INSIDE LEE:

bustin’ da Zone

in the allegorical film art

of Spike Lee

by Gary W. Wright

        Like most film artists that emerged in the edgy Eighties, the indie docueature film art of Shelton Jackson “Spike” Lee sprang out of the universal shock, outrage, disgust, disappointment, and despair caused by the helicopter crash that killed actor/director/writer Victor “Vic” Morrow and illegally hired and employed child extras Renee Chen and Myca Le and around 2:20 am in the early morning of July 23, 1982 on the George Folsey jr. produced John Landis set of the twilit, allegorical, computer generated imagery [CGI] enhanced, and Landis and Steven Spielberg executive produced, and Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall produced Landis, Spielberg, Joe Dante and George Miller indie docufeature film TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE [1983].  However, unlike most film artists of the Eighties, the irrepressible Lee was an American male of African descent born in Atlanta, Georgia and raised in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, making him stick out from the twilit and predominantly Caucasian pack right from the beginning of his iconoclastic and indomitably indie film art life.  A commitment to an indomitably indie film art life that was implicitly affirmed when he donned the actor/co-writer/director/editor/producer hats and collaborated with his father and actor/composer/conductor/musician Bill Lee, younger brother and still photographer David Lee, and younger sister and sister Joie Lee-who played Clorinda Bradford-to create his first twilit, allegorical, and slightly Ozian themed indie docufeature film SHE’S GOTTA HAVE IT [1986], released in May of 1986.

“It’s about control,

my body, my mind.

Who was gonna own it?”

        For after the centred opening title “Forty Acres And A Mule Filmworks presents” proudly appeared on the screen, followed by “A Spike Lee Joint” in the bottom right of the screen-titles that expressed Lee’s confidence that he would succeed as a film artist with his own film production company making his own films, an unusual confidence in a first time film artist-and then after “she’s gotta have it” materialized in the centre of the screen, the mostly black and white and briefly full colour film revolved around the young, beautiful, bewitching, and art and fashion luvin’ Nola Darling-implicitly linked to film art, particularly films created by film artists from Africa or of African and part-African descent, and played by Tracy C. Johns-dating, teasing, tormenting, and enjoying sex with three eager young male suitors, the short, skinny, geeky, goofy, gangly, bespectacled, baseball hat wearin’, and implicitly Spielberg and Scarecrow linked Mars Blackmon-played by Lee-the tall, handsome, moustached, Billy Dee Williams resembling, and implicitly George Lucas and Cowardly Lion linked Greer Childs-played by John C. Terrell-and the medium sized, serious, equally handsome, and implicitly David Lynch and Tin Man linked Jamie Overstreet-played by Tommy R. Hicks-while leaving all three eager suitors with the impression that she would one day pick and settle down with one of them.  Thus, in the sight and sound of the beautiful and bewitching Nola turning down all of her disappointed and despondent suitors and heading off on her own indomitably indie Brooklyn path, in the end, Lee implied that he believed that Lucas, Lynch, and Spielberg had not fully understood or mastered their Los Angeles and San Francisco based film art, particularly Spielberg, who had tried and failed to lure audiences back to his side with the twilit and allegorical docueature film THE COLOR PURPLE [1985], which was inspired by the allegorical Alice Walker indie docufiction novel The Color Purple [1982].  Lee also implied that he was heading off like Nola on his own equally indomitably indie and Brooklyn based film art path free of Hollywood and its TZ disaster that would no doubt more accurately convey the lives of American citizens of African and part-African descent than film artists like Spielberg, though not necessarily without an Ozian theme familiar to audiences from the film art of Lucas, given the film’s allusions to the allegorical Victor Fleming film THE WIZARD OF OZ [1939]. 

Indeed, the fact that the name of Nola evoked “no L.A.” reaffirmed the implication that Lee was heading off on his own indomitably indie film art path free of Hollywood like equally indomitably indie and New York City born and raised film artists Woody Allen and John Cassavetes, and the Detroit, Michigan born and New York City raised Francis Coppola, whose breakout film, the daylit, allegorical, and implicitly Canadian film artist roastin’ indie docufeature student film YOU’RE A BIG BOY NOW [1966] featured an equally beautiful and bewitching actress named Barbara Darling played by Elizabeth Hartman.  In addition, Lee was perhaps also inspired by the indomitably indie film art paths of David Cronenberg and Sir Ridley Scott, given that the short, handsome, intelligent, educated, courageous, determined, indomitable, and implicitly Sir Scott and Cowardly Lion linked indie architect Frank Carveth-played by the fittingly first named Art Hindle-triumphed over his beautiful, red haired, angry, jealous, possessive, and implicitly Hollywood and Wicked Witch of the West linked ex-wife Nola-played by Samantha Eggar-and her brood of blonde, nightmarish, murderous, and lookalike sequel children-played by John Ferguson and Felix Silla, respectively-at the end of the daylit, allegorical, and Ozian themed Cronenberg indie docufeature film THE BROOD [1979].

        Luckily for Lee, his family, and his cast and crew, SHE’S GOTTA HAVE IT was a fine first feature film that was embraced by audiences, its success helped by the fact that it was a low budget film with minimal on set special and post-production visual effects.  For audiences at the time were still avoiding big budget and f/x heavy films that reminded them of TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE and the TZ disaster, an avoidance that also at that time contributed to the successes of the equally low budget early films of Luc Besson, Kathryn Bigelow, and Alex Cox, to the re-embrace of Lynch, and to the continued success of the always low budget Cronenberg. 

All of which inspired Lee to continue creating film art filled with characters breaking the fourth wall and addressing the camera and audiences with tragicomic monologues when he donned the actor/director/producer/writer hats and teamed up again Lee brother, father, and sister and also with director of photography [DOP] Ernest R. Dickerson and production designer Wynn Thomas from SHE’S GOTTA HAVE IT to implicitly roast and toast the implicit battle that had broken out between the older and established mainstream film artists and the younger and raging new indie film artists in the implicit form of the equally acrimonious Mission College battle between the preppy and eager to succeed in the mainstream Gamma guys and gals and the scruffy and eager to be free and succeed on their own terms Jigaboo guys and gals in the twilit and allegorical indie docufeature film SCHOOL DAZE [1988], released on February 12, 1988.  Then Lee donned the actor/director/producer/writer hats and teamed up again with Dickerson, Lee brother, father and sister, Thomas, and also with costume designer Ruth E. Carter and editor Barry A. Brown-both from SCHOOL DAZE-and Giancarlo Esposito, Samuel L. Jackson, Bill Nunn, and Roger G. Smith-who played Julian “Big Brother Almighty” Eaves, Leeds, Da Fella Grady, and Gammite Yoda, respectively, in SCHOOL DAZE-and distributor Universal Pictures on the daylit, allegorical, and Ozian themed indie docufeature film DO THE RIGHT THING [1989], released on May 19, 1989.

“Ask him.

He knows.

!He’s the Wizard!”

        Curiously, a lone lonely saxophone played pensively as the modestly world encompassing Universal Studios intro appeared, followed by an opening title again proudly stating “…A Forty Acres And A Mule Filmworks Production” and another stating just as proudly “…A SPIKE LEE JOINT”, underneath which appeared the Africanized film title “DO THE RIGHT THING”.  Then the second opening title and the lone lonely saxophone disappeared and were replaced with the sound of the allegorical and Carlton Ridenhour, Hank Shocklee, Eric Sadler, and Keith Shocklee written Public Enemy tune “Fight The Power” [1989] playing as the young, short, curvy, sexy, and implicitly Linda Ronstadt and Dorothy linked Tina-played by Rosie Perez-danced in a variety of skimpy costumes as the rest of the opening titles appeared to set the combative tone of the piece. 

A combative tone that seemed to disappear after the opening titles ended and the all seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting, knowin’, howlin’, upliftin’, approvin’, reprovin’, and implicitly Great Oz linked local DJ Mister Senor Love Daddy-played by Jackson-of We Luv Radio 108 FM who always evoked the equally all knowin’, howlin’, and upliftin’ indie radio DJ Wolfman Jack-played by Robert Smith-in the daylit, allegorical, Ozian themed, and implicitly Ralph Bakshi roastin’ and Walt Disney toastin’ Lucas indie docufeature film AMERICAN GRAFFITI [1973] to immediately affirm the film’s implicit interest in Lucas woke up the Bed-Stuy-“!Do Or Die!-brownstone neighbourhood of Brooklyn at exacty 8 am to another blisteringly hot day with his soothing, sympathetic, supportive, and uplifting words and soulful music from the plattas that mattaed.  However, and to the sorrow of the howlin’ Love Daddy, racial and sociocultural tensions rose in step with the rising and boiling temperatures, fuelled by anger over a lack of American-African celebrities amongst the framed photographs of American-Italian celebrities on the Wall of Heroes at Sal’s Famous Pizzeria-particularly American-African celebrities linked to Hollywood, given that Robert De Niro, Sophia Loren, Al Pacino, Frank Sinatra, Sylvester Stallone, and John Travolta were amongst the celebrities on the Wall of Heroes-and a refusal on the part of the old, grey haired, and implicitly Morrow and Wicked Witch of the West linked owner Salvatore “Sal” Frangioni-played by Danny Aiello-to place some American-Africans amongst the photographs despite the threat of a boycott from American-African patrons led by the kooky, complainin’, caterwaulin’, but ultimately and implicitly Cowardly Lion linked Buggin’ Out-played by Esposito-to the annoyance of Sal and his young and implicitly Landis and Spielberg linked sons Vito and Pino-played by Richard Edson and John Turturro, respectively.

Significantly, and after the big, intimidating and implicitly Scarecrow linked Radio Raheem-as big and intimidating as David Prowse’s Darth Vader in the STAR WARS Classic Trilogy, and played by Nunn-attacked Sal in his restaurant and was then choked to death during an arrest by New York Police Department [NYPD] Officer Gary Long-played by Rick Aiello-to the horror of the good citizens of Bed-Stuy, including the young and beautiful Jade-still in Jigaboo mode, and played by Lee-and the equally young and pretty Ella-who resembled and was implicitly linked to Carrie Fisher, who played young and pretty Princess Leia Organna in the STAR WARS Classic Trilogy, and was played by Christa Rivers-these rising tensions exploded in the end into a riot that destroyed the pizzeria one fateful, furious, and flaming night, a riot set off by Tina’s dimunitive and eccentric sometimes husband and luver, the short, skinny, pizza delivering, tragicomic, and implicitly Lucas and Nikko the flying monkey King linked Mookie-played by Lee-when he tossed a garbage can through its front window, partly inspired by the advice given to him to “…always do the right thing” by the old, grey haired and moustached, sad eyed, dishevelled, usually drunk, and implicitly Tin Man linked Mayor-who evoked the equally old, sad eyed, dishevelled, and implicitly John Ford linked Jedi Master Ben Obi Wan Kenobi played by Alec Guinness in the STAR WARS Classic Trilogy, and was played by Ossie Davis-leaving the pizzeria a smoking ruin lamented over by the equally old, grey haired, sweet, always watchin’, and implicitly Glinda the Good linked Sister Mother-played by Ruby Dee-and the Bed-Stuy neighbourhood free of Sal, Pino, and Vito.  Thus, Lee implied his new hope that Lucas would rise up to lead the indie film art Rebellion again and return to heat up the Temple Theatre with another Forceful and CGI enhanced indie docufeature film that would finally exorcise Landis, Morrow, Spielberg and the TZ disaster and liberate audiences, film art, film artists, and the Temple Theatre from the Twilight Zone and rise up into the clear blue sky for more Skyrockin’ adventures like the rising camera crane shot at the end of DO THE RIGHT THING, an implicit allegorical intent affirmed by the film’s allusions to AMERICAN GRAFFITI, the STAR WARS Classic Trilogy, THE WIZARD OF OZ, and the eerily and presciently twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and implicitly Stanley Kubrick roastin’ Lucas indie docufeature film THX 1138 [1971].  Two contrasting quotes on violence from Martin Luther King and Malcolm X before the closing titles also prepared audiences for a curious feature film about X to come from Lee.

Curiously, Lee was famously miffed that DO THE RIGHT THING was overlooked at the following year’s Academy Awards ceremony.  However, the august Academy ironically did indeed do the right thing, as the implicit idea that the reviled Lucas aka Lord Stinkious, the stinkiest of the Dark Lords, would return from despondent and lonely bachelor oblivion to inspire some sort of film rebellion in the Nasty Nineties was so remote, unlikely, bizarre, and even infuriating that deserved no Oscars did DO THE RIGHT THING.  Just as curiously, however, as the Nasty Nineties wore on, more and more sympathetic film artists, echoed Lee’s implicit new hope and also implied that Lucas would return to the Temple Theatre with a Skyrockin’ new film, which he obligingly did in May of 1999.  Even more curiously, it was John Waters who implicitly led the Lucas toastin’ cavalcade when he turned the starcrossed story on its head by having the rough hewn and scruffy but handsome, talented, and implicitly Lucas, Scarecrow, and Romeo linked rebel rockin’ Drape teen bad boy Wade “King Cry-Baby” Walker-played by Johnny Depp-team up with his fearless, feisty, indomitable, defiantly pregnant, brunette, equally rockin’ rebel, and implicitly Bigelow linked bad girl teen sister Pepper “!Fights Like A Man!” Walker-played by Ricki Lake-to triumph over the slim, blonde, and implicitly James Cameron and Cowardly Lion linked square leader Baldwin-played by Stephen Mailer-and to win the eternal luv of the beautiful, blonde, sweet, innocent, Linda Hamilton evoking, and implicitly Hollywood, Dorothy, and Juliet linked teen square Allison Vernon-Williams-played by Amy Locane-to the delight of his black clad and implicitly Denise Di Novi and Wicked Witch of the West linked grandmother Ramona Ricketts-played by Susan Tyrrell-and his implicitly Tim Burton and Nikko linked grandfather Belvedere Ricketts-played by Iggy Pop-in a truly eucatastrophic fairy tale ending from the openly and unapologetically gay Waters at the end of the daylit, allegorical, exuberantly rockin’, always tragicomic, and Ozian themed indie docufeature film CRY-BABY [1990], a fine feature film released on March 14, 1990 that affirmed its implicit allegorical intent with allusions to AMERICAN GRAFFITI, the STAR WARS Classic Trilogy, and the eerily and presciently twilit and allegorical Bigelow and Monty Montgomery indie docufeature film THE LOVELESS [1981], and a fine feature film that also influenced a Lee film to come.

At any rate, Lee soon donned the actor/director/producer/writer caps and teamed up again with Carter, Dickerson, Esposito, Jackson, the Lees, Marsalis, Nunn, Thomas, Turturro, Robin Harris-who played the implicitly Quincy Jones linked Sweet Dick Willie in DO THE RIGHT THING-Jon Kilik and Monty Ross-line producer and co-producer, respectively, of DO THE RIGHT THING-and Universal on the daylit and allegorical indie docufeature film MO’ BETTER BLUES [1990], released on July 23, 1990.

“Will thou,

Minifield Gilliam,

have this woman to be

thy wedded wife?”

        Curiously, after another modestly all encompassing Universal Studios logo celebrating 75 years of the studio, followed by two opening titles again proudly asserting “…A 40 Acres And A Mule Filmworks PRODUCTION” and “a spike lee joint”, the title “mo’ better blues” appeared on the screen and then the rest of the opening titles appeared over a montage of shots of the face, body, and trumpet of the handsome and implicitly Lynch linked young jazz trumpeter Minifield “Bleek” Gilliam-played by Denzel Washington-bathed in different colours of light as he prepared for a show.  Then the film saw Gilliam caught between and eventually humbled and brought low by his luv for the beautiful, statuesque, light skinned, short haired, and implicitly mainstream television linked “Gamma girl” Clarke Bentancourt-played by Cynda Williams-and the equally beautiful, slim, dark skinned, wild haired, and implicitly indie film art linked “Jigaboo” Indigo Downes-played by Lee-and replaced as leader of his indie jazz band by saxophonist Shadow Henderson-played by Wesley Snipes-to the sad and sympathetic dismay of his short, eccentric, devoted and implicitly Tim Burton linked manager Giant aka “G”-played by Lee.

        The scenario reminded us that Lynch had surprised the world that year by appearing on television with the twilit and allegorical indie telemoving painting series TWIN PEAKS [1990-91], before returning to the Temple Theatre with the daylit, allegorical, Ozian themed and implicitly Burton roastin’ indie moving painting WILD AT HEART [1990].  Thus, in the tragicomic sight and sound of Gilliam being destroyed by his luv for Clarke and Indigo and losing his ability to play the trumpet, Lee implied that Lynch had to decide who he wuz, a indie moving painting guy or a mainstream tv guy, lest he be caught between the two competing and contrasting mediums, be brought low, and lose his ability to create art, as well, with Lee implicitly hoping that Lynch would choose to be forever after a wild at heart indie moving painter who would fight for his cinematic dreams, given that Gilliam married Downes, pregnant with creative possibilities, at the healing and harmonizing end of the film, an implicit allegorical intent affirmed by allusions to the twilit, allegorical, and implicitly Jean-Luc Godard roastin’ Burton animaction film PEE WEE’S BIG ADVENTURE [1985], and the twilit, allegorical, and Ozian themed Lynch indie moving painting BLUE VELVET [1986].

Then Mario Van Peebles kicked off the New film Year and his own film art life by donning the actor/director hats and implicitly and unsympathetically likening Lee’s hard work to establish himself as a new film artist with his own 40 Acres And A Mule film production company in Brooklyn and their fine film art to the equally hard work of the handsome, young, ruthless, violent, and implicitly Lee and Wicked Witch of the West linked Nino Brown-played by Snipes-to establish himself as a new drug dealer with his Cash Money Brothers [CMB] gang in the Bronx and their addictive drugs that turned everyone into Spikeheads before he was shot dead by the devout, vengeful, Bill Lee evoking, and Bill Cosby resembling and possibly linked Old Man-played by the fittingly surnamed Bill Cobbs-in the healing, harmonizing, and eucatastrophic end of the twilit, allegorical, and Ozian themed indie docufeature film NEW JACK CITY [1991], a film released on January 17, 1991 that affirmed its implicit allegorical intent with allusions to SHE’S GOTTA HAVE IT, and by the appearances of Snipes, Johns as the again sexy and sex luvin’ and now also implicitly Tonya Lewis Lee linked Uniqua, and Nunn as Brown’s implicitly Nikko linked enforcer Duh Duh Duh Man.  Making it ironic that Lee teamed up with Snipes playing a character shocked, angered, and horrified by the increased drug use in New York later that year when Spikey-Poo again donned the actor/director/producer/writer caps and also teamed up again with Aiello, Carter, Davis, Dee, Dickerson, Jackson, Kilik, Ross, Sandoval, Thomas, Turturro, Terence Blanchard-trumpeter on the Pop Lee composed soundtrack for MO’ BETTER BLUES, now back as composer-Frank Vincent-who played soaked and disgruntled motorist Charlie in DO THE RIGHT THING-and Universal to implicitly address Lucas again when he explored the life of another man caught between two women in the daylit, allegorical, and Ozian themed indie docufeature film JUNGLE FEVER [1991], released on May 16, 1991.

“l’ve got a bad feeling about this one.”

        Curiously, after another Universal intro and two opening titles proudly declaring “…A FORTY ACRES AND A MULE FILMWORKS PRODUCTION” and “…A SPIKE LEE JOINT”, the rest of the opening titles appeared amidst a montage of shots of New York City with a particular interest in the Harlem section of Manhattan to the sound of the allegorical and Stevie Wonder written Wonder and Boys Choir of Harlem tune “Jungle Fever” [1991].  Then the film revolved around the handsome, bespectacled, and implicitly Lucas and Cowardly Lion linked architect Flipper “Flip” Purify-a clean cut, clean shaven, preppy, and mainstream luvin’ Gamma guy, and played by Snipes-who to his surprised dismay soon found himself trapped between his young, beautiful, luvin’, light skinned, and implicitly Fisher and Dorothy linked “Gamma girl” wife Drew-played by Lonette McKee-and an equally young, beautiful, and implicitly Bigelow and Wicked Witch of the East linked temp secretary at his architectural firm Angela “Angie” Tucci-played by Annabella Sciorra-from the tv luvin’ Tucci family, much to the sympathetic dismay of his dimunitive, equally bespectacled, and implicitly Spielberg and Tin Man linked friend Cyrus-played by Lee-and, after a short and passionate fling with Tucci, tentatively returning to Drew, a mixed race woman who was implicitly dark enough to qualify as an implicitly indie film art linked “Jigaboo” like Indigo in MO’ BETTER BLUES. 

Just as curiously, as Flip struggled with these two women, his ne’er do well, dancin’, drug addicted, money beggin’, ragged, and implicitly Besson and Scarecrow linked older brother Gator-an altogether too wild, free, and out of control Jigaboo, and played by Jackson-got into his usual disappointing and frustrating troubles with his nasty, equally drug addicted, and implicitly Anne Parillaud and Wicked Witch of the West linked “girlfriend” Vivian-played by Halle Berry-and was finally shot down in the end by his religious, righteously furious, and implicitly Jean Cocteau and Great Oz linked father the Good Reverend Doctor Purify-played by Davis-to the horror of his sweet and implicitly Glinda linked mother Lucinda-played by Dee.  Thus, Lee implied his hope that Besson would crash and burn, and that Lucas, who had then announced that he was creating a young Indiana Jones tv series, would come to his senses and return to Forceful cinematic success with another Skyrockin’ and CGI enhanced indie docufeature film in the Nasty Nineties, an implicit allegorical intent affirmed by allusions to the STAR WARS Classic Trilogy, THE WIZARD OF OZ, the twilit, allegorical, Ozian themed, and implicitly Bigelow and Lucas roastin’ Besson indie docufeature film LA FEMME NIKITA [1990], and the eerily and presciently twilit, allegorical, Ozian themed, Lucas executive produced, and implicitly William Friedkin address Spielberg indie docufeature film RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK [1981].  The curious resemblance and implicit link of Angie’s quarrelsome brothers Charlie and Jimmy Tucci-played by David Dundara and Michael Imperioli, respectively-to Jolly Jack “King” Kirby and Smilin’ Stan “the Man” Lee also implied that Lee was mocking the efforts of Marvel Comics to achieve success on the big screen as they had already done on the little tv screen.

        Two years later, Lee again donned the actor/co-writer/director/producer hats and teamed up again with Blanchard, Brown, Carter, Dickerson, Esposito, Kilik, McKee, Smith, Thomas, Washington, and Debi Mazar-who played Denise in JUNGLE FEVER-and also now with Warner Brothers to implicitly commemorate the tenth anniversary year of the TZ disaster in strange fashion by implicitly linking the rise and fall of the foolish Landis to the rise and fall of the crusading Malcom Little aka “Malcolm X”-played by Washington-in the twilit and allegorical indie docufeature film MALCOLM X [1992], a film released on November 17, 1992 that affirmed its implicit allegorical intent with allusions to the eerily and presciently twilit and allegorical Spielberg docufeature film 1941 [1979], in which Landis had a cameo as a tragicomic and all too fittingly named U.S. Army motorcycle dispatch rider named Mizeraney, and with the presence of Karen Allen as social worker Miss Dunne, for Allen played cute and sweet Faber College student Katy in the equally eerily and presciently twilit and allegorical Landis docufeature film ANIMAL HOUSE [1978].

        That strange implicit point made, Lee implicitly and surprisingly gently but firmly responded to the presence of the implicitly Tonya linked Johns in NEW JACK CITY and the implicit Lee roasting intent of that film when he donned the actor/co-writer/director/producer hats, returned to the Bed-Stuy neighbourhood of Brooklyn, and teamed up again with Blanchard, Brown, Carter, Kilik-now executive producer-Lindo, Ross, Thomas, Joie Lee-back as co-writer-and brother Cinque Lee-also a co-writer-David P. Kelly-who played elementary school teacher Mr. Ostrowski in MALCOLM X-and Universal on the unusually gentle but firm, daylit and allegorical indie docufeature film CROOKLYN [1992], released on May 9, 1994.

“You go back outside

right now

and apologize.”

        Significantly, after another Universal intro, a second opening title that again proudly proclaimed “…A 40 ACRES AND A MULE FILMWORKS PRODUCTION” followed by a fourth opening title that also again proudly proclaimed “…A SPIKE LEE JOINT!” underneath the title “CROOKLYN” done up in the style of the letters for the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team, the film began with a peaceful montage of shots of the Bed-Stuy brownstone neighbourhood in Brooklyn full of children at exuberant play on a sweet sunny summer day in the early Seventies, a montage completely free of the tension and violence that exploded in a similar neighbourhood in DO THE RIGHT THING to implicitly affirm that success had mellowed Lee.  Then the film revolved around the sweet, short, pretty, mischievous, and implicitly Johns linked Troy Carmichael-played by Zelda Harris-and her life with her quiet and thoughtful musician father Woodrow “Woody” Carmichael-played by Lindo-and her four feisty and argumentative brothers Clinton, Joseph, Nate, and Wendell-played by Carlton Williams, Tse-Mach Washington, Christopher Knowings, and Sharif Rashed, respectively-in a brownstone owned by her hard working, worrying, and implicitly Snipes linked teacher mother Carolyn-played by Alfre Woodard-as in the Lee family.  A life that saw Troy forced to leave behind Brooklyn and her equally dimunitive, pretty, mischievous, and implicitly Van Peebles linked friend Jessica-played by Ivelka Reyes-and driven to Georgia to spend a few weeks of that summer with her tragicomically mainstream, religious, and strait-laced Aunt Song and Uncle Clem-implicitly linked to Maria Marx and Melvin Van Peebles, the parents of Van Peebles, and played by Frances Foster and Norman Matlock, respectively-and pretty teen cousin Viola-played by Patriece Nelson-in their big white house down south, a tragicomic experience shot with a distorting lens that made the sequence look like a bad tv sitcom and that saw her aunt comb out and straighten her “wild” braided and nappy hair that made young Troy more determined than ever to live the life she wanted when she returned to Brooklyn. 

And so the film, filled with the sound of the best American-African pop music of the Swingin’ Sixties and the Skyrockin’ Seventies, ended after the death of her luvin’ mother with Troy back with the rest of her raucous family triumphing over CMB evokin’ and glue sniffin’ “Possum” druggies like Snuffy-played by Lee-and then sportin’ a new liberated afro back outside the family brownstone in her beluved Brooklyn fully committed to doing things her own way regardless of what anyone, including her pesky brothers, thought of anything, like Nola at the end of SHE’S GOTTA HAVE IT, implying that the Lees were not fond of the role Snipes played in NEW JACK CITY, and their hope that, after Van Peebles tried to “straighten her braids” with the mainstream blockbuster pap of NEW JACK CITY, Johns would think things through, come to her senses, and recommit herself to indie docufeature film art in general and that of the Lees in particular as she had done in SHE’S GOTTA HAVE IT, lest she wind up trapped forever in tv hell implicitly like the happy, but unaware or indifferent, young dancers in the montage of shots from the tv series SOUL TRAIN [1971-2006] that accompanied the closing titles of CROOKLYN to the sound of the daylit, allegorical, and Special Ed, Buckshot, Masta Ace, Q-Tip, and Ali S. Muhammad written A Tribe Called Quest aka “Crooklyn Dodgers” tune “Crooklyn” [1993].

Significantly, Bigelow and Cameron teamed up to implicitly address Lee on one level in the implicit form of defiant, controversial, influential, successful, doomed, and implicitly Cowardly Lion linked rapper Jeriko One-played by Glenn Plummer-in the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed, and implicitly Lucas addressing indie docufeature film STRANGE DAYS [1995], a film released on September 3, 1995 that affirmed its implicit allegorical intent with allusions to AMERICAN GRAFFITI, DO THE RIGHT THING, MALCOLM X, MO’ BETTER BLUES, the STAR WARS Classic Trilogy, and THE WIZARD OF OZ, THX 1138 and by the return of Edson as the tragicomically unscrupulous and implicitly Landis linked blackjack SQUID dealer Tick.  Tragicomically, two years later Lucas surprised audiences by kicking off a New film year in January of 1997 with a restored and CGI enhanced new version of the STAR WARS Classic Trilogy to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the release of the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed and implicitly Spielberg roasting Lucas indie docu feature film STAR WARS EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE [1977] in 1977.  Inexplicably, the new look STAR WARS Classic Trilogy was a huge nostalgic hit with audiences, causing Lucas to happily announce that he was creating a new STAR WARS trilogy, much to the delight of audience members like Lee who implicitly hoped that he would do just that and return the Force to the Temple Theatre like Spikey-Poo when he assured audiences that sweet, gentle, wistful, and nostalgic CROOKLYN had not transformed him into Sweety-Poo when he returned to Brooklyn, donned the actor/co-producer/co-writer/director hats, and teamed up again with Blanchard, Carter, Foster, Imperioli, Kilik, Lindo, Ross, Turturro, Michael Badalucco-and Michael Badalucco-who played the Lucas resembling Frankie Botz in JUNGLE FEVER-and Universal on his most nasty film yet, the twilit, allegorical, and CGI enhanced indie docufeature film CLOCKERS [2005], a film released on September 15, 1995 that was inspired by the twilit and allegorical Richard Price indie docufiction novel Clockers [1992].

“Had this dream last night.”

Indeed, Lee immediately assured audiences that he had not lost his Spike, for after the modestly all encompassing Universal intro, a second opening title that read “…a 40 ACRES AND A MULE FILMWORKS production”, and a third opening title that read “…A SPIKE LEE JOINT”, the film began with a montage of grisly shots of the bullet riddled corpses of young American-African men and women intercut with shots of sometimes commemorative and always colourful graffiti paintings on building walls to openly link the film to painting accompanied by the ironically hopeful, wistful, allegorical, and Raymond Jones written Marc Dorsey tune “People In Search Of A Life” [1995].  Then “People In Search Of A Life” abruptly disappeared and was replaced with the daylit, allegorical, “Crooklyn” evoking, and Chubb Rock, O.C., Jeru The Damaja, and DJ Premier written Crooklyn Dodgers ’95 tune “Survival Of The Fittest/Return Of The Crooklyn Dodgers” [1995] to link CLOCKERS and CROOKLYN together as audiences were returned to Brooklyn and introduced to the slim, shaven headed, down on his luck, chocolate mousse and model train luvin’, and implicitly Lynch linked Ronald “Ronnie” Dunham aka “Strike”-played by Mekhi Phifer-a street level drug dealer for the black leather baseball cat wearin’ and implicitly Antoine Fuqua linked local Fagin and “respectable” businessman Rodney Little-played by Lindo.  It reminded us that the addictive and iconoclastic TWIN PEAKS was implicitly linked to addictive drugs in JUNGLE FEVER, implying that Lee was not happy that Lynch brought the TWIN PEAKS drug to the big screen and struck out with the twilit, allegorical, and implicitly Spielberg roasting indie moving painting TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME [1992] and was implicitly roasting him here in the implicit form of small time drug dealer aka “clocker” Strike.

Significantly, Strike did not wind up riddled with bullets and dead like the unfortunate young men and women in the opening montage, or like the equally unfortunate, bug eyed, scarey, and implicitly Besson linked college dropout and AIDS ravaged heroin addict Errol Barnes-even more psychotic and nutty than Gator, and played by Tom Byrd-perhaps in revenge for Besson’s New York set and the daylit, allegorical, Franco-American, and Ozian themed indie docufeature film LEON: THE PROFESSIONAL [1994], a film released on September 14, 1994, in which Aiello sr. played the implicitly Great Oz linked Tony-played by Danny Aiello-and Badalucco played the implicitly Lucas and Tin Man linked Mr. Lando-played by Michael Badalucco.   Nor was Strike arrested and convicted for the murder of the annoying, goofy, and implicitly Spielberg linked fellow small time drug dealer and Ahab’s fast food restaurant night manager Darryl Adams-played by the fittingly first named Steve White-who surprisingly turned out to have been gunned down by Strike’s despondent, guilt stricken, remorseful, and tormented Good guy older brother, the tall, fearless, commanding, athletic, strong, muscular, slim, handsome, and implicitly Bigelow linked Victor “Vic” Dunham-played by Isaiah Washington.  Instead, with the help of the sympathetic and implicitly Sir Ridley Scott linked NYPD Detective Rocco Klein-played by Harvey Keitel-Strike managed to take his money and escape the mean streets of Crooklyn on one of the trains he luved so much and head west, in the healing and harmonizing end, implying either that Lee hoped that Lynch would give up on his indie and iconoclastic moving paintings, leave film art forever, and stick with his equally indie and iconoclastic paintings, or that Lynch would finally give up on the addictive small Washington state town of Twin Peaks and head off to better indie moving paintings, an implicit allegorical intent affirmed by allusions to LEON: THE PROFESSIONAL, THE LOVELESS, TWIN PEAKS, TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME, WILD AT HEART.

That implicit point made, Lee soon donned the actor/director/producer hats and teamed up with Berry, Imperioli, Kilik, Lee, Mazar, Washington, and Malik H. Sayeed-DOP on CLOCKERS-on the daylit and allegorical indie docufeature film GIRL 6 [2006], released on March 22, 1996.  That same year, Lee donned the director/executive producer hats and teamed up with Blanchard, Byrd, Davis, Lee, Smith, Washington, and GIRL 6 costume designer Sandra Hernandez on the daylit and allegorical indie documentary film GET ON THE BUS [1996], released on October 10, 1996. 

Then the following year Besson implicitly agreed with the implicit allegorical intent of DO THE RIGHT THING and JUNGLE FEVER, implicitly disagreed with the implicit allegorical intent of STRANGE DAYS, and implicitly responded to the implicit roasts of himself in CLOCKERS and JUNGLE FEVER by having the madcap, hyperactive, exuberantly garrulous, self-centred, sexually ambiguous, over the top, Mister Senor Love Daddy and Wolfman Jack evoking and implicitly Lee, Great Oz, and Air linked Radio Cosmos J.D. DJ Ruby Rhod-complete with Wolfman Jack evoking wolf howls, and played by Chris Tucker-and had him team up with the old, short, bearded, faithful, all too knowing, Kenobi evoking, and implicitly Sir Scott, Tin Man, and Water linked Priest Vito Cornelius-played by Ian Holm-the young, naïve, innocent, equally devout, and possibly Jason “Jake” Scott and implicitly Scarecrow and Earth linked young Priest-played by Charlie Creed-Miles-the young, muscular, blonde haired, divorced, solitary, lonely, and implicitly Lucas, Cowardly Lion, and Fire linked ex-ace space fighter pilot and future South Brooklyn flying taxi driver Korben Dallas-played by Bruce Willis-and the Fifth Elemental warrior embodiment of CGI enhanced film art in the form of the young, beautiful, incredibly strong, fit, muscular, orange haired, and implicitly Dorothy, Leia and Taarna linked Leeloo Minai Lekarariba-Laminai-Tehai Ekbat De Sebat aka Leeloo-played by Milla Jovovich-to save and kick off a brave neo world and eon of CGI enhanced film art by triumphing over the huge, extraterrestrial, and implicitly Wicked Witch of the West linked ball of carnal and Loc-nar evoking Evil and stopping it dead in its tracks at the healing, harmonizing, and eucatastrophic end of his most wholly remarkable film to date, the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Franco-American, Ozian themed and implicitly Cameron roasting and Lucas toasting indie docufeature film THE FIFTH ELEMENT [1997], a film fittingly released on May 6, 1997 only weeks away from the twentieth anniversary of the release of STAR WARS EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE on May 25, 1997 that affirmed its implicit allegorical intent with allusions to AMERICAN GRAFFITI, DO THE RIGHT THING, the STAR WARS Classic Trilogy, STRANGE DAYS, THE WIZARD OF OZ, and THX 1138. 

Not long after, Lee donned the director/producer caps and teamed up with Blanchard, Davis, and HBO to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the disappointing, frustrating and infuriating end of the TZ disaster trial with his most implicitly unusual film to date, the twilit and allegorical indie documentary film 4 LITTLE GIRLS [1997], released on July 9, 1997.

“[Birmingham was]…

a wonderful place to live

and raise a family…

[in the Fifties and Sixties].”

        For, after an intro for HBO followed by a title stating “…A 40 Acres And A Mule Filmworks Production” and a third title stating “…A Spike Lee Joint”, and then a montage of colourful and still shots of a silent Birmingham, Alabama graveyard on a beautiful sunny day intercut with stock black and white and energetic footage of racial protest and police response in Birmingham in the Sixties to the stirring sound of the allegorical and Richard and Mimi Farina written Joan Baez tune “Birmingham Sunday” [1964], on the surface the moving film explored the racial tensions in sternly and stubbornly segregated Birmingham, Alabama in the Fifties and Sixties that grew and grew and then literally exploded on September 15, 1963 in the bomb tossed by the exuberantly Evil Robert “Bob” Chambliss into the 16^th Street Baptist Church that killed the eponymous four little girls-comprising the quiet, introverted, and peace luvin’ Addiemae Collins, the caring and inquisitive Carol D. McNair, the book, film, and music luvin’ Carole R. Robertson, and the spiritual and church luvin’ Cynthia Wesley, her devout faith sadly and ironically “rewarded” with the bomb blowing her head to pieces-and his eventual trial that finally led to his conviction in September 1977, a successful conclusion that reminded us that Folsey, Landis and their three co-defendants were found not guilty at the unfortunate and shocking end of the TZ disaster trial.  Below the surface, however, it was noticeable that Coppola was implicitly linked to McNair, that Landis was implicitly linked to Robertson, that big eared Lucas was implicitly linked to the equally big eared Collins, and that Lynch was implicitly linked to Wesley, reminding us that the careers of all four film artists had also died since the equally fateful and fatal year of 1982. 

This curious implication was affirmed by the resemblance and implicit link of “Dynamite Bob” Chambliss to Marshall, to the appearances of Davis and Bill Cosby amongst the people interviewed by Lee for the film, and by the equally curious fact that many of the people interviewed by Lee for the film resembled and evoked people in the film art community, such as the Jackson resembling and implicitly linked Rhonda N. Thomas, the Lindo resembling and implicitly linked and “insanely fearless” Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth, the Perez resembling and implicitly linked Janie Gaines, the Spielberg-and Gandhi!-resembling and implicitly linked Rev. Wyatt Tee Walker, the Quentin Tarantino resembling and implicitly linked New York Times editor Howell Raines, and the Oprah Winfrey resembling and implicitly linked Faye Davis.  A strange implication indeed, as strange as the implicit link of Landis to X in MALCOLM X, and one that unfortunately made a mockery of this moving and important film.

        The following year, Lee donned the director/producer/writer hats and teamed up with Brown, Byrd, Harris, Hernandez, Kilik, McKee, Nunn, Sayeed, Smith, Thomas, Turturro, and Washington on the daylit and allegorical indie docufeature film HE GOT GAME [1998], released on April 25, 1998.  Significantly, one year later, Lee donned the director cap and teamed up again with Badalucco and Brown to implicitly wonder in the sight and sound of the nutty and implicitly Lucas linked serial killer David Berkowitz aka “the Son of Sam”-played by Badalucco-hunting down and killing many brunette female victims in 1977-78 if Lucas would slaughter all other film artists again with his new STAR WARS film like he did with his first STAR WARS film in 1977-78 in Lee’s biggest and most expensive film to date, the twilit, allegorical, and Ozian themed indie docufeature film SUMMER OF SAM [1999], fittingly released at Cannes on May 19, 1999, the same date and location of the release of the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed and implicitly Spielberg and James Cameron roasting Lucas indie docufeature film STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE [1999].  Significantly, STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE failed to impress audiences, with many believing that the goofy, all CGI, and implicitly Landis and Scarecrow linked alien Jar Jar Binks-played by Ahmed Best-was some sort of insidious racial stereotype. 

        Just as significantly, Spikeyboo started the new film year by donning the co-producer hat and teaming up again with Blanchard, Carter, and Woodard to collaborate for the first sympathetic and supportive time with a female film artist, Gina Prince-Blythewood, on her first fine feature film and also with New Line Cinema to implicitly address Besson and Sofia Carmina [SCC] Coppola in the implicit forms of the young, attractive, short, slim, fit, resilient, talented, and implicitly Besson/Cowardly Lion and SCC/Dorothy linked Crenshaw High School [CHC] Cougars and University of Southern California [USC] Trojans basketball players Quincy “Q” McCall-played by Omar Epps and by Glenndon Chatman as boy, respectively-and Monica Wright-her name lamentably and tragicomically anticipating another and more wacky and woebegone Wright appearing in the life of Lee, and played by Sanaa Lathaa and as a girl by Kyla Pratt, respectively-and also to implicitly hope in the sight and sound of the faithful and monogamous tomboy and USC grad Wright losing a one on one match with the faithless and womanizing but condom using USC dropout McCall and going professional and playing as #32 McCall-Wright for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women’s National Basketball Association [WNBA] with McCall and their baby girl-played by A.I. Smithee-cheering her on that SCC would also go on to become an indomitable and indie film artist like Besson and perhaps even the hope that SCC would be more successful than Besson at the end of the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed indie docufeature film LOVE & BASKETBALL [2000], a film in four quarters released on January 26, 2000 that affirmed its implicit allegorical intent with allusions to AMERICAN GRAFFITI, LA FEMME NIKITA, SCHOOL DAZE, STRANGE DAYS, THE FIFTH ELEMENT, THE WIZARD OF OZ, and the twilit, allegorical, and slightly CGI enhanced SCC indie docufeature film THE VIRGIN SUICIDES [1999], and by the appearance of Gabrielle Union as the beautiful, annoying, and implicitly Bigelow linked teen Munchkin Shawnee Easton, and of Dennis Haysbert as McCall’s ironically tall, handsome, unfaithful, and implicitly Lucas and Great Oz linked Los Angeles Clippers player father Ezekiel “Zeke” McCall, whose failure to succeed with Q and his short, pretty, but implicitly Wicked Witch of the West linked mother Nona-played by Debbi Morgan-reminded us that Lucas had failed to impress audiences the year before with STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE. 

An all too fitting implicit roast and toast of Lucas, for alas, and tragicomically, later that year Lee implicitly affirmed that he was one of those audience members who suspected the worst of Binksy, for he donned the actor/co-producer/director/writer hats and teamed up again with Blanchard, Byrd, Carter, Kilik, and New Line Cinema and left behind the big size and budget and coldness of SUMMER OF SAM for a smaller, less expensive, and more intimate film that implicitly struck back at Binks, Lord Stinkious, and STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE and also at implicitly despised helevision with open and full Force fury in the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed indie docufeature film BAMBOOZLED [2000], released on September 18, 2000.

“So,

my show that I am pitching

is about promoting racial healing…

[by taking the minstrel variety show]

into the new millennium..

[with even more racist, satirical, and]

three dimensional characters!...

this is gonna be the crazy shit!...

there will be nothin’ else like it on television!...

because our show is satirical…

[which] means we are poking fun [at racism]

to destroy these stereotypes…

I want [people] to be offended.

I want to wake America up!”

        For the film revolved around the embattled, frustrated, tall, shaven headed, Jackson resembling, and implicitly Lucas and Tin Man linked Continental Network System [CNS] tv writer and showrunner Peerless Dothan-a clean cut and clean shaven Gamma guy and Harvard grad so eager to succeed in the mainstream that he had changed his name to “Pierre Delacroix”, and was played by Damon Wayans-who resembled Jackson’s Jedi Master Mace Windu in STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE and Don P. Colley’s affable hologram SRT in THX 1138 to affirm his implicit link to Lucas, and his young, beautiful, intelligent, ambitious, and implicitly Dorothy linked Gamma girl assistant Sloan Hopkins-played by Jada Pinkett-Smith-who resembled and was implicitly linked to Natalie Portman, who played Queen Padme Amidala in STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE.  Unfortunately, eager to impress and improve ratings for their hectoring, disappointed, exuberantly Afrophilic, cluelessly racist, and implicitly Tarantino and Great Oz linked CNS tv senior vice-president Thomas Dunwitty-played by Michael Rapaport-they pitched him the outrageously racist Mantan New Millenium Minstrel Show, which was supposed to satirize the representation of American-Africans in American film and television and starred the implicitly Best, Binks, and Scarecrow linked Manray as “Mantan”-played by Savion Glover-and his implicitly Cowardly Lion linked friend Womack as “Sleep n Eat”-who resembled Hugh Quarshie’s Captain Panaka in STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE, and was played by Jimmy Davidson.

        Alas for all, the show was a surprise hit, arousing the righteous fury of Sloan’s troubled and implicitly Nikko linked brother Julius Hopkins aka “Big Blak Afrika”-played by Yasiin Bey-the implicitly Wicked Witch of the West linked Smooth Black-played by Charli Baltimore-and the rest of their fellow and altogether too wild, free, out of control, and Gator evoking Jigaboos, the black clad, rappin’, and implicitly flying monkey linked Mau Mau musical “revolutionaries”, who rose up with righteous fury like the equally righteously furious citizens of Bed-Stuy at the end of DO THE RIGHT THING and hunted down and kidnapped Manray one night outside the tv studio before mocking and shooting him dead live on the internet before they were hunted and gunned down in turn by the NYPD like Gator at the end of JUNGLE FEVER.  The shocking death of Manray also caused Sloan to hunt and gun down Delacroix and leave him to die alone with his STAR WARS movie tie-in merchandise evoking “black collectibles” like the blockbuster loot lustin’ Jolly Nigger Bank, in the tragicomic end, implying that an outraged and disappointed Lee believed that far from kicking off a Skyrockin’ neo eon of CGI enhanced film art with STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE, Lord Stinkious had simply returned racist sterotypes to the Temple Theatre with the goofy Binks-the Mantan menace!-and that Lee also believed that Best, Jackson, Portman, Quarshie, and Stinky had killed their careers and reputations with STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE in a courageous, crazy, sad, and dismal “film” as kooky, unfortunate, and inexplicable as 4 LITTLE GIRLS and MALCOLM X but one that affirmed its implicit allegorical intent with allusions to DO THE RIGHT THING, the STAR WARS Classic Trilogy, STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE, THE WIZARD OF OZ, THX 1138, and the allegorical Elia Kazan film A FACE IN THE CROWD [1957].

Tragicomically, Terry Zwigoff and company then implicitly replied to BAMBOOZLED and STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE in the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed indie docufeature film GHOST WORLD [2001], a film released on June 16, 2001.

“What,

is she black now?”

        For the film saw two disaffected teens, the Wicked, bitchy, black and green clothes and art luvin’ but conflicted and implicitly Lee and Wicked Witch of the West linked Gen X teen Enid Coleslaw-played by Thora Birch-and her only slightly less bitchy, fashionable and implicitly Tonya Lewis Lee and Nikko linked friend Rebecca aka “Becca”-played by Scarlett Johansson- coming across a lonely hearts ad in the Personal Ads of the local newspaper and luring the lonely, nerdy, nostalgic and implicitly Stinky and Cowardly Lion linked bachelor Seymour-played by Steve Buscemi-to a prank romantic rendezvous at Wowsville, the “…Taj Mahal of fake Fifties diners”, which affirmed the film’s implicit interest in Lucas as the diner evoked Mel’s Drive-In in AMERICAN GRAFFITI.  Amused by the sight of the dorky geek, Enid and Becca followed Seymour home with the help of the implicitly Lloyd and Tin Man linked Josh-played by Brad Renfro-which led Enid, almost despite herself, to slowly get to know the lonely bachelor.  Discovering in Seymour’s nostalgic collection a racist sign that evoked one used to promote the Mantan show in BAMBOOZLED but this time for Coon’s Chicken, the original name for the Cook’s Chicken fast food restaurant chain that Seymour worked for, caused Enid to use it as a “found artwork” to make a statement about racism in society and to triumph over her bitter rival, the implicitly Fisher, Princess Leia Organna, and Dorothy linked Margaret-her name ironically evoking Margaret Hamilton, who played the Wicked Witch of the West in THE WIZARD OF OZ, and played by Ashley Peldon-and the implicitly Portman linked Snotty Girl-played by Kaileigh Martin-at the summer school art class she had been forced to take after failing the class in her final semester of high school in order to graduate with Becca from the hallowed halls.

        Alas for the Wicked Enid, while pleasing her Jar Jar Binks resembling and evoking summer school art teacher Roberta Allsworth-played by Illeana Douglas-the Coon’s Chicken piece destroyed her reputation when it was deemed racist in a class ending art show, implying that Zwigoff thought that it was Lee, not Stinkious, who had destroyed his career and reputation with the implication in BAMBOOZLED that there was somethin’ racist about Jar Jar Binks, and with all of the racist imagery and language in that film, and who would be the one to disappear on the Mystery Bus, first like the mysterious, solitary, patient, suit wearing, and implicitly Great Oz linked Norman-played by Charles C. Stevenson jr.-and then like Enid, at end of the film.  Indeed, the implicit Lee and Stinky roasting intent of GHOST WORLD was affirmed by the presence of the implicitly McGregor linked Zine-ophobia indie narrative art store owner/manager John Ellis-played by Pat Healy-and by the film’s allusions to AMERICAN GRAFFITI, BAMBOOZLED, JUNGLE FEVER, MO’ BETTER BLUES, and the STAR WARS Classic and Tragic Trilogies.

Soon after, Fuqua implied that he shared the implicit opinion of Zwigoff, for the implicitly Lucas linked rookie LAPD vice squad member Jacob “Jake” Hoyt-played by Hawke-survived his first day on the vice beat after his gleefully corrupt and implicitly Lee linked veteran vice squad “mentor” LAPD Detective Alonzo Harris-played by Washington-was gunned down by gang members fed up with his following no law but his own at the end of the daylit and allegorical indie docufeature film TRAINING DAY [2001], a film released on September 2, 2001 whose implicit allegorical intent was affirmed by allusions to AMERICAN GRAFFITI, DO THE RIGHT THING and the STAR WARS Classic Trilogy.  As for Lee, he donned the co-producer/director hats and teamed up with Blanchard, Brown, Hernandez, Kilik, Rosario Dawson-who played Lala Bonilla in HE GOT GAME-and now also with co-producer Toby Maguire and the Touchstone Pictures division of the Walt Disney Company to implicitly address Zwigoff and GHOST WORLD on one level in the daylit and allegorical indie docufeature film 25^th HOUR [2002], a film released on December 16, 2002 that was inspired by the allegorical David Benioff indie docufiction novel The 25^th Hour [2001].

“Well,

it’s not real deep

or anything.”

Curiously, after the Touchstone Pictures intro, a short prologue that led to the rescue of Doyle the mutt, and four opening titles, the second of which surprisingly proclaimed “…A 40 ACRES AND A MULE FILMWORKS” and the fourth “…A SPIKE LEE JOINT”, the sad and subdued film set in New York City after 911 chronicled the last 24 hours in the life of the young, rebellious, and implicitly Cameron linked drug dealer Montgomery “Monty” Brogan aka “James”-played by Ed Norton-and his beautiful, statuesque, and implicitly Jessica Alba linked girlfriend Naturelle Riviera-played by Dawson-during which he met but did not seriously pursue an aspiring writer and mischievous and Enid evoking teen minx named Mary D’Annunzio-played by Anna Paquin-who met have saved him if she symbolized indie film art like Indigo in MO’ BETTER BLUES  and Drew in JUNGLE FEVER before heading off to prison for a seven year stretch to the dismay of his friends, the short, chubby, disheveled, and implicitly Coppola linked high school English teacher Jacob Elinsky and the tall, lean, smart, and implicitly Cronenberg linked stock trader Francis X. Slaughtery, with the latter even pounding some indomitably indie sense into him before his incarceration-and played by Philip S. Hoffman and Barry Pepper, respectively-after being caught in the act by the sarcastic and implicitly Zwigoff linked Drug Enforcement Administration [DEA] Agent Flood-played by Isiah Whitlock jr.-implicitly in response to Cameron working with Alba on the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed indie Zonebuster telefilm series DARK ANGEL [2000-02], an implication that reaffirmed Lee’s implicit dislike of television and an implicit allegorical intent that was affirmed by allusions to GHOST WORLD, JUNGLE FEVER, MO’ BETTER BLUES, and STRANGE DAYS. 

Significantly, while sad and subdued, Lee made it clear in 25^th HOUR that the shock of 911 had not taken his spike from him, for the film contained the longest breakin’ the fourth wall into the camera rant about all of the various groups in New York City ever heard and seen in a Spike Lee joint.  Vitriolic spikin’ that returned when Lee donned the co-writer/director hats and teamed up again with Blanchard, Brown, Davis, McKee, Turturro, Whitlock jr. and Jim Brown-who played Spivey in HE GOT GAME-on the daylit and allegorical indie docufeature film SHE HATE ME [2004], released on July 20, 2004.  Two years later, Lee donned the director hat and teamed up again with Blanchard, Brown, Kilik, Thomas, Universal, and, surprisingly, given the implicit Lee roastin’ intent of TRAINING DAY, Washington to implicitly roast Columbia and Sony Pictures, Marvel Comics, Solemn Sam Raimi, and their Spider-Man films in the daylit, allegorical, and CGI enhanced indie docufeature film INSIDE MAN [2006], released on March 16, 2016.

“…“Here lies Peter…

[a] hero.””

Indeed, for after that all encompassing Universal Studios intro and one for Imagine, and a third opening title stating “…A SPIKE LEE JOINT”, the sight and sound of the smart, laconic, and implicitly Raimi linked indie bank robber Dalton Russell-played by Clive Owen-and his equally indie and amazingly alliterative Perfectly Planned Painting gang successfully pulled off a mysterious and blockbuster robbery that did not seem to steal anything from the Manhattan Trust bank fittingly located at the intersection of dramatic arts and money at Broadway and Wall Streets implied that Lee was impressed with the blockbuster box office heists Raimi and company pulled off with films that contained no definite proof that anything other than the surface story was happening as with the Manhattan Trust “robbery” when they implicitly roasted and toasted the strange and smart Cronenberg in the implicit form of the strange, smart, science luvin’, geeky, radioactive CGI spider powered and also implicitly Tin Man linked high school student Peter Parker aka “Spider-Man”-played by Maguire-in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction films SPIDER-MAN [2002] and SPIDER-MAN 2 [2004], in which Nunn had played resigned and long suffering DAILY BUGLE editor-in-chief Joseph “Robbie” Robertson.  However, despite this implicit admiration, Lee also implied his hope that Raimi would survive this blockbuster stage of his film art life with his body, heart, mind, and soul intact and go back to indie film art, given that Russell also survived the bank robbery and police siege and went back to his indie Robin Hood life.

The fact that the grey haired and moustached, expensively suited, and implicitly Smilin’ Stan “the Man” Lee linked Manhattan Trust Chairman Arthur Case-played by Christopher Plummer-was outed over the course of the robbery as having made his money stealing from French Jews in Europe with the help of the Nazis during World War II affirmed the implicit allegorical intent of the film, reminding us that Lee created Spider-Man for Marvel Comics with the help of “King” Kirby and Sweet Steve Ditko, but that some people believed that Lee had “stolen” and unfairly profited from the work of Ditko and Kirby.  The fact that Russell and his gang dressed in white and then black hooded painter suits with black sunglasses that made them all look like Spidey, and that Russell’s fellow robbers referred to themselves as Ditko evoking variants of Stephen like Steve, Stevie, Steve-O to disguise their identities reaffirmed the implicit point of the film. 

The fact that NYPD Sergeant Collins-played by Victor Colicchio-looked like a young Kirby, and that Willem Dafoe’s NYPD Emergency Services Unit [ESU] Captain John Darius openly linked the film to and evoked SPIDER-MAN and SPIDER-MAN 2 via his brilliant but psychotic and implicitly Ivan Reitman and Wicked Witch of the West linked Oscorp CEO Norman Osborn aka “the Green Goblin” also affirmed the implicit allegorical intent of a film that also evoked and openly alluded to the classic allegorical and implicitly Coppola and Lucas roasting Sidney Lumet indie docufeature film DOG DAY AFTERNOON [1975].  Last but not least, the fact that the smart, experienced, handsome, and implicitly Fuqua linked NYPD Detective Keith Frazier-played by Washington-unusually failed to stop the robbery that did not happen or quickly end the hostage crisis unlike in most films of this nature but, slumped over in despair in his office afterwards pondered all that he saw, heard, smelt, tasted, touched, and felt and slowly put all of the pieces of the mysterious jigsaw puzzle together and also made Detective First Grade, in the end, implied that Lee had no hard feelings for TRAINING DAY in INSIDE LEE, given the unusually inflammatory nature of BAMBOOZLED.  Or, given that Det. Frazier worked for and was rewarded by the Establishment, was Lee implying that Fuqua, Washington, or both were “Gamma” sellouts?

At any rate, with those implicit allegorical points made, Lee soon after made an unexpected detour into the realm of the hated “idiot box” when he donned the director hat and teamed up again with Blanchard and Brown and now also with HBO to examine life in another American city before, during, and after another major and unexpected disaster in the allegorical indie documentary film WHEN THE LEVEE BREAKS: A REQUIEM IN FOUR ACTS [2006], a film released in New Orleans on August 16, 2006 that then appeared on television on August 21 and 22, 2006.

“Nothing cancels Mardi Gras.

NOTHING.”

Actually two disasters, for the Class 5 hurricane that smashed into New Orleans in the early morning hours of Monday, August 29, 2005 and flooded and destroyed much of the city after the protective levees broke, killing thousands, and displacing hundreds of thousands of its citizens, also led to an infuriatingly indifferent and impotent response from the United States government and President George Bush jr. that was as disastrous as Hurricane Katrina itself.  All of which forced the citizens of New Orleans to take care of themselves, with the help of the healing power of art, particularly the art of the jazz music of New Orleans, played by artists like the Hot 8 Brass Band. 

Along the way, Lee also implied, as in 4 LITTLE GIRLS, another allegorical intent, in this case that the blockbuster storm that had almost destroyed New Orleans and also almost wiped out the vital humanity of the city symbolized the blockbuster CGI enhanced and all CGI films assailing and threatening to wipe out the vital humanity of film art, an additional implicit allegorical intent affirmed by the moving sight of the street sign for Humanity Street almost submerged by, but bravely rising above, the floodwaters.  Indeed, this implicit allegorical intent was affirmed by the appearance of longtime Lee composer Blanchard, talking about his own devasting experiences as a longtime resident of the Garden District of the Crescent City, by the help given by Mike Myers and Sean Penn, and by the resemblances and implicit links of longtime New Orleans residents Linda Novak, Emil Dumesnil, Robert Rocque, Joseph Melancon, Henry “Jr.” Rodriguez, Shelton S. Alexander, and Fred Johnson to Bigelow, Cox, Lee, Lindo, Alfred Hitchcock, Will Smith, and Mike Tyson.

Curiously, Marvel Comics and Paramount Pictures implied that they liked INSIDE MAN and the rest of the irrepressible indie docufeature film art of indomitable Lee, for they collaborated with Jackson and also with Jaunty Jon Favreau to implicitly link Lee to the tall, tough, intimidating, shaven headed, left eye-patched, shrewd, knowing, world weary, gruff, but sympathetic and likable Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division [SHIELD] Director Nicholas J. “Nick” Fury-originally implicitly linked to “King” Kirby by Kirby and Lee in Marvel Comics, and played by Jackson-and had him unexpectedly show up in a swingin’ Malibu bachelor pad to discuss forming a group of superheroes to protect the world with the young, brash, cocky, confident, handsome, intelligent, educated, shrewd, knowing, likably unlikable, vitally human, and implicitly Jason Reitman and Cowardly Lion linked Stark Industries [SI] CEO Anthony “Tony” Stark aka “Iron Man”-inspired by a character implicitly originally linked to Campbell Soup tin can luvin’ machine man wannabe Andrew “Andy” Warhol created by Heck, Kirby, Lee, and Laughin’ Larry Lieber for Marvel Comics, and played by Robert Downey jr.-in the teaser scene after the closing titles of the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film IRON MAN [2008], a film released on April 14, 2008 that was the first of many appearances of the implicitly Lee linked Fury in the new Marvel Cinematic Universe [MCU] which Lee soon implicitly responded to in a righteously Furious film.

Curiously, and not long after the release of IRON MAN, Lee donned the co-producer/director hats and teamed up again with Blanchard, Brown, Kilik, Turturro, Touchstone Pictures, John Leguziamo-who played Vinny in SUMMER OF SAM-and Kerry Washington-who played Fatima Goodrich in SHE HATE ME-on the daylit, allegorical, and CGI enhanced indie docufeature film MIRACLE AT ST. ANNA [2008], a film released on September 7, 2008 that was inspired by the allegorical James McBride indie docufiction novel Miracle At St. Anna [2003].  Two years later, and after the Walt Disney Company purchased Marvel Comics, Dis, Marv, and Paramount Pictures collaborated with Favreau to have the tall, tough, intimidating, shaven headed, left eye-patched, shrewd, knowing, world weary, gruff, but sympathetic and likable and implicitly Lee linked SHIELD Director Nicholas J. “Nick” Fury-played again by Jackson-team up with the young, brash, cocky, confident, handsome, intelligent, educated, shrewd, knowing, likably unlikable, vitally human, and implicitly Reitman and Cowardly Lion linked SI CEO Anthony “Tony” Stark aka “Iron Man”-played again by Downey jr., and in a reel time flashback as a mischievous Munchkin kid by Davin Ransom, respectively-and also with Stark’s beautiful, brainy, strawberry blonde, grounded, organized, indefatigable, indispensable, equally long suffering and implicitly Diablo Cody and Glinda linked Personal Assistant [PA] Virginia “Pepper” Potts-played by Gwyneth Paltrow-the short, beautiful, red haired, sexy, sultry, intelligent, and implicitly SCC and Dorothy linked SHIELD Agent Natasha Romanoff-played by Scarlett Johansson-and the slim, loyal, tough, and implicitly Clement Virgo linked United State Air Force [USAF] Lieutenant-Colonel James “Rhodey” Rhodes-played by Don Cheadle-to take on and take out the bitter, brooding, vengeful, electrowhip luvin’, and implicitly Dan Aykroyd and Wicked Witch of the West linked Ivan Vanko aka “Red Tsar”-played by Mickey Rourke-and his tragicomic and implicitly Mike Myers and Nikko linked puppet and SI competitor Hammer Industries [HI] CEO Justin Hammer-played by Sam Rockwell-at the healing, harmonizing, and eucatastrophic end of the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film IRON MAN 2 [2010], released on April 26, 2010.

The following year, Disney and Marvel teamed up again with Paramount Pictures and now also with Canny Kenneth Branagh to have the a teaser scene at the end of all of the closing titles saw the tall, shaven headed, left eye-patched, gruff and intimidating but good natured, and implicitly Lee linked SHIELD Director Nicholas J. “Nick” Fury-played again by Jackson-surprisingly reveal to the affable, grey haired and implicitly Roger Corman and Tin Man linked astrophysicist Doctor Erik Selvig-played by Stellan Skarsgard-in an unnamed SHIELD facility that the mysterious and ominous blockbuster blue film projector light emitting cube of the Tesseract was actually in the possession of SHIELD in the teaser trailer after all of the closing titles of the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film THOR [2011], a film released on April 17, 2011.  Three months later, Dis and Marv teamed up with Jokin’ Joe Johnston to have the tall, tough, intimidating, shaven headed, left eye-patched, shrewd, knowing, world weary, gruff but sympathetic and likable, and implicitly Lee linked SHIELD Director Nicholas J. “Nick” Fury-played again by Jackson-welcome the scrawny, sickly, weak, feeble, ironically polite, and implicitly Clint Eastwood and Tin Man linked friend Steven “Steve” Rogers aka the tall, muscular, handsome, and indomitable “Captain America”-played by Chris Evans-back to the land of the living in New York in 2011 at the end of the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER [2011], a film released on July 19, 2011 that saw SHIELD Director Fury reappear in a boxing gym in the teaser trailer at the end of the closing titles to ask Cap to join the new superhero group.

A superhero group that arrived the following year, when Disney and Marvel teamed up again and now also with Joshin’ Joss Whedon to have the tall, tough, intimidating, shaven headed, left eye-patched, shrewd, knowing, world weary, gruff but sympathetic and likable, and implicitly Lee linked SHIELD Director Nicholas J. “Nick” Fury-played again by Jackson-and his favourite number two, the tall, slim, sexy, courageous, determined, and implicitly Tonya Lewis Lee and Glinda linked SHIELD Agent Maria Hill-played by Cobie Smulders-became the first to tangle with the tall, slim, black haired and eyed, jealous, petulant, gleefully duplicitous, mischief and mayhem luvin’, and implicitly Spielberg and Wicked Witch of the West linked Loki, Norse God of Mischief-inspired by a character originally implicitly linked to MADcap mischie fmaker Harvey Kurtzman by Kirby and Lee for Marvel Comics, and played by Tom Hiddleston-before assembling the Avengers in classic Ozian order beginning with the beautiful, curvaceous, red haired, intelligent, experienced, troubled, haunted, deadly and implicitly SCC and Dorothy linked ex-Russian assassin and SHIELD Agent Natasha Romanoff aka “Black Widow”-played again by Johansson-and continuing with the brilliant, thoughtful, shy, and short but equally troubled, haunted, and implicitly Lucas, Scarecrow, and Earth linked Doctor Bruce Banner aka “the Hulk”-played by Mark Ruffalo-the ironically polite, Good, true, modest, patriotic, tall, handsome, blonde, once frozen, since revived, and implicitly Eastwood, Tin Man and Water linked Steven “Steve” Rogers aka “Captain America”-played again by Evans-the brash, brilliant, cocky, confident, fiery, impatient, handsome, dark haired, eyed, moustached and bearded, imperfect but vitally human and likably unlikable, and implicitly Reitman, Cowardly Lion and Fire linked Anthony “Tony” Stark aka “Iron Man”-played again by Downey jr.-before  completing the elemental Ozian quartet with the tall, blonde, bearded, proud, arrogant and implicitly Cameron, Great Oz and Air linked Thor, Norse God of Thunder-played by Chris Hemsworth-to team up and take on and take out the Wicked Loki and his irritating, extraterrestrial, and implicitly flying monkey linked all CGI Chitauri allies to exorcise the TZ disaster and allow an imperfect but vital and CGI enhanced humanity to prevail at the healing, harmonizing, and eucatastrophic end of the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS [2012], a film released on April 11, 2012 that was inspired by a super satirical group created by Kirby and Lee for Marvel Comics.

Furious implicit links that implicitly inspired Spikeyboo to respond with equally fast and Furious abandon when he donned the director hat again and teamed up again with Brown, Carter, Imperioli, Jackson, Lee, and Elvis Nolasco-who played small time drug dealer Horace in CLOCKERS-to implicitly reply to Disney, Marvel, Paramount, Favreau, Jackson, and the Iron Man Trilogy in his most iconoclastic and indie film yet, the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed indie docufeature film OLDBOY [2013], a film released on November 11, 2013 that was inspired by the daylit, allegorical, and CGI enhanced Park Chan-wook indie docufeature film OLDBOY [2003].

“You’re the king…

[and I’ll] protect those babies.”

Indeed, after the FILMDISTRICT and Good Universe intros and opening titles, and a third title that read “…A VERTIGO ENTERTAINMENT/40 ACRES AND A MULE PRODUCTION”, and a fourth that unusually stated “…A SPIKE LEE FILM”, the sight and sound of the dark haired and eyed, broad shouldered and chested, and implicitly Favreau and Tin Man linked Advance Advertising executive and “bullshit artist” Joseph “Joe” Doucett-played by Josh Brolin as a cynical and alcoholic adult, and by Grey Damon as a callow teen, respectively-being mysteriously kidnapped, held hostage for twenty years in a motel evoking room and forced to watch spoof helevision news and the MYSTERIES OF CRIME unsolved murder mystery show that fooled him into thinking that he had raped and murdered his ex-wife Donna Hawthorne-played by Hannah Ware, and by Victoria Geil as a teen, respectively-released just as mysteriously in a wooden chest in the middle of a field, and then hunting down and killing his equally mysterious kidnappers and anyone else who messed with him like a vengeful Scarecrow evoked the sight and sound of the young, handsome, brash, cocky, confident, creative, intuitive, tech-savvy, and implicitly Reitman and Cowardly Lion linked SI CEO Anthony “Tony” Stark-played by Downey jr.-in IRON MAN to affirm that Lee was striking back at Dis, Favreau, Marv, and Paramount in OLDBOY.  And striking back with righteous Fury, for the Disney evoking white mouse and her ABC/ILM/Lucasfilm/Marvel/Pixar evoking babies that Doucett befriended in his lonely twenty year stretch of solitary misery were unexpectedly taken from him and returned to him killed and cooked for dinner.

That righteous Fury was reaffirmed when Doucett hunted down the man who watched over him from a distance by way of  CCTV in his lonely twenty year hv watching misery, the indifferent, yellow mohawked and implicitly Cowardly Lion linked “Lon” Chaney-played by Jackson.  For Doucett methodically sliced multiple cuts into Chaney’s neck and literally poured salt in the wounds, openly affirming how angry and disappointed Lee was, how betrayed he felt and how painful it felt, to experience Jackson playing the implicitly Lee linked SHIELD Director Fury in the MCU and to see his wife implicitly linked to a Caucasian actor.  Curiously, though, it turned out that the mysterious person behind the kidnapping and framing of Doucett for the murder of Hawthorne was not the inFuriating Chaney but the angry, bitter, despondent, vengeful, wealthy, and implicitly Downey jr., Stark, and Great Oz linked Adrian D. Pryce aka “the Stranger”-also perhaps implicitly linked to Jason Reitman, and played by Sharlto Copley, and by Erik Gersovitz as a geeky teen, respectively-aided by his mysterious and implicitly Wicked Witch of the West linked Asian friend Haeng-Bok-also perhaps implicitly linked to Reitman’s ex-wife Michele Lee, and played by Pom Klementieff.  For Pryce was angry and bitter that while a student at the pricey Evergeen Academy [EA] the teen Doucett had came across his grey haired and perhaps implicitly Ivan Reitman and Howard Stark linked EA headmaster father Arthur D. Pryce-played by Steven Hauck-having adulterous sex with his attractive blonde teen daughter Amanda-played by Lizzy Declement-and revealed that shocking truth to his classmates at the school, causing Arthur to kill Amanda, his wife Emma-played by Caitlin Dulany-and himself with a rifle, and to grievously injure the teen Adrian with the same rifle, ending his incestuous relationship with his daughter and with his son. 

Alas for Doucett, Pryce had also success fully used the spoof hv shows in his lonely confinement to convince him that his daughter Mia was adopted after the murder of Hawthorne and had become Mia Roos aka “Ashley”-played by Violet Hill as a girl, and by Elvy Yost as a young woman, respectively-rather than given a new identity to protect her which actually turned her into beautiful, educated, friendly, and earnest nurse Marie Sebasatian-played as a baby by A.I. Smithee, and as a young woman by Elizabeth Olsen, respectively-who befriended the troubled Doucett after his release and slowly fell in luv with him, unfortunately leading to some passionate luvmaking between the two that was captured on CCTV by Pryce.  An adulterous tryst revealed by Pryce to Doucett so that he would also feel the intense pain and shame of adulterous revelations before Pryce shot himself, in the end, implying that Lee believed that Favreau’s collaboration with Disney, Marvel, and Jackson and his implicit link to SHIELD Director Fury was a crime akin to adultery in a film that affirmed its implicit allegorical intent with allusions to INSIDE MAN, IRON MAN, and IRON MAN 2.  An implication that implicitly upset Dis, Marv, and Favreau, for Brolin, Klementieff, and Olsen all appeared in the MCU in the following years as the all CGI and implicitly ex-Disney CEO Michael Eisner linked mad Titan Thanos, the emotional and implicitly Giannina Facio linked Mantis, and the young, innocent, beautiful, bewitching, statuesque, spellcastin’, and implicitly Emily Stofle linked Wanda Maximoff aka “the Scarlet Witch”, and the characters played by Brolin and Olsen were killed soon thereafter.

Making it ironic that the following year, Disney, Marvel, Paramount, Viacom teamed up with Amiable Anthony and Jovial Joe Russo to have the tall, tough, intimidating, shaven headed, left eye-patched, shrewd, knowing, world weary, gruff but sympathetic and likable, and implicitly Lee and Great Oz linked SHIELD Director Nicholas J. “Nick” Fury-played again by Jackson-and his favourite number two, the tall, slim, sexy, courageous, determined, and implicitly Tonya Lewis Lee linked SHIELD Agent Maria Hill-played again by Smulders-team up with the tall, young, blonde, muscular, strong, fit, and ironically polite, patriotic, pure, innocent and implicitly Eastwood and Tin Man linked Steven “Steve” Rogers aka “Captain America”-played again by Evans-and the short, slim, sexy, smart, deadly, red haired, and implicitly SCC and Dorothy linked SHIELD Agent Natalia Alianovna Romanoff aka Natasha Romanoff aka “Black Widow”-played again by Johansson-to take on and take out the insidious and secretive HYDRA Evildoers trying to infiltrate and take over the USA-!and the world!-and its favourite brainwashed super assassin, the dark haired and eyed, mysterious, ironically grim and unsmiling, and implicitly Terry Gilliam and Nikko linked James B. “Bucky” Barnes aka “the Winter Soldier”-played by Sebastian Stan-in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER [2014], released on March 13, 2014.

As for Lee, he returned to the Temple Theatre soon after with another unusually iconoclastic film when he donned the co-producer/co-writer/director hats and teamed up with Byrd, Carter, Cinque and Joie Lee, Nolasco, and Rami Malek-who played Marco Browning in OLDBOY-to implicitly address Lucas again in the twilit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed indie docufeature film DA SWEET BLOOD OF JESUS [2014], a film released on June 22, 2014 that was inspired by the allegorical Bill Gunn indie docufeature film GANJA AND HESS [1973].

“That was a long time ago…

a long, long time ago.”

        Indeed, after the Anchor Bay Entertainment and Gravitas Ventures intros, and the first opening title which read “…A 40 ACRES AND A MULE FILMWORKS Production”, the second which unusually read “…An Official SPIKE LEE JOINT” as if there was any doubt, and all of the rest of the opening titles that accompanied a fluid dance routine by Jookin’ Dancer Charles “Lil Buck” Riley to the sound of a pensive piano from composer Bruce Hornsby, the film began with the all too fitting and horrific sight and sound of the married, despondent, tormented, and implicitly Spielberg and Wicked Witch of the East linked Lafayette Hightower-played by Nolasco-killing his slim, bespectacled, clean cut, well dressed, quiet, thoughtful, content, successful, unmarried, Flip Purify evoking, and implicitly Lucas and Tin Man linked bachelor anthropologist and devout Christian colleague Dr. Hess Greene aka “Mr. Dick Long” aka “Louie Louie Jones”-played by Stephen T. Williams-in an insane fit with a valuable and ancient Ashanti knife from his collection of African art and curios, reminding us that helping Kennedy, Morrow, and Spielberg after the TZ disaster killed the reputation of Lucas.  The sight and sound of Dr. Greene returning mysteriously to an undead and vampiric existence between life and death and sitting alone in his Martha Vineyards mansion sipping pensively on glasses of red wine or blood stolen from a local hospital forgotten by all except his loyal, faithful, and doomed attendant Seneschal Higginbottom-played by Malek-also affirmed the implicit link of Greene to Lucas, reminding us that after killing his reputation by helping Kennedy, Morrow, and Spielberg, Lucas was also left trapped in his own twilit existence neither alive nor dead but undead and alone in his mansion on Skywalker Ranch, sipping pensively on glasses of Skywalker Red, forgotten by all except traumatized, despondent, and doomed fans like dread allegorical Zone War “scholar” Gary W. Wright aka the poor ol’ Gardevil [POG].  Indeed, the sight and sound of Donna Dixon in a cameo role as Mrs. Blair openly linked the film to Spielberg via her role as a young and beautiful blonde stewardess on a nightmare passenger plane ride in the fourth and final Miller episode of TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE.

        The sight and sound of the undead doctor killing and banishing to the realm of the undead the short, goofy, and implicitly Fisher linked prostitute Lucky Mays-played by Felicia “Snoop” Pearson-and the short, luvly, and implicitly Portman linked ex-wife of Lafayette, Ganja Hightower-played by Zaraah Abrahams-also affirmed the implicit link of Dr. Greene to Lucas, reminding us that working with Lucas on the STAR WARS Classic and Tragic Trilogies also harmed the reputations of Fisher and Portman.  The sight and sound of Ganja killing the tall, beautiful, long haired, statuesque and implicitly Bigelow linked Tangier Chancellor-played by Nate Bova-during a violent luvmaking session and turning her into a zombie also affirmed the film’s implicit interest in Lucas, reminding us that Bigelow often implicitly meditated on Lucas in her fearless film art.  Thus, with Dr. Greene healed of his twilit and vampiric fate by the healing hands of the Right Reverend Byrd during a joyous and spirited gospel singin’ session at the Red Hook Baptist Church and gratefully dying soon after in the arms of Ganja, Lee implied that two years after selling the drought stricken moisture farm of ILM and the well used speeder lot of Lucasfilm to the Walt Disney Company, Lucas would just keep to himself, no longer dabble in film art, and just fade away, in the end, a disappointed implicit dirge that was a far cry from the implicit new hope that Lucas would return to the Temple Theatre with a Skyrockin’ new film that would exorcise Landis, Morrow, Spielberg, and the TZ disaster and kick off a neo eon of CGI enhanced film art in DO THE RIGHT THING.

The following year, Disney, Marvel, and Whedon collaborated again to have the tall, tough, intimidating, shaven headed, left eye-patched, shrewd, knowing, world weary, gruff but sympathetic and likable, and implicitly Lee linked SHIELD Director Nicholas J. “Nick” Fury-played again by Jackson-and his favourite number two, the tall, slim, sexy, courageous, determined, and implicitly Tonya Lewis Lee linked SHIELD Agent Maria Hill-played again by Smulders-team up again with the assemblin’ and avengin’ Avengers which this time included the young, innocent, beautiful, bewitching, statuesque, spellcastin’, and implicitly Stofle linked Wanda Maximoff aka “the Scarlet Witch”-played by Olsen-to take on and take out the embodied and all CGI rogue A.I. Ultron-played by James Spader-at the end of the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON [2015], released on April 13, 2015.  Later that year, Lee returned to the Temple Theatre when he donned the co-writer/director/producer hats and teamed up again with Blanchard, Byrd, Carter, Kelly, Kilik, Jackson, Smith, Snipes, and Whitlock jr. on the daylit and allegorical indie docufeature film CHI-RAQ [2015], a film released on December 4, 2015 that was inspired by the allegorical Aristophanes play LYSISTRATA [411 BC]. 

“!No peace-

no pussy!”

Curiously, after the Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions intros, and the sound of Spartan gang leader Demetrius “Chi-Rac” Dupree-played by Nick Cannon-rappin’ out the lyrics to the allegorical and Robert Amparan, Nick Cannon, Rico Cox, and Leroy Griffin jr. written tune “Pray 4 My City” [2015] as the lyrics in red appeared on a black screen and then faded away, the film saw Dupree and his Spartans battle the left-eye patched Trojan gang leader Sean “Cyclops” Andrews-played by Snipes-and his gang like Gammas battled the Jigaboos in SCHOOL DAZE to the frustrated fury of Dupree’s girl Lysistrata-played by Teyonnah Parris-who did her best to end the battle by organizing a sex strike with her gal pals.  As the left eye-patch of Andrews evoked that of SHIELD Director Fury, the implication was that the battle between the Spartans and the Trojans symbolized the battle between indie film artists and mainstream film artists who were willing to work with Disney and Marvel, an implication affirmed by the film’s allusions to SCHOOL DAZE, the return of Jackson as wandering, mischievous and implicitly Waters linked narrator Dolemedes, and by the fact that Snipes played the implicitly Landis linked vampire hunting and killing half-human/half vampire daywalker Eric Brooks aka “Blade” in the MCU.  Thus, the tragicomic sight and sound of Lysistrata succeeding with her sex strike and getting the two gangs to give up their guns and their battle implied the hope of Lee that indie and mainstream film artists would also stop battling each other and just get along and luv each other, okay, an implicit allegorical intent affirmed by allusions to CRY-BABY in the twenty-fifth anniversary year of that fine and funny feature film.

Or did Lee implicitly address the implicit battle that was raging between the younger Reitman and the older Wright man in CHI-RAQ?  For three years later Lee implicitly addressed the POG when he donned the co-producer/co-writer/director hats and teamed up again with Blanchard, Brown, Whitlock jr., and Universal and now with Focus Features, Legendary Pictures, and Perfect World Pictures to implicitly and halfheartedly respond again to Dis, Marv, and the MCU and wrap up a Marvel Less Trilogy in the daylit and allegorical indie docufeature film BLACKKKLANSMAN [2018], a film released on May 14, 2018 that was inspired by the allegorical Ron Stallworth indie non-fiction book Black Klansman [2014].

“!They are super predators!”

Half-hearted, indeed, as Lee implicitly and petulantly linked the tragicomic and Colorado Springs, CO livin’ and masked and costumed Ku Klux Klansman luvin’ KKK members Felix Kendrickson and the glasses and moustache rockin’ but toupee free Walter Breachway-played by Jasper Paakkonen and Ryan Eggold, respectively-to the equally tragicomic and masked and costumed superhero and superheroine luvin’ Ditko or Jim Starlin and Smilin’ Stan “the Man” Lee.  This implicit interest in Marvel and the MCU was openly affirmed by the presence of Topher Grace, whose KKK Grand Wizard David Duke looked like and was implicitly linked to the Smilin’ Stan sans glasses and avec moustache and toupee in the Sixties and Seventies, for Grace played the eager beaver and implicitly Justin Timberlake linked DAILY BUGLE photographer Edward “Eddie” Brock jr. aka “Venom” in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, Ozian themed, and implicitly Cronenberg roastin’ and toastin’ Raimi super satirical animaction film SPIDER-MAN 3 (2007), released on May 4, 2007.  The unusual sound of the allegorical and Elliot Lurie written Looking Glass tune “Brandy” [1972], one of the only non-American-African tunes to appear on a Lee soundtrack, also openly affirmed the implicit interest in the MCU in BLACKKKLANSMAN, as “Brandy” played a prominent role when Dis and Marv teamed up with Japin’ James Gunn to implicitly and principally roast and toast Besson and roast Sir Scott in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: VOL. 2 [2017], released on April 10, 2017.

Curiously, the determined and tragicomic quest of the young, handsome, naïve, and dedicated American-African Colorado Springs Police Department [CSPD] undercover detective and “…young hip soul brother” Ronald “Ron” Stallworth-played by John D. Washington-to team up with his perhaps Reitman linked American-Jewish CSPD detective partner Flip Zimmerman-played by Adam Driver-and expose the madcap machinations of the KKK in beautiful and Canada evoking Colorado Springs was also implicitly linked to the equally determined and tragicomic quest of the old, ugly, experienced, and dedicated “film scholar” Wright to interpret and expose the embattled fiction and film art of the dread allegorical Zone Wars including that of the MCU on his website www.zonewarsonfilm.org, perhaps in retaliation for the weird, wacky, wiry, and woebegone worldwide webhead Wright aka “Gardevil” being implicitly linked to the equally weird, wacky, wiry, woebegone, world renowned, and implicitly radioactive CGI spider powered teen webhead Peter Parker aka “Spider-Man”-played by Tom Holland-in the MCU by 2018.

Just as curiously, the august Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences implicitly liked the implicit anti-MCU intent of the lacklustre BLACKKKLANSMAN, for they nominated the film for six Academy Awards and awarded it one golden Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay which was co-shared by Lee to award for all of his courageous, committed, determined, and passionate devotion to the film art life.  And so Lee wrapped up his implicit Anti-Marvel Trilogy with another small, low budget, F/X light, and indomitably indie docufeature film that was in complete contrast to the huge, big budget, F/X heavy, and indomitably indie super satirical animaction films of the MCU.  Not that Dis and Marv seemed to care, for they collaborated with Antsy Anna Boden and Restless Ryan Fleck to have a young but still tall, tough, intimidating, black haired, shrewd, knowing, gruff but sympathetic and likable, and implicitly Lee linked SHIELD Agent Nicholas J. “Nick” Fury-played again by Jackson-helped kick off the merry marchin’ and all conquerin’ Year of Marvel, prepare audiences for the next titanic tilt with Thanos, explain the mysterious gizmo he dropped and the cryptic message he sent at the end of AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR, and help introduce and welcome to Earth aka C53 the short, slim, beautiful, fit, and strong young blonde Kree woman Star Force warrior who turned out really be the implicitly Sarah Polley and Dorothy/Glinda linked Vers aka top human United States Air Force [USAF] pilot Captain Carol “Avenger” Danvers aka “Captain Marvel”-played by London Fuller as a six year old, McKenna Grace as a thirteen year old, and fittingly by Can-Am actress Brie Larson as an adult, respectively-in the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film CAPTAIN MARVEL [2019], released on February 27, 2019 and inspired by a character created by Gentle Gene Colan and Rowdy Roy Thomas for Marvel Comics.

And, while they played no major role in that titanic tilt with Thanos, Disney, Marvel, and the Russo Brothers had the older, still tall, tough, intimidating, shaven headed, left eye-patched, shrewd, knowing, world weary, gruff but sympathetic and likable, and implicitly Lee linked SHIELD Director Nicholas J. “Nick” Fury-played again by Jackson-and his favourite number two, the tall, slim, sexy, smart, courageous, determined, and implicitly Tonya Lewis Lee and Glinda linked SHIELD Agent Maria Hill-played again by Smulders-did show up to pay their respects at the funeral of the still brilliant, creative, intuitive, and tech savvy but not as brash and cocky and Parker lamenting but still implicitly Reitman and now Great Oz and Air linked Anthony “Tony” Stark aka “Iron Man”-played again by Downey jr.-at the end of the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film AVENGERS: ENDGAME [2019], a film released on April 22, 2019.  Significantly, soon after, Dis, Marv, and Undaunted Jon Watts implied that they had understood the implicit allegorical intent of BLACKKKLANSMAN, for they had the tall, tough, intimidating, shaven headed, left eye-patched, shrewd, knowing, world weary, gruff but sympathetic and likable, and implicitly Lee linked SHIELD Director Nicholas J. “Nick” Fury-played again by Jackson-and his favourite number two, the tall, slim, sexy, and implicitly Tonya Lewis Lee and Glinda linked SHIELD Agent Maria Hill-played again by Smulders-helped the equally weird, wacky, wiry, woebegone, world renowned, and implicitly radioactive CGI spider powered teen webhead Peter Parker aka “Spider-Man”-played by Tom Holland-kick off the post-Thanos era and take on and take out the brooding, bitter, disappointed, intense, fortune and glory lustin’, and implicitly Edgar Wright and Wicked Witch of the West linked Quentin Beck aka “Mysterio”-inspired by a character created by Ditko and Lee for Marvel Comics, and played by Jake Gyllenhaal-and his fake and illusion tech created world threatening “Elementals” at the end of the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film SPIDERMAN: FAR FROM HOME [2019], a film released on June 26, 2019 whose implicit allegorical intent was affirmed by allusions to DO THE RIGHT THING and THE WIZAR OF OZ.

As for Lee, he donned the co-writer/director caps and teamed up again with Blanchard, Kilik, Lindo, Paakkonen, Thomas, and Whitlock jr. on the daylit and allegorical indie docufeature film DA 5 BLOODS [2020], released on June 12, 2020.  Three years later, Disney and Marvel collaborated with Nifty Nia DaCosta to have the tall, tough, intimidating, shaven headed, left eye-patched, shrewd, knowing, world weary, gruff but sympathetic and likable, and implicitly Lee linked Nicholas J. “Nick” Fury-played again by Jackson-now watching over Earth in a satellite as Director of the Strategic Aerospace Biophysics and Exolinguistic Response [S.A.B.E.R.], team up again with the short, slim, smart, steely, beautiful, blonde, fit, and implicitly Polley and Glinda linked Vers aka Captain Carol “Avenger” Danvers aka “Captain Marvel”-played again by Larson-and now also with the short, black haired, exuberant, Muslim, Captain Marvel adoring, narrative art luvin’ and drawin’ and implicitly Marjane Satrapi and Scarecrow linked Jersey City teenage fangirl Kamala Khan aka “Ms. Marvel”-played by Iman Vellani-and the now teenage, tall, beautiful, and perhaps Christian and implicitly Dorothy linked Monica Rambeau aka “Professor Marvel” to implicitly affirm the Ozian theme of the film-played by Parris-to save the Earth aka C53 yet again at the healing, harmonizing, and eucatastrophic end of the daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced and Ozian themed indie super satirical animaction film THE MARVELS [2023], released on November 8, 2023.

Two years later, Lee donned the director/executive producer hats and again teamed up with Brown and Washington to channel his Kurosawa Akira san Force in the daylit and allegorical indie docufeature film HIGHEST 2 LOWEST [2025], released on May 19, 2025.  Tragicomically, DC, Warners, and Gunn then gave Lee more reason to hate them than Marvel when they implicitly linked him to the listless, laconic, and implicitly Tin Man linked Michael Holt aka “Mister Terrific”-played by Edi Gathegi-and had him team up with the big, strong, muscular, black haired, blue eyed, and implicitly Reitman and Scarecrow linked alien Kal-El aka DAILY PLANET reporter “Clark Kent” aka “Superman”-played by David Corenswet-to triumph over the bald, brainy, duplicitous, insidious, and implicitly Disney CEO Bob Iger linked Lex Luthor-played by Nicholas Hoult-to the relieved delight of the loyal, helpful, all CGI, and implicitly Wright and Tin Man linked Fortress of Solitude robot Gary aka “Four”-played by Alan Tudyk-at the healing, harmonizing, and eucatastrophic end of the spectacularly dismal, daylit, allegorical, CGI enhanced, and Ozian themed super satirical animaction film SUPERMAN [2025], a film released on July 2, 2025 that was inspired by a character initially implicitly linked to DOC SAVAGE super saga writer Lester Dent by Genial Gene Siegel and Joltin’ Joe Shuster for DC.  Setting audiences up for an implicitly furious response from Lee, and reaffirming that to truly understand the courageous, creative, innovative, memorable, thought provokin’, always implicitly allegorical, American African blues/classical/jazz/pop luvin’, implicitly idiot box and Marvel and now DC hatin’, Lucas and Lynch luvin’ and hatin’, indie film art and Lee family luvin’ and supportin’, ravin’ and rantin’ at the camera, obscenity spewin’, sho nuffin’, dolly ridin’, and always irritatingly, irrepressibly and indomitably indie docufeature film art of the best Atlanta born and Crooklyn raised Jigaboo film artist in the storied history of film art and those who implicitly replied to him, necessary it was to do the Wright thing and delve deep under the surface of a raucous and spikin’ Lee joint in order to discover what was hidden…Inside Lee.

Bibliography

Lee, Spike and Kaleem Aftab.  That’s My Story and I’m Sticking

        to It.  New York: W.W. Norton, 2005.

----- and Tonya Lewis Lee.  please, baby, please.

        New York: Simon & Schuster Books For Young

        Readers, 2002.