Jamie Foxx
Spike Lee sure does know how to get under people’s skins. That man is such a trouble maker. (Hahahaha)
Anyway it seems like every man and his dog is attacking Spike these days after he DARED to voice an opinion about the hit Quentin Tarantino slave flick ‘Django Unchained’.
Just before the release of the film Spike tweeted:
American Slavery Was Not A Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western.It Was A Holocaust.My Ancestors Are Slaves.Stolen From Africa. I Will Honor Them.
Spike then went on to tell Vibe.com that he did not plan to see film because he considered it “disrespectful”. Spike did not bother to elaborate on this and just left it at that.
But since making this statement a few black actors and EVEN civil rights activist Dick Gregory have all swam up to the surface to defend the film and criticise Spike (CLICK HERE to read) or listen to the audio below.
Spike Lee
And now the unchained Django himself (Jamie Foxx) has risen up and responded to Spike’s criticism of the film.
In a recent interview with The Guardian Foxx said:
“The question for me is: where’s Spike Lee coming from? He didn’t like Whoopi Goldberg, he doesn’t like Tyler Perry, he doesn’t like anybody, I think he’s sort of run his course. I mean, I respect Spike, he’s a fantastic director. But he gets a little shady when he’s taking shots at his colleagues without looking at the work. To me, that’s irresponsible.”
Foxx noted that, for years, Hollywood has celebrated white people who told black stories or sang black songs. “But you got to look at the individual cases,” said the actor. “When Pat Boone covered Little Richard, you think, ‘Huh?’, he’s got no affinity for it. Good Golly Miss Molly? I don’t think so. But you can’t tell me that Eminem ain’t hot ‘cos he’s white or that Elvis Presley isn’t a bad motherfucker, or that Quentin Tarantino can’t do whatever he likes, ‘cos damn straight he can.”
Before Django was released the actor revealed that he spoke to Spike and director/actor Tyler Perry about the film.
He said:
“I remember talking to Tyler Perry about it. [In Perry’s very serious voice] ‘‘Ah man, the script, man. Have you read it?” When I finally read it, I called Tyler and we had a conversation. I said, ‘‘I got a different take on it than you did.” And we shared. And I called Tyler while we were shooting it. I said, ‘‘Do you know that Quentin Tarantino knows all of your shit on TV. I don’t even watch all of your shit.” He said, ‘‘Really?” The difference is the Quentin Tarantino Effect. I ran into Spike Lee at the BET Awards. You know Spike, he’ll let you have it whether it’s good, bad or ugly. And he said, ‘‘I’m not going to say anything bad about this film. It looks like y’all are getting it.”
I get the impression that Jamie had his own doubts before and during the making of this film, which explains the need to seek approval from both men and the need to call Tyler Perry during filming to let him know that Tarantino had watched all his TV shows. Oh please…hahahaha *rolls eyes*
Actress Nichole Galicia (plays Sheba in Django Unchained) poses naked with director Quentin Tarantino in W Magazine spread.
Django Unchained has sparked a lot of heated debate on social networking forums and in response to the film Twitter user JJ Bola tweeted the following:
Your thoughts please…
Categories: News
MAD NEWS UK 
Nuts.
Have these folks decrying the film even seen the movie? Did I watch the same one they did?
Django Unchained (which is a remake, BTW) is one of the best films I’ve seen in YEARS. Utterly empowering.
I don’t care what spin these sand-in-my-vagina Black folks put on it…it’s a FICTIONAL movie about a HISTORICAL period in America’s unclean history. And not only that, but in said film, a freed slave kills (in brutal, gory fashion) a gang of racist White folks.
How is this a problem, again?
SMH
All these blacks with money why can’t they pull together and make a movie about slavery instead of criticizing this one, if they believe it to be comical. Personally for me it was a refreshing change to see the black man survive to the end of the movie as a hero!
(***my thoughts may contain Spoilers***) I read that Django Unchained is not a remake but a new take on the Django spaghetti westerns of yesteryear.
I have watched the film and for me it was interesting. You had the blatant ignorance and racism especially expressed when Django is riding through the town on a horse with the bounty hunter who frees him and then helps him to find his wife. The movie explains why couples were split up etc. You had the multi-lingual slave and the Uncle Tom played by Samuel L Jackson which looks so much like the face of Uncle Ben foods side burns and all. You also had the piss taking out of the triple k regarding their pillowcase headwear etc.
There was nothing pretty about European centred trans-atlantic slavery. This film showed me a slave off the plantation as a bounty hunter looking for the love of his life. You had the house and field slaves the licky licky slaves. My brother saw the fact that the white guy who freed Django even though initially for his own gain as a bounty hunter was German and did not care for american business of slavery. not sure on that point.
There needs to be more films made about rogue slaves, slave rebellions, slave self emancipation etc not getting the funding from hollywood is no excuse many a success on youtube
It might not be a remake, but it’s @ least a reboot:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060315/
Anyone would have taken on the acting regardless. But i don’t understand why quentin feels the need to create a heroic figure. He did that in Ingleurious basterds. Listening to his explanation about the character was almost a spoiler, he should have just left it at it being a fictional character or role. If black slavery had had the opprtunity of being told and retold and retold at every given opportunity like the jewish ones, then he could afford to get away with it. But maybe people like Spike have some bit of not very good feelings, since they never get to have the funding like the likes of quentin to do these/such projects.
LOL at Spike saying slavery was a Holocaust too and should be treated with the same respect. hehehe
It’s not even a reboot. I think the only similarities Django Unchained has with the Django films of the 60’s and 70’s is the name of the character and the fact that the films are westerns in a certain style
And as for Jamie saying that hollywierd has always celelbrated white people telling black stories, smh come back and let us know when hollyweird celebrates black people telling white stories, or doing country music and classical music. lol
I agree with Karen. I haven’t watched the film……… yet, and was in two minds about it, but I’m gonna see from myself. I think instead of moaning black people need to get together and make their own movies, we earn enough money. As for QT on a previous post I was defending him, then I saw this article which is a picture of him looking like a pimp standing with Nichole Galicia and realized why I didn’t like him in the first place. http://foreverblackeffusion.wordpress.com/2013/01/16/black-women-arent-commodities/
URGH! Why did the actress agree to that photo shoot???
That’s exactly what I thought. I can’t understand it. I’ve never seen a white actress who has just appeared in a big Hollywood film do this.
Somewhere across the ocean Spike Lee is sitting back and just smirking lol
Yep, because QT has shown even more of his true colours
People still drinking the QT kool aid I see. SMH
Yup. Tasty Kool Aid.
When will we get a f**king clue?
The following things actually happen in this film:
– A Black man is “freed” by a German in order to help him kill White people (Freed in quotes as he was free to do pretty much whatever he wanted, but within the confines of American social norm of the South @ that time)
– A Black man kills a gang of racist White folks (can’t stress that enough)
– Klansmen are portrayed as bumbling idiots (see: holes in the hood scene)
– A Black man uses his intellect to trick miner slavers into not only freeing him but arming him (Racist Slaver 1: Be careful with that [gun], I just had it calibrated. Django: Oh, thanks for telling me – BLAM BLAM!!)
– A Black slave and his wife were forcibly separated, but find each other in SPECTACULAR fashion @ the end
– A Black man and his wife ride off into the proverbial sunset @ the end of the film
Not sure how this film presents an issue to ANYONE except racist Whites.
Damn you really love this film. I’m really gonna have to check it out.
Whats interesting is that this is not the first movie about black cowboys that has been made. Mario Van Peebles actually made a film called “Posse”. Django is not the first, however, as it has the “Ouintin” gloss, it received more marketing than Van Peebles efforts.
As for the foolish pic that Quintin took, I think the actress clearly saw that as her “come up” opportunity. I dont blame Quintin for this womans foolish antics. She has the choice to say NO!
Saw Django last night, as much as you may want to bash Quintin, the film is actually HEAVY!!
Anyhoo, I enjoyed the film, a QT movie with guns, violence & ridiculous bucks o’ blood – that’s like asking me if I read Millar World comics. Though QT lost me at that picture…C’mon son!
To be honest though, I’ve actively been ignoring the debate, yes both pros & cons, about this film. Lets be frank, Django Unchained was a BAMF of a slavery western film, and to reiterate Afotey Annum, rascist white folks, especially those of the pillow-cased variety, WILL be pissed.
Thanks for posting Posse. I forgot about film
Saw Django Unchained last night – it was hugely entertaining (freed slave gets vengeance by shooting racist slave owners while Tupac plays in the background – what’s not to like about that?).
Yes there were comedic moments – and for some that is a problem: “how can there be ‘comedy’ in a movie about slavery?” The comedy was always at the racists expense, but I understand the argument that “comedy” should not be included in a movie about slavery.
Yes the film is violent. You can’t make a film depicting slavery without violence. Tarantino makes violent films. We all have limits to what level of violence we can take in movies. I personally did not have a problem with the violence in this film – a black lady I spoke to afterwards did (even though she said she enjoyed the film).
JJ Bola’s point about Black exploitation made me think though. Going by his tweets above, I wonder if he feels that John Singleton’s “Rosewood” is Black exploitation too. Because (as far as I know) the box office revenue from that film was not distributed to the African American community.
Also, to me, Dick Gregory went over the top in his criticism of Spike. I think it’s all about personalities – Spike hates Quentin, Dick hates Spike, Quentin couldn’t care less lol.
But yeah that pic with Nichole Galicia is some bullshit.
Oh yeah, look out for another western, with an all Black cast – “They Die By Dawn” by Brit director Jeymes Samuel.
Rosewood was based on an hstorical event. The 1923 race riot in a town in Florida. The film wasnt a commercial success and failed to recoup the 30million it cost to make
Black folks sure do fight for their massa.
http://newsone.com/2102432/denzel-washington-tarantino-fight/
@Janice – wow, I knew the film didn’t set the box office alight but didn’t know it couldn’t even recoup the modest $30m budget.
I haven’t seen the film but from what I have heard I will break it down like this. Django is a film- purely for entertainment. It is not a historical film, it does not empower people, It will not solve any race issues and if in seeing this film it makes you proud to be black then you must not be very conscious.
Tarrantino is a filmmaker, not a historian, not the saviour of black people, he wanted to make a film that would be fun for him to do and would make him lots of money and I’m sure he thought that if he made a film about slavery he would get some kind of ‘respect’ for being conscious. I don’t think he is, he uses the n-bomb in his films (Jackie Brown & Pulp Fiction) like it’s nothing and then now he switches it around like he’s some sort of Marcus Garvey. In his interview he said ‘I wanted to give black people a hero’ I don’t need you to give me a hero.
If you like that type of film then you’re more than entitled to go and see it and enjoy it but be aware of what it is, educate yourself. If you need a black hero read about your history and know your history, you don’t need Tarantino to do it. If you want to be entertained by a fictional action film then do that but don’t make it out to be something it is not to justify it.
People saying ‘black people should make their own films’ You need to understand the film industry and how it works. Danny Glover has been trying to get his film about a slavery uprising out for years. I don’t think Hollywood wants us to tell our own story, they just want a story that is packaged by them in a way that is palatable for them. You might say ‘Django is different but essentially he is really simplifying slavery to good guys and bad guys and not really delving deeply into the real effects of slavery’
Also Spike Lee is entitled to his opinion, calling him irresponsible is ridiculous. If he doesn’t want to see the film it’s up to him, he has his reasons so leave him alone.
Very interesting picture…the fact that Nichole played the role of concubine in the film it isn’t a coincidence that they took the picture in the way that they did.
The film was OK. Spike Lee is entitled to his opinion I’m not sure why people are jumping down his throat about it, it is laughable.
@Bokkie I would imagine the main thing holding up Danny Glover’s project (and projects by many other Black film makers) is budget. We know that Hollywood studios do not want to finance films that depict certain stories from a Black point of view, by Black directors. Or if they do then they give a paltry budget. I just don’t understand why, given the amount of wealthy African Americans, Danny Glover can’t raise the finance to produce his film independently.
Brilliant film. No problem with it. Jamies performance couldn’t be better. Best film I seen in a long time. Samuel played his house slave role very well also. Very funny and entertaining. I find it hard to relate to anyone with a problem with this film.
I would take spike lee more seriously in this day if he didnt come across as not liking any other film maker but himself. He may be Bamboozling himself.
Concerning Nichole no one put a gun to her head, what guy would say no to being paid by a mag to take a picture with a beautiful naked girl. Who paid her for it? Tarantino or the Mag? It doesn’t sit well with me but I know whos fully responsible, the payer and the receiver.
@Bookie I understand what you are saying about the film industry, what you have to understand is it centers around money, Danny Glover is having trouble just like George Lucas had trouble making Red Tails which in the end he funded himself, one because they don’t want us to tell our story, two because white people are arrogant and always want to be the hero in films or the saviour, look at films like Crocodile Dundee, and three because when there is a full black cast it doesn’t sell internationally which is a huge chunk of money, if black people went out and supported black films it would be less of a problem, how many black people went to see the Great Debaters which is a postive black film, also Pride with Terrance Howard these films don’t even come over to the UK where there is a big black community, let alone other countries.
Why don’t black people fund their own films. >>>>> How much money has Hollywood studios made from black actors like Denzel, Will, Jamie etc Including the cut in pay they take compared to their white counterparts just because they’re black. We shouldn’t have to dip into our pockets when we’ve already paid our dues.
If black people supported black films there wouldn’t be a problem >>>>> Since when have black people been the majority? Since when have we ruled the entertainment economy? We need white people to sell hip hop much less movies. In the UK KUSH Films try to bring these films to the UK but its difficult because theatres say there is no demand for the movie, Oscar nominated Precious was only viewed in a few cinemas in the UK, how much money can we contribute if we cant even get to watch the movie!?!?
Nichole is to blame for the photo >>>>> Technically yes! But how many roles are there in hollywood for black women? How hard/long has this lady been trying to get on? She played a concubine in the film – who cast her? Who directed the shoot and decided to depict her as her character rather than an A list actress. She had a choice, Terrence Howard chose not to rap at the Oscars, but they shouldn’t have asked him in the first place! The shoot shouldn’t have been directed that way, and if she refused to be pictured with the director of her best film, would she ever work again? You decide, you guys seem to have all answers after watching one film about a fictional heroic slave.
Damnnnn, machine gun fire in all directions in this post, we have our own spaghetti western showdown going on right here!
“and if she refused to be pictured with the director of her best film, would she ever work again?”
@melissa
Its highly probable that turning down a naked picture will not affect her auditions for other movies, it may stop the Mag in question asking her to do naked pics but I’m pretty sure the Mag doesn’t have a blacklist beacon to alert the entertainment world when someone refuses a shoot from them instructing not to give her any work.
If you had her shoes what would you do?
Great dialogue. I may not agree with the stance of some of my Brothers and Sisters here, but @ least we’re having a REAL discussion about this.
This should happen much more frequently.
#SALUTE, Sister Janice~!
I watched the film, it is interesting that not one of you mentioned Django being re-enslaved by a black man. Django leaving the black slaves to fend for themselves. Django finale kill being shooting up a black man, blowing up a big house with a black man inside and leaving the slaves with nothing after killing all the white people.
It was watchable, not the best by QT or best performance by Jamie, he was much better in Ray. The blood & gore was excessive to the point of pantomime. Di Caprio’s performance was Pantomine!
Why are you all so excited about a slave killing white people and laughing at the KKK? – That sub-concious slave mentality needs to be checked.
So hang on a minute…
Us getting “excited” about a Black slave killing racist whites and laughing @ depictions of the KKK bumbling idiots is somehow an unconscious “slave mentality”?
PLEASE elaborate, Sis…
Wow, with respect to the previous comments I thought you had seen already , lol classic.
You was never going to enjoy the film, you probly brought along a pencil oozing up to notepad to the cinema.
I really dont see any logic in your comments, it’s like your consumed with hatred for Qt which has warped your reasoning.
I am happy for the film and dolls, I’m over the moon that people can and hopefully will slowly shift from idolising Scarface which also has dolls which speak! to Django. Sure beats looking up to a white coke head selling drugs that dies at the end in his own home.
^ THIS.
“Re-enslaved”?
I don’t remember that EVER happening in the film @ any point.
Not sure we even watched the same film. LOLZ
SPOILER ALERT – My following comment contains spoilers if you’re interested…
But with regards to the Black man that Django shot and blew up, he was the type of house slave that collaborated with (and almost worshipped!) his slave master, so he deserved what he got. As for ‘leaving the slaves with nothing’ etc, well, I’m sure their freedom counted for something.
Re-enslavement – I think Melissa is referring to when Django was given to the mining company to spend the rest of his days breaking rocks. He was told of his fate by Sam Jacksons character.
Yep, Jamie’s performance in Ray was much better.
Some interesting articles to keep the debate bubbling lol
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/morris-w-okelly/we-owe-spike-lee-a-huge-a_b_2528785.html
http://www.beyondblackwhite.com/owe-spike-lee-apology/
We watched the same film, but with a different mindset.
Most people who love the film, do so for the same reasons. The treatment of the white people I feel no need to rejoice because a bunch of white people got killed, I was more concerned with the lack of development in the black characters in the movie. Apart from Jamie & Samuel the rest were just spare parts.
Samuel L character was standard house negro, de riguer in any movie featuring slave characters, the ladies worshipped their slavemaster too. None of them tried to help Django,or themselves. all the slaves in that house were exactly the same. House negros. The big finale of blowing up a black man, like he was the main source of Djangos problems, didnt sit well with me.
No i dont like QT or the way he has made millions out of exploiting black people. . I have watched all his movies and that is my opinion. That image with Nichole Garlicia should disturb you, check yourself if it doesn’t.
As for supporting slave dolls made by a jewish company…. I just can’t.
PS – you can watch the full movie for free on 1 channel. Don’t pay to be bamboozled
The woman re enslaved django. Stephen told him what she had planned for him, doesn’t a good film need unpredictable twists to keep you on your seat?
Having a problem about not freeing the slaves is like having a problem with the director and writer of superman because he could be saving people lives while his romancing his love. Its a film!
With regards to Jamies performance, how easy is it to quick draw and spin a gun back in its holster, ride a horse with no saddle with one hand and a rifle in your other hand. This is not his usaul skill sets we already love and know. It was one of his best performances and so was Ray to compare is like judging how far someone can kick to a throw.
On spike, I expect a racist white to say I’m not watching the movie because of the disrespect to my ancestors.
Dolls, I’m not supporting it, just don’t have a problem with it, sold to us by other nations has become norm, I find hair trade and that mindstate far more disturbing than a dolly from a film, it’s not like the dolls a necessity that we are destined to buy.
Lastly hate or love Qt it’s a very good film imo, I take my hat off to it coming from a white man.
I dont mind paying it’s not like the black actors are white with black face paint, their is black actors that got paid I have no problem supporting their craft and performance, like any music artist I enjoy I will pay if i know it helps their career regardless the higher powers.