Man you know he doesn't return papers until the end of the semester

I once met Spike very, very briefly, but he loves talking films, and at that time, he sang the praises of Kubrick's "Spartacus" and Scorsese's "Taxi Driver", and he talked about having just seen The Beatles' "Help!" the day before. I also once attended a screening and Q & A with Spike for the film, "Blue Collar" (1978), which starred Richard Pryor, Harvey Keitel, and Yaphet Kotto, and was made by Paul Schrader. Spike LOVES "Blue Collar". If you have never seen it, seek it out, it is an unsung masterpiece.

"Mean Streets" has the single BEST opening scene/ montage I've ever seen in a movie. Love spike!

Mean Streets is an overlooked American masterpiece.

he doesn't breaks down his film heroes, he lift them up.

Spike Lee has made many great movies. I think bamboozled is his finest, the closing sequence moved me to tears.

No filmmaker carries an emotional tone throughout an entire film like Spike. He is without a doubt one of the Greatest Filmmakers of All Time.

This is awesome! It's great to hear a great filmmaker talk about his favorite films/filmmakers.

Spike Lee is one of my favorite directors. Do the Right Thing & Malcolm X are classic! Coincidentally, I just watched On the Waterfront last night, it's cool to know Spike loves it too.

One day there will be a film with “the last Spike Lee joint” attached to it. And when it does I will cry and remember a great man

5:21 . . . that's some picture you guys used of Scorsese. lol

I love the way he talks about his parents. A family of geniuses

I just love the way he speaks with such passion and fascination for the medium, such a dude!

This is great. It’s particularly significant to me that Spike is a fan of Scorsese; always has been significant to me. What I find interesting about it is that it’s the reverse of what we’re taught to expect about people. Racism is very prevalent in Scorsese’s films. Many of his characters are racist. But many of his characters are also funny, again despite being disturbing people. They engaged us while at the same time repulsing us. So it’s a lesson to all of us that Spike - being the artist that he is - realized what Scorsese was doing in these movies. Spike didn’t shun those films because they had racist characters. He embraced them. Why? Because they are great art. I’ve seen Mean Streets many times, including at MOMA a few years ago. The few times racial epithets were uttered in the film you could feel the tension in the audience (of mostly white people, btw). Perhaps that speaks to the effectiveness of the film; I don’t know. What I do know is that Spike Lee is an artist, just like Scorsese or Kazan or countless others. He saw the racism in those films for what it was: an exploration, not an endorsement. An elucidation, not a validation. And truth, not fantasy. The truth was/is there are bigots in that community, just like there are in all communities. Perhaps this is what Spike saw as resonant with his own experience when he moved to a larger Italian-American neighborhood. We’ve all become so tight assed in this culture we’re afraid to hear what George Carlin once so aptly called “words that speak the truth”. A Scorsese or Lee would (eventually) get shamed out of the industry if they were young filmmakers today. They wouldn’t be allowed to make true, personal films. No one is. Superheroes are better sellers. And we - the believers of film created for an active, intelligent audience - are perpetually suffering as a result.

“Mean Streets” That was an absolute great film, it’s definitely one of my top 3 favorite films of all time.

After Hours is one of the most underrated movies ever. Also, Talk Radio directed by Oliver Stone.

Dude's about to sleep 😂

Spike Lee is a great director. Nuff said.

“Special effects Spike, special effects.” 😂

With all due respect to my beloved Spike Lee, "On the waterfront" is the first "guetto movie". He is a great filmmaker recognising Kazan's working.

omg... Night of the Hunter, I watched it earlier this year, I started crying halfway through it, cried all the way to the end

Spike's Master Class was truly that. Masterful! I watch it sometimes twice a month . I reference back to it often. He is a genius

That was casino not goodfellas

Andy Griffith was awesome in that movie. A Face in the Crowd. This was before his TV show.

Great filmmaker in his own right. It’s cool how he gives props to other filmmakers. Certain celebs that I would like to met and he is on the top of the list

Oh, After Hours, deep cut. Love that movie. Wildly underrated.

A Face In The Crowd is such an underrated film and so ahead of it's time. It's insane how prescient it is.

A face in the crowd was a perfect movie, it was so beyond it’s time...Andy Griffith was Amazing

Legend

"Goodfellows" lmao

it was casino not goodfellas

Love this, thank you.

Thanks for posting

I took a Film Studies class in college, and we watched "Do the Right Thing". It was a really good movie, with an extremely powerful wnding and even more powerful overall message.

Great discussion/video.

Thank you so much for this video!

Just love Spike's film presentation and tone.

12:18 How many Martin Scorsese pictures are floating around at there, tens of thousands? And that's the one you went with? Lol, cracked me up.

We love you Spike!

Surprised he didn't mention Ace In the Hole. Definitely heard him call that his favorite film before.

Mad respect

My top 5 Malcolm X, Do the right thing, Mo Better Blues, Jungle Fever and 25th hour! Also, Clockers , Crooklyn and Summer of Sam deserve to be mentioned as well! Can't wait to see "Da 5 Bloods"!

Awesome. His movie Malcolm X is my probably my favourite. He's a huge inspiration himself. Thanks!

Good video a couple of movies I never seen except David Lean movies and on the Waterfront.

Shoutout Spikelee always making moves doing positive for the community 🎥🎬🙏🏾

Spike is absolutely right. I love cinema.

Watching Harvey Keitel as Charlie in 'Mean Streets' walk into the red-lit bar with camera following him I immediately thought of Spike Lee's similar use of the camera on his main characters .

Brilliant choices Spike!

Let's start a Go Fund Me for "Saves Joe Louis." We owe it to Budd Schulberg. He gave us the green light on thinking big before thinking big existed. #SpikeLee #FilmSchool

I love those long orisha beads !!

Spike Lee is a living ICON

I want to see face in a crowd so bad! Love you spike ❤️

The Joe Louis versus Max Scmelling metaphor is a great idea! - Surprised (and saddened) it hasnt gotten more interest for Spike to make it.

This is my top 5 director. Spike’s direction is always beautiful but I think he’s bad films screenplays let him down. His best are: Malcolm X, Do The Right Thing, Mo Better Blues, BlacKKKlansman, Jungle Fever, Summer Of Sam, 25th Hour, He Got Game and Inside Man. All beautiful films.

Spike looks so young 💕

Man...I hope that wild boxing movie comes to light one day. Sounds like Spike really cares about that one.

icon legend underrated

Love all the film's Spike does. Respect!

Summer of sam is criminally underrated.

I guess, looking at some of these comments, some people are suprised that Spike can critique racism, yet, is not a hater of white folk. Some of his favorite people & heroes are white. His exposing racism is not personal, it is his duty as an artist to use his art to fight bigotry, no filmmaker does it better. Long live Spike Lee, the greatest!

Respect

"I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody.". Bud Schulberg nailed it in On The Waterfront. That's part of why Spike starts with this film.

Film and boxing are my two biggest interests so that Joe Louis film sounds right up my alley, hope he can get that made off the back of Blackkklansman

SPIKE LEE IS A LEGEND!

EEEEEEEEEEEVERYONE needs to watch Night of the Hunter.

Spike Lee is definitely a cinephile. The director gets misunderstood, especially when criticising Perry movies who lack the passion that Spike does.

One of the ten greatest directors of all time.

"Summer of Sam"

Black Panter was a superhero movie that appealed to everyone but I wasn't sure if it appealed to Spike Lee and if he'd ever direct something like it.

Uncle Spike. ❤️

Shout out to all the Pisces Sun Signs. And those of us who were born in Brooklyn!

Spike is the man!

They did Marti dirty with that picture , ahahah

Miricle at st ana was my favorite by him

That was great.

In the end, good truth Spike, good truth....

Spike is inspirationallll

Hope he does that Joe Lewis movie.

Oh my god I want to see that Joe Louis/Max Schmelling movie so bad.

a face in the crowd. great movie

Can’t wait to to see the Frazier movie.

OK BUT WHERE CAN I GET THAT HAT 😫

Spike is the Man A True Movie Thespian 😎🙌🏾

it was Casino with head in the vise but that's okay , Mr Spike

What a legend

So many directors are film fans, and not just of art films, but ALL films.

Spike: …and it was Goodfellows *talks about Casino instead

thanks brother spike

Spike is among the greats.

Spike is great.

It was Casino when the guys eyes pop out

I would love to remake mean streets

That was casino when he had his head in that one thing

Casino not Goodfellas

Um Spike... the movie we were looking for was Casino...not Goodfellas.. thanks for playing

The fact that he said “Goodfellas” rather than “Casino” is absolutely hilarious.

Watch it at 1.5x guys

Anyone know what brand of eyewear that hes wearing?!?!!?!

Love On the Waterfront.

Head in the vice is Casino not Goodfellas.