Delayed Reaction: Chi-Raq

The Pitch: Lysistrata in Chicago

How I Came Into It: I keep watching Spike Lee movies because I want to like more of them. He's definitely an influential director and absolutely a unique voice in film. Now that I'm looking at his filmography, I'm realizing this guy is damn near Woody Allen-level prolific. He works a lot.

Why I Saw It: Chi-Raq isn't remotely subtle. Subtlety, I've learned, is not Spike Lee's style. I love his commitment to this. Just about about the whole thing is written in verse. Who does that?! He follows through on all the big ideas he present in and has some pointed commentary on society (again, no surprise there). He gets great performances out of frequent collaborators like Wesley Snipe and Samuel L. Jackson (having a fantastic time as the narrator) and first-timers like Teyonah Parris (who dominates this movie) and Nick Cannon.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: I got a little exhausted watching this. Was that just me? That's my problem with a lot of Spike Lee movies. He doesn't stop when he makes his point. He has to make sure even the back rows get it. He and Tarantino both get so caught up in how much fun they're having that they end up isolating anyone not quite on their same frequency.

Verdict (?): Weakly Don't Recommend