Black Snake Moan [Blu ray] :: Education by Design Store

Customer Reviews

Unexpectedly good

2008-07-17
This movie has a serious theme which is sex addiction. It is a real problem that some people have particularly someone that has been abused...The performances were emotionally wrenching at times... people saying this movie was ridiculous are just not aware of what goes on around them. If I had seen this movie 10 yrs ago I probably would have thought it was ridiculous too... get out and meet some people is all I can say to that....
The chain, the anchor became a wonderful symbol and that is in some ways a better symbol of marriage than the rings we wear.
Overall I must recommend it quite highly.

Unbelievably full of 'soul'.

2008-07-08
This movie was painful, beautiful and full of soul. What looks like a swanky sex story on the surface turns out to be a touching, spiritual journey. The soulfull music chosen to accompany was a perfect choice as well, and Sam Jackson looked like he'd been born with a guitar in his hands. Christina Ricci plays a unique role, and very different from her 'little girl' days, as a damaged young woman clinging to an equally emotionally challenged young man played by Justin Timberlake. When her beloved leaves, the one thin thread helping her hold her life together is broken and she's back on the prowl, thinking sex is all that can save her from the wretched past. Beaten up and left for dead by the side of the road, Rae is rescued by a black man named Lazarus. It turns out Lazarus is a bit beaten up by life as well. I love how the 'chain' becomes a beautiful tether of love that helps ground these emotionally scattered people trying so hard to cope with all the pain in their lives. What a fantastic story!

Chrissy K. McVay - Author

This is bad

2008-07-05
I'm sorry I bought it, actually. It's unnecessarily sordid, ridiculous, and ultimately unbelievable. I give it two stars only because the style is accomplished and the cinematography is sharp, but as for the script and 'the message'? Forget about it. A tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing . . .

Worth seeing again

2008-06-13
I saw this film on Cinemax last night and I think I need to see it again. What started as a taut, emotional, sexual rollercoaster ended up losing steam midway through and wrapped up too neatly for me.

Some incredible themes were explored in this film, mainly the exorcising of people's personal demons.

I absolutely loved the relationship between Rae and Laz, brilliantly portrayed by Christina Ricci and Samuel L. Jackson. Really, I think it's some of the best work either actor has ever done and the film is worth watching just for that!

And Justin Timberlake was surprisingly moving in his role. Very impressive!

And the blues! Oh! The blues! AWESOME MUSIC! I loved getting a taste of that culture.

But again, there was this weird drop in pacing about 2/3 of the way through and I really wonder what got lost on the cutting room floor. I'll have to give it another view to see what I might've missed.

As good as it gets: Great pace, superb acting, terrific story

2008-06-08
I saw a picture of Ricci kneeling on the grass with only scanty pants on in PLAYBOY. The snapshot--a key part of the movie--enticed me to see the
movie. I had not read any of the reviews or even dreamed of Sam Jackson's
versatility. So many have reviewed the movie in detail that I will
disappoint. Ricci's gutsy performance done with total abandonment and yet also grace has to been seen. Sam Jackson shows his versatility, firmness, tenderness and musical abilities in a role that no one else could play as well. There is a great supporting cast. The music adds to the movie and
brings some liveliness into a story that otherwise could have been very
cold. Seeing intermingling of races in a southern town is refreshing yet one has to wonder if this could happen in more liberated northern cities.
Yes there is some nudity yet it is essential and handled in a delicate
artistic manner. Those who want to drool at Ricci's anatomy will find the film disappointing. Those who appreciate superb acting and a lively moving plot will find Very Few Better. Atypical and great!

NOT AS BAD AS THE TRAILER WOULD LEAD YOU TO BELIEVE, BUT.............

2008-06-07
Paramount Black Snake Moan (Blu-ray)
When ex-blues musician Lazarus (Samuel L. Jackson) finds the town nymphomaniac Rae (Christina Ricci) left for dead on the side of the road, he vows to nurse her back to healthand cure her of her wickedness. Until then, shell be chained to the immovable radiator in hishome. But Lazarus has demons of his own: his wifejust left him for his own brother. While Lazarus and Rae struggle to fix their broken lives, the situation threatens to explode as Rae's boyfriend Ronnie (Justin Timberlake) a roughneck soldier just back from Iraq comes searching for his missinglover.

A surprisingly wonderful story about redemption

2008-06-01
When I first heard of this movie I thought "Oh, Please. How stupid" When I saw it I was blown away. This is a wonderful story about how 2 people help eachother find redemption in an unusual way I grant. It isn't what you think at all and the ending is positive. And don't even get me started on the music. I bought the sound track right away. Don't be thrown off by the title or the cover art, give this film a chance and you won't be sorry.

Moan No More

2008-05-25
This film originally caught my interest after I had seen a trailer for it on myspace. Admittedly, it was Justin Timberlake's appearance in what seemed a very odd film that was the true source of my interest. Later however, I read several very encouraging reviews that shed better light on the very strange subject matter and which also praised Timberlake's performance. I had been eagerly anticipating the film which I have finally viewed. I am even more pleased than I had expected. The trailer really did little justice to the small film which essentially turned out to be a love story. Christina Ricci was enjoyable and as strange as usual, Samuel L. Jackson was as commanding and charming as usual, but Timberlake was absolutely unusually vulnerable in his role. Perhaps Timberlake's lack of acting experience adds to my surprise, but I was very pleased to see Timberlake successfully attack a role that was real, dirty, and emotionally charged. He was utterly beautiful. Perhaps my only real complaint as to the performance of Timberlake was his weak accent, which seemed to fluctuate in and out, especially when accompanied by the very smooth and strong accent of Ricci's character. Additionally, his voice was as usual slightly distracting. While his smooth and sensual voice is pure gold for his music career, it can be quite distracting as a character attribute. Overall, however, I wouldn't have had it any other way.

**I just wanted to add that the deleted scenes should really be viewed as they actually add a lot to the characters, especially that of Jackson. Additionally, there is a cute little flashback between Ricci and Timberlake's characters. It is an enjoyable addition.

Justin Timberlake was unnecessary

2008-05-17
Christina Ricci has to be one of my favourite actresses. She's one of the few child stars that has managed to make a name for herself in adult films unlike some unmentionables, and not be known as Wednesday Addams anymore.

Black Snake Moan was a very strange film. Some of it didn't make sense, and Rae and Lazarus's relationship can be quite difficult to watch at times. For the guys, Christina appears topless (only her second topless scene since Prozac Nation), and wears very little. Tiny shorts, and a top cut in half was her wardrobe. Oh, and cowboy boots. The scene that sticks out was her walking along the road, and this giant truck behind her, hooting at her to get out the way, and she sticks her middle finger up.

Black Snake Moan's reviews/trailers do not do it justice. I watched it expecting something entirely different to what I've read about it. Samuel L Jackson was amazing, and can actually sing and play the guitar (which he learned while filming Snakes On A Plane.) Personally, I don't like his singing voice. The whole blues/jazz stuff really isn't what I would listen to on a day-to-day basis. What I did love was of course the song that is NOT on the soundtrack, and I am now desperate to get my hands on this song. If it is her, Christina has a really nice voice, singing "This Little Light Of Mine", although the song got stuck in my head and I couldn't get to sleep.

The story goes that Rae's boyfriend, Ronnie (played by the shockingly wooden Justin Timberlake) goes off to fight a war and leaves her behind. Sleep with her and leave her. While he goes, she goes off the rail, and sleeps with every man who comes near her. An addiction possibly? She also drinks and then one night takes something she shouldn't and gets beaten up by Ronnie's so called best friend. Lazarus finds her by the side of the road, and decides he needs to take care of her. Which includes chaining her skinny little self with a 40lb chain to the radiator. They shout, they scream, they gradually begin to understand and help the other.

The film does get a little waylaid towards the end. I wasn't sure about the ending. I was kinda hoping Ronnie's character wouldn't come back but he did with a (wooden) vengence. The film could have been so much better without him. Still strange, but better.

Christina plays the character of Rae brilliantly. After watching it I couldn't imagine any other actress who could have played this role. Yes, she was shockingly too skinny, but it was part of the character. (Although recent photos I've seen of her have made her look like a lollipop head.) The dirty blonde hair, the bags under the eyes, and the clothes just fit the character to a T.

While I wouldn't recommend Black Snake Moan to everybody (I think you have to be in the right frame of mind to watch a young girl being chained by an older man, and not think there's something snapped in his brain to make him do that), it is one of those strange movies that you have to pick up if it's not too expensive. It is worthwhile seeing, although it won't leave a lasting impression afterwards. Just that Christina is too skinny, and I NEED that song!

Reference: Opera

2008-05-11
Recently I heard the meditation theme from the opera THAIS. Set in ancient times, it portrays a wanton woman who is redeemed by a monk. This film definitely tells the same story with a 3,000 year divide.