Movie Review: Footloose

Footloose (2011) 

Directed by Craig Brewer

Written by Craig Brewer, Dean Pitchford

Starring Kenny Wormald, Julianne Hough, Miles Teller, Dennis Quaid

Release Date October 14th, 2011

Published October 14th, 2011

Critics can tend to overthink a movie. In the case of "Footloose," that is a deadly pursuit. "Footloose" does not invite inspection. This candy coated musical is all about putting on a show with pluck and good humor and not about the mechanics of great filmmaking. The only intention behind Footloose is to make a quick buck off of nostalgia and if it happens to not completely stink out loud, that's an unintended bit of good luck. 

Ren McCormick (Kenny Wormald) has moved to Bomont, Tennessee from Boston following the death of his mother. Moving in with his Aunt Lulu (Kim Dickens) and Uncle Wes (Ray McKinnon), Ren finds himself not merely in a new home but seemingly a new planet. Bomont, Tennessee could not be any different from Boston. Foremost among the differences is a ban on public dancing put in place by a local crusading Preacher, Shaw Moore (Dennis Quaid).

The preacher's daughter, Ariel (Julianne Hough) immediately catches Ren's eye, setting up a pair of showdown's for Ren and the preacher as he intends to fight the dance ban and date Shaw Moore's daughter. Credit Dennis Quaid for bringing a seriousness and even gravity to "Footloose" that the movie needs in order to keep from tipping completely into parody. Quaid is so good opposite Hough and Wormald that he makes the novice actors better.

Of course, "Footloose" is not about acting or drama, it's about nostalgia, dancing and a good soundtrack. The soundtrack of "Footloose" is a rather bizarre stew of country, hip hop, and covers of tunes from the original movie. Blake Shelton's cover of Kenny Loggins legendary title track is as rousing and cheesy as the original while Deniece Williams' original "Let's Hear for the Boy" makes a welcome comic appearance in the same context it did in the original "Footloose," as Ren teaches his new pal Willard (Miles Teller) how to dance.

Other call backs to the original movie include a reprise of Quiet Riot's "Metal Health" and a cover of Ann Wilson and Mike Reno's cheeseball ballad "Almost Paradise." These nostalgic touches make clear that director Craig Brewer has as much respect for the original "Footloose" as long time fans do. Brewer even manages to keep Ren's angry dance solo dance in the empty factory. No Kenny Loggins in this version, a rather forgettable hip hop song is in its place, but the heavy cheese dramatics are still there in great, unintentional comic effect.

That's another interesting thing about "Footloose;" the film can be enjoyed on an earnest level or an ironic one. If you are inclined to pick away at the movie you can, and you can have fun doing it, the movie has a certain awareness of its place in the movie world but not so much that it ruins a proper ironic appreciation of it. Bottom line, "Footloose" is just plain fun; a terrifically cheesy pop culture dessert all sugar and calories and nothing remotely good for you. But it tastes so good.

Movie Review: Black Snake Moan

Black Snake Moan (2007) 

Directed by Craig Brewer 

Written by Craig Brewer

Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Christina Ricci, Justin Timberlake

Release Date March 2nd, 2007

Published March 2nd, 2007

Craig Brewer's debut film Hustle and Flow was a sweat soaked tale of redemption as memorable for its musical conceit, southern fried hip hop, as for its dirty south setting. His follow up mines some of the same elements but with a great deal less success. Black Snake Moan is a similarly sweat soaked tale of redemption. Replacing hip hop with some old school blues, Black Snake Moan also has the musical conceit down.

So why does Hustle and Flow succeed and Black Snake Moan fail? High camp. Where Hustle and Flow could be taken seriously, even with it's pimps and ho's, Black Snake Moan is too balls out goofy in it's nympho plus bluesman equals redemption tale.

It's a concept so bizarre it's difficult to describe. A nymphomaniac (Christina Ricci) is depressed over her boyfriend (Justin Timberlake) having left for the military. So, she heads out for a night of hardcore debauchery. The next morning she is found beaten and unconscious on the side of a dirt road not far from the home of a bluesman turned farmer (Samuel L. Jackson).

How that leads to the nympho being chained to the bluesman's radiator is part of the overall kink of Black Snake Moan; another meta southern fantasy from writer-director Craig Brewer whose talent for recreating the southern milieu of mid-seventies southern exploitation films make him either the Quentin Tarentino of the southern drive in or a redneck Roger Corman. It depends on how much you like the story he's telling.

I loved the way he told the story of a pimp becoming a rapper in Hustle and Flow. That movie used the sweat soaked southern setting to put its characters in a pressure cooker environment that imitated the pressure each felt about turning their lives around. At times the pimp game stuff seemed a little too blaxploitation and not enough true story, but for the most part it worked.

Black Snake Moan is almost entirely an exploitation flick. Violent, creepy and yet somehow kind of sexy, Black Snake Moan trains its lecherous camera eye on Christina Ricci's panty and half shirt clad form, with a chain around her waist and milks it for all the kinky exploitation it can wring from such a scenario and not be accused of being porn.

And then the old time religion kicks in and the movie goes off in another goofy direction. Craig Brewer's direction of Black Snake Moan is as assured and evocative as anything he did in Hustle and Flow. The difference comes from the goofball story being told. Hustle and Flow created its own sweat soaked southern reality. Black Snake Moan evokes a Hollywood style southern culture by way of the goofy southern exploitation flicks of the 1970's.

You have to respect the bravery of Ms. Ricci for taking on such a complicated role. Though her performance is an utter disaster, she is at the very least highly committed to the part of a white trash sex fiend. It's a courageous and sexy performance but the character is entirely untenable. She is not necessarily redeemed and her character has little recognizable arc.

Samuel L. Jackson's bluesman is the more interesting and complex character. Surprisingly reserved and uncertain for a Samuel L. Jackson character, Lazarus makes decisions from moment to moment and often out of a quiet rage. That rage erupts rarely but when it does you get just a glimpse of the usual Sam Jackson; badass histrionics. This is a well measured and unique performance for Jackson, the best thing about an otherwise execrable film.

Black Snake Moan is southern fried dopey. Soft core porn on a Hollywood budget and with a much better soundtrack. I had hoped for something with a little more depth from Craig Brewer after his deft, quick witted debut. The filmmaking is strong; it's the storytelling that has suffered. Craig Brewer is too smart and too talented for such a shallow effort as Black Snake Moan.

Movie Review Hustle and Flow

Hustle and Flow (2005)

Directed by Craig Brewer 

Written by Craig Brewer

Starring Terrence Howard, Paula Jai Parker, Anthony Anderson, Taraji P. Henson, D.J Qualls, Ludacris

Release Date July 22nd, 2005

Published June 21st, 2005 

Certain artists make their statement with such passion that you can't help but be moved. Jimi Hendrix's guitar could sound like a chainsaw but was played with such passion that you could not help but listen intently. Bruce Springsteen's lyrics, be they about heartbreak or happiness, delivered in that raspy scream or sorrowful whisper are similarly moving. Writer-Director Craig Brewer captures a glimpse of this kind of passion in his film Hustle and Flow. The story of a Memphis pimp who dreams of escaping the ghetto for the world of a rap star, Hustle and Flow delivers a powerful look at the kind of unyielding desire that creates great music.

Terrence Howard stars in Hustle and Flow as Djay. Pimping 20 dollars out of the back of his Caprice classic, Djay has reached the age where his father, a garbage man, died. His age has caused a revelation for Djay.  He begins to feel his life slipping away and an emptiness that his current business cannot fill. He confesses some of these feelings in an exceptional opening monologue delivered to one of his girls, Nola (Taryn Manning).

At home Djay has, not only Nola but also Shug (Taraji P. Henson) pregnant and put upon, and  Lexus (Paula Jai Parker). Because she can't work Shug is raising Lexus's child, Lexus also works as a stripper and her independent income makes her often difficult to deal with. Needless to say, Djay's surroundings contribute heavily to his sense of desperation.

Then, in a chance encounter in a gas station, Djay hooks up with an old high school buddy named Key (Anthony Anderson). Working as a sound engineer recording church choirs, Key had always dreamed of opening a studio to produce rap records. When Key brings Djay to church to hear the choir, the music inspires Djay to finally express his thoughts musically.

With Key's help, and the help of a skinny white kid named Shelby (D.J. Qualls), Djay records a rap record with the hope that if it's any good he can get it in the hands of a local rapper, Skinny Black (Ludacris), who is returning to town for one night only. He knows if Skinny Black here's his music he will make it big, get out of the ghetto and live happily ever after.

Hustle and Flow has a familiar rags to riches in the music biz plot. Movies as varied as A Star Is Born or Glitter have mined this same plot to varying degrees of success. What sets Hustle and Flow apart is  Craig Brewer's artful direction that takes cues from 70's blaxploitation and modern music videos and Terrence Howard's visceral and feral performance. And finally the music, which is an impactful and impassioned brand of hip hop from the streets of Memphis called Crunk.

Craig Brewer directs Hustle and Flow, his second feature after the obscure The Poor and Hungry, with a style and flair that perfectly captures its place but remains timeless. Brewer happened upon the story from his own midlife crisis. Reaching the age his father had died at, 27 years old, Brewer felt compelled to do something lasting and combined with a unique run in with a Memphis pimp while scouting locations for another film, Hustle and Flow was born.

The film captures a version of Memphis, Tennessee, from the heat to the hustle, in a way similar to how Martin Scorsese captures his New York City, that way that feels definitive and true. Amy Vincent's cinematography brings the humid, sweat soaked streets of Memphis to vivid life while production designer Keith Brian Burns creates sets that have a lived in feel so familiar you could swear you've been in that place.

Terrence Howard is electric in a complicated, hard-bitten performance. The character is uncompromising and not always a good person but his music and his all consuming desire to escape his despair make Djay sympathetic whether he strives to be or not. Howard does all of his own rapping in the film and shows an exceptional and unexpected talent for it.

What a great year for Terrence Howard. His powerful supporting performance in Paul Haggis' Crash is a remarkable turn. Now with Hustle and Flow, Howard has the kind of one-two punch that Jamie Foxx had in 2004 with Collateral and Ray. Howard does not have the big studio support that Foxx had last year, which makes him much more of a longshot come Oscar time, but it's unquestionable that both performances deserve recognition.

The lasting effect of Hustle and Flow comes from the film's soundtrack. With contributions from Memphis rap stars 3 Six Mafia and Al Capone and Terrence Howard's incredibly adept raps the music rings with the character's desire and desperation. Capone and 3 Six Mafia wrote all of Djay's raps but indeed it is Howard himself rapping in the film.

The music, with titles like "Whoop That Trick" and "It's Hard For A Pimp", have the raw power and resonance of rap music before it was co-opted and forced into the mainstream. Before rappers became consumed by their fame and began writing more about Cristal Champagne than about what was really happening on the streets.

Terrence Howard is emerging as a huge talent. Crash was a wake-up call and Hustle and Flow is a full on announcement of Terrence Howard's formidable gifts. Combined with arguably the year's best soundtrack and the phenomenal direction of Craig Brewer, Terrence Howard makes Hustle and Flow one of 2005's all-too-rare must-see pictures.