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Will Smith has spoken some more about his decision to join his wife Jada Pinkett Smith in boycotting this year’s Oscars ceremony, saying that he wants to be “part of the solution” to the diversity problem in the movie industry.

Smith is currently in Britain promoting Concussion, the movie which had seen him tipped to be in contention for the Best Actor trophy before the nominations were announced and he was left off the five-strong shortlist. For the second year in a row, all 20 acting nominations were taken up by white actors, much to the ire of social media.

Will Smith at the European premiere of 'Concussion' in January 2016

Continue reading: Will Smith Says His Decision To Boycott Oscars "Isn't About Me"

Oscars host Chris Rock is coming under increasing calls to boycott the awards ceremony in the aftermath of the controversial nominations last week, in which none of the 20 acting nominations went to a black or ethnic minority actor.

#OscarsSoWhite and #OscarsStillSoWhite have kept the furore going on social media since the announcement of the major acting and directing categories happened a week ago, and now a number of celebrities including Furious 7 star Tyrese Gibson are arguing that Rock ought to step down as host.

Chris Rock is under pressure to step down as Oscars host after the diversity row over nominations

Continue reading: Chris Rock Under Pressure To Step Down As Oscars Host In Diversity Row

Lupita Nyong’o and George Clooney have become the latest stars to speak out about this year’s Oscar nominations, which have been criticised for their lack of diversity. Already director Spike Lee and Jada Pinkett-Smith have said they’ll be boycotting this year’s ceremony which for the second year in a row features no non-white nominees in any of the major categories.

Lupita Nyong’o has joined the debate over this year’s Oscars.

Nyong’o, who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 2013, wrote on Instagram: "I am disappointed by the lack of inclusion in this year's Academy Awards nominations. It has me thinking about unconscious prejudice and what merits prestige in our culture."

Continue reading: Lupita Nyong'o And George Clooney Join Oscars' Diversity Debate

As the debate over the lack of diversity among this year’s Oscar nominees continues, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, has released a lengthly statement addressing the issue. The statement comes after director Spike Lee and Jada Pinkett-Smith announced they wound not be attending this year’s ceremony, which has been criticised for failing to recognise non-white actors and directors.

Academy preisdent Cheryl Boone Isaacs.

"I’d like to acknowledge the wonderful work of this year’s nominees," Isaacs wrote. "While we celebrate their extraordinary achievements, I am both heartbroken and frustrated about the lack of inclusion. This is a difficult but important conversation, and it’s time for big changes.”

Continue reading: The Academy Speaks On Lack Of Diversity In Oscar Nominations, As Stars Call For Boycott

Director Spike Lee has announced he will not be attending this year’s Oscars, due to the lack of diversity among the nominees. For the second year in a row the Oscar’s was criticised for failing to honour non-white actors and directors, causing the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite to trend on social media.

Director Spike Lee will not be attending this year’s Oscars.

In a letter posted to Instagram, Lee began by thanking the Academy for awarding him an honorary Oscar in November, but stated that he and his wife Tonya Lewis Lee would not be in attendance at this year’s ceremony.

Continue reading: Spike Lee Will Not Be Attending 2016 Oscars Due To Lack Of Diversity Among Nominees

Spike Lee's Oldboy - a visceral thriller based on Park Chan-wook's classic 2004 movie - will have to do solid box-office business to justify itself after a wave of middling reviews from critics.

Josh Brolin in Spike Lee's 'Oldboy'

Lee's remake follows the story of Joe Doucette - played here by Josh Brolin - a man who is abruptly kidnapped and held hostage for 20 years in solitary confinement for no apparent reason. When he is suddenly released without explanation, he begins an obsessive mission to find out who imprisoned him. The remake co-stars Elizabeth Olsen and Sharlto Copley, though despite the impressive cast, Oldboy appears to fall short of even the most basic of expectations.

Continue reading: 'Oldboy' Claws Back Respectability, But Critics Remain Unconvinced

Spike Lee was always treading on glass with cheap shoes when he decided to take on the Oldboy project. The original, 2003 film was a cult classic; adored by international audiences and famed for its unerring approach to violence and a twisted plot.

Josh Brolin and Samuel L. Jackson in Oldboy, the remake

It would be fair to say that Lee had a pretty solid canvas on which to build, but would appear – according to the critics at least – that he missed the opportunity to provide a good western remake of a brilliant foreign movie.

Continue reading: 'Oldboy' Remake: Did Spike Lee Just Mess Up A Brilliant Movie?

Spike Lee’s Oldboy remake is finally gathering the momentum it deserves with a brand new trailer following the harrowing poster we were treated to not so long ago. Following what felt like years of stuttering, possible Will Smith and Steven Spielberg partnerships and even the dreaded kibosh, the American reboot of this Korean cult classic has a trailer.

Joe Doucett (Brolin) after years of solitary confinement

For those who haven’t seen Park Chan-wook’s original revenge film, the story follows Oh Dae-Su – a man kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 years, who finds that his release plunges him further into the sick and twisted plan of his nemesis.

Continue reading: 'Oldboy' Remake: Everything You Need To Know [Trailer + Pictures]

The first red-band trailer for Spike Lee's remake of Park Chan-wook's classic and disturbing movie Oldboy has rolled out online, featuring all the hammer-centric bloody revenge of the original. Josh Brolin plays a man abducted and held in captivity for 20 years before being mysteriously set free by his captor.

The Poster for the American remake of Oldboy, starring Josh Brolin

Though many fans of the original remain wary of Lee's remake, the movie - written by I Am Legend scribe Mark Protosevich - is one of the most anticipated releases of the year. Park's cult film - which makes up part of the director's Vengeance Trilogy - features one particularly unsettling scene, though it's unclear whether Spike Lee has retained it. Bloggers who saw an early screening in April said the remake maintains the shocking key plot twist, according to The Guardian.

Continue reading: Hammer-Wielding Josh Brolin Wants Revenge In Spike Lee's 'Oldboy' [Trailer]

Will Smith and Jaden Smith at 'After Earth' New York premiere

The New York premiere of Will Smith's new action movie 'After Earth' was almost like a reunion for the actor as several old friends showed up to offer their support.

The event was truly a field day for photographers with celebrities from Wyclef Jean to Bruce Willis making their appearances on the red carpet. Will Smith was the star attraction alongside his son and co-star Jaden Smith, and he also brought along his other two children Willow Smith and Trey Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith. Joining them were 'After Earth' director M. Night Shyamalan (the man behind 'The Sixth Sense' and 'The Village'), Smith's co-star Kristofer Hivju, Oscar-nominated director Spike Lee and rapper 50 Cent. There was even an appearance from Smith's former 'The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air' co-star Alfonso Ribeiro, who played Will's rich and very spoilt cousin Carlton Banks. Another notable attendee was genuine NASA astronaut Buzz Aldrin, best known for being the second man to walk on the moon in 1969.

Continue reading: Will Smith And Jaden Smith Joined By Buzz Aldrin And 50 Cent At 'After Earth' Premiere [Photos]

Spike Lee tweeted his disdain for Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained recently, saying: "American Slavery Was Not A Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western. It Was A Holocaust. My Ancestors Are Slaves Stolen From Africa. I Will Honor Them."

However, now Jamie Foxx who stars as the titular character Django in the movie, has given his verdict on Lee, the Huffington Post reports. "The question for me," he says, is "where's Spike Lee coming from?"

Foxx continues: "He didn't like Whoopi Goldberg, he doesn't like Tyler Perry, he doesn't like anybody, I think he's sort of run his course. I mean, I respect Spike, he's a fantastic director. But he gets a little shady when he's taking shots at his colleagues without looking at the work. To me, that's irresponsible."

Continue reading: Jamie Foxx On Spike Lee: "Where's Spike Lee Coming From...? He Doesn't Like Anybody"

Quentin Tarantino’s latest flick, Django Unchained has been making headlines ever since it came out in December – while some have been praising Tarantino’s signature style, there has been more than one criticism towards the graphic scenes of violence and the inaccurate portrayal of slavery in the US (most notably by director Spike Lee).

The objections against the violence in Django erupted after last month’s shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. Just like any other instance of violence in the US, fingers were first pointed at violence in the media and films and, as the most recent violent flick to come out, Django became an easy target. After almost a month of this treatment, director Quentin Tarantino finally looks about fed up with it and has snapped back at the accusations in a recent interview with Terry Gross on NPR’s Fresh Air.

When asked whether the tragedy in Newtown made the film lose its appeal to him, Tarantino dismissed the question and later on in the interview, he explained in a heated defense of his work "Would I watch a kung fu movie three days after the Sandy Hook massacre? Would I watch a kung fu movie? Maybe, because they have nothing to do with each other," the director explained. Still, despite his adamant defense of Django, we doubt the discussion will stop at this.

Quentin Tarantino has never been one to shy away from controversial subjects in his film, be it via graphic violence or explicit language. His latest film, Django Unchained, characteristically, showcases both, but it's the latter that has enflamed debate. 

With the 'N-word' being used prolifically in the film, the detractors have been quick to air their political and ethical grievances. Spike Lee, talking to Vibe.com, said, "I am not going to see it (the film). I am not seeing it. It would be disrespectful to my ancestors to see that film." He added in a post on his Twitter.com page, "American slavery was not a Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western. It was a Holocaust. My ancestors are slaves. Stolen from Africa. I will honour them."

Quentin Tarantino, though, defends the film and the choices in dialogue. "I think it's kind of ridiculous (the criticism), because no one can actually say with a straight face that we use the word more than it was used in 1858 in Mississippi. So since they can't say that, what they're basically (saying) is I should lie. I should pretty it up. I should lie, and I don't lie when it comes to my characters and the stories I tell."

Continue reading: Quentin Tarantino Defends Language In Django Unchained

Django Unchained, Quentin Tarantino’s twisted Christmas offering of a spaghetti Western has been causing some major controversy – in more ways than one.

Early reviews of the film have been split, but that’s only what you’d expect from a typical Tarantino movie, isn’t it? Is it good, because it’s bad, or is it just plain bad? Apparently it’s bad, because it’s offensive. This objection has been raised by Spike Lee, who has completely refused to see the film, reports Indiewire. His criticism is that Django, which sees Jamie Foxx as a slave and Leonardo Dicaprio as a plantation owner, is an unrealistic and offencive portrayal of slavery in the US.

Lee vented on Twitter, saying: “American Slavery Was Not A Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western. It Was A Holocaust. My Ancestors Are Slaves. Stolen From Africa. I Will Honor Them.” This of course sparked a heated discussion, during which Lee explained that he wasn’t “hating” on Tarantino himself, but refused to see the film out of principle. This side of the story poses some interesting questions and will surely provoke some more heated discussion in the coming weeks. The question is though, isn’t Spike Lee’s objection just giving the film even more publicity and hence, defeating the purpose?

Spike Lee’s Michael Jackson documentary BAD25 has been hailed as a success. Spike Lee, of course, has personal knowledge of working with Jackson – he directed his 1996 video ‘The Don’t Care About Us,’ so the documentary is lent an intimate air, as he conducts the interviews himself. Featured in the interviewee’s chair are a host of stars, all influenced, or touched by Jackson and the music of his hit album Bad (released 25 years ago this year).

Kanye West, Justin Bieber, Mariah Carey and Stevie Wonder are amongst those discussing Jackson’s creative vision, on the album that sold over 30 million copies and spawned five consecutive number ones. According to Boston.com, the film plays out with a series of oral accounts of the recording period. Lee speaks to all of the major players in the recording studio as ell as those involved in his videos and the accompanying tour (surprisingly, including the only solo North American tour that Jackson would ever headline).

Some of the cinematographic vignettes include footage of Martin Scorsese directing Michael Jackson (and Wesley Snipes, before he was famous) in the video for ‘Bad’ and Sheryl Crow, talking of the time that she worked as a back-up singer for Jackson. “The molecules changed in the room,” she said. Although Spike Lee is a vivacious character in his own right, he steps back and lets the interviewees do the talking here. The documentary will be aired this evening (November 21, 2012) at 9:30pm EST, on ABC.