Sunday, December 13, 2015

Chi-Raq



Director: Spike Lee
Writers: Kevin Willmott, Spike Lee, Aristophanes
Stars: Teyonah Parris (Lysistrata), Nick Cannon (Chi-Raq), Wesley Snipes (Cyclops), John Cusack (Father Mike Corridan), Angela Bassett (Miss Helen), Samuel L. Jackson (Dolmedes), Jennifer Hudson (Irene)

With Chi-Raq, Spike Lee takes Aristophane's classic comedy, Lysistrata, and sets it in modern-day Chicago. In the play, Lysistrata organizes a sex boycott to bring the end of the Peloponnesian War. In the movie, she is the girlfriend of gangster and local rap star Chi-Raq. The sex boycott is to bring about the end of gun violence in the city.

Lee manages to combine the classic Greek style with elements from modern hip hop culture. Much of the dialog is in verse, which takes a bit to get used to. The overall result is colorful and sometimes absurd, but a strong message on the gun violence in America; from gang violence to mass shootings.


Mini soundtrack:

Nick Cannon - "Pray for My City"
Mali Music - "Contradiction" (featuring Jhené Aiko)
Jennifer Hudson - "I Run"

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