Spike Lee’s Miracle at St. Anna is cinema at its best. As a visual memorial to World War II’s black veterans, the film combines all the elements that made Saving Private Ryan and The Tuskegee Airmen great – plus more. For two hours and 40 minutes, Lee takes viewers on an epic journey filled with brilliant acting, breath-taking images, and heart-pounding action.
The only thing more heart-wrenching than this tale of black Buffalo Soldiers battling Axis Powers on one side and Jim Crow on the other is the latest box office total for this groundbreaking movie. In the two weeks since its release, Miracle has only grossed $6.3 million. Its budget is estimated at $45 million.
Nonetheless, the movie has impressed some leading big screen critics. Roger Ebert, of the Chicago Sun-Times, commented: “When you see one of [Lee’s] films, you're seeing one of his films. And Miracle at St. Anna contains richness, anger, history, sentiment, fantasy, reality, violence and life.”
Miracle at St. Anna deserves an Oscar nomination for “Best Picture” and should become part of Coleman Memorial Library’s media collection as soon as comes out on DVD.
In the meanwhile, please catch this dynamic movie in the theater, if you haven’t already.
Check out the official website here.
I'm going to see this movie.
ReplyDeleteI meant to see it last week, but I was busy with work. I am going to see it this weekend.
ReplyDeleteThis was truly Spike Lee's finest movies (except for Malcolm X). I recommend to everyone!!
ReplyDeleteIt's not surprising that the film has only garnered such small profits. You see, we like to -- or, have to -- be constantly "entertained" rather than informed on a consistent basis. Not to knock anyone's taste in film-going, but plenty of us would rather see us on the screen cutting up and acting the pure fool than allowing ourselves to be enlightened. Spike Lee has always tried to enlightened not only us but others as well in terms of our history. I find it disengaging that the film cost more to make than it has made in its debut weekend. And while I'm not going to go so far as to say that it's a sad commentary of our need for performance-based, entertainment, I'm sorely afraid that I must submit to my own premise that shucking & jiving performances over substance seems to get us to the movie theaters moreso than they do not. When do we simply do better and treat ourselves better and become knowledgeable of our own history. It's not difficult to see everyday carryings-on, but how many times do we actually see historical documentations that speak to us put there for us (and others to see)? We must simply learn to support the great and wonderful efforts of the folk who bring our history to the big screen. It's almost 2009. It not now, when?
ReplyDeleteI saw the movie today. Spike Lee did a wonderful job!! I would recommend to go see.
ReplyDeleteI agree with 5:05PM. While you can't beat "Malcolm X" in terms of quality, this film is definitely comparable.
ReplyDeleteI just love how Spike Lee has helped so many young black actors reach stardom. Denzel Washington's career received a critical boost from Lee's films (not to mention Laurence Fishburne, Samuel L. Jackson, and Wesley Snipes).
Now Derek Luke, who co-starred with Denzel in "Antwone Fisher" is headlining a Spike Lee Joint. I think this movie is giving us a preview of the next generation of black leading men. All four of the black main characters in the picture are lesser-known stars with unlimited potential.
I left after the party scene. It was moving toooooo slowly. The part that I saw overpromised and underdelivered.
ReplyDeleteI felt like it had to get better, but Spike needed to up the tempo on this one. I also thought the sets looked a bit amatuerish. The bombed out barn where they found the little boy looked like a set design rather than a real old barn.
I would encourage others to see it, but I would tone down expectations a bit.
10:58, you ABSOLUTELY confirm what 5:06 has said about our constant need to be "entertained" rather than "informed." The defense rests.
ReplyDeleteI want to see this movie and the secret life of bees. im very excited about these movies!!!
ReplyDelete2:05 Admittedly, I prefer to be informed by factual accounts of events.
ReplyDeleteI take no offense that you choose to be informed through fiction. Please take no offense that I recognized the film was intended to be entertainment, and that Spike Lee would have made a documentary had he not intended to entertain as well as inform.
8:29---OMG! The film is so not "fiction" in the pure (or impure) sense of the word. See, this is why we need to be be informed (but insist on being entertained at all costs). I say that Spike's film is one reason -- out of many, obviously -- that we must learn our history -- or else we will remain uninformed and/or in the dark.
ReplyDeleteWell I'm happy to see that the dialouge has begun.
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