered part of Japan during WWII? Am I going to have to research again before I spout off nonsense again?

I've unfortunately seen too many Tyler Perry films (all bad). Spike Lee is definitely the superior filmaker. Perry goes for the lowest common denominator, which is why he is more successful financially. I've had to sit through way too many episodes of House of Payne. And if I see one more Perry movie where a lawyer…

You are correct: Citing historical accuracy, Eastwood responded that his film was specifically about the Marines who raised the flag on Mount Suribachi at Iwo Jima, pointing out that while black Marines did fight at Iwo Jima, the U.S. military was segregated during World War II, and none of the men who raised the flag…

This was the very end of the war, and the sources I read said that there weren't any black soldiers in Japan at that time. The media backed it up. I will look into it though.

I only added that bit about Tyler Perry because I know that Spike Lee is jealous of his success. Why else would Lee criticize Perry's portrayal of blacks when his portrayal isn't much better? And no, I'm not a fan of Tyler Perry.

oh, and Ted….racist? ask my last 3 girlfriends (all black). They know I think Spike Lee is a blowhard who makes edgy films without substance. I put him in the same category as Tyler Perry.

Yeah, the plot and the ending were pretty ambiguous. Almost as if a college student wrote it. The cinematography looks like a music video. The acting seems to be a bunch of minstrel caricatures. I'm racist if I don't like Spike Lee? That's what he'd say. Maybe I'm hard on him because he comes off as a jerk. For the…