Recent

Framing White Nationalism in Spike Lee's 'BlacKkKlansman'

Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman most dramatically reveals how race is a performance, not a biological essence, as it focuses on the importance of language in structuring racial representations.

Film

Spike Lee's 'BlacKkKlansman' Is a Provocative, Entertaining Mess

The new Spike Lee Joint is irreverent and challenging, but it fails to rival contemporary social powerhouses like Sorry to Bother You and Blindspotting.

Film

Prince Shall Forever Remain the Enigma: 'This Thing Called Life'

Instead of cherry-picking facts and quotes, Joseph Vogel lets Prince's legacy shine in all its vague and erratic splendor.

Books

Film's Overlooked Histories: Charles Burnett and the L.A. Rebellion

The general absence of the L.A. Rebellion from most film history text books and Burnett's relative marginalization within film and media studies speaks to the socio-economic myopia and privileges that define both areas of study.

Film

Michael Jackson: Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall

Something as fresh and lively as Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall results in a rare enhancement of what you already have come to know and love.

Music

Spike Lee Addresses 'Chiraq' Controversy: "We’re here for peace"

“A lot of people have opinions about the so-called title of the film,” he said of Chiraq, which is expected to begin filming in Chicago in June.

Nina Metz

Interviews

Double Take: Do the Right Thing (1989)

Double Take looks back at a film that celebrated its 25th anniversary during another summer of strikingly similar violence.

Steve Leftridge and Steve Pick

Film

'Dear White People' Untangles Complicated Relations of Racism and Identity

This film's ability to balance character-driven stories with didactic critiques against the racist practices that haunt our daily lives speaks to a sophisticated outlook rare among first-time directors.

Reviews

Disney and Spike Lee Unite in 'The Spike Lee Joint Collection'

Even with some dips in quality, these four movies represent part of a remarkable run; you can feel all of them strive for masterpiece status.

Film

Former Heavyweight Champ Mike Tyson Becomes a Raconteur and Memoirist -- Who Knew?

Mike Tyson has a gift for introspection and storytelling those whom disdain him as some sort of anti-social beast might find surprising.

Reviews

Spike Lee Continues His Chronicles of Brooklyn in 'Red Hook Summer'

This is the magnificent Clarke Peters' first go-round with Spike Lee, and fans of The Wire or Treme shouldn't miss it.

Reviews

Bruce Hornsby: Soundtrack to 'Red Hook Summer'

This might not be your typical Bruce Hornsby release, but this for-true-fans-only collection certainly has its high points.

Music

Class Conflict: Hollywood's View of the Black College Student

These eight films portray a variety of storylines, but the “black college student” movie has not come close to fulfilling its potential.

Film

The 100 Essential Directors Part 5: Derek Jarman to Mike Leigh

Mid-way through our series, Day 5 is a glorious mishmash of international auteurist cinema. Today we go from saints and sinners, from Brookyln to Britain, from the beginning of time to the Dystopian future, and around the world and beyond.

Film

Really, 'Who Do You Think You Are?'

What was something of a self-indulgent escapade in the UK version takes on far more resonance and dramatic and cultural relevance in the US version.

Reviews

'If God Is Willing and da Creek Don't Rise' comes to DVD on 19 April.

Spike Lee's angry and magnificent documentary tracks how the U.S. exploitation of resources, in particular oil, has shaped New Orleans' ongoing fragility.

Film

Pop Ten

The 25 Best Classic Progressive Rock Albums

The 100 Greatest Alternative Singles of the '80s: Part 1: 100 - 81

The 100 Greatest Alternative Singles of the '80s: Part 5: 20 - 1

The 100 Greatest Alternative Singles of the '80s: Part 2: 80 - 61

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Mixed Media

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PM Picks

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