Composer Terence Blanchard has collaborated with Spike Lee for over 30 years, going back to 1991 when the director tapped him to score “Jungle Fever.” Since then, Blanchard’s credits include over 15 Lee films including “BlacKkKlansman,” “Malcolm X” and his latest, “Da 5 Bloods,” now streaming on Netflix. The story of four Vietnam War veterans, played by Isiah Whitlock Jr., Norm Lewis, Clarke Peters and … Continue reading ‘Da 5 Bloods’ Composer on Spike Lee’s Vision, Marvin Gaye’s Message and Hollywood’s POC Blindspot

On May 31, as protests over police violence roiled nationwide, Spike Lee released a 94-second movie called 3 Brothers on his social media feeds. The short film intercuts disturbing footage of three Black men who died after being choked by police — George Floyd, Eric Garner and Radio Raheem, the fictional, boombox-toting Brooklynite played by Bill Nunn in Lee’s Oscar-nominated 1989 film, Do the Right Thing. … Continue reading Spike Lee on the Challenge of Bringing Netflix’s ‘Da 5 Bloods’ to the Screen