This year’s Oscars have seen a wave of criticism against the Academy, with many vocal critics coming out and directly denouncing the Best Motion Picture of the Year award that was given to Green Book. Film critic Justin Chang wrote an LA Times op-ed on the decision, referring to the film as “[capturing] the polarization that arises whenever the conversation shifts towards matters of race, privilege and the all-important question of who gets to tell whose story,” and criticizing the film for being a “two-hander peddling can’t-we-all-just-get-along bromides” instead of digging deep into the topic of racial segregation in the United States.
But Chang wasn’t alone in his criticisms, famed filmmaker Spike Lee, who’s used his career and platform to spotlight sociopolitical issues and activism, also joined in; Lee was seen laughing at the results in post-win interviews, and in fact walked out of the award ceremony when the winner was revealed. Even so, during Lee’s acceptance speech for Best Adapted Screenplay for BlacKkKlansman — an autobiographical film about Ron Stallworth, an African-American detective who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan in the 1970s — urged audiences to “do the right thing” during next year’s presidential election, continuing by saying “let’s all be on the right side of history. Make the moral choice between love versus hate.” Yet Lee’s speech and criticism of the rather dreary choice of awards was met by one drab onlooker — the current President of the United States, Donald Trump. Taking to Twitter to spar with the famed filmmaker-meets-sociopolitical-activist, the president called his attacks a “racist hit on your President,” claiming a range of baffling “facts” to back up his unsupported claim.
Lee’s latest film doesn’t shy away from current day social, political, and cultural commentary, either. In many scenes the director spliced footage of Trump and Charlottesville, showcasing an array of disheartening allusions from the period pieces’ atrocities to modern-day American society. It makes you wonder, what peddling nonsense is the Academy up to, so much so, that the known bigot Donald Trump has to step in and criticize artists for being artists?
For more entertainment news, Jordan Peale’s Us just dropped its international trailer.
Spike Lee’s thoughts on that Best Picture win? "Let me take another sip. NEXT QUESTION!" ? ? #Oscars pic.twitter.com/iy76RvYk77
— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) February 25, 2019
Be nice if Spike Lee could read his notes, or better yet not have to use notes at all, when doing his racist hit on your President, who has done more for African Americans (Criminal Justice Reform, Lowest Unemployment numbers in History, Tax Cuts,etc.) than almost any other Pres!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 25, 2019
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