Samuel L. Jackson,
Christina Ricci, Justin
Timberlake .
Review:
So, let me get this
straight. The Deep South. A
young, white woman
(Christina Ricci) who is
also a nymphomaniac, ends up
on the doorstep of an aging,
black blues singer (Samuel
L. Jackson) and he decides
to chain her to his
radiator. Have I returned to
another era of filmmaking?
When I first heard about
this story, I did a double
take. "Black Snake Moan"
could be very bad; there are
a lot of inherent problems
with this story. Or it could
be very good; the synopsis
has so many weird, uncommon
elements that it almost
guarantees it will be
something wonderful. I am
happy to report the latter
is true...more
Extras:
Commentary by
writer-director Craig Brewer
, "Conflicted: The Making of
Black Snake Moan," "Rooted
in the Blues" featurette,
"The Black Snake Moan"
fetaurette, deleted scenes,
photo gallery.
Also available on
HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc.
(Paramount).
Movie Spotlight
Black Snake Moan Release
Date:
March 2, 2007 Studio: Paramount Vantage Director: Craig Brewer
Screenwriter: Craig Brewer Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Christina Ricci, Justin Timberlake,
S. Epatha Merkerson, John Cothran, Michael Raymond-James Genre: Drama, Romance MPAA Rating: R (for strong sexual content, language, some violence and
drug use) Official Website:
Moanmovie.com |
MySpace.com/BlackSnakeMoanmovie
Plot Summary: There was a time when Lazarus
(Samuel L. Jackson) played the blues; a time he got Bojo's Juke Joint shakin'
back in the day. Now he lives them. Bitter and broken from a cheating wife and a
shattered marriage, Lazarus' soul is lost in spent dreams and betrayal's
contempt... Until Rae (Christina Ricci).
Half naked and beaten unconscious, Rae is left for dead on the side of the road
when Lazarus discovers her. The God-fearing, middle-aged black man quickly
learns that the young white woman he's nursing back to health is none other than
the town tramp from the small Tennessee town where they live. Worse, she has a
peculiar anxiety disorder. He realizes when the fever hits, Rae's affliction has
more to do with love lost than any found. Abused as a child and abandoned by her
mother, Rae is used by just about every man in the phone book. She tethers her
only hope to Ronnie (Justin Timberlake), but escape to a better life is
short-lived when Ronnie ships off for boot camp. Desperation kicks in, as a
drug-induced Rae reverts to surviving the only way she knows how, by giving any
man what he wants to get what she needs... Until Lazarus.
Refusing to know her in the biblical sense, Lazarus decides to cure Rae of her
wicked ways – and vent some unresolved male vengeance of his own. He chains her
to his radiator, justifying his unorthodox methods with quoted scripture.
Preacher R.L. (John Cothran) intervenes, but it is Lazarus and Rae who redeem
themselves. Unleashing Rae emotionally, Lazarus unchains his heart, finding love
again in Angela (S. Epatha Merkerson). By saving Rae, he frees himself.
EN 5 Second Review:
Weird, but worth seeing if you are looking for sex and
exploitation.
Jackson,
Ricci shine in this disturbing yet well-told coming-of-age tale Phil Villarreal: Arizona Daily
Star
"Black Snake Moan" excels at being awful. A ragged, crusty
old sock of a film, it has you rolling your eyes, shaking your head,
gawking and giggling in all the right moments...more
It's
Hard Out There for a Ho Dana Stevens: Slate
A middle-aged black man in the South chains a young
white woman to his radiator to cure her of nymphomania and
succeeds: What a rich exploration of racial and sexual
archetypes! What a daring challenge to viewers'
expectations! Or maybe: What bullshit....more
Brewer’s
movie is not without minor flaws, but it erases them by
being completely unique Joshua Tyler: Cinemablend.com It’s disguised itself as
a trashy, fun exploitation flick but Black Snake Moan
is credible morality tale about damaged people helping and
healing each other. I’m not saying it isn’t also trashy
exploitation pic, Christina Ricci does after all, spend most
of the movie half-naked and chained to an elderly blues
man’s heater. What Writer/Director Craig Brewer has done is
layer in all that deeper stuff, the kind of material usually
reserved only for courting Oscars, beneath the giddy, guilty
pleasures of a down and dirty Southern Gothic veneer...more
The
movie strolls right past absurdity into offensiveness, by
trying to pass this pulp nonsense off as noble art. Elizabeth Weitzman: NY Daily News To be fair, those who go to "BSM"
will get exactly what they want: a feverish Christina Ricci
in full B-movie mode, as itchy Tennessee nymphomaniac Rae.
While it's impossible to know what drew her to such a
demeaning role, it may have a little something to do with
the attention any actress would get from writhing through a
movie half-naked and chained at the waist, begging for a
man's - but I digress...more
We would love to know what you think, sound off on the
movie message boards and let us know how you liked the movie!
EN 5 Second Review:
Weird, but worth seeing if you are looking for sex and
exploitation.
