Cannonball with Wesley Morris Is the New Spike Lee Joint Serving Pound Cake?
Aug 21, 2025
Vinson Cunningham, a critic from The New Yorker and co-host of Critics at Large, joins the discussion on Spike Lee's latest film, 'Highest to Lowest.' They dive into its cultural relevance and Lee’s evolving messages to young Black men. The conversation highlights the film's vibrant aesthetic and deeper themes of wealth and personal responsibility. Cunningham shares a humorous musical misadventure with his father, while also exploring the emotional complexities within Black artistry and mentorship in hip-hop, making for a thought-provoking and entertaining dialogue.
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Summer Blockbuster Meets Moral Remake
- Spike Lee's Highest to Lowest fits summer-movie energy while reworking Kurosawa's High and Low into a New York, Black-taste morality play.
- The film frames a wealthy Black tastemaker's crisis as both cinematic spectacle and ethical dilemma.
Maximalism Signals Class Distance
- Spike Lee piles on sensory detail to signal David King's absolute top-tier life and status in Brooklyn.
- The maximalism establishes class distance that fuels the film's moral questions.
Soliloquy To Black Icons
- Denzel's character conducts a soliloquy to Black musical icons, pleading for guidance on his decision.
- The scene uses photographs and close-ups to turn private doubt into theatrical ancestral counsel.
