Page 4 - Chi Raq News Today

Welcome back. spike lees new movie "chi-raq" has been called everything from a collage of provocation and fury to a shattering thunderous wakeup alarm. the warning, though, he is trying to ring is one about guns in america. and while the pew research center says gun violence has declined since the 1990s, the backdrop to the senseless violence depicted in lees film is the city of chicago where, according to the "chicago tribune," there have been almost 3,000 shooting victims this year alone, incl...

When they see me, athey what is wrong with your country. and, like, we have a line in the film "chi-raq" thats brought up. its said if nothing is happened after sandy hook, whats it going to take? >> and yet, you manage to tackle this issue, as raw it is, with a certain amount of humor -- >> satire. >> even better. you have taken, as the basis, the story, the fifth century bc greek comedy about women in greece who had a sex strike to force their warrior husbands to lay down their swords and stop...

She performed one of the women. thats top when you go there for drama. >> like me, and english accent. >> i always kid about that. i went to juliard. im kidding. but many of the people have strong theater backgrounds that come from that, so theyve done that play in high school or college. >> barack obama took michelle on a first date to your film, do the right thing. >> michael jordan, tomorrow. >> come on. get him out. >> im trying to get him out. >> they went to discuss the movie. michelle mig...

>> and im glad you said that. i dont want anybody that sees the film or seeing me talking to you to think that whats happening only takes place in chicago. my wife gave me a good thought. she said chicago is like the canary in the coal mine. gun violence affects not just hispanic and african americans in the hoods of this country. gun violence affects everybody. 88 americans die every day due to gun violence, and its not just black or hispanic. its everybody. its all of us, as americans. >> and ...

At first. we tried to get this done six years ago, and theres one thing i sure of now, everything is timing. it wasnt time for this film six years ago. the powers that be, the spirits, whatever, they said not now. do it later. we couldnt have picked a better time to do this film, "chi-raq." >> tell me about the women aspect of it. you give a lot of power to womens power. shut down their sexual favors. >> i cant take the credit. i have to give it up to my mai , man, the greek play write. >> what ...

>> dude, this is about life and death, about a community thats a wreck. and you want to sit here and talk about how women behave? fool, we try too long free these slaves, slaves to the madness, slaves to this violence and what you just want us to silence? were going to make sure these fools put down these guns. and stop thinking that this craziness is fun. >> spike lees new movie is called "chi-raq"". it is a fan tastical mythical modern adaption of lysistrata. where women band together for a se...

>> theres a certain amount that comes with the territory. >> i understand that. >> when i watched the movie i thought to myself, this is -- its a myth. its a myth. it is a mythological film as much as it is a realistic depiction of actual urban violence. >> i use the term heightened reality. just the fact that we took this play written by the great greek playwright aristophanes. he wrote in 4 b.c. and moved to southside of chicago where the premise is women take control by withholding sex. i mea...

Hudson is in the film. she plays a pivotal role. her mother, brother, and nephew were murdered in chicago. why would she be part of a film if -- if what chance rapper is saying is true why would she be in the film? >>age you just mentioned the mayor. the mayor is under tremendous -- >> the feds are in town. the feds are in the city of broad shoulders. >> now. >> the feds. f-e-d-s. >> you met with the mayor before you started filming. > we met in preproduction. >> what was that meeting like? >> i...

As a cowriter, director, producer of this film, it doesnt matter. we dealt with both in this film. >> spike lees "chi-raq" is now playing in theaters nationwide. i can honestly say it is unlike anything ive seen in a very long time possibly ever. still ahead, as world leaders work against the clock at the climate change summit in paris, these unbelievable images out of china where the levels of air pollution have triggered a red alert in the capital city. all thats coming up. when youve got a ho...

He was trying to convince me to change the title of "chi-raq"". first of all, i didnt come up with the title. local chicago rap areas came up with the title. his reasons for changing the title were troubling to me. he said the title "chi-raq"" would hurt tourism and economic development. >> but understand why you know, and i recognize that "chi-raq"" spike lee didnt come up with "chi-raq"". it comes from folks in chicago. you recognize that term, part of the objection to that term is sometimes w...