Spike Lee: “No more Tyler Perry questions”
Do not ask Spike Lee about Tyler Perry.
“No more Tyler Perry questions, please,” Lee said during a Thursday visit with KISS 104.1 host Art Terrell, after listeners called in asking about past dust-ups between the two filmmakers.
In the past, Lee has criticized Perry’s work, and Perry has responded suggesting that Lee travel south — way south — in search of warmer temperatures, if you get our meaning.
But enough of that.
“Peace and love, leave it at that,” Lee said Thursday. He was in town promoting his latest movie, “Red Hook Summer,” which opens in Atlanta on Aug. 24.
Click here for a link to a video of Lee’s visit.
The film, which opened Friday in New York, concerns young Flik Royale (Jules Brown), who leaves his middle-class Atlanta home for a summer with his grandfather Bishop Enoch Rouse (Clarke Peters) in Brooklyn’s Red Hook housing projects. Flik holds up his iPad 2 as a sort of shield against the world; the Bishop does the same thing with the Bible. (The two wireless devices are about the same size, you know).
Spike Lee with Condace Pressley, assistant program director of AM750 and 95.5FM News/Talk WSB.
Lee directed, produced, co-wrote (with James McBride) and reprised his role as Mr. Mookie the pizza deliverer in the film.
“Hollywood wants to make a gazillion dollars on every film,” Lee said, explaining the decision to finance it himself. “They’re not going to take a few pennies.”
“Red Hook Summer” does have its comic moments, mostly thanks to sassy Chazz Morningstar (Toni Lysaith) and the tippling Deacon Zee (Thomas Jefferson Byrd), but things take a somber turn in a hurry when dark secrets from the past begin to emerge.
“I do think there’s a place for a film like this,” Lee said. “I know people want to go see ‘Batman,’ want to go see ‘The Avengers.’ This is going to be a film for people to chew on and debate.”
Given that Lee was born in Atlanta and attended Morehouse College, we asked if he might consider shooting a future movie down here. Thanks to tax incentives, Georgia’s film industry has been flourishing in recent years. Answer: maybe so.
“I would like to shoot here again,” he said.
- Jennifer Brett/The Buzz/jbrett@ajc.com
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134 comments Add your comment
Major's League TV
August 13th, 2012
12:03 pm
Thank, God for our 1st Amendment, but, I am really praying for the death of “Willie Lychn,” and very soon!
Andrew
August 13th, 2012
12:03 pm
Spike Lee Net Worth $40million. Tyler Perry Net Worth $350million. Tyler Perry is DA MAN!
The Sitch
August 13th, 2012
12:03 pm
I feel like the movie “Do the Right Thing” portrayed Italian-Americans unfairly.
ignition
August 13th, 2012
12:04 pm
I don’t see how anyone can compare Spike Lee is an Oscar Nominated Filmaker..
Tyler Perry makes ghetto, gutter, coon, trash..
So Violent
August 13th, 2012
12:06 pm
Given that Lee was born in Atlanta and attended Morehouse College, we asked if he might consider shooting a future girlfriend down here. Thanks to tax incentives, Georgia’s sex crimes industry has been flourishing in recent years. Answer: maybe so.
“I would like to shoot her again,” he said.
jesse
August 13th, 2012
12:07 pm
make that money.perry
I Heart Tyler
August 13th, 2012
12:07 pm
Tyler Perry specializes in movies that make people laugh. Spike Lee specializes in movies that make people think (or so he assumes). Nothing wrong with either, but there’s no use for one to put the other down constantly for the simple reason he’s jealous of his much larger success. All that does is ‘make people think’ that Lee is prone to kvetch.
I Heart Tyler
August 13th, 2012
12:09 pm
td, you said it’s not true that they’re in it for the money. Well, I could agree with you, but then we’d both be wrong.
Dawn
August 13th, 2012
12:09 pm
I think Spike is hostile to Korean Americans.
rebel
August 13th, 2012
12:10 pm
LOL @ Artie
Every “community” has a spectrum of productions they refer to as art. Some are horrible, some are great, but good art is subjective and its value left to determine by the beholder. I, for instance, think all of Tyler Perry’s movies are the SAME movie. A family or a group of friends coincide for some family function, fall out about some historical drama or current issue(s), resolve them, have dinner, then do the electric slide. Then they roll credits.
I can NOT watch his sitcoms on TBS – now that’s some bad acting.
However, none of this discussion is race based. There are good and bad movies made by directors of every hue – just look at movie ratings.
Hmmm ....
August 13th, 2012
12:11 pm
For those who think TP’s productions are “thoughtless” if you look past the gun toting grandma, you’ll see that every TP production has a moral to the story, and tries to offer a positive outcome/explanation/example/solution to the viewer. Are they the best made movies/tv shows out there? Absolutely not, and I get why people don’t like the Madea character, but it’s a means to an end, not the entirety of any production Madea is featured in.
I like Spike too and have seen all of his films. His movies are insightful, thought provoking, and portray real life situations (as does TP’s flicks if you watch/look past Madea) that any black person can find themselves in. But like in any business, likeability is a factor that can make you or break you. Spike claims he wants complete control of his work and that’s why he finances his own films, but the truth of the matter is he’s not well liked in Hollyweird and nobody will finance his projects. Further, publicly attacking another black person will never win points with me. Doing so made Spike look petty and jealous of another black man’s success, or in simpler terms … a hater.
I’m sure I’ll get bashed for this next comment but Spike could probably learn a thing or two from TP on the business front. Spike’s attitude is terrible overall and his “eff you” mentality has cost his brand not only in dollars but also missed opportunities. As he himself has stated, “Inside Man” is one of his most profitable films, but Hollyweird won’t produce a sequel? Why when they’ve produced sequels for films that were not as successful. Imagine how many more people Spike’s work could touch if he could reach a broader audience?
Kevin
August 13th, 2012
12:12 pm
Neither Mr. Lee nor Mr. Perry built their businesses.
Someone else did that for them.
ignition
August 13th, 2012
12:13 pm
Well Lets See:
She’s Gotta Have It (1986) School Daze (1988) Do the Right Thing (1989)
Mo’ Better Blues (1990) Jungle Fever (1991) Malcolm X (1992) Crooklyn (1994) Clockers (1995) Girl 6 (1996) Get on the Bus (1996) He Got Game (1998) Summer of Sam (1999)
Bamboozled (2000) 25th Hour (2002) She Hate Me (2004) Inside Man (2006) Miracle at St. Anna (2008)
Documentaries
4 Little Girls (1997) Freak (1998) Pavarotti and Friends for the Children of Liberia (1998)
Pavarotti and Friends for Guatemala and Kosovo (1999) The Original Kings of Comedy (2000) A Huey P. Newton Story (2001) The Concert for New York City (2001) Jim Brown: All-American (2002) When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts (2006) Kobe Doin’ Work (2009) Passing Strange (2009) If God Is Willing and Da Creek Don’t Rise (2010)
Yeah I can see how Spike is racist and made NO Money producing and direction films over nearly 30 years in the filmaking business..
Penny Hardaway
August 13th, 2012
12:15 pm
Spike Lee is a national treasure.
He studied at the famous NYU film school and has been Oscar-nominated for his work in writing, producing and directing. He also contributes to a national dialogue about culture and race.
Tyler Perry produces whimsical, sometimes frivolous, but always harmless and colorful characitures of African-American life. Atlanta is proud to claim him, and the burgeoning Atlanta film industry has him to thank. Well, him and the favorable tax policies.
You, losers, on the other hand, are just the same old lousy white trash that has been stinking up Atlanta since the 1950’s. Face it: Atlanta is a chocolate city and always will be. So you can pack up your Tahoes and your Grand caravans with your fat wives and ugly ginger kids and drive back down to Bainbridge. It’s just as easy to be opinionated and unemployed down there as it is here. And the cost of living is a lot cheaper.
buffoonyo
August 13th, 2012
12:16 pm
Sorry but the Madea character is not even funny. Now, when Jamie Fox did Luwanda, now THAT was funny. Madea, not so much.
buffoonyo
August 13th, 2012
12:18 pm
Rented a Perry movie one night thinking I was going to laugh my head off…. nothin… Crickets….
yessir
August 13th, 2012
12:18 pm
@ buffoonyo – I always wanted Luwanda and Sheneneh (Sha-nay-nay) – Martin Lawrence – to “meet.”
Kev
August 13th, 2012
12:18 pm
Hey everybody, I’m Kev. You know me. I’m the sucker who repeats conservative catch-phrases based on taking phrases out of context and misconstruing comments. I’ll be here all day as I have no job. I’m just hanging out watching Fox News so I will know what to repeat in my conversations with my friends when they get off work.
ignition
August 13th, 2012
12:21 pm
Another thing Inside Man grossed over $184 Million Dollars alone…
Spike isn’t struggling, he also is very stubborn about how he wants his films made and are prduced for better or worse.
Yep
August 13th, 2012
12:26 pm
I agree with Spike Lee’s comments and feeling about Perry.
Spike Lee’s movies and documentaries are legendary because they’re filled with substance that makes the human THINK about the society that surrounds us all!
I can take my son’s to see Spikes films without having to navigate questions of why are people laughing at the bible scripture quoting man in the dress on the inside of the theater yet cursing a man outside of the theater for doing the same thing.
Also noticeably absent from theaters showing Perry films is men, because we are not interested in seeing men in drag or viewing a script that is unrealistic and one that the intelligent can’t relate to.
Spike is also disappointed that Perry isn’t broadening the platform that he has been given in doing a wider range of films, like documentaries, action, horror, suspense, drama when Lions Gate has given Perry carte blanc to do whatever he wants to do and they will back him-
I am proud that Perry is a multi millionaire from being homeless, however I find that I pass on viewing his movies, plays and TV shows because if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all and this doesn’t cut it when spending my hard earned money-
Maybe
August 13th, 2012
12:51 pm
Spike hates whitey – whitey don’t buy into Spike – Madea loves everyboy – whitey loves Madea….
WTF
August 13th, 2012
12:54 pm
@Penny Hardaway You just explained what Atlanta sucks.
michael
August 13th, 2012
12:57 pm
I think you are missing that a large part of Perry’s success was appealing to the church crowd who appreciated addressing issues and rl conflicts, typically with “family values” responses. Is meet the browns the lowest common demoniator? Sure. I wouldn’t that about his Married franchise or even his Madea stuff that has other characters deal with non-comic issues. Remember, Madea wasn’t the titular Angry Black Woman.
Kevin
August 13th, 2012
12:58 pm
Hi Kev, I’m Kev.
It’s contextually accurate. I’m sure you won’t/don’t/can’t comprehend it.
I didn’t make it up. Your man said it.
See you at the polls!
Tim
August 13th, 2012
1:00 pm
Hey Penny & WTF, Delta is ready when you are!
michael
August 13th, 2012
1:01 pm
Frankly I lost what respect I had for Lee when he sued Spike TV. I don’t even watch the channel but because his ego was so big that he assumed that everyone would think that it was about him, talk about egocentric. Too bad Spike Mulligan wasn’t alive to sue him.
missnadine
August 13th, 2012
1:04 pm
OK, from a white woman’s perspective: I have watched most of SL’s movies and not one TP movie. The reason? SL makes thought provoking movies that force the audience to confront their fears and hatred. While TP is no doubt a good man who has done a lot in employing minorities in his films, I think most of his films just make more fun of the fat, sassy black woman stereotype.
His TV shows are so bad I run to grab the remote. The shows remind me of a Black version of Mama’s family. They are so bad! I think of TP as I do Ryan Seacrest. Both are influential, from Atlanta, smart, and rich. They have gotten richer by turning out crap like Meet the Browns (TP) and any one of the Kardashian shows (RC). With all that talent and ambition, why can’t they focus on putting out good shows? I look forward to seeing the new SL film. I know it will be good. SL did an awesome job with a documentary on New Orleans. If you had watched it, you would have known that he gave equal airtime to all the players, from the Korean store owner, to the Black doctor, to the white poor person, to the Hispanic councilman… open your eyes folks, and broaden your horizons beyond the sassy finger pointing shrilling stereotype.
Tim
August 13th, 2012
1:04 pm
@ Penny Hardaway & @WTF – Delta is ready when you are!
willie lynch
August 13th, 2012
1:11 pm
Hank Aaron never made the money of a Mike Hampton (If you don’t know google it). Making more money doesn’t equate to having delivered a better product.
By applying the (il)logic that Tyler Perry has made more money therefore Spike Lee has no credibility with his critique, is like saying Wal-Mart’s product line is better than Nordstram’s. Sorry, it just ain’t so.
Kev
August 13th, 2012
1:12 pm
McCain/Palin 2012
Kooky Kevin
August 13th, 2012
1:17 pm
My idea of contextually accurate is taking a statement about common purpose and national interests such as the relationship between infrastructure and the everyday logistical needs of small busiinesses, and removing the word “that” and then restructuring the statement to extrapolate the word “that” to “business” when it actually clearly was linked to the word “highway” in context.
The best part about what I do is either I am too dumb to know what I am saying is wrong, or I know it’s wrong but say it anyway because I lack cohesive original talking points.
michael
August 13th, 2012
1:18 pm
ignition, I honestly wouldn’t hold up most of those movies as commendable besides getting filmed and released. Four Little Girls was touching and the Kings of Comedy was an unexpected hit. Other than than, Do the Right Thing was released at the perfect time and She’s Gotta Have It gave us that annoying persona that shills sneakers.
The man squabbles with Tarantino which frankly, doesn’t say much about either one of them.
Tim
August 13th, 2012
1:19 pm
Hey Penny – Delta is ready when you are!
Thelma Harper
August 13th, 2012
1:19 pm
Vinton! Tell missnadine to shut her pie hole.
Laurence Fishburne
August 13th, 2012
1:21 pm
As between TP and SL I would venture to say that SL has a better grasp of the concept of Eisensteinian dialectical montage, whereas TP has a better command of the fart joke.
yang
August 13th, 2012
1:22 pm
TP did some good plays. As a film maker he sucks. Spike is a real film maker. You can make comedy with silliness and have quality. Look at the Kevin Smith movies. I will go see the new Spike movie but untill TP puts out something that is good I won’t go see it.
On another note TP knows that no black movie has ever lost money. So he will continue to put out B quality movies till one of them bombs.
Penny
August 13th, 2012
1:24 pm
@WTF: what does Atlanta suck?
Your comment is unclear.
Pootie Tang
August 13th, 2012
1:31 pm
My movie was the best.
willie lynch
August 13th, 2012
1:33 pm
Hmmm ….
August 13th, 2012
12:11 pm
So if Spike Lee resorted to more buffoonery he would be more successful? Dave Chappell had some interesting observations on why Black men were asked to put on womens clothing. When you look at just how few Black male box office leads there are and then see how many of them have at one time in their career has put on a dress for a lead role, one should wonder.
The larger issue is, why there is a need by the white male dominated entertainment industry for the effeminization of the Black male?
Tracy Jordan
August 13th, 2012
1:38 pm
Willie, you just reminded me of a funny episode of 30 Rock.
Tracy Jordan
August 13th, 2012
1:39 pm
Hey Penny – Delta is ready when you are!
Red Box
August 13th, 2012
1:48 pm
when I’m at the red box and the black lady in front of me is taking 30 minutes to pick something I just yell, “Come On! There are only two Tyler Perry movies in there! Pick something already!”
Linkster
August 13th, 2012
2:08 pm
Spike’s a great director, but he’s angry. He needs to let the racial thing go. Funny thing how Tyler and the people in the South have pretty much let the racial thing go decades ago, but the Yankees still think it’s a hot issue. Done, over, move on Spike.
Spike Lee Is Tired Of Being Asked About Tyler Perry | HipHop.com
August 13th, 2012
2:09 pm
[...] Lee, who is promoting his Red Hook Summer release, was being interviewed by host Art Terrell, on Atlanta’s KISS 104.1 radio station, when the Perry questions came up. “No more Tyler Perry questions, please,” he [...]
Dawgnlex is a complete tool
August 13th, 2012
2:11 pm
Can someone please name a good Spike Lee movie?????
who the hell cares?
August 13th, 2012
2:12 pm
hollywood has always had an agenda to stereotype blacks. part of the reason tyler is successful is because his movies fit right in with the way hollywood wants to depict us. look at red tails. a true inspiring stroy about the tuskegee airmen and george lucas, GEORGE LUCAS, the Star Wars genuis couldnt even get producers to help with this movie. he had to put his own money in the project for us to even enjoy the film. they want us in a little box but we have to be smart enough and strong enough to blow the box up and show what we really can do. thats what spike lee is trying to do. i dont agree with all his methods but his films are still more relevant and will be way after tyler’s. School Daze vs Madea? Malcolm X vs Why Did I Get Married. No comparison. they are different but they both represent our community. the bigger issue is when are we going to start supporting each other like the other racial communities. this is where it has to start.
who the hell cares?
August 13th, 2012
2:13 pm
i cosign willie lynch. great post!
Tyrone from East Point
August 13th, 2012
2:14 pm
Spike Lee is a hack.
Perry be the man!
Tyler
August 13th, 2012
2:27 pm
There are two things that Spike should stay away from, Twitter and Cameras.
Truthbeliever
August 13th, 2012
2:33 pm
I’ve never been a big fan of Spike Lee, though from all I’ve heard, he touches the conscientiousness of people. He does seem also to be stuck in an angry mode, often lashing out with at those with whom he does not agree. As a Christian, I am a critical thinker and am concerned with the plight of mankind everywhere, not just in my own church, neighborhood, city or country, for that matter. I am disturbed with the lack of morality generally, but especially among so-called Christians. I am apalled concerning the poor qality education our youth are gettting and the continued apathy and breeding of poverty brought on by ignorance. I am advocating change in the medical and insurance arenas because of the great disparities in medical care in this country. That being said, I like a good laugh every now and again. You can’t think for me, but you can entertain me. Tyler Perry is my modern-day hero. My level of conscientiousness is not changed by Tyler, but I am made better because I laughed! Every word or work does not have to be an existential exercise. At the end of the day, I don’t want the cares of the world on my shoulder. So I’m not in denial. I just know what the Scriptures say about laughter making the heart merry.