Black Snake Moan

Black Snake Moan. That was a tasty burger.

If for absolutely no other reason whatsoever, see this movie and and hear the blues. Behind every scene, there was that angry, pissed off guitar, making you feel the pain of its player.

The movie: She's young, white, and has "the sickness." He's old, black, and his woman (with his brother) done did him wrong. She's beaten and discarded on the dusty road in front of his house and he finds her as he discards his trash. Here, it all gets biblical - his name is Lazarus after all. We've seen the trailer. He nurses her back to better health and chains the poor white girl to his radiator and sees to it that he's gonna cure her of her need for...well, you know. A moderately interesting story.

But that music. I've been trying really hard to get into Radiohead again lately. You know, the band that plays that "smart" music. Or that "smart" band that plays that "interesting" music. Whatever. I hear Bobby Rush in Black Snake Moan and it takes no time at all to remember that while music may have moved into other directions and gotten more technical and innovative, you just can't improve on the blues.

My friend and I walked out of the theater wanting to learn how to play guitar. I haven't seen a movie driven by that sound so much since The Hot Spot featuring the music of John Lee Hooker, Ta Majal and Miles Davis. I half felt like I was at a concert. The credits rolled and I felt the urge for a 2 A.M. visit to the Waffle House. I'll shoot for an early afternoon visit tomorrow to Mothership BBQ instead.

When you buy the soundtrack - and if you see the movie, you will want to - pay close attention to artist Scott B. Bomar. He's a local guy who contributes three tracks to the CD (and I suspect he might also be the sound behind the tracks on which Samuel L. Jackson is the singer).

Alternate spellings to the film as seen elsewhere in the cinema:

• Black Snake MoanR - Seems we've already found our eventual porn title.
• Black Snak - Looks to be misspelled, but a black snack does sound appetizing. Licorice, maybe?