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Black Snake Moan |
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Review by Demetrius Payne |
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3 Stars |
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Cast |
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| Samuel L. Jackson | Lazarus |
| Christina Ricci | Rae |
| Justin Timberlake | Ronnie |
| Written and directed by Craig Brewer. Drama. Paramount. Rated R (for strong sexual content, language, some violence and drug use). Running time: 116 minutes. | |
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The blues is about real love. |
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Once upon a time Lazarus was a blues man of the finest order. Not only could he sing it, he could make a juke joint full of people feel it. Now, instead of performing the blues, he lives them. Struggling to cope with a shattered marriage to a cheating wife (she cheated on him with his younger brother) Lazarus spends his time consumed with thoughts of betrayal¾ that and alcohol.
Then there’s Rae. Not very sure what to make of Rae at the beginning but one thing becomes apparent, the light that she finds in the darkness of her world comes from her relationship with Ronnie, who leaves for the military at the film’s beginning. With him gone her world gets darker, and that dark path leads her to Lazarus’ doorstep. Actually, it gets her drugged up, beaten unconscious and dumped half-naked on the road in front of Lazarus’ rural Tennessee home.
I’m not sure exactly what ignited Lazarus’ Samaritan instinct, but in the process of nursing Rae back to health, he decides to "cure" her. Not only of her bumps and bruises, but also the demons that reside deep inside her. His cure involves locking a 40 pound chain around her waist and anchoring her to the old radiator in his home. As you can imagine, Rae isn’t too fond of this treatment. As odd a remedy as this is, what’s even more peculiar is the healing effect it has on Lazarus as well.
I really enjoyed this movie. I didn’t think I would like it as much as I did, but I went into Hustle and Flow thinking I was not going to like it and I really enjoyed that as well. Not too surprising, since Craig Brewer wrote and directed both films, evoking a similar feel in each.
Sam Jackson delivers his customary powerhouse performance, and for all of those, who, like me, remember Ricci from her soft-body teenage acting days, you will forget those days forever after seeing her in this movie. She is all grown up to put it mildly!
I was actually impressed that Justin Timberlake turned in a good performance as well. I also liked the flow of the movie, as it followed the slow feel of the rustic setting. The music and supporting actors were wonderful as well. This is an enjoyable, thought provoking time at the movies. Not often does a movie address issues such as race, promiscuity and the lingering effects of child abuse, and entertain at the same time. Black Snake Moan successfully does just that.
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A. Demetrius Payne © 2007 |
| Demetrius@reelmoviecritic.com |
| Home Page Genres | Comedy | Romance NYC | Book To Movie |
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The Nanny Diaries |
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Review by Vittorio Carli |
3 Stars |
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Directed by Shari Spring
Berman and Robert Pulcini |
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Scarlett Johansson:
Annie Braddock| |
The Nanny Diaries is a warm and witty comedy that does a reasonably good job of satirizing elite parents who live on New York’s Upper East Side.
The film is based on the best selling novel by Emma Mclaughlin and Nicola Kraus, which is in the same vein as “Bridget Jones’s Diary.” Both of the authors actually worked as nannies in real life.
Shari Spring Berman and Robert Pulcini directed this film. They also co-wrote and directed the wonderful American Splendor, for which they each received a well-deserved Oscar for best adapted screenplay.
The Nanny Diaries benefits from a first rate cast, including Laura (You Can Count on Me) Linney, Paul (American Splendor) Giamatti, Alicia (Smokin’ Aces) Keys and best of all, Scarlett Johansson.
Johansson has made a whole series of artistically significant films, including The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001), Ghostworld (2001), Lost in Translation (2003), The Girl with the Pearl Earring (2003), and Matchpoint (2005). Her resume is far more impressive then many actresses that have been in the business for 30 years.
Unfortunately, as her popularity has gotten greater, she has tended to choose roles in safer, more mainstream films. Hopefully, her career won’t follow the trajectory of Julianne Moore’s (except for the cameo in Children of Men, she hasn’t been in a great film for years.)
The Nanny Diaries will probably be accused of being a Bridget Jones’s Diary imitation, but it also seems to draw some inspiration from television’s “Grey’s Anatomy” and the late, lamented “Ally McBeal” show.
The film is narrated by Annie Braddock (Johansson), a future anthropologist, who makes humorous asides and sees exaggerated visions/versions of reality.
Annie is a recent college graduate from New Jersey who wants to get into an anthropology grad school program, but her mom encourages her to get a good job right away. Annie goes to a job interview, but she blows it when she fails to respond to the question about her identity (she doesn’t know who she is at that point).
On the way home, Annie saves a little boy’s life, and the frazzled mom (called Mrs. X in the film) is extremely grateful to her. Mrs. X somehow gets the idea that Annie is a nanny applicant sent by an agency, and she offers her a job right away.
But there are some unforeseen complications. The boy becomes a monster as soon as he finds out Annie is his new nanny (perhaps because he bonded with some of the other nannies that quickly quit or were terminated).
Annie also becomes enamored of a man in her building that she dubs “Harvard Hottie” (he serves the same function as the McDreamy character on “Grey’s Anatomy”). Mrs. X thinks “Harvard Hottie” is way out of Annie’s league and she discourages all interaction between them.
Mrs. X’s husband is a complete cad, and his wife is oblivious to the fact that he is having a heated affair with a co-worker. He even cancels his wedding anniversary celebration in order to have an extramarital tryst.
The film has fun mocking the pretensions and wrong headedness of the smug, upper class wives who spend more time talking to experts than to their kids. In one scene, a bunch of moms get together with an expert to examine what they see on their secret nanny cams, and Mrs. X gets a comeuppance.
The Nanny Diaries is predictable and formulaic. But it is also filled with sharp dialogue and winning performances, so it is still worth seeing.
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Vittorio J. Carli © 2007 |