Craig Brewer Interveiw

The writer and director of Black Snake Moan, has an interesting interview at Moviehole.net. If you haven't rented Black Snake Moan you really need to. It is a throwback to the 70s exploitation films, yet, it also has a very strong message of the redemptive powers of the blues. This movie is not for children! So don't make it a family night film!!!! However, it is not a too nasty of a film, and the end of the film, while expected, albeit a bit too happy of an ending. However, there is powerful healing mojo in the blues so who am I to question the power of the blues:-)

Movie Review: Black Snake Moan

I finally rented Black Snake Moan it is like a flick from the 70s. Plenty of skin, and strong black heroes. Samuel Jackson is great as a farmer who returns to the blues when his wife leaves him. It reminded me of the sexploitation and black exploitation films of the 70s. Jackson finds Christia Ricci outside his house. Jackson, instead of calling the police or an ambulance, and being falsely accused of a crime takes Ricci in. I don't want to go into to many details, but it is a good film, and while Jackson's character uses unorthodox means to cure Ricci, he always has the best intentions when dealing with her. The movie is rated R, so this is not for kids, and the Ricci character is an over the top nymphomaniac with a drinking problem. The movie comes to an expected end, like most flicks of its type from the 70s. The only big difference between the old style exploitation flicks of the 70s and this is the quality of the film, very good lights, and the use of more that two cameras. This is a high quality film and in away it loses some of the grittiness of a badly lit, poorly processes film that was the standard of 1970s exploitation movies.

UPDATE

8/2/07 I just looked at this post today, and boy was it garbled up. I don't think it was that way originally. I am not sure what happened, but it is fixed now.

Black Snake Moan Review Plus Other Blues Movies Reviewed

Gainsville.com has a movie review of Black Snake Moan. Overall it is a good review. (I still haven't seen it ACK! The hazards of living in the hinterlands) Then there follows some short reviews of other blues films. However, my old bugaboo, reporting that Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil popped up again! ARRGH! Here is the quote.

The greatest legend of the blues is the tale of the man who met the devil at a crossroads and bargained his soul for blues fame. Great bluesman Robert Johnson was the basis for the legend, but permutations of the story have been used time and time again, from "Angel Heart" to "Oh Brother Where Art Thou?" The 1986 movie "Crossroads" bases its story on the legend, as well, and serves as a love letter to the blues.

One more time for those who are hard headed. TOMMY JOHNSON sold his soul to the devil. NOT ROBERT JOHNSON. In the movie O Brother Where Art Thou? The bluesman who is picked up in the car who just sold his soul was TOMMY JOHNSON! In the credits in case you missed that,(Which a lot of people did) Chris Thomas King as TOMMY JOHNSON. Okay so the movie kinda of adds to the confusion by having King dressed more like Robert Johnson, and the song he plays is Skip James. But it is TOMMY JOHNSON. Robert Lockwood JR. fought this myth for his entire life. Lockwood was the step son of Robert Johnson, and Robert Johnson taught him how to play guitar. Lockwood knew Robert Johnson well, and continually defended Robert Johnson's legacy. He said in many interviews that Robert never said anything about selling his soul to play the blues. Only Son House said anything about Robert selling his soul, and I contend that he confused Tommy, and Robert, since Son was asked about it 30 years after it happened. Of course, the reality is no one sold their soul to the devil to play the blues, but Tommy Johnson was playing off the popular superstitions of the day in the delta. Much like the blues are dying lazy journalism will keep the myth of Robert Johnson alive and well.