THE LAST POETS and Spike Lee

Tuesday, February 26, 2019

THE LAST POETS: Should Christine Otten’s novel be Spike Lee’s next film?

In response to a conversation about this year’s Academy Awards, I recently wrote the following:

“I know many people are upset that “Green Book” won Best Picture instead of Spike Lee’s film. I would be more impressed with their vehemence if they were mainly upset that ROMA got robbed of the award. Yes, it won “Best Foreign Language Film,” but that’s like being elected Vice-President. Power comes from being President, and ROMA deserved Best Picture. It won for Best Director and Best Cinematography. Its lead actress gave a performance worthy of an Oscar nomination, if not the award itself. The sound track of ROMA was superb; ditto the editing. It was without a doubt the Best Picture. If commentators on culture feel a need to address disparity, then where is their irritation that an actress portraying one of Great Britain’s queens (can’t get much more white, eh?) won the actress award instead of an actress coming from the indigenous ranks of Mexico?”

I would add to yesterday’s commentary that if Spike Lee wants to increase the odds for winning a Best Picture award, then he needs to do better than win a single award for a category such as screenwriting. The film that he directs will be much more likely to win if his film can secure at least two Oscars and have an actor or actress nominated as one of the five finalists for an Oscar. Even then, he may not win. ROMA didn’t win Best Picture, despite that acclaim and acknowledgement by the Academy of its superiority.

As a vehicle for Spike Lee to turn into a masterpiece of film making, I nominate the young Dutch novelist Christine Otten’s THE LAST POETS. If you haven’t read this book, then what are you waiting for? This cold weather is meant for digging into a serious, substantial rendition of a mythic moment in American poetry and popular culture.”Dig, and be dug in return.”

“Christine is a real Whitegirl. A SERIOUS DUTCH WHITEGIRL! But she’s our Whitegirl!” — Uman Bin Hassan, founding member of THE LAST POETS

Comments are closed.