Movie Review: Black Snake Moan

Yeah, what he said. Look, maybe it's not an eleven per say, but it was pretty damn good. I loved it on a lot of different levels, maybe not on the same levels as Fighting Nun, what with the Hot Christina Ricci sex scenes being the main draw for him, but I still loved it nonetheless.
First of all, it's visually interesting. Say what you want to say about the movie, but Ricci chain writhing on a couch was really cool to look at, for reasons I can't explain. (Consequently Chain Writhing? My new all-girl goth-metal band name). The whole film I thought was visually beautiful and kind of stunning. Also beautiful and stunning? The soundtrack. I mean, I don't know about the actual soundtrack in actual stores, but if it has the song for which the movie was named, I want it. I want eeet bad. The music was hot and perfect. Loved it. Soundtrack in my grubby little hands now!!! Go-Go Gadget Soundtrack. Really.

It's not that I don't get what critics hate about this movie. I do. At some points it is easy to see that Jackson and Ricci are playing charicitures and not full characters. And just as suddenly, the movie changes course and it shows me something else I wasn't expecting. And yeah, Justin Timberlake was an odd choice as love interest. There were certain moments where I could tell the director went "O.k., give me anxious and nervous" and Timberlake answered back with an expression that said "constipated" or the director went "O.k., give me angry as hell" and Timberlake came back with full fledged bitch face. But yet I give him a pass because the movie just worked some how, either in spite of him or because of him I'm not so sure.

And it's not that I don't get the demoralization argument either. It's hard to let some of Rae's actions slide in the film. I get that, but for a film to truly demoralize women, it would have to demoralize all of them and S. Epatha Merkerson played Angela with such texture and grace even with such a small role like that that I don't see the demoralization at all.

Two interesting side notes that I feel is worth mentioning. First; am I the only one who thinks that "Rae" would be the easiest Goodwill attained Halloween costume ever? A trip to the salvation army for a bad confederate flag shirt and some cut-offs, followed by a trip to the hardware store for some chain, make sure you've got the white panties on underneath. Done. Easiest costume ever!!! It doesn't even require a bra!!!

Secondly, Shortly before we went to see the movie, Fighting Nun came up with this theory that Samuel L. Jackson's character is actually what happened to Jules when he went on the path of the straight and narrow. I laughed it off all, "Ha Ha, Jules plays the blues and ties white women up to his radiator Ha Ha." But after seeing the movie, I can't help but make those comparison. There's that moment where he's looking down at the bible reading and then he looks up at Ricci and I thought to myself "I'm trying Ringo. I'm trying real hard to be the Shepherd." and then later in the movie, Fighting Nun leaned over all "It's the blues guitar that says "Bad ass MotherF****er" and I had trouble containing my giggles. We haven't had that much fun with tangential movie related humor since that time we saw LoTR: RoTK in theaters. You know that scene when Sam is on the Mountain and looks at Frodo and is all "I can't carry the burden for you, but I can carry you," That is the exact scene where Fighting Nun leaned over and whispered "Rudy, Rudy, Rudy." I realize that's a really pivotal scene, but I get the giggles every time. Every Damn Time because Fighting Nun made that joke.

So yeah. Black Snake Moan. I loved it. And I'd see it again. In theatres. Which I might do anyway because Driver's License wants to go see it, and Fighting Nun has absolutely no qualms about slapping down the 10 bucks per ticket to see it again. I told you his Ricci obsession was far reaching.

Fighting Nun's Informal Movie Review: Blake Snake Moan

Bloody Munchkin: On a scale of 1 to 10, what would you give the movie?
Fighting Nun: 11, because Hot!

Logan's Run

So, a couple of months back I get into an arguement with a guy at work regarding Logan's Run regarding whether or not Farah Fawcitt was in the movie. I argued that she wasn't. He argued that she was. He was right, unfortunately. But here's the thing. I had only ever scene that movie from the last forty-five minutes or so on before this weekend. I had seen bits and pieces at the beginning sure, but I had never seen the whole thing from the beginning in one sitting and therefore I did not know that Farah Fawcitt had a small role in the movie. But I might argue that the last forty-five minutes or so is all you need anyway. From the time they get to the surface where the tin man on rollers intercepts them to the time they start exploring nature (where Jenny Agutter gives us the best line delivery of the whole movie by the way... "I hate Outside!" Love. Awesome.), and then the viewer realizes they were in a post apocalyptic world, to the meeting of the old guy, to the fight scene to the ending.

The first hour or so that I finally got to watch? Not good. I realize that is was the wild and crazy seventies and things like fast plot development and non-stagey dialogue hadn't technically been invented, but Jesus. Things that took 4 minutes for them to get to could've taken two. And was there an actual point to that bit in Cathedral? That Logan was turning against his Sandman roots? Yeah, got that. Thanks. I'll pass. Oh, and the one thing I did not, DID NOT need was to see Micheal York in a kimono. Any way you slice it, dice it, julianne it, it ain't pretty and I don't want it. Especially with lines like "You're beautiful. Let's have sex." Blech. Bleee-ech. Shudder. Just No! And then, when the movie jumps to the scene where they are swimming in the lake together and you can see blurry, pasty York buttocks, it makes the Kimono York even worse. It's wrong people. Sad and wrong.

And now that I've seen the Fawcitt, I have to say: The Fawcitt wasn't necessary. Look, her and all that feathery hair was just stagey and it didn't serve a real purpose. Stop blathering and get on with it for crying out loud!!!

I mean I get what it was trying to do, and I appreciate it on many levels. It's decent, even if it hasn't stood the test of time and the message it brings to the table it still very time appropriate, but there's certain parts I could leave. Especially the York Kimono. Shudder.