Black Snake Moan (1 Viewer)

[Janna S]

Man, what a crazy trip this movie is. It shares some of the same audacious hyperrealistic bad taste as Hustle and Flow, and it more than once veers into the ludicrous, but it really grabbed me.

Samuel L. Jackson and Christina Ricci are a great pair - bruised and messed up, transparent, damaged, walking cliches that turn around on themselves. I kept thinking this is too lurid and trashy, but the truth is I have known, in my years in criminal law, many deeply damaged and dysfunctional people whose behavior makes the Jackson and Ricci characters seem perfectly plausible.

One of the reviewers (Dargis?) called Justin Timberlake "increasingly credible," and I agree. Craig Brewer is really a director to watch. I even don't mind his happy endings . . .

 

[Michael Reuben]

Great phrase!

Brewer couldn't have scored better leads for this film. The film needs actors who can inspire an audience to follow them over the top (and then some), and I can't think of anyone better for the job than Samuel L. Jackson and Christina Ricci. Justin Timberlake's role is pretty limited, but I agree he handles it just fine.

M.

 

[Nick Martin]

I haven't seen Hustle & Flow, but I am intrigued after seeing an interview with Brewer on an HDNet program called "Higher Definition" with Robert Wilonsky.

I watched it out of curiosity, and Brewer came a across as a very nice, normal smart guy with a very overactive (and slightly insane) imagination. To think a 'fever dream' and a series of panic attacks are what truly inspired this film!

 

[Robert Crawford]

I watched this film this afternoon and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would due to some of the comments I initially read about the film. The two lead actors were definitely the strength of this film and I could tell the theater audience was into the film even if some of the humor and laughter from the audience was a little misplaced.




Crawdaddy

 

[Patrick Sun]

I thought the film had some good redemptive qualities to it, with Laz and Rae's unlikely encounter and odd familiarization phase providing some good acting by Samuel L. Jackson and Christina Ricci (this gal is fearless). Justin Timberlake stuck out like a sore thumb in some of his scenes acting-wise, but at least his screen time is minimal.

I give it 2.75 stars, or a grade of B-.

 

[Craig S]

Black Snake Moan won't win any Oscars, but it's nonetheless a spellbinding time at the movies. Craig Brewer has written & directed that rarety - a film we haven't seen before. Jackson & Ricci get us so invested in the characters that we don't mind following them to some very strange places. Add a great blues soundtrack, and this adds up to one hell of an entertaining ride.

This one together with Zodiac have provided the first GREAT moviegoing weekend of 2007 - much earlier in the calendar than normal. Hopefully there are many more to come this year.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Yes, Christina Ricci is fearless and my opinion of her in regard to comparisons with the other young actresses of today has now be revised in which she's near the top of that category.




Crawdaddy

 

[Patrick Sun]

Would have loved this tagline: "It's hard out here for a nymph."

Kim Richards (Rae's mom) has seen better days (I remembered her from her Witch Mountain films from Disney).

 

[4fit?]

Planning on going to see this Saturday. Heard primarily great reviews.

 

[Quentin]

It won't win any Oscars because no one will see it...a shame, because Samuel Jackson is worthy of one. He is SO good in this film.

And, yes, Ricci is fearless.

I loved how Brewer did the scene between Ricci and the visiting boy as a horror film. GREAT stuff!

I gotta get the soundtrack to this one...

 

[Nathan V]

Hmm, I'll have to check this out. The divisive reviews have me an intrigued- it looks like Brewer has come up with something completely new here.

Regards,
Nathan

 

[MikeRS]

I love that while Jackson racks up too many parts on his resume (maybe he's looking to break Anthony Quinn or Christopher Lee's records ), every two years or so, he also reminds us that he is a great actor too. He's awesome in this film. So much presence and power. And of course, hilarious to boot.

Craig Brewer is a very original voice in the movies. Distinctive and incredibly assured for his second picture.

Ricci has lost too much weight, but she's still a very talented actress. She holds her own with Jackson.

Justin Timberlake is in way over his head in this picture.

 

[Qui-Gon John]

Didn't promos for this first run quite some time ago. I could swear I saw a trailer when I went to a movie a year or more ago. Then nothing, until the last month or so.

 

[Jon Martin]

Yes. I guess they were waiting to premiere it at Sundance of this year, even though it has been finished for months.

 

[TheLongshot]

That was my reaction when I saw the trailer, but in this case it may be appropriate that she be real lean.

Jason

 

[Patrick Sun]

Before shooting the film, Ricci actually ate like what a person like Rae would eat like, which was not much, but what she did consume wasn't all that healthy in terms of a balanced meal (couch potato food, simple sugars). This gave her that lean, hollow look to her body in this film.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

What a great film. Brewer is a really distinctive voice. I expected the off-color humor. What I didn't expect was a story of redemption and growth. Having not thought much past the premise laid out in the trailer, I guess I didn't realize until I was sitting there that the film had to go somewhere to fill the running time. And what rich, human places it went despite being ludicrous at times. It speaks to an underepresented part of the American psyche. I loved the time spent focused on Lazarus's church community and the contrast between the black community he's part of and the white community she was part of - and what it says about each that they'd staked out the people they had. I also thought Timberlake did fine as the earnest pussy; Ricci was doing the heavy lifting after all.

My review is here: Approximately Adam Reviews: Black Snake Moan

 

[Quentin]

Exactly. My writing partner called it an art movie that lured you to the theater posed as a film about a guy who chains up a nympho in his house. But, there is enough of the 'chained up' exploitation story/movie to sell the redemption part. It's a perfect balance, and thank God for Jackson because HE sells it.

 

[Patrick Sun]

I expected the story of redemption, where else are you going to go with the setup that wasn't horribly exploitative or cliched? Plus, I didn't think either Jackson or Ricci would pick such a project. But, more importantly, the redemption storyline was done well, and as naturally without feeling rushed or over-written.

 

[Craig S]

Jackson will likely be overlooked for BSM, but there's some very early Oscar buzz surrounding his performance in Resurrecting the Champ, which right now is slated for a late summer release.