Director Spike Lee Will Speak at UCI

Spike Lee, one of our best (and most controversial) young filmmakers, is scheduled to speak at UC Irvine’s Bren Events Center on Tuesday night.

The talk comes nearly a year after Lee canceled a UCI appearance. He said at the time that a traffic jam due to the Los Angeles riots prevented his arrival.

Lee, whose reputation balances between being an innovative, often exceptional director and a major Hollywood upstart, has generated both good and bad press since his first movie, “She’s Gotta Have It,” in 1986.

He’s been fairly quiet lately, but the heat from last year’s “Malcolm X” still lingers.

Some have speculated that the picture’s failure to win an Academy Award was, in part, an industry reaction to Lee’s well-publicized battle with Warner Bros. over the film’s length and cost. The film went $5 million over budget, which probably irked Warner more than the three-hour running time.

The New York University film graduate followed “She’s Gotta Have It” with “School Daze,” a pseudo-musical, in 1988. Next came the breakthrough “Do the Right Thing” (1989), followed by the disappointing “Mo’ Better Blues” (1990). The next year, Lee rebounded with the provocative “Jungle Fever.”

Admission to the 7 p.m. event is $10. For information, call (714) 856-5000.