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Directed by: Craig Brewer Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Christina Ricci, Justin Timberlake Ever since the trailer came out, I have been excited to see this movie. Now, I didn't rush out to see Snakes on a Plane, but I admit that I've got a weakness for Bad Motherfucker Samuel L. Jackson. I don't know if it was him specifically that caught my eye about this film initially, or the potential for the premise, but I wasn't dissapointed in any way. If you haven't seen this movie yet, I highly recommend you buy the soundtrack before watching it. You can also listen to the whole thing for free on the movie's website. Play it a few times, get a good feel for it. I've never been a big fan of the blues, but there's something so raw about the music in this film, it really got to me. The music was a major selling point here. Another one of my favorite parts in this film is how well the director "sold" the south. I'm a New Englander for life, and I've never been in that area, so I suppose someone who lived there might be able to tell how authentic it really felt. For me, however, I felt like the director did a good job of making the audience feel the heat, smell the smells, and really experience that part of the country really well. It made me long for warm weather and summertime. I thought that the acting was spectacular here. There were some humorous parts, but overall I found myself wishing I had watched it at home, because so many people in the crowded theater were laughing at parts that weren't really meant to be funny. People went into the theater wanting to see Samuel L. Jackson be a Bad Motherfucker, not an actor create a complicated character. In a way, I feel bad for him, because it seems he can only ever be cast as himself. However I think he nailed this role; he looked the part with that little bit of a potbelly, and his accent was fantastic. Ricci was also spectacular. The way she changed her body for the role was great, considering the fact that she's always been a little chubby. The scene where she confronts her mother in the grocery store about her childhood molestation gave me the chills. She played a complicated (but a little dumb) character very well. I didn't see Christina Ricci in this role, I saw Rae. I've always been a little reluctant to see Justin Timberlake act, even though he has surprised me each time I've seen him. In this role, however, I felt like he was given the short end of the stick. A lot of his lines sounded forced and contrived, and I think that was more the fault of bad writing than his own talent. His character just felt like it wasn't very filled out. I would have like to have seen Timberlake be given a better chance. Overall, I thought it was a fantastic movie. If anything, it moved forward too quickly, I would have liked to see the movie run a little bit longer so that Ricci's character could have been given a little more time to transform. I would have liked to see Timberlake used a little better, but overall this movie held my attention and surpassed my expectations. RATING: 5 PROS: Amazing soundtrack, performances by Ricci and Jackson CONS: Justin Timberlake is underused, pacing a little fast ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0462200/
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Mar 28, 2007 23:21
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Saw it opening night. Since SoaP was Jackson's last movie, I came in expecting to cheer at nudity/violence/misogyny. Instead I got a yawnfest overcoming adversity story with religion, the blues, and funny makeup. I was really excited when we got boobs in the first 3 seconds, and was pleasantly surprised that Samuel L. graced us with his singing voice, but I wish I had spent my $8 on a burrito. 3/5 only because the girl from Casper turned out way hot 2/5 if you somehow edited out the boobs
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Mar 30, 2007 19:19
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I loved this movie. The soundtrack is incredible, the setting appealed to me, the story was interesting, etc. I love Samuel L. Jackson and he can never do wrong in my eyes. Ricci was adorable in some odd-creepy way. BUT Justin Timberlake brought the entire thing down a notch for me. I felt that if it weren't for him, the movie would be drat near perfect. But, jesus, is he a horrid "actor" or what? None of his lines sounded convincing and he just looks ridiculous when trying to act pissed off. RATING: 4/5 PROS: Sundtrack, setting, story, Jackson/Ricci CONS: Timberlake, Timberlake, Timberlake
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Apr 2, 2007 08:08
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