Delayed Reaction: New Jack City

What I Guessed It Was About: Blade is a drug kingpin. He is taken down by Detective Tutuola. And Chris Rock is a big time drug addict.

How I Came Into It: I really didn't know what to expect. This kind of looked like if Spike Lee followed up Do the Right Thing with a Scarface remake...Actually, I'm still kind of standing by that.

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) I should start by saying that this is the best Wesley Snipes role I've seen in a while. It uses what's cool about him without going too far, which bothered me in things like Passenger 57 and even Blade. At this point, getting me to like Snipes in a movie is quite an accomplishment. It's fun to see Ice T because it makes his SVU role look like an inevitability rather than an evolution. I can't think of another Chris Rock performance quite like this. My favorite thing about Judd Nelson here is watching him work way too hard the entire time to not look out of place.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: This plays like a zeitgeisty movie. I had a hard time connecting with it and I don't think 1991 Me would have the same trouble (beyond being 4 years old and missing nap time to finish the movie). In general, the movie aims for a very heightened realism that I didn't prefer.

Verdict (?): Weakly Don't Recommend