Today we present our original 2-part episode on Do The Right Thing, the 1989 classic film by Spike Lee. (Originally released August/September 2022)

As you should well know, "Fight the Power" by Public Enemy features prominently in the film, and if you're listening to this in mid-April of 2024, you should know that Chuck D from Public Enemy will be in conversation with our man DJ ARM 18, Andrew McIntosh on April 16th at Northampton Community College. Information on that event is at northampton.edu. Your HHMCs JB, BooGie and me, DynoWright will be there. Come through and hang with us! 

Topics discussed:

• This film forces you think and feel something, and is still fresh and relevant
• "Fight the Power" and how it came to be part of the movie
• A cavalcade of stars and soon-to-be stars, plus expert cinematography (by Ernest Dickerson) that enhances the themes of the film
• Is Sal racist?
• Could Sal and Mookie continue having a relationship after all that happened, or are they done?

Also check out:

"Fight the Power" music video by Public Enemy

Credits

Hip Hop Movie Club is produced by your HHMCs JB, BooGie, and DynoWright. Theme music by BooGie. Follow @hiphopmovieclub on Instagram!

And remember:

Don't hate...liberate!

Hello, listener. This is DynoWright.

2

Today we present our original two part

episode on Do the Right Thing.

3

The 1989 classic spike Lee film.

4

As you should well know.

5

Fight the Power by Public Enemy.

6

Features prominently in the film,

7

and if you're listening to this

8

you should know that Chuck D from Public

9

Enemy will be in conversation

with our man, DJ ARM 18,

10

Andrew McIntosh, on April 16th

11

at Northampton Community College.

12

Information on that event

is at Northampton.edu.

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Your HH emcees JB, BooGie,

and me DynoWright will be there.

14

So come hang with us.

15

Part two follows immediately after part

one of this episode.

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Thanks for listening. Yo!

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Bring it!

18

C’mon!

19

Welcome to Hip Hop Movie Club where three

old heads put their old heads together.

20

The vibe on some of the most memorable

or forgettable hip hop theme

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movies of all time.

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And here's M.C.

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with your HMCs Boogie.

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JB and Dino right?

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Come on.

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Season three, episode

one Do the Right Thing

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part one.

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We packed so much into this discussion

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that part two will be out next week.

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Written,

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directed and produced by spike

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and featuring a cavalcade of stars

and up and comers who became superstars.

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In this episode, we'll answer the question

is this movie as vital

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and important as ever?

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Do the Right Thing depicts 24 hours

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of the hottest day of the year

in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section.

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Brooklyn,

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its historically black section

of the borough, with exceptions

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such as the Korean convenience

store and Sal's Pizzeria,

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which has been situated there for the past

25 years.

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Sal's pizzeria is the epicenter of rising

racial tensions between young black men

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in Bed-Stuy and Sal and his sons, Vito

and Pino, while Vito is more open minded.

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Pino hates interacting

with the neighborhood residents,

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primarily based on their skin

color and cultural norms.

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Mookie is a black pizza delivery man

working for Sal for a few years

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and dealing with the racial epithets

and trying to find a balance

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between earning a living as hostile work

environment,

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maintaining his relationship

with his girlfriend and son,

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and dealing with his friends

who have far less patience for racism.

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Underlying racial tensions come to a head

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on this sweltering day,

with tragic results.

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Like one

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on one black and.

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So, Boogie, you want to kick us off

on, your view of do the right thing?

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Yeah.

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So Do the Right Thing is a classic spike

Lee movie.

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It's one of those movies

that is meant to facilitate discussion.

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talks on a lot of poignant topics

that still exist to this day.

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So that's one of the things

that I've always appreciated about spike.

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He was never afraid to, he's never afraid

to put his views out on film.

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But I saw this movie

for the first time in middle school.

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You know, one of our teachers

got special permission to show it to us.

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And, you know, it facilitated

some discussion and got us thinking.

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And it touched on a lot of things that,

we saw in our neighborhood because it

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pretty much mirrored the Bed-Stuy,

neighborhood and do the right thing.

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But the first thing that really popped out

for me was the intro,

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my favorite song from my favorite hip hop

group of all time, Fight the Power.

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Like instant classic.

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We are introduced to Rosie Perez,

as you know, dancing

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through the intro, just kind of getting

ready for what was to come.

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every time I see that Detroit,

it just gives me chills because it's

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such a great call to basically fight

the power, as the chorus says.

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I mean, we got some classic interactions

between,

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the late Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee.

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The chemistry between them

is undeniable, of course, but

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it spills over really well into the movie

as they play off of one another.

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One of my favorite actors of all time

is actually, do the right thing.

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Giancarlo Esposito, who plays bugging out.

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This guy is so versatile.

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He plays in a lot of shows and movies.

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In any role that I see.

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I mean, he steals the show.

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He's a he's a great, phenomenal actor.

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and then there's another list of up

and comers

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and people that, if you see them now,

they're like big A-listers.

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So I mean, I think the movie

is a really good one by spike Lee.

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Like I said in it's very enjoyable

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for me because like I said, it

facilitates discussion.

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Anyone who watches the movie

definitely has to get something out of it.

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You can watch the movie and walk away

from it, not feeling anything.

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You're going to feel something.

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And I think that's what

I probably appreciate the most about it.

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It makes you think.

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Yeah, good analysis there.

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It it makes your blood boil

because of all the racism that's depicted.

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It's sickening because

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we all trying to get along well,

trying to get along society.

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And you see just hatred

that's deep seated.

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just to piggyback off of your comments.

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Fight the power is amazing.

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I love that song is played

throughout with Radio Raheem.

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That's the only song

he really plays on his boombox.

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I was watching some of the bonus features

with this, and Chuck D

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was contacted by spike

Lee to create an anthem for this movie.

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So he knew about the script,

he knew what was all about,

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and Chuck D was like,

all right, you need an anthem.

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And he put together a few verses, and

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I think spike Lee was the first cut.

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Wasn't good.

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He sent it back

and it wasn't even called Fight the Power.

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And what he did eventually get

was what you hear in the movie.

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And it's funny,

you never hear the full song

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because it wasn't

even complete at that time.

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So they put snippets of the song in there,

and it was super powerful.

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And then Chuck D and the rest of Public

Enemy completed that song.

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Amazing anthem

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introduction of Rosie Perez, I believe was

Martin Lawrence's first movie as well.

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Yeah, we'll get into a lot of the other

actors and actresses, but

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Sam Jackson,

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before he became Samuel L Jackson as Love

Daddy, the radio DJ was was awesome.

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He was like, objective observer.

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He's a DJ talking to the to the town,

seeing everything that goes on.

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And he's a cool character as he always is.

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And then there's

so many other great characters in here.

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One of the thing

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you mentioned, Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee,

who had been married in real life.

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the funny thing with that is he plays

this character called The mayor.

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Bit of a town drunk, but he's he's wise.

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He has a scene where he saves a boy

from getting hit by a car.

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And Ossie

Davis mentioned, in one of the interviews.

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But is that the relationship

you had with Ruby Dee,

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who plays mother sister

who watches over the neighborhood?

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It paralleled

almost a relationship in real life.

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Not that he was in town drunk,

but he said that she looked down on him

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a little bit early on in the relationship,

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like she didn't really have trust in him

and and see his virtue.

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And then she,

she kind of grew to love him.

138

So I thought that was really a nice touch

that spike had bringing them into the

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into the film together.

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Yeah. Very nice. Yeah.

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All right.

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What are your, initial impressions?

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I had never seen this before, which is

crazy to think all these years later

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I hadn't seen it, but it's really

it really is fresh and relevant now.

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And I think important for me

to see a movie like this.

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But the beginning, when it's

more of a feel good kind of comedy,

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it's really funny.

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There's a Jerry curl alert. That.

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You're that you want to talk about someone

was cleaner than the Board of Health.

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Like, this is really funny stuff,

and I'm so glad I got to see this.

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And we love Robin Harris.

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If you've listened

to any of our episodes, yes,

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you'll see that he has some great lines.

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If Tyson dreamed of my ass,

you'd better wake up and apologize.

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You're $0.30 away from having a quarter

the holes out of donuts like,

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man, if he

had lived, he would have been a mega star.

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Absolutely.

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And it's kind of also funny to see that.

159

His. Name in the movie.

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I don't know if I should even repeat it,

but name the movies over.

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Is so raunchy. It's electric, Willie.

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I mean, these.

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People will say

slick. Slick, they. Really.

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There's two

phallic references in this thing.

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So just one, but two.

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yeah.

167

His dialog is one of the three corner men,

as they call it.

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Yeah, Coconut City and MLW.

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Now, those guys are great.

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I mean, I could listen to an entire it's

almost like a barbershop routine.

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Yeah, just sitting on the corner

and they're just.

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They're just.

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Shooting the breeze

and talking about pertinent topics though.

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But it's like kind of like, oh man.

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And they're jealous of

of the Korean convenience store.

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It's like, oh,

these people just got off the boat

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and they have a store

within the past year,

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and they're going back and forth saying,

that's not fair, but

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it's because we're black and

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Robin has the characters like,

knock it the heck off.

181

You always say how these big dreams

where's, you know,

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go get a job, dude, do this.

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I can give you money.

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And he's like, It's

Miller time, I'm out of here.

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You know, it's. Kind of low level setting.

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These guys, from just just complaining

about their their lot in life.

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But it's so funny because even, like,

in that conversation, you know,

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there's humor to those conversations,

but there's also some truth to it as well.

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as you know, a lot of documentation

is becoming public now.

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We are realizing that there actually

was some redlining that did occur

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in African-American communities and also

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where banks, made it hard or,

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you know, they denied to get loans

or made it impossible or hard

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to get those loans to open businesses

and neighborhoods, whereas

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even though they're considered

an immigrant coming from another country,

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you know,

you do have the Chinese and the Koreans

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that will come over

and they're able to get those businesses.

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Like I said,

I've seen it in my own neighborhood.

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You know, there's so many

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there's been a couple of shops and stores

that have open in any neighborhood,

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whereas people that live

there aren't able to.

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Or if they do get one,

it doesn't stay open that long.

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So I mean, there's spike taking the scene.

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Put some humor to it, but put a little bit

of truth in there as well.

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Yeah, I think this movie was a great mix

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of real hardcore,

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real talk racism.

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But again, there was some comedic,

definitely some comedic aspects of it.

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I mean, I like the dialog.

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I'm a huge sports fan,

so even like the little I love this Spike

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Lee's where the Jackie Robinson jersey,

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which is also symbolic,

breaking the color barrier in baseball.

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But there's also the commentary

where they're going back

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and forth, who's a better pitcher

under Roger Clemens?

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And that's awesome.

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That was a huge debate in the mid

in the mid 80s and late, late 80s.

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Yeah.

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yeah.

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There was just some

some really good dialog and

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the stuff about

Mike Tyson that you mentioned earlier.

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Right. And that was great.

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And then, like Mike Tyson.

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But the.

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The whole cinematography

was great to the closeups.

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This the slow motion scene

when you have the white cops

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roll up and it's like, you know,

what a waste.

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It was so powerful.

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Again, it's the hottest day of the year.

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You can you can almost feel the heat

through the screen.

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They use.

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You see the folks sweating.

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You see the almost like red hues.

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now what's very intentionally right,

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the red hues to me, that warmth.

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and I was watching the extra scenes.

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You know,

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they filmed this over, like a ten week

period right there in Bed-Stuy,

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which is great that they filmed it

right there.

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It wouldn't have come off as authentic.

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It was filmed, like on a Hollywood set.

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there was like a

one week where they said that rain street,

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it rained the entire week,

but they had to stay on schedule.

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So even though it's raining, they,

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they they did the lighting in such a way

that it looked bright and sunny.

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So they had to do,

some extra special effects.

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There.

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So the way that was shot, a close ups,

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you get that feeling.

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You see Rosie Perez,

you know, dunking her head in the

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in the water to cool off.

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even the the romantic ice cubes scene.

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yeah, it was like that.

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I mean, it's just like you can feel that

heat and again, that the trip that added

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to the racial tensions

that we see throughout the film.

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Yeah, yeah.

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There's cinema. Like you said,

the cinematography was spot on.

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I mean, spike is

a master of his craft. And,

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you know,

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he shoots the way he has the movie shot,

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those, those effects

that he has has on his films.

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It just gives you

a feeling of actually being there,

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and it kind of enhances

a lot of the dialog or, you know,

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whatever's happening, he just kind of

pulls it out a little bit more.

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I definitely appreciate his movies,

though.

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Yeah.

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Shout out to Eric Ernest Dickerson, Eric.

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Dickerson.

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Not Eric Dickerson, says the Ernest

Dickerson, the director of photography.

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Yeah, this is a character.

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You get to meet a lot of different

characters, like bugging out.

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Obviously

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he's got a vendetta.

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He wants.

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He's really dead set.

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That cell should have photos

of black people on his quote unquote

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wall of fame, you know, and they're all

just Italian-Americans. And,

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that's one thing.

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there's,

279

again, a lot of different cultural groups

in there.

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There's the Korean storeowners, and

a lot of people are just nasty to them.

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You know, maybe it's out of jealousy,

it's out of hatred.

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Then there's the Latino group,

and then there was the scene

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where, you know, there's the boombox,

Radio Raheem, his boombox, and,

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almost like the salsa music.

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And there's,

like, battling back and forth.

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So it's shows the whole different mix

and everybody's

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got their own,

you know, viewpoint and prejudices.

288

And again, on the hottest day of the year,

it all bubbles up at the end,

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right?

290

You know.

291

So I wanted to kind of like maybe debate

a couple topics here.

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Does Buggin Out

have an actual point in that Sal

293

should have photos of black people

on the wall in his pizzeria?

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what do you guys think

wants to jump in there?

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Yeah, I think I see both sides of it.

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I think that, in a sense, broken out

does have a point.

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You know, Sal's Famous

pizzeria is in the middle of Bed-Stuy.

298

you know, the people that frequent his

his pizzeria

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shop are, you know, black people.

300

So, I mean, I kind of see what Buggin Out

is coming from the.

301

Hey, you know,

302

you're making money off of us, you know,

why can't we have some people that look

303

like us?

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I want a wall.

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But on the flip side of it,

I also see Sal's point.

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You know, it's his establishment.

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You know, he's worked hard to.

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As you said.

309

He built it with his hands

from the ground up, you know.

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So he's proud of

you know what he's establishing?

311

He wants to honor,

312

you know, the people that have come before

him or the people that he, you know,

313

he he, he's entertained

by or look up to. So,

314

I mean, this is wall in his building,

I think, you know,

315

at the same time he should have the same

who goes on his wall.

316

So, I mean,

I think it's Buggin Out was a little

317

it was a very radical in a

in his approach.

318

But on the flip side, like,

you know, Sal was

319

he was a little irritable

and a little agitated as well.

320

So it's kind of one of those things,

you know, I see both sides of it

321

done. All right.

322

What do you think? Well,

323

I get Sal's point

and I get buggin outs point.

324

But buggin now could just go to

a different pizza place and, I don't know,

325

I mean, Bed-Stuy is not that small.

326

Like,

there's other pizza places, aren't there?

327

But like 51% with Sal, like it

says, pizza place,

328

you can do whatever he wants with it

since you can go if you go somewhere else.

329

I mean, maybe the pizza isn't as good

somewhere else, which is the

330

which is the problem for,

for for for bugging out.

331

But probably the best business sense

332

was for South to put some pictures

of black people on there

333

because it makes your customers happy,

then you know you,

334

you'll get more money

and more business out of it.

335

I'm with you guys.

336

Sal's not obligated to put any pictures.

337

He doesn't want to. On the wall.

It's his restaurant.

338

It's a private business.

339

Well, he worked things out in the public,

but it's not like.

340

It's not like a publicly stockholder

shares, you know?

341

So he owns a business.

He can do what he wants to do.

342

however, like you said,

343

it's it's approach.

344

It's a whole approach.

345

bugging out was

346

a little bit too demanding,

but then again, there's no reason for Sal

347

to shout at him, call him a chill maker,

come out with a baseball bat.

348

It's like, oh, yeah,

all right, now you're escalating it right?

349

You're you're,

it's becoming incendiary right now

350

because now you're you're being offended

that he's even asking that.

351

And now you're bringing a baseball bat.

352

So they both they both were in the wrong.

353

I mean, I tried to put myself in

Sal's shoes.

354

If I had a specific restaurant

over that ethnicity,

355

and if someone asked that, I would try

to diffuse the situation and just say,

356

even if even if you're you're

somewhat sugarcoating, like,

357

I'll take that into consideration. Know

something like that.

358

Not like you troublemaker.

359

You start cussing

and bring out a baseball bat.

360

It's like, I understand your point, but

361

it's not going to happen.

362

Or I'll think about it even if you want.

363

You know, there's there's

definitely other ways to handle it.

364

Yeah.

365

Like he probably could have said, hey,

you know, all right, how about you give me

366

five people

367

who you think might might be up there

and and I'll think about putting them up.

368

Something like that. Right.

369

Yeah. That's a solution. Not just.

370

Right. Throwing grenades. Right.

371

How about put rookie's picture up

there as an employee of the month?

372

How about that. Right.

373

Yeah I think Sal,

would you, propose to that?

374

You know, what's

375

ironic is John Carlo Esposito,

376

who who plays the role of Buggin Out,

he's half black, half Italian.

377

I mean. This is pretty funny.

378

Is it pretty funny that he, he,

you know, he's he has the he's causing

379

the big divide and,

380

and, he,

he actually has the heritage of both.

381

He actually mentioned one interview.

382

I said he didn't really fit in

in real life.

383

He didn't really fit in with the Italian

crowd because they really look at them.

384

But again,

he didn't fit in with the black crowd

385

because his name is John Carlos

Zito, right?

386

He actually got along with a lot of Jewish

folks that were like his best friends.

387

It's just ironic.

388

but he said that in an interview

that I, that I saw so

389

and just to talk about Giancarlo,

like I said, versatile roles.

390

He played gusts in Breaking Bad

that people may know him from.

391

And in Mandalore, he's played a big role

in The Mandalorian Live, which is good,

392

and tons and tons of movies,

so he's super talented.

393

I watched him mostly in homicide

those two years he was on Homicide

394

Life on the Street. Nice.

395

Right,

396

great.

397

Three.

398

Three.

399

Three. Three.

400

Three.

401

Other debate topic

I want to bring up this Sal.

402

Right.

403

Would you consider

Sal a racist? Yes or no?

404

And why do you think Boogie.

405

Yeah, I would consider him racist,

406

but I wouldn't consider him

like overtly racist.

407

I think what might make Sal racist

is not necessarily him as a person,

408

but just the indoctrination of what

he's been taught or how he was raised.

409

But he actually was very toned down, like

he he spoke to some people with respect.

410

And even when, when the mayor came in

and asked if he needed some work done,

411

he, you know, gave him a broom

and gave him some pay,

412

let him go outside the front of the store.

413

You know,

414

Jade will come by and he you know, he

would have lengthy conversations with her

415

even to a certain extent with Mookie.

416

Like he didn't

he wasn't overtly racist towards Mookie.

417

That was just a a manager

employee dynamics between the two of them,

418

you know, like he didn't,

you know, say much about Mookie

419

that was could be considered,

you know, racially offensive.

420

It was more so like, hey, do your job

or are you are you being late?

421

Are you hanging out?

422

Are you playing around?

423

Like most managers

would ask employees about

424

if they would go on for a while

and came back, you know, or

425

they had a tendency to to wander off or,

you know, things like that. So,

426

I don't think he was

427

overtly racist,

but I think towards the end,

428

when the bugging out in Radio

429

Raheem situation escalated, now,

430

was that word thrown out in anger,

431

or was that word thrown out because that's

how you always felt about them?

432

You don't really know,

433

you know.

434

So certain situations.

435

What do you think? Done it right.

436

So Sal. Racist.

437

Yes. But the the thing that helped me

sort of thing through this,

438

I don't know if you've read, How

to Be an Anti-Racist by Ibram X Candy,

439

so I'm oversimplifying it,

but it basically says either you're racist

440

or anti-racist

moment to moment, action to action.

441

And so if you're not actually

442

doing something anti-racist,

then you're being racist.

443

So because definition of racism

is one of either actively confronting

444

racial inequality or allowing it

to exist by action or inaction.

445

So when

446

Sal gives a broom to the mayor

and it's the money to

447

to sweep up the front, he's

being anti-racist.

448

But when and now it's getting in its face,

449

and then sells you the N-word,

now he's being racist.

450

And so it's useful for me

to have this lens to answer this question

451

about whether Sal's a racist.

452

And so the short answer is, yes,

but he's pushed towards it more at the end

453

when the aggravation continues

and he does racist things.

454

That's a good viewpoint.

455

for me, Sal definitely is a racist.

456

And you can tell by some of the language

457

he uses, some speak,

and he may not be quite as overt.

458

I mean, in the beginning of the movies,

I'm going to hurt somebody today.

459

All right?

460

Okay. Wait.

461

Why are you going to hurt someone? Right?

462

You're already having a bad day also.

463

And I saw spike.

464

Spike Lee actually helped me

kind of decipher this a little bit further

465

when he was asked a question like. This.

466

He said, these,

467

these people,

these people grew up on my pizza shop.

468

These

469

like, it's it it's a very degrading term

just to kind of classify someone as,

470

you know, these people like almost like

they're lower class because they're black.

471

Yeah. Other.

472

Right, right.

473

These people and also,

474

Pino has one son, played by John Turturro.

475

Super racist.

476

Using the N-word was like, this is like,

this is like planet of the apes.

477

This is ridiculous.

I hate this. He's always used the N-word.

478

He's nasty to monkey.

479

again, that doesn't come out of thin air.

480

It's most like, ingrained

by by his father, even though his brother

481

Vito, much more open minded,

482

was cool with Mookie.

483

I don't think he uttered a racist remark.

484

He was actually trying to come,

you know, to get Pino to see the light

485

that we should all be equal.

486

But yeah. No, I think,

487

Sal, played by Danny Aiello,

488

was definitely racist.

489

And again, it comes out like,

is it like you said, Danny?

490

Right.

491

It's like you're either racist

or anti-racist and if something escalate

492

and then it comes out, I was like,

all right, this was in there.

493

This was this was this.

494

You may have tried to bottle up

a little bit, but,

495

you know, that's that's the way you are.

496

So I mean that that's my thought on it.

497

Right.

498

Okay.

499

What do we think

of Radio Rahim's character?

500

So if you guys all recall the movie

listeners

501

here, I mean, he's this big, hulking guy.

502

And primarily

he's just holding his boombox,

503

blasting Public Enemy's Fight the Power

that's in it and just super loud.

504

And even when he goes in every store,

he does have that one little soliloquy

505

where he has love and hate on his,

forefinger rings

506

and he has,

you know, talks about it like that. But

507

what do you guys make of his character?

508

Was he was he educated? Not educated?

509

You have a point.

510

You know, unfortunately, he was a tragedy,

511

you know, killed by the police brutality

at the end there.

512

What's your take on it?

513

Right. For him?

I couldn't get a good read on him.

514

Yeah, that's a good question

because so many times as I've watched

515

the movie,

I've never really given that much thought.

516

but I think that Radio Raheem

was a polarizing character

517

in the community

because everybody knew who he was.

518

And and it was not necessarily

because of what came out of his mouth,

519

but it was because he always walked around

with a radio.

520

In this instance,

he was playing Fake the Power.

521

But, you know,

522

he probably played other music as well

on other days or other occasions. But

523

I think that the fact that everybody knew

524

who he was, he was like a larger than life

character in the neighborhood.

525

They never really gave any information

about any type of occupation

526

or anything that he did.

527

So we don't know whether he, you know,

worked or not or what

528

he did or what his likes and dislikes

were other than the radio,

529

which is which is kind of ironic, but

530

I think that he did have some issues

just based off

531

of how he interacted with the Koreans

when he needed to, to buy some batteries.

532

You know, there was some, some extreme,

533

rudeness,

534

lack of better word.

535

But he was very, very,

536

out of pocket with them.

537

And I would never talked to anyone

like that.

538

And, you know, they're trying to help you

whether you you like them or not.

539

I mean, you're in their business

trying to,

540

you know, purchase

some batteries from them.

541

Like, there's don't need to belittle

anyone in the customer service industry.

542

So anytime I see stuff like that,

I cringe a little bit.

543

So in that aspect,

I didn't really like him in that instance,

544

the whole scene

545

with him and bugging out, confronting Sal.

546

I don't know if you necessarily agree

with bugging out or if he was just there

547

just to egg him on or

548

or what he his role was there was because

it was primarily bugging out idea

549

to go there to confront Sal, but

he's just kind of, you know, tagged along.

550

Maybe he had those feelings on

you don't really know.

551

But, you know, unfortunately,

it goes to show sometimes it's it's better

552

to not follow blindly into a situation

553

because sometimes there's

tragic results in them.

554

And it's just he lost his life,

unfortunately.

555

But yeah, like I said,

I've been trying to figure out

556

can't really necessarily

clear pinpoint on him.

557

so, you know,

I'm open to your feelings on it as well.

558

Yeah.

559

I mean, for me,

he was a little bit militant, actually.

560

Right. In my opinion.

561

And when Buggin Out approached him,

you know, let's boycott Sal's

562

because, again, he doesn't have

the pictures of black people on the wall.

563

I think he was happy to join the cause.

564

He was overtly, I guess, trying to impose

565

his culture,

onto others with the music and

566

super disrespectful to the Korean,

567

you know, dropping the mfa's

and this and that.

568

I don't know,

maybe he was kind of a lost soul,

569

looking to latch onto something

and then bugging out gave him the right.

570

So I think that's what I'm there.

571

Kind of like maybe he was a little bit

wayward in the winter there.

572

He latched on to

what bugging out was talking about.

573

He's the one that, you know,

in that confrontation, he pulled

574

Sal over the counter

and started attacking him.

575

You know, after, obviously, Sal destroyed

576

his boombox, you know, with multiple hits

with the baseball bat.

577

So, yeah, I mean, spike

Lee mentioned something in interview

578

too, is like,

there were a lot of people like that.

579

This is how it was in Bed-Stuy.

580

There were people walking around

with Boombox Loud,

581

and they were just listening to it,

and it was frowned upon by a lot of these,

582

old school folks.

583

So it was definitely a source of conflict.

584

I mean, that's my take. There.

585

It. Right.

You have anything to add on Radio Raheem?

586

Yeah.

587

So I think Radio Raheem is my least

favorite part of the movie.

588

I felt like there was not enough character

development with him.

589

Maybe that was the point.

590

Maybe the point was there

are these characters in any in any block.

591

And that's the point of this is a person

with a boombox that plays music really

592

loud, is very literal

593

and visceral, that it's fight

the power coming out of his his boombox

594

and confronting Sal as if hip hop himself

was loudly demanding to be heard.

595

You know, this is 1989.

596

Still, hip hop is not is still young man.

597

But aside from the love and hate soliloquy

he has, like,

598

we don't really know anything about Radio

Raheem other than he's really big.

599

You got a giant boombox

that's like proportional to its size,

600

and it's cause

the rent walks around his boombox all day.

601

We don't know what he does like.

602

We don't know what his motivations.

603

He's he's mean to the

the convenience store owner is like,

604

what was this all about?

605

And then for him to die at the end

is like the, the great tragedy of the end.

606

I wasn't quite sure.

607

Like what there is a message

here in the entire movie,

608

but we didn't know enough about radio him

to care whether he died or not.

609

I mean, we do care

610

because he's because of the way he died,

but like the person himself.

611

What's the real part of the tragedy

that he died.

612

Right. So I was struggling with that.

613

We didn't know enough about Radio Raheem.

614

Maybe we're supposed to, but I felt,

you know, had this movie been maybe

615

15 minutes longer, we could have, like,

really known the deeper tragedy of this.

616

But, you know, let me let me flash forward

to just a couple years ago

617

with George Floyd, right,

to get a little bit deeper.

618

It doesn't make it,

you know, just because Radio

619

Raheem may have not been

a super upstanding citizen.

620

Right?

The life is still super valuable, right?

621

I see a lot of people trying to nitpick

George Floyd, you know, his character.

622

Right.

And I think that's totally wrong. Right.

623

Because then even if you give a tiny ounce

of justification,

624

there's no there's no reason at all.

625

So George Floyd was what was he was like

stealing cigarets or something like that.

626

It's like, oh,

he had a, criminal record like I.

627

That really irks me when people start

628

digging into

629

these victims of the police brutality.

630

And so, I mean, how poignant was it

that spike Lee chose Radio Raheem?

631

So what we don't really know about

632

and his life is no less

valuable than anybody else.

633

so, you know,

we shouldn't really be concerned

634

about really Radio Raheem past.

635

It was a violent act

that went way too far.

636

They knew they were choking him

with the nightstick.

637

And it's a it's a tragedy nonetheless.

638

The tragedy I connected to is Eric Garner.

639

Yeah.

640

Because that was in New York.

641

And that that chokehold. Yeah.

642

but yeah, like

I think I think that was the point too,

643

like you said,

that it showed him as a flawed person,

644

you know, throughout the movie,

you know, even when his interaction

645

with the with the Koreans

and how he, you know, just disregarded

646

everyone and just blasted his music

whether he wanted to hear it or not,

647

to show that

despite it all, he was still a person.

648

And he yeah, he deserved due process that.

649

He didn't deserve to die. Right?

650

Not to die on a street by a chokehold.

651

Yeah, yeah.

652

That was weird.

653

Say, ironic.

654

Lee, the person who played the officer

Rick was Rick Aiello.

655

Danny Aiello, son.

656

in real life.

657

And, I also one of his other sons

658

was actually a stunt stunt double for him,

I think in the fight scene.

659

Yeah.

660

So a couple of Danny Aiello sons

661

were in it as well,

662

right?

663

This debate topic is

664

what do you think of Sal's interaction

with Jade, Cookie's sister?

665

Did he really have a crush with her?

666

Because he was obviously extra sweet

667

speaking with her,

totally out of his character?

668

do you think he literally

had a crush on her,

669

or was he just doing that to dig on

670

on Mookie,

or what was your take on that whole thing?

671

Like.

672

There's there's layers to that,

to that interaction.

673

I think it might've been

674

a bit of a bit of both of those.

675

I think that he actually may have found

676

Jade to be attractive,

and he might have actually liked her.

677

she was very pleasant, very respectful.

678

She seemed like

she had a sweet personality.

679

She seemed like she took care of Mookie,

despite Mookie being older than her.

680

And I think even when she interacted

681

with Mookie, I think everyone kind of

knew, you know, Jade's,

682

you know, relationship with Mookie

is the one that kind of kept him on track

683

because he was a little wayward,

684

you know, having a child

that he really took care of

685

and had a somewhat rocky relationship

with Tina, his, his girlfriend.

686

So I think that Sal might have saw that

and said, you know what?

687

She seems like a real sweet person.

688

You know,

I'm glad to have conversation with her

689

because she is a nice black girl.

690

Not like any of these other ones

around here, you know.

691

So that might be part of it.

692

And he might have also noticed that

693

Mookie got irritated

694

by their interactions and said,

you know what?

695

I know he just irritated by us.

696

I'm going to jab at him.

697

Then there's another layer

698

that spike

probably intended to put in here as well.

699

More subtle is the fetishism.

700

You know, there's been instances

throughout history of

701

the fetishism of black women

702

too numerous to even document comments,

even go over that,

703

you know, that just occur

throughout history where we know

704

black women were substituted to various

degrees of sexual assault, etc..

705

And I think that

706

no one spike, he probably was putting that

claim a little bit on that angle,

707

as well as saying that, you know what,

we know that this guy is racist

708

in any degree.

709

He's racist.

710

You know, here's a here's

a black woman here

711

who's attractive, and let's kind of

712

show how he,

713

you know, even though we know

he doesn't like these people,

714

if he had a shot, would he take it?

715

So I think that's kind of my take

on a whole, the whole interaction between

716

Sal and Jade, I think it was a dynamic

of all those three things combined.

717

And I like it.

718

What do you think? Dynamite?

719

Yeah, I think you got to.

720

Right.

721

Sal calls Mookie, like, assigned to him.

722

And so by extension,

maybe Jade is like a daughter to him.

723

But you can't ignore, like you

said, Boogie the fetishism and happens

724

and throughout history and these racial

dynamics and and these power dynamics too.

725

So, I think that's all it's all in there.

726

And, you know, at that point in the movie,

727

Sal was still like,

not not totally like off the rails.

728

And so I think

729

most of it came from a good place,

730

but I think some of it

did not come from a good place.

731

I think Spike's leaving it open

for interpretation intentionally.

732

I mean, I see Sal's as a racist.

733

I don't think he, you know,

I don't think he would pursue Jade

734

in a in a physical way.

735

However,

I kind of think maybe subliminally

736

he was taking a dig

at Mookie is like, hey, like I'm

737

talking to your sister,

738

and I know that really got monkey's go.

739

And then, I think that's kind of maybe

what set him off, because I was thinking

740

in the final scene with the riot

after Radio Raheem was killed,

741

I was surprised

that Mookie was the one that threw

742

the trash can through the window.

But again,

743

I think maybe that was the straw

that broke the camel's back for Mookie.

744

It was like all right,

I'm putting up with this racial stuff.

745

Black man was just killed

746

because of his interaction here

at Sal's South.

747

So, you know, everything

just kind of boiled over.

748

Yeah.

749

and and I think that may have been,

the final straw.

750

Yeah, that was definitely straw.

751

That broke the back, though,

752

because he did.

753

He didn't even say anything.

754

He just walked over, didn't say a word.

755

Yeah.

756

Just boom boom.

757

Just set off right there.

758

Yeah.

759

It come on.

760

Do the right thing.

761

Part two.

762

When we left off,

we were debating some key questions

763

in Spike Lee's classic 1989 film, Raised.

764

Right.

765

Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa.

766

And that final debated question

767

might seem a little outlandish,

but do you think there's any possibility

768

that Mookie could continue

any formal relationship with Sal

769

after all the events that occurred?

770

And you saw how it ended?

771

He came back for his money.

772

Boogie came back for his money.

773

He said, you owe me money.

How much are you? 250.

774

Sal crumbles up $100 bills,

throws it at him

775

nasally, shouting, oh, he's rich now!

776

And cursing left and right.

777

you know, they have an exchange there.

778

Do you think they could have any type

of relationship after what happened?

779

What do you think?

780

It's a tough one.

781

Yeah.

782

Because initially off,

783

off the top of my head I'm like,

no, it's a done deal

784

and there's no going back.

785

Yeah.

786

I don't, I don't,

I don't think that they could

787

even if Mookie went back to even apologize

788

like, Sal is very rigid,

789

like he's old school, rigid.

790

like he's like the type of person

that will hold a grudge.

791

You know, I don't think that even

if Mookie apologized, I don't think so.

792

I would get over it.

793

And even if you tried,

794

you know, you got the son

795

Pino.

796

That would kind of

just get to the point where, you know,

797

even if Sal even tried to consider it,

he wouldn't.

798

It wouldn't happen.

799

I don't think I think it's it's done.

800

Yeah.

801

What do you think? All right.

802

I was frankly surprised they even talk

to each other at the end of the movie.

803

Right. I wasn't expecting that.

804

I thought,

805

you know, most people think

the movie would have ended with the riot,

806

but I forget who

who wrote this in a review.

807

But the thing that spike Lee does

is to actually go through the rest of it

808

and, like, doesn't just leave it there

because there is the next day.

809

But, I just don't think

Mookie would stand for it.

810

I don't think Sal would take him back

either.

811

Yeah, I think it's just too tragic in

812

time for Mookie to move on

and get a new job.

813

Maybe if Sal,

814

get some money from insurance,

as he implied.

815

Or maybe he's set to retire.

816

He's getting up there in age,

move off the sunset,

817

move back to his neighborhood

and start something over there

818

where I think they were from. Bensonhurst?

819

Yeah, I don't think so.

820

You never know.

821

Maybe you fast forward down there years.

822

Maybe Sal's.

823

Maybe Sal becomes ill.

824

His final days.

825

Maybe he reaches out to Mookie, or movies

like,

826

shows up for his funeral

or something like that.

827

You know, I could see something like that,

but I don't think they'd have

828

any type of relationship.

829

Yeah, I agree.

830

Yeah.

831

I mean, they worked together

for over two years,

832

but again, it's a hostile environment.

833

It's not you know, it was kind of like a

834

it was a sort of a father son

relationship.

835

Super dysfunctional though.

836

Yes. Yeah.

837

Yeah. Yeah.

838

Super dysfunctional and

839

other things that want to point out.

840

Like did you know

there's a lot of like fun trivia here.

841

Did you guys know that

the movie was originally called Heat Wave?

842

Yeah, it was called Heat Wave.

843

And the character smiley

was not originally in the script, was it?

844

Roger one ver. Yeah.

845

Roger. Roger G. Smith. Roger Smith. Right.

846

So I was watching and they were like,

he would just show up at the set like

847

every day. And he's tall.

848

He was he was kind of

849

like saying I telling spike, I want to be

this character, this character.

850

He started playing the role and he

convinced him and he was an integral part.

851

I mean, he's

the one that for those listening,

852

he was the one with

a, you know, this ability.

853

And he was starring a lot,

854

selling pictures of Malcolm X and Martin

Luther King Jr for a couple bucks.

855

He kept bugging people to buy it.

856

He got involved in that in the scene,

857

the fight scene and the riot.

858

He's the one that literally set

the pizzeria on fire.

859

He lit the match, and then he ends up

posting up the picture on the wall.

860

So it kind of all came full circle.

861

But it was interesting

that he was not originally in the script,

862

and he became an integral

part of the movie. Yeah.

863

Yeah, I also like that

864

spike Lee's actual

sister was while Lee plays Jade,

865

and so that's his actual sister

and you can see the resemblance I like it.

866

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, yeah.

867

She's playing she's five appearances

in a few of his films.

868

Yeah.

869

And even more of A Family Affair.

870

Spike's father, Bill Lee, did the music.

871

like the the score

872

for the movie here.

873

And then you see a little like,

as we talk about this actors.

874

I mean, it's crazy that Samuel L

Jackson was just Sam Jackson at the time,

875

and one of the earlier films, the DJ,

he did a great job.

876

And, Richard Edson, who plays Vito and I'm

877

looking at him, I'm like, where do I know

him from? He's been at a ton of stuff.

878

He was in platoon.

879

He was in Good Morning, Vietnam.

880

The Starsky and Hutch movie remake.

881

But what was funny to me is and I'm like,

oh, yeah,

882

he was the crazy valet driver

from Ferris Bueller's

883

Day Off that took Cameron's

dad's car for a joyride.

884

like that's him.

885

Yes. That cut scene in that movie

where they steal

886

the car like, flying in the air

still makes me laugh.

887

Oh, man, that.

888

Classic, classic scene right there. Yes.

889

And I dug more to Richardson than I did.

890

You know, he was the original drummer

for Sonic Youth.

891

I didn't know that.

892

He was the original drummer for Sonic

Youth, and I'm very musically inclined.

893

He's done a lot, a lot

in, in the music industry as well as.

894

As much as I listen to his records.

895

Anyone knows him. Well. Yeah. It's funny.

896

I don't know what point me.

897

I don't know if he was there before.

898

They, you know,

went a little bit commercial or not,

899

but he original drummer about that.

900

Yeah.

901

You guys, other tidbits,

that you guys came across.

902

Yeah.

903

So this is the first movie

904

that we've reviewed so far that I can tell

that is on the National Film Registry.

905

So very important.

906

Somehow breaking

two was not on the National Film Registry.

907

Just missed.

908

Missed it by that much.

909

It's an outrageous omission.

910

Meant

911

to look into why there was at least two

Keith Sweat references.

912

Maybe it's just the sweating part of it.

913

Maybe that's

because there was a poster of Keith Sweat

914

in the radio station, and then,

915

maybe it was the corner men

talking about Keith Sweat,

916

or someone was talking about Keith

when this movement that.

917

must have been about the heat.

918

Those, the corny guys, man,

919

just have to go off topic,

but the corny guys,

920

I just think about that,

I think just made me laugh.

921

Right now, I'm thinking about

how many family cookouts that

922

I've been to, and I've seen a lot of my,

my my father's cousins,

923

similar debates in the corn and the cook.

924

And I'm like, wow, that was so,

925

so reminiscent of, like, some of those

same conversations that I've heard.

926

And like,

those guys just have cracking up.

927

Hey, go grab go grab me a cold one

real quick.

928

Similarly to go to the cooler

and come back with a cool

929

when they finish talking.

930

It's funny because it's true.

931

Yeah, yeah.

932

What else?

933

I was in one of these extra scenes.

934

There's the one scene where bugging out

gets his Air Jordans run over by the

935

the biker.

936

The bicyclist.

937

Oh, has a Larry Bird jersey on. Right.

938

So that's again, again, the black and.

939

White.

Right there. Right. Bird versus Jordan.

940

And the Celtics

are one of the hated rivals of the Knicks.

941

And he's like mean I live here.

942

You know they're going back and forth.

943

And the guy that played

944

that bicyclists

he just lived on the block.

945

And he just happened to be coming home.

946

And he had a bicycle in his

car. And it kind of worked.

947

They did it in one take, too.

948

He just rode his bike over, you know?

949

I guess they scuffed up the shoe

950

and I was like, wow,

that guy was like a natural.

951

He even said something.

952

There was, I guess an urban myth that

Larry Bird actually gave him that jersey.

953

And then spike Lee

was going back and forth on this 20 year

954

reunion of the movies.

955

Like, no, I gave I gave it from wardrobe,

I gave it a present.

956

And he goes, well, crazy enough,

he's like my sister

957

dated Larry Bird or something like that.

958

And so I thought that he gave it to me.

I'm like, what? What is this?

959

It was so coincidental.

960

It's kind of wild

that that that'll happen.

961

It'll just kind of came together and,

962

you know, filming the scene

963

and there are a lot of extras, obviously,

and they're all from right there and,

964

which was a great boon for the, community

there.

965

And I was watching they actually throw

a block party one day. Yes.

966

They had a big party.

967

They were giving out hats and shirts

and do the right thing.

968

And, although spike Lee was there

and all the stars were there,

969

and it was a really nice thing,

and they had to be extra cautious.

970

I mean, there was parts of the earlier

that or, you know, not safe.

971

So I said extra security.

972

And you know, what's crazy

is there's so much tension in this movie,

973

the racial tension, racial tension.

974

I saw the one part

that, Richard Edson, who played Vito,

975

he said the Nation of Islam

was like security for a good part of this.

976

He said, I was saying hello to these guys,

like, every day I could not get a

977

I couldn't get a hello.

978

They were like so focused the entire the.

979

The FOIA, the

980

the FOIA, they they're serious

boots of Islam.

981

You know, those guys I've seen them

in various instances as well.

982

You won't get a smile out of them.

983

You know,

they're like military folk, military

984

like almost focus.

985

Spike Lee hired a lot of black folks

986

for a lot of different roles,

different jobs around the film, catering,

987

even tried to get all the union folks

to make sure that there were

988

a lot of black folks working on the set

and everything like that.

989

And John Turturro said there was this

one woman that was a caterer and

990

she kept refusing to to, like,

serve him even the glass of water,

991

because she kind of thought his character

was like how he was, really was.

992

And he had a really convinced her

that no one playing a playing a role. If

993

he's that.

994

Good of an actor, I mean.

995

That's never

he was very convincing in that role,

996

but he's definitely not that person.

997

And and Roger J.

998

Smith said that the role of smiley,

there was a scene in that.

999

The big fight, the fight scene

that before radar, he was killed,

00:48:30,416 --> 00:48:33,416

he he actually spit on,

00:48:34,083 --> 00:48:37,416

and I think it was

it must have been Danny Aiello, son.

00:48:37,416 --> 00:48:38,250

That was something

00:48:38,250 --> 00:48:41,083

he actually spit on them

and they didn't even know what's coming.

00:48:41,083 --> 00:48:42,583

And he goes, that caused a lot of mayhem.

00:48:42,583 --> 00:48:46,458

Like he was totally into the character

and he actually spit.

00:48:46,458 --> 00:48:47,083

You slow it down.

00:48:47,083 --> 00:48:50,333

You see, he literally spit on the guy

and it like, whoa, whoa and all that.

00:48:50,416 --> 00:48:53,125

He said that was real fighting.

That was starting to happen. That,

00:48:54,833 --> 00:48:55,166

Yeah,

00:48:55,166 --> 00:48:58,166

spike Lee was like, oh yeah, yeah,

I remember that.

00:48:59,166 --> 00:49:01,083

So yeah, there were

there were some instances

00:49:01,083 --> 00:49:03,833

obviously when you have

and literally it was hot.

00:49:03,833 --> 00:49:06,000

Amen. They're,

they're filming in the middle of summer.

00:49:06,000 --> 00:49:07,541

Yeah.

00:49:07,541 --> 00:49:10,250

And in your, you're in character.

00:49:10,250 --> 00:49:12,625

just tensions. So people.

00:49:12,625 --> 00:49:15,083

Yeah. People are naturally aggravated

when they're.

00:49:15,083 --> 00:49:15,791

Yeah.

00:49:15,791 --> 00:49:18,791

When they're hot and, and they get

to a point they're almost overheating.

00:49:19,708 --> 00:49:21,083

Yeah.

00:49:21,083 --> 00:49:25,208

I read that spike Lee got the inspiration

for this from watching a Twilight Zone

00:49:25,208 --> 00:49:29,041

episode

about how the rising heat index or in,

00:49:29,291 --> 00:49:32,291

in a story caused more murders.

00:49:32,916 --> 00:49:33,958

I saw that too.

00:49:33,958 --> 00:49:36,291

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:49:36,291 --> 00:49:39,541

The statistics prove that on the hotter

days, murder rates go up.

00:49:39,916 --> 00:49:42,250

Oh, no, that's definitely

it is definitely I.

00:49:42,250 --> 00:49:45,500

Yeah, that's definitely true. Even like.

00:49:46,583 --> 00:49:46,916

Watch as.

00:49:46,916 --> 00:49:49,916

We're all neighborhood.

But like, you know,

00:49:50,458 --> 00:49:52,416

the wintertime is all nice and calm.

00:49:52,416 --> 00:49:55,166

I mean, even when it's freezing outside,

you don't see many people.

00:49:55,166 --> 00:49:56,541

As soon as it gets hot,

00:49:56,541 --> 00:50:00,041

that's when everybody wants to fight or,

you know, whatever.

00:50:00,041 --> 00:50:02,875

Yeah. Summertime is always the worst time.

00:50:02,875 --> 00:50:05,333

It's so crucial

sometimes to have activities and things

00:50:05,333 --> 00:50:08,666

for people to do because they're

frustrated already from being hot.

00:50:09,208 --> 00:50:10,041

Yeah.

00:50:10,041 --> 00:50:13,708

And even like in the movie,

they were cracking open the the fire

00:50:13,708 --> 00:50:15,208

hydrant to cool off.

00:50:15,208 --> 00:50:16,333

You know, I've seen them in my,

00:50:16,333 --> 00:50:19,333

my cousin's neighborhood in Jersey city

this dude, all the time.

00:50:19,458 --> 00:50:22,708

But he told the police, you know,

I mean, of course they're they're doing

00:50:22,708 --> 00:50:23,458

what they're supposed to do.

00:50:23,458 --> 00:50:26,791

Their job is to make sure that they're

not playing with the hydrogen like it,

00:50:26,791 --> 00:50:27,416

shut it off.

00:50:27,416 --> 00:50:30,333

But you know that was one thing

that they would try to do to keep cool.

00:50:30,333 --> 00:50:33,000

But to do it.

00:50:33,000 --> 00:50:34,125

Yeah. Right.

00:50:37,583 --> 00:50:40,916

To do it.

00:50:41,916 --> 00:50:44,583

So overall,

I mean, did you enjoy the music.

00:50:44,583 --> 00:50:48,208

And primarily it was really a lot of fight

to power like over and over again.

00:50:48,208 --> 00:50:51,583

But any other music catch your ear?

00:50:52,791 --> 00:50:57,250

I mean, like I know the score itself

has a lot of jazzy type

00:50:57,250 --> 00:51:01,583

undertones to them,

so I always like how spike scores

00:51:01,583 --> 00:51:06,750

with the jazz jazzy undertones,

so it's very soothing and relaxing.

00:51:07,166 --> 00:51:10,166

There was a reggae song, something like

00:51:10,625 --> 00:51:13,625

You Can't Stand the Heat

when they were showing.

00:51:13,791 --> 00:51:16,875

I think Rosie

putting your face in the water

00:51:16,875 --> 00:51:19,875

and yeah.

00:51:20,250 --> 00:51:21,333

There's something from Guy,

00:51:21,333 --> 00:51:24,333

there's something from, yes.

00:51:24,750 --> 00:51:26,416

and so the play were good.

00:51:26,416 --> 00:51:26,583

Yeah.

00:51:26,583 --> 00:51:27,833

There was good soundtrack.

00:51:27,833 --> 00:51:30,833

You know,

they did bring in Branford Marsalis to do.

00:51:30,833 --> 00:51:33,291

Yeah. Some of the music as well. Yeah.

00:51:33,291 --> 00:51:34,708

That's my man right there.

00:51:37,208 --> 00:51:38,333

So what were some of

00:51:38,333 --> 00:51:41,333

the things that you guys maybe disliked?

00:51:41,375 --> 00:51:44,000

I know that

we kind of hinted on a few things.

00:51:44,000 --> 00:51:44,750

You know? Diana, right?

00:51:44,750 --> 00:51:47,916

You said something about like,

just radio ratings character in general.

00:51:48,000 --> 00:51:48,958

Yeah.

00:51:48,958 --> 00:51:52,708

but aside from that,

this is something I read about

00:51:52,916 --> 00:51:54,041

and some of the reviews

00:51:54,041 --> 00:51:57,041

that Rosie Perez was very uncomfortable

doing that nude scene.

00:51:57,250 --> 00:52:00,791

And so she felt kind of exploitative and

00:52:01,666 --> 00:52:05,083

other people have had the criticism that

there aren't enough women in this story,

00:52:05,083 --> 00:52:06,791

even though other sisters there.

00:52:06,791 --> 00:52:08,458

And Jade is part of the story.

00:52:08,458 --> 00:52:13,375

And, Tina, as far as the story,

I think I see the point from a filmmaker

00:52:13,375 --> 00:52:15,833

is perfective. But,

that was something like.

00:52:15,833 --> 00:52:19,708

Yeah, she says that she

they don't show her face in that one scene

00:52:19,875 --> 00:52:23,333

with when she's naked

because she's crying in there, and that.

00:52:24,291 --> 00:52:26,375

Is that really worth that? Ten.

00:52:26,375 --> 00:52:27,458

Right.

00:52:27,458 --> 00:52:30,458

You don't need to have your actress

doing this.

00:52:30,625 --> 00:52:32,916

Know you can you can do this other ways.

00:52:32,916 --> 00:52:37,166

I mean that the Spike Lee's forgotten

more about film than I'll ever know,

00:52:37,500 --> 00:52:40,583

but this seems like

that was a little unnecessary.

00:52:41,125 --> 00:52:44,125

Yeah. So first we can get a double.

00:52:44,125 --> 00:52:45,083

Yeah, yeah.

00:52:45,083 --> 00:52:46,041

Or even not even do it.

00:52:46,041 --> 00:52:49,541

I mean, we're.

Not do it. Fortuitous. Right?

00:52:49,708 --> 00:52:51,083

I mean, like I said, I love the music.

00:52:51,083 --> 00:52:52,708

I almost wish

they would have showed a little bit

00:52:52,708 --> 00:52:54,291

more of the depth of Public Enemy.

00:52:54,291 --> 00:52:56,666

I mean, Fight

the Power was amazing. Anthem.

00:52:56,666 --> 00:53:00,208

Maybe they could have put a track

or two on radio or in this box from like,

00:53:00,208 --> 00:53:04,250

it Takes a Nation of Millions to hold us

back, something like Bring the Noise or,

00:53:05,125 --> 00:53:08,875

you know, one of those songs,

or Countdown to Armageddon or, you know,

00:53:09,125 --> 00:53:09,916

something like that.

00:53:10,875 --> 00:53:11,208

You know, you

00:53:11,208 --> 00:53:15,083

kind of give it a little bit more depth

because it got a little bit tiresome.

00:53:15,958 --> 00:53:17,625

just to kind of hear

that over and over again.

00:53:17,625 --> 00:53:21,041

I mean, even they did play a different,

a few different like remix cuts with that,

00:53:21,041 --> 00:53:24,041

but still like same song like,

00:53:24,416 --> 00:53:25,666

like Radio Raheem at the casino.

00:53:25,666 --> 00:53:28,666

All of that was it?

00:53:29,708 --> 00:53:32,708

Yeah, the one tape, but for real.

00:53:32,750 --> 00:53:35,333

So I got it like that.

00:53:35,333 --> 00:53:38,333

The scene

with, amid going off on to the mayor

00:53:38,375 --> 00:53:41,750

like, just flat out cussing them out.

00:53:42,250 --> 00:53:45,958

You're a drunk, Carson, you know, and I'm

like, I mean, and I know what happens.

00:53:45,958 --> 00:53:49,500

But again, I guess it's just

people riled up with emotions. But

00:53:50,875 --> 00:53:53,125

yeah, I was uncomfortable for me to see

00:53:53,125 --> 00:53:57,291

along with Raheem,

like you said, Boogie with, you know, way

00:53:57,291 --> 00:54:00,500

he spoke to the Korean convenience store

folks, right?

00:54:01,041 --> 00:54:01,291

Yeah.

00:54:01,291 --> 00:54:05,208

I think like a hint of this

when we're talking pre-recording.

00:54:05,208 --> 00:54:08,250

Like, I think it's

not even necessarily my dislike, but

00:54:08,250 --> 00:54:11,500

I think that one thing about the movie

00:54:11,625 --> 00:54:14,583

is the language is very harsh.

00:54:14,583 --> 00:54:17,125

So it kind of limits the audience.

00:54:18,291 --> 00:54:21,208

you have

to really go into it with an open mind,

00:54:21,208 --> 00:54:24,791

because if you don't, you know,

some of the language might turn you off.

00:54:25,208 --> 00:54:28,666

You might miss the message of what,

you know, spike was trying to convey.

00:54:29,125 --> 00:54:30,958

Like I said, it's not necessarily

a dislike.

00:54:30,958 --> 00:54:32,750

It's more so,

00:54:32,750 --> 00:54:34,791

an observation per se, but

00:54:34,791 --> 00:54:37,791

he definitely, kept it raw.

00:54:38,125 --> 00:54:38,375

Yeah.

00:54:38,375 --> 00:54:39,416

There was the one scene

00:54:39,416 --> 00:54:42,958

where they're they're

just throwing out every racial epithet

00:54:43,291 --> 00:54:47,333

that could be derogatory

towards blacks, towards Italians,

00:54:47,541 --> 00:54:50,958

coupled towards Koreans, towards Jews.

00:54:50,958 --> 00:54:55,458

It was just like throwing it all out there

and you're taken aback by it.

00:54:55,958 --> 00:54:58,666

And, we discussed a little bit

pre-recording

00:54:58,666 --> 00:55:01,916

to where at first you're like,

how do I react to that?

00:55:01,916 --> 00:55:03,125

It's just so mind blowing.

00:55:03,125 --> 00:55:06,208

But I guess spike

Lee has a way of like I said, it's

00:55:06,208 --> 00:55:10,166

kind of like elephant in the room, people

calling all these nasty things.

00:55:10,166 --> 00:55:11,791

People use it in the vernacular.

00:55:11,791 --> 00:55:14,125

Unfortunately, and

00:55:15,125 --> 00:55:16,875

throw it out there on the table.

00:55:16,875 --> 00:55:18,000

You know, these are names.

00:55:18,000 --> 00:55:20,458

This is this is what you guys are saying

is what you're saying.

00:55:20,458 --> 00:55:22,250

And then

00:55:22,250 --> 00:55:25,500

words have, consequences

and they're hurtful.

00:55:26,000 --> 00:55:28,791

Right? So yeah.

00:55:28,791 --> 00:55:32,916

Yeah, it kind of goes back to like it was

one of the things that we mentioned,

00:55:33,000 --> 00:55:36,291

we were talking about, Star Wars,

we talked about Star Wars.

00:55:37,000 --> 00:55:40,916

We were talking about

how in the, in the community, you know,

00:55:40,916 --> 00:55:45,541

you have a bit of everybody there

and they're all in the same environment.

00:55:46,458 --> 00:55:49,791

Everybody's kind of dealing with

the same struggle, the same situation.

00:55:50,333 --> 00:55:53,041

And then compounded with the heat

wave on top of it.

00:55:53,041 --> 00:55:55,083

But you're all there together.

00:55:55,083 --> 00:55:56,250

You're not going anywhere.

00:55:56,250 --> 00:55:58,500

There's no escaping to go out of it.

00:55:58,500 --> 00:55:59,541

So you're all there together.

00:55:59,541 --> 00:56:02,541

So you kind of have to figure out

how to deal with one another.

00:56:02,541 --> 00:56:05,916

You know,

it's just like, this is a community, like,

00:56:07,041 --> 00:56:08,458

can't put one against the other

00:56:08,458 --> 00:56:11,916

when you're all basically

the same situation, you're all there.

00:56:13,250 --> 00:56:15,625

You all have to deal with the heat.

00:56:15,625 --> 00:56:16,166

Exactly.

00:56:16,166 --> 00:56:18,750

You know each other.

00:56:18,750 --> 00:56:20,416

Everybody needs some ice cubes.

00:56:20,416 --> 00:56:23,416

Yeah.

00:56:24,208 --> 00:56:27,125

Right.

00:56:27,125 --> 00:56:28,708

Three.

00:56:28,708 --> 00:56:29,250

Three.

00:56:29,250 --> 00:56:29,625

Three.

00:56:29,625 --> 00:56:32,625

Three.

00:56:33,458 --> 00:56:34,250

I guess it's time now

00:56:34,250 --> 00:56:37,291

to wrap it up and, do our regular reading.

00:56:37,291 --> 00:56:41,750

And I think it's a no no brainer here,

but go round the around the room here,

00:56:42,708 --> 00:56:45,708

bring that funky flick back,

bring that something, flick back

00:56:45,833 --> 00:56:48,500

or leave it in the vault.

00:56:48,500 --> 00:56:50,250

What do you say, Boogie?

00:56:50,250 --> 00:56:52,791

Bring that funky flick back.

00:56:52,791 --> 00:56:54,958

Very poignant, very relevant.

00:56:54,958 --> 00:56:57,416

You can make this today.

00:56:57,416 --> 00:57:01,125

Same situation exist

in that movie that exist in right now.

00:57:01,625 --> 00:57:05,375

So by all means,

bring that funky flick back down.

00:57:05,375 --> 00:57:05,666

All right.

00:57:06,875 --> 00:57:09,208

Bring that funky flick back.

00:57:09,208 --> 00:57:11,250

It could have been made yesterday.

00:57:11,250 --> 00:57:11,666

Yeah.

00:57:11,666 --> 00:57:14,666

It's so relevant and fresh

00:57:14,875 --> 00:57:16,666

Not all this is a good thing.

00:57:16,666 --> 00:57:16,833

Yeah.

00:57:16,833 --> 00:57:20,041

Still dealing with this

these these racial tensions and.

00:57:20,875 --> 00:57:22,250

And all that. Yeah.

00:57:22,250 --> 00:57:25,250

definitely bring that funky flick back.

00:57:25,500 --> 00:57:27,333

It's a it's all time classic.

00:57:27,333 --> 00:57:30,083

It's very thought provoking.

00:57:30,083 --> 00:57:32,583

It's poignant, relevant.

00:57:32,583 --> 00:57:37,333

And again, I don't think it should be

like required watching for a lot of folks.

00:57:37,583 --> 00:57:38,333

Yeah.

00:57:38,333 --> 00:57:42,416

Because again it brings brings

these topics out to the table.