Two Cents is an original column akin to a book club for films. The Cinapse team will program films and contribute our best, most insightful, or most creative thoughts on each film using a maximum of 200 words each. Guest writers and fan comments are encouraged, as are suggestions for future entries to the column. Join us as we share our two cents on films we love, films we are curious about, and films we believe merit some discussion.
The Pick
God put you in our path, and Two Cents aims to cure you of your wickedness.
Specifically, the wicked ways which might prevent you from partaking in the lurid world of Craig Brewer’s Black Snake Moan, the single sweetest movie to feature a nymphomaniac chained to a radiator since at least Miss Congeniality (note: it’s been a long time since we saw Miss Congeniality so our memory’s a bit fuzzy).
Does Black Snake Moan succeed beyond the trashy subject matter? Is there real soul to its song? Read on and find out in this week’s Two Cents!
Did you get a chance to watch along with us this week? Want to recommend a great (or not so great) film for the whole gang to cover? Comment below or post on our Facebook or hit us up on Twitter!
Next Week’s Pick:
In honor of new release Ant-Man which stars Paul Rudd, we’re taking a look a the sleeper cult hit Wet Hot American Summer. Love it? Hate it? Join us either way!
Would you like to be a guest in next week’s Two Cents column? Simply watch and send your under-200-word review to twocents(at)cinapse.co!
Our Guests
Cole Bradley:
Hot Damn.
So on the surface, Black Snake Moan is a blues song come to life. It’s about an old blues man whose wife leaves him for his brother and who chains up a wayward white woman to cure her of her wickedness. And frankly, that sounds awesome. But just like Hustle & Flow is so much more than the tired rags to riches story the plot synopsis suggests, this is far more than some (great sounding) cheap exploitation flick.
This is an absolutely electric movie, just completely engaging and moving from frame 1. This is a movie about God, faith, family, music, love, sex, abuse, mental illness, community, poverty and a thousand other things, and it tackles all of them with such honesty and power. This isn’t a movie to be talked about. This is a movie to be seen, to be experienced. To let the power just wash over you as Brewer works his magic spell and sucks you in. It’s pure cinema and I love every second of it.
Still doesn’t excuse that damn Footloose remake, though. (@ColeWBradley)
The Team
Frank:
I’ve always been a fan of films which feature damaged people leaning on other damaged people because at the end of the day, no other kind of individual can hope to understand or relate unless they’ve been through something similar.
Black Snake Moan is a perfect example of this in that features two wonderfully complex characters who come from opposite ends of the spectrum, yet are drawn together through past hardships. The relationship between Rae and Lazarus begins in a highly unorthodox manner, but watching it develop is truly beautiful.
I was struck by the sort of animated reality the film was in, the way the actors performed in such a world and the power of the music (in particular the Stack-O-Lee sequence), which remains awesome! It should also be noted that Black Snake Moan was the film that made me change my mind about Justin Timberlake as a film actor. He’s simply heartbreaking and subtle in his role as Ricci’s Army boyfriend.
However it’s the bond that’s developed and the effect it has on both Rae and Lazarus that remains Black Snake Moan’s core. The final scene with Ricci singing “This Little Light of Mine” alone says it all. (@frankfilmgeek)
Brendan:
Weirdly, the movie I always compare Black Snake Moan to in my mind is Kill Bill. They aren’t alike in tone or style or content in any way, unless Black Snake Moan has a scene where Christina Ricci massacres a bunch of dudes with a samurai sword and I just plain forgot it (by the way, this would improve the movie roughly 800%). But I link the movies in my mind because what both Craig Brewer and Quentin Tarantino did was take lurid, out-sized pulp set-ups and deliver films with aching, painful humanity just beneath the surface.
So even as the film is indulging in the trashy and exploitative set-up, it never once loses sight of the very real pain and damage haunting Lazarus and Rae, and that willingness to let performers and characters bare body and soul results in an emotional catharsis that is almost overwhelming. As these characters slouch their way towards grace, there are no easy solutions or easy answers, only the bonds they build between each other preserving them through the roughest of times.
It’s haunting, lovely stuff, shot through with exceptional music and style. (@TheTrueBrendanF)
Austin:
I really would like to believe that in time Black Snake Moan will come to be recognized not only as one of the greatest films of the 00s but also of Samuel L. Jackson’s career. His Lazarus Redd is every bit as memorable as Pulp Fiction’s Jules Winnfield, and similarly a man who recognizes and responds to what God has placed in his path.
On the surface, and in its shocking trailer which immediately grabbed my attention when it first debuted, the film looks like a smutty exploitation romp, centered around the image of a scantily clad woman in chains. Even the title “Black Snake Moan” (an old blues reference to the voice of temptation), sounds… specifically sexual. But it’s so much more here, a deeply spiritual tale of broken people finding each other and helping to balance each others’ shortcomings. A beautifully compelling mix of opposites — sacred and profane, black and white, humor and drama, youth and age, joy and sorrow, love and hatred.
Bearing a unique voice and anchored by great performances and a soundtrack that bleeds the blues, Craig Brewer’s parable is nothing less than a masterwork that deserves our recognition. (@VforVashaw)
Justin:
Most of the time, the Two Cents curators choose films that I’ve never seen before. Of course, this presents an opportunity to see new films, including many that I probably would never watch on my own. But this week the chosen film is one that I’ve loved for years. I saw Black Snake Moan in the theaters and have owned a DVD copy since it came out.
What drew me to this film in the first place was Christina Ricci. I have had a major crush on Ms. Ricci since we were young… one could say that Wednesday Addams and I go way back. But my crush took a back seat when the film’s powerful story, incredible acting, and killer soundtrack took hold of my very soul.
This film is an examination of race, sexuality, and faith. It wrestles with trauma, mental health, demon possession, and family dynamics. It’s highly entertaining, all the while tackling cultural taboos and important themes of human struggle.
So, in short, Black Snake Moan is a must see film. (@thepaintedman)
Did you all get a chance to watch along with us? Share your thoughts with us here in the comments or on Twitter or Facebook!