"The Miracle at St. Anna" (2008)

Released today, Spike Lee's latest joint is probably the closest he's ever come to a tear-jerker. And though there were moments in it that flagged or seemed too outlandish (ex. the first and last scenes--I don't know why, but I immediately thought, "Fantasy Island!") it is for the most part superbly written, acted, and directed. Despite its abysmal ratings on imdb.com (which I wouldn't trust as an accurate indicator on the worth of a film anyway) I think it will stand as one of Lee's best. It's certainly better than Inside Man, which I nevertheless saw twice in its theatrical release and enjoyed. The Miracle At St. Anna seems to bring together all the recurring concerns of Lee's previous films: African-American identity, history, individual morality and politics (particularly the power dynamics that inform and are informed by race relations). Not only is it very dense conceptually, but visually, it is arguably one of his most striking works to date. This is thanks to cinematographer Matthew Libatique whose credits include: Pi, Requiem For A Dream, The Fountain, She Hate Me, Inside Man and Iron Man--most, if not all of which are very visually inventive movies. All I can say is this: forget the critics and go see it for yourself.

The September issue of Interview Magazine contains a brief interview with Spike Lee in which he talks about his new flick, how he made use of Martin Scorsese's film library for ideas and Barack Obama. In it is also a lengthier interview with Woody Allen in which he touches upon his entire career, including his yet-to-be-released romantic-comedy starring Larry David.

Here's a quote from Woody Allen: "Death is a no-win proposition. Because you know what happens? You die. I’m not a religious person, so you die, and then you disintegrate in one way or another—either you’re cremated or you decompose—and you’re gone. That’s it. There’s no other at bat. It’s one strike, and you’re out.”