BLACK SNAKE MOAN

Black Snake Moan is a very powerful picture.

It's a blues musical, the second (Hustle & Flow, a hip-hop/rap musical, was the first) in a series of films by Craig Brewer that may redesign, redefine, and revolutionize the movie-musical.

Don't take it literally. It's not a sexual exploitation or a race relations film. It's a fable or a fairy tale or a metaphor or a provocation or a love story. It sits right on the edge of a cliff... of disaster, tragedy, sorrow, human shame, guilt... or redemption.

(I've always kind of wondered what it means when someone says some project is -- or should be -- edgy. This film is the embodiment of edgy.)

The acting, by Samuel L. Jackson, Christina Ricci, and Justin Timberlake is terrific. And the music is excellent: it's a blues musical. The extra features on the DVD are very interesting.

"Black Snake Moan" is the name of a song by Blind Lemon Jefferson, one of the great, legendary blues singers. But it's fair to read other meanings into the title.

DREAMGIRLS

Excellent singing, interesting story. Lots of great acting, including an Oscar winning performance from Jennifer Hudson.

I was bored.

Here are some personal notes on Dreamgirls:

The biggest problem I had was the Jamie Foxx character. From the hints in the plot, he's got to be a charismatic operator. But the part was underwritten, and the performance too low-key. All his showmanship, his salesmanship, and his flagrant criminal activities were offscreen. His love scenes were tepid.

Originally a Broadway show, the film is full of show-stoppers -- extraordinary songs, full of emotion, belted at high volume. Live, they could be spectacular. On screen, they simply stopped the show.

It's the atmospheric, highly musical story of a "fictional" singing group from Motown that makes it big... And the people they leave behind.

I think you've just got to be in the mood to enjoy this one.