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‘New Jack City’ With Bill Simmons, Van Lathan, and Logan Murdock

March 9, 2021 · New Jack City (1991) · Action · Crime · Drama · 1:48:49

IMDb ↗Letterboxd ↗

Categories

Most Rewatchable Scene

Van Lathan▶ 29:31the Chris Rock bike chase with Ice-T chasing him

What's Aged the Worst

Logan Murdock▶ 51:32Crack and how women are used as pawns in the story
Van Lathan▶ 51:59The drug war advocacy and Ice-T's wig

Casting What-Ifs

Logan Murdock▶ 55:43Martin Lawrence — Martin Lawrence would have done a great job as Pookie, possibly better than Chris Rock; Vivica Fox would have been great as Keisha; Vanessa Williams would have been great as Nino's girlfriend; would rather see Tupac as Nino than G-Money
Van Lathan▶ 55:38Martin Lawrence — Martin Lawrence was originally cast as Pookie but dropped out after Robin Harris died; Michael Wright turned down Ice-T's part and would have been great; Vivica Fox auditioned for both female roles; Orange Juice Jones was originally cast as G-Money but was fired; Tupac auditioned for G-Money but looked too young

Joey Pants Award

Logan Murdock▶ 1:00:15Bill Nunn — Bill Nunn (Radio Raheem) - agrees he was the only person he wrote down for this category
Van Lathan▶ 59:50Bill Nunn — Bill Nunn (Radio Raheem) - calls him 'that guy plus' or 'supersize that guy'

Picking Nits

Van Lathan▶ 1:04:44Ice-T's inconsistent acting performance - he's all over the map acting-wise, though Van thinks it's perfect despite not being great

Dion Waiters Award

Logan Murdock▶ 1:09:04Chris Rock — Suggested Pookie but acknowledged he's in it too much

Half-Assed Internet Research

Logan Murdock▶ 1:11:50Nino Brown's name origin - based on Nino Gabriel storefront on 3rd Avenue in New York where Harlem gangsters got their shoes
Van Lathan▶ 1:12:26Multiple facts: Chris Rock was approached by drug dealers for 3 years after the film who thought it was a documentary; film premiered at Sundance 1991 (second year ever); Cooper wanted comic book visual look with Nino's mansion like Dracula's lair to show he was sucking blood from neighborhood

Apex Mountain

Logan Murdock▶ 1:17:11Chris Rock — Yes for New Jack Swing music genre (height of the movement), No for the R&B group Guy (despite their cameo), Yes for Chris Rock's movie career, considers Head of State as alternative peak
Van Lathan▶ 1:16:10Wesley Snipes — Yes for Wesley Snipes (signature performance that opened all doors), Yes for Alan Payne (biggest role), No for Ice-T, Yes for Chris Rock's movie career (most recognizable film role), Yes for Mario Van Peebles (directing career peak), No for Color Me Bad (they had bigger hits)

Best Quote

Van Lathan▶ 1:27:32Multiple quotes including 'my brother, it's always business. It's never personal', 'Sit your $5 ass down before I make change', and 'You got to rob to get rich in the Reagan era'

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Logan Murdock▶ 1:31:22It's unfair to compare Pookie vs Bubbles because you had seasons to develop attachment to Bubbles vs limited time with Pookie
Van Lathan▶ 1:28:48New Jack City probably didn't directly influence The Wire - both were influenced by the same real-life drug trade dynamics, with collective DNA between what Avon/Stringer and Nino were doing
Van Lathan▶ 1:30:37Pookie wins over Bubbles in crack addict finals MVP, though adds Erica Christensen from Traffic as a third contender

Who Won the Movie

Van Lathan▶ 1:44:14Wesley Snipes — Wesley Snipes - called it a 'tour de force performance' and said he 'killed it'

Movies Referenced (29)

Scarface (1983)

23 mentions · Van Lathan, Logan Murdock▶ 2:48IMDb ↗Lb ↗

King of New York (1990)

7 mentions · Van Lathan▶ 8:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Blade (1998)

4 mentions · Van Lathan, Logan Murdock▶ 17:03IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Demolition Man (1993)

4 mentions · Van Lathan▶ 16:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jungle Fever (1991)

4 mentions · Van Lathan, Logan Murdock▶ 8:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Crash (2004)

3 mentions · Van Lathan▶ 35:46IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Dead Zone (1983)

3 mentions · Van Lathan▶ 12:26IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Top Five (2014)

3 mentions · Van Lathan▶ 1:18:59IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Fargo (1996)

2 mentions · Van Lathan▶ 1:22:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Heat (1995)

2 mentions · Van Lathan▶ 1:17:03IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Lethal Weapon (1987)

2 mentions · Van Lathan▶ 1:40:31IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Pump Up the Volume (1990)

2 mentions · Van Lathan▶ 1:46:38IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (6)

Spike Lee

8 mentions · Van Lathan · Known for Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, She's Gotta Have It▶ 1:00:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Crooked I

2 mentions · Logan Murdock · Known for Fast Five, Southpaw▶ 49:24IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Andrea Bias

1 mentions · Van Lathan · Known for Black Adam, A Simple Favor, The Intern▶ 7:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

François Truffaut

1 mentions · Van Lathan · Known for Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The 400 Blows▶ 19:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Colorado

1 mentions · Van Lathan · Known for Hancock▶ 43:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Warren Beatty

1 mentions · Van Lathan · Known for Heaven Can Wait▶ 17:38IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (52)

Jack Palance

40 mentions · Van Lathan, Logan Murdock · Known for City Slickers▶ 1:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Wesley Snipes

30 mentions · Van Lathan, Logan Murdock · Known for Blade, New Jack City, Demolition Man▶ 1:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Judd Nelson

19 mentions · Van Lathan, Logan Murdock · Known for The Breakfast Club, St. Elmo's Fire▶ 1:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Chris Rock

17 mentions · Van Lathan, Logan Murdock · Known for Top Five, The Longest Yard▶ 15:51IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Mario Van Peebles

10 mentions · Van Lathan, Logan Murdock · Known for Heartbreak Ridge, Jaws: The Revenge▶ 1:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Vanessa Williams

6 mentions · Van Lathan, Logan Murdock▶ 56:51IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Bill Nunn

5 mentions · Van Lathan · Known for Do the Right Thing, Regarding Henry▶ 59:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Flavor Flav

4 mentions · Van Lathan · Known for End of Watch, Three Kings, Friday Night Lights▶ 44:51IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Kente Scott

4 mentions · Logan Murdock · Known for She's All That▶ 47:01IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tracy Camilla Johns

4 mentions · Van Lathan · Known for She's Gotta Have It, New Jack City▶ 48:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Aaron Hall

3 mentions · Van Lathan · Known for Juice, Boomerang, Alpha Dog▶ 1:14:34IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Eddie Murphy

3 mentions · Logan Murdock, Van Lathan · Known for Harlem Nights, The Nutty Professor▶ 1:09:49IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (8)

Barry Michael Cooper

4 mentions · Van Lathan, Logan Murdock · Known for New Jack City▶ 19:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Andrew Cosby

1 mentions · Van Lathan▶ 7:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Andy Greenwald

1 mentions · Van Lathan▶ 1:46:38IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jonah Peretti

1 mentions · Van Lathan▶ 1:38:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roger Ebert

1 mentions · Van Lathan▶ 19:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Thomas Lee Wright

1 mentions · Van Lathan · Known for New Jack City▶ 19:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Walter Mosley

1 mentions · Van Lathan · Known for Devil in a Blue Dress▶ 1:02:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

William Faulkner

1 mentions · Van Lathan · Known for To Have and Have Not, The Big Sleep▶ 1:34:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cinematographers Referenced (1)

Bet Rourich

2 mentions · Logan Murdock▶ 5:09IMDb ↗Lb ↗