Chi-Raq (2015)

[DollEyes]

 Here's the thread for Chi-Raq, writer/director Spike Lee's newest joint, this one inspired by Lysistrata, the classic Greek play about the women of two warring tribes declaring a sex strike in order to stop the war between their men. This version takes place in Chicago, which has had more murders than Iraq did when the US Special Forces was there, hence the nickname "Chi-Raq."

 

  Like the play, this story has two tribes, or rather, gangs-the Spartans & the Trojans, who are at war with each other, prompting their women to declare their own sex strike to try & stop it, hence the movie's tagline: "No Peace, No Piece." The film is a musical satire with an all-star cast, including Samuel L. Jackson, Wesley Snipes, Angela Bassett, John Cusack, Nick Cannon (yes, that Nick Cannon) and Jennifer Hudson.

Edited December 7, 2015 by DollEyes

[topanga]

I've skipped all of the posts because I don't want to be spoiled. Wasn't able to see it this weekend, but I definitely want to catch it while it's in my local theater. 

[Kromm]

Well we can hope, but Spike Lee means there's about a 50% chance it will be pretentious.

[AyeshaTheGreat]

I had read the comments of the skeptics and heard the pleas to go see it.  Since my parent wanted to see it, I decided to go.

 

It was much better than I expected.  It reminded me of a more gritty School Daze.  The satire was very apparent but I thought the true/serious message was still there.  This was about the pleas of people of color or living in poverty to have their lives matter and not forgotten.  Of course, it was timely, and name checked many of the "police involved deaths" that had happened in the last few years.  The solutions of jobs, hospital and trauma center touched on some important things lacking in many communities.  Lastly, they also discussed mass incarceration as a the "New Jim Crow".  

 

It was basically a movie dealing with the struggles of this time.  The "sex strike" was just one way to tell this story.